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LSP Newsletter - July 2023 

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                                                    July 2023       

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Welcome

Dear colleagues,

Looking back on this term it is evident that we have experienced almost the full gamut of school life. 

The fire at Yatton Schools was a shocking and very unwelcome first for us; I shall never forget both the drama of being present as we saw flames moving quickly through the classrooms and then the low point of seeing the gutted building next day.  Things could have been so much worse, and we worked very quickly with Jo Keeble and her colleagues at Yatton to make plans for the smooth delivery of education in Term 6. With the help of St Andrew’s and Chestnut Park Primary Schools classes were quickly relocated and life goes on.  We are now working to have temporary classrooms available on the Yatton site for September and to develop plans for a new infant school building.  When the pressure is on the trust family matters more than ever and in this crisis we pulled together brilliantly.

Yet we aspire to be more than just ‘good in a crisis’.  I have been really pleased to see us develop and reach some maturity as an organisation this year.  It has been a privilege to welcome Golden Valley, Wrington, Burrington, Churchill Primary and Churchill Academy and Sixth Form to membership of LSP this year.

I have also been really proud to see the training offer to staff deepen and develop: our partnership with West100 is just one element of that you can read about that in this edition of the newsletter.  We are also working incredibly closely together on SEND capacity and strategy and our focus on 'Universal Provision' will be a key theme in this coming year.

I hope that you enjoy reading about some of the things that have gone on recently in our schools. 

I like to wish you a brilliant and enjoyable summer.

With best wishes,

Gary

 

Mr G Lewis, Chief Executive


Trust News


01 Apr 2023
Churchill Academy and Sixth Form join the Trust
We are delighted to announce that Churchill Academy and Sixth Form officially joined our Trust as of April 1, 2023, increasing the total number of schools within the Trust to 30.
Read more

13 Jun 2023
Future of Churchill Sports Centre building secured
North Somerset Council and the Lighthouse Schools Partnership Multi-Academy Trust (LSP) have reached an agreement, subject to executive member approval, to secure the future of the building formerly used as Churchill Sports Centre.
Read more

25 Apr 2023
St Peter’s CE Primary School rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
Following a graded Ofsted inspection in February, St Peter’s CE Primary School has been judged to be an ‘outstanding’ school in all areas.  Inspectors noted that, “Pupils display exemplary attitudes towards their learning,” and that, “Pupils learn exceptional...
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10 Jul 2023
West 100 - Developing Future School Leaders
Lighthouse Schools Partnership are delighted to be one of the founding members of West100.We will be working closely with the Reach Foundation to identify and support 100 potential headteachers from the South West region over the next five years.
Read more

14 Jul 2023
LSP Business Breakfast 14 July 2023
Lighthouse Schools Partnership held the final Business Breakfast of this academic year on Friday, July 14th at Gordano School.  Over 150 Business Partners attended the successful event.
Read more

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Wellbeing

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Awards & Recognition

We wish to congratulate and thank the following people for the contributions they have made to our Trust:

 

25 years' service

Claire Jenkins – Deputy Headteacher at Golden Valley

Darran Lewis – Teacher at Backwell Secondary

Duncan Perrett – Teacher at Backwell Secondary

 

25 years' service & Retiring

James Hobbs – Teacher at Backwell Secondary - retiring on 31/08/23

Julie Kerkin – MDSA at Grove Junior – retired on 26/05/2023 

Diane Dimmock – School Business Manager at Bishop Sutton – retired on 31/03/23.

 

20 years' service & Retiring 

Tina Roberts – Teaching Assistant at Golden Valley – retiring on 31/08/23

Sue Fisher – Teacher at Golden Valley – retiring on 31/08/23

Gaynor Hastings at Gordano – retired on 06/06/23

 

We also want to say good luck to all the staff, governors and Chairs of Governors who are moving on from the Trust at the end of this academic year.

This includes two of our Headteachers:

Jane Bennett - Headteacher at Flax Bourton CofE Primary School

Kevin Lynch - Headteacher at Golden Valley Primary School

We wish you all the best for your next chapters and thank you for all you have done for the children and staff at the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.


ECO NEWS

06 Jul 2023
Energy efficiency improvements start to roll out across Trust
Golden Valley Primary has been the first of many schools to have their LED lighting upgrades installed as part of the Trust's wider commitment to sustainability.
Read more

06 Jul 2023
Portishead schools collaborate to launch Eco-Forum event
Portishead Primary School recently hosted five local primary schools to share their eco-visions at their inaugural Portishead Eco-Forum.
Read more

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School News


20 Jun 2023
Blagdon Primary School Receive School of Sanctuary Award
Pupils and staff from Blagdon Primary School were delighted to learn that they have achieved the School of Sanctuary Award and are the first school in North Somerset to receive this.
Read more

11 Jul 2023
Churchill Academy & Sixth Form celebrate at Grand Final of Dance Live!
After winning in the semi-finals in Poole, students travelled to compete in the national finals of Dance Live on Wednesday 26th April.
Read more

Award for Chew Valley Colleague for Ten Tors Support

Congratulations to Jo Hibbert who received a special award for the British Army to thank her for 30 years of volunteering on this challenge. 

Ten Tors is an event on Dartmoor where teams of six young people take part in a two-day challenge in May.  Routes of 35, 45 and 55 miles are available with students carrying ll their equipment so that they can camp out on the moor midway.  As you can imagine, training needs to take place over numerous weekends beforehand in all of the essential skills required to safely complete the venture with teams coming from schools, youth groups and army cadets.

The Army themselves acknowledge those staff who have given years of commitment to supporting the young people and Jo, who is the Head of PE at Chew Valley, received an award for her 30 years volunteering this year.

Jo spends many weekends supporting young people in preparation for Ten Tors along with Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and leading other areas where students are able to experience outdoor education.

We share the public acknowledgement of all of Jo's hard work and dedication. 

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17 Jul 2023
Northleaze School Choir at the Mid -Somerset Festival ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The pupils of Northleaze School Choir compete in the Mid-Somerset Festival in Bath.
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Fire at Yatton Schools

Many of you will be aware that the infant school building at Yatton School was damaged by fire on Monday 29 May (during the half term holiday). 

A number of classrooms and a hall space were destroyed and a significant portion of the building had to be demolished. 

(photo below from Avon Fire and Rescue)
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Four classes have had to relocate offsite as a result of the damage. A massive thank you to Fran Martin, and the whole staff at St Andrew's in Congresbury, who welcomed two classes onto their site. Two other groups have been accommodated at Chestnut Park Primary School in Yatton (part of the Futura Learning Partnership). The children, and their teachers, have been travelling by bus to these two sites this term to continue their learning.

The staff at Yatton Schools have been working incredibly hard to ensure that a sense of community continues and all of the children feel supported during this period of disruption including;

Joe Wicks delivers special PE with Joe lesson

On Thursday 13 July 'The Body Coach' Joe Wicks paid a special visit to the school to lead a special playground workout for the whole school.

Deputy Headteacher Sarah Howard messaged Joe on social media asking if he would make a video for the children to lift their spirits, however he offered to visit instead.

The whole site was decorated for his arrival; posters, pictures and hand drawn bunting adorned every window, wall and door at the school. The weather was not so colourful with a heavy down pour soaking the children as they waited in the playground - but this did not dampen spirits. following, all 550 children and staff sung a song for Joe to say thank you. 

Joe was very generous with his time and after the workout two Q&A sessions were then held with the children.

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The wider community have really got behind the school since the fire with fundraising and many offers of help and support being offered for individuals and local businesses.

Temporary classrooms will be put in place at Yatton over the summer holidays to allow all children to return to the site from September. 


17 Jul 2023
Backwell School students compete in 'Routes into Languages' Spelling Bee National Final
Each year, Routes into Languages run a national spelling bee competition for Year 7 students who are studying French, German and Spanish. There are four stages of the competition with 50/100 words to learn at each stage (300 altogether). This would equate to about a third of the words needed for the...
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Portishead Primary Hosts Anne Frank Awards

Portishead Primary School was delighted to host the 2023 Somerset Anne Frank Youth Awards on Wednesday 6 July.

As last year's winner of the prestigious Paul Heim Award the honour fell to the school to host the committee and nominees from across Somerset. 

Richard Riordan, Headteacher, gave the opening and closing speeches and Year 4 student Bodhi talked about the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors they have at the school which is what led to them winning the award in 2022.

It was a fabulous night, celebrating the amazing things that young people do across the county to oppose discrimination, support and care for others and work with conflict resolution and social inclusion.

It was a proud moment to see the Portishead Primary and LSP logos on the programme of events. 

Thank you to all those who attended and supported this event


Social Media

LSP Follow
Pupils and staff at Yatton Schools had a incredible treat today when Joe Wicks 'The Body Coach' came to visit to do a special PE with Joe session.The rain did not stop the enthusiasm and we are very grateful to Joe for all his positivity especially after the recent fire on the school site.Full details on the day will be posted soon - keep your eyes peeled!
4 days ago
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