Transform News Issue 3

Issue 3 • July 2021

This term’s news...

Staffing changes Sensory garden competition £650,000 Government grant New Wi-Fi installation

TransformNews Issue 3

A year of challenges Welcome to the final edition of Transform News for the 2021-2022 academic year – a year of unprecedented challenges for schools and their communities. The end of year Trust and School publications always give an opportunity to reflect, and despite the challenges, we have much to celebrate.

We began this academic year, with the hope of a new vaccine which would overcome Covid 19 and enable us to return to some element of normality in our lives. Despite the rapid roll-out of the vaccine, the year has seen disruption to students throughout the UK, widespread lateral flow testing, home learning, and GCSE and A-Levels again awarded by Teacher Assessed Grades.

Despite this, with the support of parents and the wider community, our students have continued to thrive. Last summer, our students excelled themselves in both GCSEs and A-Levels, and we are confident that this will be the same again this summer. Student numbers have continued to grow, with the school again being oversubscribed, as well as an additional 26 students due to join us in September in Years 8 to 11.

A year ago, the Trust aimed to improve the premises and IT infrastructure at Park House School as a key priority. Huge progress has been made on this, as well as considerably strengthening the school’s financial position. This has been achieved through careful budgeting, and several successful grant applications such as; the £1.4m ‘expansion programme’ at Park House School, to build a new

library, three new classrooms and a ‘small group teaching room’, the £650k Condition Improvement Fund bid to replace the school’s flat roofs and the replacement of the schools cabling and wi-fi infrastructure ahead of schedule.

We are sorry to be saying goodbye to the school’s Principal Mr Tom Goodenough, and look forward to providing enhanced support for the school’s Interim Leadership Team. In September, in addition to the IT and premises work, key priorities are around further improvements to Teaching and Learning.

The Trust has had an excellent year in attracting new Trustees and Members to the Board, and the Chair and CEO have led Question Time sessions for parents each term. Next term, it is planned to introduce a new level of local governance at individual school level. The Trust has continued to provide outreach services in sports facilitation to 57 local schools and’ Computing training’ to a network of schools Nationally through the NCCE hub. In addition to supporting its first school, the Trust will be actively looking to grow over the coming year.

Finally, I would like to thank the Trustees for the time and support which they have given this year, to staff for their hard work and flexibility, to our inspirational students for their tenacity in such challenging circumstances, and to our parents and wider community for their overwhelming support this year.

I wish you a good summer, well-earned rest, and a safe return in September.

Laura Bromberg, Interim CEO

Contents Transform Learning Trust The Stables Park House School 239 Andover Road Newbury RG14 6NQ Tel: 01635 953172 www.transformlearningtrust.org

CEO editorial...........................................................................3 Trust governance plans.......................................................4-5 Staffing changes at Trust and Park House School...............6-7 Sensory garden competition...............................................8-9 Questions and answers...................................................10-11 Premises improvements including £650,000 grant and new Wi-Fi .......................................12-14 Issue 3 TransformNews

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Trust governance plans As promised during the year the Trust Board has reviewed our governance which has to be appropriate for now, with only one school, and for the future when we hope to have several schools. In reviewing the Trusts local governance we have now agreed that each school within the Trust will have an Academy Board.

Whilst the Department for Education guidelines focuses on parental representation as a Trust we felt it was also important to have representation from the school staff and local community. The Academy Board will be made up of six parents, two staff (teaching and another professional working in the school), and one member of the community. In attendance will be the Principal and one or two trustees who will be the link between the Trust and the School.

The Academy Board will meet at least three times a year and will have a range of responsibilities as set by the Trust and the School including securing evidence as to how the school is implementing its development plan and linking with the Parent Teacher Association. The Academy Board will report to the Trust Board.

It is hoped that parental representation will span all three key stages in the school – Key Stage 3 (Years 7 and 8); Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10 and 11) and 6th Form (Years 12 and 13).

Full details for how you can put yourself forward for the Academy Board will be given in September.

However, if you will to register your interest please contact our Clerk to the Trust Board Catherine Leather by emailing ExecAdmin@transformlearningtrust.org Governance Development Days In July the Trust Board held two development days with Trustees and Members. Given the year of 4

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restrictions we have had this was the first time the board had met in person and in some cases each other.

On day one we had an opportunity to tour Park House School to meet staff and students, to have conversations to progress work with the 6th Form and IT; reviewing our plans for local governance and to deepen our understanding of the role of members within the Trust. Day two was spent on the Trust Strategic Plan.

This extended time gave us the opportunity to work together and make decisions and future plans for us at Trust level and to begin to prepare for the next five years. All our members and trustees are volunteers and come from a range of professional backgrounds. We are extremely fortunate with those that serve our Trust and as chair I am very grateful for ALL the support they have given me over the last year and in the support they have given our CEO. Saying goodbye Inevitably the end of the academic year it is an occasion to say goodbye and this year is no exception.

David Marson, Mark Larby and Nicky Orr have all stepped down from our Trust Board.

Nicky Orr

Nicky Orr has served on the board for almost two years and has moved to Kent to be nearer to family.

Nicky wants to play a full and active role in her community there and to do that needed more time hence stepping down from the Transform Learning Trust Board. Nicky has a passion for education and was very helpful when we were working on our Vision and Mission statements this time last year.

Mark Larby served as Chair of governors of Park House

Mark Larby

School when it was a Single Academy Trust. Mark then was instrumental in the transfer of PHS to the Multi Academy Trust. Mark has served on the Trust Board for three years and has sat on both our sub committees. Mark has worked closely with the CEO on various contracts and has offered the Board invaluable advice on a number of issues.

David Marson has been connected with PHS, the Governing Body and Trust Board for 25 years. That alone says something in that David certainly has David Marson commitment. For the last two years David has served as Chair of our Finance Committee and whilst offering challenging questions his knowledge of company law and finance has been very helpful as we have faced a number of matters.

CEO who specialises in Change Management; Estates and Facilities Management; and Growth Management. No doubt Mark will prove very useful to the board as we begin to seek other schools to join our Trust. We very much look forward to working with Mark.

Dr Coleen R Jackson Chair of Trustees

In many ways you cannot separate David and Mark as they came as a package when the school transferred to the Trust and both will be missed but have offered to support us if we need to contact them in the future. They know they will be missed on the Board and I know that other schools have already been in contact to twist their arms to join their governing body!

The Trust held a presentation dinner in July and gave them both a hamper to thank them for all they had done in support of Park House School and Transform Learning Trust.

It is always sad when something comes to an end but for David, Mark and Nicky the important element to note is that they have made a difference and that is what governance is all about. So we wish them all well in the future and look forward to inviting them to special occasions going forward.

Welcome This month also sees us welcoming Mark Blick who joins our team of trustees. Mark is an experienced Issue 3 TransformNews

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Trust staffing changes Goodbye Carrie Carter joined us in September 2020. This was her first post covering HR and Finance, and alongside implementing and improving Carrie Carter several of the payroll systems, Carrie also completed her CIPD Level 3 in HR. Though sad to lose her, we were pleased for Carrie when she moved to a promoted post closer to home, and thank her for continuing to support us in our transition to a new Payroll Officer. Carrie’s full time role will now be split into two part-time HR posts, and payroll will be covered by the finance team.

Welcome In May, we were joined by Maria Baskerville as the Trust’s Chief Finance and Operating Officer (and Deputy CEO). Maria Maria Baskerville previously worked for a larger Trust, and has been responsible for managing the budgets of 7 schools.

This experience will be invaluable to the Trust as it grows and takes on additional schools.

Maria’s role currently covers the one day a week Chief Finance Office (statutory role) previously done by Mrs Kim Halliwell, combined with the tasks undertaken by the school’s Director of Finance, Mr Henry Nolan who sadly passed away in January.

Maria has already begun to implement a new Trust finance system, capable of adding additional schools to it, which will also make the reporting of our current school more straightforward.

Thank you and Good Luck We are grateful to Mrs Kim Halliwell for stepping up to cover the role of Director of Finance very unexpectedly, until Maria was appointed. Kim has now been appointed within the Trust as temporary Operations Manager. Kim will be responsible for 6

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overseeing many of the dayto-day aspects of the two new building projects. Kim line manages the school’s site team, and together they are implementing a number Kim Halliwell of health and safety systems, and improving the fabric of the building. Kim’s role will also include bidding for grants to further improve the school’s premises and sports facilities.

Staff changes at Park House Tom Goodenough, Principal At the end of term, we say goodbye to Mr Tom Goodenough, who has been Principal at Park House since September 2020. Though Mr Tom Goodenough Goodenough has only been with us for year, it has been one of the most challenging in education and we are grateful for his strong leadership and clear guidance through this turbulent time. He is leaving to seek new opportunities outside education and we wish him well for the future.

New leadership team From September, Mr Damian Crabbe will be Interim Principal with Mrs Lamorna Waddell as Interim Deputy Principal.

The extended Leadership Team will be supported in their roles by a Trust Improvement Team overseen

by Mrs Laura Bromberg CEO. The Leaders have worked closely together with Mr Goodenough for the term, to ensure a smooth transition.

Damian Crabbe

Lamorna Waddell

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Park House School’s ‘sensory garden’ In January, we were shocked and saddened to hear of the unexpected passing of Henry Nolan, Finance Director at Park House School.

staff can enjoy an area of quiet reflection – including a water feature.

Henry will be remembered, as someone who always had a humorous reply or witty response.

He was passionate about ensuring that every penny that the school received, was spent for the benefit of the students. It became an affectionate joke, that any spending at all, would need Henry’s approval first – and that was not easy to gain!

Henry’s wife, Ellen MacDuff, came into school to judge the ‘garden plans’. Nine students provided excellent ideas, all of which will be included in the garden. They all received a small gift from the Trust, and will join in with some of the transformation work. Their ideas included a pergola, cherry blossom, water feature, benches and a number of herbaceous and flowering plants (and bulbs).

At the suggestion of the Chair, the Trust launched a competition from students to design a garden to celebrate the lives of a number of former members of staff at the school. The plan is to centralise some of the existing tributes around the school into a more permanent and fitting memorial, in a sensory garden where students and

An area of the school site has been selected, and ground clearance work has begun. As part of the new library building, a memorial ‘rose garden’ has needed moving. The rose bushes are the first plants to be moved to the new area. The garden work will continue next term, with a ceremonial opening planned for 2022.

Well done to: Amelia Wharlton, Phoebe Merritt, Freya Bailey, Matilda Wake, Darcy Doyle, Suki Humphreys, Aaron Ingleson, Poppy Shannahan

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Henry Nolan

The area proposed for the sensory garden

Henry Nolan’s wife Ellen MacDuff

Amelia Wharlton

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Question time All parents and carers students were recently invited to submit questions to the Trust, which formed the basis of a presentation from Dr Coleen Jackson (Chair), Mrs Laura Bromberg (CEO) and Mr Tom Goodenough (Principal).

Dr Coleen Jackson

Any answers...

Are you hoping to plan for better use of social media?

The School and Trust are currently writing a communication plans to ensure that there is nothing duplicated (or omitted) in the school and Trust’s communications. Once this is in place, we will consult with parents on how things could be improved.

New Trust and school websites are now ‘live’. The school’s new website has a function where it will automatically generate social media leads, which will make things much simpler.

Laura Bromberg

Tom Goodenough

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What progress is being made in the attempts to attract other schools to join under the banner of the Transform trust?

In order to expand, the Trust needs to demonstrate that they have the capacity, capability and financial stability to be able to support other schools. Over the year the following actions have been taken: A completely separate Board of Trustees (and Board of Members) is now in place. The Chair has worked with Academy Ambassadors (a DFE recommended organisation) to appoint high quality, Trustees with a balance of skill sets, who are not directly associated with any local school The school’s financial position is being strengthened, and the a major substantial loan which has been in place since 2015, will be repaid next year. The school formerly had a Financial Notice to Improve, and this was lifted when they joined the Trust. The Trust has worked closely with the Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA) on this matter. The ESFA are the government’s funding agency for Trusts, and they have oversight over Trust finances. The ESFA has indicated that it is impressed by the way in which the Trust has handled the school’s financial difficulties, and has stopped its enhanced monitoring of the school’s accounts.

The Trust is working with Park House School to develop its capability to support other schools.

This year, ‘on-line’ meetings have been held with a small number of local Primary school head Teachers and Chairs of Governors to ‘share our offer’ – particularly through our outreach work with the NCCE hub and sports network

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How can you reassure parents concerned about the forthcoming changes in leadership at the school?

One of the main strengths of being in a Trust are at times such as these when leadership changes in a school are taking place. A Trust structure means that the Principal is line managed by the CEO, and school improvement and strategic direction are agreed by both in the school improvement plan.

The Trust provides additional support through the Trust Improvement Advisor, Claire Thompson.

We are confident in the interim leadership arrangements which have been put in place at the school whilst a substantive Principal is appointed.

Mr Crabbe and Mrs Waddell have been at Park House School for a number of years, and are well known and respected by staff, parents and students. The Trust structure will ensure that no momentum is lost, and additional Trust support will be put in place as needed.

Can you confirm what arrangements (if any) are in place for oversight of the actions of trustees of the Trust?

There are a number of check and balances in place for Multi-academy Trusts. The members hold Trustees to account.

The CEO is also Accounting Officer. As CEO, they report to the Board of Trustees, and as Accounting Officer they are accountable to the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

Externally, the Trust is subject to both Company Law and Charity Commission regulations. Trusts have an annual review with the Regional School’s Commissioner (RSC) The Chair and CEO have worked particularly closely with the RSC this year.

They have been very supportive of the Trust’s work.

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Park House ongoing site improvements New flat roofs Every year, Multi-Academy Trusts are invited to bid for projects funded from the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund. This year CEO worked with Barker Associates to put in bids to replace the mains water, and to replace all of the flat roofing in the school. We were delighted to find out recently that the larger of the two bids had been successful.

New fire escape installed at Park House

This 20-week project worth £650,000 will replace all of the flat roofs in the school – most of which leak badly, and are in really poor condition. As part of the work to replace the roof over the kitchen, a fire escape which runs over the flat roof has already been replaced.

As a result of this work, money which is often used to ‘patch the leaks’ can now be diverted to other premises maintenance areas. An initial meeting has been held with the roofing contractors, and the building company who are building the library extension to ensure that their work schedules do not coincide.

The first roofing block to be undertaken will be the largest area of flat roofing – over the English block (including the school kitchen area). We hope for a period of dry weather over the summer so that quick progress is made.

Flat roofs being replaced at Park House School

Library extension As mentioned in issue 2 of Transform News, during the year plans have been approved for the replacement of the school Library with a new purpose built library resource area. The existing library will be re-roofed (as part of the roofing bid), and then converted into three new large classrooms and a smaller group teaching area.

It is planned that the new library resource centre could be available out of hours for community use.

To enable this to be the case, the school staffroom will be fitted with a kitchen area, and the existing ‘kitchenette’ converted into an accessible toilet.

To provide heat for the new extension, one of the school’s boilers is to be replaced, and to achieve the required energy savings, some (and maybe all) of the windows in the main house will be replaced.

Again, it hoped that this will reduce some of the

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ongoing maintenance issues. To minimise disruption, the new build will be completed first, followed by the conversion of the existing library.

This project is due for completion in Summer 2022.

CGI of new library

IT – cabling and Wi-Fi Last week, we were excited to announce that ahead of schedule the school’s cabling and Wi-Fi infrastructure are to be completely replaced. This has been a key priority for the Trust, as the roll-out of the one-to-one devise scheme is dependent on reliable, quick Wi-Fi across the school. Following extensive cabling surveys and quotations, it was decided that complete replacement was going to future-proof the school best.

As a result, the one-to-one devise scheme is now being offered to the students going into Years 7 and 9 (joining those in Year 8 who began the scheme last year). In September, there will be a teacher continuing professional development training programme implemented over the year, and this will include the effective use of technology.

Contractors surveying the school for new Wi-Fi

Laptops and tablets We are grateful to parents, students and former students, and the wider community for their support in getting as many new laptops for students as possible. In total around 200 devices (many of which were new, were secured for students). Some months ago, a speculative bid was placed with the ‘Daily Mail’ as part of their ‘Mail Force Computers for kids’, who were pledging either new or reconditioned devices. A couple of weeks ago we were surprised to received 20 brand new Samsung A7 tablets. Ten of these are to be used to support students with ‘additional needs’, with the remaining ten used more generally.

Benches When undertaking a ‘learning walk’ with the Trust’s Improvement Advisor, the students in Years 7 and 10 discussed that additional seating in their ‘breaktime areas’ would improve breaktimes. Sixth Formers then also requested outdoor seating and increased shade. In the Autumn, Park House will be starting an initiative to improve breaktimes through fundraising and sponsorship of outdoor seating, tables and ‘shades’ throughout the school. In the meantime, two solid tables and seats have been placed in the sixth form quadrangle, and a further three benches are to be placed outside the English block entrance.

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“

We were sitting on the woodchip area as there were not any benches free. Mrs Bromberg came along and asked us whether we would want some benches to sit on and bins to keep the area tidy. We said yes and she bargained with us to go away and think about a design and as a 'peace treaty' we picked up the rubbish near us! Our parents were sent an email about the chat and we got on with the design... the first of which is shown here... In tutor Mr Carolan was aware that our design had been approved by Mrs Bromberg and he suggested I tell my tutor group about how this plan had come about. Many teachers and staff have already spoken to us about our plans and we are due to meet with Mr Cordell to turn our plans into the seating area.

”

Charlie Kirby and Keaton Meyrick, Year 7

Sixth Form seating area with new benches

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Charlie and Keaton joined Park House from local primaries Falkland and Kingsclere as part of our Year 7 intake in September. Charlie said: “I feel really proud to be doing something for the school in my first year ... maybe a design job in future?”

Charlie and Keaton with their design (inset)

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www.transformlearningtrust.org

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