​

Jurassic Maths Hub Taster Events: Primary and Early Years

There is also the opportunity to attend four online half hour taster events for schools interested in finding out more about how the Maths Hub Work Groups focuses on Mathematics teaching and learning through the professional development offer.
 
All colleagues in the Jurassic region are invited to attend. 

​Monday 5 June 2023 | from 1600 – 1630
Five Big Ideas of Teaching for Mastery

​Of particular interest to primary teachers and schools who have yet to engage with the teaching for mastery programmes. 

Wednesday 7 June 2023 | from 1600 – 1630 | Early Number
Of particular interest to Reception and Key Stage 1 teachers who have yet to engage with a Maths Hub programme focussed on early number and Subject Leaders who are Key Stage 2-based. 

​Monday 19 June 2023 | from 1530 – 1600 | Oracy
Of particular interest to anyone exploring the development of oracy in maths and/or working on closing the disadvantaged gap.

Monday 3 July 2023 | from 1600 – 1630 | Executive Function
Of particular interest to teachers in all phases focused on studying learners in order to understand their mathematical thinking, the role of research and cognitive science and mathematics. 

This issue includes a featured article and some highlighted programmes, courses and events. from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. Simply click on the booking link, to the course or event you are interested in, to get more details or book straight on!


Featured in this issue we have:
 
SWIFT Curriculum Forum
Effective curriculum design and delivery sits at the heart of great education for children. Recent years has seen a renewal of leadership focus on curriculum. SWIFT Curriculum Forums are termly meetings that bring together middle and senior leaders from diverse educational settings to examine latest approaches to curriculum. We aim to bring together the best of regional, national and available evidence in a short, easy to access session.
 

Highlighted Programmes:

•   SWIFT Summer Conference #SumConf2023
• Sixth Form Professional Community
• Celebrating Cultural Diversity | Lyfta
• Devon School Business Managers Association Annual Conference
• Early Talk Boost
• Events for your diary

The results are in and it is very pleasing to report on the final programme assessment for our SWIFT/ Leading Schools South West (LSSW) programme members on the specialist National Professional Qualifications (NPQs):
 
NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture (NPQLBC)
NPQ for Leading Teaching (NPQLT)
NPQ for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)
 
Our Cohort 1b participants embarked on the programme in February 2022 culminating in the final programme assessment this February 2023.

In order to pass, all participants were required to engage in a minimum of 90% of the online seminars and face-to-face course sessions and to pass the final summative assessment, a written response to a school-based study, that draws on the content learned throughout the programme.
 
We are delighted to report on a 100% pass rate for the cohort. 
This is a hugely significant result as nationally SWIFT/LSSW were one of only two Teach First delivery partners to achieve 100% passes (see the table below that shows the Teach First National pass rate):

The post is based at our Colyton Office and can be flexibly structured to accommodate applicants that are seeking full or part-time employment (1.0 - 0.6 FTE), with the option of office or hybrid working arrangements.

We are strongly committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
For us Diversity means ensuring that diverse representation is built into everything we do, Equity means we remove barriers to access and Inclusion means we embrace and respect the full range of human identities.

Safeguarding of children is our highest priority and the successful applicant will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. 

More Information 

Salary | L19-L22* £69,022 - £74,283 p.a.
Full-Time / Part-Time, Permanent* (*subject to staffing review confirmation). 
Start Date | 1 September 2023
Closing Date for Applications | Monday 22 May 2023 noon
Interviews | between Wednesday 24 and Friday 26 May 2023

N.B. This post is not suitable for ECTs (NQTs).

In this issue, ​ESW Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools | Education South West, Roger Pope CBE reflects how history can be traced through the evolution of language and the context of the reasons behind the teacher strikes.

"Never have we had such need for sensitive, subtle, nuanced school leadership as now."

You can also read about the Spring Term Curriculum Forum, the ECF Extra session on High Expectations and Behaviour and as part of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work, read an interview with Louise Jaunbocus-Cooper, Co-Founder of MixEd. Have your say in the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) Consultation on Professional Development and catch-up on the Mother of All Pay Gaps 2023 Conference. 

We introduce our new sponsor Praestantia Technology and their IT services for school and SchoolPro share insights into Marginal Gains impacting attendance and how they could help your school.

Discover more about our sponsors' services from Lyfta who celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development and Atomi who provide engaging curriculum content to to find better ways to make learning fun. Educatering share their healthy food innovations for schools and find out about working as a supply teacher in the nursery/primary sector in Devon and Torbay with Exeter Supply Partnership. 

1. How do you envisage the continued role of education in opening up the conversation about mixed race?
Both Louise and Marcus are senior school leaders and value the role of education in providing a space and an understanding about mixed identity.
Louise is Deputy Headteacher at Wellington School, a 11 - 18 years school with Academy status in Timperley in Greater Manchester and Marcus is Regional Education Director for E-ACT.
 
I believe it is always important to look at things from an educationalist’s perspective and to consider our outside work persona and how others are treated.
 
Student voice is an essential part of this conversation in education and you can read a powerful blog on the website by Jordan a secondary student of mixed race, sadly, on the fringes of criminality who writes about his experiences and hopes.
 
In my own school, we have looked at decolonisation of the curriculum that required a staff mindset change, beyond a departmental or teacher level as a culture shift about identity.
 
The biggest misconception for me is around the misconception about who you are.
I am known as “white passing” because I am still quite fair skinned despite my dual ethnicity that means it stays hidden. People sometimes say things to me - including casual Islamophobia - and do not realise that this is offensive to me. But because I feel that I do not fit into a neat ethnicity space because of the colour of my skin, it does not feel right to be offended. It is the opposite experience for Marcus, as people make misconceptions about his culture due to the colour of his skin and assumptions about his appearance of ethnicity.
 
Assumptions can be based on what people cannot see, which makes it a unique experience for people of mixed race.
 
However, it is significant to note that even people of mixed race are not a homogenous group.
They are all very different and with very different lived experiences.
 
I recall an incident when I was a child in McDonald’s in Rochdale with my Mum and brother, who is darker-skinned than me. A lady came up to my Mum and said “How lovely, you’ve got one dark and one white.” It was well-meaning, but clearly inappropriate and growing up in Oldham as a family we were used to overt racism. 

Part of our MixEd work is providing training in schools to support them on their journey – which starts from reviewing policy to staff training, to the curriculum and we are big on promoting student voice.
 
In our school, we have a Gender Equality Council who have led awareness campaigns on period poverty, sexism, and gender pronouns. Our Race Equality Council Year 8 students led a thought-provoking assembly on afro-textured hair and talked about the history of hair discrimination dating back to the Transatlantic slave trade and will be leading a future assembly on micro aggressions. Whilst the LGBTQIA+ Council has looked at gender pronouns and making schools safe for transgender students.
 
“As Educationalists, you could say that we have the most important role to influence the future generation.”

2. Are you optimistic in our Black Lives Matter era?
Yes, I am optimistic that education is proactive in the post-George Floyd Black Lives Matter sphere and has galvanised thinking. But we need to do more.

A growing number of Schools and Multi Academy Trusts are approaching MixEd. So, there is lots of hope of positive change and young people are brilliant.
 
However, I am mindful of the recent Met Police report and blatant racism that was very disheartening, which I believe has a lot to do with the institutional structures.

I also worry about immigration rhetoric and racism in certain areas of the country that is polarising one group against another and is often used as a weapon against people. See the recent issues about immigrants in Liverpool.
​
So, there is wider work to be done.
 
3. What do you consider to be the success (es) of Mix-Ed to date? 
Quite simply, but significantly, MixEd is a platform that amplifies the voices of people of mixed race and as part of our work, Marcus and I meet some amazing people who want to work with us and we are proud to be the trailblazers in this work.
 
Our collaboration with Diverse Educators is another important space for us and we are grateful for the opportunities provided to us.
 
4. What are your personal gains in leading Mix-Ed?
Huge!
 
Marcus and I are “very, very proud on a personal level” of what we have created today that was conceived from a chance chat on Twitter.
It still blows me away how many new wonderful people we meet who are passionate and engaged and want the same things as us and that we can help to make them feel safe.
 
It also affirms a sense that the world is a good place – especially, if and when, you read the doom and gloom on social media.
 
“It heartens me and keeps me going and we can only impact what we can impact.”
 
5. Looking to the future, what are your main aims for Mix-Ed?
The big one is to allocate some more time to MixEd from next year.
 
We will be relaunching the website and will be offering low-cost training to help retain and recruit minority ethnic staff to help support the recruitment crisis in the teaching profession; especially as so many people of mixed identity say that they do not see themselves represented on the staff body. We will also be offering a coaching model from September to coach Early Career Teachers and aspiring senior leaders.
 
And finally, we want others to continue to join us and to feel safe in their mixed identity.
 
We thank Louise and Marcus for sharing their experiences and for their ongoing MixEd work in providing a safe space for others of mixed ethnicity and identity and may it continue to be rewarding, as well as successful. 

Interview by Jude Owens, PA to the SWIFT Executive Team