New start for Nene Education Trust's Raunds Manor School embarking on a ‘new chapter of community and togetherness’
The Nene Education Trust, that oversees eight county schools, has held its safeguarding training day ahead of the new academic year, to ‘keep pushing the positive vibes’ bosses believe have been present leading into 2024/25.
Spread across three schools, the training updates staff members’ skills in safeguarding, mental health and wellbeing and SEND, preparing for the academic year ahead.
Nene Education Trust CEO Chris Hill said: “We need to remind everyone of the core principles. It’s a challenging job at times, so we have to listen and know that our behaviour has an impact on children.”
In an opening address to teachers from the likes of Redwell Primary, Wellingborough, and Windmill Primary and Manor School in Raunds, Chris Hill added: "There are particular things you would be proud of at Manor School, things that we don’t shout about enough.
“Some of the young people who go to our schools don’t leave the town, we need to give them that experience.
“We have to keep pushing the positive vibes, if it is going to benefit our children, it’s worth doing.”
Manor School has seen some changes recently following the departure of previous principal, Dr Louise Newman, who’s year-long tenure ended in June, as the school embarks on a ‘new chapter of community and togetherness.’
Interim principal Adam Crawte will be in the role until December, and believes the training day has been a step in the right direction. While he admits that the as-yet unreleased Ofsted inspection which took place at the end of last term was ‘really really bad timing’, he says the school’s recent GCSE results were ‘a significant improvement on previous cohorts’, with the average grade achieved across the school in all GCSE subjects now at a 4+.
He said: “It’s important for us as professionals to reflect. We live in a highly pressurised world where we have Ofsted and exams, and sometimes it means you do miss the real important things, which is the individual in front of us.
"It’s always good, especially on a day like this when we’re starting a new year to say ‘this is a reminder of why we’re here’.”
Bosses at the Nene Education trust were joined by Andre Arissol, a 27-year-old professional basketball player from Northampton who was a GB and England National team member. Now a founder of Athletic Elite, he uses his story to inspire teachers.
Andre said: “People see you how they need you. They need us because we are that safe space, and at that point, we will be able to teach them everything we’re trying to teach them because we now hold value to us as a human first.
"When students come into your class, are you remitting that energy. We have a duty to show up every single day.”
St Peter’s School teachers Becky Dorman and Flo Whalley were ‘inspired’ by the day, and by Andre’s talk.
They said: “It’s different when it comes from someone who is outside of the normal, run-of-the-mill teaching profession.
“I feel really inspired by him, it reminds you about being human to the students, and how important it is. ”