Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.

Students from Year 12 at Chew Valley School recently performed SIX to a sell-out audience. The show tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before.

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr  are all members of a girl group, competing against each other to decide who should be the lead singer. As they cannot decide, they initiate a competition, or singing battle, to see who suffered the most as Queen.

Each wife believes they had it toughest and tries to belittle the others’ attempts to prove their hardship. However, as they become frustrated that their place in history is defined by one man, together they decide to pick up the pen and the microphone, and re-write their own stories.

With sassy queens, harmonies to die for and choreography that led to standing ovations each evening, the cast and crew gave the audience an experience they won’t forget. Huge congratulations to the entire company – which comprised of six actors and 5 crew members.

Enhancing the Music curriculum at Yatton Schools

Yatton Schools have been focussing this year on enhancing their Music curriculum to provide inspiring opportunities across all year groups.

The School wanted pupils to take part in multi-cultural instrument workshops to increase cultural knowledge and working closely with WEMA (West of England Music Alliance) has made this possible. A wide variety of workshops were organised; from brass bands to soul music, to Djemba Drumming and an Indian Music lesson, every year group has had at least one enriching music experience this year.

The joys of live performance were also demonstrated to the children and the School’s choirs were given multiple opportunities to perform in front of new audiences including a local care home and at a large scale events in Bristol and Birmingham.

In the last few months we have been developing our three-year strategy for 2024-2027.  In doing that we went right back to the start in considering what we believe and stand for as a Trust.  The following graphic is now on our website and we will be using it in other publications to ensure that we prioritise the right things in our decision-making.

In the sections that follow this there is a passage focusing on our aspirations for and commitment to our colleagues. 

People priorities

• Our colleagues benefit from working within a large trust and experience the advantages and opportunities this gives them for career progression and excellent professional development.  

• Staffing across our Trust allows us to strategically support schools who need it most. Colleagues are offered opportunities for secondment and redeployment to support schools in challenging circumstances, receiving additional CPD, leadership development and/or remuneration.  

• Our culture of employment ensures that colleagues feel valued and supported. We are retaining great people through a comprehensive employee offer that provides flexibility where possible, manages workload and prioritises wellbeing.
   
• High quality CPD and leadership training underpins excellent performance and succession to key roles for all colleagues.
   
• We have a reputation for expert Teacher Training that is supporting the recruitment of high-calibre Early Career Teachers who receive strong support at the beginning of their career and then flourish in the teaching profession.

These priorities describe a future that doesn’t yet exist.  Some bits of this will be very challenging, but we are determined to work with school leaders, the unions and our communities to develop a culture that is full of opportunity and also looks for some flexibilities to reward and encourage our talented and public-spirited team.

Gary Lewis, Chief Executive

Research community with the University of Bristol and the Chartered College of Teaching

Professor Alf Coles from Bristol University approached us a couple of months ago with a fabulous idea; he wondered if we could collaboratively set up a research community to support Teachers or Teaching Assistants undertake action research in their schools and classes.  Alf’s vision is that our profession becomes more engaged in leading research rather than just consuming it. 

Our colleagues Rachel Hardwidge from Grove Juniors and Harriet Johns from Chew Valley School have both completed education doctorates in recent years and will join with me and the university team in mentoring and supporting people involved in the community. 

Undertaking post-graduate qualifications at the same time as full-time work can be very daunting but we hope that this will be a highly supportive way onto this fulfilling and exciting professional path.  We have identified a relatively light touch path to accreditation with the Chartered College of Teaching. 

There are some further details on the project (see button below) and we will be promoting this again in the early September.

Gary Lewis, Chief Executive

This term, the vast majority of Year 10 students across the LSP have attended a work experience placement. These placements have been based all over the country, ranging from Balmoral in Scotland to working within our own schools or trust.

As part of this, most students and/or employers are visited or contacted by phone by a member of school staff and the feedback that our schools receive is testament to our students' attitude, behaviour and willingness to engage and learn.

Sue Jones, Career Advisor at Gordano, commented: "Many employers have commented on how they have watched the students grow in confidence as the placement has progressed and this is one of the most important elements of work experience; learning how to work and act in a different environment with new people.

We are very proud of our students and also extremely grateful to every employer who has worked so hard to support the school with the Work Experience programme."

Work experience provides a great opportunity for both students and employers alike. At the LSP, we host work experience placements both across our school sites, and within the Trust Central Team. 

Last week, the LSP Central Finance Team were joined by Theo, a work experience student from Gordano School. Theo spent the week learning from various members of the finance team. The Finance team also found his mature, can-do attitude meant that by the end of the week, Theo was completing tasks unaided and to a high-standard, supporting the team as an extra pair of hands. 

Theo commented: “I have never been to an office before and it was more fun than I expected! Getting a placement was not easy (two others I had organised pulled out) so I was very grateful to be offered to spend the week in the Finance Team. I have had a really great week, and have learnt a lot that will help me in the future.”

In June, the normal school timetable was suspended and Backwell School students in Years 7, 8, and 9 embarked on a week-long journey of adventure and discovery during the highly anticipated Enrichment Week.

The week was filled with tailor-made trips and activities designed to push students out of their comfort zones, enhance their learning experiences, and foster new friendships beyond the familiar classroom environment.

We would like to express our thanks to our Business Partners for their support and sponsorship this year. 

Firstly, thank you for the generous donation of £150 from ParentPay, which provided lunch for 90 students attending the LSP Student Leadership Conference at Churchill Academy and Sixth Form in February.

A huge THANK YOU also to Purgo, 2It systems, Chris Goodall Architects, Three Cherries, Cornish Garden Services and Edmond Shipway, who sponsored the purchase of 23 Android Tablets for use by our Site Teams. These tablets will allow them to complete and log vital health and safety checks, keeping our school sites safe for our children.

Finally, a big thank you to BromCom and Purgo, for sponsoring the coach transport for students to/from our Sixth Form Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Day in May. 

Thank you so much to all colleagues who completed Staff Surveys back in May.

Your feedback and comments have been shared with Headteachers and Trustees so they can be considered as part of school development and CPD scheduling.

Burrington Primary Excels at Engineering Challenge

On 17 April, budding primary school engineers from Bristol and North Somerset gathered for the 2024 Bristol Primary STEM Challenge Final.

This year’s Primary STEM Challenge Final was hosted by Badminton School in Bristol. 15 primary schools took part in the final – each represented by the winning team from an earlier round of school-based heats. This year’s challenge was to design and build a working crane with the aim of successfully installing a model wind turbine.

The competition was fierce and after some hushed deliberation from the judges, this year’s victors were announced: Noah and Thom, two year 6 boys from Burrington Church of England Primary school. The boys were delighted with their win and their Bristol blue glass trophy.

Churchill Performing Arts

Throughout the year, Churchill Academy & Sixth Form Main Hall becomes a beacon for musical, dance and acting talents. The Spring Concert generated a packed audience who came to watch student musicians perform a variety of genres.

The M Stars competition provided a platform for students to shine in the world of Musical Theatre, and this year Churchill had 20 amazing performances. The evening also saw familiar faces return to Churchill, with the judging panel comprising Performing Arts alumni.

Finally, in Strictly Dance Fever, dancers of all styles took to the stage to perform in groups, duets or as a solo for their chance to win the trophy!

All of these incredible events allowed the students to gain the experience of performing in front of a live audience, excel at their craft, push the boundaries of their accomplishments, and support their peers in the process. 

St Peter's Primary hosts Eco Forum Festival

On Thursday 13 June, St Peter’s Primary School in Portishead hosted the 2^nd Eco Forum Festival. Eco leaders from St Peter’s, Portishead Primary, Trinity, St Joseph’s and High Down all came together to celebrate their eco achievements and to learn more about what we can do to care for our environment.

Whitchurch Primary School's 'Week of Adventure'

At Whitchurch Primary School, enthusiasm for sport and active learning really comes alive during their annual ‘Week of Adventure’, which is now in its third year. During the week, children take part in a variety of new sports and physical activities, including Lacrosse, fencing, dance, cycling and yoga to name a few!

This amazing annual event culminates in a whole school activity, enjoyed by all and the talk of our local community. In the past they’ve enjoyed climbing walls, tobogganing at a dry ski-slope and taking 200+ children to a Ninja Warrior ‘takeover!’ This year, Whitchurch took the whole school to Congo Falls golfing centre!

Northleaze Primary pupils showcase musical prowess

Northleaze Primary School once again showcased their musical skills at this year's Summer Concert held at All Saints Church on Wednesday 10th July. Close to 50 children took part, with both singing and instrumental performances from children in Year 2 and above. There were some magical renditions on piano, drums, guitar, flute, saxophone and violin. The 40-strong choir also sang a number of songs including 'Revolting Children' from Matilda, whilst other children sang solos and group numbers.

Northleaze Primary has a very strong music tradition and prides itself on fostering a love of music and the opportunity for pupils to perform in an array of venues, and in front of a variety of audiences. Much of this is within the weekly music curriculum provision but also as part of the wider, extra-curricular offer, such as local festivals and competitions. The confidence that this develops in our young people is a privilege to see and supports them in all aspects of their life.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Beacon. To stay up-to-date with all our news, job vacancies and Trust-wide opportunities, please feel free to follow us on social media.