As you may be aware, the National Education Union (NEU), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) recently held ballots of their members on industrial action.  

 

Following the outcome of their ballot, the NEU confirmed on Tuesday 17 January 2023, that they had exceeded the threshold and advised that their members in our area will be taking strike action on the following dates. Please note that these are subject to change at any point as directed by the union. 

 

• Wednesday 1 February (whole country strike) 

• Thursday 2 March (London, South East, South West) 

• Wednesday 15 March (whole country strike) 

• Thursday 16 March (whole country strike) 

 

The NAHT and NASUWT have both announced that they did not meet threshold which means that they may re-ballot, but members of these unions will not be participating in these strikes.  

 

The NEU is in a formal trade dispute with the Secretary of State for Education. It regards school funding which the union believes to be insufficient for employers to be able to pay a fully funded increase in teacher’s pay at a rate greater than inflation. The dispute, and proposed strike action, is not as a result of local issues within our schools.   

 

We are currently assessing the potential impact this strike action will have on our four schools. As the Trust Lead (CEO), it is my primary responsibility to work with our headteachers to ensure pupils in each of our schools are safe and receive the highest standard of education and care. As such, please be reassured that we will have robust plans in place to ensure your child can continue with his/her learning should the strike action go ahead as proposed. I advise you that it is our intention to keep our schools open provided we have sufficient staff in our schools to ensure safe and secure environments for all of our pupils. 

 

Unfortunately, owing to the complexities of planning for strike action, we are not yet able to confirm the position in each of our schools. There may also be some variation in union membership across The Corinium Education Trust. If, following our risk assessments, headteachers are unable to make appropriate adjustments to keep each school open, we may have to make alternative arrangements such as partial or full closures, in the event of which, headteachers will provide opportunities for remote learning.   

 

We are giving you as much notice as possible that your child’s learning may be disrupted during the days of strike action. As a contingency, we would encourage you to consider alternative childcare arrangements should we be unable to keep your child’s school open.   

 

We appreciate that this situation may be frustrating and apologise for any potential disruption caused. However, we recognise and respect the right of our staff to take part in industrial action and ask that all members of our community continue to treat each other with respect at this complex time. 

 

Thank you for your understanding. 

 

Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO) 

On Friday 13 January 2023, a group of 12 pupils from The Corinium Education Trust joined David Wint and Joe Roberts, architectural consultants from Roberts Limbrick, at their prestigious offices in Gloucester for an important meeting about the development of The Steadings, a new primary school for the new residential area in Cirencester. They were accompanied by Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO), Katie Cook, Head of Siddington C of E Primary, and Rachael Scott, School Improvement Lead (Primary), who have been working with the architects Robert Limbrick, Bathurst Developments Limited and Gloucestershire County Council on initial designs for the school which is currently scheduled to open on its permanent site in 2027-28.

 

‘I was concerned to ensure we took account of pupils’ views in preparation for the design of our new school. It was a privilege to listen to them and their ideas. They were excellent ambassadors for The Corinium Education Trust and their schools.’ Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO).

 

Three pupils from each school, representing Years 5-7, were chosen by their headteachers to engage in this important pupil voice group to help the architects understand their perspectives on school design. After initial introductions, the pupils were encouraged to think about the features of their current schools they like and dislike and then to share and explain their responses. The lists that were generated were then prioritised. This helped the group achieve a consensus over what was most important to them.

 

‘It was inspiring to be in a working office! I felt like a grown up.’ Jack.

‘I thought it was good to socialise with other children across the schools.’  Milo.

‘It was something completely different that I've never done before!’ Dan.

 

The pupils definitely enjoyed working together and with the architects too. They were very articulate and creative. They came up with lots of good ideas which were recorded by the architects for future reference. They were not afraid to be critical and, as daily users of their schools, they definitely thought about aspects of school design that were not necessarily on the adults’ radars! Specific topics that came up included indoor spaces for wet playtimes and sheltered areas outside, play equipment and green spaces, access to toilets and cloakrooms, quiet spaces and specialist rooms to support the curriculum and wellbeing.

 

Before lunch, and in preparation for the afternoon session in which pupils worked in mixed school groups to design their ‘dream school’, David Wint shared some contemporary school designs from all around the world. These definitely sparked the pupils’ curiosity and led to lots of questions. Their own school designs, which they presented at the end of the session, showed they had significantly broadened their understanding of school design and each team impressed the architects with their commitment to sustainability, care for each other and determination to create a welcoming learning environment that brings everyone joy!  

 

‘If I have children, they'll come to this school.’ Noah.

‘And I'll bring my children and say 'I designed this' and it will make me so proud.’ Mylie.

On Tuesday 10 January 2023, trustees and governors came together for their second seminar of the academic year at Kemble Primary School. At this meeting, Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO), introduced Martin McLeman as The Corinium Education Trust’s new Chair and welcomed new trustees and governors.

 

In spite of the challenges ahead facing all schools, the mood of the meeting was positive and optimistic. Claire Minett, Chair of the Trust’s Pay and Remunerations Committee, reported that she felt ‘inspired’ and ‘energised’ by the session.

 

In her presentation, similar to the one shared with all staff on Tuesday 3 January 2023 at the Trust’s first joint face-to-face in-service training day in three years, Chiquita Henson updated trustees and governors on developments, especially the work undertaken on our organisation’s core vision and values which had been the focus for the first governance seminar of the academic year in September 2022, changes to the composition of The Corinium Education Trust in terms of personnel, staff and those involved in governance, and the exciting opportunities ahead.

 

Chiquita Henson and Martin McLeman reflected on the steps taken to further strengthen governance and communication between the Board and the schools' local governing bodies and shared our new schedule for trustee visits to schools and local governing bodies.

 

As new Chair, Martin McLeman will be meeting with our schools' Chairs more regularly in a new forum he has introduced and they will be working with Kathy Jackson, our Governance Officer, to establish a new methodology for evaluating the impact of governance on our schools, children and young people. Furthermore, to support the induction of our new trustees and governors, and support our more established members, Chiquita Henson and Kathy Jackson launched the online new training modules available to Trustees and Governors through the NGA Learning Link. This suite of courses was very well received, alongside the forthcoming face-to-face training events looking at Exclusions in February 2023 and School Funding in June 2023.  

 

Looking to the future, Chiquita Henson, reflected on the capacity within the executive leadership team, and the impact of her new role and the work being undertaken by the Trust’s new School Improvement Leads. She also detailed the work being undertaken across the Trust in response to the principles set out in the White Paper, ‘Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers’. While these may no longer be progressing into law, she highlighted their relevance to The Corinium Education Trust and our strategic priorities, including the potential for growth and the ambition behind the planned and proposed capital developments.

 

During the session, trustees and governors had opportunities to talk about the emerging education landscape, ask headteachers questions about the impact of the rising cost of living on children, families and schools and explore ways in which to engage with stakeholders.

 

‘A great evening. Thank you for all your hard work to make it so worthwhile. There were certainly a lot of ideas about increasing trustee visibility, engagement and impact which will be taken forward.’ Martin McLeman, Chair of Trustees.

 

‘I was impressed by the high levels of engagement and interest in the things that matter most to us, our values and our pupils’ learning, wellbeing and life chances. Many of the ideas explored will be incorporated into our wider development plan.’ Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO).

The Corinium Education Trust’s first face-to-face MAT-wide in-service training day in three years was hosted at Cirencester Deer Park School on Tuesday 3 January 2023. The last time staff from all schools came together was in January 2020 when we all had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside each other and guest speaker, Tom Sherrington.

 

‘It was a joy and privilege to welcome teachers and support staff from each of our schools back to this annual event. I am very grateful to colleagues for their readiness to engage with, and support, each other.’ Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO).

 

This year’s event had a similar focus to our previous events and conferences. In the interim period, our joint training events moved online or were delivered ‘separately’ in each school. While our response to COVID-19 dominated, staff also considered the DFE’s Wellbeing Charter in January 2022. 

 

On this occasion, after initial reflections on MAT-wide developments over the last three years, colleagues focused on teaching and learning in a number of themed workshops led and facilitated by our school leaders. Since January 2020, our school staff have responded to Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’ and developed the use of evidence-informed practice. This is evident in Cirencester Deer Park School’s use of Tom Sherrington’s ‘WalkThrus’ to personalise continuing professional development and the use of instructional coaching at Chesterton Primary School.

 

Richard Clutterbuck, Headteacher of Cirencester Deer Park School, welcomed everyone to the event and reflected on the shared responsibility we all have for all children and young people across The Corinium Education Trust and the benefits of working together.

 

In her opening keynote presentation, Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO), reflected briefly on the last three years before focusing positively on the challenges ahead. She commended colleagues on their tremendous resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges and highlighted some of the changes, not least in personnel, that have taken place across The Corinium Education Trust: 25% of staff have been appointed since January 2020 and Chiquita Henson took the opportunity to introduce The Corinium Education Trust’s four Headteachers and School Improvement Leads.

 

During the presentation, staff had the opportunity to contribute to redefining the Trust’s values as a part of a wider consultation and subsequent discussion and analysis in one of the workshops revealed there was a strong and clear consensus. Staff also revisited what good teaching looks like across The Corinium Education Trust. They were encouraged to review and simplify the criteria put together on a similar joint in-service training day in January 2019. This will ensure the definition continues to reflect our high expectations of each other and commitment to evidence-informed practice.

 

In the second part of her presentation, Chiquita Henson considered current issues including the impact of the rising cost of living on families, staff and school budgets and some of the exciting capital projects planned for the Trust’s schools. Staff reflected on the impact of poverty on children and families. They shared the differences they have noticed and discussed what our schools might be able to do to support them. These conversations were picked up in some of the workshop sessions and many of the suggestions made will be incorporated into the Trust’s wider strategy.

 

‘A very useful and informative day with focussed sessions targeting the current issues we face. Great to meet up with colleagues from across the CET for the first time in three years!’ Elaine, Kemble Primary School.

 

'It was great to be back working with our colleagues from the Trust and learning from each other'. Sian, Siddington CofE Primary School.