Welcome
Finally, the last week of Term! This term always seems the longest and hardest. For those colleagues off during the break, I hope you enjoy a much deserved rest.
We arrive at this point in great shape, the majority of pupils in school learning, and most importantly, progressing. Most of all, our colleagues in other Trusts and our commissioners are noticing the quality of your hard work.
We are developing new Community Partnership Groups, working closely with schools, providing much of the collegiate working that former clusters did. The new Groups will be attached to each academy, focused solely on that academy, and be advisory Groups to the Board. First meetings will be next term. If any of you are aware of parents, carers, or others in our wider communities who might be interested, please ask them to contact Sophie Turner for an Expression of Interest form by emailing sophie.turner@transformingfutures.org.uk. More information is available on the Trust website here.
Turning to our Estates, we are hoping to finalise new premises for Camborne shortly. Additional space for Tiverton at the Haven Centre is progressing to plan. We are also researching better solutions for the dilapidated Courtlands building, including further CIF funding.
On a wider front, having led the changes to infrastructure over the last two years, I took the personal decision over the summer that it was time for me to move on and so informed Trustees that I would not apply for the renewal of my contract at completion next term. The Trust is now out of the recovery phase required in 2019, and into strengthening the systems and processes put in place. My skills are better focused on the recovery changes that we have implanted so successfully across the Trust. Trustees have recently run a recruitment process and a new CEO will join the Trust around Easter time.
In the interim, Josie Medforth, COO, has resigned to focus on her burgeoning consultancy. Josie has contributed a huge amount to developing our central services systems. She has been integral to building the Delt relationships and will be sorely missed. We thank her for the huge efforts she has put in to move the Trust so far forward. Anna Tapley is also leaving the central team this term to take up a post outside education. Anna has brought a great ability to keep projects moving to completion, always with a warm smile and great humour. After only a short time with us, she leaves an enormous gap as well.
Moving to appointments.......Sandra Harris, Chief Governance & Operations Officer is joining on a short-term contract to take over from Josie starting immediately. We will also welcome a new CFO in Andrew Hardingham, previously CFO for Plymouth City Council on a short term contract from the new term. In addition, I would also like you to extend a warm welcome to Sophie Turner, Executive Assistant who joined the central team last week.
Finally, I share with you a few lines from Harry Baker via CST:
“The truth is it’s too easy to tell ourselves that it is too hard.
When facing the end, that it’s too late to even make a start.
But if we take impossible to mean that we don’t have a chance,
Then we have lost sight of how unlikely it is that we would get this far…
We cannot know how far our actions go, the impact they might have
Sometimes the only thing that we can do, is to do what we can.”
Very best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and joyous New Year.
Gavin Gracie, CEO
On Friday 10th December, ACE Tiverton celebrated Christmas Jumper Day with “the best performance poetry display ever!” (Direct Student Quote!)
Employee Assistance Programme
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Cyber Essentials Accreditation 