Marches Academy Trust Newsletter July 2017

Teaching School

Education Festival

Fun Day

TRUST HAS A TREMENDOUS YEAR!

Issue 6

As the Summer Term draws to a close, we now have time to look back on the past academic year.

The past several weeks have shown just how many wonderful opportunities can arise from collaborating cross-Trust, with students having the chance to come together and enjoy a range of fantastic experiences such as the sailing sessions which have enabled a number of students from both schools to achieve their RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Stage 1 in Dinghy Sailing and the Maths Feast held at Sir John Talbot’s School, delivered by the Further Mathematics Support Programme.

As always, this past term has offered many highpoints. While GCSE and A Level students at both schools have worked exceptionally hard during their exams, The Marches School has welcomed in Paralympic star Mel Clarke - who spoke about her incredible career, offering motivation and inspiration in equal measures as she demonstrated how her disability had not been a barrier to success - while musicians from across the school enjoyed their Summer Serenade and a group of sports-mad students were given the opportunity to travel to Canada to take part in a Football and Rugby Tour. Meanwhile, Sir John Talbot’s School was recently rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted. Sir John Talbot's School is a great place to be in terms of high standards, excellent knowledgeable teachers and community involvement.

Good news continued with the launch of the Alliance of Leading Learning where we had a fantastic first board meeting which had an outstanding response with representatives attending from Shropshire and beyond. We were successful in securing the NPQ bid which results in us leading leadership training and ensuring high standards exist within the profession.

In other news, the Marches Academy Trust has been appointed as the preferred sponsor of Tilstock C.E. Primary School making it the potentially the first Primary School to join the trust by December 2017.

On Thursday 29th June, the Trust showed just what it was capable of, putting on the second national Festival of Education that brought a range of famous faces and esteemed practitioners to The Marches School site. The event allowed us to provide valuable professional development for our teachers and vital information and experience for our students, and the positive response from students and delegates alike has been overwhelming.

The festival brought together educators from all across the country to listen to talks from esteemed practitioners such as Professor Robert Winston, Christine Quinn (Regional Schools Commissioner for the West Midlands), Professor Mick Waters (former Director of Curriculum at QCA) and Andy Buck (who led a talk on ‘Leadership’, the key theme of the festival). The day continued with outstanding presentations by David Weston, Darrell Woodman, Robert Carpenter and business people: Stephen Morales, Simon Oxenham and Robert Forrester.

The wonderful atmosphere at the event was testament to the exceptional positivity, effort and commitment of our staff and students across both schools. The Marches Academy Trust is dedicated to providing the very greatest education and opportunities for our students, and the festival proved that, together, we have the ability and drive to bring many quite extraordinary opportunities directly to them.

Executive Headteacher and CEO The Marches Academy Trust

Summer 2017

Governors

Arthur Walpole

Mark Liqourish

David Griffiths

Anna Doggart

Nigel Budgen

Tony Lowry

Chair Community Governor

Vice Chair Community Governor

Community Governor

Community Governor

Community Governor

Community Governor

Vince Hunt

Helen Jones

Community Governor

Karen Faux

Richard Burn

Peter Wiggins

Ben Morris

Community Governor

Parent Governor

Parent Governor

Parent Governor

Parent Governor

Emma Swindley Staff Governor

Alex Fry Chair

Bob Thompson Vice Chair

Diane Gowen Trustee Governor

Judy Hunt Community Governor

Catriona McCausland Staff Governor

Paul Wood Parent Governor

Peggy Mullock Community Governor

Summer 2017

Message from the Chair This month we will have been a Multi-Academy Trust for 3 years. This has been a period of challenge for us and also for schools and academies nationally as we all strive to find our way forward in the changing world of education and central government policies. As the executive board of the Trust you may have noticed that we are now using more consistent terminology in referring to ourselves as "Trustees" (previously "Directors") and as the Board of Trustees; this makes no difference to how we operate but brings us into line with the terminology used in the Statutory Accounts and with the guidance from the Department for Education.

The Board of Trustees meets every half term along with our two committees which oversee the Educational Standards and the Finances. We have recently taken the decision to involve some Governors in the workings of the Trustees’ Committees, allowing them to gain a greater insight into the Board of Trustees. We have been working to ensure that each individual Trustee and Governor knows their responsibilities on an individual basis and within the Boards that they sit on; this has been achieved through a review of those responsibilities and the writing of the Scheme of Delegation which is now available on the Trust Website.

As Trustees we are working to improve standards within the existing two schools as well as looking for opportunities to grow the Trust. We have been talking to other governors locally and regionally at other Trusts to share experiences of ways to develop the Trust. Alongside this we have been considering the impact of the new Funding Formulae and, although budgets remain challenging, we see growth of the Trust as a way that ultimately we can support other schools through the provision of services allowing teaching staff to do what they do best and use their time and professional expertise to educate the children and bring the best out of the children in our community.

The Trustees are excited by the developments in the Teaching School and the growing impact of the Festival of Education - which was a fantastic event. These developments are very important in enhancing the content of what we offer both within our Trust and to the wider community.

If you wish to find out more about who the Trustees are, what we do and how we can be contacted please take a look at the Trust Website. We always aim to be aware of how others view the Trust and we periodically receive the results of staff and student questionnaires. Should you wish to you can contact us as a Trust or individually at any time via a telephone call or Email to Gemma, the Clerk O'Reilly.G@marchesschool.net.

Summer 2017

Vision and Values

Vision: ‘Achievement through caring’

Mission: We believe: Successful, creative, lifelong learners participate in a journey of self-discovery.

They know how to learn, and acquire skills to be happy and thrive in a changing world with confidence and courage.

Values: Excellence - striving always for mastery and personal success Integrity - consistently acting with honesty, compassion and respect Empathy - embracing and supporting the uniqueness of every individual Creativity - inspiring and challenging through invention, experimentation and exploration Equality - ensuring fair opportunity for all

Summer 2017

Alliance of Leading Learning (ALL) partner with International Education Professor John Hattie The Alliance of Leading Learning (ALL) are a school-led inclusive partnership representing all phases and school contexts nationally and internationally.

Our partnership delivering the newly-designed programmes have worked under the NCTL Licence since 2012. We have led the learning of over 5,000 school leaders at all levels and governors. The “Alliance of Leading Learning” (formerly “The Leadership Academy” at Edge Hill University) will be a major provider of the newly-designed National Professional Qualifications.

We are proud to announce ALL have been awarded the Department of Education (DfE) licence to continue to support the vision for an education system that drives social mobility, ensuring that every child and young person can access a high quality education, regardless of location, prior attainment and background.

Cavelle Priestley-Bird, Executive Director of the Alliance of Leading Learning, said “The licence renewal means the Alliance of Leading Learning can continue to provide quality professional learning to educational leaders across the West Midlands and North West.”

“The newly revised NPQ programmes will support the new challenges in schools and invest in our school leaders as our prime change makers. At the Alliance of Leading Learning we are working with some of the UK’s main drivers in making changes such as John Hattie, through our partnership with Cognition Education.”

“This is an exciting new venture providing innovative, cutting-edge and thought-provoking professional learning. It is a real privilege to be working in partnership with some of the most exemplary school leaders nationally and with Cognition Education who are at the forefront of global education innovation.”

Cavelle continued “We are thrilled we can continue to build on our reputable success in providing gold standard professional learning - preparing educational leaders for the range of new leadership roles and challenges, whilst having proven life changing impact on children and young people.” www.leadinglearning.marchesschool.co.uk adminALL@leadinglearning.co.uk In partnership with:

“After the quality of teaching, it is the quality of school leadership that is the most important educational determinant of pupils’ success. Excellent school leaders at all levels are critical to ensuring that every child can unlock their full potential.” (DfE)

Summer 2017

Sir John Talbot’s School Ofsted Report Sir John Talbot’s School is proud to have been identified as providing a ‘good’ school provision in its latest Ofsted inspection. The Ofsted report recognises the high standards that have been achieved at the secondary comprehensive school and sixth form centre in Whitchurch.

Sir John Talbot’s School, which became an academy sponsored by the Marches Academy Trust in 2014, has witnessed rapid improvements through its collaboration and continues to raise the bar attracting high-quality teaching staff and specialist teachers to deliver an enriched curriculum that is flexible enough to meet the needs of all its students.

The report which identifies all aspects of the school as ‘good’ including students making strong progress in a range of subject areas; observed attainment is continually improving year-on-year in line with students' behaviour and strong teaching.

Summer 2017

The Marches School Oliver Production Students from the Performing Arts Department at The Marches School have been busy this year set designing, stitching their costumes and rehearsing their lines, all in preparation for the showings of their school production ‘Oliver!’.

Oliver! is an English musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel Oliver Twist tells the story of young orphan Oliver as he travels through the dark underbelly of London society.

Over 50 students participated in the performance that was directed by Drama teachers Miss Wright and Miss McGreal with Music teacher Miss Craddock-Jones as the musical director. Students performed to over 500 primary pupils as well as performing 3 public shows, with Year 7 students, Charlie Brooke and Lewys Roberts sharing the title role of Oliver, Year 12 student Connor Williams as Fagin and Year 11 student Eve Mountford who played the famous role of Nancy.

Summer 2017

Sailing - RYA Youth Stage 1 A group of students from Sir John Talbot’s and The Marches Schools recently took to the water for four weeks of sailing sessions with Shropshire Sailing Club in association with Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin. After spending two sessions on dry land, learning all about rigging the boats and being taken through capsizing drills, they were fitted for their equipment ready to head out on the water. Then, over the course of a further four sessions, the students were given the chance to set sail for real.

During the sailing sessions, which are aimed at building basic sailing skills for beginners, as well as imparting knowledge about the boats and the principles of sailing, they came to grips with the boats and spent time practising their tacking (manoeuvring the boats). At the end of the four weeks, John Ridgers of Shropshire Sailing Club, who ran the course for the students, invited parents along to watch the final session and to enjoy a presentation ceremony during which the proud students received their certificates, having qualified for their RYA Youth Sailing Scheme Stage 1.

Mr Ridgers commented: “Seeing these twelve students achieve their RYA Youth Stage 1 awards, having never been in a dinghy a few weeks ago, is outstanding. Over the six sessions these two groups of students have come together as one, in their friendship, respect and support for one another. They have overcome challenges and personal fears in a safe, controlled environment whilst at the same time having great fun!”

Mr Martin, a PE teacher at The Marches School, who accompanied the students throughout their course commented: “I personally think that our students have become more self-confident and independent as a result of this experience. Not only have they been introduced to a new sport but, through the excellent instruction they have received, they have learned and developed skills which reach far beyond sailing.”

Summer 2017

The Marches School Fun Day Hundreds of people descended upon The Marches School in Oswestry this summer and enjoyed an abundance of fun and entertainment during its annual Family Fun Day. The event, sponsored by Oswestry-based Arla Foods and raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, saw families flocking to make the most of the sunshine and the variety of activities, live entertainment and local craft producers the day had to offer.

The annual Dog Show in aid of the Guide Dogs involved dog owners presenting their loyal friends in the Waggy Tail and Best Groomed Dog competitions. Children from surrounding schools entered the inaugural talent contest with dance, vocal and instrumental performances. A piñata cake and lavishly decorated Turkish delight cake were crowned overall winners of the bake-off competition.

Children battled with their friends wearing sumo suits, pedalled their way to make delicious smoothies on a bike competition in the Arla Tent, bounced their way on inflatables, enjoyed pony rides, crazy golf, nerf guns, rodeo bull and the fun fair. There was definitely something for everyone to enjoy.

Kelly Parsons, Fundraising, Events and Marketing Manager, who is delighted to be working with Arla Foods again this year to put on the event for the local community to enjoy, commented, “We are delighted with the support from the community in making the Family Fun Day an event to be enjoyed by all. We are proud to be raising money for a worthwhile cause, Macmillan Cancer Support and local charities, and would like to thank everyone who has generously supported the cause and to Arla Foods for making this event happen. To round it off the sunshine made a welcomed appearance on the day.”

Tammy Huxley, Training and Development Manager at Arla Foods UK, added, “Supporting the local communities in which we operate is important to our good growth strategy. We believe in bringing communities together, working collaboratively and creating engagement. We are delighted with the fantastic turnout and the success of the Fun Day!”

Summer 2017

Sir John Talbot’s Whitchurch 10K Run Sir John Talbot’s School organised the inaugural Whitchurch 10K road race earlier in the year and witnessed over 560 competitive and novice runners from across the region taking part. In addition, 200 children put on their running shoes and actively participated in the Fun Run. The day was a huge success with over £6,000 being raised. Half of the profits are being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

The event was heavily supported by headline sponsor Grocontinental and local businesses including Sport Whitchurch, McDonalds, Tesco, Jane Smellie Opticians, Leonard Brothers, Colour Supplies and Starbucks. The course started at Sir John Talbot’s School taking a route around the town of Whitchurch, showcasing shops, parks and local amenities before competitors crossed the finishing line on the school sports field.

Prize money was awarded to the fastest male Peter Butler, who finished in 35 minutes and 27 seconds and the first female to cross the line, Lauren Morely who completed the course in a time of 41 minutes and 4 seconds.

Feedback from the day was overwhelming and plans are now in place for the 2018 event.

Summer 2017

On Thursday 29th June, The Marches Academy Trust held its second national Festival of Education at The Marches School in Oswestry. And what a day it was! From Professor Robert Winston and renowned film studio Aardman Animations to a baby T-Rex called Sophie and a live operating theatre, the entire school came alive with the sound of fun and learning.

The festival brought together educators from all across the country to listen to talks from esteemed practitioners such as Christine Quinn (Regional Schools Commissioner for the West Midlands), Professor Mick Waters (former Director of Curriculum at QCA) and Andy Buck (who led a talk on ‘Leadership’, the key theme of the festival). The day continued with outstanding presentations by David Weston, Darrell Woodman, Robert Carpenter and business people: Stephen Morales, Simon Oxenham and Robert Forrester.

However, the event was not solely for teachers. Students from across the area enjoyed an entire day of activities, workshops and inspirational talks from the likes of Olympian Darren Campbell, who explained his motivational journey and the young Chef Luke Thomas who talked about his inspirational career. As well as careers advice and a whole host of motivational speakers, the festival offered students of all ages the opportunity to get involved in all kinds of enjoyable and educational workshops run by the Houses of Parliament, Chester Zoo and Frantic Assembly amongst many others.

The event was a huge success all round, with speakers, delegates and students alike all bowled over by the scope of the event. The aim of the festival was to give both teachers and local students chances that might otherwise be unavailable to them, providing valuable professional development for the former, and vital information and experience for the latter.

Ruth Lloyd, Deputy Headteacher at The Marches School and one of the event’s lead organisers, commented, “What an amazing day! It was filled with an impressive list of innovative and influential educators, featuring fascinating talks, from the opening address by Christine Quinn to the passionate keynote presentation by Andy Buck. Educationalists from all over the UK attended, unanimously evaluating the various speakers as excellent. One delegate remarked that we should all ‘be proud to work here’ while another commented that it was ‘wonderful to have children and adults learning alongside each other’.”

“I believe that this festival is unique and ground-breaking – for the second time we moved national and international speakers away from the cities and out into a more remote, rural setting, where they received a rapturous and well-deserved response from all of the delegates. One of the speakers remarked that it was ‘a privilege to attend’ and we were commended on our venue, our hospitality and our organisation. Here’s looking forward to next year’s event!”

“Spending just 30 minutes in the presence of such a great mind was something I had never envisaged on my door step.

The silence stunned by his presence, to meet and talk to someone who was on another level (Professor- world leader in fertility) was something inspirational, speaking for half an hour on topics filling me with more questions than when I entered.

It inspired me, broadened my view on the world rather than just the pages of my textbook. Gave me a thirst for knowledge, to even obtain a hundredth of the knowledge and achievements of such a modest man would be amazing.�

Student George Garratt

E. admin@marchesacademytrust.co.uk T. 01691 664400 W. www.marchesacademytrust.co.uk