The Priory Star Achieving Our Vision Issue 1 Welcome to the first edition of The Priory Star This newsletter is an Our vision is to ensure that our students, regardless of starting points, achieve opportunity to find successful outcomes. For this to happen, we must provide life-changing opportunities inside and outside the formal curriculum. At the same time, in pursuit of these out about our staff aspirations, we must provide career and development opportunities for our staff. and the work they Equally essential is a specialised central support team; as is the contribution of are doing to help us professional and strategic governors. achieve our vision All these elements are contained within our vision, which, in short, is to ensure: for the children and 1. Successful outcomes for our students young people in our Trust. 2. Life-changing opportunities for our students 3. High quality professional development for our staff 4. Expert central service systems 5. Effective strategic governance I hope you find the content as interesting and, in many cases, inspiring as I did. Thank you. Ian Jones, CEO. LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES Successful The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) outcomes & Duke of Edinburgh Scheme (DofE) We are delighted that the latest DfE – spotlight on volunteers results for Multi The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and Academy Trusts Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DofE) (MATS) showed are two significant opportunities for our students. that our progress measures were In order to ensure that we can offer each In addition, Paul has volunteered to assist cadet and DofE student the widest and with the DofE team, attending the recent “significantly best experience, we have recently recruited staff training expedition in the Peak District. above” the additional adult volunteers. These range His commitment as a volunteer is invaluable national average from teaching and support staff to parents regarding up-to-date airpower and it is also and placed us in interested in volunteering their time to work extremely motivational for the cadets to be the top 10 MATs with the students outside the classroom. In able to speak with a current serving pilot in return for their support, staff have access the RAF. in the country. to an exciting programme of professional Paul Mitchell – Paul is a Priory City of development courses. Without the skills, This is a wonderful Lincoln Academy parent. He is an ex-serving commitment and motivation these adult achievement made RAF Regiment Gunner and now a prison volunteers bring, we would not be able possible by the hard officer. He brings a wealth of experience of to offer the CCF or DofE to such a large work of the students, field craft relevant to both the RAF and Army number of students. We would like to take parents/carers and Sections. Paul has committed to weekly this opportunity to thank our volunteers and our staff. attendance at the CCF, organising his main at the same time provide an insight into the job around volunteering. He is working his lives of three people who give so generously way through the Army adult volunteers’ of their time and knowledge. commissioning process, culminating in his Paul Wyatt – Paul is an LSST parent and a Basic Officer’s course in February half-term. serving RAF Officer (Squadron Leader). A He will then be able to start completing pilot by trade, he is currently completing a courses such as Skill at Arms Instructor, tour in the Air Warfare Centre at RAF enabling him to teach weapons and Waddington. Paul contacted marksmanship to the cadets. the CCF team after reading Laurence Fox – Laurence is a local our Parentmail letter asking volunteer who, through a friend of a friend, for adult volunteers. He replied to our Parentmail letter which had has committed to being asked for adult volunteers. He is currently a regular member of staff studying part-time for a History degree specialising on the flying and hopes to become a secondary school side of the RAF Syllabus, History teacher. His time with the cadets, teaching the cadets and the additional work he does with the airmanship skills, principles CCF logistics team, not only helps the CCF, of flight and keeping them fully but also benefits him in his teacher training. up to date with current aircraft and He has also served as a reservist Royal their roles within the Military Policeman in the Army so is fully RAF and the wider qualified in the field and with the weapons to military world. which the cadets are exposed. Laurence has brought with him a wealth of knowledge and has become a popular member of staff with the cadets who seem to like the red beret of an RMP being around. THE TRUST MISSION STATEMENT • To improve the life chances of our students • To ensure that all students appreciate the excitement of learning, the rewards of personal challenge and the importance of helping others – and so become true citizens of the world. The Boarding Village The most recent Ofsted report for the Robert de Cheney Boarding House (situated in the grounds of The Priory Academy LSST) said in relation to ‘outcomes for boarders’ that “their journey to independent adulthood is enriched and enhanced by the opportunity of boarding.” John Nuttall, Head of Boarding, explains: “The quality of experience that our boarders enjoy does not happen by accident and at the heart of our boarding provision is a dedicated team of staff who ensure that the boarders are cared for 24 hours a day, seven days a week during term time.” LEFT-RIGHT: Jay Burke and The more visible faces of this team are the houseparents Louise Cook who also tend to have teaching roles within school in the and appreciative of how much support they receive at day. Less visible are the staff based solely at the Boarding times when they are feeling ill or upset, when things have House: Ruth our boarding administrator; Alison and her gone wrong or when they need someone to talk to. catering team (meeting all the dietary needs of 50-plus boarders); the housekeeping team; and Jay and Louise, our Ultimately, everyone at the boarding house, staff and matrons who oversee the house during the day. Even the students, is part of a large ‘family’ where everyone is boarders themselves are often unaware of how much goes equally important, where everyone looks out for each on in the house during the day to ensure that everything other and cares for each other. This is what makes it such runs smoothly for them. But they are certainly very aware a special place to be part of. Students shine on centre stage Forest School The Young Americans returned to Grantham last term in what Congratulations was billed as the flagship project of their UK tour. The community to Michelle event, managed by The Priory Ruskin Academy, saw the largest James, number of students taking part in the biggest venue of the tour. who has Vic Rossington, Assistant Headteacher biggest performance of the UK tour successfully at Ruskin, oversaw all aspects of the and the students seemed to bring a completed event. Headteacher Rachel Wyles special quality, such enthusiasm and said: “Her vision to share the quite commitment. In the current climate, her Forest literally world class experiences on Performing Arts has never been School Level 3 offer at Ruskin with local schools, more important. We don’t need to be practitioner training and under the umbrella of the Arts, looking for the best singer or the best leads the Forest School ensured that Grantham’s collective dancer but for something that brings sessions for early years talents truly shone.” communities together and lets them children at The Priory celebrate who they are.” The Young Americans, a world Witham Academy. renowned dance and musical group, conducted workshops with more These sessions enable children than 300 students from seven to investigate and explore the local schools, culminating in natural environment and also a spectacular show in front focus on personal, social and of a packed hall at The emotional development. In one Meres leisure centre. session, children investigated The Young and explored colours by using Americans’ Director, different colour swatches to Otha Womack, identify dark and light shades. said: “There was They then explored the something very outdoor learning environment special about to identify objects which the Grantham matched their swatch. event. It’s the THE TRUST MISSION STATEMENT • To improve the life chances of our students • To ensure that all students appreciate the excitement of learning, the rewards of personal challenge and the importance of helping others – and so become true citizens of the world. DEVELOPING STAFF The Mathematics and English departments at The Priory City of Lincoln PGCE to Academy have welcomed two new members of staff who have been trained NQT at ‘in house’, having graduated from our SCITT programmes run by LTSA. Fiona Black and Jake Perkins were the first trainees to The Priory undertake their PGCE year based at the Academy in 2015-2016, and once their training programmes had City of finished they were delighted to take up a post. Fiona is from Sleaford and did her degree in English Lincoln Literature. Jake, from Lincoln, graduated in International Business Management. They both took the option to gain Academy additional Masters credits as part of the SCITT programme last year. We are thrilled to be joined by these enthusiastic and skilled teachers. Two of our teachers are getting a taste for all things outdoors this year. Sophie Spencer, who has worked in our ABOVE: Fiona Black BELOW: Sophie Spencer BELOW: Jake Perkins Art Department for three years, has become the Academy lead for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and is supported by Khin Chen, who is Head of Franklin House and a PE teacher.