The next EVENTS issue has landed with a featured article, highlighted programmes, courses and events from our delivery partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. 

Coaching for Leaders
The Coaching for Leaders workshop is designed to equip leaders and coaches with the confidence and skills to make a real impact. Participants will gain practical coaching tools, receive feedback on their style, and learn how to engage teams, align goals, and navigate challenging conversations with ease.
Find out more and book here.
 
Highlighted Courses/Support:

• SWIFT Secondary Leadership Professional Community
• Adaptive Teaching: primary staff meeting series
• SWIFT Sixth Form Professional Community
• The Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher (MTPT) Project
• Professional Communities

• Primary and Secondary Subject Briefing
• EYFS & Primary Courses
• Secondary & Sixth Form Courses
• Other events for your diary

This year's conference at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Exeter was bigger than ever, opened by visual artist, David Shrigley with panache and purpose. David reminded the audience how teaching Art "is not only about technique or curriculum – it is about nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and courage."

Through workshops, delegates shared ideas, challenges, and successes across their own Schools and Trusts, and counties. Inspiring Art Leads, including Sara Elston (WEST Trust) and Renata Fry (Ted Wragg Trust), shared their stories about how to sustain passion and purpose in their careers, and the transformative impact of working with artists in schools.

One of the most personal and powerful parts of the day for Sam was sharing the CODEX Project: a collaboration between Sidmouth School of Art, Sidmouth College, artist Emma Molony and Sam himself. This marked a moving return to Sam's roots to his old school where Emma’s mother, Liz, was his Art Teacher.

"To go back, not as a student, but as an artist and teacher, and to work with the next generation of young creatives was incredibly moving."

This conference was a new chapter, built on a strong foundation over the past decade by Sam and Tim Wightman as co-lead of the Devon Art Teachers’ Conference, continuing the legacy of Phil Creek and Chris Wightman (Tim’s father).

Inspired by their vision of "a connected, collaborative community of art educators," this year they took that vision a step further and expanded the reach across the South West, bringing together educators from all phases, settings, and provisions - from Early Career Teachers to experienced Subject Leads.

"The day was a celebration of teaching as an art form in itself, and a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to the future of art and design education."

We thank Sam for his engaging enthusiasm for the Arts and for all that he does to support creative journeys in the classroom and the community. 
Report by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

Be part of the Arts Journey
If you live in the South West and want to get involved in this growing network of Art Teachers, or learn more about CODEX and future events, we encourage you to contact Sam Eyre.

Watch out for details of the 2026 Summer Art Conference.

 “It is great that units of learning can be adapted to align with the school’s own development, which means that the ECT’s areas for development are rooted in the context of a “real life” school. The impact of the ECT’s development will be tangible, observable and practicable.”

Our Teaching School Hubs Team have been busy leading the Early Career Teacher Programme induction conferences this week and we seized the opportunity to interview Jayne Miners, a Primary Mentor at Halwill Primary School.

Jayne qualified as a Teacher of the Deaf over 20 years ago and has taught most year groups across the primary phase. She also has a Master’s in Educational Audiology and an NPQ in Leading Teacher Development. Jayne returned to mainstream teaching at Halwill Primary School, part of The Carey Federation led by Executive Headteacher Ruh Alford and in 2014 became the Head of Teaching and Learning.
 
Jayne recalls her excitement teaching her first class of children armed with a PGCE qualification and endless enthusiasm. Luckily, she took to teaching and loved it then and she still loves it all these years later and is grateful to have worked with a fabulous team of teachers where personal and professional support was unwavering.
 
However, thinking back to her NQT year (as it was called back then) her experience was very different to that of an Early Career Teacher (ECT) today. Her development as a teacher was measured through formal lesson observations, and this felt very much like a judgement rather than an opportunity for professional development. There was little space in the system, at that time, to sit and reflect on best practice and ways to develop skills needed to ensure each child was getting the best possible teaching.
 
This is why Jayne believes the Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP) framework offers the ECT a very different and much needed experience that scaffolds and sequences learning across a well-planned two-year cycle.

​1. How does your role as a Primary Mentor for the ECTP benefit you personally?
First and foremost, being a Mentor is something that I greatly enjoy.
To be able to support an Early Career Teacher (ECT) to begin their journey into education is a privilege. Building relationships and providing a safe place for the ECT to share their experiences, is at the heart of it all.
 
I enjoy dedicated time to read relevant research material, and, in all honesty, this could be lost were I not a Mentor. My thinking is focused on how pedagogy and teaching materials can be best utilised. Better informed, I can help the ECT to find those active ingredients needed to facilitate effective teaching with vison and clarity.
 
2. How has the role and training supported your work in school?
As Head of Teaching and Learning, planning for and leading professional development is key.
The reading and the training I receive as a Mentor helps me to reflect on the ways I can support staff to build knowledge, develop teaching techniques, motivate and embed practice. The material presented by the National Institute of Teaching’s platform, PRISM allows us to develop that evidence-based approach and aligns with the explore, plan, deliver sustain cycle of development.
 
3. What do you consider to be the advantages of the new Early Career Teacher Programme?
There is a clear structure and expectation that enables Mentors and ECTs to focus on improving skills to improve outcomes for pupils – and that is what it is all about!
 
It is great that units of learning can be adapted to align with the school’s own development, which means that the ECT‘s areas for development are rooted in the context of a “real life” school. The impact of the ECT’s development will be tangible, observable and practicable.
 
4. How do you tailor your mentoring to support Early Career Teachers in your school/Trust to apply the ECTP framework within the primary classroom?
Once we had both attended our induction seminars, we met to discuss the logistics of meeting space and times and the use of use of PRISM and when would be best to carry out weekly observations.
 
Also, we had an honest conversation about the way information should be relayed. Every Mentor is different. Some like to muse over observation notes, whilst some can happily digest there and then and the way they like to share ideas, even as small a point as the way we sit – opposite each other, or side by side.
 
This is all with the aim of allowing the ECT to feel most comfortable. This transparency has always been so effective and allows the ECT to take ownership of the pace and delivery of the meeting. Then we looked carefully at the Self Study units and how electives would be selected following diagnostic tools.
 
Following this, the ECT and I discussed our observations. I stress the “our” because once notes are taken, it becomes a collaborative process where granular elements for practice can be discussed. We talked about the need for each precise practice to be small enough so that it can be easily implemented and have the highest leverage very quickly.
 
This is a truly great way to approach development and very different from way back in 1993!

5. What are your hopes for this academic year?
To continue to sustain high expectations in my own practice and behaviours to show how much I care about the education of the children in the Carey Federation School and to continue to develop as a Mentor to ensure that I am best placed to support all staff including those very first steps of the ECT at the beginning of their exciting journey.

In the SWIFT spirit of partnership, our ​Executive Director Martin Smith opens this October issue musing on "the power of a unifying cause" further to the launch conference for Your Future Story last month. 

"The Colyton Foundation – which has set up Your Future Story – has laid bare the inequity faced by disadvantaged pupils, and particularly high prior attainers, in the South West and sets out an ambitious, long-term plan to address this issue. Huge credit goes to The Foundation for bringing together over 100 school leaders and champions from schools across the region."

Read more about the conference and onwards work led by The Colyton Foundation in this issue. 

As the term races on, if you have yet to do so, you can still take up the SWIFT CPD and Membership offer for 2025 - 2026. FREE access to a wealth of briefings and Professional Communities, plus a minimum 30% discount on an extensive range of courses and conferences, many of which are led by educational experts. Find more info and register here 

This is the final week before the application window closes for the next National Professional Qualifications scholarship funded places. Funded places are limited nationally, and you will be well placed to apply. Unlike previous years, there is only ONE COHORT of programmes this academic year 2025 - 2026, due to commence in late November. If you are thinking about your next steps, get your application in by Friday 10 October 2025!

In this timely week when Mentors have been engaged in their Early Career Teacher Programme induction sessions, we interview Jayne Miners, Primary ECTP Mentor at Halwill Primary School, part of The Carey Federation. All her wisdom and experience shine through.

Find out what evidence-informed practice looks like in a Special School setting by guest blogger for Devon Research School, Julie Chatterton, Head of School at ACE Tiverton School:
"At ACE Tiverton the school wide practice of Restorative Justice is an excellent example of this. It is an approach grounded in evidence, whilst also being one that allows us to focus our underpinning value of ​“unconditional regard.”

We congratulate Danni Cooke on her appointment to the National English Hub Council. A fitting accolade for her dedicated and enthusiastic work for the Ilsham English Hub and our SWIFT Subject Leaders Briefings.

Our sponsors bring news and services to support you too.

If you are looking for a dependable Early Years and Primary teacher supply service with heart, we remind you about Exeter Supply Partnership. With their not-for-profit ethos, every penny goes back into supporting schools, nurseries and educators locally. Definitely worth noting their contact details, if you have not already. 
 
Educatering explains how you and your school can benefit from British Food Fortnight and why it matters in providing a whole nutritious experience to our children and young people in schools.  And if food waste is an issue in your school, Head of Educatering Services, Rob Stevens is available to visit your school to speak and support your Catering Teams. Contact Rob HERE 

This is the final instalment of the reflective teaching and learning dialogue between ONVU Learning VP Matt Tiplin, with East Midlands, Discovery Schools Academies Trust CEO, Paul Stone. This time they discuss equity, culture, and confidence and what happens when teachers lead the change. This is tried and tested tech that is making a difference. See how it might work for you. 

Thank you for being part of our SWIFT story and we wish you an uplifting continuation of the second half of this Autumn Half Term.