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Dear Colleagues,

I hope this week finds you well, and I’d like to extend a special thank you to our primary colleagues who graciously invited me to visit their schools recently. It was a privilege to observe firsthand the incredible work you are doing. The experience reaffirmed my belief in the strength of our primary provision, and I came away with valuable insights into how we can continue to support and improve our practice across the Trust. In particular the conscious effort to reduce cognitive load and distractions by stripping out superfluous information from walls and teaching resources to focus on the essential facts and messages, and the high level expectations teachers have of student independent work.

One area of focus that is becoming increasingly important is the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. While the benefits are evident in areas like workload reduction and personalisation of learning, it’s crucial that we use these tools responsibly. Please remember not to upload any personal or sensitive information onto AI platforms. To support this, we will soon issue a Trust-wide policy to guide you in the safe and effective use of AI.  We are also exploring partnerships to provide training in this rapidly emerging and exciting area.

In other news, we are transitioning our Data Protection Officer (DPO) work to a managed service with Judicium, who offer a large, expert team ready to assist with queries and manage any caseloads. For now, please direct any DPO-related matters to dpo-west@westst.org.uk where June will pick them up and direct them.

On a different note, I’m pleased to share that the advertisement for the upcoming Assessment Lead position is expected to go live today. Please do take a moment to review the details when they are published and point this out to any suitably interested and experienced acquaintances.

https://mynewterm.com/jobs/3547/EDV-2024-WST-50235

As the term progresses, I want to thank you all for the hard work you’ve already put into setting our students up for success after their return from the summer break. It’s essential that we focus not just on the neatness and completion of work, but also on encouraging stamina and independence in every lesson. This mindset will be crucial in fostering resilience and autonomy among our learners.

Great teaching and learning, as we know, isn’t about "whizz bang" moments but rather ensuring that provision is consistently good. As a Trust, we are embracing the motto "Nothing less than good." Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Success lies in the relentless execution of the basics," and this approach particularly benefits our most vulnerable learners. It might mean simply ensuring that every child understands the task at hand and prioritising support for those who need it the most. It can also be about ensuring students have opportunities to catch up on missed lessons so their books show few gaps. Crucially, it’s about keeping children in lessons as much as possible, scaffolding their experience so that they are in front of well-qualified, well-trained adults rather than being removed for seemingly good but ultimately counterproductive reasons.  All support colleagues and teachers have a role to play in this.  Thank you for your attention to every individual student to support them into their lessons effectively.

Attendance at school is, of course, as important as attendance in lessons. While figures are important, it’s even more crucial that we know we’re doing everything possible to raise and sustain attendance across our schools.

Thank you all for your continued dedication and hard work.

Nat Parnell 

Deputy CEO

Estates Summer Projects

Plymstock Hall Roof - £158k

Continuing with our Estates projects updates, our schools collectively feature approximately 145,000 square meters of roofing—equivalent to around 22 football pitches. The majority of these roofs are flat felt systems. Each year, we undertake roof upgrades or replacements based on their condition.

To ensure compliance with Building Regulations, we install a minimum of 150mm of insulation board, which meets the required standard of 0.25 W/m²K (watts per square meter Kelvin). Above the insulation, we apply a layer of chipboard, a vapour barrier, and two layers of felt, all designed to provide a minimum lifespan of 25 years.

On average, we allocate about 25% of our annual capital budget to roof maintenance and upgrades.

One of the 5 roofing projects we completed this summer was the Plymstock hall roof. 

Plymstock Hall Roof - £158k

Refurbishment of 600m2 of flat roofing covered in solar PV panels.  

The flat roof was suffering from considerable drainage issues, excessive ponding and high saturation levels which was causing damage to the internal environment. The roof needed to be completely stripped of the old system and replaced with a bituminous waterproofing system which included new insulation to meet the updated building regulations.

The roof was a considerable challenge as the scaffolding and building work alone was estimated at 6 weeks. However, we also had to schedule the removal of the solar panels before the work could commence and then on completion the reinstatement before the school returned... this was without the risk of inclement weather. Despite a number of complications, the project was completed within the budget and on time ready for the new term. 

Not only does the roof ensure the space below is dry, it will last for at least 25 years, we will also reduce our heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Meaning a good sustainability project as well as an asset upgrade project. 

Please see the before and after pictures: 

Mark Bullard

Estates Director

Self-Care September

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Recruitment update:

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

   Eggbuckland Community College is looking to appoint Casual Exam Invigilators - As an invigilator, you will assist examination staff with their examination processes. This activity may include setting up examination venues by laying out stationery, equipment and examination papers in accordance with strict procedures. For more information on the above vacancy please click here. Closing date: 9 January 2025.

Coombe Dean School is seeking to appoint a Teacher of Design and Technology. The successful candidate will be an excellent classroom practitioner, passionate about Design and Technology and working with young people. The ability to implement a strong curriculum, engage, enthuse and inspire young people to achieve success is key and we welcome applications from both experienced teachers and ECTs. For more information, please click here. Closing date: 27 September 2024. 

Westcountry Schools Trust are looking to fill the following vacancies: 

Executive Assistant (School Improvement Team) - You will be the first point of contact for the Team, answering and triaging queries as appropriate, ensuring that all emails and/or calls are responded to in a timely manner. You will be required to produce complex reports and information for the School Improvement Team, as well as helping them to prepare a range of documentation such as presentations, training materials, etc. Closing date: 23 September 2024.  

Trust Data and Assessment Lead - In this pivotal role, the Trust Data and Assessment Lead will work closely with Executive Leadership Team and School Improvement Team to develop and maintain robust data tracking and assessment systems to positively impact on pupil outcomes. The post holder will maximise the impact of current systems, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and will lead the development and implementation of data and assessment strategy, policy and associated action-plans in liaison with the Executive Leadership Team. Closing date: 23 September 2024. 

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