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Welcome to our latest edition of the Beacon
Dear Parent/Carer,
1st January wasn't just the start of the new calendar year, it was also a new beginning for our Trust with our first Bristol schools joining us in a new Bristol hub. I have pleasure in welcoming colleagues, children and their families from Easton CE Primary, Fishponds CE Primary and St Mary Redcliffe Primary. I am very excited that our Trust will now be a part of Bristol's long story.
Our expansion into Bristol is another step in our growth journey. We started in 2016 with just 5 schools in Portishead and Portbury and in January 2025 we number 33 schools running from the centre of Bristol out into the villages and towns of northern Somerset and the Mendips. We have 13,000 pupils and more than 1600 staff. Being a bigger Trust is allowing to to provide a cost-effective and high quality service to schools and consequently to their children, young people and communities.
As part of the LSP family, your child's school benefits from:
- Strong collaboration and resource sharing amongst schools;
- Access to a wider range of educational knowledge, experienced teams and best practices;
- A strong central service that provides support on finance, HR, estates, contracts and IT.
- Increased opportunities for training and development for the whole staff;
- Expert advice and support to enable continuous improvement.
This edition of The Beacon has a spotlight on our Trust-wide approach to inclusion to ensure that all pupils, especially those with additional emotional challenges, are educated in supportive and effective environments. I have also written an article on our recent thoughts around mobile phones and the impact on children.
This edition also contains some lovely articles from schools across the Trust; from school productions to extra-curricular activities. Term 1 and 2 were certainly busy!
I hope you enjoy reading all the updates.
Gary Lewis
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A NEW LIGHTHOUSE HUB IN BRISTOL
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We are delighted to announce that three school have officially joined the Lighthouse Schools Partnership as of 1 January 2025. They are Easton CE Primary School, Fishponds CE Primary School and St Mary Redcliffe CE Primary School increasing the total number of schools within the Trust to 33.
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This moment is a significant one for the Lighthouse Schools Partnership as from this point onwards the Trust will be serving schools in the vibrant heart of a major city as well as rural or commuter-town schools. These schools have previously been part of the Diocese of Bristol Academy Trust (DBAT) and are transferring as a result of DBAT ceasing operation.
Clare Welbourne, Headteacher at Easton CE Primary School comments, “We are thrilled to be joining Lighthouse Schools Partnership: a large and thriving multi academy trust will offer many opportunities to our staff and children. We also anticipate that we will be able to bring rich opportunities to the other schools across the partnership. We have been warmly welcomed and are feeling excited about the change."
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Extending a warm welcome, Chief Executive Dr Gary Lewis, commented: “We are delighted to welcome these three schools to our Trust. I am very excited and optimistic about the future as we take on our new responsibilities in Bristol. It is a privilege to be part of the very successful work that the schools are already doing and we are looking forward to working together to help them continue to flourish.”
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RESEARCH INTO THE IMPACT OF SMARTPHONES ON CHILDHOOD
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You may have seen Channel 4’s recent documentary: Swiped – The school that banned smartphones. It followed a class of Year 8 pupils at Stanway School in Colchester who gave up their phones for 21 days. The results were fascinating in terms of the improvement of the children's mental wellbeing, concentration and engagement with both their school work and family life.
All our schools currently have policies about phones. In our primary schools, pupils are usually asked to hand them in at the start of the day and in secondaries they should be switched off and in bags. These approaches are fine in terms of preventing children from being distracted by their phone during the school day but they do not really address the key questions about phones and social media’s developmental impact on children and young people.
At our LSP Headteachers’ Meeting in January we had a presentation from academics at the University of the West of England (UWE) about a research project that they are conducting. We saw some of the survey and polling data that has informed their research so far. To give just a few examples: a 2024 research paper from King College London noted that ‘Teens with problematic smartphone use are twice as likely to have anxiety and three times as likely to have depression’, another report from Ofsted in 2021 found that ‘nearly 90% of girls, and nearly 50% of boys, said being sent explicit pictures or videos of things they did not want to see happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.’ There was a lot more in this vein and all of it concerning.
Decisions about smartphones are ultimately ones that belong to parents but I believe that our schools have a responsibility to participate in the conversation and give support to families. I am also aware that a growing number of parents in primary schools are engaged with the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. There may be others who see this all as a moral panic or who value the sense of safety that having a phone can bring. We would like to work with UWE to engage with you on all of this.
A number of our schools, both primary and secondary, in partnership with UWE are looking to facilitate further research by conducting surveys of pupils and parents to understand the situation in our own communities and help us refine our approach. I feel a heavy responsibility on us as educators and parents to study the evidence and set the right boundaries to ensure the flourishing of our children and young people, so let’s hear what everyone has to say.
Please keep an eye out for further communications from your child's school(s) in the coming months, and please do participate in the survey regarding your views if one is shared with you.
Gary Lewis
Chief Executive
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YATTON PRIMARY: REBUILD UPDATE
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We are delighted to confirm that the rebuilding of Yatton Infant School has started and is on track to be completed by October 2025.
Planning permission has been granted and our construction partners are currently on site in the mobilisation phase. We are delighted to be working with local contractors Bray & Slaughter and Coreus Group on this project and we will share progress and updates with our neighbours as the build progresses.
We're excited to be able to share some of the artist impressions (see below) which visualise how the school and inside spaces will look once the build is complete.
We are also very grateful to the Department for Education’s RPA scheme for funding this rebuild. Our families in Yatton will benefit from a new build that will deliver a fantastic environment for Teaching and Learning.
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'GOOD' NEWS FOR FIVE LSP PRIMARY SCHOOLS
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Since the last edition of The Beacon, in July, a number of our primary schools have been inspected and reports published by Ofsted. The most recent inspections highlight the great work our schools are doing.
(Note: Since September 2024 one-word Ofsted judgements have been removed for all new graded inspections)
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'GOOD' START FOR NEW HEAD AT BISHOP SUTTON AND STANTON DREW PRIMARY SCHOOLS
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Following Ofsted inspections in July and October respectively, Federated schools, Bishop Sutton Primary School and Stanton Drew Primary School have both been graded 'Good' in all inspection areas.
Bishop Sutton was inspected just before their previous Headteacher Dieter Cook retired, and Stanton Drew was inspected within the first few weeks of Tim Eustace taking up his new post as Executive Head of the two schools.
After their inspection in July 2024, inspectors commented on Bishop Sutton's vision “where every child can dream, believe and achieve,” stating that it “can be seen through the ambitious curriculum.” They also noted that “pupils are engaged in their learning and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well-supported.”
The school's federated partner, Stanton Drew Primary School received their inspection in October 2024, and inspectors commented that the school is a place where “everyone is welcome” with a “culture based on nurture and care….. at the heart of the local community”. The pupils were described as “active citizens” and the staff as “proud to work for the school”. They also noted the highly effective introduction to school Reception pupils receive: “Children in the Reception Year make a strong start. The curriculum supports them to develop their knowledge in all areas of their learning. Staff consider carefully how to build the skills and knowledge that children need”.
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ST MARY'S PUPILS 'OUTSTANDING' BEHAVIOUR & ATTITUDES
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HIGH DOWN JUNIOR
CELEBRATES RETAINING 'GOOD' OFSTED RATING
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Following an inspection in October 2024 Ofsted has graded St Mary’s CofE Primary School in Portbury as Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes and Good in the other four inspection areas.
Inspectors commented that “pupils love coming to school. Teachers expect pupils to achieve well in their lessons and relationships between staff and pupils are strong”.
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Following an Ofsted inspection in November 2024, High Down Junior School has successfully retained its ‘Good’ rating.
The inspectors commented that “Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning” at High Down Junior School and “the excellent pastoral support team assists anyone who is having a tricky time”.
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THE 'GOOD' FEELING CONTINUES AT BACKWELL CofE JUNIOR SCHOOL
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Finally Backwell Church of England Junior School is our most recently inspected school (November 2024) and they also secured judgements of 'Good' in all areas.
The inspectors noted the “strong ‘family feel’” of the school, where “pupils behave well”, “staff provide caring support” and “everyone is treated as an individual”. The high expectations set for pupils and strong subject knowledge of teachers ensures that “Pupils learn a lot and are well-prepared for their next stage of education”.
Headteacher, Nick Webster, said “I am pleased that the inspection team recognised the friendly, supportive and welcoming feel of our school. Ofsted’s judgement shows how the hard-work and dedication of the school’s staff is ensuring a nurturing and engaging educational environment for our pupils.”
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INCLUSION AT LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
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Inclusion in schools means ensuring every child, regardless of their background or abilities, feels valued and supported in their learning environment. It also covers children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs by ensuring appropriate support structures are in place for them to alleviate barriers to their learning.
You may have seen recent news articles around funding for schools, especially around SEND, and how this has now reached crisis point in many areas.
As part of the LSP family, your child's school benefits from expert advice and experienced support teams in a wide range of areas, including our Central Inclusion Team. We help our schools do more within the financial and national challenges faced by the education sector.
Our Inclusion Team work closely with our schools to develop and implement strategies and approaches related to creating effective environments for all our pupils. Their knowledge, and expertise (including both primary and secondary education, SENDCo provision, local authority processes and school leadership).
As they work exclusively for our Trust they have a strong understanding of the context and background of each school and the pupils.
You can click here to read our Trust Inclusion Strategy and Plan.
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LSP INCLUSION TEAM
Debbie Coker, Director of Inclusion
"Our Central Inclusion Team are committed to supporting our schools with their strategy and development so we can offer our pupils high quality inclusive provision. Our services are included within the Trust's Core Services Charge, which means schools can access our experienced team quickly and at no additional cost.
We also work closely with colleagues in Local Authorities (LSP has three; Bristol, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset) to ensure we are accessing the correct services and funding as well as being involved in consultations regarding future SEND and Inclusion strategies in the area"
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The following articles highlight some of the recent developments in our schools relating to inclusion, which is an important part of our strategic priorities:
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Research says that children thrive best when they feel safe and have a sense of belonging so, as a Trust we have teamed up with Nurture UK, a charity focused on improving the social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of pupils through the nurturing approach to education. Our schools (excluding our new Bristol schools) also have a Nurture Champion trained in trauma informed practice and nurture. Working together, our aim is to create the best environment for all children to flourish and feel that sense of belonging.
As part of our work on Nurture, since 2023, five of our schools have opened an early intervention Nurture Hub in partnership with North Somerset Council:
- Backwell School
- Yatton Schools
- St Andrew's CofE Primary School
- Portishead Primary School
- Gordano School
We are excited to see the impact of this work on our children and young people as it grows.
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What is a Nurture Hub?
A nurture hub is a small group intervention which runs through part of the school day, to intervene specifically around Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. Students meet daily, in groups of around 10. The intervention will usually lasts for 12-20 weeks and is focused on ensuring children are able to access the classroom with all the skills necessary.
The space is set up as a home-style environment with kitchen and living-room style spaces and furnishings, encouraging social time and belonging. Students share meals and tasks that promote a sense of home, e.g. washing up, setting the table etc.
Alongside this, the teaching staff/lead practitioner will deliver planned activities, specifically planned to focus on the strands of the specific child’s needs.
Below you'll find photos of our Nurture Hub at Gordano School which opened in September 2024.
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NURTURE HUB: PARENT FEEDBACK
"Hi [name] thankyou for update on [pupil] and all you and [name] are doing. Your space is so good for her to grow... She definitely has started [this year] with more confidence Nurture is there for her... She's also been talking about the things you have taught in Nurture and how they might relate to her , like neuro Diversity and it's coming from her which is fabulous. She is recognising patterns she can relate to and then talking about them. I think this is amazing."
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RESOURCE BASE AT WHITEOAK ACADEMIES
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Our Nurture Hubs are not the only specialist SEND provision which has opened in the Trust.
We are very excited to announce that our new speech and language resource base, ‘Woodlands’, is open at Whiteoak Academies. This is providing specialist language provision to a small group of Key Stage 1 pupils.
All pupils attending Woodlands have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and are admitted via consultation with North Somerset Local Authority. The curriculum is carefully planned and led by the pupils’ individual EHCPs, allowing them to engage in the core subjects but with a deep focus on securing both receptive and expressive language skills. The Lead Teacher works closely with a speech and language therapist from North Somerset, developing the staff team’s knowledge and expertise around language interventions.
Woodlands is currently based within the main school but by the end of this academic year will have moved into a separate, purpose-built classroom, designed to meet the speech and language needs of pupils from both KS1 and KS2. The resource base is a calm, nurturing learning environment, rich with bespoke language opportunities and the remit of creating independent learners ready to re-enter the mainstream classroom. It is already having a significant impact for those pupils using its provision.
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LSP EARLY APPLICANT DAY 2024
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Prospective Oxbridge, Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry students from across the Trust’s four sixth forms joined together at Gordano School on 18 September 2024, for the Lighthouse Schools Partnerships Early Applicant Day. The aim of the event was to provide students with valuable insights and guidance on applying for these prestigious higher education pathways.
Students from Churchill, Gordano, Chew Valley and Backwell Sixth Forms attended the day, which included sessions on creating a Personal Statement, Entrance Interview Preparations, Career Pathways, and an opportunity for a Q&A with speakers and industry professionals. The Early Applicants Day is one of the benefits of each of our Sixth Forms being part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership; students benefit from collaboration across all four Sixth Forms, working together and learning from like-minded students, with similar interests and aspirations.
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Lighthouse Schools Partnership held the first Business Breakfast of this academic year on Wednesday 20 November at Churchill Academy and Sixth Form. Over 100 Business Partners and education colleagues attended the successful event.
Our main speaker at the event – Simon Lawrence OBE, General Manager of the National Trust Bristol Portfolio – provided an interesting and insightful reflection on the principles and values of ‘Servant Leadership’ that he has learnt throughout his military and diplomatic career.
If you are interested in becoming an LSP Business Partner or would like further information about the Business Breakfast please email businesspartnership@lsp.org.uk.
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Over the summer, we ran an Art Competition for pupils across the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.
The Central Team were blown away by both the quality and number of entries we received, which made deciding the winners a difficult job.
Congratulations to the well-deserved winners (below) - we hope you enjoy your book tokens.
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Art Competition Results 2024
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Primary Winner
Amara, Year 4 at Whitchurch Primary Schools
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Secondary Winner
Charis, Year 9 at Backwell School
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Primary Runner Up
Lucia, Year 6 at Churchill Primary School
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Secondary Runner Up
Abby, Year 9 at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form
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From canvases, to watercolours, collages to models (with working lights!) we now have some fantastic artwork on display in our offices.
Thank you so much to all the children who took time to show us their amazing creativity.
You can see lots of the other wonderful entries on our website:
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NEW BRANDING FOR GORDANO SCHOOL
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Gordano School are very fortunate to have the talents of Josh Williams in their Reprographics Department. Josh has ensured the smooth running of the school's busy reprographics department for the past 13 years along with Repro Technician Judy Plaster and has recently added his graphic design skills to their offer. By bringing this in-house, along with the purchase of new printing equipment, it has enabled budgets to be spent more effectively on the production of the branding elements that Josh has designed, instead of outsourcing.
As part of the overall rebranding, Josh was tasked with improving the look of the school site with eye-catching branding, inspired by the colours associated with the six school house teams. This included signage for key areas which has been very beneficial for new Year 7s and the school vision of Dream Big, Do Your Best and Give Back has been emblazoned across a previously unadorned wall to inspire students.
The next exciting phase of the site branding includes working in conjunction with Heads of Faulty to produce creative and informative displays, further way-finding signage and corridor branding with key messaging supporting the school vision.
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WINFORD PRIMARY PLANT TREE IN GOVERNOR'S HONOUR
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GOLDEN VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL VISITED BY BRISTOL OLD VIC
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With the help of their Chair of Governors, John Miles, council representatives at Winford Primary School planted a plum tree in front of the school. This tree has been planted in gratitude to Sonya Clark who was a governor at this school for 40 years and who retired last year. The staff and students are grateful to all who serve the school and community and particularly grateful to Sonya who saw the school through so many changes.
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Years 1 and 2 at Golden Valley Primary School enjoyed a fabulous performance from a troop of very talented actors.
The performance, which was based on traditional fairy tales, inspired the children and will form the basis of some written work they will do in English. It was a fantastic morning for everyone involved and great for the children to share such an exciting and engaging experience.
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GORDANO SCHOOL DISCUSS THEIR CULTURE OF SPORTS EXCELLENCE ON BBC RADIO
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Recently Radio Bristol visited Gordano School, where they interviewed Head of PE, Emma Harradine and two of their school's elite swimmers, Jamie and Sam to talk about their experiences and successes of the sporting provision at Gordano School, and the journey of their amazing swimmers as they head on the road to the ESS National Swim Finals.
You can listen to the recording by clicking on the link below (20m30s in):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0k24tx8?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
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WELLBEING FOCUS AT HIGH DOWN SCHOOLS
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High Down's Wellbeing Ambassadors have now been selected for this academic year and are already hard at work making sure that wellbeing around High Down remains positive. The school has an ongoing project to encourage less use of devices to improve our mental health by having more opportunity to connect with others in person, rather than online. This project will continue throughout the year.
This term, each class's Wellbeing Ambassadors are creating worry boxes so that all children in school have an alternative way to express any worries they may be experiencing. Throughout the year they will be keeping their 5 steps to wellbeing in mind for everything we do and ensuring all children become familiar with these steps. In addition, they have also begun a Friday Yoga club (see photos above) – the perfect way to get in a mindful mood on a Friday morning.
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RAVE REVIEWS FOR CHURCHILL ACADEMY & SIXTH FORM CHRISTMAS CONCERT
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The Churchill Academy & Sixth Form Christmas Concert was a resounding success, wowing the packed audience at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare. The students brought energy, humour and their high level of musicianship for all to share and kick-start the Christmas preparations.
 The Big Orchestra, Concert Band, Brass Group, String Group, Woodwind Group, Soul Band, Guitar Group, and our KS3 and Senior Choirs delighted the audience with some classic film scores, rock and pop songs, show tunes and Christmas melodies, before they were treated to a sneak preview of the forthcoming junior production of We Will Rock You, directed by our Sixth Form performing arts students.
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Our incredible variety of school productions and performances continues this term with two student-led productions over the past few weeks:
- Pupils from Years 7-9 at Churchill Academy and Sixth Form hit the stage with We Will Rock You.
- Backwell School Sixth Form students spread some razzle-dazzle with Chicago, Teen Edition.
We hope to share some photos of these productions soon - keep an eye out on our social media platforms!
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CHURCHILL ACADEMY YEAR 7 STUDENT SHOWCASE
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WRAXALL'S NEW OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM
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Churchill Academy & Sixth Form Year 7 Windsor students gathered to share some of the work they are most proud of since joining the Academy.
Students brought along sturdy bird boxes, challenging algebra, colourful artwork, creative writing and more. It was great to hear the students talk about the work they had created, celebrate each other's achievements and reflect on how far they’d come since joining the Academy in September.
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Staff and students at Wraxall Primary School have been busy preparing their new outdoor learning classroom. Situated outdoors, but right in the heart of the school it is equipped with new greenhouses, planters and picnic benches and the children are really looking forward to using their new space. Gardening activities will be beginning in the new year, with school grown crops returning and a school farmers market stall being run by the children once produce has grown! The classroom space makes use of the school's fantastic views and is a perfect space for the children to take part in science lessons and enjoy reading surrounded by nature.
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GORDANO A LEVEL STUDENTS EXCEL IN MATHS CHALLENGE
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Gordano School is celebrating the success of 34 A-Level students who took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge. Seven received Gold certificates, 11 received Silver and 12 received Bronze which is a huge achievement.
Ellie Siegle, Max Appleyard, Joe Roome, Stanley Godbehere from Year 13 and Megan Aitken, Daniel Chiu and Oliver Hammond from Year 12 received Gold certificates and qualified for the Senior Kangaroo, known to be exceptionally challenging.
Four of our exceptional girls also participated in the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls, with Saskia Peden, Ellie Siegle and Freya Pritchard all receiving merit certificates and Haiyi Wang a Distinction.
UKMT is established to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. They support thousands of young people in the UK and beyond to improve their problem-solving and maths skills.
Lou Blundell, Headteacher at Gordano School said ’we commend all students involved in this challenge for their hard work, ambition and commitment. They should be so proud of their accomplishments’.
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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.
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