Dear colleagues,
A slightly cooler week than the last one, which felt like a small mercy after the heat we managed our way through. We have spent time getting properly ready for warmer days becoming a regular feature rather than an occasional shock. For now that means careful risk assessments and temporary adjustments so we can stay open and keep children safe and learning at the same time. Longer term we may need to think harder about the shape of the school day, but that is a conversation for another time.
We were pleased to welcome a number of visitors across the week, including colleagues from the Department for Education who came to three of our schools. What struck me most, as it usually does, was the young people. They spoke well about their schools and were genuinely proud of where they learn. They were also honest about the things they think we, or the wider system, still need to work on, and their thinking went well beyond the usual grumbles about school lunches. When I was at school our opinions counted for very little. That has changed, and it should have. Listening properly to pupils and building their views into how they learn is now part of how we work.
If I am honest, the moment that stayed with me this week came at South Dartmoor, watching children show off the animals on their farm. Two of them, guinea pigs called Freda and Bella, used to be my daughter Martha’s. They have found a better home in school than they ever had competing for space with a lively boxer dog, and the pride the children took in caring for them was a lovely thing to see. It was a small reminder of what our schools do, and how much children take from being trusted with something that depends on them.
On the funding side there is a mixed picture. It now looks likely that the pension bonus we hoped for will be clawed back. More positively, teachers are due a pay rise of three and a half per cent, every penny of it deserved. Two and a half per cent of that will be funded, with additional money coming to cover it, which leaves us to find the remaining one per cent from budgets that do not grow. We run a lean organisation and keep as much money as we can with teachers and in classrooms, taking a smaller central slice than most trusts and local authorities. Holding to that while absorbing new costs is difficult, but it matters to us and it sits at the heart of our WeST 2030 thinking.
There has been plenty to be proud of in our secondary schools. Plymstock had a strong week, with Year 12 chemists recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry for their laboratory and analytical work, ten students travelling up to London for the Carnegie Awards, and Year 9 pupils meeting engineers at the Engineering Her Future event at the Tamar Bridge. They also welcomed Sally Burne from the Barbican Theatre to talk about careers in the creative industries. At Ivybridge, James has been named a Youth Awards finalist after cycling 260 miles from London to Paris with his dad last summer to raise money for charity, which is quite something. Callington's production of Matilda opened this week after a run of dress rehearsals, and their students have been busy with theatre trips and a STEM day at Spaceport Newquay. Sir James Smith's and Eggbuckland both marked Year 10 completing their first mock exams, which is no small milestone.
Our primary schools have been just as busy. Boringdon's rounders team represented the school well at a tournament hosted by Stoke Damerel, Year 3 enjoyed a nature walk at Stover Park, and their Field Gun team competed at the weekend. Woodlands Park's seventeen Warriors ran their fastest ever time at the Armed Forces Day competition, finishing third overall and earning praise from the judges for their teamwork. Buckfastleigh's younger children have been making tree hangings, clay prints and antler art in their forestry sessions with Mr Wayne. Plympton St Maurice finished a fantastic week at Mount Batten and have been watching wildlife move into their new pond. At Morley Meadow the Friends group welcomed new families with book bags and small gifts, and pulled together their Summer Fair this week, a reminder of how much rests on the goodwill of a handful of volunteers.
On safeguarding, Morley Meadow's online safety newsletter this month looks at WhatsApp and the pressures children can face in group chats. It is a useful read for parents and worth pointing families towards.
As term winds towards its close, I notice two things happening at once: children growing more excitable by the day, and staff growing more tired. Both are entirely understandable. The summer break, when it comes, is well earned, and I know that for many in central services and beyond it is not really a break at all.
Next week I will be looking out for our SATs headlines, which have been delayed but should reach us soon. Thank you, as ever, for everything you do.
Warm regards,
Nat Parnell
CEO
