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Ambition for All News

September 2022

Archive

  • EDI in the curriculum

    Published 30/09/22

    “All students deserve a curriculum which mirrors their own experience back to them, upon occasion — thus validating it in the public world of the school. But curriculum must also insist upon the fresh air of windows into the experience of others — who also need and deserve the public validation of the school curriculum.” – Emily Style, ‘Curriculum As Window and Mirror’

    At Brooke Weston Trust, we believe in ambition for all. We value every student equally and ensure that no one is left behind. A core part of this work has been the development and reorganisation of our primary curriculum to ensure it is more equal, diverse and inclusive. Our Director of Primary Curriculum, Carrie Norman explains the importance of this piece of work and the impact this has had on children across the Trust.

    Why is it so important that the curriculum is equal, diverse and inclusive?

    “As Emily Style wrote in her 1988 article ‘Curriculum as Window and Mirror’, we believe all children need windows and mirrors in the curriculum – windows into the lives of others to develop their empathy and understanding and mirrors in which to see themselves reflected. Both windows and mirrors help our students to grow their ambition, empathy and understanding and to find role models they can believe in and look up to.

    “When we do our deep dives, we talk to the children about the curriculum, and we take their feedback. Recently a few students told us they loved learning about Mae Jemison, the first black woman to travel into space, and Katherine Johnson, an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. spaceflights.”

    How did you go about making the curriculum more diverse?

    “Representatives from our five primary schools came together on a regular basis to build the new curriculum. Diversity was a strong theme in all our conversations, and we constantly came back to the same question – is this diverse enough? Have we got positive role models that reflect everyone in our school communities? We looked to the demographics and populations of our schools to try and ensure that we had texts and role models that allowed all our children to feel represented, seen and heard. Staff have been really supportive of the changes to the curriculum and although they’ve had to upskill themselves and learn a lot, they have really embraced this challenge.”

    How is EDI incorporated as part of the curriculum?

    “Equality, diversity and inclusion runs through our entire curriculum and isn’t something we just teach once or in one particular subject. For example, one of the key themes that came up when looking at the demographic of many of our schools was migration. This was something lots of our children have experienced themselves or feel a connection with. As a result, we’ve introduced a theme of migration throughout all subjects, looking at the benefits of migration right through the ages and in all different subject areas. Our students have really enjoyed learning about this and seeing their lived experiences reflected in their education.

    “We have also outlined 50 books that we want children to read in their particular year group and these books have been selected because they cover topics such as disability, gender and same-sex relationships. This gives our children a really broad view of the world with which they can understand the world we live in.”

    What are the plans for developing this further in the next iteration of the curriculum?

    “There’s so much more we can do, and I don’t think we have gone far enough yet. An important for this year is continuing to ensure that our curriculum is scaffolded, accessible and adapted for children with SEN and we are going to be partnering with a special school to support us with this. We are also rewriting our PSHE and RE curriculums to adapt elements of what we have and make better links to the curriculum. We will continue to keep questioning ourselves to ensure we provide a curriculum for the future, preparing children for the modern world.”

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  • Secondary schools across BWT open their doors to prospective students

    Published 28/09/22

    A series of Open Days are being held across our secondary schools for prospective pupils in Year 6 and their parents/ carers to attend and discover what opportunities our schools can offer them.

    We have five secondary schools across the Corby, Kettering and Wisbech area consisting of Brooke Weston Academy, Corby Business Academy, Corby Technical School, Kettering Science Academy and Thomas Clarkson Academy. As part of our Trust, each of our schools commit to the ‘BWT Way’ – a set of shared expectations of how our schools should be and how they should ‘feel’.

    With each of our secondary schools providing a high-quality education and passionate about giving all our students the best start in life, we hope these open evenings will allow you to see the opportunities that being a part of the Brook Weston Family can offer you and gain a real insight into the supportive and welcoming environment at one of our schools.

    The open evenings take place on:

    Corby Technical School’s Open Days were on Thursday 22nd September and Tuesday 27th September. However, you can still find out more about the school’s provision and view their online prospectus here.

    For more information on individual Open Days and to contact the school’s directly, please follow the links shown above.

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  • Staff and pupils at Gretton Primary Academy say a fond farewell to popular Headteacher

    Published 27/09/22

    Jane MacDonald, Principal at Gretton Primary Academy retired at the end of the school year after 8 years in the role.

    Jane has been a well-respected Principal at Gretton Primary Academy since 2014 after acting as Vice Principal at Oakley Vale School – both part of Brooke Weston Trust.

    During her time as Principal, Jane helped ensure all students experienced a high standard of education and had access to many exciting enrichment activities. She has been a valued member of the community and has built fond relationships with those such as the Chirpy Chicks Pre-School, Parish council and the two local churches.

    Jane Macdonald, former Principal at Gretton Primary Academy said: “I have enjoyed many successes whilst leading Gretton and this is thanks to the wonderful children and the high calibre of staff that I have worked with. 

    “I have learnt that to be a successful leader you need to surround yourself with great people and that is exactly what I have done over the years. I am proud to have worked with a very dedicated and strong team of professionals, both at the school and Trust level, who have been fantastically supportive and focused on delivering the highest quality education for the children of Gretton. I will miss all of them as I move on.”

    Julia Dickinson has been appointed as the new Associate Principal of Gretton Primary Academy for the new academic year. Ms Dickinson was previously Vice Principal at Beanfield Primary School and has worked alongside many staff members at Gretton Primary Academy during her time with Brooke Weston Trust.

    Speaking about her appointment, Julia said: "I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to take on the role as Associate Principal at Gretton and to be able to build on the success of the school under Jane's MacDonald's leadership. Gretton is a fantastic school which is very highly thought of in its community and beyond and I am looking forward to getting to know the staff, children and families I'll be working with.

    “The school's motto is "Striving to be better every day" and I am excited to work with staff and pupils at the school to build on the amazing foundations that exist and ensure the school continues to be a centre of educational excellence.”

    Despite stepping down from her role as Principal, Jane will continue to work at Brooke Weston Trust as Director of the Primary Training Hub and Chair of the Leadership Academy. She is looking forward to a part-time role and plans to spend some quality time with family and friends both at home and away.

     

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  • Introducing the new Safeguarding Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Compass Primary School

    Published 26/09/22

    Callum Reilly has recently been promoted from Education Welfare Officer at Beanfield Primary School to Safeguarding Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Compass Primary School in Kettering.

    We caught up with Callum to find out more about his move, and gain insight into how Brooke Weston Trust has supported his development.

    Tell us a little bit about your background in education?

    I’ve always enjoyed education right from an early age and often chose to work in schools whenever I had the chance – like doing work experience in Year 10 and working as a Student Teacher at my local music centre. When I was 18, I went to the University of Sunderland and studied Community Music which led me to work within schools and lead musical projects with staff, parents, and the local community.

    I did more of this when I moved back to Corby after university – eventually getting a role as Pupil Welfare Assistant in June 2017 at Beanfield Primary School. I progressed at Beanfield until I reached Education Welfare Officer which was my previous role. It was such a varied role and I loved it because no day, or hour, were the same! The school has an exceptional community spirit and an ethos of nurture and care.

    Tell us more about the move, how did it come up?

    I’ve always been an open person and if something comes up that I like the sound of, then I’m always one to go for it and challenge myself. When I saw the new role at Compass Primary Academy, I thought it would be a good step for me and discussed it with the Trust. At the time, I wasn’t looking to leave Beanfield but when it came up, I thought that it would be good to put myself forward.

    It took a lot of thought but when I eventually did apply and was successful in gaining the position, it was really nice to hear that everyone fully believed in me. It was sad saying goodbye to Beanfield, but I’m still so glad to be a part of the Trust and remain friends with my colleagues.

    I went through the process in Easter and was appointed shortly afterwards. That meant I had just a few weeks to do my handover and let families and children know I was going. It felt like a bit of a whirlwind, but it all seemed to fall into place! I have settled in well at Compass and everybody has been very welcoming and supportive.

    What kind of opportunities has the Trust giving you to enable your development?

    A big one for me has been completing a master’s degree with the Pen Green Research Base and University of Hertfordshire. After seeing that Pen Green in Corby was offering the qualification alongside work, I let the Principal at Beanfield know I was interested, and the rest is history! The Trust’s response was so positive, and it was great to see how keen they were for me to further develop my learning.

    In terms of other courses, qualifications, and training opportunities, there’s been loads! To name a few, I’ve done sessions on protective behaviours, safeguarding training, and counselling courses. The Trust has been fantastic at approving and providing these too and always seeks to invest in their people. I’ve found that if you see something that interests you, all you need to do is let them know and they’ll do whatever they can to support you.

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