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13/11/2025 0 Comments SWIFT EVENTS | Issue 3 | November 2025 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:
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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. Professional Communities are FREE for SWIFT Members and are designed to provide updates on priorities that connect to the best of regional, national available evidence. In this session there were five pacy presentations that covered services and tools for reducing food waste, wising up to Artificial intelligence, CPD pathways for School Business Managers, eco-friendly printers and the thorny issue of school recruitment.  Educatering has grown from supporting one school to over 150 across the South West in only four years. Increasingly the go-to for school catering, Head of Educatering, co-founder and passionate and caring foodie for schools Rob Stevens provided some tried and tested ideals to tackle food waste and the dual challenge of unnecessary costs and food waste in school catering. Consider your menu planning tailored to what pupils like to eat. Educatering treating school meals like a restaurant experience, with the children and young people as valued customers. Think about your portion control. Weigh the ingredients to see what they look like as visual guides for the catering team to avoid over-serving. Graduated portion sizes should be based on age groups. Two fish fingers for Foundation children going up to four for Year 6 to meet those growing appetites. Trayless dining. A revelation! Without the temptation of a pudding in waiting on the tray the children are more likely to focus on their main course first and foremost. Almost à la food detective, monitor waste patterns by literally checking the bins to see what food is not being eaten. Engage children in healthy eating initiatives to find out what they like to eat and include on your menus. Pre-order lunch systems are a big way to reduce waste and improve efficiency. And then if you have over-catered at the end of the day, you can tap into the donation route to local charities in your area, use composting procedures, and as a lovely one – package up leftovers and sell to staff to take home for tea. Reducing food waste in schools not only benefits the environment but also increases profitability for your catering budget. We like Educatering’s practical and impactful approach.
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.  Do you know about open and closed AI systems? You might find the following checklist a helpful start in thinking about your use of AI: ✅ Do’s Fact-check AI-generated information before using it. Use AI to assist with lesson planning, resource creation, and administrative tasks. Use school-approved, closed AI tools where possible. Train staff and pupils on responsible AI use and ethical considerations. Be transparent—disclose AI use in reports, planning, or educational content. Monitor AI’s impact and regularly review policies to ensure compliance. ❌ Don’ts Assume AI outputs are always correct or unbiased. Let AI fully replace teacher judgment or professional decisions. Enter personal or sensitive pupil data into public AI tools. Allow students to use AI for plagiarism or to bypass independent work. Use AI in ways that could mislead, manipulate, or automate sensitive decisions. Forget to update privacy notices and AUAs when introducing AI into school workflows. SchoolPro TLC works with nearly 1,000 schools across the UK, offering compliance checks, guidance packs, and policy updates. Their online data protection portal provides essential documents and tools help schools to stay compliant. Practical applications of AI were discussed, such as using it to scribe meetings - but with a caution that it is not a perfect tool. Key to good use of AI is on training your staff, integrating AI responsibly, and maintaining robust Data Protection practices. You might remember the AI focus in our September UDPATE that you can review again here
The ISBL (Institute of School Business Leadership) session focused on tools and pathways to support School Business Managers (SBMs) in their professional growth. A key highlight was the self-assessment tool, which is available free for three months. This tool helps users identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, aligning with what future employers might seek and encourages SBMs to create actionable development plans and apply new skills in their roles.  The tool uses an algorithm to generate a visual report based on average scores across different competency areas. It offers customised feedback, suggested training, and qualifications, and allows users to download a Performance Development Plan. This is particularly useful for performance management discussions, salary negotiations, or transitioning into new roles. ISBL also offers accreditation pathways and a range of training programmes and webinars. The OpEx (Operational Excellence) framework was introduced, focusing on the impact of teaching and learning, CPD, data, skills, and HR. Attendees were encouraged to plan their development journey over one, three, and five years, and to overcome barriers such as time and cost by starting small. Even an hour a week on CPD can make a significant difference.
MyNewTerm addressed the challenges of school recruitment, particularly the high costs and declining support staff applications post-COVID. Founded in 2019, the platform offers a localised and digital solution to streamline recruitment processes and key benefits include:
The platform helps schools to revolutionise recruitment through technology, offering user-friendly tools, reporting features, and a centralised portal for equal opportunities data. Schools using MyNewTerm have seen a noticeable increase in applications and now consider the platform indispensable. RISO’s presentation focused on the eco benefits of print technology. Founded in Tokyo in 1946, RISO has developed durable, energy-efficient machines that produce 96% less waste compared to traditional printers. Their oil-based ink offers advantages over water-based alternatives, including fewer breakdowns and lower energy consumption.  RISO printers are the fastest on the market, with no heat involved so that paper jams are reduce and with improved reliability. They offer the lowest colour copying charges and are considered the greenest product available. RISO provides print audits for schools to assess energy usage and identify cost-saving opportunities, and their approach encourages schools to “do things differently” by adopting sustainable and efficient printing solutions.
We thank all our presenters and Matt Burrell for facilitating this event.
Report by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant 15/5/2025 0 Comments SWIFT EVENTS | Issue 13 | May 2025 We are pleased to bring you this next EVENTS newsletter with details of professional learning opportunities to support you.
SWIFT Summer Conference 2025 | #SWIFTConf25 The SWIFT Summer Conference is a premier event dedicated to empowering educators, fostering innovation and driving excellence in education. Taking place on Thursday 19 June 2025 at the Future Skills Centre in Exeter, this year's conference promises to be an inspiring and enriching experience for all attendees. Highlighted Courses/Support:
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