A Note From The Editor...

Like me, I’m sure many of you will have watched the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States of America and Kamala Harris as the first female, Black American and South Asian American Vice President. During the ceremony, Amanda Gorman, Youth Poet Laureate, stole the show by reading her inspirational poem ‘The Hill We Climb’. This impressive, confident 22-year-old spoke with such passion and eloquence about how we all have work to do, and a part to play, in building community. As Amanda says in the poem...

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, we hoped. That even as we tired, we tried. That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.

If you want to view the clip in full, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4&t=1s

Day after day, there are real green shoots of hope for the future. With the vaccination programme well underway, there will come a time when we can all get back to some semblance of normality and we meet with friends and family again. However, we must not forget those who have died with COVID-19 and all those who knew and loved them. As we pass the horrifying statistic of more than 100,000 deaths, the Archbishops of and York are issuing a call to the nation to pause and reflect to remember.

Starting , 1 February, Archbishops Justin Welby and The Newsletter of the invite everyone across England - whether they have faith or not - to set aside time every evening Aquinas Church of particularly at 6:00 p.m. each day to pause, reflect on the England Education Trust “enormity of this pandemic” and to pray. As the Archbishops write: “100,000 isn’t just an abstract figure. Edition 5 Each number is a person: someone we loved and someone who loved us.”

A prayer for those who mourn Gracious God, as we remember before you the thousands who have died, surround us and all who mourn with your strong Editor: Philippa Kings compassion. Be gentle with us in our grief, protect us from despair, and give us grace to persevere and face the future with hope in Jesus Christ our risen Lord.

Amen. other equipment on the first Monday back in January. However I am pleased to say the delivery arrived early on that day. We also borrowed some equipment from the Science Department too!

Who is staffing the testing centre? We have a great team made up of Aquinas and Bishop Staff. There are various roles needed to run effectively: Spotlight On... A Testing Time Registration (of students and staff):Issy Aquinas was delighted when both Rye Bartley-Jeacock from the School Office. College and Bishop Justus took up the Government offer of setting up a Covid Testing Assistants (who guide staff and testing centre for their staff and students; students on how to take a swab this edition focuses on the Bishop Justus themselves): Tanya Hunwick, Gill Breen, experience. I spoke to Juliana Poloczanska, Sam Perry and Sue Wade. the School’s Business Manager, to find out what some of the issues were and how she, Processors (who have the job of processing Michelle Crussell and the team at BpJ the samples to get the results. As we are overcame them... using rapid lateral flow tests, results can be read in 20 minutes): Jo Gallier, Jacqui Morris and Sara Barcas are our processors So Juliana, what was your first who have learnt new “milking” skills. reaction when you found out that testing need to be carried out at BpJ? Recorders (each test is registered on the I felt positive as I thought it was another NHS website and the results are entered by step towards winning the Covid battle! Also, our staff, which is how results are shared during that last week of the Autumn Term, so quickly via a text): Stephanie Ballard, cases had increased with the new more Philippa Kings and Janet Vick make up the contagious variant so testing would be a Aquinas team. welcome reassurance! I understand you are testing both What guidance and support did you staff and students... how has that have in terms of what was needed and been? when? Interesting as the guidance has changed The Department for Education set up a a few times already since we have been training site and guidance as to what roles operating! were required to run a testing centre. Michelle and I were pleased with the We are open for Staff on a Monday and enthusiasm and support of the Bishop Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 Justus and Aquinas staff who volunteered to a.m. Staff can now be tested twice a week help run the testing centre in Justa Coffee. and can register, take the swab test and Also, the Premises Team sprang into action leave the test centre in under 10 minutes. setting up the room and Mary Capon from the Aquinas central team carried out The students that have been tested have assurance checks! been great and have all taken well to the process. To date we have only had one In the past, there have been invalid test, which is a credit to our testing difficulties in obtaining PPE... was this assistants and our students who are an issue? carrying out the tests correctly! We were a little cautious when we were informed just before Christmas that we would have a delivery of the PPE, tests and How many tests have been Quick Fire Questions completed to date? Guilty pleasure? The team has carried out 116 staff tests Kicking off my shoes and lying on the and 60 pupil tests so far. sofa with a choc Ice. What will be the challenges for Earliest memory whenever we return to school? My first day at school and The biggest challenge will be upscaling standing with the teacher arranging the testing process to ensure all students some fresh flowers in a vase... I still are tested on the day of their return and remember Mrs Cherry and her three days later. We will require more flowers... testing bays and staff. On a positive note, the testing operation will have been Favourite meal? running for some time by then so we will all As I am answering this question, I am be experts! thinking of the Thai takeaway I will be ordering this evening for my son’s birthday, so it has to be Thai.

Role model? That was my dad, who hasn’t been with us for coming up to 30 years! But I have fond memories of taking apart clocks together or trekking through the woods looking for forest mushrooms (yes, we used to eat them).

Happiness is... Family, friends and planning for all those wonderful times ahead... Rachel Arscott, Year 12 6th Form Director at Bishop Justus, regularly shares ‘Thinking Thoughts’ with colleagues. This one particularly resonated with me in these challenging times...

Rachel writes...

Today’s thought, by academic writer Paula Worth, is a celebration, or consolation, of getting things wrong in teaching and perhaps in relationships in general. I found it beautiful, honest and encouraging in the midst of the longest January ever, especially as we’re all making plenty of mistakes due to drastic lifestyle changes. This could be because (a) we’re human, (b) there are particular strains now, and (c) lots of these are new, in all sorts of ways.

Paula writes: “I discovered that a 5 month old ceramic pot had been broken yesterday. A year ago, I would have been join with gold’. In Zen aesthetics, the very annoyed at this and the broken pot broken pieces of an accidentally-smashed would have been taken to the tip. pot should be carefully picked up, But this year, I didn’t see a broken pot. reassembled and then glued together with I saw an opportunity for something called lacquer inflected with a very luxuriant gold ‘kintsugi’. I think it’s an excellent way of powder. There should be no attempt to reminding us to appreciate imperfection disguise the damage; the point is to in our teaching, as deep down we hope to render the fault-lines beautiful and strong. eventually make it perfect. We dream of The precious veins of gold are there to one day securing an ideally harmonious emphasise that breaks have a relationship with every pupil, deeply philosophically-rich merit all of their own…. fulfilling lessons, increasingly happy In an age that worships perfection and mornings with our form group, and the the new, the art of kintsugi retains a respect of parents and teacher colleagues. particular wisdom, as applicable to our own However life has a habit of dealing us a lives as it is to a broken tea cup. The care range of blows, turning these fine dreams and love expended on the shattered pots into shattered and worthless fragments. should lend us the confidence to respect It’s when things go badly wrong in teaching what is damaged and scarred, vulnerable that we might turn our minds to a concept and imperfect, starting with ourselves and drawn from Japanese philosophy, and in those around us.” particular, from the Zen Buddhist approach Paula then goes on to describe one to ceramics. mistake that she made whilst teaching, and Alain de Botton tells us that: “Over the how she ‘repaired’ a relationship:“I was centuries, Zen masters developed an mid-flow in discussing the siege of Antioch argument that pots, cups and bowls that during the First Crusade. A hand went up on had become damaged shouldn’t simply be Teams. I winced: not Billy, again. ‘Yes, Billy’ neglected or thrown away. They should I said, trying to keep the impatience out continue to attract our respect and of my voice. ‘Please unmute and ask your attention and be repaired with enormous question.’ care. The word given to this tradition of ‘Did you know, Miss, that the Crusades ceramic repair is kintsugi: kin = golden; were fought in the desert and they tsugi = joinery. It means, literally, ‘to found tonnes of relics at Antioch, and there was this amazing sword….’ ‘What I think you mean, Billy’, I said, cutting him off, ‘is the Holy Lance, not a sword, and I was just coming onto that. Let’s not confuse everyone and get ahead of ourselves. Now, Year 7, where were we….’ Billy left the Teams call five minutes later to go to the toilet. Billy didn’t come back. Billy has ADHD. Even if he didn’t, this is a monstruous way to deal with a student. But I was so annoyed that we’d had so many interruptions and problems with the lesson and I was mid-story and so, instead of reacting like an adult, I acted like an annoyed child. Relationships are all about rupture and repair. I could have let this rupture in my relationship with Billy get me down; as a trainee teacher, it would have floored me. But kintsugi helped. I was going to use this as an opportunity. I checked Billy’s work. I saw that, although he was sketchy about Nicea and Antioch, he had a good understanding of the gathering of the Crusaders in Constantinople. So, next lesson, I planned for Billy to shine. ‘Year 7, I looked at your work yesterday.’ [Pause]. ‘It was very good. But you know who particularly impressed me? Billy. Just look at Billy’s notes about the Crusaders in Constantinople. Billy, can you tell us about it?’ Billy did. Rupture and repair. I put effort into planning my repair. Was my relationship with Billy better because the rupture and repair had reminded me to make a fuss out of him and allowed him to shine in front of his peers, which he loves? I don’t know. What I do know is that I tried to embrace the imperfection.” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Update Wellbeing

This remains a major focus for us as a Trust If you are concerned about your wellbeing and we are continuing to work closely with please keep communicating with your line all stakeholders on ensuring this is lived out manager/school wellbeing staff for support. and embedded throughout our schools. The We also have our EAP programme Health strategic group, consisting of members from Assured across our Trust community, has met to https://www.healthassured.org/ review our policies and practice and support us in our work. We were delighted and truly Please download their app to support you inspired by a year 13 student from My Healthy Advantage employer code is Bishop Justus who started our meeting with MHA076569. a thought provoking, inspirational and well researched view on what we can do to Another useful link: improve our work in EDI and why this is so important. https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind- matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at- We are finalising our strategy and plans to home-tips/ ensure they encompass what we believe in and currently need to improve. We are also carefully planning our in house training offer for staff so we can meet their needs as well as the areas identified for development.

We recently issued Trust wide surveys to parents for their views on EDI and the reports for each school will shortly be sent to each Headteacher. Audits for staff and pupils will be conducted as soon as possible, so we can get a really good view of all our stakeholders so we can support all in the best way possible.

Jenni Richards Primary Education Director