World Water Day | Friday 22 March 2024 | Vanishing Sea The theme of this year's World Water Day is ‘Water for Peace’, and focuses on the critical role water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world. On Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March 2024, our sponsor, Lyfta is offering FREE live lessons to bring the world into your classroom (see details below). Travel (virtually) to Jordan and spend time with farmer, Hassan as he battles the decline of the Dead Sea with the looming threat of sinkholes all around his farmlands. You will also be able to take a wider look at the issues of water security in a region affected by historical and ongoing conflict and learn why the River Jordan is special to half of humanity. Booking
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I am pleased to be presenting at the “Once Upon a Time” festival on Saturday 15 June 2024 at Bristol Beacon, which builds on our partnership work with organiser, Helen Prince. Helen is the author of the most recent Oxford Language Report (2021 – 2022) that looks at the scale of the word gap and the impact of Covid on language developments as an ongoing issue. After sifting through hundreds of school submissions regarding their focus on oracy to boost progress, standing out in their innovative and exemplary practice, Helen and the team included Tor Bridge Primary School as one of nine schools in the report. In my role as Head of School at Tor Bridge Primary, Helen and I presented these findings at the 2022 ASCL conference and since then Helen has supported our school in our fluency training and oracy work. Helen’s passion, pedagogy and relentless focus on improvement has led to huge moves forward for our fabulous school. We were thrilled that Helen remarked how she has rarely encountered schools with such openness and commitment to improving practice at every level. We have overcome - and continue to overcome – the barriers that limited cultural capital and low expectation can present through their focus on an oracy education, cementing the widest, brightest horizons for their pupils; which we like to think is testament to the high aspirational help of myself and our Trust.
Helen's expertise, combined with my leadership, has not only inspired the staff within The Inspire Multi-Academy Trust (South West), but has also had a profound impact on our children. This year, the excitement is palpable as Helen and I eagerly anticipate our collaboration once again, this time at the Once Upon a Time Festival in Bristol. The festival, known for showcasing story-led, creative teaching, aligns perfectly with Tor Bridge Primary School's commitment to oracy education. Helen and I, along with further brilliant keynote speakers, are thrilled to bring oracy to life through the immersive and enchanting world of storytelling, music, and drama. The Once Upon a Time Festival will provide a unique platform for educators to explore and embrace the creative potential of language. Imagine an exhilarating educational oracy festival for teachers, where passion for language and creativity converge. This vibrant event offers a dynamic platform for educators to immerse themselves in innovative teaching methods. From captivating storytelling sessions to interactive workshops, the festival becomes a melting pot of ideas, fostering a community of educators dedicated to enhancing oracy skills in the classroom. Teachers can escape into a world of inspiration, and gain valuable insights and practical tools to elevate their pedagogical practices. The festival's unique blend of story-led, creative teaching serves as a catalyst for professional growth, empowering educators to transform their classrooms into dynamic hubs of communication and expression. This exciting educational festival will not only ignite the spark of creativity in teachers, but will also cultivate a shared commitment to nurturing the language skills of the next generation. This is not only an event. It is an opportunity to imagine what is possible in your classroom, and will leave you inspired and equipped to transform your teaching approach. Join us for an unforgettable experience where the possibilities for enriching oracy education are boundless. By Olivia Bartlett, Head of School, Tor Bridge Primary School 10/1/2024 0 Comments If you were wondering what it's like to be a supply teacher with Exeter Supply PartnershipIf you are considering supply teaching to suit your work/life balance or to refresh your skills before taking on a permanent post, it will be helpful for you to read Katie’s experiences of working for Exeter Supply Partnership (ESP). For Katie, education has always played an important role in her life, and after finishing her Master’s in Education and gaining her teaching certificate, she taught fourth grade, and then two years later, second grade in a mountain town in Northern Arizona. After moving from Arizona to England, Katie joined Exeter Supply Partnership in 2018 and was soon offered a temporary contract at a local primary school in Exeter. Katie returned to ESP in 2021 and again was soon snapped up for a short-term contract before returning again in September 2023. Why did you choose to become a supply teacher? After moving to England, I volunteered at a primary school in Exeter to gain experience of working in the classroom over here. The school then advised me to apply to Exeter Supply Partnership so that they could book me for their school as a supply teacher. Why did you choose Exeter Supply Partnership? Because ESP is a not-for-profit organisation and the school, I volunteered with recommended ESP. What is your favourite aspect of being a supply teacher? I have enjoyed working as a primary supply teacher. I love the fact that you can go to different schools and see how they operate, and also gather lots of ideas. I have a note book that I use to record new ideas. I was at a school the other day and the teacher had planned an incredible lesson. I asked the school if I could take the planning sheet with me to use elsewhere as a resource. Supply is also a great way to meet other educators. What are your favourite/most useful resources to use? I have a subscription to Twinkle that I use occasionally and I always take a couple of story books with me that I can use as the basis for a lesson. How do you prepare for your bookings? I always have a look at the school documents ahead of attending such as the behaviour policy, marking policy and safeguarding policy. In my note book I have a section where I ensure I have the start and finish times, the name/s of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and any other useful information. Once I have attended a school, I will add any useful information to my book that could be helpful for my next visit. What approach do you take when you are attending a new school? I will look at the documents and policies for the school. I will also look at the school website, which will often give you a feel for the school and how they operate. Sometimes when you arrive at a school, they may want you to cover a different age group than originally planned, so it is important to always go with a ‘can do’ attitude and an open mind. Would you say supply teaching is an enjoyable/fulfilling experience? Yes, I love it! I like going to new schools and meeting new groups of children. Some people might think that supply teaching is lonely, however I do not find this to be the case as staff in schools are really friendly and I also find that there are very often other ESP teachers working in the same school as me. What advice would you give to a teacher who is new to supply teaching/ considering supply work? I would say that it is different than having your own classroom, so make sure that you are flexible and take every day as a new adventure. If one day does not go so well, give it another go. Always be open for new experiences and your next adventure. How do you manage the uncertainty of supply work and the possibility of not having work on some days? This can be tricky; however, I have been very fortunate in that I have been booked on most of the days that I have wanted to work. On the occasions that I am available for short notice bookings, I get up early so that I am ready for a booking. I always try to have a plan ‘B’ so that if I do not get a booking, I will have something else to do with the rest of my day. Would you recommend ESP to other teachers? If so, why? I could not recommend it highly enough! I am always recommending ESP to others if they are thinking of doing supply teaching. The ESP team have always been the most welcoming and caring people to work with; they take really good care of us and are always so supportive. Exeter Supply Partnership (ESP) is a not-for-profit organisation linking supply teachers and their next job. If you have QTS, a passion for teaching and a desire to move into supply work then ESP are here to help. Perhaps you are newly qualified and looking to gain experience before joining a school full time. Maybe you’re looking to slow down and ease into retirement. Or possibly a parent trying to juggle work with a busy family life. Whatever your reasons may be, supply teaching offers flexibility and variety we we’d be delighted to help match you up with local primary schools. “ESP have become my ‘go to’ first choice for supply be it a last-minute request or planned ahead they couldn’t be easier to contact or more helpful. We can rely on quality teachers at the best rates. I would and regularly do recommend them to teachers and schools alike.” (School) Exeter Supply Partnership is a Community Interest Company set up by the member schools of Exeter Consortium, one of SWIFT's Delivery Partners, who also manage and inform the running of the organisation.
12/9/2023 0 Comments Diversity in the History Curriculum with Dr Miranda Kaufmann| Black Tudors and Other Untold Stories "Whatever the curriculum says, YOU have the power to change what happens in the classroom.” We were pleased to welcome historian, author, raconteuse, Dr Miranda Kaufmann at the end of term to conclude our 2022 – 2023 SWIFT History Masterclass series with her talk on Diversity in the History Curriculum: Black Tudors and Other Untold Stories with inspiration from her book, “Black Tudors: The Untold Story.” "[It is too easy] by emphasis and omission to make children believe…that every great thought was a white man’s thought and every great deed…a white man’s deed.” (W.E.B. DuBois, American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist and author). The impactful inclusion of Black British History is clearly and increasingly a vital priority in diversifying the curriculum. Yet, curriculum observers will know that it is not new. Teaching Black History dates back to the introduction of the National Curriculum 30 years ago with guidance to teach “the essential knowledge that they [children and young people] need to be educated citizens.” The important starting point is to acknowledge that Black History is British History. It is not and should not be a hidden truth. Even if some school History textbook covers have conventionally (and painfully) mispresented Black History with clichéd images of enslaved people. Quoting from Zadie Smith’s acclaimed novel “White Teeth,” Miranda highlighted this recurrent ignorance in the miseducation of Irie Jones. In the story, when Irie, the daughter of an Englishman and a Jamaican woman is studying Shakespeare’s sonnets, she asks her teacher Mrs Roody if the “dark lady” is “black” to which Mrs Rooney replies: “No dear, she’s dark. She’s not black in the modern sense. There weren’t any… well, Afro-Carri-bee-yans in England at that time, dear. That’s a more modern phenomenon, as I’m sure you know. But this was the 1600s. I mean I can’t be sure, but it does seem terribly unlikely, unless she was a slave of some kind, and he’s unlikely to have written a series of sonnets to a lord and then a slave, is he?” Uncomfortable, and as Miranda was to show us, inaccurate. But the good news is that this perception is changing and clarifying. In a highly engaging talk, it was a refreshing revelation for me, and the Subject Leaders and Teachers of History in the audience to know and understand that over 200 Africans were living freely in Tudor England as Miranda drew on examples from her book featuring the stories of ten Black Tudors. Wonderfully intriguing and individual roles, such as John Blanke, the Trumpeter, Jacques Francis, the Salvage Diver and Mary Fillis, the Moroccan Convert. All of which intensely and intelligently refuted two common assumptions about Black British History. Firstly, there were Africans in Tudor England over 400 years before the first Windrush immigrants disembarked in Tilbury, Essex. Secondly, they were not enslaved. A clear and compelling case to refute those stereotypical textbook covers. Next, by teaching Black British History, those students with African ancestry can feel a sense of belonging, in that they are part of British History too. Clearly, an important piece of diversity, equality and inclusion work; which will hopefully encourage Black students to pursue history to GCSE, A Level and beyond; eventually impacting the way History is studied and presented by academics and popular historians, enhancing the discipline with a broader range of perspectives. Teaching Black British History can help to support the struggle against racism in challenging racist assumptions that immigration is a 20th Century phenomenon – and can be reversed. As Miranda shows in her book, focusing on the stories of African figures from the past can encourage empathy. By extension, this helpfully supports a timeline of understanding the ‘before’ the period of slave trading and colonisation and the after; and powerfully demonstrates the role of questioning assumptions in the study of History. The “interruption of the psyche” (Whitburn and Mohamed, Justice 2 History). As in any curriculum change, there needs to be a long-term commitment and schools and teachers can play their part and we thank Miranda for sharing the following helpful suggestions to upskill and up-knowledge teaching of Black British History in the classroom:
With thanks to Miranda for her motivating and enlightening talk that made us all think about the endurance of Black British History and for sharing ways to teach and bring to life this significant part of history that can inform the present. By Jude Owens, PA to the Executive Team and Governance In this final issue for this academic year, ESW Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools | Education South West, Roger Pope CBE considers in this continued post-pandemic aftermath, “Why is it that our leadership skills are being challenged to such lengths?”
"So, this is when we have to dig deep into our leadership reserves. It’s a time when we have to believe in ourselves, to let go of what we cannot change and focus on those things that we can influence in our own schools." Building on SWIFT's commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI), SWIFT's Professional Community lead, Ruhaina Alford, Executive Headteacher of The Carey Federation gives us an end of term report. At this point of end of term completeness, you can read about SWIFT's Director, Chris Harris's reflections as he ends his tenure with us and an interview with Programme Manager, Fiona McNeile who continues the good work of our programme delivery. And have your say in the Annual Teaching School Hub School Leader Satisfaction Survey. Our sponsor, SchoolPro TLC provides guidance on taking subject access requests seriously and find out some of the latest from Educatering, Exeter Supply Partnership, Lyfta and Praestantia Technology. |
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