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.