Good afternoon,
It has been a short week, with the bank holiday giving everyone a chance to draw breath, but what followed was anything but quiet. We have packed a lot in since Tuesday, and I want to share some of what has stood out.
Inclusion and Innovation
I spent Tuesday at our Cornwall collaborative CEOs meeting, where the focus was squarely on ensuring the best life chances for our most vulnerable learners. This aligns closely with the government's white paper and its emphasis on putting vulnerable children at the forefront of education policy. I welcome that drive wholeheartedly, particularly when it is accompanied by investment in the young people who need it most.
What followed later in the week was genuinely fascinating. Our joint headteachers group was shown a demonstration of small telepresence robots that can sit in a classroom and allow a pupil who cannot physically attend to dial in, look around, raise their hand and interact with peers and teachers in real time. The reasons a child might need this are varied, from physical health conditions to mental health difficulties to a growing fearfulness of the classroom itself. What struck me is the evidence suggesting these devices do not give young people an reason to stay away; rather, they keep them connected to friendships, to teachers, to the curriculum, so that the gap between absence and return does not widen into something harder to bridge. There are proper safeguarding guardrails to work through, but we are looking to actively progress a relationship with the provider. It feels like a genuinely innovative step for inclusion.
Staying with technology, I am pleased to share that Dell Technologies will be hosting a consultation event with us on 26 June, seeking the views of school leaders, not just from WeST but across the region, about what we need from the tech sector and from AI. Even more exciting, on 25 June at Ivybridge, Dell will set up a virtual escape room experience for pupils from both secondary and primary phases. Children can only escape each room by solving puzzles rooted in AI safety, things like recognising inherent bias. A fun way to deliver a genuinely important message, and I am looking forward to seeing it in action.
Sporting Success
What a week for sport across the Trust. Huge congratulations to Eggbuckland Community College, where the U12 team have been crowned Devon Schools FA County Cup Champions, and Year 11 have won the Plymouth Cup and reached the Devon County semi-finals after beating DHSB on Wednesday. That is a remarkable double. Meanwhile at Ivybridge, thirteen girls from Years 7, 9 and 10 led a sporting event at Exeter Flowerpots as part of the World Cup Trophy Tour, and Willow competed superbly in the opening round of the UK National XC Series. Ivybridge's American Flag Football girls' squad went undefeated at the Devon competition. All of this speaks to the breadth of sporting opportunity our young people are accessing, and to the staff who make it possible.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Our primary schools continue to do wonderful things with their environments and the wider world. Camelford pupils visited the Eden Project to explore seeds, plant their own, and discover the Tropical Biome. Buckfastleigh Year 4s had their forestry session with Mr Wayne, building shelters and designing on wood. At St Breward, the Nurture Tribe explored the five senses, creating suncatchers from natural materials. Boringdon's Year 2 cheerleading festival brought smiles and confidence in equal measure, and Oreston's Year 4 headed off on residential with eager faces. At Wembury, Mrs Robins from Ivybridge visited Year 5 to explore the human body using microscopes and plant cell slides, a lovely example of cross-phase collaboration in action. Over at Plympton St Maurice, Science Week saw children using VR headsets, making wormeries and investigating how water travels through celery. At Coombe Dean, Year 8 pupils took part in CPR training with Jay's AIM, equipping them with genuinely lifesaving skills.
Examinations for Year 6 and Year 11
As our Year 6 and Year 11 students begin their examinations, I would like to extend my very best wishes to each of you.
Your hard work, dedication and resilience have been truly admirable, and they have not gone unnoticed. These exams are an opportunity to demonstrate all that you have learned, and you should feel incredibly proud of how far you have come.
On behalf of everyone at Westcountry Schools Trust, I wish you every success and the very best of luck.
A Moment at Morley Meadow
I want to close with something closer to home. Our headquarters sit within Morley Meadow Primary School, and this week I have had cause to be in the building more than usual. What I noticed, again, was the self-regulation and conduct of those young children, the way they transition from the joy of break to the focus of learning. Squeezing past phonics intervention groups running in the corridor, watching staff work with such dedication to close gaps systematically, it is a living reminder of our commitment that nobody gets left behind.
Next week I will be paying attention to how our exam cohorts settle into their routines and how we support staff through what is always an intense period.
Warm regards,
Nat Parnell
CEO
