Latest News
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Global Teacher Award
Mon 31 Jan 2022Congratulations to Lindsay Hayward, Class Teacher at Cranham Primary School on gaining a Global Teacher Award.
The award focuses on using Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom and having a better understanding of how others’ lives may be different in relation to this.
The award aims to ensure teachers:
- have increased ability to understand and critique the knowledge base and key concepts associated with education for a just and sustainable world (global learning)
- be able to justify incorporating global learning in the curriculum and include activities to measure changes in attitudes of your pupils in relation to certain global issues
- have increased confidence and understanding of how to promote informed, active global citizenship.
“It was something I was invited to do as I am in a cluster group of schools (4 in UK and 4 in Uganda) as originally I signed up to do a global classroom.” Lindsay explains
“Unfortunately, due to Covid things never really got off the ground as the schools in Uganda have been shut since summer because of Covid”
“As they should be back in school now, we are hoping to strengthen links with them and continue our project which was to look at electricity and renewable energy, so I’m keen to find out the cost that school pay per unit of electricity; get some energy trackers fitted and see if we can save any money anywhere.”
Lindsay is also an SDG Ambassador, a growing group of global educators dedicated to responding to a call to action within education to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
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New appointment of Director of People and Communication
Mon 31 Jan 2022We are pleased to welcome Alison Ragbourne to the position of Director of People and Communication.
“I’m delighted to have joined Rivers recently in the new role of Director of People and Communication. Thank you for the very warm welcome I have received. I’m really enjoying visiting our schools, having the opportunity to meet staff and appreciate the great work you are all doing.
I’m passionate about working with schools and enabling staff to deliver the best possible education for our pupils. I have chosen to work with schools and academies for the last 20 years of my HR career, in Worcestershire and Dorset, delivering a traded HR service and I’ve been working with a number of growing MAT customers for the last 10 years.
I’m really excited about developing our People strategy, aligned with Rivers vision and values. I will be working with you to ensure Rivers MAT is a great employer, which you are proud to be part of, and where you thrive and feel valued. I will be listening to what staff have to say.”
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North Worcester Primary Academy Pre-School launch
Mon 31 Jan 2022To celebrate the official opening of the newly extended pre-school at North Worcester Primary Academy, children were invited to a ‘0th birthday party’.
Due to covid restrictions, the pre-school was unable to hold a ‘grand opening’ for parents and the local community, so instead they have kept children at the heart of the celebrations by hosting a party for all the pre-school children to attend.
The children played party games, enjoyed singing and dancing, as well as crafts and colouring. Children were invited to wear their favourite party clothes and finished their celebration by singing 'Happy Birthday' and having a slice of cake. The children thoroughly enjoyed the event.
Pre-school children have settled into their new room very quickly and are having lots of fun learning in their new classroom.
The new extension has provided the pre-school with a spacious open-plan classroom for up to 50 children.
The pre-school will be open for 50 weeks of the year, providing full time or flexible childcare for children aged three and four-year-old.
North Worcester Primary Academy Pre-School is part of a growing family of pre-schools within the Rivers CofE Academy Trust.
Prospective parents are welcome to visit the spacious new pre-school. Contact the school office on 01905 953850 or email: northworcesterprimary@riverscofe.co.uk to book an appointment.
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CEO speaks at national events
Mon 24 Jan 2022Last week, CEO Kate Brunt and Director of Finance Susanna Taylor were invited to join a Roundtable event with Baroness Barran, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System.
The virtual roundtable discussion on trust financial operating models, was an opportunity for invited trusts to inform the government on ways in which strong trusts create efficiencies/savings which can be reinvested in pupil outcomes. Input and findings from the roundtable event will help shape how government work with the education sector and support other trusts.
Kate and Susanna gave a presentation on ‘efficiencies made and how these have benefitted pupils. Their case study demonstrated a 36% saving on non-educational spend per pupil, for schools joining the MAT. This efficiency saving was achieved through the centralisation of core functions, removing duplication and collective purchasing.
This saving has been reinvested in the purchasing of digital technology, developing the curriculum and purchasing resources to support the enhanced curriculum delivery.
Later in the week, Kate was again presenting at a national event, alongside Baroness Barran, this time on trust governance and the proposed new governance structure.
The two-day conference: Academy Governance Summit: Dynamic governance in policy and practice organised by the Chartered Governance Institute was attended by governance professionals in trusts and aimed to explore dynamic governance.
Nationally, multi-academy trusts are recognising that trust governance needs to evolve as trusts develop and grow and many are now looking to implement new governance structures. Rivers is committed to being a leader and champion of innovative and sector-leading governance practice.
Sharing our ‘inspiring’ curriculum
In another recent opportunity to present to prominent education professionals, Kate Brunt alongside Kerry Rochester and Emily Calvert gave a virtual presentation to Professor Dame Alison Margaret Peacock, CEO of The Chartered College of Teaching.
Alison, best known originator of the Learning Without Limits approach to education, was interested to hear about our curriculum.
Following the presentation, Alison invited the team to present the ‘inspiring’ Rivers curriculum at one of the Chartered Colleges ethical leadership webinars.