Newsletter 12 - June 2021
Dear “Team Plymouth”
Welcome back to the final half-term of the academic year…..it has been a long one! Prior to half-term I sent out a short email recognising the fantastic work you, your staff and students had completed in securing the best and most accurate Teacher Assessed Grades. Sincerely, well done!
We move on now, the final weeks of the academic year being no less busy, with a focus on re-setting through robust self-evaluation and high-quality prioritised school-improvement plans. I am delighted that so many of you are looking with “fresh eyes” at the EEF Literacy Recommendations and through the Leadership Programme are looking to implement high quality improvement plans with this focus. The evidence is that this is a high leverage strategy that over time will yield sustainable improvement for all.
Chrysta and I have now finished the Summer SIP programme and provided feedback to all schools. Thank-you to all those that engaged, hoping you found the experience useful. Our work is now focussed of follow up from these visits and developing a place-based funded plan ready for September. Policy is moving very fast in this respect and our work in Plymouth is at the forefront of this emerging school improvement model.
As with previous editions, there area wide range of excellent professional learning and school improvement opportunities set out below. Please ensure they are disseminated to relevant leaders and staff.
Best Wishes
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Communications and Collaboration:
 Don't forget to explore the Portal's exciting new Professional Learning Communities.
'It’s a place for us to meet and connect, to support and advise, to grow and improve - ourselves and others'.
If you haven't already joined, you can join the community Here.
Please encourage your colleagues to visit the platform, and if you haven't already follow the Plymouth Secondary Strategy via our  Twitter feed @PLSecondaStrat
The portal can be found here: https://www.plymouthstrategy.org
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The Plymouth Secondary Strategy update:
Strand 1: Individual School Support
If you have not already come across them, we highly recommend the excellent Ofsted Research Review reports that Ofsted have started publishing routinely over recent weeks. These provide really useful subject specific research meta-studies that can inform some deep curriculum conversations at SLT/CLT level as well as being cascaded by CLT to their subject teachers. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/curriculum-research-reviews So far they have published Languages, Maths, RE and Science. They should help develop that shared language and understanding across the school about what subject expertise and excellent curriculum provision 'looks like'.
Talking of opportunities to reflect on subject expertise, please do cascade this fantastic opportunity to access the FREE opportunities being provided by SWIFT. Contact sophie.rae@kingsbridgecollege.org.uk to book your free spots
Many Plymouth secondaries are now embedding approaches toinstructional coachingand you might be interested to share this great summary from all the most recent publications on instructional coaching, with your T&L Leads: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AABZjMA0ruOTJKg&cid=2525D06102D79876&id=2525D06102D79876%2195288&parId=2525D06102D79876%2194615&o=OneUp
National policy updates: We have added the latest RSC summary of a significant number of policy updates and changes to the Plymouth portal. This includes an overview of the national policy direction for academisation, the TCAF3, the 21-22 School/Trust School Improvement Offer and Recovery announcements. This could be a very useful document to share with your Governors/Trustees and you can find it here: https://www.plymouthstrategy.org/91-strategic-documents
Strand 2: An outstanding CPD offer for the city
Plymouth Professional Learning Communities:
Please share the date of the next Science professional learning community with your Science lead:
Science - 23rd June- booking now open for Maximising learning through practical work in Science https://www.stem.org.uk/cpd/497492/plymouth-science-subject-leaders-network-meeting-invitation-only
- Consider the most recent research on what makes practical work effective, including the Ofsted Research Review, April 2021 Research review series: science - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Reflect on changes that we can make to improve learning from practical work across our teams, to support both content and WS knowledge and skills
- Network with other Science Subject Leaders and share good practice
To be confirmed but coming later this half term:
English- w/c 5th July (tbc) Writing focus
Maths- 13th July (tbc) KS5 focus + AMSP
EEF/PCC Leadership Programme
We are all delighted at how well the EEF/PCC Leadership Programme has started. Engagement levels and feedback from Heads and Literacy Leads has been fantastic.
We are now writing to invite you for a face to faceModule 6 of our Leadership programme, a partnership between all Plymouth secondary schools, Kingsbridge Research School, the DfE and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). This will take place on Friday 2 July at China Fleet Country Club from 9.00 – 1.00pm. Lunch will be provided.
The agenda for the day is as follows:
9:00 - 9:15: arrive and coffee
9:15 - 10:45: Session 1:
Following on from Professor Jonathan Sharples’ session on our launch day, this session involves a deep dive into the implementation cycle. The aim is to support leaders in communicating and monitoring the active ingredients of their literacy interventions and practices.
11:05 - 12:05: Session 2:
In this session, we will look at worked examples (and non-examples) of school implementation plans, helping us avoid common pitfalls. This is also about ensuring PD is designed to create meaningful and sustained engagement with the evidence.
12:05 - 12:45: Session 3: creating your implementation plans
Implementation planning with support from Regional Implementation Leads and Scott Davies, all of whom will be on hand to answer questions and help match your plans to your school priorities. Quick closing statement and information about the next online module.
12:45 - 13:00: lunch
I would be grateful if you could confirm you will be attending indicating any dietary requirements by completing this short form: https://forms.gle/zVAFWFYNTNN3RvAJ9
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries about this session.
The SWIFT Hub summer conferencebooking is open what promises to be a stunning line of up of presenters providing over 20 sessions delivered live across 2 days...for £50!: https://www.sw-ift.org.uk/programmes/summer-conference-2021 Dylan William will open the conference which is themed around the key issues facing school leaders today: disadvantaged pupils, diversity, use of evidence, use of technology, literacy and mental health. We have inspirational school leaders Ed Vainker (Reach Academy, Feltham) and Izzy Ambrose (Principal of Yate Academy) sharing their school improvement journeys
ECF webinar Thursday 17th June
This webinar is aimed at schools to help them understand their responsibilities for inducting early career teachers from 1 September 2021. The webinar details have been widely circulated including by us to trusts in the South West, but please consider passing these on to schools or trusts if ECF questions have arisen in your discussions with them. You can sign up too to learn more about the ECF.
Early Career Framework (ECF) explainer webinar Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Strand 3: Removing barriers to achievement: Inclusion
Message from Richard Woodland: I am delighted to announce that James Buchanan, Deputy Headteacher at ASAP, has agreed to act as the Coordinator for the Inclusion Support Centres. We are still working on the details of his secondment as we hope to be able to ‘front load’ some of his time this term and in September to ensure we get the project off to a good start.
We have also made verbal offers to two teachers and two teaching assistants following the first round of ‘local advertising’. We are currently doing the pre-employment checks for these colleagues so will wait for these to be completed before releasing names.
As a result of this we still have a vacancy for a third teacher and teaching assistant. These have now been advertised nationally in TES (using the WeST account, as this has meant no additional cost to the project). The deadline for this second round of applications is 12 noon on Friday 18 June. Please do continue to highlight these opportunities to any suitable staff of which you are aware. Should you be able to release anyone on a secondment we are able to offer this still to our local schools.
Brilliant SEND CPD offers from Whole School SEND:
Whole School SEND are now recruiting for an exciting new opportunity to join eight tailored, regional-based professional development groups. Each group will be facilitated by a WSS Regional SEND Lead but will be driven by its members, providing a space for peer-to-peer reflection, challenge and support. We encourage participation from school-based colleagues in all roles and across all school types, not just those with an established interest in SEND.
Each member of the group will:
- Attend 6 (virtual) group meetings across the Autumn and Spring terms
- Undertake 1:1 coaching sessions with a Regional SEND Lead
- Become part of a specialised network of professionals
- Create a professional development log which will contribute to a group case study published on the SEND Gateway
- Receive a contribution of £1000 towards your school in acknowledgement of the time and resource dedicated to the group
More info about this WSS offer can be found on the portal here, plus a calendar of summer CPD events: https://www.plymouthstrategy.org/89-send
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