Noticeboard
-
Operations Manager recognised at National Awards
Thu 14 Dec 2023The National School Awards recognises, celebrates and rewards senior leaders, schools and multi-academy trusts for their dedication and hard work. There were 8 different award categories, each one specifically designed to reward hard workers, innovators and exceptional school leaders across the education sector.
Fyonna Lammas, Operations Manager was a finalist in the School Business Leader of the Year category which celebrates an exceptional school business leader who has radically reinvented the perception of the traditional school business manager within not just their setting but across their local region and is a trailblazer for projecting professionalism. They also show an exceptional ability to deliver excellent resource management, ensuring financial viability whilst still improving pupil outcomes.
It was a huge achievement for Fyonna to be recognised as one of 4 finalists.
Fyonna attended the awards, held at the House of Lords, along with Susanna Taylor, Russell Dalton and over 250 education pioneers. Damian Hinds, Minister of State for Schools from the Department for Education, provided a keynote speech.
Fyonna commented ”It was a wonderful surprise to be nominated and even better to be recognised as a finalist. Going to the House of Lords was an absolute privilege and an evening I'll never forget.”
-
Rivers National Thought Leaders
Mon 04 Dec 2023Members of the Rivers Central team joined a wealth of renowned specialist speakers at this year’s Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL) National Conference.
The conference for the professional body of School Business Leaders looks at the future of education delivery, responding to the current priority topics for leaders, with climate change, sustainability, inclusivity, personnel management, and effective resource management running across all sessions.
Russell Dalton, Fyonna Lammas and Susanna Taylor were guest speakers at this year’s ISBL National Conference.
Susanna presented a finance workshop on financial pooling. Whilst Russell and Fyonna delivered an operational leadership workshop that addressed ‘the elephant in the room’ school mergers/acquisitions.
-
UNISON Stars in Our Schools award winner
Fri 01 Dec 2023Tracey Smith, Pre-school practitioner at Cherry Orchard Primary School was selected as one of four winners in the UNISON Worcestershire Branch ‘Stars in Our Schools’ Competition.
The “Stars in Ours Schools” Competition, runs every year and recognises school support staff who are so often the unsung heroes in our schools and play an integral part in the education of children.
Tracey was nominated because “in everything she does she has the children at the heart of it and it is all done to aid their holistic development”.
Tracey has helped build Little Cherries Pre-School into the success that it is today. “She uses her spare time to look for resources for the children and often spends her own money on those resources too. Her commitment to the children is to be commended and even in the most stressful times, Tracey always has a smile on her face. She brightens up everyone’s day.”
UNISON Branch Secretary, Jamie Edwards-Taylor commented “This year’s competition saw some amazing nominations, and it was a very difficult decision our branch team had to make when selecting the winners. However, we were really impressed and moved by the description of your [Tracey’s] nomination.”
Tracey was presented with her award by The Mayor of Worcester, Cllr Louis Stephen at an Awards Ceremony held at The Hive in Worcester.
-
Minister for Schools visit to recognise former CEO
Thu 30 Nov 2023Minister of State for Schools, Damian Hinds and Robin Walker MP attended Cherry Orchard Primary School and Northwick Manor Primary School during a visit to recognise our former CEO Kate Brunt’s service to education.
The East Hampshire MP, who was appointed Minister for Schools on 13 November 2023, having previously served in the Ministry of Justice, was keen to visit Kate to acknowledge her commitment to educational excellence and to discuss her many years in teaching and leadership.
Kate’s passion for creating inspiring learning opportunities and improving life chances for all led to the establishment of The Rivers CofE Academy Trust in 2014, which now has 16 good and outstanding primary, first, pre-school and nursery settings together with the Rivers Teaching Alliance.
Kate retired as CEO of the trust in September 2023 and is still actively involved in education, working as a consultant.
During the visit the minister met with year 6 learning ambassadors and visited a y1 phonics lesson at Cherry Orchard. Headteacher Karen Banford said, “It was helpful for a minister to see our school in action and to talk about the current challenges and successes we experience on a day-to-day basis.”
At Northwick Manor, the Minister, Robin Walker and Kate Brunt met with Year 6 pupils and talked about their current topic WW2 before talking about the job of a minister and the Houses of Parliament.
-
Pupil collaboration
Fri 24 Nov 2023During the Autumn term, children from our family of schools have had the opportunity to visit one another for a range of activities and to experience other school facilities.
Being part of a trust has several benefits, one of which is the opportunity for schools to collaborate.
Peer networking and enrichment
During a recent visit by Cutnall Green CofE Primary School pupils to Dudley Wood Primary School demonstrated how our pupils have access to greater opportunities, meet peers, and gain a sense of community.
Instead of looking at Worcester as part of the Year 3 Geography curriculum, Year 3 children at Cutnall Green studied Dudley and the Borough of Dudley Wood Primary School.
Cutnall Green children learnt about the physical and human characteristics of Dudley and Dudley Wood. They have contrasted the rural village setting of Cutnall Green with the urban area of Dudley Wood. During lessons Google Earth provided the children with a context of Dudley and the local area – however, technology cannot replace face-to-face, real-life experiences and building relationships, so on Friday 24th November, 26 enthusiastic children from Cutnall Green boarded a coach, incredibly excited to be going to visit Dudley Wood Primary School.
It was a mammoth task, co-ordinating over 80 children, from two different schools on a walk. Cutnall Green children were enthralled to see the physical features in the urban area they’d seen in photos and on Google Earth.
It was delightful to see pupils share knowledge, and they were surprised to learn that they both have the same key question in Geography, as they follow the same curriculum.
Sharing facilities
Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from Cutnall Green had the opportunity to visit North Worcester Primary Academy to spend time with the Year 4 pupils and use the modern Design and Technology room and immersive classroom.
North Worcester is currently in a 'growth stage', having opened in 2019 with two Reception classes. Due to COVID-19, this was the first opportunity for Year 4 pupils from the school to engage with older pupils from other schools.
Extra-curricular activities
North Worcester Primary Academy has hosted the first Rivers Sports Festival.
Year 3 and Year 4 children from Cutnall Green C of E Primary School and Wychbold First & Nursery School joined children from North Worcester to compete in a dodgeball event.
Adam Morgan, PE Lead at North Worcester, is looking forward to organising further sports events for Rivers schools.
Learn with us | The Rivers CofE Multi Academy Trust
-
Primary school's 'one-stop support hub' is a lifeline for families
Mon 20 Nov 2023The Family Hub at Cranham Primary School in Worcester is a beacon of support for families of the school, offering a unique one-stop resource that brings together various community organisations to offer them support. This collaborative effort involves partners such as Platform Housing, Community Housing, the Police, Starting Well Partnership, and Worcester City Council.
The Family Hub opens its doors to families every other Wednesday morning. Once children have been dropped off at school, families are welcomed into the hub and can conveniently access support in a familiar and trusted setting without the need to visit each organisation or wait on the phone to speak to someone.
“It's easier to access services here at the school” commented a father from the school.
The Family Hub was set up at Cranham over 3 years ago by Sue Turner, The Family Liaison and Nurture Lead. Sue and the Nurture Team help children develop vital social skills, confidence and self-esteem, ensuring they can learn. Whilst running the school's nurture base Sue recognised that parents often had no support which can impact a child's performance at school.
“If parents are going through challenges at home, their anxiety and nervousness can affect the children. If I can signpost or offer support to families, this helps and supports the work being done by the nurture team,” said Sue.
Support
Recognising that the challenges families face are complex, the Family Hub provides a complete support system, addressing key aspects such as housing, employment, community safety, behaviour, health and wellbeing.
For families who have visited the Family Hub, it is more than just a service; it's a lifeline. One father shared how the hub had helped him resolve multiple issues including help with housing, career advice and help from the police to address his child’s shoplifting, he commented “[the hub] is something worth doing and really helpful”.
A representative from Starting Well Partnership said, “The hub provides a place to go for families to ask for help and have access to all the people who can help under one roof”.
Starting Well Partnership offers courses for parents and carers to support their needs and has delivered courses at the school to help families ‘Understand Your Child’ and deal with challenging behaviour.
Community & connection
The Family Hub is not only a destination for those seeking assistance it also serves as a welcoming retreat for those who may feel isolated or lonely at home, it’s a friendly place to go for a cup of tea and a chat, fostering a sense of community and connection.
One mother said, “As a stay-at-home mum, it’s just nice to know I’ve got somewhere to go and a chance to socialise”.
Another mother commented that the family hub and the school offer a “family feel and a real sense of community”.
Foodbank
The Family Hub addresses immediate needs within the community and offers a food pantry for families.
“Parents can come to the hub and collect food items. We have been kindly donated a chest freezer so that we can store frozen items along with packet and tinned goods. I can hand out frozen chips a tin of beans and some sausages and know that the family will have a meal that evening,” said Sue.
The partnering organisations regularly donate items to the food pantry and have even provided families with household items such as a fridge and beds for children to sleep on.
Many of the food donations come from Bags of Love, a local community group in Warndon. The group organises collections and raises money for worthy causes. In the summer one of the group members donated money to the Family Hub so that Sue could buy a family of five children new school shoes and a full High School uniform and PE Kit for the eldest child.
In addition to the Family Hub, the school offers wellbeing and finance drop-in sessions every Friday in partnership with Worcester Community Trust.
The school also hosts ‘Free@Three’ during school pick up on Thursdays, whereby surplus food items, collected by Sue from Aldi and Lidl along with pre-loved uniforms, adult's and children’s coats, Halloween costumes and Christmas jumpers are made available for families in need.
With families feeling the cost-of-living crisis, these resources and services are a vital lifeline for families with nowhere to turn.
Impact
Steph Russell, a parent at the school, first visited the hub 3 years ago looking for support with housing. Platform Housing was able to help Steph with a house move and furthermore with career advice and writing a CV. This led Steph to a job working for Platform Housing as a Housing Officer. She now attends the Family Hub in her new role, to aid families in a similar position.
Steph commented, “I wouldn’t have been where I am now without the support of the school. I’ve seen so many families struggle that have got help from the hub”.
The Family Hub at Cranham Primary School has proved to be an invaluable resource for the community, embodying the school's commitment to nurturing not only the academic but also the wellbeing of its pupils and their families.
The hub is one element of the school’s ‘Early Help’ offer to provide advice, help or support where emerging problems and potential unmet needs of individual children and families have been identified.
Sue concluded "We are committed to the wellbeing of our pupils and their families. By collaborating with community organisations, we can offer a broad spectrum of support services conveniently located within our school premises. Our aim is to reduce barriers to learning for the children and to support parents who are experiencing difficulties or have concerns about their children”.
Families with children due to start reception class in September 2024 are welcome to visit the school during an open afternoon on Saturday 16th December, between 2 pm and 4 pm. Prospective parents interested in seeing the school should call the school office on 01905 452437 to book a school tour.
-
Train to Teach Open Events 2023-2024
Mon 13 Nov 2023If you are looking to start your career in teaching then come along to one of our next Train to Teach Open Events to find out more about our Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and QTS qualification.
Everyone’s journey into teaching is different and your questions may be unique to you and your circumstances. During an open event we can answer all your questions and maybe some you didn’t know you had!
Location: The Rivers Teaching Alliance, Henwick Road, Worcester, WR2 5NS
Dates:
- Saturday 18th November, 11 am - 1 pm
- Wednesday 13th December 2.30 pm - 4 pm
- Wednesday 24th January 2.30 pm - 4 pm
- Monday 19th February, 9 am - 11 am
- Friday 8th March, 11 am - 1 pm
- Thursday 25th April, 1 pm - 3 pm
- Wednesday 22nd May, 11 am - 1 pm
- Tuesday 18th June, 9 am - 11 am
No need to book just, call in anytime.
Find out more: Become a teacher
-
St Peter's help local council hit 10,000 pupil litter pickers
Wed 08 Nov 2023St Peter's Droitwich CofE Academy has helped 'Little Litter Warriors' to reach the 10,000 pupil milestone as they joined in with litter picking this week.
Since it launched in March 2021 the 'Little Litter Warriors' educational litter initiative, funded by Wychavon Council, has seen over 39 Wychavon schools get involved and 10,000 pupils educated on the impact litter has on the wildlife, marine life, and their local community.
Children from Reception through to Year 4 joined Karen Blanchfield, Wychavon Council's Litter Heroes Ambassador, on litter picks in the school grounds, the local park and the local churchyard.
During the litter picks children have found crisp packets and drinks cans from 1998. Hayley Watson, RE Lead at St Peter's and organiser of the litter pick said, "I think it’s staggering to think we are picking up rubbish that is over twenty years old."
Karen said she started litter picking in 2018 and has seen "no improvement in the amount of litter in our communities". She is passionate about raising awareness of litter pollution and educating the future generation to take action.
Wychavon Council commissioned 'Little Litter Warriors' to support the council's anti-litter campaign which also includes adopting a street to keep free of litter. St Peter's has adopted the road outside their school and the eco-council regularly goes out to litter pick the street.
Pupil said they enjoyed the litter picking and commented that they were "helping the world".
-
Applications now open for NPQs starting in February
Wed 01 Nov 2023National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are a national, voluntary suite of qualifications designed to support the professional development of teachers and school leaders. They equip teachers with the expertise to lead sustainable improvement across their schools.
The Rivers Teaching Alliance is delighted to share with you 4 NPQs that we are now recruiting for February start.
Specialist NPQs
These provide CPD for teachers who want to make their classroom teaching the best it can be, whether or not they move into school leadership.
- Leading Literacy (NPQLL)
- Leading Primary Mathematics (NPQLPM)
Leadership NPQs
The Leadership NPQs cater to teachers in leadership, or aspiring towards leadership and focus on the crucial skills and sector knowledge teachers need to educate and lead in their schools.
- Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
- Headship (NPQH)
For more information on each course visit: National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)
-
First half term at Unity Academy
Mon 30 Oct 2023Unity Academy our new Alternative Provision has now been open for half a term and is in full swing of school life. There are 19 children at the school, which will rise to 24 this half term.
Katherine Rock, Deputy Head Teacher said, “It has been a brilliant first half term and children have settled well and enjoy coming to school.”
MAC Makes Music has been visiting the school each week to work with the children on songwriting, improvisation using musical instruments and recording their own music. All the children have been accessing gymnastic sessions each week and passed their Bronze Award.
The children have been enjoying using the cooking facilities and engaging in a range of DT activities. They held a Macmillan coffee morning in which the children baked cakes and biscuits and raised over £50.
Katherine commented “Every day is a highlight and we are really proud of all of our successes, staff and children, no matter how small."
Kuldip Berdesha (the headteacher) and her team have set the school up superbly and it is making such a difference already.
"We have our first child going back into a mainstream school after being out of education for over a year which is fantastic!”
Well done to all at Unity Academy on a very successful first half term.