With the end of term in sight, we thought we would squeeze in a final July UPDATE for you - and it is a newsy one to end this school year. 

Musing on our recent Summer Conference (and you can read the A Master Class in being a Good Egg! write-up), Executive Director Martin Smith reflects on the overarching themes of inclusion and belonging: "at the heart of what we are as schools and at the heart of how we train and develop ourselves through professional development."  

Martin ends by encouraging all teachers, leaders and colleagues to take a moment to reflect on the huge contribution everyone makes to the lives of children and young people. "We know our profession has challenges ahead of us and some will move on and some will persist. But what is an ever constant is the commitment of everyone in education to do the very best job."
 
Looking to the Autumn Term and being super organised, the Whole School SEND (WSS) Conference is on Thursday 19 November 2026 at Sandy Park in Exeter on the theme of “A Sense of Belonging still Matters.” 
You can help now as the WSS Team are inviting schools across the South West region to share what “Belonging and Mattering” looks and feels like. 

With the appropriate consent, send the Team examples of pupil voice on how they feel valued and included in your School / Trust community. For example, photos, artwork, displays, projects, short video clips, participation in clubs, enrichment activities, pupil testimonials. Keeping you informed, there are SEND updates and guidance later in the newsletter. 

A week and a day before the early bird offer closes on Friday 17 July 2026, remember to register your School / Trust / Federation for SWIFT CPD and Membership for 2026 - 2027. If you do the sums, it makes sense. Find out more and register here 

This month we take a nostalgic view of ALL the UPDATE interviews - starting in April 2022 with Martin Lewis, our launch interviewee and still a SWIFT stalwart. It is worth a look back!

Devon Research School (DRS) shares a post by Hannah Claydon, Deputy Director of Devon Research School, Raising Standards Lead for Year 7 and Teacher of Science at Kingsbridge Community College on embedding Maths skills in the Science classroom.

HOT OFF THE PRESS - you can read the South-West Social Mobility Commission Annual Report on Place Matters . Published yesterday, rather than the North - South divide, the startling headline shows London outperforming every other region on many key measures for pupils eligible for free school meals, whilst the South West remains one of England's weakest-performing regions.

Thinking hot, with soaring temperatures now a constant our sponsor, SchoolPro Safety provides some excellent cooling practical guidance on managing overheating classrooms. Contact the Team here

We join our sponsor Exeter Supply Partnership in celebrating their 10th birthday of providing nursery and primary supply needs and wish them another successful decade! Contact the ESP Team here

Ending the school year with a celebratory look back in pictures, our school catering sponsor Educatering shares some pictures from Christmas to Easter, Chinese New Year and Eid. You can contact the Team to discuss catering for your School and Trust here 
 
That's all folks! When you have a moment to stop, we hope that you will find something of interest in this issue that will add value to your day.

A week tomorrow I will be signing-off from my role as Editor of UPDATE and I would like to extend my very best thoughts to you all for the end of term (and the onwards). I know from my own experience of working in a school for many years the meaning of “being busy” in ending one year and preparing for the next. Such is the cycle of education.

By Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant 

The first week of June and the final half term of school year 2025 - 2026 and we hope this latest UPDATE newsletter will bring value to you.

Executive Director Martin Smith reports on a new chapter afoot for SWIFT with neighbouring Teaching School Hub partner, OneCornwall: 

"The proposal is straightforward. By aligning more closely, we can move beyond operating as parallel Hubs and instead create a single, coherent partnership that is better placed to deliver high-quality professional development at scale. This is about combining capacity, expertise and infrastructure to strengthen what is already working well." 

We want to hear your views. Find out more about the proposals here and you can watch a short animation here . Please feel able to complete the feedback form here by Wednesday 1 July 2026.

Sharing good practice comes naturally in education and we are pleased to showcase the outcomes of a recent peer review with fellow Teaching School Hubs’ of our Appropriate Body Services - one of our Golden Thread responsibilities. You can read how the team thrived in this collaborative and challenging exercise.  

Tes has recently published its Global Wellbeing Report (a topic close to all our hearts) - and we thought it was worth highlighting for you. Wellbeing will be a keynote at our forthcoming Summer Conference on Thursday 18 June 2026 at Exeter Racecourse led by Shaheen Myers, founder and CEO of Balance:ed. The final tickets are available here 

Hot off the press - Colyton Foundation has announced that applications are now open for the 2026 - 2027 cohort of Leading High Attainment. A year-long leadership development programme for secondary school leaders across the South West delivered by the Colyton Foundation in partnership with SWIFT and Devon Research School. You can apply here and register for the information webinar on Thursday 2 July 2026 here  

This month's interview is with Steve Margetts, Principal of Torquay Academy and recently published author of “Everyone Succeeds,” a leadership framework built around 54 codified leadership behaviours. Steve will be leading some professional development sessions for us next academic year. One to watch!

Devon Research School (DRS) shares a post by Adam Wray, Associate Leader at ACE Tiverton School on predictive processing. Living in a neurodiverse household, with family members who experience autism, ADHD and dyslexia, Adam became deeply curious about what happens beneath the surface of thought and perception. It is worth a read to consider your own processing and in the classroom. 

It is that time of year – poised between the end of one school year and starting to think about the next on the not-so-distant horizon and our sponsor, SchoolPro TLC considers the merits of one week or two week timetables in Secondary schools.  Contact the Team here

Educatering our school catering sponsor have been showcasing the importance of local sourcing. Parents have enjoyed a taste at recent parents' evenings and at Pupil Premium Night with more info about support for low-income families. The food pics say it all. If you want to find out how Educatering can support your School/Trust Catering Team contact the Team here 

You will know that Exeter Supply Partnership are committed to supporting you for your nursery and primary supply needs. But they go a step beyond. As well as a full-service approach supporting not only staffing and recruitment needs at no additional cost, they foster a highly skilled, confident and well-supported pool of educators through a dedication to ongoing professional development. Contact the ESP Team here

A few extras this issue.
If you are starting to plan your summer reading, you might like to add Mr T's life thinky collection of books to your list. A wide offering of thoughts, ideas and insights to help you, to help yourself! By Day, Mr T is Christopher Tribble, Headteacher of Honiton Primary School and you can find out more here

Introducing ERA, the Educational Recording Agency: a licensing organisation enabling schools, colleges and universities to access and use FREE high-quality broadcast video and audio for teaching and learning (from UK broadcasters like BBC, C4, C5, ITV etc), whilst also supporting the creators of the content. 
 
Finally - if you are interested in the pithy topic of climate change and find yourself in the Totnes area on Monday 15 June 2026 - you might like to attend a free film night of "Future Council" plus panel discussion with various experts, including George Monbiot. Doors open at KEIVCC (King Edward VI Community College, Ashburton Road, Totnes TQ9 5JX) from 1800 for a 1900 start. Book your place here

We hope you find something to interest you in this issue and we wish you a happy, fulfilling, productive and (sunny!) Summer Half Term. 

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.

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!   

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! 

We are back! The start of a new half term with an added impetus as the final chapter of this school year 2024 - 2025 - but with an eye on the next year around the corner. 

Strategic Lead Roger Pope is in contemplative mood prompted by a 40th wedding anniversary party invitation, looking back on some of the changes in education: 

"So, have times changed? Yes, schools are much kinder places, with greater mutual respect and much more driven to be for the benefit of all their students whatever their circumstances. Call it inclusion if you like – it is something much more precious than the word implies."

We bring you details about the Resilience, Equity and Inclusion in Education Conference in November. This is guided by our collective purpose as educators, understanding that equity and inclusion in education are important to ensure that every learner, regardless of their background, location, or situation has the support and resources they need to thrive. We hope you will take a closer look at the line-up for this event and join us if you can.

Ever striving for the best, we are pleased to be working with the Colyton Foundation on Leading High Attainment - a rigorous year-long development programme that equips school leaders to drive systemic improvement in provision for high attainers in their schools.

Our interview for this issue is with Sarah Plowman, School Catering Manager and Helen Vincent, School Business Manager at Whipton Barton Infant and Nursery School who share their enthusiasm for school dinners working closely with our sponsor Educatering. You can also read some of Educatering's top tips on reducing food waste in school. 

Devon Research School explore how to reduce or optimise cognitive load based on the guidance of 
the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) Cognitive Science approaches in the classroom: a review of the evidence We like these features intended to support us in refining good practice.

Our sponsor, ONVU Learning share the second conversation with Discovery Schools Academies Trust CEO, Paul Stone and reveal how thoughtful planning, transparency, and a focus on teaching and learning can drive meaningful change in schools.
 
Exeter Supply Partnership explain how supply teaching can unlock doors to permanent roles and do take advantage of their free recruitment support service to schools that provides teacher profiles, arranges a trial supply day, meeting or interview, before you make a final decision about temporary cover arrangement in your school.

You can meet all our sponsors and discuss with them in-person their services and products at our SWIFT Summer Conference on Thursday 19 June 2025. The final few places are available if you have yet to book. Find out more here 
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We very much hope that you will find something of interest and relevance in this month's issue that adds value to your work in school.  We are here to support you.

Two thirds of the school year complete, we are pleased to bring you this April UPDATE.

At this time of renewal and hope, Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools (ESW) Roger Pope CBE reflects on inclusion in a move towards greater universal provision when the system is not working: outcomes are poor, children and parents experience the system badly and the funding is unsustainable.

"How can we build capacity, confidence, and skills in schools so that meeting the needs of most children through universal provision becomes more of the norm?"

On a positive tilt, we are keeping motivated after the Spring Leadership Forum and presentation by Peps Mccrea on The Science of Motivation: “Successful motivation is tied to life, survival and thriving.”  Executive Director of SWIFT, Martin Smith encouraged us to keep motivated with a look to the next academic year and the bold new CPD offer and we thank ONVU Learning Vice President Matt Tiplin for sharing how their video capture tech enables teachers to feel empowered to self-reflect on their teaching in a powerful way.

We also report on Education South West (ESW) CEO, Matthew Shanks who was a member on the expert panel of the recent Tes Trusts in Education Networking and CPD Event on the "gnarly topic" of behaviour in school.  

To another Multi Academy Trust (MAT) within our region. This has been an especially auspicious week for Gary Chown and team, as the new CEO of The Harbour Schools Partnership MAT, following the official merger of Tarka and Ventrus MATs on Tuesday 1 April 2025. We wish Harbour every continued success and you can read more in this issue's interview. 

Thinking about leadership, if you have yet to hear about our annual flagship leadership event, we remind you of the SWIFT 2025 Summer Conference coming up in June. A stunning line-up of speakers - and to think it is on your doorstep. Tickets are limited, so register your place and book in your diary and we will be glad to see you there.

We share details of the new edition of the Education Endowment Foundation's (EEF) guidance on the deployment of Teaching Assistants. It is worth a read to value even more these precious colleagues in the classroom.

Our sponsor SchoolPro TLC turns to a topic that is gaining cautious momentum. Have you embarked on your Artificial Intelligence journey yet? The SchoolPro team provide some very clear guidance on the use of generative AI in MATs and Schools. Read it and be forearmed!

We thank ONVU Learning, once again, who outline in this issue how their tech enabled collaboration lesson capture tool is working in the classroom and supporting teaching and learning. 

You can keep in contact with Exeter Supply Partnership for updates and instructive articles on supply teaching to support your next steps in teaching. Whilst in the school kitchens and dining halls, Educatering are providing nutritional and exciting food, working with School Catering Teams for a complete school catering service. 

Thank you for reading and we wish you all a happy springtime Easter break. 

With the promise of spring and hope in the air, we are pleased to bring you this March UPDATE.

True to this spirit, Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools (ESW) Roger Pope CBE considers professional generosity following the LSSW Connect study visit last week to Court Fields and The Castle Schools, part of the Blackdown Education Partnership Multi Academy Trust. Not least in the context of other examples of leadership on the international stage. 

"Both the schools and Trust build their culture on the relationships they build: whether with pupils, staff, parents or communities. Warmth and kindness, with of course, a toughness in the love that goes hand-in-hand with firm and high expectations, is clearly evident in everything the Trust and schools say and do."

Thinking about professional generosity, remember to get your ticket for the Summer Conference 2025
on Thursday 19 June 2025 at the Future Skills Centre. Find out more and book here
 
We report on the National Professional Qualifications Framework Review by the Department for Education and our involvement as part of our Golden Thread delivery. 

In advance of the presentation at the SWIFT Spring Leadership Forum on Thursday 20 March 2025 you can read some of the thinking about the ambitious new SWIFT CPD offer.  

We are pleased to interview Robin Scott, CPD & Marketing Coordinator with Exeter Consortium Schools’ Alliance and one of our valued delivery partners and champions of SWIFT CPD. It is always interesting to discover insights and to celebrate those working diligently behind the scenes. 

Hannah Cox, Co-Deputy Director of Devon Research School considers using exam wrappers to encourage Year 11 Students to reflect on the effectiveness of their revision and wondered how she can encourage students to be reflective about the revision techniques they use, and how can their reflections feed into the revision homework tasks I set?

Our sponsors, meanwhile, showcase how they can support you, with SchoolPro TLC subscribers able to book a Data Protection audit.  If you are looking for supply with a heart, Exeter Supply Partnership offer a not-for-profit ethos and a service that is much more than supply cover supporting teachers/teaching assistants and Schools and Trusts.

Educatering celebrates with food some exciting events for the 2025 Chinese New Year and today's World Book Day (can you spot the famous children's book translated into food?).  Whilst, ONVU Learning empowers educators with their thoughtful and dynamic video capture technology.  It is another way and worth a look.

We hope you find something that adds value for you.