As I write this, I find it hard to believe that almost a year has passed since I joined the Foundation back in January. It has been a rollercoaster year affected, of course, by the pandemic which is still running its course. At the same time, there have been significant achievements in a range of areas thanks to your hard work and dedication.
Of particular note are our Foundation Strategy and all of the strategies feeding into them. Since January we have seen:
- The appointment of our first Foundation Leaders of Education and Subject Network Leads. It was a pleasure for me to meet two of the former on one of my Wednesday afternoons at King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy as they were meeting colleagues and about to embark on their new work.
- The first cohort of over twenty colleagues from across our schools starting their National Professional Qualifications through our partnership with the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership Teaching Schools Hub.
- Our first Foundation-wide and Trust-wide external audits for safeguarding and quality of education.
- The articulation of Foundation principles of teaching and learning.
- The commissioning of Briar Associates to undertake energy audits across all our facilities and to make recommendations for reduction in our consumption as part of our commitment to sustainability.
- The appointment of a Director of Education for April 2022, about whom you can read more in this issue.
These are just a few examples of the work that has been going on. In addition, we have seen examples of individual pupil successes and a collective will from all of us to make the best of a very challenging year indeed. Some of the most enjoyable moments of the year have been interacting with teachers and pupils from our schools, whether in assemblies, learning walks, pupil committees, awards events or other fora, not least the assemblies that Tom Rowland, Director of Finance and Operations, and I gave just days ago to pupils at King Edward’s School about our environmental sustainability plans.
As we enter the festive period, I wish you all a thoroughly well-deserved time of relaxation and celebration and I look forward to continuing to work with all of you in 2022 and beyond.
