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Dear Colleagues, 

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Weekly Whistle!
As we draw closer to the end of term, I want to reflect on the incredible dedication, professionalism, and collective spirit that continue to define WeST. Over recent weeks, I have had the privilege of visiting several of our schools, and each visit has reinforced a powerful truth: academic excellence is not an accident. It is the product of sustained effort, deep expertise, and an unwavering belief in what our children can achieve.
Across WeST, that commitment is evident—in classrooms alive with curiosity, in staffrooms where ideas are shared openly, and in leadership meetings where pupil success remains the central focus. When our schools are connected and purposeful, we create a trust culture that nurtures aspiration and delivers results. This connectivity is one of our greatest strengths.
This is always a busy and exciting time of year: festive preparations are gathering pace, and there is a natural push towards end-of-term milestones. Amid the busyness, I encourage everyone to take moments to pause, reflect, and appreciate both the season and the extraordinary work taking place across our schools.

Strengthening Excellence Through Collaboration
We began the week with a highly productive Joint Teaching & Learning and Raising Standards Leaders meeting on Tuesday. Bringing colleagues together across phases and disciplines remains one of our greatest strengths. The session was rich with dialogue, practical strategies for refining classroom practice, subject-specific insights, and shared reflections on what drives high performance. These conversations are the engine room of improvement, fuelling the sustained endeavour that leads to academic excellence. My sincere thanks to all who contributed.
Friday concluded our week on a high with an excellent fluency training session. Fluency, whether in reading, writing, or mathematics, remains foundational to pupils’ long-term success. The training was energetic, practical, and grounded in evidence. It was inspiring to see colleagues so enthusiastically engaged. When we strengthen fluency, we strengthen futures: confident learners become successful learners, opening the door to a wider world of opportunity.

Learning From and With Others
This week, we were also delighted to welcome colleagues from Chiltern Learning Trust. Their visits to Ivybridge Community College, Hele’s School, Glen Park Primary, Stowford School, and—at very short notice—Eggbuckland Community College created a rich space for professional exchange. Thank you to all involved for showcasing the high standards, warmth, and professionalism that define WeST. These outward-facing partnerships are vital. By sharing what works, and learning from what works elsewhere, we continue to sharpen our practice and strengthen outcomes for all pupils.

Leadership Updates
Nat and I are delighted to announce that, from 1 January 2026, Naveed Khan will take up the role of Interim Deputy CEO of WeST. Naveed brings deep credibility, strategic insight, and a strong alignment with our values. His appointment ensures continuity of leadership as Nat steps into the Chief Executive role. This marks an exciting new chapter for the Trust—one rooted in stability, clarity, and ambition.

Thank you for all you do.

Best wishes, 

Rob Haring

CEO 

Word Of The Week!

This week's word is "Curiosity."

Definition: Curiosity is the desire to learn, explore, and understand. It’s the instinct to ask questions, seek new experiences, and look beyond the obvious. At its heart, curiosity is about being open to discovery and motivated by wonder.

Why it matters: Curiosity sparks enquiry, which is the foundation of deep understanding. People who ask “why” and “how” are more likely to retain knowledge and make connections. Curiosity drives learning. 

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Important Data Protection information - Action needed by all staff

Our email storage policy is changing. From January 2026, no email will be stored in Microsoft Outlook for longer than 2 years. This means that:

  • All emails of 2 years old or more will be automatically deleted from Outlook on 6 January 2026.

  • From then onwards, all emails will be automatically deleted from Outlook 2 years after you receive them.

All staff using Microsoft email need to back up essential emails and/or attachments that are needed long-term to an appropriate storage area (like OneDrive).

The deadline to complete this before the Christmas holiday is 18 December 2025. 

Any emails not backed-up outside of Outlook by then will be lost permanently.

Please click here to see our detailed guidance.

(For now, Callington and Chaddlewood staff using Google Mail rather than Microsoft are exempt, but this will apply when your email is transferred to Microsoft in the future. Separate Google Mail guidance will follow, but consider proactively backing up any important emails from now on.)

Please start thinking and acting on this as soon as possible! Once you have read the guidance linked above, if you are concerned or confused please book onto a support session using the form at the bottom of the guidance page.  

WeST Football Staff Club – Expressions of Interest

Are you interested in joining a WeST Football Staff Club? We’re exploring the idea of setting up a casual, inclusive football group for staff across the trust to meet, play, and enjoy the game together. If this sounds like something you’d be keen to be part of, please send in your expression of interest to admin@westst.org.uk. 

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Christmas Fayre

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and supported Coombe Dean's Christmas Fayre. Your presence made the event truly special and festive.

Thanks to your generosity, we raised a total of £2,165 for our WeCare fund which supports our Young Carers, bereaved students and service families. 

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Foodbank Friday

Morley Meadow have been holding 'Foodbank Friday' collections for Plymouth Foodbank.

This month we received the most donations so far and are very proud of our caring school community who are doing their bit to help others less fortunate.

If you're school doesn't have a foodbank collection, why not start one!

Do Good December

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Recruitment update:

We are delighted to inform you of the following exciting career opportunities within our Trust:

Westcountry Schools Trust is seeking a dynamic Chief Operations Officer to lead and transform operational services across its family of 31 schools in Devon, Plymouth, and Cornwall. The COO will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the Trust’s operations strategy, ensuring high-quality, efficient, and cohesive support for all schools. Working closely with the CEO and executive team, the COO will drive continuous improvement, foster collaboration, and champion WeST’s core values of collaboration, aspiration, integrity, and compassion. This is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact on the education and wellbeing of thousands of children by strengthening the operational foundations that enable great teaching and learning across the Trust. For more information, please click here. Closing date: 5 January 2025. 

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