NETworking - Staff Newsletter May 2021

The staff newsletter of Northern Education Trust

Outcomes Focused, Child Centred

Edition 1 - May 2021

Contents Welcome from the Chief Executive Tribute to the founding member and former chair of NET, and a very warm welcome to the new chair

Page 3

Policies update

Page 5

Trust charity

Page 5

Ofsted ratings of our academies

Page 6

Welcome to new schools – Walbottle Academy

Page 7

New senior appointments

Page 7

Thorp students going to Oxbridge

Page 8

Newly formed corporate leadership team

Page 9

George Pegg, Blyth

Page 9

NET Staff College

Page 10

The Ferns EYFS Outdoor area

Page 11

Passport to 2021

Page 11

Staff Survey Results

Page 13

Page 4

Welcome

from the Chief Executive Welcome to the first edition of our new staff newsletter – NETworking. We aim to publish once a term, to talk about all manner of things that pertain to Northern Education Trust, and highlight some of our many achievements which illustrate just how much our Trust matters to the lives of our students.

To use a now well-worn phrase, the last year has certainly been unprecedented. COVID-19 has tested us all in ways we could not have imagined, but I am so proud of the way you have all risen to the many challenges presented, showing resilience, innovation and determination to ensure our students get the best education they can, in the most difficult circumstances we will probably ever have to deal with.

There have been many examples of positivity and innovation arising out of the fear of the virus and the despair of national lockdowns: PROUD online; sharing reading routes with care homes; Passport to 2021; remote learning going from strength to strength; knowledge retrieval sheets; around 4,000 devices distributed to students across primary and secondary; and numerous acts of kindness that have probably gone unnoticed by many, but have been treasured by the recipients.

Alongside these, there have also inevitably been stories of bereavement, anxiety, trauma and the loss of social contact as we have all adjusted to different ways of living and working. I must also mention the sad passing of three colleagues in the last year - Ashton Clothier from The Blyth Academy, Amie Linton from Norton Academy, and Joanne Hoggarth from the Central HR Team - all extremely well thought of and taken from us far too early. We miss them tremendously.

As mass vaccination is taking place, enabling a slow return to a more normal life, our thoughts must turn to the future: towards academic recovery for our wonderful students; and also to education in all its wider aspects – art, music, drama, sport. My wish for us all is that we embrace the future with the same strength and commitment we have shown over the last twelve months, and we stay in good health, able to enjoy once again meeting family and friends in person.

Rob Tarn, Chief Executive of Northern Education Trust

Tribute to the founding member and former chair of NET, and a very warm welcome to the new chair It was with mixed feelings that we said goodbye to Les Walton in June 2020, as long-serving Chair of Northern Education Trust. Les set up the Trust in 2012, and was instrumental in its growth from nothing, to an almost £100m turnover; raising the performance of schools so that none of our academies are now Inadequate; and ensuring our prime objective is always to serve the needs of our children, and our communities.

Les said: “I would like to extend my sincere and personal thanks to the Chief Executive (and his predecessors), his team, Trustees, governors and all our dedicated and committed staff who have been instrumental in changing the lives of more than 12,000 children and young people in our care. I would also like to congratulate and thank our students who have grasped the opportunity to learn.

I am honoured to have been part of this journey, helping children and staff flourish as the Trust has been transformed and earned a positive reputation in both the local communities we serve and nationally. I will keep in close contact with an organisation that I formed, and will always hold close to my heart. I am convinced NET will go from strength to strength in the future.”

Les worked tirelessly to grow the size and quality of the Trust, and whilst we wish him well in his future endeavours, we will miss his energy and enthusiasm.

Mark Sanders is the new Chair, and has served on the Board since the Trust’s inception. He brings a huge wealth of experience to the role, having a background in the trade union movement and local government, and serving on several high profile Boards including the Learning and Skills Council, the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and the Department of Education’s Audit Committee.

Mark said: “Les invited me onto the Board when NET was formed, to lead on the corporate and financial affairs of the Trust, and I am pleased to say that we have a strong financial base, which will continue to ensure the Trust’s stability for the foreseeable future. I have been involved in all of the developments of NET, and am pleased to be party to our more recent success stories in terms of the educational attainment of our children and young people.

The pandemic has been turbulent and challenging for education, but I believe that we have all pulled through it and indeed exceeded all expectations in doing so. The months ahead are about accelerating our efforts to make sure that our children and young people are not disadvantaged by their experiences of the pandemic, and that they remain safe.

On behalf of the Board, I want to express our appreciation of how all colleagues have pulled together, offering more than could be reasonably expected. Thank you all, and I look forward to meeting more of you in the future.”

Policies The policies listed below have been approved by the Board of Trustees in the last six months. These are available to download in the shared drive, in the Policies folder.

Corporate Governance Complaints Procedure Equality and Diversity Policy Provider Access Policy Serial and Persistent Complainants Policy HR trust-wide Adoption Policy Appraisal Policy Attendance Management Policy Dignity at Work Policy Domestic Abuse Policy Eye Test and Display Screen Equipment Policy Flexible Working Procedure Induction Policy Leave of Absence Policy Parental Leave Policy Pay Policy Recruitment and Selection Policy Redeployment Policy Redundancy Policy Religious Observance Policy Shared Parental Leave Policy Social Networking Policy Substance Misuse Policy

Finance After Academies Activities Policy Academy/Student Specific Expectations for Learning – Primary Expectations for Learning – Secondary Feedback, Marking and Presentation Policy – Primary PSHE Policy Prevent Policy Remote Learning Policy for staff (COVID-19) Safeguarding Policy Safeguarding Policy Addendum COVID-19 SEND Policy

Nominated Net Charity The Sick Children’s Trust Thanks to the phenomenal fund-raising efforts of many of our academies, the Trust’s nominated charity – The Sick Children’s Trust – was delighted to receive a donation of £2,528.30 last year.

When a child suddenly becomes ill, there’s no time to plan. The Sick Children’s Trust is the charity that gives families one less thing to worry about by giving them warm and comfortable accommodation, and someone to talk to, free of charge just minutes from their child’s bedside. The charity can give almost 3,800 families around the UK with a seriously ill child in hospital, a place to stay when they need it most.

They said: “It's amazing to hear about the money raised through the academies. We have managed to continue to keep our houses open during these uncertain times, so the money the academies have raised is so vital and will go towards keeping many families with seriously ill children in hospital together.”

Current Ofsted Ratings Ofsted Rating Primary Academies

Ofsted Rating Secondary Academies

Before Joining NET

Previous Inspection

Latest Inspection

Latest Inspection

9%

18%

20%

30%

36%

40%

36%

80%

55%

46%

30%

Key

Outstanding

Good

Requires Improvement

Inadequate

Not yet Inspected

Ofsted Inspections As you will be aware, Ofsted paused inspections due to the coronavirus pandemic. They announced on 29 March 2021 that in the summer term they will now undertake on-site, lighter-touch inspections, to allow inspectors to assess how well schools are educating their learners and keeping them safe. These inspections will not result in a grade.

However, where the evidence strongly suggests that a school’s current grade is no longer a fair reflection of its work, inspectors will be able to convert to a full, graded inspection either immediately, or later in the term. For NET, this means that the remote monitoring inspection of North Shore Academy in March 2021 could be converted to a full, graded inspection as the clear improvements were recognised, and their current grading (requires improvement) is no longer a fair reflection of its work.

The Blyth Academy was inspected remotely in February 2021. Taking into account the limited range of evidence available due to the remote inspection, along with the impact of the pandemic on the school, inspectors found that “leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances.”

Pleasingly, it was found that leaders have given careful consideration to the sequencing of the curriculum to ensure students can learn new content remotely, with literacy development continuing to be a priority; that staff had a strong understanding of the individual circumstances of students; and that the most vulnerable students were still able to access pastoral and academic support both in school, and remotely at home. Inspectors also recognised that interventions to help improve attendance and engagement had had a positive effect on previously reluctant attenders. They also commented that “Trustees and members of the academy council have a thorough understanding of the school’s new curriculum and remote learning offer. Members of the academy council know their role is to provide strategic rather than operational support and challenge to leaders. Frequent contact between school leaders and council members ensures governors have an up-to-date understanding of the decisions leaders are taking.”

More information about inspections can be seen here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/january-2021-maintained-schools-and-academies

Welcome to

Walbottle Academy Walbottle Academy officially joined the Northern Education Trust family on 1 September 2020, and we would like to extend a whole-hearted welcome to all students and staff.

Having supported the academy for a year prior to conversion, we were well aware of the enthusiasm and commitment of staff, and the energy and potential of students. We were therefore delighted for the school to join our Trust, and we look forward to the exciting developments and outcomes we know the school community is capable of achieving.

Martin Wood, Acting Principal, said: “I am incredibly proud to be the Principal of Walbottle Academy. I feel privileged to lead such a talented, committed and hardworking community of students and staff. It is a fantastic time to be part of our community and I firmly believe the academy will grow from strength to strength and be incredibly successful as part of Northern Education Trust”.

Steven Bell, chair of the academy council, added “I am delighted with the progress that has been made since joining the NET family even during these unprecedented times. It is a great comfort to the local community that our outcomes now match the ambitious of our students.”

New Senior Appointments Congratulations to the staff below, who have been appointed into senior roles over the last few months: James Howard Associate Executive Principal of The Ferns Primary Academy Danielle Broadbent Principal of The Ferns Primary Academy

Pictured left to right: Danielle Broadbent - Principal, James Howard - Associate Executive Principal, Farhana Patel - Vice Principal and Alison Dale - Business Manager.

Thorp Students Oxbridge-bound experiences at Thorp, with Oliver saying: “Thorp was formative in developing my aspirations to apply to Oxford. I had teachers who were really passionate about their subjects and enthusiastic in guiding me on how to take my studies beyond the classroom at a very early stage, which meant I could develop the super curricular skills and knowledge needed for a successful application.” Robert agreed, saying: “My experience here has been great – the support I’ve had from my peers and teachers has been absolutely amazing and made me feel like I am truly part of the Thorp Community.”

Karen Hailes, Principal of Thorp Academy, was delighted to share the news that three students from Thorp Academy 6th Form have accepted the offer of places at Oxbridge (2 at Oxford, 1 at Cambridge), to start in September 2021. Robert is going to Cambridge to study Geography; Oliver and Kirsty are both going to Oxford to study Philosophy and Psychology.

Mrs Hailes said: “We’re so proud of them for their hard work and commitment to their studies. The process of applying to Oxbridge is not easy - it is very demanding but extremely rewarding. Kirsty, Oliver and Robert have really engaged with their education and shown a true passion for their chosen subjects. Being able to demonstrate that in their own unique way is so important for the application process to such prestigious universities. We hope they enjoy every moment of their experiences and we are sure they will be incredibly successful in whatever their chosen careers are after graduating.”

When asked how she felt about her offer at Oxford, Kirsty said: “It was such a relief for the waiting to finally be over. It took a couple of days for it to actually sink in, and now that it has, I’m mostly excited with a little bit of healthy nervousness. I’m really looking forward to learning about subjects I love in one of the best universities in the world.”

Although Kirsty is still a little unsure about her future career path, she hopes to have a positive impact on the world, saying: “I hope to do something that helps people.”

All students expressed their thanks for their

Robert is looking forward to exploring his subject (geography) further at Cambridge, as well as being really excited to meet so many new people who share the same passion and live in a place as cool as Cambridge! He is hoping to work in the humanitarian sector after completing his studies, saying: “Working on a local scale to help improve the quality of life for people in the most disadvantaged areas is something extremely important to me.”

Oliver echoed the sense of relief Kirsty felt when receiving his offer, which quickly changed into pride about the scale of his achievement. He is thrilled about the opportunity to study two subjects that he is so passionate about, in great breadth and depth, with the support of leading academics in their fields. He hopes to follow an academic career after graduating, becoming a lecturer or researcher in Philosophy of the Mind.

All three students had great advice for any other students aspiring to Oxbridge, with Kirsty saying: “Go for it! You have nothing to lose, and if you don’t get offered a place, the process teaches you so much, and not getting in does not define you.” Oliver added: “Get into a habit after your lessons, of researching parts of your subjects that you really enjoy; find out new facts and different interpretations; have conversations with your friends and families about it until they’re sick of hearing about it!

You will build a much wider repertoire of knowledge that will help you with your application, and you will develop the skills needed to know what knowledge is useful, and how to convey it effectively.”

Thorp Academy would like to wish all three students well in their journey at Oxbridge, and hope that their success inspires our future generations.

Corporate Leadership Team Newly-formed corporate leadership team: In order to support effective communication and collaborative working across the corporate functions of the trust, a Corporate Leadership Team has recently been formed.

The team meets fortnightly to discuss corporate priorities and their implementation trust-wide.

Chaired by the Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Gareth Edmunds, other members of the team include: Jude Telford Executive, Director of HR and Communications, Gary Lee, Head of Finance, Jess Worthington, HR Manager, Mark Osborne, Director of ICT and Infrastructure, Jim Gaff, Director of Data, Russell Baxter, Director of Estates, Meriem Lairini, Director of Business Services.

Items discussed at the meeting are fed back to the wider Executive Team so that senior leaders are aware of corporate actions and requirements at academy level.

George’s Extreme Dream Come True In May 2020, The Blyth Academy joined a fund-raising campaign to buy an all-terrain wheelchair for one of its students – George Pegg.

George was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – a severe, life-limiting muscle-wasting condition – when he was just three years old. George lost the ability to walk just before his 16th birthday in 2019, yet he never complains or feels sorry for himself.

He has raised over £184,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK, in the hope of finding a cure or treatments for himself and everyone affected with this awful condition.

On a school trip in 2019, George was able to use an all-terrain wheelchair, which gave him the freedom and ability to access places he was previously unable to, and he loved it! His mum realised the benefits such a wheelchair would bring to George’s everyday life, such as allowing him to accompany his family on a walk on the beach, or take his 3 dogs for a walk along a trail path.

So she started a fund-raising campaign to buy an Extreme X8 wheelchair for George.

Staff at the academy were so impressed by George’s positive outlook on life despite his condition, and decided to raise funds with a “going the distance for George” campaign, to help towards the purchase of the wheelchair. This involved walking 289.5 miles, which is the distance between The Blyth Academy in Blyth and Kirk Balk Academy in Barnsley, passing every other NET academy along the way.

Students and staff across the whole Trust were quick to get on board, and thanks to their incredible efforts, the target of raising £20,000 was exceeded very quickly. A fantastic total of £25,650 was raised, enabling George to not only buy the wheelchair of his dreams, but also to purchase additional adaptations to make the chair even more useful.

George said: “I was really happy that so many people wanted to help me to get this so that I can go to the beach and on long walks. Thank you so much to anyone that has donated. It will make life better because we will be able to do things together as a whole family, it will be really good for us.”

Our newly formed NET Staff College proudly celebrated its internal opening event on 18th January 2021. Now available to all colleagues in Northern Education Trust, The Staff College will provide industry leading professional development and training opportunities for staff across our entire organisation. The aim of the Staff College is to realise the full potential of all of our staff by providing the very best professional development. This will enable colleagues to deliver exceptional outcomes for our children and young people. This aim aligns entirely with our Trust vision of being outcomes focused, child centred.

The Staff College website is accessible at NSC.northerneducationtrust.org.

This portal contains key information about all of the courses we currently offer and will also be the primary platform for sharing all future opportunities. I strongly encourage all staff to bookmark this website and visit regularly to see the latest training they can access.

We are passionate about offering professional development to colleagues in all roles across Northern Education Trust and we are incredibly proud to have recently launched our Business Services Leadership training programme. We received over 40 applications to join this course from colleagues across the Trust and the first event took place on Wednesday 24th February 2021. Further training is currently in development for estates and site services, PA and office managers and wider support services.

For our teaching staff we have subject specific courses running in a wide variety of disciplines. Full details can be found on our CPD offers webpage nsc.northerneducationtrust.org/cpd-offers

The future ambition for the Staff College is to become the first choice training provider for all educational settings across the North of England. To help realise this goal we are planning to launch the Staff College externally to the Trust from September 2021. From this point education professionals at any school, trust or authority will be able to benefit from the high quality training and development we can offer.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the NET Staff College please do not hesitate to contact us via email to NET-StaffCollege@northerneducationtrust.org or using the ‘contact-us’ form on the Staff College website.

The Ferns EYFS Outdoor Area Grand Opening Curiosity, creativity and challenge. Following the renovation in early 2020 of The Ferns Academy’s EYFS area, the young Ferns are thriving in their phenomenal new environment. Aptly named Adventure Island, the children are spoilt for choice with an abundance of opportunities to explore whilst developing their understanding of the world around them.

Providing a wealth of activities from construction and coding to role play and reading, Adventure Island ignites the children’s curiosity and allows them to actively seek out challenges to enhance their learning and

understanding. Collaboration is at the heart of learning at The Ferns Academy, and Adventure Island gifts the young Ferns the opportunities to work together and problem solve in a rich, resourceful environment.

Imaginative and thought-provoking, Adventure Island poses challenges for the children that encourage them to think instinctively, take risks and problem solve independently and as a team.

A treasure box of experience, Adventure Island is a truly outstanding area in which our Ferns can blossom.

Passport To 2021 A Sensational Success In November 2020, the Trust launched the innovative Passport to 2021 challenge. The aim was to encourage students and staff to take part in safe physical exercise, between November and the start of 2021, whilst also raising money for the Trust’s named charity – The Sick Children’s Trust.

Participants had to complete their Passport, which had 20 boxes for recording 100 exercises each, with a final box for recording the last 21 exercises

The engagement with the challenge was phenomenal. Students and staff alike across the whole Trust performed every exercise imaginable to complete their Passports, with a very healthy sense of competition to see who could finish their 2,021 exercises first.

We saw sit-ups, press-ups, squats, star jumps, burpees, basketball, running, walking, cycling, weight lifting, dancing and even a Santa Dash!

The result of all this enthusiastic activity was not only fitter academy communities, but a magnificent £5,615 was raised, which will be split equally between The Sick Children’s Trust, and families have applied to the hardship fund and monies have been allocated to those in need.

Everyone enjoyed the challenge so much, the Trust may repeat the process with a Passport to 2022.

Staff Survey Results All staff working with the 21 Northern Education Trust academies were given the opportunity to take part in a staff survey in Autumn 2020. There were 13 questions which sought staff opinion in regard to aspects of working within their own academies and working for Northern Education Trust as a whole. 54% of staff responded in total.

Pastoral Staff were asked for their opinion in regard to pupil safety, pupil behaviour and how incidents of bullying are dealt with.

98% of the respondents said that they agreed or strongly agreed that pupils were safe at their academy.

91% agreed/strongly agreed that the behaviour of students is at least good.

87% of secondary staff agreed/strongly agreed compared with 97% in primaries, that academies dealt with incidents of bullying effectively.

Standards More than 97% agreed/strongly agreed that their academy had high expectations for all students and staff and 98% said the same in relation to the statement, “The academy challenges all students to make at least good progress”.

17% of staff felt their academy was neither better nor worse since it was last inspected, or they didn’t know.

Leadership/Recent Developments 89% felt that their academy was well led and managed.

General feeling 95% agreed/strongly agreed that they were proud to be a member of staff at their academy, and 92% agreed overall that they enjoyed working at their academy.

82% would recommend working at a NET academy, and 91% would recommend educating children at a NET academy.

Conclusions Overall, the responses in the survey were extremely positive, with over 90% of staff agreeing or strongly agreeing to the majority of questions. The priority for the next staff survey is to engage as many staff as possible, and we will be looking at the best ways to encourage responses from staff at all levels.

Staff surveys provide valuable feedback to senior leaders, and the responses will always be carefully analysed, and areas of dissatisfaction addressed. The scope and frequency of future staff surveys will now be considered, and staff are encouraged to provide their feedback when asked.

The staff newsletter of Northern Education Trust We hope you have enjoyed reading the first edition of our staff newsletter. We would welcome your feedback. If there is anything you would particularly like to see in future editions, please do let us know by contacting Rowena Walters or Abbie Johnson on r.walters@northerneducationtrust.org or a.johnson2@northerneducationtrust.org

The staff newsletter of Northern Education Trust

Registered office: c/o Thorp Academy, Main Road, Ryton, Tyne and Wear, NE40 3AH 0191 406 6383 northerneducationtrust.org