Newsletters

Introducing the Summer Term - Staff Newsletter

Welcome

Firstly, welcome back to the Summer Term. I hope that everyone enjoyed the Easter break and took some much-needed time to rest and relax after what was, a very busy Spring Term.

By way of an update on key items in which the Trust is involved I would like to share the following:-

Delt TUPE proposal:

The consultation period for our colleagues involved in the Delt TUPE closed last Friday. During that period, we received feedback that enabled us to make a change to the proposal pushing back the effective date from 19th April to 1st May 2021. This change was proposed following feedback regarding how the two pay dates would be administered during transfer from Transforming Futures (TFT) to Delt.

Given there were no further issues in relation to the proposal, we can confirm that the project will proceed as planned and colleagues affected will transfer under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 to Delt Shared Services Ltd as proposed, with effect from 1 May 2021. Members of the Delt team are working with individuals transferring regarding their onboarding arrangements to ensure a smooth transition. We look forward to continuing our work with those colleagues within the capacity of their roles.

Covid-19:

With regard to the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown we are optimistic that restrictions will continue to ease as we move into May and with warmer months ahead. We do however need to maintain our robust approach in terms of the controls and measures in place to keep ourselves and our school community safe and prevent the risk of spreading the virus.

Collegiate working with other Trusts:

We are continuing our work in raising the profile of the Trust and specialist skills of our staff that are increasingly being recognised by the wider education community in terms of what Transforming Futures Trust offers to its students. Ace Schools will be doing a project with Tedd Wragg Trust shortly, and we are discussing how we can support other schools.

Key for this Term:

As ever, this half term brings its own challenges, from assessing exam group pupils to preparation for primary pupils to transition next year.  However, the sun is starting to shine again and we are at least working back in a closer to normal setting. 

I look forward to working with you over the Summer Term.

Best wishes

Gavin Gracie, CEO

Recruitment Update

Keep an eye on the Trust's vacancy page as the following roles are currently out to advert....

Externally advertised roles:

An exciting opportunity has opened up at Courtlands School for a Teacher to join the team. The ideal candidate will have qualified teacher status and should have a desire to make a difference and help our young people access their education. The closing date for this role is 4th May 2021 and for full details please visit the Trust's vacancies page here.

Joining the trust central team we are looking to appoint a temporary experienced Assistant Clerk to The Board. The main purpose of the role is to assist the Executive Assistant/Clerk to the Trust Board in ensuring efficient and effective support to the Board/Committees and Executive Team by providing administrative and organisational support. For more details about this role, please click here.

Internally advertised roles:

An internal vacancy has arisen for a LAC Teaching Assistant at ACE Schools. The full job description for this role is available here.

Transforming Futures contracted staff can apply by submitting an Expression of Interest detailing how your experience and qualifications meet the criteria in the job description and person specification of the role you are applying for. 

For Agency staff, you can apply by completing and submitting the application form available here. The deadline for this post is Friday 30th April at 5pm, letters and applications are to be returned to: recruitment@transformingfutures.org.uk

Headteacher's Blog

As a regular feature for the trust's newsletter, this week's spotlight falls on Matt Bindon, Headteacher at ACE:

Catch up funding and how we are using it at ACE 

Following the first lockdown, the Government allocated £240 per pupil place for alternative provisions to use to support young people returning to school in September 2020. 

At ACE we made the decision to focus this money into two key areas - improving and promoting literacy and developing a clear understanding of pupils' self-esteem and their feeling towards school. Nationally, pupils who are classed as disadvantaged are 18.1 months of learning behind their peers and for pupils with an EHCP, by the end of secondary education they are 3 years behind their peers who do not have any additional needs. At ACE we find that these differences in learning come from pupils' ability to emotionally and academically access the curriculum. 

This is why a drive on our ability to more accurately access pupils' barriers to learning can better inform our teaching and planning. The money that we have received this year has been directed towards three key areas: The first is the NGRT reading tests. These tests allow us to identify pupils reading ability and identify areas of additional need. Each individual student report recommends interventions to promote reading progress and can be used as a toolkit to support staff in the appropriate differentiation and planning of targeted support. The second area is Read, Write Inc. and Fresh Start. This is a reading program that is designed to help develop phonic knowledge, reading and comprehension skills. Ultimately accelerating pupils' literacy skills to enable them to access the curriculum and support academic progress. The final area is the replacement of Star Skills with a benchmarked assessment tool called PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) that will allow us to identify a range of social and emotional needs paired with a suite of accompanying interventions. 

This funding has enabled us to front the start-up costs of these schemes to ensure they are sustainable moving forward and this year we have spent a significant amount of time building the platforms and process on which to launch these initiatives with a full roll-out planned for September 2021. 

With best wishes

Matt Bindon
Headteacher

Update from ACE Tiverton

As the newest school in the Trust family, having opened in September 2019, there have been many changes, developments and additions to the ACE Tiverton school family in the last eighteen months.

As we have all experienced, educating our young people in the time of COVID has increased the amount of new experiences we have all encountered and for us in Tiverton, COVID has been the backdrop to our first two years as a school community.

Since September 2019, our student numbers have increased from 35 to 60 and our staff team has also over doubled in size from 15 to 35. We are following a broad and balanced secondary curriculum with a full range of academic subject complemented by a developing therapeutic curriculum that spans the range of experiential learning from outside the classroom to lots of planned sessions to develop students’ wellbeing and give them really concrete strategies to improve their sense of self and regulation.

We have a number of new staff joining us in September to complete the team and will further increase our cohort with another 15 students transitioning into year 7.

We are really looking forward to exploring our local and wider communities further and to make up for the time we’ve missed in getting out and about. Our first swimming sessions took place this week as part of our return to the fullest curriculum experience and our ‘Free Choice’ Friday activities now have a complete range of onsite and offsite opportunities for students to participate in. As we begin our first term 5 onsite, having spent this term last year under lockdown, it is wonderful to see students and staff developing strong relationships and relishing learning as they participate in new opportunities together.

Our social media channels showcase our daily experiences however a few highlights are shown within the pictures below to enjoy!

With best wishes

Hannah Smart, Headteacher

  

Wellbeing Update

Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The NHS' Every Mind Matters has expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. To access these free resources you can click here

Please also be reminded that the Trust's Employee Assistance Programme provided by Health Shield is available for you to use. The EAP service covers you, your partner and your dependants* with access to a professional telephone service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Full information can be accessed here

* Dependants must be in full time education, aged 18 - 24 and living in the same household