Latest News
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Cutnall Green: Walk a Million Miles
Tue 28 Feb 2023Sam Anderson, a Teacher at Cutnall Green CofE Primary School shares their experience of 'Walk a Million Miles'.
Did your school experience any barriers when you began the walking initiative, and if so how did you overcome these?
We don't have a huge site so we decided on many laps of the playground. The children and staff have actually loved this small circuit as it means we get to 'lap' and 'check in' with each other as we pass!
Since starting 'million miles', what have been the benefits for the children and what has been the impact on your school?
It's had a huge impact on our wellbeing! It's hard to get Vitamin D in the winter months so it's lovely that the teachers are putting their planning and marking to one side to get outside in the sun! It's also so wonderful to see children forming new friendships across different year groups.
How have children/staff benefitted from walking the 'Walk a Million Miles'?
When we started our million miles challenge I had torn my ACL and couldn't walk at all. I had to sit on a bench and watch the children go by. More recently I've been able to build up to doing the whole mile with the children and they are always telling me how proud they are of me!
What do you think of the experience?
It couldn't have been more positive! And we're looking forward to progressing on to the school field when the weather gets nicer!
How do the children feel about 'Walk a Million Miles'?
"It's the highlight of my day" (Bobby, year 3).
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Celebrating Women in Education
Wed 22 Feb 2023Our CEO Kate Brunt will be delivering two sessions at the 'Celebrating Women in Education' conference on International Women's Day, Wednesday 8th March 2023.
Kate will be talking about her career in education and presenting a workshop on 'Tackling imposter syndrome'.
Date and time: Wed, 8 March 2023, 16:00 – 19:00
Location: Bishop Perowne CE College, Merrimans Hill Road Worcester WR3 8LE
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Northwick Manor: Walk a Million Miles
Tue 21 Feb 2023Sara Stanley, Deputy Headteacher at Northwick Manor Primary School shares their experience of 'Walk a Million Miles'
Where do you do the daily walk?
On our school grounds. We are lucky enough to have a very large outdoor area.
Did your school experience any barriers when you began the walking initiative, and if so how did you overcome these?
At first, staff were concerned about fitting it into an already busy timetable. Everyone soon realised that the walk did not take as long as they expected.
Since starting 'Walk a Million Miles', what have been the benefits for the children and what has been the impact on your school?
One of the most surprising things has been the chats. There is so little time to chat with children sometimes and it has really helped cement teacher-pupil relationships much quicker. There are obvious health benefits to children. Being able to do the walk when it suits your class has been helpful too, it gives a chance to pick a time when the children need a brain break and an opportunity to refocus.
How have children/staff benefitted from walking the 'Walk a Million Miles'?
One child in year 4 has benefitted from the opportunity to have more time when he is not confined to the classroom where he has struggled to focus. This child is much calmer after his walk. We have introduced more walks to help him further in light of the effect it has.
Have you included parents and the community in aspects of the 'Walk a Million Miles'?
We have let parents know we are doing the walks. Parent volunteers join us too.
What do you think of the experience?
A very positive experience for the whole school community.
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Dudley Wood: Walk a Million Miles
Mon 20 Feb 2023Headteacher at Dudley Wood Primary School, Sarah Guest, shares their experience of 'Walk a Million Miles'.
Where do you do the daily walk?
We use the field behind the school. The field belongs to the local community but we can mark out a course. We arrange a walk every half term and we invite the parents too. We have a good turnout.
Did your school experience any barriers when you began the walking initiative, and if so how did you overcome these?
We have very limited space to walk every day but we have been able to arrange to access the field at the rear of the school once every half term for our walk.
Since starting 'Walk a million miles', what have been the benefits for the children and what has been the impact on your school?
The children and parents enjoy the walk. In the second half of the Autumn Term, we combined our walk with Anti-Bully Week. The theme of Anti-Bullying Week was 'Reach Out'. We encouraged children and adults to talk about friendships, trust and courage as they walked.
How do the children feel about 'Walk a Million Miles'?
"The walk made me feel happy"
" I made a new friend while I walked"
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Burlish Park receives ‘Good’ Ofsted with ‘Outstanding’ key areas
Mon 13 Feb 2023In January 2023, Burlish Park Primary School received their first Ofsted inspection since joining The Rivers CofE Academy Trust in October 2018, as a sponsored academy.
Pupils and staff at Burlish Park are delighted after receiving a 'good' rating following the Ofsted inspection. The areas of 'Quality of Education', 'Behaviour and Attitude of Pupils' and 'Early Years Provision' were identified as ‘Good’. The school was recognised as ‘Outstanding’ in two key areas: Personal Development and Leadership and Management.
The school is extremely proud of the glowing report that they received. Inspectors praised school leaders for introducing an ambitious curriculum, pupils’ behaviour and the wide range of activities on offer within and after the school day.
The personal development of children in the nursery was poetically described in the report, “Just as a pebble dropped in a river ripples outwards, so staff in the early years begin the flow of building children’s knowledge.”
The report highlighted how “Leaders use their intricate and extensive knowledge of each pupil to note and understand individual needs.”
The reading culture permeates all aspects of school life and has a positive impact on all pupils. “Leaders make sure that all pupils learn to read well. Pupils are surrounded by high-quality texts in the school library and in their classrooms. They like the reading challenges that take place.”
Inspectors were also impressed by the school’s amazing Forest School area, saying that, “The youngest pupils show great care for, and love of, the environment as they use the specially created outdoor area to appreciate nature throughout the seasons.”
It is evident from the report that children are clearly at the heart of all the school does and that they are passionate about meeting the needs of all children, making the most of their individual talents and nurturing a love of lifelong learning, which is why “pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well.”
“Pupils achieve well. Leaders provide an extensive range of enrichment opportunities for all pupils.”
Headteacher Mrs Postans said, "We are all absolutely thrilled with the outcome of our recent Ofsted inspection and being praised for our outstanding Leadership and Management and Personal Development.
"We were able to showcase our wonderful children and our exciting curriculum over the two days. The report acknowledges the many opportunities available to our children from learning to ride a pedal bicycle, sporting achievements, cooking and even Alfie our nurture dog got a mention! The team at Burlish Park work together to ensure the curriculum is engaging and that all children are happy whilst maximising learning, to prepare them for each stage of their education.”
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We are finalists in National MAT Awards
Mon 06 Feb 2023We are delighted to be finalists in the Multi Academy Trust Association - MATA National Multi-Academy Trust Awards.
The National MAT Awards is the first and only MAT-exclusive awards ceremony.
The National Multi-Academy Trust Awards aims to celebrate the successes and achievements of the MAT system by rewarding outstanding work.
The Rivers CofE Academy Trust has been shortlisted in two categories:
- MAT Leadership Team of the Year
- Large MAT of the Year
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony, due to take place on Thursday 16th March.
We have our fingers crossed.
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Heronswood continues to be ‘Good’ but could be ‘Outstanding’
Mon 06 Feb 2023Following an Ofsted inspection in the last week of the autumn term, just before the Christmas holidays, Heronswood Primary School and Pre-school can proudly announce they continue to be a ‘Good’ school.
Not only did the school retain their ‘Good’ rating, but even more exciting is that the inspector felt the school was working beyond ‘Good’ and that there was enough evidence to suggest that they could be ‘Outstanding’ if they had a graded inspection. As a result, when Ofsted next visit the school, a graded inspection will be carried out.
Why couldn’t Heronswood be graded ‘Outstanding’ during the recent inspection?
When Ofsted has judged a school to be good, they normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. Ofsted will not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if they find evidence that a school would now receive a higher (or lower grade) then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection.
Complementary report
Headteacher Mrs Pierpoint said, “There are many sections of the report that make me exceptionally proud, but the first paragraph sums us up well; ‘Pupils learn much at Heronswood Primary School. This is because staff have high expectations. They have established an extremely well-organised curriculum. Across the school, staff give their best and expect pupils to do the same. They keep pupils very busy and encourage them to work hard. They also make sure that pupils enjoy their lessons. Indeed, pupils bubble with enthusiasm when they talk about their learning.”
The report was extremely complementary with statements such as, “Strong leadership keeps everyone up to date and continues to drive improvements.”
All pupils are well supported, “Whatever their needs, they receive high-quality tailored support… no one is left out.”
Pupils were recognised for helping to create a positive culture in a school where, “bullying is uncommon”. “Pupil house captains, school councillors and well-being ambassadors all play their part in making the school a fair and happy place to be.”
Mrs Pierpoint said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my amazing team at Heronswood, who make our school such a special place for all our families. Seeing our children skip through the gates each morning, with a smile on their faces, gives us the drive and determination to strive to make their education the best it can be.”
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Double inspection success for Cutnall Green
Wed 01 Feb 2023Congratulations Cutnall Green CofE Primary School on their Ofsted inspection in December which recognised that the school continues to be a ‘GOOD’ school. The Ofsted inspection was swiftly followed by a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in January resulting in an overall grade of ‘Excellent’.
Good Ofsted
The school received an ungraded inspection over 2 days at the start of December, to check whether the school continues to be ‘Good’ and whether safeguarding is effective.
A positive school experience was mentioned first in the report, stating ‘Pupils very much enjoy learning at this school. They say that there is always someone to turn to if they have a concern. Bullying is rare and staff resolve any disagreements quickly. Pupils feel safe. Parents value greatly the education and the support that the school provides.’
The report highlighted a curriculum which prepares pupils for the future and stated learning to read is a top priority for leaders.
Early years staff were acknowledged for providing ‘an exciting learning environment that encourages children’s curiosity about words and numbers.’
The report also found that ‘staff provide high-quality pastoral care’ and that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective with leaders ensuring ‘staff are well trained’, ‘vigilant’ and ‘know how to manage the risks that pupils face’.
Excellent SIAMS
At the start of January Cutnall Green was inspected again, this time by The Church of England. The SIAMS inspected ‘How effective is the school's distinctive Christian vision established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish.'
A key finding of the report was that 'Pupils make excellent progress in religious education (RE). The subject is very well led and taught so that many pupils discuss complex concepts with a maturity and language rarely evident in Primary schools.'
The report also found 'Leaders and staff create and nourish an exciting, vibrant and inclusive culture. ‘Every day is a brilliant experience,’ is a comment from several parents and carers'.
The report praised the school for its pupil development "Another remarkable feature of this school is the way pupil leadership is offered and developed. he many pupil groups, on the environment, worship, sports and wellbeing are innovative in the way pupils initiate actions."
Stuart Grimes, Headteacher at Cutnall Green commented on the fantastic report saying, it is lovely for the whole of the school community to get recognition for creating a special place where children, are happy, safe and can flourish. The relationships, culture and curriculum at Cutnall Green have played a huge part in allowing children to reach their potential and successfully preparing them for the next steps in their lives.
Cutnall Green CofE Primary School was a founding member of The Rivers CofE Academy Trust, established in 2014. As a family of 15 settings, we work collaboratively to encourage a lifelong love of learning. All of our schools eligible for Ofsted inspection have been graded ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ and all of our church schools have been identified as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.