We are pleased to introduce the first issue of our new SWIFT EVENTS fortnightly newsletter.

Find details and booking links to upcoming CPD conferences, events and training from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school.

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​High quality CPD at affordable rates to enhance professional development in your school. 
Access through your SWIFT Membership package at no charge and/or discounted rates. 
Or as a non-member, you can access the programmes on a pay-as-you-go basis.

You can read it here...

In this newsletter, we'll be bringing you news and features about our work and programmes; plus interviews with people of interest in our Teaching School Hub community.   

In this first issue, you can read about the first 100 days of SWIFT, learn about Ruh Alford’s insights and experience as Executive Headteacher of The Carey Federation leading on diversity in North Devon; meet an Early Career Teacher and when our partners presented at the NASBTT Annual Conference.

You can read it here...

I was aware that I had been driving this and wanted my staff and Governors to be part of this journey.
I delivered equality and unconscious bias training to all staff and Governors. I was determined that this wasn’t a one of, tick-a-box training, but something that is revisited. Each time participants are able to think deeply about the issues, uncover and challenge their own unconscious biases and plan how this will impact how they behave and respond to situations.

Representation matters in displays, pictures and texts. A good start was to evaluate the library and incorporate stories, which represent children and families from a variety of backgrounds including race, disability and LGBT. Whilst stories such as ‘Handa’s Surprise’ are lovely classics to cherish, a balance of stories representing Black children in the UK, will help children in predominantly White areas see that Black people are part of British society.

The stories of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups have for too long been left out of our history, Science and Art teaching in schools. Changing this is a huge undertaking and I am gladdened that a review of the History Curriculum in England will hopefully emulate what has already started in Wales.

In the meantime, all my teachers have been given a copy of ‘Black and British’ by David Olusoga.
Each chapter covers a different period of history and tells the story of people of colour who were part of that time period. For example, John Blanke, the Black trumpeter who played in the Royal Court of Henry VIII. Teachers are to incorporate these stories into their history planning.

As it happened, the African Drumming Workshop was postponed many times because of Covid; but by the time it happened, we were clear that it needed to be part of a Federation Geography and Music focus to enable children to see Africa as a huge, culturally rich and diverse continent. This meant the workshop put the learning in context and was not a bolt-on as it would have been originally.

I debated as to whether we should participate in Black History Month, as I don’t want Black History to be thought of as a one-off matter, but I decided it was too good an opportunity to miss. This year, the children researched their Black History Heroes. I was absolutely amazed by the inspirational projects and the support they received from home and I know that although we are still on the journey and there is a long way to go, I am proud that my children have such a positive view of diversity, even though they live in an area with none. ​​

Our partners, Exeter Consortium and South West Teacher Training ITT Teams were pleased to present at a national conference in the Autumn  Term. 

Exeter Consortium Primary Initial Teacher Training Lead, Dawn Chapman and South West Teacher Training (SWTT) Team, Chloe Fox and Carrie McMillan were delighted to presented at the National Association for School Based Teacher Training (NASBTT) annual conference.

SWIFT Director Martin Smith reflects on what has been achieved in the first 100 days.

In September 2021, the South West Institute for Teaching (SWIFT) entered a new phase as the area lead for the largest reform of CPD since the introduction of the National Strategy in 1998.
 
Through the newly designated Colyton and Kingsbridge Teaching School Hubs, SWIFT has led the introduction of the Early Career Framework, new statutory induction arrangements for Early Career Teachers through our Appropriate Body Services, and the roll-out of new and reformed NPQs.
 
To implement these reforms, SWIFT has created a wide-ranging partnership with legacy Teaching Schools, DFE providers, including English Hubs and the Kingsbridge Research School; as well as leading Trusts and schools.
 
SWIFT represents one of the most developed partnership models nationally in its scope and depth.
 
So, after 100 days, what has been achieved?
Here is a summary in metrics of the work that has been undertaken. 

Metrics tell us something but not everything.
Hopefully this new-look monthly Update newsletter that you are reading will give you insights into the wider people that form the SWIFT community.
 
What this table does show, however, is that we have been able to achieve (and in many cases exceed) the intended scale and breadth of CPD expected of us and that in doing so many of key training needs Devon, Plymouth and Torbay schools have been met. Our partnership model has been key to achieving this.
 
We have ambitious plans to build on this positive early start, offering a wider range of CPD that meets the ‘best of national’ standard and we expect by the start of the Summer Term 2022 to share with schools the programme for next year.
 
On behalf of everyone involved with SWIFT, I would like to take this opportunity to thank schools and Trusts for the commitment shown to the partnership.
 
 Report by SWIFT Director, Martin Smith. 

You can also read more about upcoming CPD events and programmes and the next Professional Communities from our partners. Find out more about the Instructional Coaching Programme, the Get into Teaching Event in Plymouth and bookings are open for the SWIFT Literacy Conference 2022, and more besides.

You can read it here...

While the heavyweight issues of declining education budgets and increased carbon emissions wrestle for our attention, what better time to think about the lifecycle of technology products — and how we can manage them more effectively.
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To help tackle these challenges, Computeam is delighted to introduce our Trade2Train recycling service. This forward-thinking initiative offers schools a sustainable method of offloading redundant technology equipment in a safe, secure and ecologically-responsible way — all the while protecting our client’s sensitive data. The service also provides access to any residual value — in the form of essential training services for pupils or teachers.

Follow the link to read more: 

As part of our commitment to support student and staff mental wellbeing in our schools, we are pleased to bring this six-part series of training on topics relevant for today's young people, delivered by one of the UK's most respected mental health charities, the Charlie Waller Trust. 



​Suitable for all school staff, the events take place online led by experienced professional practitioners and are mostly after the school day so that colleagues can benefit. 

6. The Teen Brain Matters | Jo Billington
Tuesday 14 June 2022 | 1545 – 1745

The Teen Brain Matters workshop combines the latest understanding of neuroscience and developmental psychology with practical strategies to help teachers understand the changes students are going through, and what they, as teachers, can do to support learning and personal development.

Cost | FREE for SWIFT members included in the membership.
Non-members | £25 per session (or all sessions at £100).  
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Computeam became the new strategic IT partner for The Forward Education Trust (FET), a Multi Academy Trust of SEND schools located in and around Birmingham, following a successful national tendering exercise via the DfE in 2020. Computeam have worked since then to drive a trust-wide IT strategy, whilst preparing for the opening of two new-build schools in September 2021.

The Forward Education Trust caters for a wide range of specialist needs amongst its pupils, ranging from SEMH to PMLD and every school’s requirements for IT are different. 

The Challenge was to harness a capital build project to improve IT across the Trust.

FET’s successful outcomes for SEND pupils at its existing schools had enabled it to bid for several new build programmes let by the DfE and the local council. These programmes come with capital budgets to provide a good infrastructure in the new building, however the Trust wanted to use this investment as a springboard to improve provision across its existing schools, much of which had suffered from a lack of available funding in recent years.

Follow the link to read more: ​

It’s almost that time of year when employers start to receive multiple requests for holiday leave over the Christmas period, and with many having been unable or unwilling to take leave throughout the year, chances are there will be quite a few bookings for the same dates!

Clearly if staff all want the same days off, there is likely to be some conflict between colleagues, so how can you deal with this and make the process as fair as possible?

The reality is, that regardless as to what you do, someone will be unhappy…
Read here a guide to managing leave requests over the Christmas season...

Encourage Early Planning
Most employees will know the specific times that they want off, whether it’s before, during or after the festivities start, so encourage them to get their requests in as early as possible. This way, you have as much time as possible to plan for staffing levels and can encourage staff not to leave too much of their entitlement until the last minute.

Understand Your Obligations
If you require staff to take annual leave at a time that suits the business, or that they use annual leave for any shut down period, make sure that you have the right to do so. If you need to close the business over the festive period but require staff use some of their annual leave entitlement for this, then you need to give them at least twice as many days’ notice of the days that you want them to take off, i.e. you need to give them four days’ notice if you require them to use two days’ holiday.

Although in reality, if you are going to require staff to take holiday at specified dates, it is advisable to give them as much notice as possible. Best practice would be to give something like 11 months’ notice so that employees can plan their holiday year.

Check any policies and contracts to see whether you have the ability to either cancel, amend or force leave to be taken at a specific time. Even if you do have those rights, be aware that enforcing them could create a negative environment and harm the business’ culture and reputation.

Be Clear
Make sure that you are clear as to whether or not you will allow holiday leave to be carried over to the following year and that if it can’t be, employees understand that if it is not booked, it will be lost. If you have a holiday request policy, ensure that staff are aware of this and understand that any requests will be dealt with in line with the policy, which could help in the event that you are required to refuse some requests.

Ensure you are Fair!
Whether you choose a ‘first-come first-served’ approach or request that all bookings are made by a certain date, ensure you are fair. Whichever approach you take, you’re almost guaranteed to upset someone…maybe they joined the company after the date to put requests in or were unable to get their requests in early for some reason. If you pick a system, you need to stick with it.

Ultimately, whilst you should try and ensure fairness across the board, some employees will probably end up feeling slightly demotivated and upset; but by trying to manage expectations and giving as much notice as possible, you should be able to reduce this considerably.
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If you require any assistance or would like any advice, then please get in touch with a member of the team on 01752 663295.

We are delighted to welcome over 100 leaders from across the SWIFT partnership to today's inaugural SWIFT Leadership Forum. Please find below the programme agenda and slides. 

We are delighted to announce the 2022 Mental Wellbeing Week to support all staff in schools.
Monday 14 to Thursday 17 February 2022 | Online 

The mental wellbeing of students has always been central to staff who work in schools.
As working with young people brings its own stresses, our own mental wellbeing needs to be carefully nurtured as well. Experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery has brought into even sharper focus the need to support strong mental well-being.

Thursday 17 February 2022 | Time TBC
Jen McDiarmid | Interactive Live Family Cookery Session
This interactive cookery lesson will be run from Jen's kitchen and is a fun way to do a ‘cook along with Jen’. 

Jen will be preparing the following quick dishes based on healthy eating principles:

• Loaded sweet potato skins
• Meat-free shepherd’s pie with cauliflower mash
• Immune boosting shot preparation
• Orange and raisin oat cookies

The recipes will be easy, and a fun way to understand how to apply some healthy cooking in our everyday lives.

This session will be pre-recorded so that participants can watch at your convenience and the ingredients list for each meal will be shared at the start of the week and the recordings available on Thursday 17 February 2022. 
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Thursday 17 February 2022 | 1545 – 1645
Charlie Waller Trust | Developing a Wellbeing Action Plan
The session will cover the importance of looking after our mental health, developing your own wellbeing plan, understanding how stress and pressure can affect our health. It will discuss strategies to look after yourself, along with further resources and support.

​In the case of Efobi v Royal Mail Group Ltd, the Claimant brought a claim of race discrimination, victimisation and harassment after being rejected from over 30 different IT roles within the Respondent over a four-year period.

The Claimant had been working as a postman, but wanted a change of role within the organisation.
The Employment Tribunal (“ET”) upheld part of the Claimant’s claim – being that he had been subject to victimisation and harassment, but disagreed that he had been a victim of direct discrimination. The Claimant appealed the decision in the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”), stating that the ET should have drawn adverse inference on the basis that the Respondent only provided evidence from two managers showing its general recruitment process, and not evidence from those who had specifically dealt with his applications.

Interestingly, the EAT agreed with the Claimant, and allowed his appeal.

However, the Respondent submitted a further appeal to the Court of Appeal (“CoA”), in which the CoA held that the initial judgment would stand and the Claimant’s claim for discrimination should be dismissed. The case didn’t end there however…

The Claimant appealed the CoA’s decision and took the case to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately for him, agreed with the CoA and the initial ET ruling. The Claimant argued that since the introduction of the Equality Act in 2010, the test for discrimination had changed.

Burden of Proof for Discrimination
Previously, under the Race Relations Act 1976, the burden of proof to evidence the fact that discrimination had occurred was specifically on the Claimant. If the Claimant was unable to do so, then their claim would fail; however, if they were able to, the burden of proof would then shift to the Respondent who would have to provide evidence to the contrary.

When the Equality Act came into force, the wording was changed from “where the complainant proves facts” to “if there are facts”. It was this change of wording that the Claimant relied on as he argued that there was no burden of proof on him; rather it would be for the Tribunal to consider all of the evidence put before it and to make a decision based on that.

Adverse Inferences
The second point the Claimant argued was that the Tribunal should have drawn an adverse inference from the Respondent’s decision to call to general managers with knowledge of the recruitment process, rather than those that actually dealt with his applications. 

Ruling
The Supreme Court stated that the implementation of the Equality Act did not in fact change the burden of proof, nor did it eliminate the need for Claimants to prove that they have been the victim of discrimination.
The Court further cited the Equality Act’s explanatory notes, which confirm that it is for the Claimant to prove that discrimination had taken place. 

The Supreme Court also held that Tribunals are free to draw, or refuse to draw, adverse inferences based on the individual facts of the case and using common sense, rather than referring to previous case law. In this case, the Tribunal had decided not to draw an adverse inference, and the Supreme Court agreed with this approach.

If you require any assistance or would like any advice on discrimination issues, then please get in touch with a member of the team on 01752 663295.

Please see below our SWIFT Privacy Notices in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) about how we process personal data. 

Earlier this term, we were so excited, finally, to run the event planned pre-pandemic:  ‘A Morning with Alex Quigley’ at St James School, Exeter on Friday 24 September 2021. 

Lindsay Skinner, Headteacher of St James and author, opened the event, before Alex Quigley took us through the rationale of a multifaceted approach when ‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap’ advising that ‘familiarity breeds contentment’, and that we need to think about, ‘what we going to teach explicitly’ to ensure we are ‘baking this approach into our plans’ in order to support removing disfluency so pupils can access their learning.

The ubiquitous nature of the internet has made confident and fearless digital navigators out of the modern student.

With a significant percentage of their existence spent connected — both at school and at home —children of all age groups have become incredibly fluent in the seemingly-complex language of the online experience. For better or worse, it’s not a trend that’s likely to subside anytime soon.


While the internet has had an abundance of positive effects on the education system — supercharging the entire learning/teaching paradigm with more dynamism and accessibility — there remains a duty of care for educators to ensure that a child’s online ventures are made safe. That means, safeguarding all students against any emotional stress or potential harm while using school-owned devices or while logged into school systems.

Follow the link to read more: 

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You can also read more about upcoming CPD events and programmes from our various partners - including the new Professional Communities ; as well as an update on our work as Delivery Partner for the Early Career Framework and an introduction to our new sponsors.   

You can read it here...

We are delighted to invite you to attend the first SWIFT Leadership Forum which will take place on Thursday 25th November 2021 | 1400 – 1645. 

The UPDATED event flyer (041121) can be accessed below. 

Royal Academy of Engineering | Future of Flight 
Wednesday 24 November 2021 | 1600 until 1800 | Colyton Grammar School, Colyford

An opportunity to network with other teachers of STEM subjects over some refreshments before engaging in activities from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s latest resource, The Future of Flight.

Each attending school will receive a free box of equipment to do the activities with their students.

The Future of Flight introduces pupils to the technology of the future through the context of aeronautical engineering. It aims to inspire the next generation of young engineers asking them to consider how they can push the boundaries of technology through eight flight focused challenges.

Challenge topics include - theory of flight, artificial Intelligence, health monitoring and clean engines, smart materials, communication.

Benefits of involvement in the Connecting STEM Teachers Programme include:

• FREE resource kits to use with your classes
• Enhance the provision of STEM learning in your school
• Opportunity to share good practice and work with other teachers

• Access to Engineering career resources, grant and funding opportunities
• Activities that support teacher assessments and coursework in STEM subjects
• Improved student progression to STEM subjects at Post-16
• Improved perception of STEM subjects with under-represented groups

This project is designed to support non-specialist teachers teaching Maths in a secondary school to develop specialist knowledge for teaching Mathematics, and enabling them to understand, teach and support students in Maths in the classroom. 

Part of the Maths Hubs Network Collaborative Projects for 2021-2022, this programme is aligned to the NCETM teaching for mastery pedagogy and is based on six key themes:
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• Structure of the number system
• Operating on number
• Multiplicative reasoning
• Sequences and graphs
• Statistics and probability
• Geometry

Participants will explore these themes, supported by an experienced secondary practitioner. 

​Audience | This programme is for non-specialist teachers of Maths in state-funded schools who have not undertaken initial teacher training (ITT) in Mathematics.

Register your interest by no later than Friday 22 October 2021.

If there is sufficient space in the cohort, other Teachers of Maths who do not fit this definition, but would benefit from this support may also participate.

Thursday 7 October 2021 | West Exe School, Exeter
 
We were pleased to host a free Train to Teach | Get into Teaching event last Thursday (7 October 2021) in person at West Exe School, Exeter.

Nearly 60 delegates attended this event that provided opportunity to find out more about teacher training in the region and to gain advice from experts and training providers.

With all the advantages of a live face-to-face event, attendees enjoyed meeting and chatting with the following Primary and Secondary Teacher Training providers; and Universities, School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT’s) and School Direct providers:

• Cornerstone Academy Trust
• Devon Primary SCITT
• Exeter Consortium Schools’ Alliance
• First Federation
• Jurassic Coast Teacher Network
• Plymouth Marjon University
• University of Exeter
• University of Plymouth
• West Country Training School Alliance

 
Also available to answer questions were the National Education Union, who represent the majority of teachers and educational professionals in the UK, including trainee teachers and not-for-profit supply agency, Exeter Supply Partnership who bridge the gap between highly skilled supply teachers and their next job.

Maximising Learning Through Extensive Processing Instruction 
Monday 29 November 2021 | 0900 - 1600 | Coombeshead Academy

This course is an introduction to the pedagogy and systems of the Listening as Modelling and Extensive Processing Instruction theories and practices in teaching Modern Foreign Languages.
 
It will blend linguistic, cognitive and educational research to both support designing an evidence-based MFL curriculum; as well as sharing approachable and engaging tasks that can be used the very next day with students.
 
Dr Gianfranco Conti will deliver this approach that has been pioneered by himself, along with Steve Smith and Dylan Viñales; and that have been widely embraced by the MFL community. This is due to their positive impact on student engagement and progress, higher attainment and increased uptake of languages at GCSE.

Cost | SWIFT Members £100 | Other Colleagues £125
PLEASE BOOK BY Monday 22 November 2021
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Contact | Sarah Frame or Jude Owens