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CEO blog
Fri 13 Nov 2020Thinking of others
This week, we have spent time thinking of others. On Wednesday, our schools joined the nation in a two-minute silence at 11.00am on Armistice Day. Poignantly, our Director of Operations made a surprise appearance at NWPA wearing his own and his great-grandfather’s medals. Other schools made poppy wreaths and displays and even a poppy garden.
Today, our schools have had fun wearing something spotty and fundraising for Children in Need. But, of course, there is a serious side to all the fun and we have all spent time thinking about the disadvantaged children and young people across the UK whose lives will be made a bit easier by our fundraising efforts. As always, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community, particularly during this challenging time for us all.
Thinking of others is definitely the positive side of this pandemic and the numerous thoughtful acts of kindness going on in our schools and local communities are something we can all be proud of.
Have a lovely weekend,
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog
Sun 08 Nov 2020Welcome old and new
I’d like to start by welcoming everyone back to school - I hope that you all had a good half-term break and managed to spend some relaxing time with your families. It is great to see that attendance and enthusiasm across the trust remains high as we begin the new term.
This week we are celebrating some wonderful news. On 1st November we welcomed Summerhill Primary Academy, Jubilee Park Primary Academy and Summerhill’s Little Treasures (formerly of Summer Park MAT in Tipton) into the Rivers family. This marks the culmination of months of careful planning to ensure that this is the right decision for all schools within our trust.
As you know, I firmly believe in the advantages of collaboration for our pupils, staff and communities. As our trust grows, we all benefit from sharing best practice, enhanced continuous school improvement and greatly improved economies of scale. As is the case for all our schools, our new schools will preserve their distinctive characteristics whilst sharing our ethos, vision and values and joining us in our determination to provide the best educational opportunities possible for all our pupils.
We look forward to working together and to getting to know one another better in the months ahead.
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog -
Fri 23 Oct 2020Congratulations and Thank You
Firstly, congratulations to Caroline Hoddinott, our vice-chair of trustees, who has been awarded an OBE for services to education. Throughout her career, Caroline has worked tirelessly to improve outcomes for pupils locally and nationally. We are fortunate to have the support of such an experienced and talented education specialist and I am delighted that Caroline’s contribution to the education sector has been recognised at the highest level.
Congratulations also go to NWPA on a successful Health & Safety COVID-19 inspection. Reassuringly, the inspection highlighted the benefits of collaboration and confirmed that we are doing all we can to keep everyone in our family of schools as safe as possible.
I have been reflecting with pride and gratitude on the commitment shown by everyone in our Rivers family over the past eight weeks. Our pupils, far from being the “lost generation” we hear so much about in the media, have shown robustness and resilience and our schools have kept learning at the forefront of everything they do. So, congratulations and thank you, everyone, for your dedication, your willingness to support one another and your hard work.
I wish you all a restful and very well-deserved half-term break.
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog - Governance
Fri 16 Oct 2020I cannot overstate the importance of good governance and the positive difference that our trustees and school improvement board members make to our trust. I am full of admiration for this team of volunteers who willingly give so much of their time and work tirelessly to improve outcomes for our pupils and families.
This week, we approved the appointments of a new chair and vice-chair of trustees, Emma Hughes and Caroline Hoddinott. On behalf of the trust, I want to thank our previous chair, Carl Nichols, for the important work he has done and to say how delighted I am that he is not abandoning us entirely but has agreed to become our health and wellbeing link trustee, a role that is more important than ever in the current challenging climate.
We regretfully said goodbye and thank you to Andrew Bourne, who has supported the trust so ably, in particular, in his work to improve outcomes for our vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, and we welcomed our new trustee, Anna Gilbert.
These are exciting times for Rivers and it is reassuring to know that we continue to benefit from the wealth of knowledge and diversity of skills and experience of our trustees and SIB members. Thank you all - it is a privilege to work with you!
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog - Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)
Wed 14 Oct 2020As you know, I can never resist an opportunity to highlight the benefits of collaboration and, this week, I want to share a couple of examples with you. Firstly, our TATS (Trust Around the School) meetings. These meetings, introduced last year, are a great example of how working together benefits everyone. Each school has a termly TATS meeting which brings together (in a virtual space at the moment) the CEO, finance director, HR, director of operations, director of education, school improvement executive and school’s head. Already, the positive impact of these meetings can be seen at school and trust level.
Another example of the advantages of working together has been the smooth roll out across all schools of our new, online learning platform, Seesaw, which will be used for homework and remote learning in the probable event of future bubble closures. In this case, the combination of the central team’s clear overview of all schools within the trust and its ability to take strategic decisions, the inspirational work done by heads and the expertise of our School Improvement Board has benefited our whole family of schools. It may be a cliché but it’s definitely true that ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’!
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog - Exciting News!
Fri 02 Oct 2020I have some exciting news to share with you this week! I am delighted to report that our application to open a brand-new, purpose-built, alternative provision primary school has been successful. This much-needed provision will open in the Wyre Forest area of Worcestershire in September 2022.
I firmly believe that collaboration is crucial to ensure a successful educational experience for all pupils at our new school and we have begun as we mean to go on. We have started to engage with stakeholders and are already benefitting from the expert knowledge and experience of local headteachers and external professionals in designing the interior of the building.
Having previously opened a brand-new school in September 2019, I am only too aware of the highs and lows of a process that ranges from sourcing quiet hand dryers and keeping the builders well supplied with homemade cakes to designing the curriculum! However, just imagining how different this bare site will look when we open our doors to pupils in September 2022 excites and invigorates me for the challenges ahead. Bring it on! The benefits for pupils, families and schools across Worcestershire will be worth any sleepless nights that I may have over the next two years!
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog - Working together
Fri 25 Sep 2020Working Together
This week, one of our schools welcomed back its bubble of pupils and staff at the end of the self-isolation period. This experience has been a good test of our procedures and communication channels and I am pleased to report that our systems have proved to be robust and effective.
During this challenging time, we are constantly adapting and exploring new ways to reach out to our community. This term, we are introducing virtual open days, alongside our usual open days, for our new families and online parents’ evenings to give parents and carers the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher in the way that suits them best. I am proud to be working with such a creative and innovative staff team!
The prime minister’s message this week has confirmed that COVID-19 has not gone away. We all need to continue our efforts to protect our pupils, staff and families. I would like to thank staff, parents and carers for supporting and reinforcing our key messages at school and at home. Your support is vital and much appreciated. By continuing to work together, we continue to protect the safety of our Rivers family.
Be kind to yourself and one another,
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO blog - Settling Back Into School Life
Fri 18 Sep 2020CEO’s Blog 18th September 2020
We are already at the end of our third week of term! I am delighted to be able to report that attendance remains high across the trust. Staff tell me that pupils are engaged and focused on their learning and are enjoying being back together.
This week, two of our schools volunteered to take part in Ofsted pilot visits. Both schools found this to be a very positive experience and were encouraged by Ofsted’s confirmation of the strategies we have put in place to support our pupils as they settle back into school life.
Last week, we had the first confirmed COVID-19 case in one of our schools. Following government guidance, we took swift action to close the appropriate bubble and notify parents/carers and the local outbreak response team (LORT). Parents/carers and staff have been reassured to see that robust systems and procedures are in place and working well and confidence remains high.
We know that this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone in the education sector – staff, governors, external professionals, parents/carers and pupils. Let’s continue to support each other and work together so that we can move forward in a positive way during the weeks and months ahead.
Be kind to one another,
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO Blog - Welcome Back Everyone!
Fri 11 Sep 2020Welcome Back Everyone!
It was wonderful to see the happy, smiling faces of pupils and staff as we welcomed all year groups back to our schools last week. I am absolutely delighted to report that over 97% of our pupils have returned to schools across the trust. Well done everyone – a fantastic start to the new school year!
I have spent some time this week visiting our schools and saying a socially distanced ‘hello’ to pupils - always the favourite part of my job! It is clear to see that pupils and staff are thrilled to be back together again. Obviously, our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our community and it has been reassuring to see how quickly pupils have adapted to the new routines of regular handwashing and social distancing. A huge thank you to parents and carers for following the new guidance about staggered starts/finishes, different entrance/exit points, bags, lunch boxes and PE kit. It is a lot to take in, I know, but these new arrangements have been put in place for the safety of our pupils, staff and families and your support is greatly appreciated by us all.
We are all looking forward to an exciting term ahead as we continue our learning journey – together again!
Look after yourself and each other,
Kate Brunt
CEO
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CEO Blog- Looking Forward
Tue 07 Jul 2020I can’t believe that it’s July already and that the end of the school year is looming! I think we can agree that 2019-2020 has been an unusual and challenging year for us all and I’m sure that I’m not alone in looking forward to the time when we can all be together again.
These last few weeks of the school year will be an exciting but unsettling time for our pupils as they say goodbye to the old year and start looking forward to the new year ahead - all within the context of a global pandemic! I know that staff are working extremely creatively to ensure that transition takes place across all year groups and that goodbyes are properly marked for those children who are leaving us to start secondary and middle schools.
Those of you who have not been able to come into school since March may notice a difference when you return - the decorators have been in, staff have been getting artistic and our schools are looking even more fantastic than ever! All we need now is you! We can’t wait to have you all back. Sadly, plans may have to change if a local lockdown is imposed, as is the case in Leicester at the moment, but for now, let’s just focus on looking forward to being together again in September.
Stay safe and stay in touch,
Kate Brunt
CEO