Dear members of our Trust community,
This latest newsletter is full of great things happening across the Trust and shows just some of the opportunities we make available to our students on a daily basis. These are the things that make our hearts sing! We all know that the creation of positive memories is one of the most precious things we can provide for children, and there are clearly some very inventive ways in which all our schools have done this!
We are now deep into the exam season for hundreds of students and that is always accompanied by staff going above and beyond to do all they can to help them get the results they deserve. Thank you to our staff for all that they do, our Trust is only as good as the people working for us, and thank you to parents and carers for your support as we work together to enable our students to succeed
Linda Jones, Chief Executive Officer
Dave Bell, Executive Headteacher
Andy Park, Executive Headteacher
HEALTH & WELLBEING
May is National Walking Month
Walking is one of the easiest ways to improve our health and stay connected to our community, helping us feel less lonely and isolated. Charity Living Streets have put together 20 tips to help you fit 20 minutes of walking into your day. From inviting friends for a walk to taking a post-work stroll. This is a great way to start building in healthy habits and kick start the summer! View the 20 tips here:
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/workplaces/try20-tips
Benefits of walking: 1. Increase endorphin levels
Improve body confidence 3. Enhance focus 4. Promoted mindfulness 5. Better sleep COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER HALF TERM 5 2022 - 2023
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PROSPERE NEWS
PROSPERE SCHOOLS NEWS
CHORLTON HIGH SCHOOL
The TES Schools Awards celebrate the extraordinary commitment, quality and innovation shown by teachers and support staff across the UK. The awards recognise the teachers and teams within schools that are raising the standards of education and making a positive impact on the personal and academic success of students and the wider community.
CHS has been nominated for the Community Engagement Initiative, this is a source of immense pride for the school. It exemplifies empathy, optimism and reflection - three of their Qualities of Success and helps to further embed compassion and kindness as a central focus of CHS.
Throughout the year members of CHS’s diverse communities were welcomed to celebrate, impart specialist training or to direct the school on new and exciting pathways.
Each charity event, activity and workshop build upon the last to establish deeper connection with individuals, causes, charities and organisations, helping to shape the growing community.
PROSPECT HOUSE
Prospect House have been developing various enrichment areas across the school for pupils to access as part of their exciting curriculum offer. One of these spaces is the ‘Imagination Room’ which opened on National Numeracy Day (17th May), complete with a Mini-Mart, Post Office, Café/ Kitchen and Construction Zone! Pupils will use this space to practice skills they have learnt in the classroom and to help bring their learning to life in a wide variety of ways.
The school would also like to congratulate and celebrate 4 staff members who have completed the ‘Leaders of the Future’ course alongside other schools in the Trust. Well done to Megan Holland, Louise Carter, Liz Walls, Hayley Frater (pictured bottom right) and Trust wide colleagues.
Three MEA diversity and LGBTQ+ ambassadors were invited to record the latest United Minds podcast with the Manchester United Foundation in the recording studios at Media City UK.
The podcast, which will be shared with schools across Greater Manchester, is the latest in a series of youth-led podcasts which aim to ‘engage and inspire young people to build a better life for themselves and unite the communities in which they live’.
MEA’s three ambassadors showcased their excellent oracy skills and reflected on the work happening at school to build a community of belonging. Students shared the impact of the Rainbow Flag Award initiatives, youth led assemblies on cultural diversity and the range of opportunities that they have had to lead on belonging at MEA. Students look forward to their reflections being shared more widely and are proud of their opportunity to be active citizens who make a difference.
GRANGE
Welcome to the STEAM factory! Grange School’s newly built STEAM area allows for pupils of all ages to demonstrate their learning in the subjects of science, technology, engineering, art and maths in an exciting, hands on way. In this area pupils can explore the properties of water, demonstrate understanding of weight and balance, problem solve as a team, design and create large and small scale constructions. The STEAM factory has already been used to provide exceptional education and we are so excited for the possibilities to enhance pupil’s learning in the future.
MEA
PIPER HILL
Introducing Kyle, one of Piper Hill’s shining lights in PE. Kyle is coming to the end of a successful first year as a TA at Piper Hill. He began his employment in September and has gone from strength to strength. As a Piper Hill alumni, his appointment is a fantastic example of how students, enabled to succeed, build their skills and interests through bespoke pathways.
Kyle’s accreditation certificates and work experience equipped him with the skills and qualifications needed to carve out a successful pathway for himself. Kyle couldn’t be prouder of his new role and has fast become a trusted and reliable member of the team.
CHS SOUTH
Year 10 students have been exploring post-16 options this term, through CHS South’s partnership with The Manchester College. So far, students have taken part in Business and Enterprise, Photography and Hair and Beauty taster sessions, with many more to follow. Students have loved discovering the options available to them when they leave CHS South, and it has been an eye opener to the opportunities available outside of school.
Year 10 have represented CHS South to the highest standard, the school have received very positive feedback from The Manchester College staff about their attitude to learning and positive conduct when mixing with college students. Well done Year 10!
PIONEER HOUSE
9 students from Pioneer House participated in the annual ‘Kath Fry Challenge’, held at the Ghyll Head Outdoor education and Activity centre in the Lake District. This is an inter-school competition where points are awarded for teamwork, problem solving, resilience and communication. Behaviour, respect, housekeeping and inter group relationships are also part of the assessment process, as well as performance in the team tasks and finishing positions in the mini competitions.
The event took place over several weekends throughout January and February, with 9 school and youth groups competing in total. The results came back this week and Pioneer House secured 4th Place! Manchester Grammar School were the overall winners, scoring only 45 points more than our team!
Challenge organiser Julie Cunningham reported back ‘Pioneer house is the first specialist school in 24 years to take part in the challenge and came 4th. This is sure to inspire other SEN school to consider participating in such an opportunity’.
Pioneer House would also like to make a special mention to another Prospere school, Chorlton High School, who came 2nd. Well done everyone!
MEA CENTRAL
This half term, MEA Central welcomed their school therapy dog Charlie. Charlie has gone through an extensive training course to ensure his temperament is perfect for his role as school therapy dog. Charlie comes in to school every day and assists with interventions with select students. One student stated ‘Charlie is helping me to be good! When I see him, he makes me happy, and it encourages me to behave in my lessons. Today, I got lots of CAPS and it’s because I saw Charlie!’. Charlie isn’t only a hit with the students at MEA Central, he also has regular cuddles from staff members!
PROSPERE CAREER PROGRESSION
Hannah Sloan // CHS South
2018 - Teacher of English
2019 - Assistant Curriculum Leader, Access & Achievement
2020 - Curriculum Leader, Access & Achievement
Why did you want to progress your career with the Trust?
I love English, am fascinated by teaching pedagogy, and have a passion for all things SEND. The opportunity to work at a brand-new school was both an exciting challenge and a fantastic chance to support more young people to access excellent provision in the area. I was enthused by the values and visions of those I worked with and wanted to have a positive impact in the community for young people and their futures. It was an opportunity to develop my understanding of SEND whilst having a positive impact on the young people in our school.
What steps did you take to help you develop your career?
I undertook CPD and went on courses through school and also in my own time to further my knowledge and enhance my understanding, for example:
• NASEN Online: Focus on SEND Secondary Course
• Literacy Intervention Training
• TES SEND Showcase
• SSAT Leaders of the Future Course
• NASENCo
How did the Trust support you on your journey?
There are lots of opportunities for additional CPD and the Trust has a broad offer where you can access support from other schools in the Trust, access accredited CPD providers and share good practice with colleagues. I have been championed throughout my journey with the Trust and the people around me have helped guide me along my journey. My school has been fantastic at helping me develop my practice and supporting me to work towards next steps.
Additional comments:
The people I work with are wonderful colleagues – inspiring and passionate - which is something I have always loved about working here. Our school values and the person-centred leadership makes working with the people I do a positive, supportive, and lovely experience.
