I start this edition of the ‘Whistle’ with a colossal thank you to everyone for your efforts in so successfully managing the full reopening of our schools. We seem to be smoothly transitioning from remote education to face to face teaching. Our collective attendance is terrific with some schools enjoying 100% attendance.  I think this is testament to the confidence that our schools have built in our communities around health and safety, and effective communication around the reopening journey. Well done to everyone.

I am pleased to announce that the WeST network is growing with two new schools being added to our family of schools. Eggbuckland Community College and Austin Farm Primary School will be joining us during the current calendar year.

Yesterday saw an exciting new partnership arise between WeST, Ted Wragg, ESW and the Reach Foundation from London. The aim of our partnership is to recruit 100 potential South West headteachers to the programme over a five year period; our goal isn’t just about professional development but training and nurturing the region’s next headteachers. We want to close the disadvantage gap for our children in Devon and Cornwall and our programme will help focus on strong relationships and a lasting, purpose driven network of Devon and Cornwall school leaders. I am excited to see SW100 transform education across the two counties and give our children the best possible opportunities to succeed. For more information please follow the link here.

Best wishes, 

Rob Haring, CEO

Continuing recent articles to introduce the School Improvement Team, this week sees the spotlight fall on Suzie Winter, Education Information Analyst and Data Protection Officer :- 

Suzie Winter joined the WeST team as Strategic Student Data Analyst in March 2017. Suzie was previously Data and Assessment Manager for Babcock LDP and School Improvement partner for Devon County Council.

Suzie has significant experience in using pupil performance data to identify, inform and develop school improvement initiatives and was involved in the design and implementation of the Devon wide Excellence for All Programme. Providing support to improve the life chances of our most vulnerable learners is a key priority for the Trust and this role draws on experience of working as a joint venture partner lead officer providing information, advice and guidance to support the work of the virtual school and specialist support services.     

As part of the WeST team Suzie is required to work across the central team to provide support for a number of initiatives to promote consistency across Trust schools including holding the role of Data Protection Officer. Working with the WeST school improvement team Suzie provides intelligence-led support for the work of specialist practitioners and inform development of systems and processes to help maximise the impact of the SI teams work within WeST schools.  

Suzie Winter, Education Information Analyst and Data Protection Officer

Recruitment update:

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

Clerk to Trust Board & Governance Officer - Working as part of WeST’s Core Services Team, this role will support the Company Secretary (Chief Financial Officer) and Clerks of Local Governing Boards. The candidate will have a background in providing governance and high-level administrative support to senior leaders/managers within a highly regulated framework. Permanent, 25 hours per week (x5 hours per day) x 52 weeks per year. Full time salary: Pro-rata of £24,012 to £27,041 (Actual salary £16,224 to £18,270) according to experience. For more information please click here. Completed applications should be submitted to recruitment@westst.org.uk by 9am (GMT) on Monday 15th March 2021.

Headteacher for Sherford Vale School - WeST is seeking to appoint an exceptional individual with vision, energy and inspirational leadership to the position of Headteacher at Sherford Vale School, Plymouth. The headteacher will have overall responsibility for the organisation, management and conduct of the school. You will provide leadership and assist with the delivery of the WeST strategic direction to ensure the achievement of the highest possible standards of education at Sherford Vale Primary School. For more information, please email hgreaves@westst.org.uk or go to our website here for further information. Closing date: 12:00pm Monday 22 March 2021. Interviews will be held 29 and 30 March 2021. 

Hele's have the following vacancies:-

Cleaner - Grade A (£9.25 per hour) - permanent. Hele's are seeking to appoint an evening cleaner for immediate start. Further information can be found here or please ring 01752 337193.  This post will be subject to a satisfactory DBS Enhanced Disclosure. Closing date: midnight Sunday 14th March 2021. Interviews will take place on Thursday 18th March 2021.

Required for September 2021;

  • Teacher of Creative Performing Arts (Drama with Art/Music) – MPS/UPS, Full Time, permanent. Closing date: midnight, 14th March 2021. Interviews: Monday 22nd March 2021. 
  • Teacher of Social Science (Psychology/Sociology/Criminology), MPS/UPS, Full time, permanent. Closing date: midnight, 14th March 2021. Interviews: Wednesday 24th March 2021. 

Further information is available through our website here. Hele’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment; therefore, the post will be subject to a satisfactory DBS Enhanced Disclosure.

Plymstock School have the following vacancies:-

Administrative Assistant - required as soon as possible. Permanent – 34 hours per week x 39 weeks per year. Grade B (SCP 3-4 £18,562 - £18,933) Actual salary £14,607 - £14,899. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, organised and efficient Administrative Assistant to join our busy Admin Team.  The successful candidate will assist in providing administrative support across the whole school and ensure that the computerised systems for student records are kept up to date and accurate.  Closing Date: 9am Friday 12 March 2021. Interview Date: To be confirmed. 

Careers Assistant – to cover Maternity leave from the end of April 2021. Temporary (Maternity Cover) – 37 hours per week x 39 weeks per year. Grade D (SCP 8 – 14) £20,493 - £23,080 (Actual salary £17,550 - £19,765). We are seeking a Careers Assistant to cover maternity leave.  The successful candidate will assist the careers team and advise students with information on careers/courses/further education/higher education and will support the administration of our work experience programme. Closing Date: 9am Friday 12 March 2021. Interview Date: To be confirmed. 

Caretaker (multi-site) - required as soon as possible. Permanent – 37 hours per week x All year round (52 weeks). Grade C (SCP 5 - 7 ) £19,312 - £20,092. We are looking to recruit a Caretaker to join our Premises Team, undertaking maintenance tasks both reactive and planned, as directed by the Premises Manager.  The successful candidate will undertake inspections of the school and resolve any findings as well as being responsible for security lockdown and opening of the school premises. Closing Date: 9am – Friday 12 March 2021 Interview Date: Tuesday 23 March 2021. 

ICT Network Manager - required as soon as possible. Permanent - 37 hours per week x All year round (52 weeks). Grade G (SCP 26-29) £30,451 to £32,910. We are looking to recruit an ICT Network Manager to develop and implement the ICT service and support function for the school collaboratively with Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST), as required by the Senior management team. The postholder will manage the optimisation of the day to day delivery of ICT services and support through a managed service model. Closing Date: 9am - Tuesday 20 April 2021 Interview Date: Thursday 29 April 2021. 

Reprographics Assistant – required from end of April 2021. Permanent post – 34.5 hours pw x 39 weeks pa. Salary – Grade C - Plymouth SCP 5 - 7 (Actual pro-rata salary £15,421 - £16,044) (FTE Salary £19,312 – £20,092). We are looking to recruit a Reprographics Assistant to assist with the provision of the whole school reprographics service, producing materials for teaching/presentation purposes and also offering design services. Closing Date: 9am – Monday 15 March 2021. Interview Date: To be confirmed.

Science Technician - Chemistry - required as soon as possible. This is a permanent, full-time post – 37 hours pw x 40 weeks pa. Salary – Grade D, Plymouth SCP 8 - 14 (Actual pro-rata salary £18,000 - £20,272) (FTE Salary £20,493 - £23,080). We have an exciting vacancy for a Science Technician, specialising in Chemistry, to support the Science Department.  The successful candidate will provide teachers with a range of technical support, enabling them to deliver the science curriculum to students, including advising on health and safety issues. Closing Date: 9am – Monday 15 March 2021. Interview Date: To be confirmed. 

Teaching Assistant 1:1 Support (F/Term until 31 August 2021) Required as soon as possible. Fixed Term until 31 August 2021 – 20 hours per week x 39 weeks per year. Grade B (SCP 3-4 £18,562 - £18,933) Actual salary £8,592 - £8,764. We are looking to recruit a Teaching Assistant to work on a 1 to 1 basis with a student, supporting them in accessing learning activities as directed by the Teacher.  The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, along with high levels of commitment and enthusiasm. Closing Date: 9am Friday 19 March 2021. Interview Date: To be confirmed. 

Teaching Vacancies for Plymstock School:-

Head of English - required from September 2021 TLR1C. We are seeking to appoint an exceptional and inspiring Head of English, with a passion for the sucessful education and well-being of young people. Closing date: 9am Monday 22nd March 2021. Interview date: Monday 29 March 2021. 

For further information please visit Plymstock's website here.

Dunstone Primary School are seeking to appoint a skilled Teaching Assistant to be part of our very supportive, hardworking and successful team in April 2021 with the exciting opportunity to join us in our relocation to Morley Meadow Primary in September 2021. Further information is available through the website here.  Part time - Permanent Contract – Salary/Grade C, 20 hours per week, 39 weeks per year. Dunstone Primary School is committed to safeguarding children in our care and any successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.  The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 19th March 2021. Proposed start date 19th April 2021.

Oreston Community Academy have the following vacancies:-

Oreston Community Academy are looking for a 1:1 Teaching Assistant for their onsite Nursery, who is enthusiastic, a good team player and committed to supporting the learning of pupils with additional needs. Temporary Fixed Term for the summer term in the first instance from the 19th April. Hours: 11.30am-3pm (approximately) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Salary/Grade C £19,312 - £20,092 (actual salary £6,206 - £6,457). This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. To apply for this position, please visit Oreston's website here for further information and send a completed application form to admin@oreston.com. Closing date:  Tuesday 23rd March at 9am. Interview date: Tuesday 30th March. 

Class Teacher Vacancies Required for September 2021:-

  • Full Time Permanent – MPS 1-6 
  • Full Time Temporary One Year Fixed Term MPS 1-6

Oreston Community Academy are also looking to appoint enthusiastic and motivated Class Teachers.  These are on a full-time permanent basis or full-time fixed term temporary contract for one year. To apply for either position, please complete an application form that can be found on the school website here and send completed application forms to admin@oreston.com. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Closing date: Tuesday 20th April at 9.00am. Interview date:  Wednesday 28th April. 

TLI Newsletter
The Learning Institute has just issued its February newsletter , which includes information about the TLI's programmes; including degrees, teacher training, apprenticeships, CPD and current research projects.

HR Update

Covid-19 Vaccination – Get your Protective Coat, Get Vaccinated

Please find here an infographic developed by our OH partner, Medigold. This provides information on Coronavirus vaccines.  To protect yourself and protect others please do take up the offer of your vaccine when it’s made available to you.

Rapid Lateral Flow Testing for Household and Bubbles of School Pupils and Staff

Twice-weekly national testing is being rolled out to those who do not have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) but are in households, childcare and support bubbles of primary and secondary-age pupils or staff. Further details on accessing tests for members of your household or support bubble can be found here. NOTE these are for those in staff households/bubbles; staff members themselves will be entitled to home testing kits issued locally according the arrangements in each school.

Wellbeing for Education Return – new webinar and supporting resources for all education staff

New and updated Wellbeing for Education Return resources are now available for education staff to supplement the project's locally adapted training and support offers. These include a short, recorded webinar Every interaction matters. It introduces a simple framework for promoting wellbeing, resilience and mental health. It is intended for use by education leaders with all staff, INSET sessions, or for education staff to work through individually.

This sits alongside the original Wellbeing for Education Return resources covering issues such as bereavement, loss, anxiety, stress and trauma and signposting to free Mental health resources for children, parents, carers and school and college staff. 

Please do contact the HR Team with queries related to any of these updates. 

22 Mar 2021
Headteacher for Sherford Vale School
The Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST) is seeking to appoint an exceptional individual with vision, energy and inspirational leadership to the position of Headteacher at Sherford Vale School, Plymouth.
Read more

A big thank you to all of you who completed our January Starter Experience Survey.

We would like to thank all of you who commenced a new role with the Trust recently and took the time to feedback to us how the Trust was doing with its recruitment and selection process.  Your feedback will help us in our efforts to continually improve the recruitment experience of all our potential new starters.

Here are some of the key points we can share with you now. 

  • We asked you to rate how straightforward you found the application process for your new post.  You gave the application process an average score of 4.76 out of 5.  This is a slight increase on the average score of 4.58 stars in the September survey.
  • 96% of you received an invite to interview less than 2 weeks after the advert close date. This is an improvement on the 87% responding to the September survey who received an invite to interview in this time-frame.
  • We asked you to rate your invite to the selection process and any subsequent communications in relation to it.  You gave us an average score of 4.79 stars out of 5 for this.  This is a slight increase on the average score of 4.71 stars in the September survey.
  • Due to Covid-19 restrictions, some of you experienced a remote selection process.  Those of you who did were asked to rate how straightforward you found using the technology for this was.  You gave it an average score of 4 stars out of 5.  This is a slight decrease on the average score of 4.11 stars in the September survey.
  • 62% of you found the offer you received timely.  This is a decrease on the 81% who felt this when answering the September survey.
  • 62% of you felt you were provided with enough information when you were offered your position.  This is a slight increase on the 61% who felt this when answering the September survey.
  • 79% of you found the offer process straightforward.  This is a slight decrease on the 81% who felt this when answering the September survey.
  • We asked you to think about your pre-employment checks and to rate us on how we did with these in terms of communication, efficiency and helpfulness .  You gave us an average score of 4.66 stars out of 5 for this.  This is a slight decrease on the average score of 4.71 stars in the September survey.

There are areas that you identified where we could do better and we really appreciate your suggestions around this.  The full results have been analysed and will be used to improve the candidate experience of our recruitment and selection process moving forward.

If you would like to tell us how we are doing  with our onboarding processes, including induction, we would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete the latest Onboarding Survey detailed below.

Thank you.

Onboarding Survey

To those who have recently commenced a new role, we hope you have now settled into working for Westcountry Schools Trust and had the opportunity to complete a Starter Experience Survey when you first started. Let the HR Team know if you did not and would like to by emailing HR@westst.org.uk and we will send you a link. As part of the Trust aim of continual improvement, we would appreciate it if you would spend a few minutes completing the Onboarding Survey to tell us about your experience of your first half term with the Trust. We are interested to know what you felt; what went well and your view of what did not go so well and what could be improved on. 

Click here to complete the Onboarding Survey. 

A message from our Cycle to Work provider

Electrify your spring rides with the latest Cyclescheme competition. 

Cyclescheme, our cycle to work scheme provider, has teamed up with Islabikes to give away a brand-new eJanis bike RRP £2,699!

The competition is open to all employees. For your chance to win, enter online before the 22nd March 2021 using the link below. Just scroll down to find the entry form and T&Cs. 

www.cyclescheme.co.uk/community/featured/competition

Good luck!

To sign up for Morrison's Teacher Club click here. 

To sign up for Discount to teachers click here. 

Coombe Dean School are looking to appoint a Subject Leader of PE, Life Skills & Drama (secondment for 2021-22). Required from September 2021. TLR 2B at £4784. 

Coombe Dean School are looking to appoint an ambitious and well qualified teacher who has the ability to inspire and motivate, and is an excellent classroom practitioner, passionate about working with students. The reason for the temporary duration of this role is linked to the pending review of long term permanent posts and providing an opportunity for a WeST colleague to join our school on a secondment basis.

You will be leading a highly successful and well-resourced PE Department. The school has excellent onsite facilities including an ‘Astroturf’ pitch, fitness suite, Sports Halls, Gymnasium, extensive fields and Drama hall. The purpose of the role is to ensure high quality teaching and learning within PE, Life Skills and Drama. In addition, take an active role in the wider leadership of the school in pursuit of our key development and improvement priorities. Our commitment at Coombe Dean School is to develop ‘success built around positive relationships’.

You must have written confirmation from your Headteacher supporting the one-year secondment.

Application by written expression of interest to Kelly Hill, Headteacher’s PA, email khill@coombedean.co.uk.

Coombe Dean School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  Therefore, the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Closing Date: 9am, Monday 15th March 2021. Interview date: Wednesday 17th March 2021. 

For the job description please click here.