It has been one of those weeks where the variety of what happens across our Trust reminds you why this work matters so much. There is a lot to share, so let me start with what has been occupying much of my thinking.
Leadership Recruitment and the Weight of Getting It Right
We are currently running recruitment processes for headteachers, executive headteachers and for our Director of Education (Primary). Going through these processes has reminded me of two things. The first is the remarkably high quality of leadership that exists in education across the South West. Our sector is genuinely blessed with people who are not only technically competent but deeply vocationally minded, people who believe passionately in getting the very best for young people. That comes through powerfully in the applications we receive, especially for senior roles, and I am pleased that WeST continues to work towards being the employer of choice in our sector.
The second thing recruitment always brings into focus is the critical weight of responsibility that comes with ensuring the right adults are working alongside young people. In leadership positions, that matters every bit as much as it does for teachers and support staff working directly with children. Our mission, at every level, is to remove obstacles and enable the people closest to pupils to be as excellent as they can be. Leaders exist to serve that purpose. The process is ongoing, and I am optimistic about where it will lead.
Our Five-Year Development Plan: Now Published
I am proud to share that our new five-year development plan is now published on the WeST website. It does not yet look quite as polished as I would like in its presentation, but it says what it needs to say about our direction over the next five years. The Trustees have shaped this plan in a way that reflects both their governance role and their ambition, not only for our schools but for the communities we have the privilege of serving across Cornwall, Plymouth and Devon. I will include the link below and would encourage everyone to take a look.
Speaking of governance, this has been a week of significant interaction with our Trust Board and its various committees. I know that can sound rather dry, but these are good people who give their time voluntarily, maintaining independent oversight of the Trust. It is actually important that they are unpaid, so that their challenge remains unbiased. They are all local, all members of the communities our schools sit within, and they act as another layer of advocacy for young people. Having been a chair of governors myself, I know firsthand the importance that governance holds in providing the checks and balances our system needs.
Five-Year Strategic Plan Link
WeST on the National Stage: MFL at NALA
A moment of real pride this week. Jenni Bindon and Vera Koehler-Lewis presented at the National Association of Language Advisers conference, sharing our standardised curriculum approach in modern foreign languages and discussing how resources can be adapted to meet specific pupil needs. The presentation caught the attention of Alice Harrison, Subject Lead for MFL at Oak National Academy, who highlighted our work on LinkedIn. It is genuinely encouraging to see colleagues from within WeST contributing to national professional conversations, and I am grateful to Jenni and Vera for representing us so well.
World Book Day Across the Trust
Thursday brought World Book Day, and the breadth of celebration across our schools was wonderful. At Eggbuckland, staff described it as the best World Book Day they have ever had. Callington's students in Years 7, 8 and 9 dressed as well-known book characters, with both students and staff entering fully into the spirit of the day. Plymstock took a Tudor theme, transforming their library with Henry VIII and his six wives. Oreston had a fun-filled day with children and staff alike throwing themselves into the occasion. Plympton St Maurice went for pyjamas and a Masked Reader competition, with children trying to identify the mystery staff members behind the books. Woodford's PTFA got involved too, selling their Woodford Wonder Bars with golden tickets hidden inside to raise funds alongside the celebrations. And at Sir James Smith's, students had been baking book-themed treats in the lead-up, with some entries reaching impressive technical standards.
Creative and Performing Arts: A Week to Remember
On Wednesday evening I had the great privilege of attending the Festival of Dance production at Ivybridge Community College. I was partly there to support the school and partly, I confess, to support my daughter who is in Year 7. I was immensely proud of all the participants. It was encouraging to see dancers from South Dartmoor, Hele's and other schools alongside the Ivybridge young people, all displaying remarkable self-confidence up on stage. I am always respectful when I see young people doing things I could not manage in a million years regardless of training or effort. The quality of the performances was genuinely high.
Next week brings more, with the Let's Dance show at South Dartmoor on Tuesday and the annual Body Language Dance production on Thursday. Dance at South Dartmoor is something I remember from when I worked there back around the year 2000. Every year there was Body Language Week, and it was a school that prioritised it alongside everything else. I remember learning at that point, as a head of maths, just how important creative and performing arts education is for all young people. I am looking forward to being back in the audience.
Meanwhile, South Dartmoor's Live Sessions 2026 was a great success this week, with talented performers bringing energy and confidence to the stage. And Ivybridge's upper school production of Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Miss Sophie Hocking, saw a cast of 40 students from Years 10 to 13 deliver three spectacular performances. There is clearly something in the water across our secondary schools right now when it comes to the arts.
Sporting Success
Congratulations to Zac Eccles at Ivybridge, who won the international title for his age and weight category at the Algarve Box Cup. That kind of achievement represents enormous dedication in training and preparation, and the whole Trust should be proud of him. Ivybridge's Year 7 netball teams also delivered dominant performances against Plymouth High School for Girls, while Plymstock's Year 7 football team continued their cup run with a commanding 10-0 victory in the County Cup last 16, and their Year 11 side recorded a 10-3 win against Paignton Academy. Plymstock's girls' football cup campaign came to an end with a 2-0 defeat, but the quality of their performance, controlling large spells of the game, showed real character and progress.
Primary Schools: Curiosity, Community and Creativity
I visited Buckfastleigh Primary School this week, which was joyous. I always enjoy my visits to primary schools and I do try to mix it up with the children whilst I am there. In the early years setting, two utterly delightful four-year-olds got into an extended dialogue with me about why I was wearing a tie. I realised quite quickly that there are no good answers to this question. Ties are an arbitrary convention, and explaining arbitrary conventions to inquisitive young children is not straightforward. It did make me think, though, about how many conventions exist in education that we could do a better job of explaining. We try, within WeST, to explain our decisions wherever possible. That does not mean we can always reach consensus, and sometimes we cannot find a way forward that pleases everyone in the moment. What we ask is that our communities trust that we are working in the best interests of their children, and that questioning our decisions is always welcome. What is harder, sometimes, is when our motivation and intent are questioned, because so many of our staff are themselves parents at our schools. We are the community. We are part of it. And through civic responsibility, through rebuilding family connections and strengthening liaison, we must keep earning that trust.
While at Buckfastleigh, I also had the privilege of visiting the library directly opposite the school, exploring with Councillor Stuart Rogers how we might work together to enhance this important community facility, perhaps even looking at how electronic resourcing, online safety support and emerging technology like artificial intelligence could safely extend into communities alongside families and young people.
Across our other primaries, there has been no shortage of rich learning. At Holbeton, children turned detective when they arrived to find a crime scene in the classroom: Miss Desmond's lunch had been ruined, and pupils hunted for clues and wrote dramatic descriptive pieces about what had happened. Their youngest children have been enjoying play-based, hands-on learning, and Mothecombe Class made the most of early spring sunshine to explore living, once-living and never-living things. At Manor Primary in Ivybridge, pupils enjoyed a high-energy workout led by Paralympian David Hill, and the enthusiasm around school was infectious. St Breward's Seahorses class visited the Screech Owl Sanctuary before half term, learning about owls and meeting polecats, meerkats and foxes, funded by the PTA.
At Sherford Vale, two things caught my attention. The school has secured funding through SocieTree for extending their Wild Tribe area and orchard, with KS1 children set to be involved in planting trees. They even had a visit from Moshi, the SocieTree mascot, for an introductory assembly. And the KS2 School Council spent a brilliant afternoon at Plymouth Magistrates Court, wearing cloaks and wigs, role-playing a real court case based on cyberbullying, and then taking part in a question and answer session with a sitting judge. That kind of experience, connecting young people with civic institutions in a meaningful and memorable way, is exactly the sort of enrichment that stays with children.
Boringdon rescheduled their Likes, Follows and Feelings workshop for Year 5 and 6 parents, an important session helping families navigate the online world. And Holbeton welcomed author and illustrator Simon James, who shared stories including The Day Jake Vacuumed and Baby Brains, and drew live illustrations that captivated the whole school.
Welcoming New Year 7 Cohorts
Monday was National Offer Day, and across the Trust our secondary schools welcomed the news of their incoming Year 7 cohorts for September 2026. Coombe Dean, Eggbuckland, Ivybridge, Plymstock and Sir James Smith's all shared their excitement at the families who have chosen to join them. It is a significant moment for children and parents alike, and I know our transition teams will work hard over the coming months to ensure that every child feels ready and welcomed when September arrives.
Preparing for Exams
With GCSE examinations approaching, I was pleased to see the structured support being put in place across our secondary schools. Plymstock has launched its Locked In countdown assembly series for Year 11, and South Dartmoor's Year 11 Masterclass programme is well underway, with History and Science departments delivering additional after-college sessions and Geography about to begin theirs. These extra efforts from staff, giving time beyond the school day, deserve recognition.
Enrichment and Aspiration
Plymstock's Year 12 students visited Cardiff University, gaining insight into what studying there could look like. A Year 8 student is standing for Youth Parliament, with elections held during tutor time, a fantastic example of democratic participation within school life. Ivybridge's Wild Tribe programme at Lukesland Gardens continues, with students exploring woodland and learning to respect nature through To The Wood Forest School. South Dartmoor's Hospitality and Catering students visited Dartmoor Lodge, gaining real-world experience across front and back of house, while Year 10 Art and Design students immersed themselves in pottery workshops at MAKE Southwest with Joss Hibbs from Powdermills Pottery. Sixth formers at South Dartmoor heard from Jack at the Sharpham Estate about their rewilding project along the River Dart, a talk that connected environmental science with the local landscape in a way that must have been genuinely engaging.
Coombe Dean hosted the PSSP Primary Inclusion Volleyball Festival, with nine Year 9 leaders supporting pupils from six primary schools. Courts were set up across the sports hall using benches as nets, and pupils played an adapted, seated version of volleyball that celebrated cooperation over competition. That is inclusive practice made real.
Looking Ahead: International Women's Day
Sunday is International Women's Day, and it feels right to close with a reflection on what that means for us. Recognition matters, but so do structures, opportunities and culture. I am grateful for the contribution of women across WeST, and equally conscious that the real test of our values, particularly respect, is whether women feel heard, valued and able to thrive here every day of the year, not just on 8 March. Our Diversity Reference Panel is one way in which we listen. Staff surveys are another, and a new one is imminent. The weekly pulse survey for central office staff also remains open as an important and anonymous feedback channel. These are not gestures. They are part of how we hold ourselves to account.
Next week I travel down to Camelford for a review and support visit at Camelford Primary School, a place that holds a particular personal connection for me, as it was where I spent the last year of my own primary education. I will also be at the South Dartmoor dance events and continuing with our leadership recruitment. There is plenty to look forward to.
Thank you, as ever, for everything you bring to this Trust.
Warm regards,
Nat Parnell
CEO
During his time at Manor Primary, David led children as they took part in a high-energy workout which they threw themselves into with great enthusiasm. Following this, David delivered a whole-school assembly where he spoke to pupils about the need to set short-term goals and having a positive mindset when facing adversity. Pupils were also given the opportunity to ask David their own thoughtful questions which they did with confidence.
