New devices and systems in schools

From investing in Chromebooks to more modern systems to manage data we are finding ways to make the best use of technology in and outside of the classroom. The next year will see an additional 600 Chromebooks purchased across our Primary schools, a new wireless and phone system rolled out across the Trust, and better use of the Google for Education platform to enhance the learning experience for all.

Talk for Writing

We are committed to improving writing outcomes for all learners and have recently allocated £10,000 to facilitate ongoing training for our primary colleagues known as Talk for Writing. This approach enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own version.

Early Years Lead

In September we appointed a new Trust Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Lead. Lauren Sorano (also EYFS phase leader at De Havilland), is in the process of visiting each of our primary schools and is looking forward to shaping the future of EYFS learning within the Trust alongside school leaders. We will share further news on this exciting new role in future updates.

Engaging learners

Our Trust Learning Lead for Modern Foreign Languages (MfL), has commenced collaborative work with colleagues from across DET’s secondary schools focused upon best practice in engaging and challenging all MfL learners at KS3. Consistently innovative and excellent practice, underpinned by the very latest research and resource-sharing, will ensure our students are increasingly aware of and conversant with their global community and recognise their place within this.

Acedemic mentors

In liaison with the National Tutoring Programme, Danes Educational Trust has recruited two colleagues as Academic Mentors to Croxley Danes School and Onslow St Audrey’s School. They will deliver bespoke interventions in mathematics and science to small groups of students, identified as requiring ‘catch up’ by these schools. As such we have created further capacity to ensure those of our students who have been most disadvantaged by the pandemic are in receipt of expert and timely support.

School Boards

We have restructured the School Boards (governing bodies). The role of the School Boards now has a primary focus of community engagement with link role governors for Community - Staff, Community - Learners, Community - Parents and the wider community. To read more about governance at Danes Educational Trust, please visit the Trust website. 

Wrap around care - Primary Schools

During the Autumn term we have appointed an excellent wrap around care provider for our Primary Schools. The new provider is Kidz-Zone and we are excited to start working with them at our schools in January 2023. Kidz-Zone will run before and after school clubs for our primary learners and they will also offer a holiday club. For more information on how to book your child into the before or after school cubs please take a look at the school website.

Learner Voice Council

This term we facilitated the second Learner Voice Council Induction Day. 100 students from across our five secondary schools came to St Clement Danes and participated in workshops focused upon Oracy, Research Practice, Teamwork and leading Teaching and Learning before re-convening in their school groups to plan their Learner Voice Council journey 2022-2023. With the intention of providing our students with the opportunity to both develop confidence and use their ‘voice’ in a purposeful way that helps us as a Trust to shape our practices, our Learner Voice Councils have provided a collaborative path through the pandemic and energised our students to believe they truly have the capacity to ‘make a difference’.