On Monday 20 January 2020 Cirencester Deer Park School proudly opened its fantastic new ‘Masterchef’-style Food Preparation and Nutrition classroom.

During the opening event, Deer Park’s guests were able to sample sweet and savoury topped blinis, different breads and chocolate dipped shortbread and, impressively, two Year 9 pupils treated everyone to a live cookery demonstration in which they showcased their culinary skills. Working together and completely unperturbed by the audience, they prepared two excellent courses, including handmade ravioli from scratch and delicious brownies. Following the pupils’ demonstration, celebrity baker, Tom Herbert from The Long Table in Brimscombe, treated us to another superb demonstration. While cooking in the new classroom, Tom introduced his social enterprise and provided an inspiring commentary about how he makes the most out of food waste and rare ingredients. He quickly rustled up a truly delicious golden beetroot hummus and moreish sourdough flatbreads. 

This refurbishment of one of the school’s Design workshops into a new modern kitchen finally brings all of the Design subjects together in one faculty area. This has been an ambition for many years as the original Food and Textiles classrooms were situated in an area behind Cirencester College that was once part of the Girls’ Secondary School! In contrast to the previous classroom, this new space is fully fitted with extensive work surfaces, smart built in ovens and induction hobs.

‘We have been able to achieve this transformation as a result of our successful applications for grant funding. I am immensely grateful to the Trustees of The Savoy Education Trust in London and The Powell’s Education Foundation in Cirencester for their generosity. This new classroom will definitely inspire a new generation of young chefs and we expect to see more choosing to pursue careers in hospitality and catering.’ Chiquita Henson, Chief Executive, The Corinium Education Trust, and Head Teacher, Cirencester Deer Park School. 

‘Many thanks for your hospitality at Deer Park; I was most impressed by the school’s new food preparation and nutrition classroom and the equipment which has been provided; I have no doubt that it will be an excellent teaching facility.’ Richard Mullings, Clerk to The Powells Education Foundation and Member of The Corinium Education Trust.

This stunning and creative refurbishment reflects The Corinium Education Trust’s commitment to improving the learning environment in each of our schools. It follows the resurfacing of the school’s astroturf in 2017 and the opening of the new flagship building, housing eight new classrooms, at Deer Park in 2018.

Chiquita Henson, Chief Executive, and Trustees are currently working with consultant architects to draw up premises development plans for each of our schools. In spite of the constraints on capital funding from The Department of Education, The Corinium Education Trust has ambitious plans to refurbish Chesterton Primary School and we are working towards the provision of a new, much needed, school hall for Siddington C of E Primary School. We are actively seeking funds to help us realise these projects so that all of our schools are designed to promote effective learning in the 21^st Century and are better able to support the communities they serve.

"The new Food Tech facility at CDPS was a joy to visit at the opening on Monday 20th January. The equipment and resources that the pupils have to use are of a very high standard. The funky décor and layout is welcoming and modern with more than a hint of professional kitchen to inspire young chefs. The pupils’ demonstrations were of such a high quality – we were all wowed! They showed skill and dexterity, but also a confidence that was very mature. We are looking forward to them visiting the primary schools to inspire our young children. The pupils had made a range of canapés and foods for us to taste – which were delicious. All in all, this is a wonderful example of how the Corinium Education Trust are using capital funds to ensure our children are benefitting from excellent facilities. At Siddington C of E Primary School, alongside the CET, we are working together to find ways of building a new school hall, so that we can offer pupils modern facilities for worship, dining and PE and then releasing the old hall for further teaching and ‘break out’ spaces."  Carol Dougill, Executive Headteacher, Kemble and Siddington C of E Primary Schools.

On Thursday 16 January 2020 over fifty governors and school leaders from schools in the South Cotswolds and Stroud braved the wet and windy weather to attend an evening training session led by Simon Rowe, Senior HMI, on the new Ofsted framework and hosted by The Corinium Education Trust. Trustees and members of our schools’ local governing bodies were pleased to welcome colleagues from other schools.

‘This was the third Trust training event we have opened up to other local schools. The presence of so many indicates the high level of interest in the new Ofsted framework and I am pleased we have been able to contribute to meeting the needs of others. We are committed to working in partnership. These local networking opportunities help us all support each other, share our knowledge and exchange good practice.’ Chiquita Henson, Chief Executive. 

Simon Rowe introduced governors to the new framework. He explained the context and the research evidence which underpins it. One salutary moment was when Simon invited us all to read a series of extracts with increasing amounts of unfamiliar vocabulary. This helped us understand the importance of teaching reading and comprehension.

‘The leadership team and I found the session informative and very helpful. It was especially relevant as we are preparing for some ‘deep dives’ as a part of The Corinium Education Trust’s Quality of Education Review this term.’ Karen Venner, Headteacher, Chesterton Primary School.

Simon Rowe took care to draw attention to the contribution governors are expected to make to school leadership and management and reminded everyone of their accountability. He also highlighted key questions for governors to think about and reflected on his experience of inspecting schools under the new framework since September 2019:

Governors and school leaders responded positively to Simon Rowe’s presentation. They appreciated his tone and guidance. He was able to respond to their questions; he provided both challenge and reassurance.

‘Thank you very much for the training on the new Ofsted framework and the implications for governors. It was very interesting to have an insight from a governor’s perspective. The evening not only provided useful information first hand from a HMI, but also the opportunity to listen to staff and governors from other schools questions and concerns. As with any event such as this the chance to meet with others before and after is also extremely valuable.’ Becki Gray, member of the Cirencester Deer Park School Local Governing Body and Senior Teacher and Staff Governor at North Cerney Primary School.

On Tuesday 7 January 2020, Executive Head Carol Dougill and her staff at both Kemble and Siddington C of E Primary Schools had a very early start as they ambitiously took pupils from Reception to Year 6 to London to the Science Museum. Although a long time in the planning, this unique excursion at the very beginning of the new year, was designed to kick off each school’s special Science Week as apart of their broader curriculum focus for this term, and pupils of all ages were all excited to take part.

Yihuan, Corin and Alex from Siddington said ‘It Takes Guts was weird when you saw inside a human body, the camera going down the throat to the stomach and small intestine and then another camera going up to the large intestine. The experiments were great, fats burn slowly, like the candle and carbohydrates burn quickly like the flour experiment with a blow torch!’

Florence from Kemble said ‘I found it interesting when I learnt how the first toilet worked. We also played the old computer game called Pong.’

Kieran (Year 5) from Siddington stated ‘The electricity part was the best, I got to light up a bulb, make a fan work and make a burglar alarm.’
 

Harriet (Year 2) at Kemble said ‘It has been the best day ever!’
 

William from Siddington said ‘I liked the rocket show because they made things explode and they made Pringle cans fly up in the air!’
 

Bella from Kemble stated ‘I was astonished learning so many new facts. I loved seeing the cameras going through the body.’

‘What an amazing day! Even the coach journey up to London sparked many learning opportunities, seeing a range of buildings, landmarks, churches and mosques. All the children had a great fun day, and had so many learning experiences covering general science, engineering, physics, biology and chemistry. All children really interacted well with all the displays and activities. The children were all so well behaved all the staff were so proud of them. The staff were amazing, thank you to everyone for their help and making such a special trip for the children.’ Carol Dougill, Executive Head, Kemble and Siddington C of E Primary Schools.
 

Maisie England (Chair of Governors and Parent) said ‘I thought it was a great start to New Year and Science week. It was wonderful how it catered for all the different ages, particularly in Robins, things to keep them engaged through the day, the interactive pieces were good and they all thoroughly enjoyed the – a very memorable experience.’

Following on from the day’s activities, pupils at Kemble and Siddington will study a range of disciplines in Science using everyday items to create experiments to test ideas and challenge myths – all great fun while learning!

Children at Chesterton Primary School will be following similar topics within the National Curriculum and teachers in this school work hard to bring the Science and Humanities curriculum to the children through the use of resources provided by Cornerstones, visitors to the school such as Zoolab (Year 5) in September 2019, The Reptile Roadshow (Year 1) and a class trips to the prehistoric site at Avebury in November 2019 (Year 3) and Sevington Victorian School (Year 6) in December 2019

‘This was a great day out and a wonderful opportunity to launch our topic with an experience which will inspire the children to learn more about how people lived 5,000 years ago back in the classroom.’ Jim Tew, Head of Lower School, Chesterton Primary School.

‘I think that the Victorian Trip was a reality check as it showed us how little they had to help them in their learning in Victorian times. It was very strict too!’ Lewis, Year 6, Chesterton Primary School

Broadening our pupils’ horizons is critical and educational activities like these definitely help to develop their cultural capital.

At Cirencester Deer Park School, in November 2019, the Humanities faculty identified GCSE candidates who they thought might benefit from a similar excursion to help extend their knowledge and understanding of ‘Germany 1890-1945’ and ‘Britain, Health and People’. Cath Brace, Assistant Head and Executive Head of Faculty, joined the History team as they explored the Holocaust at The Imperial War Museum and participated in a surgical re-enactment at The Old Operating Theatre Museum. Read more...

‘It was a thoroughly enjoyable day! Pupil behaviour was excellent and their knowledge in response to challenging questions was impressive. Our pupils were visibly engaged and moved by the Holocaust exhibit.’ Cath Brace, Assistant Head.

‘The operating theatre was amazing and the artefacts in the cases were awesome! The Imperial War Museum was eye-opening. I learnt so much.’ Amalie, Year 10.

Teachers from across The Corinium Education Trust came together for our third joint annual January In-service training (Inset) day on Monday 6 January 2020.

Following on from our previous training day in January 2019, at which we shared our high expectations of each other and determined what good teaching and learning looks like across the Corinium Education Trust, the focus for this year’s training day was on the development of our curriculum. While each school’s curriculum remains distinctive and is tailored to the needs of our pupils, they all reflect The Corinium Education Trust’s vision and core curriculum intent.

Tom Sherrington, Teacherhead Consulting, provided the initial input in his inspirational keynote which reminded us all of our core purpose: ‘to improve the learning and life chances of children and young people in Cirencester and the South Cotswolds’. His presentation drew on the development work our individual schools had already done on the curriculum; it helped to clarify our ‘intent’, plan for its ‘implementation’ and achieve the desired ‘impact’ at trust, school and subject levels.

'I always enjoy the voice of an external speaker as I find they bring a fresh perspective; even if what they are saying is a refresh, I think it is always beneficial.’ Teacher in response to Tom’s presentation.

In their cross-phase workshop groups, facilitated by our school leaders, teachers revisited ‘Rosenshine’s Principles in Action’ and the research which was used to inform the criteria for judging the quality of education within the new Ofsted framework from September 2019. Tom Sherrington joined each group and provided both support and challenge around each of the key themes: sequencing concepts and modelling, questioning, reviewing material and stages of practice.

‘It was great to start the year working alongside members of staff from across the Corinium Education Trust. The opportunity to utilise Tom's expertise and to consider the Rosenshine principles from the different perspectives of our practice was really valuable. It is clear from the feedback from members from across the MAT that Tom's keynote and the workshops have provided food for thought and that teachers are already reviewing their approach to planning, vocabulary, practice and modelling answers. These principles will provide a useful basis for future discussions as we develop our curriculum.’ Rebecca Lillington, Associate Assistant Head, Cirencester Deer Park School.

This in-service training day complemented the training teachers have engaged in over the last 12 months. The development of subject knowledge is an ongoing continuing professional development need amongst teachers and working in the MAT we have been able to work collaboratively between primary and secondary colleagues in a range of subjects to boost subject specific knowledge and to consider the National Curriculum and the core concepts of our subjects from differing perspectives. 

'The training supported the changes the school have implemented by embedding the Talk4Writing and Can Do Maths pedagogy throughout the school. Working across the Corinium Education Trust deepens all teachers and teaching partners understanding of how the curriculum supports children’s learning and outcomes.' Karen Venner, Headteacher, Chesterton Primary School

'It was great to be given the opportunity to explore Rosenshine's theory of instruction alongside colleagues from all phases of education. Tom Sherrington's talk and the workshops helped me reflect on my practice and I have already applied some ideas in the classroom, with immediate impact.' Anna-Mai Armstrong, Head of School, Kemble Primary School