WAT Family Bulletin October 2023 Dear WAT Family, As we approach the half-term break, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering dedication and hard work since the start of this academic year. Your commitment to our students, as always, is truly remarkable, and it's a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team. I'd also like to extend my appreciation for your engagement with the recent staff experience and wellbeing survey. The response rate was 11% above that of all trusts nationally. Your input is invaluable in helping us understand the areas where we are strong and also where we can improve and better support our amazing staff to thrive in our work. We have, this week, received the results of the survey and the Executive Team has met with Edurio for a full debrief. Across the family, there are many strengths to celebrate, including professional support from line managers, trust perception, job satisfaction, career opportunities and communication. The survey has also revealed areas that it's important we look more deeply into to understand and take action on, in particular, workload, benefits, flexibility, student behaviour and how staff can access professional support. A number of these are national challenges in education, however, we must do everything we can to address them. After half term we will be involving staff across the family, so we can form a full and considered view and take action together. Your insights will guide us in developing strategies to make our family an even better place to work for everyone. As the half-term break approaches, I urge you to take some well-deserved time off to recharge and reconnect with family and friends. I hope you return after the break feeling refreshed and looking forward to the half term ahead leading up until Christmas. Thank you again for your incredible contributions to the Windsor Academy Trust family. You are making a significant difference in the lives of our students, and I am immensely proud of you all. Warm regards, Dawn Haywood CEO Windsor Academy Trust
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move One Celebrating success It’s always good to look back on the past year to reflect on how our and our students’ hard work has played out in terms of published outcomes. Our primary schools can be rightly proud of what’s been achieved with the Year 6 class of 2023. We have seen progress scores of well above average for reading, writing and mathematics this year demonstrating that our approaches are highly successful. We’ve also seen improvements in the all-important phonics scores this year: the percentage of our children passing the phonics screening test is now just above the national average and is a full five percentage points above where it was last year. Similarly there is much to be proud of in our secondary schools. Our family-wide ‘Progress-8’ score is +0.08 which is really pleasing. We’ve seen some stellar progress in some subjects in every school and there are too many subjects to mention here. This said, we know that we still have some work to do to ensure that we have consistent progress in every subject and every school. We are always careful to balance our focus on the academic and personal potential but outcomes do matter because they unlock doors to exciting next steps so that our students can be everything and more than they ever thought they could be.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move One WAT Girls 7v7 Football Tournament The Windsor Academy Trust family recently came together for an exciting and friendly competition
on the pitch at the WAT Girls 7v7 Football Tournament, hosted by Great Wyrley Academy. This event showcased not only the talent and dedication of the participating schools but also the spirit of collaboration that binds us together. Participating schools: ● ● ● ● ●
Great Wyrley Academy (Our generous hosts) Kingswinford Academy (Securing a narrow victory by just one point!) Windsor High School and Sixth Form (A close second, missing the top spot by the slimmest margin!) Cheslyn Hay Academy (Coming in a very close third place) Windsor Olympus Academy (Making their WAT sports debut after the school’s recent opening)
Relive the excitement: The tournament brought together our secondary schools for a day filled with anticipation and excitement. Each team had the opportunity to square off twice, ensuring that every moment was filled with memorable experiences and team spirit. The competition was fierce, but it was the memories created that truly stood out. A shout out to the referees: A special mention goes out to our referees, Jamie and Hayden from Year 11 at Great Wyrley Academy, who officiated the matches with composure and professionalism. Their considered approach ensured that the games ran smoothly and fairly, contributing to the overall success of the tournament.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move One A heartfelt thank you: We extend our gratitude to all staff members who worked behind the scenes to ensure the event's smooth execution. Their efforts were instrumental in making the tournament a resounding success. Last but not least, a big thank you to our dedicated players, whose commitment on the field showcased the Windsor Academy Trust family's drive towards unlocking academic and personal potential. Their passion for the sport and determination were truly inspirational. In conclusion, the WAT Girls 7v7 Football Tournament was more than just a competition; it was a celebration of collaboration, respect, and pride in excellence. We look forward to more such events that bring our schools together and continue to inspire the future generations within the Windsor Academy Trust family. Watch the highlights of the day here
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move One Colley Lane Cross Country success This month, Colley Lane Primary Academy competed with eight other schools in the annual Halesowen Cross Country Competition at Newfield Park Primary. The girls event was first. After a tense start on the line they were off. Raniyah (Y6) led from the start, she came round the 1st lap with Newfield on her heels, as she exited the woods for the final time she took a quick glance behind and sprinted for the finish, winning in magnificent fashion! She was closely followed by Ellie and Tuliyah in 4th and 5th position with the rest of the team in close pursuit. It was an outstanding performance from the entire girls team securing the overall 1st place and the trophy returned to Colley Lane. Next up were the boys. After watching and cheering the girls to victory the boys were feeling a little nervous. They set off well settling into a good pace remembering all the training they’d had as the front runners sprinted off. By the end of the first lap they had made up the places as others tired. Jack S came out of the woods with only one runner ahead. He closed the gap running uphill to the finish line but couldn’t quite get the top spot but claimed a fantastic 2nd place. Bailey and Oliver overtook runners on the final sprint to claim 5th and 9th place respectively. We are so proud of all the team and their commitment to training in all weathers. Every child who competed last year beat their position by a long way which is an amazing achievement.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move One Celebrating Artsmark Gold Students and staff at Windsor High School and Sixth Form are celebrating after receiving the prestigious Artsmark Award in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools. The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It supports schools to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education, putting creativity and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Artsmark ensures every young person can be creative and access a diverse, high-quality cultural education. In order to achieve the Artsmark Gold Award, Windsor High School and Sixth Form had to develop their arts and culture provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to, and delivered, across the whole school. The highlights of this plan were having a visiting professional artist and musician working with over 100 students to create a shared outcome, including animation and performance at celebration events at the MAC and Walsall Arena, the collaborative show High School Musical, extensive trips and visits to arts and cultural establishments, enriching the experiences of young people, as well as extracurricular arts sessions in and out of school. Miss Jefferies, Faculty Director of Arts and Technology said: “It has been an exciting and uplifting journey to identify where our strengths already were as a school in terms of the arts and looking at ways we could establish new partnerships, involve more staff and young people to enhance our arts and cultural offer. Working collaboratively has maximised the impact and I am very grateful to all the support and enthusiasm of staff and students alike."
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two Central appointments HR Team We are pleased to share that Sarah Lewis has been appointed to the role of Director of People. Sarah has extensive HR and organisational development experience across a number of sectors and will lead WAT’s People Directorate. Sarah commences her role on 1st January 2024. Sue Cooper has also started her new role as Head of HR (Employee Engagement) alongside Raiela Ali, who joined the WAT Family as Head of HR (Policy and Initiatives) at the start of October. After successfully completing her Business Administration Apprenticeship at the end of last academic year, Georgia Blount has taken on an enhanced role to support the central HR function and progress her administrative career at WAT. Finance Team The Finance Directorate is now at full capacity following the appointment of Finance Partner, Silvina Martinez Virginillo, an experienced education finance professional and ex-teacher who joined the team in September. Apprentices This term, we welcome two apprentices to the Central team: Joel Elford joined the WAT family earlier this month as an Apprentice Marketing and Communications Administrative Assistant and Jemma Bridgewater will start as an Apprentice Administrative Assistant after half term.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two WAT Talent Institute launch This month, we officially launched the WAT Talent Institute, bringing together the vast range of CPL opportunities offered by Windsor Academy Trust to support more teachers than ever before to acquire new skills, develop more competencies and receive support to progress their careers. The Talent Institute’s official launch took place on Monday 2nd October, with attendees including staff from across the family as well as guests from the National Institute of Teaching and WAT’s partners in delivering CPL courses, including the University of Birmingham. The event was a celebration of WAT’s achievements thus far in creating an environment to nurture staff and support them to cultivate a broader skill set, as well as setting out the vision for the new institute. This included contributions from colleagues from across WAT who have benefited from taking part in various CPL courses. Throughout the event, attendees were given the opportunity to learn more from guest speakers about the importance of staff development and creating a strong culture. These speakers included Masters’ graduates, ECT mentors supporting newly qualified teachers, as well as the National Institute of Teaching’s (NIot) founding Director of Partnerships, Emma Rennison.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two Leyla Palmer, WAT’s Head of Professional Development and Talent, said: “Our Talent Institute brings together our entire CPL offer under one umbrella, giving a base from which to continue the excellent work we do for staff professional development. Ensuring a pipeline of highly qualified professionals – inside and outside the classroom – is pivotal in guaranteeing the best for our school communities. The Talent Institute represents our commitment to creating a culture of continuous professional learning, where staff members are encouraged to grow, learn and succeed.” Dawn Haywood, WAT CEO, said: “The launch of the WAT Talent Institute represents a very exciting moment for Windsor Academy Trust, as we demonstrate our deeply held commitment to ensuring all our teachers, leaders and professional services staff have access to the highest quality professional learning opportunities. “I am so proud of our colleagues who have been striving to make this a reality, so that we can continue to deliver the best not only for students, but for staff, who deserve the very best chances to forge the career path they want; I know this is something Windsor Academy Trust will continue to do.”
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two WAT Awards 2023 - nominations open We are excited to announce the launch of the 2023 WAT Awards which will give us a wonderful opportunity to showcase the incredible work and dedication of our colleagues. Winners will be announced at our upcoming WAT Conference on Friday 8th December at the ICC, Birmingham. We invite you to nominate your fellow staff members for the following categories: 1. Unlocking Academic Potential Award (Big Move 1) 2. Unlocking Personal Potential Awards (Big Move 1) 3. Empowering and Growing our Staff Award (Big Move 2) 4. Civic Leadership Award (Big Move 3) 5. Sustainability Award (Big Move 4) 6. Working in Partnership, beyond the Academies of WAT Award (Big Move 5) 7. Pride in Excellence Award 8. Leadership Award Award
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two Nominating someone for an award is simple: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Use the following link to the Google Form: WAT Awards 2023 - Nomination Form Complete your details Complete the details of your nominee Select the appropriate award category (you can find the award criteria and descriptions on the form) Provide a brief explanation (of no more than 100 words) of why you believe your colleague deserves recognition Submit your nomination
Please note you can nominate more than one member of staff for any award, and you can nominate staff from any school within the WAT family or across the Central Team. The deadline for completion of nominations is Monday 6th November at 12 noon. After the nominations are received, these will be shortlisted by Headteachers and the final winners will be selected by a Board of Directors panel. If you have any questions or need assistance with the nomination process, please contact watconference@windsoracademytrust.org.uk. We look forward to receiving your nominations and celebrating together at the conference on Friday 8th December.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two Initial Teacher Training - Staff Referral Scheme As part of WAT’s partnership with the National Institute of Teaching as an Associate College, we are proud to announce that from September 2024 we will be offering our own teacher training provision. Applications for our Initial Teacher Training programme are now open for our September 2024 intake. Initial Teacher Training is a fully immersive school-centred programme, with school placements available in one of our 12 schools or at one of the six Dudley Academy Trust schools. Applicants will be able to choose their main placement school when applying and we will endeavour to do our best to place applicants in their first choice school. Our trainees are also mentored and have central training once a week. All of our teacher training courses lead to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status), a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and 60 Master’s Level credits. Interested applicants can find out more via our Initial Teacher Training webpage and can apply via the DfE Apply website. You can find us using our provider code 2HE or search for NIoT at WAT. To support the application process, we are offering a staff referral scheme, with a £200 Amazon voucher gifted to any staff member who recommends a trainee who goes on to undertake and complete their training with us. To find out more, please email us at teachertraining@windsoracademytrust.org.uk Staff Experience and Wellbeing Survey Thank you to everyone who took part in our first annual staff experience and wellbeing survey this half term. We appreciate you taking the time to share your views with us. Focus groups will take place centrally and in our schools after half term so we can look at the feedback and agree on the positive changes we’d like to make together.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Two People Pulse Following the staff experience and wellbeing survey, we want to ensure that staff continue to have a voice and feel able to share their views. We want to know what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling so we can make things better for everyone. That’s why we have launched our new weekly ‘People Pulse’ - quick-fire questions that will be emailed and posted on LaunchPad every Friday to ask for your views. Every week, we will ask new questions and share with you key insights from the previous week’s poll as well as any actions we’re taking as a result of your feedback. We welcome your honesty. All responses are completely anonymous and your views and your time are greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your input.
Flu Vouchers Windsor Academy Trust has for a number of years provided staff with a free flu vaccine as it is the best protection to stop you getting flu, becoming ill and also spreading it to others. Flu has similar symptoms to the common cold but is more serious and can be deadly in some cases. Anyone who has had the flu will tell you that it feels much worse than the average cold and can last for several weeks. Please speak to your HR Lead in school if you wish to receive a digital flu voucher so that you can obtain a free flu vaccination.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Three Two Staff Leadership Civic Talent WAT Community Foundation
A big thank you to everyone who has volunteered to support the WAT Community Foundation. A fundraising team and a separate decision-making panel have now been established and will be led by Claire Gething, Director of Communications, to deliver on our strategy for the WAT Community Foundation. The fundraising team will meet each half term to shape and drive forward fundraising activities while the decision-making panel will meet termly to review the fund and agree how monies will be gifted, in line with the Foundation agreement. If you haven’t volunteered already and would like to do so, please email cgething@windsoracademytrust.org.uk to express an interest.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Four Three Civic Leadership Sustainability WAT COP Students from across the family attended our second WAT COP event at Windsor Olympus Academy on Friday 13th October. Guest speakers from the Ministry of Eco Education, Schools of Tomorrow and Let’s Go Zero gave inspiring keynote addresses and held interactive workshops on social advocacy, Sustainable Development Goals and active citizenship to further students’ understanding of sustainability and climate change. In the final workshop of the day, students worked together to develop initiatives that could be integrated into their own school Sustainability Action Plans. Watch the highlights of the day here
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Four Three Civic Leadership Sustainability Education Estates We're proud to share that Windsor Academy Trust was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Education Estates Department for Education Sustainability Award; another pleasing endorsement of our commitment to fostering a sustainable environment within the education sector. Sustainability is a core focus of the WAT strategy as we strive to become net zero by 2030. We want to create a more sustainable future and leave the world in a better place for future generations. As we gear up to become carbon neutral, our eyes are set on establishing ourselves as one of the most sustainable school trusts in the UK. Ahead of the awards, Chris Berry, WAT Director of Operations, represented us with distinction at the Sustainability Award Spotlight session during the Education Estates Conference 2023 in Manchester Central. Reflecting on the event, Chris remarked: "Being asked to speak at the Education Estates Conference and achieving the Highly Commended award is important recognition for Windsor Academy Trust. It's inspiring to see our ongoing efforts towards sustainability being acknowledged. This only propels us to continue pushing the boundaries and setting new standards in education and environmental responsibility."
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023
Big Move Five WAT Reach
United Endeavour Trust prepares to join the WAT Family Next month, members of the Executive and Central teams will spend a day with United Endeavour Trust (UET) to begin onboarding and consulting with staff and parents ahead of Clayton Hall Academy, Newcastle Academy and Sir Thomas Boughey Academy joining the WAT family in early 2024. We will spend time with the headteachers of each of the schools to discuss the transition plan and present to staff and parents about what the transfer will mean for them. Staff and parents are already excited to be joining our family and we look forward to welcoming them next year.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023 Enabler 1: Digital Technology iPad unboxing events EmpowerED, our digital learning approach, expanded at the start of the academic year as we rolled out phase 4 of our strategy. A total of 5,100 students in years 3 to 11 (including 1,400 students who are disadvantaged) now benefit from having their own device to power up their learning in school and at home. Here are a few highlights of the recent unboxing events that have taken place across the family over the last few weeks.
WAT Family Bulletin October 2023 Enabler 2: Research and Innovation Practitioner Research Programme Thirty five practitioners representing our 12 schools have been recruited to the 2023-4 Practitioner Research Team. WAT has been accredited as a Chartered Learning Partner of the Chartered College of Teaching for our in-house WAT Practitioner Research Programme. This allows us to deliver part of the Chartered Teacher Programme 'Certificate in Educational Research and Inquiry'. You may have spotted that one of our former Practitioner Researchers, Hannah Grace at Windsor High School, has this month had her research project, ‘How to get secondary boys reading for pleasure’, published in Tes. Click here to read more