A virtual campus being discussed, drawn and pitched during our LSEC 2.0 digital transformation

Policy Institute, primary and secondary school pupils lost on average between two and three months of their education during the pandemic – 16% of their education between March 2020 and February 2021. The potential lost earnings over their lifetime due to this is estimated to range from £78bn to £463bn in a worst-case scenario if no action is taken. As a Group we are committed to helping our learners transition back into education and progress onto positive destinations. That’s why, this term we developed College and Trust education recovery plans and launched a Trust-wide education recovery fund. In this publication, Kate Shiner, our newly appointed Trust Director of Strategic Development discusses how the fund will help to improve outcomes for our pupils.

Working with employers to secure high quality work experience opportunities is a vital element of our strategy to boost the employability of our students. Improving the employability of SEND students is also high on the national agenda. This term, I was pleased to see the launch of an exciting supported internship programme for a group of Nido Volans students at the Princess Royal University Hospital, part of the Kings College NHS Trust. You can learn more about this initiative in the ‘Media round up.’

We’ve continued to learn valuable lessons, which have encouraged us to collaborate and innovate. A key lesson has been the need to work harder to engage our students in learning. Teachers throughout the Trust have pivoted their teaching and learning approaches in order to do so. On the college front we’ve launched a Professional Coaches initiative through our Technical Skills academy; a programme designed to enable us to recruit the most talented teachers as coaches and create an environment where they can share high standards of teaching, learning assessment with fellow teachers. This term has also seen us engage further with staff and students to drive forward our digital transformation strategy.

I’m truly delighted the national community action initiative that we have spearheaded in partnership with Loughborough College and East Coast College has grown both in scale and impact. Over 120 colleges have now backed the campaign. September proved to be a campaign turning point, with key national partners coming on board, including the Football Association. This month, Lemn Sissay’s Landmark Lecture inspired us all to get out into our communities and make a real difference through volunteering.

The education sector has a key role to play in encouraging sustainability by educating young people about the importance of caring for their environment and the many careers attached to this expanding industry. As a Group, we are committed to making a positive contribution by reducing our environmental impact. We’ve embraced the green agenda; from taking steps to adopt a more sustainable attitude in our classrooms to installing photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of our Bromley campus – the first of many new initiatives to help reduce our carbon footprint.

Finally, it is impossible to reflect on the past term without acknowledging the toll that pandemic had on the health and wellbeing of our students, staff and communities. I’d encourage you to read the feature by our Group Chaplaincy Co-ordinator, Reverend Claudette Douglas who offers new perspectives on the matter and urges us all to ‘take time to cultivate our health and wellbeing’. Thank you for your continued commitment which enables us to collectively achieve our goals. We must all remain positive and work towards what we do best; creating opportunities for all our pupils and students. I hope that you take the time to enjoy a much-needed rest over the festive period and return re-energised and ready to face the fresh challenges the New Year may bring.

Group movers and shakers

Andy Cowan

Chief Operating Officer – Curriculum & Quality

Start date

November 2021

Previous role

Vice Principal Curriculum & Standards, South Thames Colleges Group

Current roles

Working with colleagues in Curriculum and Quality teams on our journey to Outstanding.

Interesting facts about me

I trained as a sound engineer and worked in the live music industry for a number of years in some weird and wonderful venues.

I was invited to the Premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I love DIY, have renovated property but mostly enjoyed building a bar in my back garden during the summer after the first lockdown.

Asfa Sohail

College Principal & Chief Learning Officer

Start date New Year

Previous role

College Principal, Lewisham College

Interesting facts about me

I decided to follow a pathway in engineering to challenge stereotypes at the age of 17. I ended up scoring the highest marks in external examinations across the district by the age of 18. A young girl with the highest scores in a ‘so called’ male subject area. I was so gullible that I did not realise what I had achieved until the day after when this hit the Pakistani national newspapers, even though I was interviewed by journalists the day before.

I have a pet cockatoo who is called Toby. He joined our family six months ago and he behaves like one of my children – always seeking to grab my attention!

David Lambert

Chief Technology & Information Officer

Start date New Year

Current/previous role

Deputy CEO and College Principal

Interesting facts about me

I’ve been trying to learn to play the guitar for over 25 years and I’m still no good, maybe I’ll get it eventually.

I brew my own beer from scratch and own a barrel of whisky ready for my retirement.

As a complete petrol head, I have ridden round the Isle of Man TT circuit (not during the racing) and been over 70mph but that’s legal there.

Group movers and shakers

Evren Ali

Head of 14 - 16 Alternative Curriculum College, London South East Academies Trust

Start date: November 2021

Previous roles

Lecturer and Curriculum Team Manager in Construction for over 10 years.

Interesting facts about me

I used to play in bands and recorded three original albums, which were released independently. I still make music, but just as a hobby.

I am a long-suffering supporter of Tottenham Hotspurs football club. They have brought me no joy over the last 30+ years of support, but I have a feeling that this year could definitely be our year!

I work on carpentry and building work during the holidays. My next project is going to be a garden room/summer house.

Grant Monaghan

Head of Horizons Academy Bexley

Start date

September 2021

Previous roles

Head of 14 - 16 Alternative Curriculum College at London South East Academies Trust

Interesting facts about me

I spent four years serving as a Royal Marines Commando.

I support Arsenal Football Club (for my sins).

I am an avid gym user, and use my enthusiasm to deliver training sessions to staff as part of their physical and mental wellbeing.

Kate Shiner

Director of Strategic Development, London South East Academies Trust

Start date November 2021

Previous roles

On secondment from the Department for Education. A civil servant for 18 years in the DfE and the Ministry of Justice

Interesting facts about me

I am originally from Somerset but have lived in Lewisham with my partner and two boys for the last 12 years.

I like to run, do pilates, cook for my family and friends, and also go out to restaurants.

We got a puppy during lockdown – a greyhound/border collier lurcher called Moo – so now spend a lot of my spare time taking him for walks.

Rising above the challenges

Neil Miller, Deputy CEO, LSEAT writes: The start of the school year seems a very long time ago. Although the new academic year has brought many challenges, there has been much to celebrate.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all our staff in our secondary provisions who supported our Year 11 and Year 13 students to very successful outcomes. We appreciate the professionalism, commitment and resilience you have shown throughout last year which helped to ensure our students were able to achieve the very best grades possible. With your support the vast majority progressed to the next stage of their education, training and employment.

This term, we’ve been delighted to welcome many new staff to the Trust family, including Kate Shiner who has joined us on secondment from the Department of Education as the Trust’s Director of Strategic Development. I hope all of our new staff have settled in well and feel supported by their colleagues.

Much has written about the impact of the pandemic on education, children and young people. Indeed, across our Trust we felt the adverse impacts on our schools, pupils and their families as well as our teachers.

Not only have teaching and learning, the everyday routines and consistency of our academies been disrupted, the vast majority of our pupils have missed vital parts of their education and learning experiences. We have seen the impact on the physical, mental health and wellbeing of our pupils and their families. In many ways, the longer-term effects of the pandemic are yet to be fully understood.

In June we welcomed the government’s package of funding to support education recovery and to tackle the lost learning caused by the pandemic. While the government’s focus on academic recovery is welcome, we believe that a more holistic approach is needed.

We are determined to do everything we can to ensure our students return to a normal educational experience and gain the skills and knowledge needed to progress fully. That’s why we have developed an Education Recovery Plan. A copy of the plan can be found on the Trust website. In addition, we have launched a Trustwide Education Recovery Support Fund. The establishment of the fund reflects our belief that a broader approach must be adopted. The Fund will provide £500k of funding over the next two academic years to support our academies. This is in addition to the one-off DfE allocation of Covid Recovery Funding. For more information on the fund, please read Kate Shiner’s article.

In November, Aspire Academy received the long awaited call from Ofsted. Many thanks to all staff at Aspire for working so hard to get ready for the inspection. I look forward to sharing a copy of the

The Trust’s Education Recovery Plan is available online

inspection report with you along with some of the lessons we have identified.

We continue to place a strong focus on school improvement, sharing and advancing best practice across the Trust. To this end we have established a school-to-school initiative to help model and share best practice peer to peer. Challenge partners have been busy developing momentum to help schools improve and we have also introduced a new system for appointing headteachers.

On the EDI front, we continue to develop our strategy and EDI champions have been appointed in each school.

I would like to say a personal thank you to each and every member of staff across the Trust for all your hard work and efforts this term. I am extremely grateful to you for ensuring that our children and young people have been provided with a near ‘normal’ school experience, despite all the adversities thrown at you.