Latest News
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Pupils help create something ‘elephantastic’
Thu 20 May 2021Pupils at North Worcester Primary Academy have decorated an elephant calf as part of Worcester's Big Parade.
Worcester's Big Parade will see sixty-five decorated elephant sculptures, both big and small, forming a stunning, free art trail through the city’s streets and open spaces, bringing together the community for one unforgettable event.
The project builds on the hugely successful Worcester Stands Tall giraffe trail in 2018, which saw giraffe sculptures displayed across the city before raising £210,000 for the hospice at auction.
Each sculpture will be sponsored by a business and individually designed by an artist from the Worcestershire area or further afield. NWPA’s elephant has been created by all the children at the school.
“Every single child at school has made a part of this.. we are very proud!” Mrs Calvert, Headteacher
We don't want to give too much away about the elephant artwork until the big reveal on the 12th July, but it'll definitely 'bee' one to look out for!
When the event ends in September, each elephant will be auctioned to raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice. -
Pupils get creative to support a fish conservation project on the River Severn
Thu 20 May 2021Year 4 pupils at Cherry Orchard Primary School in Worcester, have skilfully constructed fish mosaics to be part of a large art installation at the new Diglis fish pass.
The Diglis fish pass is part of a conservation project lead by The Canal & River Trust. The project titled ‘Unlocking the Severn’ aims to improve fish migration on the River Severn.
The children’s mosaics of eels, twaite shad and pike will feature in a wall display at the new visitor centre on Diglis Island which is due to open this summer.
“The children were so focused, helping to create the intricate pieces. They learned how to size and cut the tiles and place them to match the colourings of the different fish." Caroline Jeynes, Deputy Head.
Along with the mosaic artwork by year 4 pupils, year 5 and 6 pupils at the school will be producing a stop frame animated film and some pupils have recorded voice overs for the animation which will be shown at the visitor centre.
“It was a great experience working with the proper voice over kit, the children learnt lots about how to change their voices to fit the characters” Caroline Jeynes, Deputy Head
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Pupils get MORE! from the great outdoors
Thu 20 May 2021Pupils at Cranham Primary School have been learning about creating a sustainable environment in a recently transformed outdoor learning area funded by Sanctuary Homes’ MORE! programme.
The grounds at Cranham Primary School in Warndon are now zoned neatly with new fencing and a separate woodland area for pupils to enjoy different aspects of nature during their forest school lessons.
The project has been delivered through Sanctuary’s MORE! programme, which supports local community projects in places where it is building new homes.
Ten-year-old Kara said: “This new area means that we will be able to encourage insects, birds and small animals onto our school grounds. We might even be able to make bird boxes and areas for hedgehogs to nest!”
Cranham headteacher, Nick Cale, commented: “I’m really pleased to see all of the children enjoying the great outdoors. Learning outdoors really enhances our curriculum and it gives the children opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the world.”
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CEO's Blog - 14th May 2021
Fri 14 May 2021Governance Review
In October, I used my blog to speak about the importance of effective governance and how much I value the expertise and commitment of our trustees and school improvement board (SIB) members. This week, I am delighted to report that we have launched an external governance review across the trust. Over the next two weeks, consultants will speak to trustees, SIB members and chairs, governance leads, heads and members of the executive team and analyse survey responses to really drill down into what is working well and what can be improved in governance practice across the trust. This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with experienced governance professionals to design an innovative and ambitious framework for governance at Rivers CofE Academy Trust. I look forward to interesting discussions in the months ahead as we explore new ways to utilize to the full the experience, expertise and passion for education of our trustees and SIB members. Ultimately, getting this right is important for our family of schools because effective governance ensures the best possible outcomes for our pupils.
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO's Blog - 7th May 2021
Fri 07 May 2021Heads and HMIs
This has been another exciting week for Rivers CofE Academy Trust with the appointment of substantive heads in three of our schools. It will be wonderful to watch these appointees, who have already shown such enthusiasm and creativity in their acting roles, flourish in their new positions.
This week, we held a productive session with HMIs and other experts, including heads from our schools and other trusts, to identify the changes that need to be made to the current curriculum and to begin designing a progressive curriculum for the future. We met in NWPA’s large, airy, COVID-secure dining hall and the buzz of excitement at being together in person contributed to the overall invigorating atmosphere of the day.
CST’s recent presentation, The Case for Collaboration, states: “The strongest trusts facilitate knowledge building through professional development, with a view to improving curriculum and pedagogy.” I am proud to be able to say that the expertise, experience and research carried out by staff across the trust is currently informing the design of an outstanding curriculum to ensure that pupils leave our schools well equipped for the next stage of their education.
Kate Brunt
CEO