Connect #25 celebrates growth, community and achievement across Mulberry

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This summer term has seen schools across our Trust celebrate a wide range of achievements, opportunities and moments of success, showcasing the talent, ambition and commitment of our students, staff and wider community.

Mulberry Schools Trust has recently made an important step in the growth of our East Sussex Hub, with Mulberry Bexhill Academy becoming the sixth East Sussex school to join the Trust. We are excited to continue strengthening connections between our schools and continue to create opportunities for students and staff to collaborate and learn from one another. Over the past term, CEO Alice Ward visited schools across the Trust and was proud to see the fantastic work taking place across our school communities.

There has been plenty to celebrate across our schools, from students taking part in our Mulberry Changemakers programmes in STEM and the arts, to sporting successes, student leadership opportunities and achievements recognised at a national level.

We are also delighted to share the landmark moment of an ‘exceptional’ Mulberry College of Teaching Ofsted inspection, as well as proudly celebrating five years of our East London Teaching School Hub.

This edition of Connect brings together some of these stories, highlighting the experiences that take place every day across our Trust, from inspiring classroom practice, learning and creative opportunities to partnerships that help broaden horizons for our young people.

Together, these achievements demonstrate the dedication and ambition that runs through our schools and the commitment of our communities to helping every student thrive.

We are delighted to celebrate the contributions of our students, staff, families, trustees, governors and partners and we hope you enjoy reading the Connect #25 newsletter.

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West St Leonards Primary Academy Pupil runs the Brighton Youth Mile Race

West St Leonards Primary Academy Pupil runs the Brighton Youth Mile Race

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Amelie from West St Leonards Primary Academy made a big impact at the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday, 25 February. Running in the Youth Race mile, it was her first-ever race, and she didn’t disappoint. Despite the chilly morning, Amelie’s family and friends cheered her on as she crossed the finish line.

What makes Amelie’s achievement even more special is that she wasn’t just running for herself. She raised an impressive £165 for the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, a local organisation that provides essential support to sick children in Sussex. Her efforts will go a long way in helping those in need.

Amelie’s dedication and generosity are truly inspiring. Her story serves as a reminder that anyone, regardless of age, can make a difference in their community. Congratulations, Amelie, on your incredible accomplishment!

West St Leonards adventure to De La Warr Pavilion and Bexhill Museum

West St Leonards adventure to De La Warr Pavilion and Bexhill Museum

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During the week of 6th November 2023, a group of Year 1 pupils from West St Leonards Primary Academy undertook an intrepid (albeit rather windy!) school trip adventure, visiting the De La Warr Pavilion and Bexhill Museum.

The children delved into the history of toys at the museum, learning about popular playtime activities in the Victorian age. The children loved all the activities, led by an amazing team of volunteers and wanted to thank the team personally for a great day of learning and laughter. All the children contributed to a thank you letter for the Bexhill Museum team – a great way of consolidating learning and showing gratitude! Well done, Year 1!

The Bexhill Museum Team loved having the class visit the exhibits and enthusiastically shared fantastic feedback on the pupils’ engagement on the day, describing the children as well behaved and engaging brilliantly with all the activities.

A Year 1 teacher at West St Leonards Primary Academy, commented: “We are proud of each and every one of our Year 1 learners, who all got involved in the activities provided by the wonderful Museum team and coped wonderfully with a particularly blustery day for our trip.”

West St Leonards Primary Academy recognised as a distinguished ‘Talk for Writing’ Training Centre

West St Leonards Primary Academy recognised as a distinguished ‘Talk for Writing’ Training Centre

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The Mulberry Schools Trust are delighted to announce West St Leonards Primary Academy’s continued accreditation as one of only 14 esteemed ‘Talk for Writing’ Training Centres in England. Talk for Writing is an engaging, powerful teaching framework that raises progress and boosts standards.

A recent review conducted in June 2023 has highlighted the extraordinary commitment and enthusiasm of the academy’s staff, which has played a pivotal role in their success. Staff’s passion for Talk for Writing was evident from the very beginning, leading to the implementation of frequent internal Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions. These sessions serve as platforms for staff to share best practices, mentor and support one another, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

The impact on children’s writing exemplifies staff dedication to instilling a love from writing in every pupil.

Principal, Dominic O’Regan, expressed his enthusiasm saying, “I am thrilled to confirm that West St Leonards continues to be validated as a Talk for Writing Training Centre which we established in 2016. Our review in June 2023 noted the following:

  • There is excellent presentation across the academy in all books. Teachers promote passion and pride in written outcomes and celebrate this.
  • The academy invests in quality resources to support children with early transcription.
  • There is a lot of progress evident in the books both across the year and across units of work.
  • Children talk with passion about their writing. All those we spoke to were able to find and share passages or stories that they were proud of and explain why.
  • Children in the provision unit were fully engaged in their Talk for Writing text. There were excellent resources to meet the needs of the children and expectations around language were superb.
  • Concrete resources are used to support understanding and technology provides further scaffolding and support.
  • Children in the Early Years are brimming with confidence to retell and invent stories. There is a very rich provision, full of opportunities to write, invent and communicate.
  • The academy celebrates writing in all areas, from the moment you walk in and see the celebration wall, to each and every classroom.”

Chief Executive of The Mulberry Schools Trust, Dr John Smith, is proud of West St Leonards and their dedication to delivering excellence, one of the Trust’s core values. He said, “Delivering excellence ensures we are resilient and determined and develop a creative flag-ship curriculum for all our children delivered through excellent teaching and learning. Sharing expertise and knowledge, exploring possibilities, rewarding innovation, and challenging and motivating our children and staff to have high expectations and aspirations are all at the heart of this value and it is fantastic to see this thriving at West St Leonards.”

Principal, Dominic O’Regan invites educators and institutions interested in Talk for Writing training to contact the academy at tfw@wslprimaryacademy.org.uk to learn more about the academy’s training offerings.

Is your child starting school in September 2024? Come and see the academy in action at one of their Open Days this Autumn. Please visit www.weststleonardsprimaryacademy.org.uk/key-documents/prospectus to book your place!