Welcome to another busy week.

We are fast approaching the examination season with KS2 SATs next week and GCSE & A level’s commencing the week after. With this in mind I wish to take the opportunity to again share our vision, mission and values.

I do so to highlight the importance of our children doing well in public examinations. The recently published research paper on Social Mobility in the SW is sombre reading and paints a clear picture of having to improve the life chances of those in our care. Examination success is a key scaffold of future success, but not the only aspect. The manner in which we care for our children, cherish them as individuals and provide opportunities for them to develop as young people goes a long way to developing their character and resilience. These features, in conjunction with a secure suite of examination results, support our mission of ‘Empowering children to impact positively on society’. Good luck to all.

I wish to inform you that Nick Appleby decided to bring his retirement forward and left WeST at the end of April. We wish him every happiness in his retirement and success in any new ventures! As such, Richard Light now has oversight for the leadership and strategic direction of TLI. A key strand of this work is WeST’s ITT provision. We are delighted to announce that we will be running a fantastic primary ITT programme based at Morley Meadow from September 2022. As the advertising materials emerge please do take every opportunity to promote this terrific offer through your networks.

The theme is simple: attract great trainees, train them in WeST in partnership with a proven HEI (University of Worcester), provide teaching placements in WeST schools and then finally, we should have a pool of potential ECTs that we can employ in WeST.

I am delighted to introduce and welcome Nathan Kemp who started with us on Tuesday as Assistant Director of Education. Many of you are already familiar with Nathan and might even have previously worked with him! Nathan will pick up aspects of Richard Light’s portfolio as Richard now focuses on TLI.

Recruitment remains busy and we will see several leadership positions advertised over the coming days.

A reminder that the NHS is now offering general guidance on how we approach respiratory infections including those that are acute (ARI).

Best wishes, 

Rob Haring, CEO 

 

An 8-week Online Mindfulness Course, delivered through

MS Teams, Thursdays 4.15-5.45pm

This course is open to all WeST staff. Ideally you will have completed the .B Foundations taster session, e.g. as was delivered as part of the ‘Looking After Number 1’ training on the February 28 non-pupil day. If you have not done this, then make contact with Richard Woodland (rwoodland@weststs.org.uk or 07736 938677) to discuss if this course is suitable for you.

There is no charge for this course but participants will need to purchase a copy of the book around which the .B programme is structured: Williams, M and Penman D, (2011) Finding Peace in a Frantic World. 

Please complete a short registration form and questionnaire if you would like to book a place on the course, by 3pm Friday 13 May, 2022.

Either scan the QR below or use this link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=H74x0ghpjEO5_sDOHVTP6kReAnkfXnZDgs6uabBrt_RUMExYRjFFQlhKSTVKSTIzV1JFUlM2OEFHMS4u

Starter Experience Survey

Once again we would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new starters to WeST. We hope you are beginning to settle in.

As part of the Trust aim of continual improvement, we would be interested to know about your experience of the selection process that led to your first day with us and your initial first couple of weeks.

We would therefore appreciate it if you would spend a few minutes completing the anonymous form that can be found here or via the QR code above by 31st May.   Please also look out for an email over the next week or so with the link in if it is easier for you to access from there.

If you would like to discuss this or encounter any problems opening the form please contact the HR Team at hr@westst.org.uk or on 01752 891754 Ext 1765.

ECF Update

As always, please get in touch with Ruth Woodhouse. rwoodhouse@westst.org.uk if you would like to discuss anything ECF or AB related.

September 2022 | SWIFT ECF and AB School Registrations | Now Open

We have opened a school registration form for September 2022 ECTs starting in schools for both the SWIFT ECF and AB service. If you have new ECTs joining your school in September in either Year 1 or Year 2 of their induction, please use this form to register your requirements and a member of the SWIFT ECF and AB team will contact you in due course.

The form should be completed by the ECF Lead/Induction Tutor in your school and please have to hand the following information:

School URN (Unique Reference Number)

Finance Manager Name

Finance email address

Finance postal address if different from your school

*The form will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

REMINDER |Looking Ahead to Year 2 |SWIFT ECF and AB Information Webinars

Thank you to our programme members who attended the Year 2 Information Webinar on Thursday. As a reminder, we are running a series of ‘Type B’ seminars for any school that currently has an ECT on the SWIFT ECF Programme and would like to find out more about the second year of the ECF and the statutory induction period.

It will also be a chance to remind existing SWIFT ECF schools about the key processes which need to be undertaken should they wish to appoint additional ECTs for September 2022.

When are the “Type B” webinars taking place?

Wednesday 4th May (15.45-16.45) CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Ofsted Session | 4th May 2022 11am to 12pm

Ofsted are offering programme members and schools an opportunity to hear more as we move closer to the start of ECF and NPQ inspections. They will be holding a webinar on 4 May 2022 from 11:00am to 12:00pm. The webinar will set out their approach to inspection and explain how NPQ participants, ECTs, mentors, induction tutors, trainers and school leaders may be involved in the upcoming lead provider monitoring visits in summer 2022. Register HERE

Meaningful May 

KS1 Festival - 28 April 2022

A huge thank you and well done to all who attended the Arena KS1 festival @Morley Meadow Primary School. The aim of this day was to encourage the pupils to try lots of different sports and skills and provide a real taste for activities they may not have tried to date.  It was also important to bring qualities such as teamwork and resilience to the fore and encourage inter school relationships. The children that took part enjoyed a fun-packed afternoon including athletics, field and striking, invasion games and so on and their ability was a joy to see.  It was also amazing to see the children mix with and support one another from different schools. All pupils received a certificate for taking part and there was special recognition for those who went the extra mile, whether it be for the physical ability or sporting qualities. Well done!!

We look forward to the next event which is Tag Rugby on 19 May.

Important information regarding P60s

Staff should receive a P60 separate to their payslips each year.  This will show the tax paid on your salary for the tax year (6 April to 5 April) and should be provided by 31 May.

Your P60 is an important document for providing proof of how much tax you have paid in a number of circumstances, for example:

  • to complete a tax return
  • claim back overpaid tax
  • to apply for tax credits
  • as proof of your income if you apply for a loan or a mortgage

For WeST staff previously pay-rolled via DELT or DCC, P60s will be available via these legacy payroll providers for a limited period through their Employer Self-Service arrangements.  Please therefore ensure that you make it a priority to log-on to ESS and download your P60 before access to these systems is closed.

We are currently exploring with Cornwall payroll what the arrangements will be for providing P60s for those colleagues, whose access to legacy systems has already cease and a separate communication will follow.

If you miss this important opportunity to obtain your P60 and you need it in future, you will need to do this via a personal tax account or by personally contacting HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to ask for the information that would be on the P60. This is time consuming, not always straightforward and I would advise should be avoided if at all possible.

Therefore please download your P60!

Modern Slavery Statement of WeST

You may recall that WeST has a Modern Slavery Statement as part of our integrity as an organisation. The full statement is available on the public website (click here) and sets out our commitment to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking. This forms part of the Trust’s responsibilities under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

As a Trust, we buy a range of external goods and services, including construction services and supplies, furniture and stationery, electronics, food and catering supplies, travel services, laboratory supplies, books, cleaning services, print, waste and recycling services, and many more. These are undertaken in accordance with public procurement law. If part of your role involves sourcing or processing orders you may wish to increase your knowledge of modern slavery issues in supply chains.

Colleagues are encouraged to spare 7.5 minutes to watch the introduction to modern slavery video from the UK statutory department, known as Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority. The video gives and introduction to spotting the signs and knowing what action to take. Click here.

Recruitment update:

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

Morley Meadow Primary School are looking for an enthusiastic, inspiring and highly motivated teacher to join their dedicated and hardworking team at Morley Meadow Primary, rated good by Ofsted in January 2022. This is an exciting and unique opportunity for an experienced EYFS teacher to lead our EYFS phase and be fundamental in the design and set up of our new nursery. For more information, please go here. Closing date: Noon, Friday 6 May 2022. 

Boringdon Primary School are looking to appoint a Teaching Assistant. Boringdon are offering a highly rewarding career with plenty of opportunities for professional development. Their enduring aim is to ensure that all staff are well trained, motivated and provided with the support they need to fulfil their roles with confidence and warmth. For more information, please go here. Closing date: 12 noon on Friday, 20 May 2022. 

Glen Park Primary School are looking to appoint a talented and creative teacher to join their hardworking and dedicated team. This is a great opportunity for an individual in the early stages of their teaching career. If you have the commitment to work in a school that is continually striving to ensure the highest possible standards of pupil achievement, personal development and well-being, your application would be very welcome. For more information, please go here. Closing date: Friday 13 May.

Coombe Dean School are seeking to appoint a Media and Admin Assistant. You should be able to remain calm under pressure and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experience of SIMS would also be an advantage. The successful candidate must have L2 English and Maths. For more information, please go here. Closing date: 9 May 2022. 

Plymstock School are looking for an Artist Technician (Ceramics Specialism) to join the Art Department team at Plymstock School. The successful candidate will ensure resources are ready and available, assist in lessons, giving technical demonstrations as required and ensure that the equipment used within the Department is well maintained. Ceramics expertise is essential for this role. For more information, please go here. Closing Date: 9am, Wednesday 11 May 2022. 

Hele’s School has a number of exciting opportunities for teaching and support staff available:

  • Cleaner – 15 Hours (Closing date: Monday 9 May 2022) 
  • Cleaner – 25 Hours (Closing date: 9am on Monday 16 May, 2022)
  • Cleaning Supervisor (Closing date: Monday 16 May 2022)
  • Premises Caretaker (Closing Date: Monday 9 May 2022) 
  • Teacher of Physical Education (2nd in Department) (Closing Date: 9am, Tuesday 10 May 2022) 
  • Teacher of Science (Closing Date: 9am, Monday 9 May 2022) 
  • Teacher of IT and Computing (Closing Date: 9am, Tuesday 10 May 2022) 

For more information on the above vacancies, please go here. 

Ivybridge Community College are looking for the following vacancies:  

  • PACE Coordinator (Closing date: Tuesday, 10 May 2022) 
  • PACE Assistant (Closing date: Tuesday, 10 May 2022) 

For more information on the above vacancies, please go here.