Introduction
We find ourselves in unprecedented times and the response of all of the schools within the Trust to the COVID pandemic has been nothing short of fantastic. It is not just the logistical and organisational requirements linked to delivering high quality education that have presented significant challenges but also the public stage on which schools are operating, to manage the expectations of parents and the DfE alongside making every pupil feel safe and secure in school.
I am both proud and humbled by the way staff in each school have worked tirelessly to do the best for each child. If we think back to January and the emergence of a potential threat and compare our provision and lived experience to now, we can be confident that from cleaning routines to classroom provision, from parental communication to developing online systems for learning, we have evolved significantly in each school. Of course, there are further improvements and developments that we continue to make to improve working and learning practices. I would like to say thank you for the way staff have engaged with new routines and working practices to enable all pupils to return to school and benefit from learning in school. When we have had to provide work and support for pupils due to ‘bubble’ closure or ‘close contacts’ being sent home we have received positive feedback from the vast majority of parents. More importantly we have constantly developed the offer whether that is through Seesaw or Loom or through increased ‘live learning’. I know that this approach will continue and I look forward to getting to know staff as and when it becomes possible to spend more time in each school to better understand how each curriculum is brought to life by staff.
In establishing a MAT where each school can be supported through the benefits associated with partnerships, whilst maintaining and developing its own unique offer, we have an exciting organisation where leaders and staff in each school provide their curriculum to their pupils but can also learn from and support colleagues in the other schools. I cannot wait until the ability to do this more regularly presents itself as we move away from the pandemic of the last year into a time when we can resume some normality in schools. We don’t know when this will be but we do know what things we can look forward to implementing when we can.
Thank you for your efforts and commitment to your roles throughout this challenging time and I hope that, as we develop the wider provision in the MAT, you will start to see greater opportunities and support in practice to help you in your role and with any aspirations you have for your career.
Lee Gray
CEO Shires MAT
Leadership Development
As a National Teaching School, Studley High School has significant experience of hosting and delivering both Middle Leader and Senior Leader qualifications linked to National accreditation. These qualifications are currently being redesigned (again) to ensure they remain current and reflect the shift to evidence based practice we have seen in recent years.
Despite the quality of these qualifications, senior staff at SHS felt there was room for some further leadership development CPD which could be accessible to all staff and offer more of an introduction and overview of a range of key aspects, that any staff member would need to know if considering leadership responsibilities. This has led to the development of the SHS Middle and Senior Leader CPD offer.
As we begin to look at how we link practice across our MAT schools it would seem essential that access to these CPD programmes is opened up to all staff across the MAT. Both programmes take place over 5 afternoon sessions across the year (3.30pm-5.30pm).
The middle leader course consists of practical information linked to applications for middle leader posts to more skills based sessions such as difficult conversations and creating and leading change.
The senior leader programme is aimed at those with middle leadership experience who are keen to understand what the transition to senior leadership might look like and how to make the leap in terms of preparation, experience and requirements.
These programmes are new within the Trust and as such are open to further development and wider content , if appropriate. If any member of staff from any school would like to find out more about the programmes they should get in touch with Tania Jordan [email protected], Teaching School Manager at Studley, to find out more. This might be to find out more about participating or to support the creation of a bespoke session that supports the development of leadership skills for primary staff for example.
All staff should enquire and sign up ready for commencement on November 26th.
More information here:
