The Partnership Post - Issue No.5

THE

PARTNERSHIP POST

ISSUE 5

News from across the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership

Secondaries celebrate record-breaking results

FEATURED

INSIDE 3

West Midlands to Westminster

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Power to the pupils!

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Outstanding in Education Awards

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Partnership has got what IT takes

It’s a time of great celebration for the ATLP – with schools enjoying a bumper crop of results this year. There’s cause for further cheer, as more and more children are joining the partnership’s academies, following the MAT’s continued achievements and growth.

With its best ever figure of 88 per cent A*-C in GCSE results, Arthur Terry School has not only boosted its ‘gold standard’ grades by a whopping 11 per cent, but it has also secured a place as the country’s 15th top state comprehensive, according to The Independent Newspaper.

Headteacher, Neil Warner, said: “We would like to thank our amazing staff body, students, parents and governors for excellent partnership working which has enabled us to report such an amazing performance.”

All of the ATLP schools have benefited from improved GCSE grades this year. Marie George, headteacher of Stockland Green School, said: “These results are a testimony to the hard work of our school community.”

The picture is equally bright for A-levels, with students scooping impressive and record-breaking results. Coleshill headteacher, Ian Smith-Childs, said: “There was an immense sense of pride in the exam hall as students opened their envelopes to see all of their efforts rewarded.”

Congratulations to John Willmott School, which is also celebrating some well-deserved results.

The ATLP is school improvement partner to the popular secondary.

ATLP appoints new CEO Richard Gill The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership is delighted to announce the appointment of new chief executive, Richard Gill, formerly the joint headteacher of Arthur Terry.

This is a key appointment for the region and the partnership’s learning community of 4,000 students and more than 800 staff and governors. Richard will oversee the next stage of the ATLP’s development and ensure it continues to deliver quality education across its schools and partners.

National leader of education, Richard said: “I’m incredibly excited and proud about being given the opportunity to lead such a fantastic collaboration. I am fortunate to work alongside the most talented and professional

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headteachers you could meet; professionals who work tirelessly for the young people and families within their care and who are committed to ensuring that all of our young people are given the very best life chances.”

Richard is also the newly elected Teaching Schools Council member for the West Midlands. He also represents Sutton Coldfield on the management board of the Birmingham Education Partnership (BEP).

He has taken over from former interim CEO, Sally Taylor, whose exceptional leadership skills impacted positively across the ATLP and ensured that the partnership is in “great shape.”

Sally said: “It’s been a real honour and a privilege to be part of this wonderful team and I know that Richard will continue to serve and lead the partnership onto even greater success.”

Tim Sewell, chair of the ATLP Trust Board, said: “Richard has made a significant contribution to the development of our partnership over the past six years and he stands out as a dynamic leader who will move us forward.”

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Coleshill: “This is only the beginning” Good Ofsted marks continued success for ATLP secondary school The ‘transformed’ Coleshill School celebrating its best Ofsted in more than 20 years - less than a year after officially joining the ATLP. The academy and its sixth form have been graded as ‘good’ in all areas. Inspectors have praised the “ambitious” school for its quality teaching, pupil achievement and behaviour, and strong leadership and governance.

The positive news and first ‘good’ grading in more than two decades marks a major step in the school’s journey to excellence, as it enjoys impressive results and oversubscribed classes.

Headteacher Ian Smith-Childs, who has been recognised by Ofsted for having ‘inspired the school community, raising expectations of teaching and pupils’ achievement’, said that the grading has sealed a “bright future” for the school. Now he has his sights set on making even greater progress.

He said: “We’re absolutely delighted. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of both the whole school community and the wider support of the ATLP. We’ve all worked hard to raise the ‘expectations of teaching and pupils’ achievement’.

“We believe our pupils are capable of amazing things and I was particularly proud to see that the inspectors recognised that ‘teaching is now characterised by higher expectations’ and ‘better levels of challenge’. As a result, our pupils are making better progress ‘across all key stages, including the sixth form, pupils make good progress from their starting points.’”

pastoral staff who are available all day’ as well as appreciating the rewards system and the range of extra-curricular activities.

Inspectors were particularly positive about the range of personal development at the school and the way in which pupils are ‘well prepared for life in modern Britain.’

The sixth form has also been graded ‘good’ with inspectors praising ‘good quality teaching, high expectations of students’ achievement, conduct and attendance, along with effective leadership and management’. Personal development and careers guidance were also seen as a strength.

The report also highlights the value that being part of the ATLP has brought to the school. Lead inspector, Nigel Griffiths, noted: ‘Successful partnerships have helped to strengthen the quality of leadership and teaching. Excellent relationships have been quickly established with the new academy sponsor. Governors acknowledge that this transition has been a ‘seamless’ process and, as a result, has already helped to strengthen the quality of education on offer.’

The report states that school leadership, at all levels is strong. Inspectors were impressed that senior and middle leaders, along with governors and the ATLP, have ‘created a united learning community that has high expectations and aspirations and very positive relationships’. Governance of the school was seen to be very effective.

Since the last inspection in 2014, staff have worked tirelessly on developing a culture of high expectations and success.

The positive attitudes of pupils was seen by the inspectors as being ‘characterised by good behaviour in lessons and around the school.’

Pupils told inspectors that they felt safe and ‘well supported by

ATLP helps inform the future of education in Birmingham The ATLP features in a new local authority report about the future of education in Birmingham, which has been issued to hundreds of headteachers and school leaders across the city.

The partnership’s successful collaborative working is showcased in Birmingham City Council’s ‘Adapting to change: the future of education in Birmingham’ report.

The new publication draws on the expertise of senior education leaders and is designed to bring greater collaboration between schools and help inform and shape the future direction of education across the city.

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The ATLP was selected to appear in the report, which includes the following comment from CEO Richard Gill: “Collaboration is the cornerstone of creating a self-improving and sustainable led system which gives schools the freedom to drive their own destinies and shape a world-class education system.”

In the report, Cllr Brigid Jones, who visited ATLP schools earlier this year and praised the partnership on BBC News, said: “We must continue to collaboratively drive forward innovation and improvement so every child can access the best education and prosper in a safe environment.”

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THE PARTNERSHIP POST

West Midlands Budding politicians from Brookvale Primary School swapped Erdington for London when they were given a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament by their MP, Jack Dromey.

Westminster

– although their knowledge was already pretty comprehensive! I was really impressed by the pupils’ impeccable behaviour throughout the day.”

Teacher Caroline Fielden said: “We all had a fantastic day and the children gained so much from the visit. Being at the epicentre of British politics really helped bring their lessons to life and this will only help enhance their learning. No visit to the capital would be complete without taking in the sights of 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace – and the children enjoyed a sunshine picnic in St James’ Park.

We’d like to thank Jack Dromey for making this memorable day possible.”

Jack Dromey MP said: “It was a real pleasure to show the children around the Houses of Parliament and to help expand their learning

Pupils pedal their way to green transport award Cycling proficiency with bells on!

Prestigious awards, national TV coverage and councillor endorsements - Slade Primary School is saddled up for biking success. There’s a wheel revolution going on at Slade, which has been awarded ‘ Top Cycling and Walking Location’ status for being one of the most bike and pedestrian-friendly places in the region.

The school was given ‘bronze status’ as part of a scheme by Birmingham City Council, public transport co-ordinator Centro, Sustrans and bike experts BikeRight! to get more people cycling and walking. The accolade was presented at a ceremony in Birmingham.

Helen Hastilow, headteacher of Slade, said: “This is a fantastic achievement. We’re committed to making our school a bike and pedestrian-happy place and we’re pleased to see that children and staff are embracing these environmentally friendly ways to travel.”

Students move forward in leaps and bounds Sporty Stockland Green students had a real spring in their step when Birmingham Olympian triple jumper Nathan Douglas hopped into school.

He spent a day working with students as part of ‘Sky Sports Living for Sport’ project, which aims to boost confidence, change behaviours, increase attainment and improve life skills. Students at Stockland Green have previously welcomed former Olympian Daniel Caines into school as part of the initiative.

PE teacher, Luke Wiederman, said: “It was a really inspirational day and the boys thoroughly enjoyed it. Nathan was positive about the behaviour of our students and described them as ‘great kids’.

“I’m hoping this will have a long lasting effect on them and inspire them to achieve. Enormous thanks must go to both Nathan and the year 9 team, who work tirelessly with these boys.”

In a positive tweet, following the session, Nathan said: “Had a brilliant time, great kids. Thanks for having me.”

Slade’s commitment to cycling has been given an extra push, as pupils hit the saddle as part of the national Bikeability scheme to get more children on bikes.Helen Hastilow said: “Bikeability did a great job: not only can our pupils cycle with proficiency and safety, but they had real fun in the process!”

Want to see Slade pupils in action? Then check out ‘In Our House’ on Big Centre TV, http://tntnews.co.uk/in-our-house-s4-ep4/

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Deputy headteachers strengthen leadership ATLP secondary schools and partners are further strengthening their leadership with the appointment of new deputy headteachers, Rebecca Goode and Sean Castle, Stockland Green School, and Paul Averis, John Willmott School.

Elsewhere, a familiar face has returned to Arthur Terry School this term. New deputy, Samantha Kibble previously worked at the school for five years as head of drama and

assistant head of year. She has spent the last nine years as vice principal of North Birmingham Academy. The Partnership Post caught up with Samantha, just after she’d accepted the new position:

will be able to support the staff and students to continue to develop the positive ethos at Arthur Terry. Alongside this, I am a firm believer that you should lead by example so I will be visible both within the classroom, school and wider community.”

Why did you want to join Arthur Terry?

“I was at the school for five years and I was part of the amazing journey that the school was on.

During my time I engaged with a large amount of students and I enjoyed nurturing the wide range of talent and academic excellence that the students demonstrated.”

What are you hoping to bring to the school?

Sam Kibble, deputy headteacher

“A forward-thinking approach and actively develop the excellent work that already happens within the school and the partnership. I am approachable and steady under pressure, so I

Mere Green headteacher appointed National Leader of Education

Are you looking forward to working with the wider ATLP team?

“I am really excited to be working as part of a MAT, having already worked in an established MAT for over five years. I have seen the benefits and opportunities that working in a learning partnership brings. The support that schools provide each other is invaluable, sharing outstanding practice is crucial so all the schools continue to thrive and succeed.”

ATLP chief heads key education leadership event

NEWS UPDATE: Congratulations to Mere Green Primary School on achieving Governor Mark status, a nationally recognised external verification of quality of governance.

New ATLP CEO, Richard Gill, took centre stage at a very important date for the ‘Through the Looking Glass – The School Led System in Focus’ West Midlands School Leaders Annual Conference.

NLEs are deployed to suit the needs of each school needing support, or to those in transition to academy status. The type of support provided is flexible and can sometimes involve NLEs becoming executive headteacher. They also have responsibility for bringing on the next generation of NLEs and National Support Schools.

Richard joined fellow respected movers and shakers: national schools commissioner, Sir David Carter; Ofsted regional director, Lorna Fitzjohn; former regional school commissioner, Pank Patel; Roger Pope, chair of the National College for Teaching and Leadership; and the first woman in the world to sail non-stop around the world three times, Dee Caffari, MBE.

Anna Balson, headteacher The headteacher and staff at Mere Green Primary School have been selected for a top role of supporting schools in challenging circumstances.

Anna Balson is one of 107 headteachers to be designated to the role of national leader of education (NLE). NLEs along with staff in their school - designated a National Support School - use their success and professionalism to provide additional leadership capability in other schools.

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Anna said: “I am very proud to have been designated with this role for both myself and the whole staff at Mere Green. It is testament to our passion, expertise and drive. Support, nurture and challenge lies at the heart of all we do within both Mere Green and the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership multi-academy trust.”

The ATLP now boasts three NLES, after Richard Gill and Neil Warner were both appointed to theprestigious role last year.

Roger Pope, chair of the National College for Teaching and Leadership, said: “It’s fantastic that heads like Anna have the passion and ambition to help improve the life chances of young people not just in their own but in other schools as well.”

The high profile event, which took place at Droitwich Spa, focussed on the progress of the school-led system over the past 12 months and examined how collaboration has led to its healthy development across the region.

Richard Gill said: “This was an excellent opportunity for key leaders to share the progress that is being made in this area and to discuss what the future may look like.

Given the rapidly-changing educational landscape and the challenges that lie ahead, there has never been a better time for schools to take control of their own destinies by drawing strength from others.”

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THE PARTNERSHIP POST

R E PTOOTHW E PUPILS!

Student leadership special

Introducing the ATLP’s new student leadership group These fantastic 14 students – two from each of the ATLP’s academies - Arthur Terry, Coleshill and Stockland Green secondaries, and Brookvale, Hill West, Mere Green and Slade primaries, have been selected to represent their schools at leadership level.

They’re working together with fellow pupils and adult leaders to represent the student voice and help shape the future direction of the learning partnership. The team will lead on a number of projects to further enhance the pupil experience and encourage greater collaboration across all of the ATLP schools.

In true partnership style, the pupils have worked well together, bonding quickly and proactively sharing and engaging in a range of ideas and activities. Strong friendships have been forged across all schools and age groups, which Stockland Green School teacher and project member, Hannah Gubbins, finds especially encouraging.

Slade pupil Danyal had “butterflies” and was cheered on by his supportive classmates when he was chosen for the team. His new friend, Freddy, from Mere Green, loves mixing with all the other pupils, while the Coleshill School’s Charlotte, is: “really looking forward to what we can achieve as a team.”

Brookvale’s Marco has enjoyed taking part in the group exercises, while Rhea, from Hill West, is: “having a fantastic time.” One of the older students, Cameron, from Arthur Terry, is having “great fun” working with the younger children.”

“I’m excited about meeting again.

It’s a big success.” Joshua, Stockland Green.

The dynamic children have now visited every school, met with headteachers and taken part in a range of activities. Each pair of pupils have given a presentation on their individual schools and they’ve all gained a greater understanding about the ATLP and the role they will be playing in the future of the partnership.

Assistant headteacher and project co-ordinator, Rebecca Goode, said: “There is strong evidence that students who are given a wide range of opportunities to develop and practise leadership skills are better prepared for life beyond school.

“As a school and across the partnership we are keen to maximise the number of opportunities for students to develop these key skills and collaborate. We value student voice, and recognise their ideas and creativity. This is the start of a very exciting adventure for both students and staff.”

The organised students are already planning a varied calendar of events and presented their ambitious plans to ATLP headteachers and leaders – a prospect that they all found exciting.

Stockland Green School’s headteacher, Marie George, said: “Our students really are amazing. They have worked brilliantly with each other from start to finish and have really bonded as our Student Leadership Team. They are an exceptionally creative group and have come up with some great ideas.”

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IN THEIR OWN

WORDS

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Stockland Green students discuss their leadership roles Hold the front page Meet the Stockland Green School Press Gang

By Ethan Cherrington The Stockland Green Press Gang (pictured left with Partnership Post editor, Anna Newson) is a group of students from Years 7 to 10 that report special, interesting and intriguing events that happen in Stockland Green. Some of the events that we have reported so far are the orchestra practice on Wednesdays and the drama rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday. Our group is made up of 10 students who either applied for it or were chosen as aspiring students.

Teaching and Learning Leaders

By Alishah Khan Stockland Green is a place where students are guided to develop their strengths and the new position, teaching and learning leaders, has helped students to aspire to become the best they can be and achieve what they work for.

Teaching and Learning Leaders are a group of students who have been chosen by teachers at Stockland Green School through an interview process. Students who fit the right qualities were chosen but those who did not were still chosen as it would develop their confidence, contribution to school and ability to be the voice of their fellow peers.

The student leaders have provided tours of the school for visitors, provided a student link to subject areas and helped with staff interviews which leaders have described as the ‘most exciting part of the role this half term’.

Recently, Teaching and Learning Leaders have been involved in the interviewing process for the role of deputy headteacher and house leaders. Students had to come up with their own questions to ask candidates and marked the responses of the candidates out of five. They then wrote their view on the interviews which then went to Mrs George to help her make the right decision on whom to choose.

Students found the experience educational and useful, as it helped to develop key skills needed when applying for jobs or interviewing others. I also feel that the opportunities for students as such, increases passion of the students and they feel prod and joyful to attend Stockland Green School. Students gained an understanding of head roles and pressure of having to only pick one candidate when all the interviews were great.

Overall, students enjoyed the experience and showed how passionate and deserving they are to be Teaching and Learning Leaders. Their favourite part from the interviews were witnessing the ‘Show and Tell’ stories from the candidates and learning about their past and present.

Our leaders are very excited to see what they will be doing and whether it will beat last term, which honestly was amazing.

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Although the group has only been formed recently, it has already accomplished several goals and has even bigger plans for the future. We are also working with the other student voice groups in the school, like the teaching and learning leaders and the community champions, working together to improve our school for the students, ensuring they have a good education.

The Press Gang also meets with each of the faculties. These are: Science, English, Maths, CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) and Humanities which includes History, Geography, French and RE. Students from the press gang are assigned to a faculty. This is a useful and efficient systems because it allows our members to be involved and engaged, allowing us to hear the news quickly.

We have learnt and are currently learning new skills that are beneficial to us inside and outside of school, like social skills and the importance of team work as well as independence.

One thing that is great about the press gang is that everyone involved is willing to give their own time, even out staff lead Miss Gubbins. The assignments have been really enjoyable.

Talented students lead the way More than 30 dedicated students from across the Arthur Terry School took the lead by attending a celebratory praise event in honour of their hard work.

Students from all year groups - who sit on a number of leadership teams that organise and help out at numerous events across the school calendar – came together to receive personal thanks and certificates from their headteacher. They also celebrated with the odd treat or two.

Headteacher Neil Warner commended the students’ “generosity of spirit” and praised them for their commitment to school life and strong work ethic. He told the young leaders: “The best ambassadors for this school are our students - you are all brilliant and I congratulate you on your achievements. You will look back on this year with great pride and the school would like to say a massive ‘thank you’ for your hard work and dedication.”

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THE PARTNERSHIP POST

Young entrepreneurs have fire in their bellies These students (left) scaled the dizzy heights of commerce when they entered the Dragons’ Den at the Coleshill School’s business conference.

Model students are dressed for success It was a mannequin Monday when model year Coleshill School students took part in a ‘dummy’ work run.

The enterprising students participated in the KPMG ‘Work Ready’ workshop. This enabled them to explore employability skills in a hands-on, interactive, fun and challenging manner.

The workshops were led by three highly experienced facilitators who ensured that all the students participated in the challenges. During the session, students worked in teams of six; they were assigned a mannequin and were tasked with creating a new young person. They gave their mannequin personal skills and relevant qualifications in order to ensure that they were employable.

Ian Smith-Childs, headteacher, said: “This was an opportunity for local business to make long lasting links with the school and affect the life chance of hundreds of young people. It was a huge success and we would like to thank the generosity of all the local businesses who took part.”

Students learnt the skills and requirements that they need to develop in order to ensure that they are Work Ready. Following the session students then worked on their own CVs and explored their personal options for careers. Mrs Emily Bott, former assistant headteacher, said: “I really want to thank the team at KPMG for making this session so enjoyable and interesting. It has been a fantastic opportunity for our students. It has made them really think about what career paths to choose and what is required when applying for jobs, and going for interviews.”

The main event The Events Committee are busy at work ensuring that Arthur Terry School is run smoothly through their help and organisation at events.

This team of helpful students meet once fortnightly and strive to help out around the school and come up with ways of helping events run more smoothly

Businesses in the area pitched up at the school for the successful event, which saw students produce their own presentations and work in teams to present their bids. Local businesses generously pledged sponsorship of student focussed items, as the future entrepreneurs impressed the leaders with their skills.

“We are so proud of our students who led the event they worked really hard putting together the presentations.

This has enabled them to build their confidence as young leaders.”

Katie Millington meets Arthur Terry School’s hardworking Events Committee school, explaining the various departments and buildings, at the same time as providing a friendly welcome to all. They have provided some great work already to the running of the school, and undoubtedly have many more events up their sleeves as they continue their hard work!

Jane Humphreys oversees these meetings for the committee, which has been set up by 2015-16 head boy and head girl, Omar Schrouder and Clara Smith, as part of a body of sixth formers who set up different committees around the school to improve the organisation.

These bright students have helped out with the interviews for the new deputy head teacher, overseeing the candidates and asking questions themselves to the interviewees.

Alongside this, the committee are also keen to help out at parents’ evenings, shows and other events around Arthur Terry, taking part in after-school hours. Open evening is also a key date for this team’s diaries, where they will be showing potential students around the

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Celebrating excellence The Outstanding in Education awards 2016 More than 100 outstanding staff and guests from the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership came together this summer at the prestigious New Hall Hotel for the second ‘Outstanding in Education Awards’.

The awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution staff make to their learning communities. Shortlisted nominees from Arthur Terry, Coleshill, Stockland Green, Brookvale, Hill West, Mere Green and Slade schools, were put forward by their colleagues in a range of categories.

In his introduction, Tim Sewell, chair of the ATLP Trust Board, applauded the “immense contribution that the partnership has on the lives of children.” He said: “Together we are really making a difference with our activities.”

Compere Sally Taylor, (pictured below, with Richard Gill) spoke of the successful teamwork across schools. She said: “Thank you all and to

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the school communities that make up the ATLP, for your hard work and dedication – we will assure all our children’s futures.”

Awards were presented in 12 categories and recipients stepped upon stage to receive their prizes. The final awards of the evening, the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education’ were given to seven exceptional individuals – one from every school – who each received a glowing testimonial and trophy from their headteachers.

New ATLP CEO Richard Gill said: “All of our staff work incredibly hard to ensure our children receive the very best education. These awards are a snapshot of what is going on across all of our schools, day in, day out, and we want to commend and acknowledge their invaluable commitment to the partnership and the communities they serve.”

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And the award goes to. .

THE PARTNERSHIP POST

Outstanding Teacher in a Primary School: Amanda Hutt, Brookvale Primary School

Outstanding Teacher in a Secondary School: Charlotte Vernon, Stockland Green School

Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Leanne Bowkett, Hill West Primary School

Education Support: Dave Loffman, Arthur Terry School

Outstanding Team: The English Faculty, Coleshill School

Sporting Participation: Luke Wiedeman, Stockland Green School

Environment and Sustainability: Ian Scrivens, Hill West Primary School

Aspiring Leader: Josephine Evanson, Slade Primary School

Technology in Learning: Jenny Stone, Stockland Green School

Outstanding New Employee: Kristal Brookes, Mere Green Primary School

Outsanding Manager: Karen Balla, Hill West Primary School

Community Champion: Dean Batty, Greenpower, Arthur Terry School

The Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Education: June Gilchrist, Stockland Green School, Maurice Western, Slade Primary School, Alan Wharton, Arthur Terry School, Richard Jones, Coleshill School, Michelle Spires, Mere Green Primary School, Diane Bradley, Brookvale Primary School, Diane Hardeman, Hill West Primary School, “It was wonderful to have been given the opportunity to attend and I particularly enjoyed meeting colleagues from the partnership schools and hearing all about the wonderful work they have been doing in their schools. I felt truly humbled by Anna’s kind words and was thrilled to have been chosen to receive the award. It means an awful lot to have been given this recognition by the partnership and I would like to thank Anna and all of my incredible colleagues at Mere Green for all of their support,” Michelle Spires, Inclusion Leader, Mere Green Primary School

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s ’ p i h s aP rtner

The in-cloud

ATLP wins international award for technology innovation in education The ATLP has scooped an international award for its pioneering use of IT to transform teaching and learning across its schools.

got what IT takes...

In addition, learners and educators can access homework, resources and study materials from their mobile devices at any time and from anywhere, which is revolutionising education provision across the partnership.

Arthur Terry School headteacher and national leader of education, Neil Warner, said: “The IT is enabling our students to be successful learners, ready to face the next stage of their lives and that’s what we’re about as educators – making children feel good about themselves and being able to face society with confidence.”

The positive experiences of staff and students feature in a video case study that C24 and Microsoft have made about the award-winning project. https://youtube.com/watch?v=oufvez-9NQM Chris Butler, head of IT delivery at the ATLP, said: “It’s rewarding to see how the use of cloud technology is benefitting thousands of students and staff across our schools. We want to keep on innovating and pushing boundaries in order to secure a quality education for many more children in the future.”

The partnership and C24 Ltd., a Six Degrees company, have jointly won the ‘Cloud and Above Award’ at the ‘Data Cloud Awards 2016’, which were held in Monaco this summer.

Specialist hosting company, C24, supports delivery with Microsoft Office 365 across the ATLP. The cloud service enables greater collaboration and communication between schools to enable improved learning experiences across the ATLP’s 4,000 plus learning community.

Judges were impressed by how technology is boosting student performance – with an increase in the volume, frequency and quality of homework – and how it is giving teachers and staff greater flexibility, in terms of collaboration, planning and working independently across schools.

Dave Ricketts, head of sales and marketing at C24 Ltd. Said: “We are delighted to have been chosen for this award – and we are really pleased that it has highlighted the great work that the IT team at the ATLP are doing to improve the learning experiences of many children across the Birmingham area.”

But that’s not IT…. The project is also up for another award. The ATLP has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Educationinvestor Awards 2016, which take place in November. Watch this space for details.

Pupil ambassadors help children keep e-smart Meet Slade Primary’s e-safety ambassadors. These tech-savvy whizz kids have a key role to play in the classroom in helping their fellow pupils keep ‘e-smart’ both inside and outside of school.

This switched on team are just part of the academy’s drive towards boosting e-safety. Pupils, staff and parents have all been taking part in a range of progressive activities to prepare them for being e-smart.

Pupils have been learning about keeping personal information private, cyberbullying, reliability and online strangers. Two adult workshops were well attended and parents were given top tips on e-safety at home.

The e-safety ambassadors took part in extra training and looked at a website ‘Digitalpassport’. Their role will be to support pupils with any e-safety concerns.

The sessions were delivered by IT leaders from Slade’s fellow ATLP school, Mere Green Primary, which last year won an award for its impressive standards in e-safety.

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Slade headteacher, Helen Hastilow, said: “The hands on sessions were a real hit and everybody has been incredibly receptive to learning in this way.

“Given the growing role of technology in all of our lives, we feel it is important to keep up-to-speed in this area and I think children and adults alike feel much more confident in their approach to e-safety now. Our fantastic ambassadors are the ‘go to’ team whenever pupils have any questions and it’s a role that these young IT gurus are taking on with great enthusiasm and dedication.

“One of the many benefits of being part of a network of other forward-thinking schools is that we have access to specialist leaders and resources and we would like to thank our colleagues at Mere Green for passing their knowledge on to our wonderful learning community.”

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THE PARTNERSHIP POST

Bring your own device Children across the partnership are enjoying the positive benefits of ‘bring your own device’ which encourages students to use electronic devices to enhance their learning.

ATLP IT leader and specialist leader of education (SLE) Terri Coombs, explained the impact the scheme is having at Mere Green.

She said: “Children are using their devices in a variety of ways, from specialist maths and grammar websites, to Word and apps. We’re seeing an increase in confidence skills and outputs across the board, which is having a huge impact on teaching and learning at school and at home.

“Pupils are using their devices for quick bursts of skills practice (times tables, spelling, punctuation) increased engagement in writing, children enjoy using devices to type their work, editing and improving written work on a device is easier and allows them more time to concentrate on the quality of the writing.”

Feedback from children and staff at Mere Green shows that everybody is fully embracing technology to develop their learning.

“It’s helped me with my times table practice,” said Lilly.

“My writing has got better because I can look up better words to use on the thesaurus,” said Drea.

“My maths has got better, the app is like a test and it shows you how to get it right if you get it wrong,” said Amelia.

Teacher and inclusion leader, Michelle Spires, said: “The children have been so keen to use their device and have pushed it forwards with their positive attitude.”

Teacher and SLE, Suzy Glasgow, said: “Children are more independent, finding and checking answers for themselves.” The high-tech initiative has the backing of parents too. Parent Tim Powlson said: “Eryn is really enjoying using her iPad at school and I am very pleased that she has had this chance. I think you’ve done a really good job in bringing BYOD to Mere Green Primary and I have been encouraged by your cautious approach.”

A growing network Terri Coombs and ATLP IT Technician, Stuart Stanway, have been busy rolling out the use of BYOD at partner primary schools (see our story on Slade, opposite). The pair have also been delivering workshops at Brookvale to familiarise both pupils and staff with iPads and technology to aid learning. The school has quickly switched on tothe initiative, which has resulted in greater confidence and use of technology in the classroom.

were excitedly chatting about their experiences, the excitement it provided proved to be a successful motivator for writing.”

i F i W d n Sci-Fi a Dinosaur and robot invasion boosts literacy skills IT’s alive! A troublesome T-Rex and rebellious robot landed at Mere Green Primary School as part of a ground-shaking technology project to bring literacy to life in the classroom.

In a two-week literacy project, staff at the outstanding school used augmented reality to set up ‘mysterious’ happenings around school.

Strange footprints, damage to school property and missing items were all reported and investigated by all the children, who used their experiences to pen imaginative and creative stories about the events.

Pupils investigated CCTV footage to find a robot had entered the ICT suite and was dismantling an old computer for spare parts to his crashed space ship. Year 4 found large empty shells and strange footprints, which prompted extensive story writing.

Terri Coombs, IT leader and specialist leader of education at Mere Green, worked alongside literacy leader Aimee Bursnall to provide children with the opportunity of using IT in a new and innovative way in order to motivate creative writing. Ms.Coombs said: “The project has been a roaring success, there was a ‘buzz’ around school and children

Adam Pattinson, a year 5 teacher, said: “Using augmented reality really helped to gain the children’s interest. We showed thee children videos and photographs of dinosaurs in our classroom. They were fascinated about where the dinosaurs could have come from. Many of them became super sleuths when trying to find out about them and enjoyed trying to prove whether the dinosaurs were real or not.”

The children also enjoyed putting together “fantastic” letters to headteacher, Anna Balson, to tell her all about the dinosaurs. Not only did the experience build confidence and fire young imaginations, but the invasion left a real footprint on the children’s literacy skills, as these children reported: Tiane said: “My writing was better. I used better words because I could see the robot coming to life.”

“It was more realistic – like it was alive, which helped my imagination,” said Layton.

Benny said: “My writing was better. It was interesting because it’s something that has never happened and I got to read my work out in assembly.”

Year 3 teacher, George Dunning, said: “Using augmented reality was really easy, the children loved the mystery created by the disaster in the ICT suite (crime scene) and had lots of ideas. But when they discovered CCTV footage of the robot they developed some brilliant stories and used some of the best language we have seen all year.”

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THE PARTNERSHIP POST

World-class school welcomes Sri Lankan education secretary The Arthur Terry School welcomed three prestigious guests when a senior delegation, led by Sri Lanka’s education secretary, visited the outstanding academy.

W M Bandusena, secretary to the Ministry of Education (MoE), L M D Dharmasena, chief commissioner (teacher education), MoE, and the British Council’s Shane Martenstyn, assistant manager of programme delivery, spent an educational day at Arthur Terry. The visit was part of a joint fact finding mission to share best practice, strengthen international links and develop a greater understanding of education and teacher training in both countries.

Headteacher Neil Warner said: “We were delighted to welcome such influential international professionals to our school and to share the very best in teaching and learning from both countries, so that we can continue to raise standards and bring the world’s best teachers to our classrooms.”

The school’s impressive international profile was of particular interest to the distinguished visitors, who were inspired to work more closely with Arthur Terry.

Mr Bandusena said: “This visit has re-enforced the benefits of working together. We hope this will be motivational in strengthening our relationship with Arthur Terry - it will be fantastic for teachers and students from both countries to learn even more from each other.”

Community cluster

Primaries come together at Arthur Terry Partner primaries from The Four Oaks Cluster group of Schools visited Arthur Terry as part of an annual event to bring together neighbouring schools for a day of education and fun at ‘big school’.

Cluster Day sees all Year 5 and 6 children from the Cluster visit Arthur Terry every year.

Pupils from Four Oaks

Cluster schools: Coppice, Four Oaks, Hill West,

Little Sutton, Mere Green,

Moor Hall and Whitehouse

Common, took part in a

varied day of activities with Arthur Terry students and staff. The theme this year was Great Britain and children explored what it meant to be a British citizen and then looked at key events in British history. Pupils also took part in samba drumming and Brazilian dancing.

Pupils from local primaries also followed the yellow brick road to Arthur Terry for magical matinee previews of the school’s spellbinding ‘The Wizard of Oz’ show and had a heel-clicking time.

As part of an informative programme of activities, the visitors had chance to discuss the important role of teaching schools and international teaching education and were full of praise for the Arthur Terry National Teaching School’s (ATNTS) “innovative” practice.

Mr Dharmasena said: “Arthur Terry is a leading educational organisation and one of the best schools in the area. We have met with some talented students and we can see how the school is working hard to achieve success with others.”

Cathryn Mortimer, director of the Arthur Terry National Teaching School, said: “We hope this will be the start of a long and positive relationship and we are looking forward to working together. We believe that this partnership will provide even more opportunities for our different learning communities.”

Sue Bailey, assistant headteacher at Arthur Terry, said: “This popular event is a great opportunity for our partner primary schools to come together with staff and students at Arthur Terry. It’s a chance to meet new friends, experience life at senior school and engage in a rich programme of activities that will inspire pupils and celebrate the schools that our community serves. “All of the children had a fantastic time and thanks to everybody who helped make this day a success.”

Ride2Rio

Raising Saddles! Congratulations to Mere Green School pupils, staff, parents and governors who saddled up alongside businesses to raise thousands of pounds for Birmingham Children’s hospital with a 24-hour static bike ride at the school.

ATLP MATters Want even more ATLP news? Then visit us at www.atlp.org.uk or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/the_atlp You can also share your news with us by emailing anna.newson@atlp.org.uk

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