Nene NewsNene Education Trust Newsletter | July 2019

We are now nearing the end of the academic year, our first officially as the Nene Education Trust.

I am immensely proud of our family of schools and everything we have achieved over the last few months. Many of our young people have undertaken exams, which is never an easy time of the year, but they have taken these in their stride with a maturity to be proud of.

We have recently welcomed new schools to our Trust and seen our existing schools go from strength to strength. Our most recent Ofsted inspection reconfirmed St Peter’s CE Primary Academy as a good school.

Bringing our community of young people together has been a highlight of the year. Twice this year touring performance companies have visited

all of our schools to deliver important messages that demonstrate the importance of ‘being you’. This has recently culminated in a performance at the Derngate Theatre, Northampton to complete the first year of our ‘Whole Child’ project.

All of our schools are committed to Developing Character, Raising Aspirations and Celebrating Achievement in all that we do. The culture we are trying to develop in our schools that values being part of a community was demonstrated at Manor School with the #manortunnel to give our Year 11 pupils a warm send off at the start of their exam season.

To all the students and staff leaving us at the end of this academic year I wish you all the very best for your future and the next chapter in your life.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable summer!

Chris Hill, CEO

Introducing Matt Coleman Director of Primary Education

In my role as Director of Primary Education for the Nene Education Trust, I have the privilege of visiting all of the primary schools within our Trust regularly. It’s amazing to witness the uniqueness and individuality of all of our settings, but the commonality between all of our schools is the desire

from all adults who work with us to offer the very best experiences for our children.

Our children are wonderful; wonderfully different, wonderfully determined and wonderfully able to succeed. Our drive to secure the best Environment, Culture and Ethos within the Nene Education Trust and the curriculums that we offer provides the foundation for our success. Getting the environment right for the children to learn, flourish and be successful as individuals; promoting a culture of ambition, respect and resilience and pushing an ethos of success, celebration and overall awesomeness! We focus relentlessly across the Trust on Developing Character, Raising Aspirations and Celebrating Achievement. I’m already hugely excited about academic year 2019/2020!

The Nene Education Trust is now a network of seven academies after Woodford CE Primary School and Raunds Park Infant School joined the five existing schools; Manor School Sports College, Stanwick Primary School, St Peter’s CE Academy, Windmill Primary School and Newton Road School.

Chris Hill is delighted with this development. “Welcoming two new academies into our family of schools is a testament to the confidence we have in our ability as a Trust to offer schools real added value in their strive towards excellence in education.”

“The additional schools mean that we have a broader and stronger organisation in which to share ideas and resources. Our aim is not to grow quickly but to have a network of locally-based schools where we can not only raise the aspirations of the children in our schools, but the whole community.”

“We continue to strive towards our ethos and vision of developing the whole child through: Developing Character, Raising Aspirations, and Celebrating Achievement”.

Mrs Kristel Murphy, Associate Principal of Woodford CE Primary School is pleased to be on board: “The staff and children of Woodford CE Primary School are so excited to be part of the Nene Education Trust and this wider community and school family.”

Mrs Lisa Jeffery, Headteacher at Raunds Park Infants is also delighted to have joined the Trust: “We look forward to the new opportunities this will bring the children and staff. The journey to becoming an academy has taken several years, with the governors wanting to be sure that it was the right move for the school. It is clear that the values of the Trust match those of Raunds Park Infant School, and we can see the many benefits of closer collaborative working with the other Trust schools in the local area.”

Nene Education Trust welcomes two more schools

Welcome from the CEO

Developing Character

Raunds Park Infants finalists in Northamptonshire Education Awards in the Health and Wellbeing categoryWe are proud to have been nominated and short listed for the Northamptonshire Education Awards 2019 in the category of Health and Well-being. At Raunds Park we take every opportunity to encourage our school community to be more healthy, from numerous competitive sports events for the children, to a whole school Health and Well-being day to class “step” competitions using our step trackers! We embrace new technologies as a way of encouraging activity and have recently purchased Activeall boards for the playground that develop hand-eye coordination and cardio fitness, and are great fun!

On Wednesday 5th June, I was invited to take 2 pupils to attend the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show as guests of The Mindfulness in Schools Project. They collaborated with garden designer Rachael Quinn to design The Mandala Mindfulness Garden, a sensory garden for children to connect with nature and enjoy being in the present moment.

Annabel and Olly couldn’t wait to get into the garden and explore. The garden design is based on mandalas; intricate and beautiful designs inspired by nature. They began making their own Mandala, exploring shapes and patterns in nature to inspire their design, looking for textures and scents. The beauty of the garden made it easy for them both to be totally present and in the moment.

I spent the morning thinking of all the ways we could develop incredible spaces in our own schools. I was struck at just how simple and easy the ideas and designs were, and how much the children wanted to get in there and explore.

No matter how much outside space we have, if we can make peaceful, tranquil areas where our children can be close to nature and natural

things we can undoubtedly create spaces our children want to be in.

While we were there we took several moments to just sit and be. We did the petal practise, one of the mindfulness practises we teach as part of the curriculum in the Nene Education Trust primary schools. Having the chance to sit in a beautiful setting and have a moment being fully present allowed us all to steady and settle ourselves. This was particular useful as The BBC film crew were heading our way!

The children were a total credit to Stanwick Primary School and the Trust. If they felt nervous, they didn’t let it show through. They spoke with confidence and honesty and explained how mindfulness helps them.

For me personally, it has marked the end of a wonderful year taking mindfulness into more Trust schools, meeting more of the amazing children we are lucky enough to work with and working and supporting our incredible staff with their own wellbeing.

Here’s to next year!

Mindfulness Project by Amy Bradshaw – Stanwick Primary School

£320 raised for charity by Newton Road Pupils

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Two of Newton Road’s pupils have surprised the school by raising the amazing amount of £320 and are donating it to the school’s playground fundraising project ‘For the Love of Outdoors’.

Sally Pearson (mum of the children) said, “The Superhero Fun Run was part of the Right Move Marathon weekend at Milton Keynes. It was a 2K run finishing at MK Dons Football Stadium. We had registered to do the run a little while ago, and one day the kids came home and asked if they could get sponsors to help raise money for the playground. I thought it was a fab idea and said yes! Most of the sponsors came from members at my workplace, Rushden Town Band Club. Liam was especially good at explaining what we were up to and asking for sponsors. It was a fun day, the kids loved dressing up and doing the run, and they did really well. It was a great atmosphere, although a little chilly. Scarlett and Liam were really happy to receive medals and were amazed at how much money they managed to raise.”

Newton Road School is incredibly proud of them as they have shown amazing PRIDE (Positivity, Respect, Integrity, Determination, Excellence), our school values. The school has involved the pupils in the project, which aims to promote the importance of outdoor learning, sustainability, knowledge of how to be eco-friendly and, most importantly, give the children a broad range of play opportunities to support the work the school is undertaking to improve the health and well-being of children and their families, not only within the school but also the wider community. It was lovely to have the community support through the sponsorship the children received.

The playground will have a clearly defined play area, which will provide a range of play opportunities, including water, sand play, role play and physical play. A story telling and performance stage (mini-amphitheatre) has been designed to promote the development of language and communication, as well as to build confidence in the children. A forest school area, including fire and den making, and allotments will broaden horizons even more as there are many opportunities for play, social interaction and personal development, children can explore this in a safe and secure setting.

The nature area will provide opportunities for developing a love and appreciation of nature and all that is living. A pond, with a platform for pond dipping, will further enhance opportunities. The physical development of the area will just be the beginning of our project; it is the essential element, but will bring about a change in how the school is used as a public building and community facility.

The school has been allocated grant funding from East Northants Council but, in order to progress the project, we need to match fund and these two pupils have done an amazing job of supporting us with this.

Raising Aspirations

NEW Venue for Year 4 Residential is a BIG hit !Year 4 pupils at St. Peter’s CE Academy thoroughly enjoyed their overnight residential stay at Rock UK Frontier Centre in Irthlingborough in June. Despite the wet weather, the children were not put off giving new activities such as archery and abseiling a go, demonstrating great resilience and enthusiasm.

Residential experiences are not only great for learning new skills, but support character development including: working as part of a team; encouraging others to give things a go; life skills, such as making a bed; as well as spending quality time with friends outside of the school day.

Mrs Casswell, the new Principal at St. Peter’s CE Academy, commented that ‘the children were a real credit to the school and behaved impeccably throughout their time away. It was a real pleasure to join the children on the trip, watching them develop and grow in such a short space of time. They were truly amazing we are blessed to have such a brilliant group of children at our school.’

Northampton Arts Festival - Nene ‘Whole Child’ Performance Review

Guest speaker at the House of Commons

Throughout this academic year the Trust has worked in all of the schools to promote the value of the performing arts through their Whole Child project. Drama, Music and Dance projects have been delivered initially to classes in a variety of

year groups within schools and then progressed to selected children working collaboratively from all 5 schools. From this a performance piece was created that toured all schools and to date over 1000 children have been involved through participation or as audience members. The dance project concludes later this term.

On Tuesday 18th June at the Derngate Theatre as part of the Northampton Arts Festival a group of children, who took part in the larger project, performed and showcased the song writing and drama components of the project. This was an opportunity for our amazing performers to reinforce to the wider educational community of Northamptonshire our Trust’s values of Celebrating Achievement, Raising Aspirations and Developing the whole Character of every individual child.

In the words of our children….

‘The piece is about all of us coming together and telling the audience that it is alright to be different, it is acceptable to be yourself and that more people should just be happier to express themselves. It has been great working with other young people from other schools as we can share ideas and we get a chance to talk about our lives. The whole child project has brought us together and it has also allowed us to tell others the message that you can be who you are. There are many people in schools that need to hear this because we need to start giving children a voice and we need to make sure they get heard. That is what this project has been about!’

Jay Davenport, Principal at Manor School Sports College, was invited to speak at an event examining 21st Century Curriculum held at the House of Commons and hosted by the think tank Fabian Education Policy Group. As well as Jay, the panel also included former head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, Mick Waters and representatives from both the National Education Union and the CBI to represent business.

The panel was asked to present on The School Curriculum: what should

constitute a fit for purpose C21st curriculum and who decides?

The exciting thing for us is, that at Manor School we have spent the last 18 months developing our curriculum. As a result, Jay used this opportunity to outline our Work. World. Wellness. curriculum. Developed from our context this enables us to challenge some big

thinking at the macro level as well as be clear about the detailed knowledge required for students to be successful in specific subjects.

The audience, made up of a range of people with interests in education, from the national level of educational strategy, governance, school leaders and teachers as well as student and parent groups were impressed with the level of presentation and engagement. The Chair, Brian Matthews of Engaging Education was impressed with Jay’s contribution stating:

“I thought [Jay] spoke with clarity and precision...[his] experiences in education and the perspectives brought…were invaluable.…The reports we got back were that Jay was thought-provoking and that this was one of the best sessions the audience had attended.”

As a result of this session, there are several follow up visits from schools across the country who are coming to visit Manor and delve further into the curriculum we have developed. We are very proud of the curriculum that has been developed at Manor and as advocates of collaboration it is pleasing that others are so keen to share in our journey.

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Celebrating Achievement

Stanwick Year 6 Trip to Bills!On Friday 17th May, Stanwick’s Year 6 class went on a trip to Rushden Lakes for a very exciting morning with the staff at Bill’s.

When arriving, the children were given their own aprons and chef hats to really look the part and become chefs ready for their baking experience. The manager and assistant manager were looking after us for the day, where we heard the story of how Bill’s had started as a small grocers and grown in to the successful business it is today.

Pancakes were the chosen bake for the day, where the children were tasked with mixing their ingredients ready for baking – the chef even shared some secrets to making the pancakes a success!

Whilst the pancakes were being cooked in the kitchen, the children had the opportunity to plant their own seeds to take away and grow, using advice from Bill that would help them succeed. The children then watered their seeds and set them to one side to prepare their toppings – after washing their hands!

With lots of toppings and sauces prepared, the pancakes arrived and the children were able to see and taste their creations. Everyone left feeling very full and even received some treats to take away with them.

Overall, a fantastic day was had by Year 6!

On 7th May, we left our school around 9:30am and got on to the coach. It was really exciting as we got to sit with our friends. On the way to the rainforest, we chatted with our friends, read a book and shared stories. When we arrived at the Living Rainforest, we ate our lunch. Then, we went on a tour with our guide (Emma). It was brilliant because Emma shared loads of facts about the livings things in the Rainforest. Did you know that poisonous dart frogs lay their eggs in flowering plants to protect their young? Before we left, we spent 10 minutes

playing in the play area. We then had some free time to see the animals - we loved it! Around 3 o’clock, we left and our coach driver Alan drove us to Hill End. When we arrived at a place called Hill End, our coach driver Alan got our bags out of the coach for us. We then showed great resilience and walked up a very steep hill to get to our dorms.

After we set up our beds, we had some free time to play around outside our dorm. This was so fun! In the evening, Ann and her team cooked a delicious meal for us. In the evening, we wrote a post card for our family. Before bed, we had a hot chocolate and some sweets!

8th May: the next morning

The next morning, we woke up super early, packed our stuff, had breakfast and brushed our teeth before leaving for the Cotswold Wildlife Park. We got to see loads of different animals and plants. Guess what? We spotted not one, but two sloths!

At the end of the day, it was time to head back to school. We were tired and some of us slept on the way back.

We had an amazing time and hope that next year, the other children will love it too!

Aiden, Bobby and Daisy

Our Amazing tripThe article, written by some of our Year 3 children, sums up Windmill’s approach. Values driven, endless opportunities and real-life learning.

STEM Experience @ St. Peter’s

Year 6 spent a fun packed day learning how to build and programme robots. They developed their teamwork skills to build a stable robot that included sensors and motors.

The children used their computing skills to build a program that would control the robots, including motion sensors. Following this, they experimented with changing the programme to see what would happen.

The children thoroughly enjoyed this new experience and applied their technology skills with developing confidence.

Lilly said, “It was a great learning experience and immense fun” and Riley said, “It was brilliant that we could build and program the robots. After that we created a Robot Wars scenario which was very enjoyable.”

The Manor Tunnel

On Friday 10 May following a pre-exam assembly where they received good luck letters from parents/carers and teachers, Year 11 students at Manor School were greeted with a tunnel of applause and wishes from the entire school community.

A video clip of the event was posted on the school’s Twitter account which soon went viral, accumulating over 32,000 views and 1000 likes over the weekend. It was also picked up by the Northants Telegraph who published a news story on their website.

In addition, the school has received many positive comments from educators all over the world, including the likes of Geoff Barton, General Secretary of ASCL, who said of the video “This is heart-warming – a reminder of schools as vibrant, uplifting communities”.

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