March marches on and we are pleased to bring you the latest UPDATE.

Following the publication of the White Paper last week Executive Director Martin Smith reflects on: "the renewed commitment to strengthening the education workforce, particularly the investment in recruiting 6,500 new teachers and the significant expansion of high‑quality professional development opportunities." 

We are here to play our part as Teaching School Hubs to support you in our delivery of the Early Career Framework, National Professional Qualifications, and evidence‑informed CPD across our region. 

Meanwhile, founder and Lead Coach of The Thinking Academy, Leonie Hurrell shares her thinking behind the "Leadership Skills" course designed to help leaders boost their self-awareness, build connections, and communicate clearly, including the importance of soft skills. Feedback from this week's course is heartening: 
"It was valuable to be reflective and a great opportunity to plan next steps for my leadership' (said one delegate).

With engagement referenced in the White Paper The Engagement Platform (TEP) engage us with their February 2026 findings, drawn from 165,000 pupils across 263 schools and articulate what engagement means. You can take advantage for your School/Trust with a special subsidy for Colyton Foundation partner schools, as well as all other schools.  

This month's interview is a thoughtful piece on Religious Education in schools with Ed Pawson, our SWIFT RE Professional Community Lead and Consultant. A natural enthusiast for the subject, Ed reminds us of the value in networking and building a community through the Professional Community. 

Always in tune with the latest teaching and learning research, Devon Research School (DRS) signposts us to some practical ways to help pupils build independence through explicit teaching and careful scaffolding in the recent Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) blog.

Our sponsor SchoolPro TLC continues the theme of wellbeing and supervision for school leaders and how stress is not just stress anymore - it is a safeguarding issue. The Safeguarding Team are there to provide support and you contact here

Educatering our school catering sponsor share some of their foodie in-school delights - including pizza and cookie making and an imaginative Taste, Touch, Smell – I am a Teacher, Get Me Out of Here session (the proof is in the pics). Contact the Team here to find out how they can support your Catering Teams.

If you have planned absence on the horizon, our sponsor Exeter Supply Partnership are ready to help you get organised and with their not-for-profit ethos you can feel doubly positive. Contact them here for support. 

This should keep us all focused and as spring edges ever nearer, we wish you a rewarding continuation of this Spring Term.

We were pleased to see the White Paper signal a material shift in the role of pupil engagement as a school improvement lever, with TEP highlighted as a case study:
 
"Schools are taking new approaches to measure pupil, employee and family engagement. One example is The Engagement Platform (TEP). TEP works with schools, local authorities and trusts nationwide to generate data insights on their performance, to target their practice and improve outcomes.
 
TEP data, now drawing from 300,000 children, indicates that low engagement is often linked to low attainment outcomes and poor attendance. Secondary school pupils with lower engagement scores are around three times more likely to be persistently absent than pupils with high engagement scores.
 
Equipping schools with data on pupil engagement enables them to target interventions and improve practice. Schools focusing on activities such as improving transition support, actively listening to pupil and employee groups, and using inclusive routines, have been able to achieve engagement scores that are better than the national average."

In response to the publication of the White Paper, Professor John Jerrim, Research Director at The Engagement Platform, has published the background literature and evidence-base underpinning TEP's engagement framework (see "Background and development of TEP measure of pupil engagement").

What the Research Tells Us
Engagement is what researchers call a "meta-construct": not a single trait, but an umbrella concept combining cognitive engagement (what pupils think about school), emotional engagement (what they feel about school and their relationships within it), and behavioural engagement (how they act). TEP's framework captures eleven distinct drivers across these three domains, including agency, peer relationships, safety and inclusion.
 
TEP’s latest February 2026 findings, drawn from 165,000 pupils across 263 schools, provides evidence that this framework maps onto measurable outcomes. Persistent absence rates differ substantially by engagement level: in primary schools, the gap between the lowest and highest engagement thirds is eleven percentage points; in secondary, nineteen. On attainment, schools in the top third for engagement average nearly ten Attainment 8 points higher than those in the bottom third - roughly a full GCSE grade per subject. At primary, schools in the highest quartile for the agency driver see 45% more pupils achieving the higher standard in RWM at KS2.-

​he data also points to staff engagement as an independent predictor of pupil outcomes, distinct from school intake or local deprivation levels. Within the higher-disadvantage half of the sample, schools in the top third for staff engagement had persistent absence rates 9.4 percentage points lower and Attainment 8 scores 6.5 points higher than the bottom third. This shows us that staff engagement is not a parallel concern to pupil engagement. It is a predictor of it, and one that schools can actively influence.  
 
Taken together, the findings suggest that engagement data, when measured rigorously and benchmarked with precision, functions as a lead indicator: pointing to where outcomes are heading before they arrive, and where the conditions for improvement might most usefully be examined.

We are pleased to announce that the Colyton Foundation has secured a 50% subsidy this academic year for all Colyton Foundation partner schools — with a 40% subsidy also available to all other schools.

Report by Agnes Fitzpatrick, Regional Director, The Engagement Platform 

The day before she will be leading the Leadership Skills Training Day, Founder and Lead Coach, Leonie Hurrell of The Thinking Academy reflects on the importance of soft skills to empower leaders. 

In today’s fast-paced educational world, being an effective leader is more important than ever. Many leaders know they need to handle tough conversations, motivate disengaged team members, and rebuild trust.
 
But figuring out how to do these things can be tricky.
 
As a coach for educational leaders and a former Headteacher, I have noticed that whilst we have plenty of knowledge and tangible skills, we often miss out on developing those essential soft skills. Most professional development courses focus on content, strategy, and evaluation — all valid areas. But without the necessary soft skills, our strategies may struggle to make meaningful impact.
 
That is why I created the "Leadership Skills" course that is all about helping leaders boost their self-awareness, build connections, and communicate clearly, so they can really thrive and create effective and energised teams.

​The Power of Soft Skills
Research shows that strong soft skills can make a huge difference for school leaders, especially Headteachers.
 
A study from the National College for Teaching and Leadership points out that effective leadership goes beyond technical skills; it includes emotional intelligence, trust-building, and communication (National College for Teaching and Leadership, 2015).
 
Leaders who develop these skills can better navigate interpersonal relationships and create a positive, safe and engaging environment in their schools.
 
Brené Brown, a well-known researcher on vulnerability and emotional intelligence, highlights that leaders who embrace vulnerability and build genuine connections create more resilient teams. When leaders connect with their teams, they foster collaboration and support, boosting morale and job satisfaction (Zins & Elias, 2006). Schools led by emotionally intelligent leaders often cultivate vibrant cultures.
 
Research shows that when Headteachers prioritise soft skills, it leads to improved teacher morale, student engagement, and overall school performance – demonstrated in the study by George Washington University that discovered schools with strong emotional intelligence practices saw better academic outcomes and lower dropout rates (Brackett et al., 2019).

As schools face  continued recruitment challenges, investing in leadership development is more critical than ever. By nurturing the soft skills of our current leaders, we are preparing tomorrow’s resilient leaders. This proactive approach not only helps keep talent, but also ensures our schools have visionary leaders capable of inspiring teams and building brighter futures for our children.

The Leadership Skills Course is designed to blend theory with practical application. Over one impactful day, participants will dive into emotional intelligence, learn effective communication, and gain strategies for navigating conflict. Our interactive workshop focus on enhancing presence, active listening, and powerful questioning techniques. Participants will explore various soft skill methodologies and develop personalised strategies to fit their unique leadership styles. There is also plenty of time for deep reflection and action planning, so leaders can create the clear steps they need to apply their new skills.

Feedback from participants on the course has been incredible, with an impressive rating of 9.9/10 last month.
I am looking forward to tomorrow's session that I know will highlight the transformative power of learning at SWIFT and the importance of investing in leadership development. 

Together, we can create environments where leaders thrive, teams collaborate effectively, and everyone feels valued nurturing a positive atmosphere for every child in our care.

Feedback from this week’s Leadership Skills Training Day:
"It was valuable to be reflective and a great opportunity to plan next steps for my leadership." 
"Just a fantastic day.  I know I can empower my team. It was so so good!"
'It was great to really think things through in relation to my role and school.  Such an informative and useful day." 
"An excellent course!" 
"So useful to takeaway learning that can be applied to our everyday role."
 ​
By Leonie Hurrell, Founder & Lead Coach, The Thinking Academy

“When I look at my primary colleagues, my fundamental purpose in being an advisor is to help those who do not have RE as their number one subject and have never really studied it and do not feel confident. I would love to be able to feel that I have supported people to enjoy teaching RE and to gain satisfaction.”
​
Ed Pawson spent 23 years as a Secondary Teacher of Religious Education and Subject Leader. He is currently the RE adviser to a number of SACREs in South West England, Programme Director for Learn, Teach, Lead RE teacher networks (SW) and the former Chair of the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE). Ed currently sits on the Board of the Religious Education Council and is the SW Lead for RE Hubs. He has published work on Islam, Contemporary Issues in RE and spiritual development.

Ed is passionate about the way RE can offer young people a unique opportunity to develop skills of critical evaluation and dialogue and he believes that an education in religion and worldviews plays an invaluable role in enabling young people to become more inquisitive, reflective and engaged members of society.
 
As our Religious Education Professional Community Lead, we invited Ed to share some of his thoughts about RE teaching today.

1. What personal and professional skills and qualities do you bring to your role as SWIFT Religious Education Professional Community Lead?
I was a Secondary Teacher of RE for 23 years in the classroom and as a teacher, I felt connected to pupils and motivated by my subject, and becoming a Subject Leader.
 
About 11 years ago I stopped teaching and became an RE consultant and advisor. I think I bring to the role, all those skills as a teacher in being committed, having a passion and a deep understanding for the subject and being interested in pupils, and fundamentally liking children and wanting the best for them in a rounded way. I believe this empathy is important (as a skill or a quality) in being interested in my subject matter and the pupils and the way that teachers can connect with them.
 
2. What do you find to be most rewarding in this role?
I am interested in networking and building a community. I think that sometimes in school, we lack a sense of belonging as teachers.

I recall when I started teaching, you felt that schools invested in you and that you could build your career and your interest in the subject within the context of the school. However, I think that we have lost a lot of that now and what I find rewarding about this role is being able to connect teachers in a way that has often been lost in not being able to do as much CPD as we might have been able to do in the past. It is often very hard to get subject specific CPD in Schools and Trusts these days because it is not offered.

I think my role as RE Professional Community Lead is linked to the subject content and subject matter and being a bit of an RE geek myself (!), in being able to give people a community who are also interested in knowing more and in working together – which is very exciting for me.

However, thinking about networking. Not all teachers are interested in networking. Personally, I love networking and I think that is why I like doing stuff outside school and the classroom. But some teachers will want to teach a 9 to 5 and that is fine. But the rewarding thing for me is where you are connecting with other people and with your shared interest.
 
3. How do you seek to motivate members in the Group?
When people come along to CPD in their own free time, and I work with the Hub and Network leaders who are doing this in their own time; you have to be very respectful of their needs and to give them space. It is important not to be demanding or certainly, to keep demands to a minimum. It is vital to understand that the fundamental aim is to help children enjoy the subject of Religious Education in school and if teachers want to help in learning more through CPD time, that is brilliant. It is about the motivation: the carrot, and not the stick.
 
4. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge for teaching Religious Education in schools?
Recent reports have shown how a significant number of primary teachers of RE feel that they lack the confidence and knowledge to teach the subject effectively.
 
Teachers often do not know enough about the subject, and that is not a criticism, but an observation as they lack confidence when they fear that they will get it wrong. Hence it is very important to help teachers know more and to encourage them to be more confident in who they are and to be open to making mistakes and not feel like they will be criticised.

The second thing is the lack of status in schools. Traditionally, RE has a low status in schools and there is a real shortage of Teachers of RE in schools. In secondary, for instance, only half of Teachers of RE have it as their main subject. If we compare that to English, nearly 90% of Teachers of English have it as their main subject, which is significant because it means that RE is always on the back foot and a pupil can only expect 50% of the time the teacher will really know the subject very well. This is an important difference from other subjects.

When I look at my primary colleagues, my fundamental purpose in being an advisor is to help those who do not have RE as their number one subject and have never really studied it and do not feel confident. I would love to be able to feel that I have supported people to enjoy teaching RE and to gain satisfaction.
 
Pupils love RE when it is taught well. They absolutely, love it. But I understand that a lot of teachers that I come across, especially in primary, are teaching about Islam or Sikhism or Hinduism, or Humanism, but have never actually met a Muslim or a Sikh or a Hindu or a Humanist. In creating a context where they can meet or at least learn firsthand about the topics that they are teaching is important. There are big challenges, especially in an area like Devon, where we do not have big numbers of diverse people.
 
Finally, we are hoping that RE will become a National Curriculum subject. It is in the balance at the moment; but by March or April, we should know if RE will be put forward to change legislation. All the other subjects are in the National Curriculum. However, RE is not and it never has been and I truly hope that this happens because I think it will raise the status of the subject.
 
5. What would be your greatest hope for Religious Education teaching in schools?
Picking up on the last point about becoming a National Curriculum subject, I think that we currently see a postcode lottery for the subject.
​
It is taught brilliantly in some schools and yet hardly exists in others and there is very little benchmarking that Ofsted can do to challenge when they can see that RE is not being taught well. We need these national standards that do not currently exist for RE at the moment. But we would if we became a National Curriculum subject.
 
The recent introduction of a religion and worldviews approach to the subject has transformed the way many pupils respond to their lessons. This fundamental change, seeing people as central to RE, has opened up a more inclusive way to study religions and beliefs. The emphasis on looking at people's real-life lived experience, alongside understanding the structures and features of religious and non-religious traditions, makes it much more meaningful.
 
I think in raising the status of RE it would mean that teachers feel more confident about what they are doing in the classroom and the children would love that, because my experience, is that children, talk about RE as being the only subject where they can share their opinions. Pupils say there is no right and wrong answers in RE That is not quite true. There are right and wrong answers, but what they mean is that they feel listened to and a good Teacher of RE listens to people. Young people need to be listened to, and this is my fundamental mantra for schools.
 
We thank Ed for his insights interview and leadership of our Religious Education Professional Community.
Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

We are pleased to bring you the next EVENTS issue 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. 

SWIFT Summer Conference 2026
We are delighted to invite you to the SWIFT Summer Conference 2026, taking place on Thursday 18 June 2026 at Exeter Racecourse. You can view the full line-up of speakers and book here
​
Highlighted Courses/Support:

• Leadership Skills Training Day
• Working Smarter Not Harder: Embracing AI with Mr P ICT (three sessions)
• Supporting Females on the Autistic Spectrum
• SWIFT NPQ Update | Autumn 2026 Cohort
• Professional Communities

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

Landed! February UPDATE and lots to engage you.

Executive Director Martin Smith announces the date and line-up of the Summer Conference 2026 on Thursday 18 June 2026 with relevant and purposeful topics – including, equity and inclusion, wellbeing and leadership, AI, oracy and disadvantaged high attainers. Book your place here

"SWIFT takes pride in our vision of professional development to create outstanding opportunities for leaders to learn, develop and connect and is passionate about enabling schools across the South West to access the best of regional and national, as well as the latest research." 

The Engagement Platform (TEP) engage us with their latest research on why pupils’ belief in their own agency for reading really matters and there are some thoughtful practicals for you to do in school.  Find out more about TEP in an engaging interview with Jess Easton, Director of The Engagement Platform (TEP). Plus there are more handy teaching and learning top tips from Harry Fletcher-Wood's presentation at the Spring Leadership Forum on improving teaching for which we thank Harry. We also thank Laura Clitheroe for showcasing all the opportunities of the CODE Maths Hub

Thinking about reading, Devon Research School (DRS) considers reading goals and how to develop a shared approach to purposeful reading: "The ability to read and understand complex text plays a critical role in our students’ success, not only in terms of their academic outcomes but also in relation to their wider life chances on leaving school."

The February feature from our sponsor SchoolPro TLC is on supervision for school leaders on a sensitive note of how school leadership can feel heavy: "Recent wellbeing surveys show that over three quarters of school staff feel stressed, with senior leaders reporting the highest levels of exhaustion and emotional overwhelm." The SchoolPro TLC Safeguarding Team are there to provide support and you can contact them here

In preparation for the forthcoming Year 6 SATs the RISE Team are hosting a Raising Attainment Conference on Thursday 5 March 2026. Book your place here and we hope it helps you prep your pupils.

Educatering our school catering sponsor are leading the way across our region with their complete service to provide nutritious and exciting lunches with local food sources, and bespoke support to your Catering Teams. Contact the Team here 

We are still in the winter months (despite our hopes for an early spring) and we understand that supply teaching is a sometimes necessity for schools. Our sponsor Exeter Supply Partnership values their teachers and provides professional development to ensure skills are refreshed to boost and provide the best service to your School and Trust.  If you need any support you can contact them here

AND we are here to support you, and we wish you a fulfilling and happy onwards with the term - and in a few weeks' time, a restful Spring Half Term Break!   

Recent wellbeing surveys show that over three quarters of school staff feel stressed, with senior leaders reporting the highest levels of exhaustion and emotional overwhelm. Teaching Unions echo the same picture: almost 80% of leaders say their workload is unacceptable, and nearly nine in ten say they struggle to protect time for strategic leadership because urgent issues keep flooding in. Three quarters of school staff feel stressed, with senior leaders reporting the highest levels of exhaustion and emotional overwhelm. Teaching Unions echo the same picture: almost 80% of leaders say their workload is unacceptable, and nearly nine in ten say they struggle to protect time for strategic leadership because urgent issues keep flooding in.
 
Schools are managing a level of emotional and operational complexity that would have been unthinkable just years ago - safeguarding demand, behaviour escalation, emotionally exhausted families, stretched external services, and the expectation to “stay resilient” even when you are running on fumes.

This is where supervision comes in - not as a performance tool, but as a protected space to breathe, think, and be human for an hour. It is a moment to look after the part of you that holds everyone else together. Other high-pressure sectors have relied on supervision for decades because it helps people stay grounded, safe, and emotionally resourced. Education is only now starting to catch up.
 
We know from cross-sector studies that effective supervision reduces burnout and improves decision-making. It gives leaders structured reflection, emotional containment, and time to make sense of the hardest parts of the job. 

“If people could really understand engagement, where it comes from and what drives it,
I think we would see significant improvements in areas we traditionally measure, such as attendance, persistent absence and outcomes.”

Jess Easton is Director at The Engagement Platform (TEP), where she leads the insights work, supporting Schools, Trusts and Partners to understand how engagement shapes outcomes for pupils, employees and families.
 
Previously, as Director of CPD, Jess worked with hundreds of schools nationally and internationally to design and deliver professional development that makes a lasting impact in classrooms.
 
SWIFT member schools have the opportunity to work with TEP as an engagement monitoring platform and partnership, including training and ongoing support. Following the publication last week of new research on reading age and perceived control, we spoke to Jess to learn more about her role and the work of TEP. 

1. What personal skills and experience do you bring to your role as Director at The Engagement Platform (TEP)?
I am most proud of having spent over 15 years in education, beginning my career as a Secondary Teacher of Mathematics in 2010 and investing a great deal of time in developing my craft. I progressed through leadership roles, including Head of Department and School Improvement Lead across a trust, before becoming part of the group that founded White Rose Education.
 
In my role as Director of CPD, I found it incredibly empowering to support Schools, Trusts and teachers to deepen their pedagogical knowledge of Mathematics. However, one of the most important lessons I learned was that improving practice in classrooms only goes so far if the wider culture is not moving in the same direction.
 
Often, the limiting factors were not about pedagogy itself, but about culture, buy-in and shared direction across the organisation. That experience is what ultimately led me to TEP, where the focus is on understanding culture, engagement and the conditions that enable improvement to stick.
 
Both TEP and White Rose are deeply mission-led organisations, and that has stayed with me throughout my career. It is genuinely empowering to work with people who are committed to improving education for everyone.

2. What do you find to be most rewarding about working for TEP?
One of the things I have always enjoyed most is building networks and communities. TEP is about connecting people and amplifying the work of those doing incredible things in education.
 
The partnerships we build with schools and trusts, and the sense of community that develops through that work, is hugely rewarding. Hearing the stories of how organisations are using engagement insight to improve culture, buy-in, attendance and outcomes is what really drives us forward.
 
3. With TEP’s emphasis on rigorous research and trustworthy data, can you share an example of which
It might be helpful to start by explaining how we develop our question sets. Our Directors of Research, including Professor John Jerrim from UCL and the ImpactEd Group, draw directly on established research and psychometrically test each question after each of our census windows to ensure it is valid, reliable and meaningful to the sector. We are very deliberate about not asking questions that do not serve a clear purpose.
 
Over time, we refine and evolve these questions. For example, issues around safety have been explored in more depth recently because of how that data was behaving and because of its growing importance across the education sector. Seeing the question set respond to sector needs is incredibly powerful.
 
A good example of the impact of this approach comes from a Trust that joined TEP after running internal surveys using tools such as Google Forms. While those surveys were cost-effective, they did not allow leaders to understand how their results compared to the wider national picture.
 
The Trust believed they had a wellbeing and workload issue, as these scores appeared low in their internal survey. When they engaged with TEP, they discovered that while wellbeing and workload scores were lower relative to other internal drivers, they were actually above the national benchmark. Leadership and line management, however, were below benchmark, despite leaders believing this was a strength.
 
By benchmarking nationally and then drilling into contextualised data, the Trust realised that Middle Leaders in particular were struggling with buy-in to strategy. This prompted a shift in focus towards leadership culture and CPD, rather than continuing to invest heavily in wellbeing initiatives that were already performing well.
 
Uncovering and challenging those assumptions enabled the trust to target its resources more effectively and take a more strategic approach to cultural improvement.
 
4. How is working with Schools and Trusts through SWIFT’s offer benefiting your work at TEP?
We are really pleased to be working with SWIFT in partnership. It enables Schools and Trusts to understand not only the national picture, but also what is happening regionally.

In the South West, for example, TEP supports organisations to see where things are going well compared to national benchmarks and where there may be opportunities for improvement. That combination of reflection, challenge and context is incredibly powerful for leaders.
The region is also benefiting from growing momentum around engagement work in rural and coastal areas, where funding can be limited and insight is particularly valuable in targeting effort and resources effectively.

5. What is your greatest hope for improving engagement in schools and classrooms?
As a relatively young organisation founded post-COVID, my greatest hope for TEP is that engagement becomes better understood across the sector.

We break engagement down into emotional, cognitive and behavioural drivers, from wellbeing, inclusion and workload, to how people think about school and how they act within it. When leaders truly understand these drivers and where they are coming from, engagement becomes a powerful lever for improvement.

If we can help Schools and Trusts get to grips with engagement in this way, I believe we will see significant improvements in the outcomes we traditionally measure, such as attendance, persistent absence and attainment. Ultimately, my ambition is for engagement to be recognised as central to improving education across the sector.

We thank Jess for sharing her insights into engagement and the work of TEP.

Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

We are pleased to bring you the next EVENTS issue 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.

Working Smarter Not Harder: Embracing AI with Mr P ICT (3 Sessions)
The course, led by Lee Parkinson (Mr P), will be packed full of ideas for how to enhance teaching and learning using technology with a focus on emerging AI technology. Find out more and book here
 
Highlighted Courses/Support:

• SWIFT Spring Leadership Forum
• TA Training: New to the role of Teaching Assistant
• Leadership Skills Training Day
• Fully Funded Opportunities from The MTPT Project
• Professional Communities 
• Primary and Secondary Subject Briefing
• EYFS & Primary Courses
• Secondary & Sixth Form Courses
• Other events for your diary
• Improving Oral Language Programme with Devon Research School

Happy new year!
We are pleased to start the year with good intentions and bring you the first UPDATE of 2026.

Whether or not you are a New Year's Resolutions afficionado, Executive Director Martin Smith shares his thinking and what he might say to his younger self in his past role as a Headteacher:

"Commit to being kind to yourself…” 
For example, remind yourself that you turn up each day committed to being the best leader you can be. 
Celebrate and cherish the small and everyday things: a pupil turning a corner as a learner, a parental act of kindness, an Early Career Teacher completing their first term..." 

Devon Research School (DRS) considers three things that schools can start to do about oral language ahead of the response from the Department for Education's to the Curriculum and Assessment review. Also look out for the DRS's Improving Oracy in Schools programme. Book here 

Keen to keeping you safe, with the increase in cyber-attacks to email accounts, our sponsor SchoolPro TLC share their top tips to be super vigilant and what to do if you suspect your staff email account is compromised. Contact them for a FREE consultation to explore how they could support you. Contact here

Nick Wakeling, Director of the Colyton Foundation is our January interviewee and may you enjoy finding out more about his work and vision for this important charity established to ensure that, for Young People in the South West, background is no barrier to flourishing at school, attaining highly and progressing to higher education.

We are pleased to work with the The MaternityPaternity Project (MTPT) to support returning parents to teaching after parental leave. You can read about last year's engagement in their recently published report and sign-up for their training and workshops this year (see page 2). 

As part of our ongoing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) work, the SWIFT Central Teams recently boosted their awareness with training from the Belonging Effect on Cultivating a Culture of Belonging for All. You can read some of the highlights in this issue. 
 
With Census Day on the horizon on Thursday 15 January 2026, our sponsor Educatering is standing by to assist schools across the South West gearing up to ensure pupils enjoy their school lunch and help maximise vital funding allocations. This is a statutory data collection that provides the Department for Education and Local Authorities with key information on pupil numbers, free school meal eligibility and school dinner uptake, all of which drive decisions about school funding for the coming year. It is particularly important for primary schools. Contact here

Understanding January can bring fresh planning and a clearer idea of the support your school and nursery might need, you can check in with our sponsor Exeter Supply Partnership if you are exploring supply options for the term ahead. Contact here

Remember to book for the CODE Maths Hub Conference on Thursday 28 February 2026 with keynotes, Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter and Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor at the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick. Book here

We hope like us, you are looking forward to the year ahead and we are excited about supporting you with our programme delivery and professional development offer.

Wishing you a productive end to the first week back!  

“I hope the sense of a regional movement to support under-resourced pupils will have gathered further momentum, and that the Colyton Foundation will have become a ‘go-to’ hub for all schools and other organisations looking to support higher attainers & HE progression within the region.”

Nick Wakeling is Director of Studies at Colyton Grammar School, and Director of the Colyton Foundation, a charity established to ensure that, for Young People in the South West, background is no barrier to flourishing at school, attaining highly and progressing to higher education. 
 
We were pleased to interview Nick to find out more about his work for the Colyton Foundation. 

1. How does your position as Director of the Colyton Foundation draw on your qualities and aptitudes?
The Colyton Foundation exists as a charity to support schools and pupils in the South West to make sure that students - particularly those from under-resourced backgrounds - are able to attain highly and access higher education. My background as a teacher with 15 years’ experience in different schools, has been very helpful in terms of understanding schools as institutions.  The way schools work, the challenges that teachers and school leaders must deal with every day and in particular, working at Colyton Grammar School for eight years, I have gained an understanding of what academically able students need to thrive and succeed.
 
This experience is combined with another huge influence on me personally from taking part in the SW100 Programme run by the Reach Foundation. In conjunction with lots of other schools and Trusts in the South West this provided me with fantastic opportunities to visit incredible schools and to hear from national experts who are doing great things to supporting disadvantaged and under-resourced students to flourish. Drawing on this experience and national expertise in visiting some inspiring schools has played a big part in the development of the Colyton Foundation.

However, what is slightly different about my role with the Colyton Foundation from my previous experience in schools is leading a charity that has grown from nothing. It feels more entrepreneurial in some ways compared to my first experiences as a teacher in terms of forging partnerships, bringing together different organisations, and scaling up an idea to something that is having an impact on the ground, and drawing on a different creative skill set. It has been fun, but also challenging, because there is no safety net of existing systems and institutions to draw upon.

As for my qualities, I would say perseverance and determination, and the ability to have a long-term vision and to put together into a strategic plan in order to get to where we wish to be.
 
2. What have you found to be the most personally rewarding in your role to date?
Following on from question 1 above, it has been most personally rewarding to take something from an idea to a reality. We are now at the point where the programmes are designed are now fully up and running.
 
We have yet to experience this moment, but we will shortly reach a hugely significant milestone when our cohort of 130 Year 7 pupils from 32 different schools across the South West physically come together for the two employer visits organised later this month to Leonardo Helicopters and Spaceport Cornwall. This will be a very special moment because the programme is all about bringing together those students and creating that sense of shared belief and a cohort identity, connecting the students and schools. Previously, we brought the cohort together remotely at the launch event back in October. It was wonderful to see all the students there in their schools waving to each other, supported by their parents, teachers and senior leaders. This brought home that project was up and running. It was real and reaching the students that we want to help access to opportunity. When we are together in person, I imagine it will be even more powerful.
 
Another particularly striking moment was our study visit for senior leaders in November to the University of Cambridge and two high performing schools in London. It was very rewarding to spend time with leaders from schools across the South West who so obviously share a commitment to supporting their students to achieve as highly as possible. It was hugely affirming to spend time in their company and hearing their reflections, for example when visiting Cambridge, commenting how the students were both hugely impressive, and on another level, no different from students in their schools in the South West, who can absolutely achieve the same things.
 
3. What insights are you gaining from working with various partners?
A huge amount!
Our model is fundamentally collaborative: it’s about bringing together organisations with shared goals to pool expertise and resources.  Our work can be so much powerful when we pull together.
 
Our partner universities, for example, are very experienced in widening participation and how to support students at the application stage of the university application process, and this advice and guidance have been hugely valuable.
 
Our partner schools have a highly nuanced understanding of the South West context and specific challenges facing their communities – often linked to rural and coastal isolation. Bringing together these first-hand lived experiences with the university perspective has been very powerful.

Finally, working with SWIFT has been incredibly helpful (and I am not only saying that because I am the January interviewee!). The experience and expertise of all the wonderful SWIFT colleagues in designing programmes at scale for teacher professional development has been instrumental as we have started to get our programmes up and running.

4. What would you wish “a regional centre of excellence for high attainment” to look like?
Our vision is for the South West of England to be seen in the same way as the areas of London – the Borough of Newham is one particularly striking example – which have transformed school outcomes, HE progression and other opportunities for under-resourced young people over the last 10 to 15 years.
 
The context in the South West is very different, with different challenges, but there is no reason that, through the collective effort of schools, universities and the Third Sector, we can’t develop a similarly transformational model. On the one hand, it is about improving school outcomes and progression rates. But it is also about creating that powerful network of organisations and schools with a shared commitment to ensuring all young people from the region can access opportunity.
 
Sadly, there are not many rural areas where these efforts have been successful, and that is why our partnership work at the Colyton Foundation is all the more important and exciting. We have interest from the Department of Education from HE partners looking at our work as a potential model to be replicated and repeated in other areas with similar demographic contexts. I am hopeful the South West can become a model and inspiration for other areas of the country facing similar challenges can help young people to flourish.
 
5. What are your top three aspirations for the Foundation over the next five years?
In five years’ time, “Your Future Story” will have been running for five years, and will have supported 500+ children. Our pathfinder cohort, who have started the programme this year, they will have taken their GCSEs and we will look forward to seeing the impact of the programme on their outcomes, and in our partner schools more widely.
 
I hope the sense of a regional movement to support under-resourced pupils will have gathered further momentum, and that the Colyton Foundation will have become a ‘go-to’ hub for all schools and other organisations looking to support higher attainers and HE progression within the region.

Our work with “Your Future Story” work, which starts support at Year 7 and runs throughout secondary school will, I hope, have fully connected with our partnerships with Atom Learning offering attainment support to all FSM & PP pupils in primary schools, and the support we offer Sixth Forms in the region with applications to the most competitive university courses, to see outcomes for young people in the region improve in all these areas.
 
In other words, there is lots of look forward to over the next five years and every moment will count!
 
We thank Nick for sharing his passion and vision for the Colyton Foundation.
Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant 

We are pleased to share with you the latest Laurel Trust newsletter.

The Laurel Trust's Winter Update is a truly informative read, with articles from two project leaders and the lasting impact that their collaboration has had in the community.

The article by Professor Jo Van Herwegan from the Institute of Education at University College London, tells of the meta-study she has undertaken into effective classroom practice and the MetaSENse database she and the team have developed. Information is shared about each intervention and goals, who it is designed to help, what the evidence says, how well it works and links to relevant resources.
 
Look out for the next round of Laurel Trust funding opportunities towards the end of next term.


The Laurel Trust is a charity with a track record of supporting schools serving disadvantaged communities to make sustainable differences to children’s learning and life chances. They provide grant-funding and work together with schools and other agencies to put evidence informed research into practice. 

We are pleased to bring you the next EVENTS issue 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.

SWIFT Spring Leadership Forum
Harry Fletcher-Wood will be presenting on How to Improve Teaching who will be looking at why it is hard to improve teaching, and what teachers, leaders, and schools can do to make it easier. 
Plus, there is an introduction to the CODE Maths Hub by Hub Lead, Laura Clitheroe, and a foreword about SWIFT by Martin Smith, Executive Director. Find out more and book here
 
Highlighted Courses/Support:

• SWIFT Secondary Leadership Professional Community
• Supporting Learners with Extreme Anxiety and Demand Avoidance
• Working Smarter Not Harder: Embracing AI with Mr P ICT (three sessions)
• Fully-Funded Opportunities from The MTPT Project
• Professional Communities

• Primary and Secondary Subject Briefing
• EYFS & Primary Courses
• Secondary & Sixth Form Courses
• Improving Oral Language Programme with Devon Research School
• Other events for your diary

Now live it's the final UPDATE of 2025 and our ruby edition.

To start us off, Executive Director Martin Smith aptly considers "the collective goodwill that exists within the profession around supporting one another to develop" - not least in our role as Teaching School Hubs. Plus a special Happy Christmas message and a reminder of all the lovely aspects of being a teacher and leader at this time of year.

It is proving to be very popular, so remember to sign-up for the Spring Leadership Forum in January with keynote speaker Harry Fletcher-Wood presenting on improving teaching, an intro to the CODE Maths Hub with Laura Clitheroe and a foreword by Martin.

Thinking about understanding engagement amongst low-income White children in England’s schools, you can find out more in the report by The Engagement Platform with some suggested support ideas. Read up too on the latest webinar led by the South West English Hubs on the Department for Education's Writing Framework published earlier this year.

Keeping it relevant, there is more guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation on Metacognition and self-regulated learning from Devon Research School. Equip yourself with the three new classroom tools to support you putting the evidence into practice.

If you are looking to refine your timetabling tools, our sponsor SchoolPro TLC share their year-round timetabling approach to strengthening this essential work within school and they are available to support you if you need that helping hand.

Faye Steele, our Senior Administrator for the SWIFT Appropriate Body Service is our December interviewee and how good it is to know that she is at the helm for this integral service with her “relentless unwavering determination to procure the information we need on time and to meet our deadlines and tracking.” We are only as good as our staff and systems!
 
If you are deliberating about taking the bold step to change your contracted catering to in-house, read on as our sponsor Educatering share all the benefits of keeping your own kitchen staff, behind-the-scenes support, compliance and allergen management, staff training, bespoke menu development - and SO much more that makes sense for a fully supported service.  

Looking ahead to January, if you need any teacher cover, our sponsor Exeter Supply Partnership remind us why not all supply services are the same and the benefits of working with them. For a start, this not-for-profit organisation with true heart puts people first - and that means supporting local schools and teachers.

We are nearing the shortest day and if you need a reading boost, remember to check out Mr T’s instructional series (AKA Christopher Tribble, Headteacher at Honiton Primary School). We like an edifying read!

We are glad to work with you, support you and hope that you will end the Autumn Term on an uplifting note with the end of term Christmas celebrations.

See you in 2026! 

Following the release of The Writing Framework, English Hubs are delivering a series of webinars specifically aimed at school leaders and teachers to ensure an understanding of the importance of writing, the key messages, and expectations for writing over the next academic year, and to help planning the next steps in their school.

The third webinar in the series last week looked at the Importance of Reception for English Leads and Early Years teachers with Vanessa Morley and Michael Kimber from the Kernow and Cornerstone English Hubs hosting the session on behalf of the South West English Hubs.

The Writing Framework was published by the Department for Education in July this year and outlines a common approach to teaching writing based on evidence and existing good practice.
 
“All our children should be successful writers able to share their ideas confidently and articulately. Enabling children to write clearly and well is critical to success both at school and beyond.”
(Foreword by the Secretary of State for Education)
 
The Framework is non-statutory guidance intended to ensure Reception children have the best possible start, feel included in a strong whole school writing culture and start to feel like writers, finding joy in communicating and writing, encouraged to enjoy writing and to experience what it is like to write.

Following a significant drop in writing skills during the pandemic, writing is at its lowest at Early Years Foundation Stage since 2022.

The key objective of the Framework is to help schools meet the expectations set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and the National Curriculum, and it also aligns with Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework and the Reading Framework.
 
The Government’s Plan for Change has set a milestone for 75% of children to reach a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of Reception by 2028.

The Writing Framework is a national priority with support to schools from the RISE Teams.  There is also further support around this area available to schools for free through the National English Hubs from September 2026.
 
It is essential to build on the writing foundation in Reception to underpin children’s skills by the end of Key Stage 2 SATs. Building on foundations for success will help to build a strong writing culture and a community of writers with positive implications later in children’s schooling and GCSE Language success.

The webinar discussed how all children should be supported to with daily teaching to support their writing journey including letter formation and spelling instruction in phonics as well as time to ensure all children have explicit handwriting instruction in addition to this daily lesson.  Phonics teaches letters in an order that will generate the most words and handwriting teaches letters in groups of letters with a similar formation.
 
The Writing Framework encourages teachers to:
 
1. Foster a love of language through shared reading, storytelling, learning and repetition of rhymes, poems and songs.
2. Create opportunities for expressing thoughts and ideas.
3. Encourage high-quality interactions between children and adults.
4. Model high-quality language and echo what children say.
5. Question sensitively. 

“The most successful schools teach the two distinct parts of writing – oral composition and transcription – separately in the early stages.” (Ofsted)
 
Whilst children are developing their ability to form letters and spell in Reception, the majority of composition will be oral, and there needs to be lots of practice in how to compose simple sentences orally. Children should be supported in how to make links between talking and writing to say out loud what they wish to write, or else they are unlikely to be able to write it.

Teaching needs to be explicit in how to compose sentences regularly and consistently all of which should not be rushed; but with opportunity to practise for oral rehearsal. The key is to keep it simple, thinking about developing quality rather than quantity.
 
Writing is complex and it involves motor and cognitive skills.  This can be a challenge for young children in the classroom. The physical development of writing should be supported in how children develop motor skills that underpin writing to develop consistent routines for handwriting in a considered way.
 
Writing can also be encouraged during play. For example, writing menu cards in play kitchens, labelling instructions and activities that support the physicality of writing.

The Writing Framework encourages teachers to be ambitious for all pupils including those identified for SEND and every child should receive and be included in writing instruction.
​
For children who find writing difficult, teachers need to identify and respond to their strengths and difficulties, and it is important that the teacher observes the children’s techniques and spots any errors and then plans on how to close this gap.
 
Success builds motivation and self-motivation is vital to build in every child.  Schools are encouraged to have consistently high expectations and to identify the needs in their own school. 

The English Hubs will be delivering another three Writing Framework webinars in the Spring Term. 
Webinar 4 will be looking further at transcription, Webinar 5 will explore Composition and the final Webinar 6 will be focusing on Pupils Who Need the Most Support. 

​All six webinars are being recorded and schools can access these through their local English Hub for free.

Report by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

​A timetable shapes the structure and rhythm of a thriving school.

With a background as teachers and school leaders, our sponsor SchoolPro TLC have a working understanding of timetables and share here some of their expertise.

Every school has its own moving parts - pressures, priorities, staffing profiles, and students’ needs - which means adaptability is essential and rigid rules rarely work. At SchoolPro Timetabling and Curriculum, we follow a clear annual cycle that keeps the timetabling process strategic, structured, and never a last-minute scramble.

We work alongside Schools and Trusts of all sizes to design timetables that are efficient, robust, and aligned with strategic priorities. Our approach is underpinned by the expertise of Mark Hodges, our Director of Timetabling and Curriculum, who brings 25 years in education - including more than a decade in senior leadership - and over ten years in supporting schools nationally to maximise curriculum efficiency and build timetables that genuinely support teaching, learning, and long-term planning.

September to October | Reviewing and Refining
As the new academic year begins, the focus is on evaluating how the timetable is bedding in and includes reviewing:

• Daily pinch points
• The effectiveness of room utilisation
• The student experience
• Pressure points identified by staff

 
At this stage, we also reflect on exam outcomes and staffing changes to determine whether elements of the curriculum model need adjustment. For example, if a subject has underperformed in exams, seen a decline in student uptake, or is affected by staffing challenges, discussions are held to determine whether its timetable allocation should be adjusted for the coming year. These conversations feed into strategic discussions with leadership teams and help shape decisions.
 
November to December | Designing the Model
This phase centres around consultation with SLT and Heads of Department and together, we review:

• School improvement priorities
• Accountability measures
• Staffing expertise and constraints
• The structure of the school day

 
Changes like moving to a two-week timetable, adding periods, or adjusting lesson lengths are decided early to ensure the year’s timetable runs smoothly. We then draft a curriculum plan in the timetabling software to identify potential recruitment needs or staffing adjustments. Once agreed, this becomes the foundation for the year’s timetable.

January to February | Setting the Foundations
With a clear curriculum model established, we move into preparing the systems that underpin effective scheduling and this includes:

• Updating staff, room and subject data
• Launching the options process (typically Year 9 into Year 10 and post-16)
• Moving the process online where possible, giving students access to all necessary information
• Using MIS and timetabling to streamline choices and imports

Digitising the options process wherever possible saves significant time and reduces errors - allowing schools to focus on informed choices rather than administrative tasks.

March to April | Building Class Structures
Draft class structures are shared with Heads of Department for checking and refinements.

Drawing on our team’s strong understanding of staff performance, strengths and how the timetable supports school improvement priorities, we allocate staff to groups in a considered and strategic way. These allocations are reviewed and confirmed by SLT before being shared with teachers, who can provide feedback or request adjustments.

Staff are then allocated to groups based on strengths, performance insight and strategic priorities.
SLT review and confirm these allocations before staff view their proposed timetable placements.
This stage ensures that curriculum intent and staffing strengths align before formal scheduling begins.

May to June | Constructing the Timetable
This is where the full timetable comes together and the process involves:

• Adding staff requests (where appropriate)
• Building multiple versions of the timetable
• Testing each model against constraints and priorities
• Refining and rebuilding until an effective structure is achieved

Compromises are sometimes necessary, but the goal is always to produce a timetable that balances efficiency, equity and educational value.

July | Finalising and Releasing
Once a stable model is achieved, we move into rooming and sharing the draft timetable with staff.

Feedback is reviewed and reasonable adjustments are made, with the aim of issuing final timetables at least two weeks before the end of term to support transition into the new academic year.

This final stage brings together the reflection, consultation, and modelling throughout the process.
Once confirmed, the timetable is transferred into the MIS, ensuring the school is fully prepared for the new academic cycle.

Supporting Schools All Year Round
Timetabling is far more than a summer task - it is a strategic, iterative process that demands reflection, communication and expertise.

At SchoolPro Curriculum, we support schools with:

• Complete timetable construction
• Curriculum modelling and analysis
• Options processes and pathway design
• Mentoring and training for in-school timetablers

If your school would benefit from support with next year’s timetable, the expert SchoolPro Curriculum Team would be delighted to help you.

“With this essential relationship with our schools in place I believe in a relentless unwavering determination to procure the information we need on time and to meet our deadlines and tracking.”

​Faye's passion for admin systems started with her HND in European Business Administration at her local college in Torquay.  Taking these new skills and deciding to pursue temporary contracts was a key factor in building resilience and learning to embrace change and the ability to hit the ground running.   Faye’s roles were naturally streamlined and focused within HR and Education, and after taking a year out to backpack around the world, she returned to the world of education, joining a commercial training organisation that supported small businesses.  Her skills developed beyond administrative processes, into adult training, NVQ assessing and new business advice and guidance. 
 
Life changed dramatically when her first son was born and she kept her mind busy by helping with the admin tasks for a local HR consultancy. Once her children were of school age, Faye pursued new opportunities and contacts in primary education and joined Riviera Education Trust as CPD Administrator and Clerk to the Board of Directors and is still part of the Trust today.  Her role developed over the years, working within the Strategic Partnership, under the umbrella of SWIFT and the Appropriate Body for Kingsbridge Teaching School Hub. 
 
Fast forward four years and Faye was promoted to the Senior Administrator Lead for the Appropriate Body, enabling her to be involved in the integration of the Colyton and Kingsbridge Teams into one Appropriate Body Service (AB) and to design and coordinate the integral systems for the SWIFT AB Team.  
 
At this moment in time Faye feels super-lucky to be working with a wonderful team committed and passionate about education and supporting teachers to become the best teachers that they can be.  To play a part in that supportive development of teachers and in turn, the future of children's education, gives Faye true meaning in her working life – not least on a December morning!
 
1. What skills and experience do you bring to your role as Senior Administrator of the SWIFT Appropriate Body Service?
I think being organised is a key function of my job. From my working history, I have undertaken a number of admin roles in different settings, and I liked learning something new in every role. I always apply myself and enjoy learning something new and I consider tasks like project management. I look at the end goal and the end of the academic year and think, what do we need to achieve by the end of this year and work backwards to complete task on a termly basis.  Having worked in the role with SWIFT for four years, it works well to breakdown those tasks and achievements each term.
 
I think it helps that I am reflective and constantly looking at our systems in place and thinking how can we make this work better? How can we easier track that information? How can we manipulate the information we have to make sure that all the parties in our AB Team can access the information they need to be able to do their job effectively.
 
Being reflective and constantly reviewing our practices to be as efficient as possible for all participants is something I have refined.  My job is very much about tracking all of the information and based around an integral system, which was essential when we recently joined the two Appropriate Body Services to become SWIFT AB, it was helpful for me to apply that reflective approach to the systems to ensure that we have learned lessons from the two AB Services and looking and deciding what works best from both.

2. What do you find to be more rewarding?
That is tricky! Lots.
 
I feel very lucky because I get to work with ECTs, Induction Tutors and Headteachers, as I am the first port of call for them for the SWIFT Appropriate Body Service.
 
Most ECTs glide through their induction period, but some have a little wobble, and some wobbles can sometimes snowball, so I am glad that I am their contact to advise and help them with the guidance that we use and to signpost and allocate them to either our primary or secondary leads where necessary. Where I am not entirely sure of a query, I can always contact the Early Career Teacher Programme Team.
 
I find it rewarding knowing that I have made the ECTs’ induction a bit easier and proactively supported them when they needed some help, because my job revolves around those integral systems. As a tracking and spreadsheet queen, I can also help my Team by smoothing the work of SWIFT AB Leads: Tania Cox, Chris Barnett, and Jen Knowles.
 
So, I like to think that I get rewards from all ends of the scale. 

3. How do you ensure compliance with Department for Education statutory induction requirements?
Obviously, I need to understand the statutory requirements in the first place and keep up-to-date every time anything changes.
 
The biggest factor for me is building good relationships with our ECTs, Induction Tutors, and Headteachers to start with, which probably begins with good communication and ensuring that their first email communication from me is friendly and straight to the point. We understand that our colleagues in schools are busy people, and it is important to provide the right information at the right time, and obviously always offer support, and that they know that I am here to help them and to build on the relationship. 

With this essential relationship with our schools in place I believe in a relentless unwavering determination to procure the information we need on time and to meet our deadlines and tracking, and that all the tracking information is available so that we know whom we need to contact, by when, and what information is missing.
 
4. How do you develop your relationships with Schools and Mentors?
Yes, so building on the previous question, it starts with effective email comms, and making sure all stakeholders have all the right information they need from me at the right time, as we understand they are busy people. It is also about acting promptly if they ask a question or need something, that it is provided promptly and followed up in a timely manner with a continual offer of support. Always understanding that we know what we are asking of them, especially at busy times. 

5. What have you found to be the most significant update from the new statutory guidance issued earlier this year?
I think the most significant update is that the Early Career Framework has changed to the Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP), which integrates Initial Teacher Training (ITT). Although ITT is not my strand of work, there has been a huge change in vocabulary and terminology, and I had learned to navigate and understand the changes and what they mean, but also understand that our ECTs, ITT Induction Tutors and Mentors are going to reach out to us and ask when they are uncertain too.
 
I understand that there is an obvious learning curve here for us all, but I think what has impacted on my day-to-day work the most is that the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) and Department for Education (DfE) have changed the core tool that we use to report. Working through these changes was a huge piece of work last summer, and also the way that we report our ECTs induction start dates and pass dates when they leave and move onto a different school. It has been necessary to adjust our admin processes accordingly and ensure that we are recording the correct information at the right time and manipulating it in a format that we can easily upload and report in time for the DfE.​

We are pleased to bring you the next EVENTS issue 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.

Passive Intervention and Prevention Strategies (PIPS) Training
PIPS training is aimed at all staff working in Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Special Schools and Alternative Provisions. It aims to support staff in developing a consistent, effective and acceptable team approach to managing behaviour, while, crucially, maintaining positive relationships and minimising risk for all. Find out more and book here
 
Highlighted Courses/Support:

• SWIFT Secondary SEND and Inclusion Briefing/Workshops
• Lego Therapy Workshop
• Online Safety Training for Educators and Professionals
• Healthy Bs - Bladders, Bowels & Bathrooms!
• Professional Communities

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

“Regular feedback and knowing that I will have a moment where my Mentor and I are going to sit down, with a cup of tea and reflect and have that time together scheduled into my week, has been the most valuable part for me as an Early Career Teacher.”

Sometimes life turns full circle.
Harriet Sleath is in her first year of teaching French and Spanish at Teign School (part of Education South West); which happily happens to be her own former secondary school.
This Devon girl got the bug for Languages when she was at school and studied Spanish at GCSE and A Level and French to GCSE, before going overseas to put her language learning into working practice teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Spain for a year, and then further afield to Mexico for eight years.
 
As well as teaching Languages, Harriet was recruited by her former Teacher of Music at Teign to teach Music to Key Stage 3 as she plays the piano. This is providing further additional joy in Harriet’s timetable with some cross-curricular Languages music-making. Remember, the traditional French nursery rhyme, "Frère Jacques…" ?
 
Harriet trained last year with SWIFT Teacher Training, of which ESW is a partner, as Kingsbridge Teaching School Hub (based at the Community College) is one half of SWIFT.

1. What did you most enjoy on your teacher training course?
There are two things in particular that I enjoyed on the teacher training course with SWIFT.
Firstly, I enjoyed seeing the progression of students that I got to meet over the course of my two different placements.
 
I felt very grateful to be in two different schools and for the time to get to know the students and especially seeing them make that progress with me. I think I had thought as a trainee teacher I might be a bit like a fly on the wall and not get to know the students very well. But having that opportunity to teach them something and witness that light bulb moment when they fully understand, or even when they ask me an insightful question were some of the most enjoyable moments, because they offered me an opportunity to explore what the students themselves would like to learn. I think, discovering what was interesting for them definitely shaped me as a teacher.
 
The second thing was being given the space to find my own personality as a teacher.
I feel very lucky as both my Mentors were fantastic and allowed me to take the time to realise what I want to be as a teacher, what I want my teaching to look like, and what I want to bring to my classroom environment. For me, this was very important.
 
2. What was the greatest learning curve and how did you overcome it?
My greatest learning curve was adaptive teaching in learning how to manage and meet the needs of a wide range of learners in one class.

During my training year, a lot of the focus was on adapting to SEND students, and those with significant barriers to learning, and quite rightly so.
 
I am still finding that balance in adapting to students’ needs, whilst also continuing to inspire and interest other students who have less barriers to learning, or who are simply more passionate about the subject. Finding that balance was one of the biggest learning curves; but being able to again work with my Mentors and have that time to learn and try out different things in the classroom was important to help me overcome that barrier as part of my learning curve.
 
3. What have you found to be particularly rewarding in your first term?
Firstly, it has been rewarding to build relationships and trust with students.
​
I anticipated it would be difficult coming in as a brand-new teacher and in an environment where students know that I was a trainee teacher. However, I wanted the students to be able to get to know me; hence, it was particularly rewarding in the first term that students who already felt comfortable in coming to talk to me, and who trusted me as their Teacher of Spanish and asked me questions about the Spanish culture.
 
Secondly it has been rewarding to take part in some of the school’s extracurricular activities and feeling part of a collaborative student and staff community. Seeing the students outside of my classroom doing something that they enjoy, and showing them my other passions, pushing myself out of my comfort zone has been some of the most rewarding moments of the first term.
 
4. How is the Early Career Teacher Programme helping you in your first year of induction?
It is helping me a lot!
My school Mentor is fantastic, and their guidance has been invaluable. Being able to refine some elements like my routines: for example, countdowns and waiting to have everybody's attention, has been very helpful.

Regular feedback and knowing that I will have a moment where my Mentor and I are going to sit down, with a cup of tea and reflect and have that time together scheduled into my week, has been the most valuable part for me as an Early Career Teacher.
 
5. What are your hopes for the teaching of Languages in our schools now and in the future?
This is a big question, and I could talk about this for a LONG time!

Certainly, I hope to see language learning viewed not only as an academic subject in learning French and Spanish; but as a key to understanding other cultures and how we all connect on a global scale. I hope that students continue to be open minded, so that they come into the class knowing they are going to learn some Spanish and French. But that's not all.
 
I hope that we can continue to guide young people to move past the whole “everybody speaks English” mentality - because that is still an issue. By making lessons engaging, relevant and inclusive, I want to inspire students, particularly in Devon and in the South West to know that Languages will open doors for them throughout their lives. Not only as they try to figure out what they want to do when they are 18 and to show them how it can contribute to their careers in the future.
 
Some of my most successful moments in lessons are when students might ask a question, like where is Barcelona? Or do they speak Spanish in Barcelona? But I like these inquisitive questions, and I like that students want to find out more and I am taking the time to answer these questions.  All the students in the classroom are listening because they are genuinely interested.
 
It might be obvious to me where and why people speak Spanish, but even more intriguing is where and why French is spoken. I have been redoing the display boards with my tutor group and am planning to get a big map of the world to show where people speak French and Spanish, because a lot of the time we simply do not know and I would like that information to be more readily available to my students.

So, my hopes for the future of teaching Languages are that it is much more than teaching Spanish in the classroom, it is about teaching the students about where we speak languages, and why we speak different languages, which I am very much looking forward to bringing into the curriculum more and more.

Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

Often the backbones of Schools and Trusts, Business Managers can be the unsung heroes and heroines who oversee the smooth running/ working/ functioning (all!). Aptly, we were glad to start this new term purposefully with the Autumn Term Business Management Professional Community.
 
Chaired by Matt Burrell, Business Manager at St Cuthbert Mayne School, there is a collaborative and informative tone to these online sessions. Fellow Business Managers are encouraged to participate actively, share feedback, and engage in the sessions and to feel empowered through practical insights and professional development opportunities. 

Director at SchoolPro TLC, Ben Craig delivered an insightful presentation on AI and Data Protection in education. With rapid advancements in processing power, schools face both opportunities and risks and highlighted the importance of understanding AI as both a friend and foe - not least in sensitive contexts and keeping up with the children and young people in your school who are increasingly savvy about AI.
 
As experts in Data Protection and Compliance and former teachers and school leaders themselves, Ben shared the essentials of AI good use through training your staff, integrating AI responsibly, and maintaining robust Data Protection practices. 

To intro this first newsletter of the second half of the Autumn Term, our ​Executive Director Martin Smith reflects on the new Ofsted Framework and how SWIFT is keen to support school leaders as they navigate the new Framework:

"As the debate on the relevance and suitability of the new Ofsted Framework continues to rage amongst school leaders, it is important to recognise that the inspection process in England is a highly contentious issue."

Later in this issue, our Sponsor SchoolPro SEND look at understanding the New Ofsted Framework and the new ‘Inclusion’ evaluation grade and Whole School SEND showcase how they can support inclusion for your School and Trust through training, tools, and upcoming events.

Read on to find out more about the recently published report on Mind the Engagement Gap: A National Study of Pupil Engagement in England’s Schools by The Engagement Platform. 

School Business Managers began the new term with purpose with their Professional Community learning about how to reduce food waste, wising up to Artificial intelligence, CPD pathways for School Business Managers, eco-friendly printers and the thorny issue of school recruitment.
 
If you are interested in language learning, you will surtout enjoy this issue. 
Our November interview is with Harriet Sleath, Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages at Teign School and 
Devon Research School's blog is by Georgia Fielding on her research into inclusive language learning and motivations. 

Meanwhile from our other sponsors, Educatering shares their good news about a visit from the local MP who praised their food services at Stokenham Primary School. Whilst Exeter Supply Partnership (ESP) also celebrate a buoyant start to the term welcoming new team members, reconnecting with teachers and Teaching Assistants across our region.

As the dark November evenings set in and brings shorter days, if you are looking for a good read, you might like to take a peep at Mr T’s instructional series (AKA Christopher Tribble, Headteacher at Honiton Primary School). 

FINALLY, it is the last call for the final few places for Cohort 5 National Professional applications.
Seize the opportunity and apply before the extended deadline of Wednesday 19 November 2025.
Don't miss out if this fits with your professional development plans.
  
It is all here for you and we hope it adds value to your work in the classroom and across your teams. 

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.