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LSP Newsletter - Summer 2022

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                                   Spring/Summer 2022       

Welcome

Dear colleagues,

Just when you think it is over, it isn’t!  As I write this at the end of June we have three Heads off with COVID and a good number of cases again across schools.  Nevertheless, things do seem refreshingly normal for a summer term and this newsletter is full of the evidence of that.  It has even been good to see pupils at their exam desks once again having the opportunity to show what they have learned.  So thank you, in all your roles for your work and enthusiasm in delivering a normal summer.

We continue to work together to tackle some of the biggest challenges that education has faced in decades.  We are all very aware of rising numbers of SEND cases, mental health concerns and complex emotional problems that many young people are now facing.  We haven’t solved all these problems by any means, but we are certainly releasing more capacity through collaboration.  This is one of the dividends of being in a Trust and I hope that we will see much, much more of that as the year ahead unfolds.  We now have a Deputy Director of Education (Inclusion and SEND), and in just a couple of months work with us so far, Debbie Coker has already energised our collaboration.

The news is now full of discussions about the cost-of-living crisis and debates about what the nation can or should afford for pay rises for public servants.  We don’t know at this point what the STRB will recommend for teachers and the 2022 negotiations for support staff also remain open.  You will all be aware of our practice of passing on pay increases immediately and in full and working within the spirit of national bargaining.  We also intend to revise our benefits package and will hope to add to the existing offer.  We will endeavour to work positively with the unions and trust that these pressures do not become divisive in our own ranks.  We have a cross-Trust union liaison committee and I always ask union reps to bring any concerns to us at the earliest possible moment so that we can have a fair chance to resolve issues immediately. 

"We are continuing to work to reduce our carbon emissions"

We are continuing to work to reduce our carbon emissions and have gathered a huge amount of data to help us to prioritise our efforts.  We have also appointed a Sustainability Officer to help us drive this forward. You will also see later in the newsletter the advert for our new electric car salary sacrifice scheme with Tusker.  We hope that will be a significant benefit of employment with the Trust and helps us all hit our environmental targets.

I am delighted to confirm that we have a number of local schools in the process of joining LSP.  Wrington, Burrington and Churchill Church of England Primary Schools and Churchill Academy and Sixth Form propose to join us and, along with Blagdon and St Andrews, who are already members, will form a new Churchill Hub.  Golden Valley Primary School in Nailsea are planning to join the Backwell Hub.  We also have really positive plans for closer working together for our secondaries focussed around our co-curricular (the new word for extra-curricular!) offer. 

As we enter the last weeks of term, I know that the tempo increases rather than slows down but, looking forward to the holidays, can I wish you a sunny and enjoyable break.  Thanks so much for your work this year.

 

With best wishes,

Gary


Trust News


Employee Self Service (ESS) Launches

You can now view your pay and employment information via an online portal. The secure portal allows you to see and change your personal and contact information.  You can view your current contractual arrangements, as well as view your absence record.  Please note that absences are being updated in the system, so your full absence record may not be available just yet. The system will only show your current post and not historical positions you may have held. 

In the future, the trust may use the online portal to help you make overtime, expenses or holiday claims.  As an added benefit, anyone leaving the trust can access their information for 1 year after leaving. 

Login to LSP Gateway to find out more. 


Education Wellbeing Charter

Click here to read the LSP Review of the DfE Education Wellbeing Charter. 

The Education Wellbeing Charter is a declaration of support for, and set of commitments to, the wellbeing and mental health of everyone working in education.


01 Jun 2022
Jubilee Celebrations across schools
Pupils in schools across the Trust celebrated the Queen's jubilee with street parties, singing songs, creating beautiful artwork, including a mosaic of the Queen made from self-portraits and designing a jubilee inspired meadow!
Read more

01 Apr 2022
St Andrew's Primary School Joins the Trust
We are thrilled to announce that St Andrew's Primary School has joined the Lighthouse Schools Partnership as of 1st April 2022.
Read more

11 Mar 2022
School pupils raise funds to help children in Ukraine
Schools across the Trust showed their support and took part in Ukraine day. Pupils ran events to raise money for the DEC Ukraine appeal. 
Read more


Click here to register


Wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of our team members is paramount. We are proud to offer you access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), delivered by Health Assured.


Awards & Recognition

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

 

25 years' service

Megan Dane, High Down Infant School

Michelle Harrison, High Down Junior School      

 

25 years' service and retiring

Sally Newton, Gordano School

Gareth Grant, Gordano School

Carl Bates, Grove Junior School

Geoff Smith, Gordano School (retired in April 2022)

 


Eco News


16 Jun 2022
Trust Secondary Schools Win Metro Mayor's First Green Jobs Grant
We are delighted to announce that our three secondary schools in the trust, Gordano, Backwell and Chew Valley, have been awarded a business grant to encourage young people to consider green careers.
Read more

10 May 2022
Carbon Reduction Plan Launches
Lighthouse Schools Partnership is one step closer to becoming a carbon neutral educational organisation with the launch of our Carbon Reduction Plan. 
Read more


School News


27 Jun 2022
Street Art Success for Whiteoak Academies Pupil
A pupil from Whiteoak Academies is the youngest ever street artist to take part in Europe's largest Art festival Upfest. 
Read more

24 Jun 2022
Whitchurch Primary in Bloom
Congratulations to Whitchurch Primary Pupil David who designed Ogre’s Orchard, a floral display that will be showcased for Bath in Bloom. Well done to all the children who took part and Mrs Fox for their stunning floral displays.
Read more

21 Jun 2022
Yatton School Carnival 2022
On Saturday (June 18) Yatton primary school juniors dressed-up in fancy costumes and paraded through the village for their annual carnival.
Read more

21 Jun 2022
Portishead Primary School Arts Week
Portishead Primary School recently held an Arts Week which involved children across the school engaging in art, drama, music and dance sessions.
Read more

12 May 2022
High Down Pupil wins Silver in the North Somerset Athletics Competition
Congratulations to Year 6 pupil Eliza, who represented High Down Junior School in the North Somerset Athletics Competition and placed 2nd.
Read more

10 May 2022
Backwell Year 8 students assist on diocese History project
A group of Year 8 students were invited by St Andrew's Church in Backwell recently to undertake a research project into memorials in the church building. 
Read more

26 Apr 2022
Chew Valley School receives prestigious Artsmark Gold Award
Pupils and staff at Chew Valley School are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Gold Award in a momentous year for the programme as it celebrates 20 years of arts, culture and creativity in schools.
Read more

18 Mar 2022
Gordano gets a Makeover from BBC1 Interior Design Masters
Gordano School will feature on BBC1 Interior Design Masters on Wednesday 23rd March, hosted by Alan Carr. In the exciting episode, designers are tasked with redesigning four common rooms to reflect each house’s unique animal mascot and colour.
Read more

04 Mar 2022
World Book Day 2022
Schools across the trust celebrated World Book Day on 3 March with fun book-related activities. This included Yatton School celebrating the day with 'The Gift of a Book'. The children each brought in a gift-wrapped book to donate to their class book corner. As a final chal...
Read more

01 Mar 2022
Portishead Primary School achieves 'School Games Award'​​​​​​​
Congratulations to Portishead Primary for achieving an award for the quality of its provision in school sport.
Read more

Social Media

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A Picnic on the field, and 'Exploradome' in the hall! https://t.co/gidZGW7YIz
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