Leigh Academies Trust
NEWS
Easter 2022 | Issue 23
Contents
A message from the Chief Executive
Teachers’ annual starting pay will increase to £30,000 by September 2023. All teachers will receive at least a 3% cost of living increase from this September with lower points on the pay scale rising even faster towards the new national starting salary. Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) is delighted with this policy to improve teachers’ pay and can now confirm it will go even further.
National pay scales enable teachers to reach the top of the scale within twelve years. From September, LAT is introducing a new arrangement to enable progress to the top pay point within nine years. More details will be provided on all of the above at the start of next module.
Earlier in the year, we were able to confirm a regrading of pay scales for site staff. As a result, many of our valuable site operatives received additional increases to their annual salary. From September, most support staff - like teachers - will enjoy at least a 3% cost of living increase. In addition, we will be upgrading the starting range for teaching assistants on the LAT pay scale. Like changes to teachers’ pay, more information will be announced after the Easter break.
Each year, the Trust undertakes a number of building improvement projects across its academies. This year the volume of those projects is greater than ever. In this edition of our newsletter you can read about the many exciting construction programmes due for completion within the next year costing several million pounds. The quantity of investment is considerable and will provide even more opportunities for our pupils to enjoy their education in high quality learning environments.
I hope you also enjoy reading about the plentiful range of achievements across our academies in this digital newsletter.
With my very best wishes,
Simon Beamish,
Chief Executive
Module 3 was probably the toughest term in education for many a decade. Academies were faced with huge challenges particularly due to significant staff absences and as a result, our trainee teachers faced circumstances that were unprecedented. The support that they received from staff within the LAT academies was remarkable and we were really proud of our trainees who chose not to moan, and instead rolled their sleeves up and did everything they could to support the pupils in school.
KMT also faced a huge challenge in having to reapply to be an accredited provider from September 2024 onwards.
We adopted a team approach, whereby colleagues utilised their areas of expertise and specialisms to submit what we feel is an extremely strong bid. The sections of the bid focused on curriculum, mentoring and partnerships. The partnerships section was particularly positive as we were able to demonstrate our alignment with LAT, the TGTSH and over 180 partner schools.
Our big challenge now is recruitment for 2022/23. Nationally, recruitment into ITT is down by 24%. I am happy to report that whilst recruitment at KMT is down slightly, it is nowhere near this level. Applications and interviews are continuing to come in and we ask all LAT academies to support us with the process through fast responses.
We need to get the interviews organised and the trainees in school, to hook them and capture them and stop them going elsewhere. We are also developing recruitment by increasing our capacity by working with even more schools across the South East. KMT is now the largest ITT provider in the region.
Finally, I am delighted to inform you that Emma Langford will be joining the team after Easter to support finances for KMT, TGTSH and the Maths Hub.
The first six months of our journey as a Teaching School Hub have been extremely positive, with our networks across the region growing in number and depth of partnership. Over 280 schools across North Kent, Medway and beyond now work with us for at least one of our major strands of work.
As Progress Review 2 is completed for our 375 ECTs, we have been delighted to be able to return to face to face delivery. March has seen both our ECT mentor and ECT regional events, taking place at the Kent Event Centre in Detling. These fabulous conferences have been a celebration of our partnership and an opportunity to reflect on the excellent practice which is evident in our classrooms day to day.
A return to face to face delivery has also been welcomed by our 620 NPQ delegates. Many of these colleagues have joined spring cohorts undertaking one of our 6 programmes. These new opportunities are being extremely well received, with additional training for coaches, mentors and facilitators across our programmes now on offer. Please see our website for further details.
Our signposted CPD opportunities have also been well received. The recent cohort of HLTA delegates have just received excellent recognition for their hard work, with 8 qualifications fully confirmed and 3 more to be moderated. We continue to work closely with our partners across the curriculum hubs and would point you to our most recent Bulletin for a summary of their and our offers.
The scope and reach of the Kent and Medway Maths Hub has continued to spread across the Kent and Medway region. 75.5% of schools have now worked with us in some way over the past 6 years. To date, nearly 3000 individual participants have participated in at least one programme, totalling 487 schools. Our priority now is to ensure that all schools across our Hub area are able to benefit from the fantastic Teaching for Mastery offer, provided as a fully funded opportunity for almost all primary, secondary and special schools.
To support recruitment to these programmes, we are offering a number of exciting opportunities over the spring and summer period. These can be found via our primary and secondary newsletters. They include the opportunity to visit open classrooms and briefings, as well as hearing from some inspirational speakers.
A cause for celebration this term was our conference event, welcoming our superb team of Local Leaders of Maths Education. Hosted at Leigh Academy Rainham, colleagues were given the opportunity to reflect on the work of the Hub, before breaking into groups to discuss some of the pressing challenges for the sector. We were delighted to welcome Maria Cunningham from the Education Endowment Foundation as our keynote speaker who upskilled the team in a deeper understanding of the recent ‘Effective Professional Development’ guidance report.
Unsurprisingly, it’s been a busy term for LAT Careers and we’ve been working hard to recruit high-quality staff across our network of academies, for our partner organisations and within LAT Head Office. On a typical day, we recruit for roles ranging from Finance Assistant to Principal to Lead Practitioner and all roles in between! That’s why we love what we do; no day is the same in recruitment!
Working collaboratively with the LAT Creative Team, we launched the new LAT Careers website in January 2022 - click here to take a look if you haven’t done so already. It’s got a fresh new look and is more streamlined, with more content to follow in due course.
Let us take the opportunity to remind you of the Refer-a-Teacher Scheme that everyone can make use of. Let us know of a great teacher not currently working for Leigh Academies Trust, and you’ll get £300 as a thank you if they are appointed! Note that terms and conditions apply which can be found on the website.
We would also like to remind you where you can find out more about internal vacancies: click here. This will take you straight to the relevant area on LATOne where we post all internal opportunities; you can filter the type of jobs so that they are specific to the type of role you are looking for, and receive email alerts when something arises. With 31 academies at present, there are ample opportunities across LAT that will allow you to progress in your career.
In addition to recruiting new staff, the LAT Careers Team also worked hard to launch the LAT High Potential Programme, a programme designed to identify potential and emerging future Vice Principals. We held the first assessment day in January 2022, with the second and third assessment days scheduled for March 2022. Those accepted onto the programme will then benefit from a tailored development plan towards securing their ideal Vice Principal position within LAT. We will be opening up the High Potential Programme to other positions across the Trust in due course, and all staff will receive communications on this later in the academic year.
We’re also pushing a variety of new content on social media to hopefully attract potential candidates, so please like, share and follow us on the following platforms:
LAT Apprenticeships have been celebrating some huge success during this module, with one of the biggest being the successful reapplication and gaining approval on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). This means LAT Apprenticeships can continue to work on expanding the offer of apprenticeship delivery and look to widening the scope of external organisations we work with.
During the past few months we have welcomed new members of staff to the team, who have been working with our first cohort of Business Admin apprentices to complete and achieve their apprenticeship standard, with some distinctions being awarded.
LAT Apprenticeships have been visiting students within the trust to talk to them about apprenticeships as a potential route of study, outlining the benefits and what is involved. We would love to get the opportunity to chat with more of our school leavers; please get in touch if you have students who want to know more about this fantastic education route.
MAT Finance Rising Star of the year!
In recognition of the exceptional start she has made to her career in the Trust finance team, Saffron Buckfield was the winner of a national MAT award. Congratulations to our very own “Rising Star”!
Digital Learning
As Chromebooks have become more established within our academies, it has been wonderful to see teachers and students begin to use these in increasingly effective and innovative ways.
One of the key benefits of students having devices, is the access to learning. Across the Trust we are seeing Google Classrooms populated with resources which means students are able to work independently, working at different paces, accessing strength and challenge tasks, and adapting their learning experience based on their unique learning needs.
What we are beginning to see is increased collaboration amongst the students. This could be through working on the same Google Doc or Slide, or sharing ideas on a Jamboard. Through collaborating, students are challenged to develop different skills such as teamwork and problem solving, and they learn to think about their work differently as they experience the work of their peers.
We continue to strive to bring creativity into our learning. This can be a challenge when we see creative tools as an add-on to the work, but can be a real benefit when we see that they can enhance the thinking and expression of what is being learned. For example, a student creating a video explaining a process they have been learning about will help with recall and they will process this information in a different way.
The great thing is that this allows for all students to participate, thereby giving every student a voice in the classroom. In our recent survey to parents and students, our digital strategy featured very highly indeed, with over 90% agreeing that access to technology has supported overall learning.
The recent Digital Levels survey showed truly positive attitudes towards the use of technology in education and how we are integrating this well within our pedagogy. It also highlighted where we need to grow and support all staff further.
At the recent Trust Day in February, it was good to have around 30 staff attend the Google Level 2 training and many sat the exam. We now have over 10% of teaching staff with Google Level 2.
On the 4th May, we will host another LAT digital professional development event, which will see all teachers be able to access high quality professional development to support further digital development in practice within the classroom.
Modern Foreign Languages
Paul Hughes Visit - @mflspeaker
In January, motivational speaker, Paul Hughes, spent four days visiting LAT secondary academies. In a wide ranging presentation to Year 9 students, which was thought provoking, engaging and honest, Paul talked about how languages have changed his life. He described finding school hard (he was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult) and was never successful in exams. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Air Force and was soon recruited to Special Forces.
Over the years he had to learn Russian, Arabic and Pashto, which he had to use 'on operations'. Paul has travelled all over the world using his languages and has even interpreted for Barack Obama! Since leaving the RAF he has completed a Masters degree in cognitive science and he described how the brain learns language in a way we could all understand. Paul is now a successful public speaker and CEO of a forensic science company. He is currently one of the forensic investigators on the Channel 4 programme, HUNTED.
New Developments
Hayesbrook Academy: Decision to move to co-ed from September 2023
The decision for Hayesbrook Academy to become coeducational from September 2023 was approved in February, paving the way for Hayesbrook to become Leigh Academy Tonbridge when the change occurs.
The consultation period highlighted how keen all stakeholders were for there to be a coeducational comprehensive option in South Tonbridge/Northern Tunbridge Wells.
The academy now looks forward to the preparations required to move to a coeducational setting, but in the shorter term, pupils and staff have started their considerations for college names as the academy moves to a small school model from this September.
Expansion of Snowfields Academy
The expansion of Snowfields Academy onto our new Cranbrook Campus, which is currently High Weald Academy, is progressing well. The LA has agreed to fund the adaptations required to meet the building fit for purpose as a specialist provision for 140 secondary aged students with ASD as their primary need, in line with the admissions at Snowfields Academy Bearsted. This includes some demolition of old and redundant buildings, groundworks and new fencing and the adaptation of some internal spaces to support our curriculum delivery. We will start in September 2022 with students in Years 7, 8 and 9 at Cranbrook, as we did at Bearsted, followed by a new intake of Year 7s each year until we reach capacity with Year 12s.
Students will be allocated a home academy which they attend each day, with some planned cross-campus opportunities for Key Stage 3 and some additional Key Stage 4 and 5 opportunities over time. We are swiftly filling our Year 7 places, with applications for Year 8 and 9 beginning to come in. Staff recruitment is going very well, with several excellent staff joining us at our Cranbrook campus from High Weald Academy in September.
Milestone Nursery at Cherry Orchard Primary Academy
Milestone Specialist Intervention (SI) Nursery has been temporarily located for eighteen months within the Cherry Orchard Primary Academy ( COPA) building. We are pleased to announce that plans are now well underway and progress is being made with establishing the SI Nursery, in its own bespoke building within the grounds of COPA.
The building has been designed to support very young children with additional needs as well as their families and other professionals who work with them. The capacity of the building will also support our Nursery Outreach provision, encouraging early years professionals within the Trust and beyond within the wider community to learn from our own highly knowledgeable and experienced staff.
New Maths block at Mascalls Academy
This year we welcomed nearly 100 students from High Weald Academy into our community. We have also increased our PAN representing a solution to the growing popularity of Mascalls within the surrounding areas. As a result of these moves, we are considering options to provide additional capacity to facilitate this.
One option is the redevelopment of our ageing maths block increasing the number of classrooms from 10 to 14 and providing many much needed new facilities and additional capacity.
A further and preferred option is a brand new building which could be sited on the current C block car park. This scheme will consist of 14 classrooms, associate office space and welfare facilities.
Whichever plan is approved, there will be a redevelopment of the current youth wing. This wing will initially facilitate the additional pupils from September 2022 and later support improvements for our sixth form students, inclusion centre and space for conferencing. It really is a very exciting time for Mascalls, equipping the academy for years to come.
New EY Area at Horsmonden Primary Academy
We are delighted that our EYFS outdoor area is being revamped over the summer. For too long the old swimming pool changing rooms have loomed over in the corner but not for much longer! Once they are dismantled and the floor is levelled, it will add much needed space to the area.
The messy mud kitchen will be kept at one end and the rest of the space will be made safe with a continuous rubber crumb surface. This will ensure the space is multipurpose and usable in all weather conditions as well as brightening and smartening the area up.
In preparation for the grand reveal in September, we are now busy planning the provision, sourcing resources and finalising plans ready for our new intake.
New EY Area at Paddock Wood Primary Academy
Our EYFS is being transformed over the summer and we can’t wait! Not only will the interior get a make-over with much needed storage, but the outside will be turned from a mud bath into an area which can be used all year round. Our aim is to make the classrooms airy, bright and all purpose with wood effect flooring, white walls, new sink units and furniture.
The outside will benefit from a rubber crumb surface leading into astroturf allowing the children to continue their learning outside come rain, snow and shine. The outside of our building will be changed from brown to a smart, dark, grey and our lobby area will keep some of the building’s heat inside. Initial plans have been drawn and we are now looking at finalising these and getting started.
New Science Labs at The Leigh Academy
After many years in the planning stages, we are delighted to confirm that the new science lab project will commence this summer. Currently the science labs at The Leigh are spread through the building and are in need of modernising. We have been approved as a provider for the new Health and Science T Level from September 2023 and so will need more specialist space and equipment to deliver this new qualification.
The £1.2 million new science block will have labs designed with purpose fitted furniture and equipment that will allow students at every key stage to participate more freely in regular practicals. The increased science prep
areas will mean more resources can be readily available for exciting experiments to take place. The science staff are looking forward to being able to work closely together as they will be able to collaborate and support each other more easily and benefit from their shared experiences. This summer will see three new science labs, a science studio, an additional prep room and chemical store. Phase two next summer will also see a further lab and science studio added to the configuration. This will ensure that our students have access to the highest quality facilities as they become lead scientists of the future.
SEN Block at The Hundred of Hoo Academy
The SWC has been redesigned to ensure we are meeting the needs of the growing number of pupils with difficulties in communication and interaction. The two story building will contain 6 large classrooms, designed to provide pupils with an easily understood environment with a low level of distraction. All classrooms have a quiet room attached to act as a therapeutic space, so pupils can calm and focus themselves to help prepare them for their learning. The building will also offer changing facilities on both floors, a meeting room and a life skills room, with a washer/dryer and small kitchenette. Outside, there will be a purposely built outdoor area to support sensory circuits and pupils' social time. This will back on to the grove which will support our young people during their personal development sessions.
2FE Expansion at The Hundred of Hoo Primary Academy
We are very excited to be moving towards the final planning stages of the expansion to two-form entry in the Primary Phase at The Hundred of Hoo Academy, with a view for taking our first two-form Reception cohort in September 2023. The second phase of the building project will bring 8 new classrooms (with much needed storage areas), an extension to the EYFS outdoor area, a new breakout room, a new reading area and a light and airy, full-height glass connecting corridor. We cannot wait to be able to offer an excellent IB inspired education to an additional 210 pupils over the coming years.
STEM Centre at The Halley Academy
The Halley Academy is proud of its new Tallow Chandlers Engineering and Design Centre. The facility has been designed to support students in their understanding and progression within the engineering field.
The facilities within the centre enable students to prepare for the engineering industry and benefit from a variety of both physical engineering equipment such as industry standard lathes, milling machines and a forge, alongside computer numerical controlled (CNC) machinery and 3D printers. This equipment will ensure students keep up with the advances in cutting-edge technology in design and help prepare them for success at university or completing an apprenticeship. The centre will be experienced by students in all year groups.
The new centre will further strengthen our engineering curriculum and our academy’s commitment to developing a world-leading STEM curriculum. The Tallow Chandlers have further supported us by hosting an Employer Engagement evening for the academy in the City of London. This has helped us develop links with employers who can support our development of career-related learning projects.
Tennis Courts at Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
We are currently working on our next sporting project at Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School. This will involve the construction of a new floodlit area comprising of four tennis courts and three netball courts. This will be a significant improvement to our sporting provision, enabling us to offer additional sports and making a real improvement to our sporting offer for sixth form girls.
The project is currently with Medway's planning department and we hope it will be completed in the Autumn.
Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) at Strood Academy
We are very pleased to inform you of our plans for further educational development at Strood Academy.
In partnership with Medway Council, we are currently consulting on having a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for students with Autism. It is proposed that the SRP will support 5 students initially, growing to 25 students over time ranging from Year 7-13. It is intended that the provision will be in place from September 2022 starting with the first 5 pupils in Year 7. All students at the provision will have an Education and Health Care Plan and their primary need will have been assessed as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Development of this provision is in conjunction with Medway Council as part of its Strategy for children with SEN and Disabilities (SEND).
As part of the Trust’s and Strood Academy’s fully inclusive ethos, we believe that the SRP will be of great value to all students in the school. By including children with ASD, other students will learn to appreciate the needs of others in a tolerant and caring community. Additional funding will be provided to enable us to ensure that students receive this additional support, which will also bring additional specialist teachers into the academy to support students within the SRP but also the wider student population.
The Academy will be supported by other academies within the Leigh Academies Trust that have a specialist SRP provision to ensure the very best outcomes for students. If the consultation is successful we are hoping to create a double storey facility in conjunction with Medway to accommodate 30 students long term after September 2023 when the building works will aim to be completed.
T Levels at The Leigh UTC
We started delivering the new post-16 T Levels in September 2020 as part of the pilot scheme; we now have two digital groups and a further two engineering groups starting in September 2022.
Our T Level students have had to be resilient from the very start having persevered through the pandemic by working collaboratively but at times remotely. Our Year 13 students have just completed the first phase of their placements with Balfour Beatty, Crown Prosecution Service and KBC networks, where students have embarked on their journey towards their T Level placement qualification. While conducting skills based employer projects, they learnt a range of employability, technical and organisational skills as well as time management and problem solving while also experiencing 20 weeks of the ‘real world’ of work! Our current Year 12 digital group will soon be starting their 45 days of work placement. We are developing a network of new organisations to work with which include the NHS, Cabinet Office, Fujitsu and many SMEs locally.
Our engineering T Level route will also include a new 3 year programme whereby students will learn engineering skills in year 1 with a 10 day work placement followed by a 2 year programme and a block placement at a local engineering company.
Digital T Level students working on a range of hardware devices.
Activities conducted by students at school while working towards their project at work.
Activities at the lab to work with transistors and researching possibilities of enhancing neural networks.
See below to find out what our T Level students are saying about their placements...
Job Role: Junior Hardware/Software Design Engineer
‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with KBC and explored an area that interested me. I really appreciate the opportunity that was provided to me. I have learnt alot from Clinton and it has encouraged me to look at my subject with more diversity as opposed to it being just a computer science subject.‘
Anastasis
Job Role: Junior Hardware/Software Design Engineer
‘I enjoyed my time at Balfour Beatty CPS, even though at times there were some issues with the device assigned to me but this has taught me alot on how we can better solve problems and I have still tried, from my side to keep up with the demands and pace of the workplace and the commute. I did enjoy my time that I had with the company and appreciate the opportunity as it did open the doors for further placements for me where I can apply my skills to be more proactive and better drive my personal development.’
Lewis
Job Role: Digital Transformation Trainee
‘My time with the Digital Transformation team at M25 Connectplus has given me a great insight into the world of work after education. Even though there were a few hiccups and mishaps, I still enjoyed working with the team.
I feel my confidence has greatly improved after this work placement along with my work ethic and the way I present myself whether that be professionally or socially. This ranges from the way I structure my emails to even just how I talk to others in a professional setting. Overall I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Connect Plus and would happily do it again!’
Jack
Assistant Principal and former DOL T Level at the Leigh UTC
‘The best feature I see in our students is the ability to persevere through the most difficult of times and adaptability within the new environments. I am very happy to see our first T Level T20 cohort get this far through all the adversities the pandemic threw at them. It is exciting to see the success of T Levels at the Leigh UTC from where we first began and I wish our students every success.’
Sweety Rekhi
Director of Learning, Computer Science
‘I really appreciate the effort and collaboration on the employers’ part in being willing to take on our students for placement during the very difficult current climate that the pandemic has caused. I learned new skills throughout the process especially in dealing with the change the pandemic brought upon us. I appreciate the support from the parents, employers and the Leigh UTC in making it possible for the young people we sent off on their journey, to learn and expand their minds and test their abilities in the world of work before making informed decisions for their future ventures.’
Syed Zaidi
Employer Quotes:
CPS
‘We are keen to make a positive impact as an organisation to the communities in and around the M25. By supporting this initiative with the Leigh UTC, we have seen the students better understand the working environment, learn how to work to deadlines and deliver projects that meet the objectives. It has helped our organisation to recognise the importance of links to educational organisations and how to develop talent from a young age and build the required skills for the future workforce. This is especially true for digital skills, where the students have been embedded within the Digital Transformation team.’
Adam Talbot
KBC Networks
‘By supporting The Leigh UTC with this initiative, it has hopefully inspired the next generation of engineers and scientists towards the semiconductor industry and manufacturing. Exposing students to the working processes of research and development within this sector, not only displays the multitude of disciplines required but also the relationship between mathematics and science as foundations for this industry.
As an initial stage, students are reminded of the origins and the evolution of the technology from simple logic gates through to complex data registers and packaged micro-controllers. Each stage of discovery is documented along with parts used, costings and design schematics where appropriate. Students are also encouraged to document their findings and to always be improving on origin designs where needed. The approach allows for smaller research project teams to be self-managed and self-motivated while still being able to educate and share experiences/outcomes within larger research, development or business development teams.’
Clinton Bessesen