Celebrating our collective success

As we approach the end of this term, I want to take a moment to express my thanks and appreciation - and gratitude - for the incredible dedication and hard work you have all put into making this term a success.

Every success in each classroom, office and schools is a team effort, and each one of you plays a crucial role. Together, we create an environment where students thrive. Your collaboration, dedication, and teamwork are the keys to our collective success.

The holiday season is upon us and however you might choose to celebrate this time, it is a time to reflect on the accomplishments we have achieved together, the challenges we have overcome, and the positive impact we have had on the lives of our students. Your unwavering commitment to education and the well-being of our students does not go unnoticed: I thank each of you for the contribution you have made and continue to make to the lives of young people.

As we all take a well-deserved break, I encourage you to take this time to rest, rejuvenate, and spend quality moments with your loved ones. Your well-being is important, and I hope you use this holiday season to recharge your energy and come back in the new year with renewed enthusiasm.

Remember that the work you do is shaping the future of our students and contributing to the betterment of our community. Take pride in your accomplishments, celebrate the successes, and learn from the challenges.

The start of a new year is a symbol of hope, fresh beginnings, and the promise of exciting possibilities. Your role as educators goes beyond imparting knowledge; you are shaping the future and instilling a love for learning that will last a lifetime.

Many best wishes to you all for a restful Christmas and hope for a happy, healthy and successful 2024.

Trustee visit to Fullbrook

12 December 09.30 - 11.30

SBMs meeting

13 December 09.30 - 11.30

Trust board meeting

14 December 08.30 - 10.30

Supporting students with ADHD

14 December 10.00 - 12.00

Executive team meeting

15 December 10.00 - 12.00

Andrew Roach

Director of Education

Governor Training

Bitesize Learning Series

Correctly setting up your document in Word before you get started on a document can really help reduce those frustrating formatting issues that arise, normally just as you think you’re finished! There are a range of settings that can be adjusted and set as standard and these are covered in this week’s options below.

The dreaded Mail Merge is also looked at this week. Such an invaluable tool and a real time-saver, when you know how to utilise it. Hopefully, the video in the embedded link below will be useful if it’s something that have proved to be elusive.

Don’t forget, if you have any suggestions of things you would like covering, please do email Jodie Farrell-Gray.

Click on the images to access this week’s double delight

Useful Information for Governors

Every one of our governors has access to Governor Hub and the National Governance Association. These are both valuable sources of information, guidance and ideas.

This week we wanted to share with you a very interesting article; Disadvantage in Education from the NGA. This article will help you to explore the LGB’s role in tackling educational disadvantage.

Please click on the link below to read more; we hope you will find this article enjoyable and informative.

HR Team Update

All the focus in HR over the past few weeks has been on our payroll transition which is now in its final stages. School business managers and HR and finance staff in schools have been working extremely hard and will no doubt be feeling a sense of relief now that the end is in sight. Throughout October and November, we have undertaken a couple of “dummy runs” whereby schools have been comparing actual outputs from Surrey County Council with what the new provider would have produced, had they administered payroll that month. Where variances have occurred, these have been looked at and rectified. As I write this, schools are waiting to receive their first payroll report for December, so they can check everything looks to be in order before processing early next week.

Payday

Payday in December is, as you know, early this month, and your salary will arrive in your bank account of 15th December. Please check your payslip (details on how to access this will be shared with all staff in the next couple of days) and your bank account to ensure that everything it as you are expecting.

If there are any anomalies or you don’t think something looks quite right, please email payrollqueries@learningpartners.com and copy in your school business manager (or person responsible for payroll in your school). Remember that your pay should include the cost of living increase backdated to September and any pay progression you may have been awarded, also backdated to September, so your pay will not be the same as it was in November.

From January next year, pay day will revert to its usual day of the 22nd of the month. This means that it is over five weeks (and an extra weekend) until we get paid again, so please do budget accordingly.

As a final reminder, don’t forget to log on to the epay portal to download payslips and P60 documents. We recommend downloading a minimum of 12 months’ worth of payslips and all P60s. Remember access to the portal will terminate on 31st December. If you have any issues accessing the portal, you need to contact Surrey County Council on myhelpdeskhr@surreycc.gov.uk

You don’t have to search very far at the moment to find evidence that Christmas is fast approaching now, and whilst it can by a time of joy and celebration for many, that is not always the case. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it can be a stressful time for many, bringing financial worries, relationship strains and difficulties for those who may be separated from loved ones or even bereaved. If you find yourself needing a bit of extra support as the end of the year approaches, don’t forget that we have an excellent EAP service, details of which can be found in the benefits section. There is also an app that you can download as part of this service which has some great wellbeing tools and resources on it. Click on the link below to download the app from the App Store or Google Play. The passcode you need to log in to the app is MHA093315.

Wisdom app - Track Your Wellness & Mental Health (healthassured.org)

Nicola Riley

Head of Human Resources

SNEAK PREVIEW

PRE-

BOOK

Email CPLD@learningpartners.org to pre-book

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT continued

BROWSE OUR CPLD OFFERING ABOVE

& BOOK USING THE QR CODES

Discounts for Teachers

& Ode Cashback Card

Free Will Writing Service

Learning Partners Academy Trust and Estate Planning and Will Writing specialists Dunham McCarthy are able to offer you a free will writing service to help you plan for your future, protecting your family and loved ones. The free service is provided remotely, either by telephone or video call, at a time to suit you. You will have an adviser to help you complete each step from start to finish.

All Learning Partners staff, in any role (not just teachers), can access exclusive discounts, cashback and vouchers when they join the scheme. There are over 1200 of the biggest brands on their website and thousands of deals. Save on holidays, fashion, homeware, days out, mobiles, finance, insurance, TV and broadband and more. It’s free to join and free to use, it only takes a couple of minutes to register, and you can start saving on your purchases right away.

Click here to watch a short webinar with advice on what can be included in a will

Click here to sign up now

For more information and to book your initial appointment, click here

Click here for further information on Discounts for Teachers

Click here for further information on Ode Cashback Card

Freedom leisure - discounted membership

Freedom Leisure and Learning Partners Academy Trust can offer you discounted membership at Freedom Leisure sites in and around Surrey. There are three different packages to choose from offering various entitlements.

• Classic Corporate Plus (Peak) - £46 per month on direct debit or £460 annually (discount of 2 months free)
  
• Classic Corporate (Off Peak) - £37 per month on direct debit or £407 annually (discount of 1 month free)
• Connected Corporate - £51 per month or £510 annually (discount of 2 months free)
  

Employee Assistance Programme

The EAP is a confidential employee benefit designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life or work life, health and general wellbeing. The helpline is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Click here for further information

Kings Community Sports Hub Gym

Click here to sign up for discounted membership

Learning Partners staff can access the new Kings Community Sports Hub Gym (at Kings College Guildford) at a discounted rate of £14.99 per month (direct debit). Opening hours:

Monday to Friday 5.00pm to 10.00pm Weekends 9.00am to 5.00pm

Click here for further information

Click here to sign up for discounted membership

Octopus Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Nuffield Health Discounted Membership

Learning Partners Academy Trust and Nuffield Health have teamed up to offer a 30% discount to all Learning Partner employees at Guildford Nuffield.

There are two membership options available with the 30% discount. The pricing for these options is as follows:

1. A monthly rolling membership of £61 per month (instead of £87) and can be cancelled with a calendar months’ notice at any time during the membership.

2. A 12-month direct debit membership of £50 per month (instead of £72) and can be cancelled within the 12-month commitment period (with a calendar months’ notice) if there is a change in circumstances that falls within the terms and conditions. This includes a health issue or injury, redundancy, pregnancy, relocation, etc.

Additionally, there is a 20% partner discount available for anyone who joins alongside Learning Partners members providing they link their membership payments together.

Supporting the UK government’s push towards an electric vehicle revolution, we are operating the Learning Partners Academy Trust Electric Car Scheme, in partnership with Octopus Electric Vehicles (OEV).

You can drive a brand-new electric car* using part of your gross salary, making savings on income tax and national insurance. You will pay some company car tax (Benefit in Kind) but the rates for electric cars are extremely low until 2025.

*Subject to eligibility and you signing the Learning Partners Academy Trust Driver Handbook.

You can save up to 40% on driving a brand-new electric car with maintenance, tyres and more included, plus insurance. There are some added extras too, including a home charger, funded with a standard installation, and 4,000 miles of free home charge or 4,000 miles public charge on the Electroverse + £50 home credit, if you switch to Octopus Energy at home. T&Cs can be found here.

Click here for further information

Click here for further information

All employees have access to the Learning Partners Sharepoint folder "Learning Partners Benefits" where all the information regarding the benefits above is filed.

Click here to access the folder

Horizon Guildford

Surrey Sports Park

Horizon Guildford (in Merrow), part of Horizon Leisure, is a newly refurbished state-of-the-art not-for-profit charitable trust with over 25 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. With established locations in Havant and Waterlooville, Horizon Guildford marks the exciting expansion into the Guildford community. The mission is simple: to inspire more people to live healthier, happier lives. Alongside the gym, swimming facilities and classes, Horizon are passionate about promoting overall health and wellness. By becoming a corporate member, you will gain access to exceptional facilities, including a gym equipped with high-specification equipment, public swimming, sauna and steam room and over 100 weekly classes, including Les Mills experiences.

Find out more here

Horizon Guildford are delighted to offer all Learning Partners staff a discounted rate of £35 per month (usually £42 per month) for a 12-month membership commitment, along with a £10 administration fee.

If you would like to join Horizon, please contact Anita Kidgell.

akidgell@horizonic.com

07547 103933

Surrey Sports Park, continued

Octopus Referral Scheme

• Member Journey
• An initial appointment to find out about your goals and what you're looking to achieve
  
• The fitness team will then provide you with a 3-day programme and go through this with you
  
• Your next meeting they will go through day 2 of the programme
  
• After 4 weeks, you will be booked in again to find out how you're finding your membership and make any adjustments to your programme
  
• This is repeated once more after
  
• They will then check in with you after 4, 8 and 12 weeks to see how you're progressing and here you'll be offered programme reviews.
  

Octopus have also just launched a referral scheme where staff who sign up for an electric vehicle receive a referral code which they can pass on to any colleague(s) ordering car. When the car arrives both parties receive £50 credit to their account. There is no limit to how many times someone can share their code.

Click here for further information

Octopus EV

Salary sacrifice and pension impact

While salary sacrifice schemes can be really beneficial and help you save money, it's important to understand the potential impact they can have on your pension, especially if you’re part of a defined benefit pension scheme like the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS) or Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

If you are interested in this membership option or are just looking to have a tour around the amazing facilities, then please visit the sales team between 10am and 5pm Monday – Friday. You just need to provide proof of your workplace.

Click here to find out how

an EV salary sacrifice

can affect your pension

01483 682662

sales@surreysportspark.co.uk

www.surreysportspark.co.uk

Sports Massage and Injury Rehabilitation at Kings

A sports therapist who rents a room at Kings College is offering all Learning Partners staff a discount for various services including:

• Sports massage
  
• Injury assessment and rehab
• Postural correction
• Corrective exercise

Click here for further information

Boxgrove

Guildford Grove

Learning Support Assistant (Deafness)

No current vacancies

Classroom Teacher

Learning Support Assistant

Learning Support Assistant (physical needs)

Loseley Fields

No current vacancies

Child Health Care Assistant

Clerk to Governing Body

Administrative Assistant

Northmead

Pirbright

No current vacancies

Learning Support Assistant

Extended Schools Assistant - Club Class After School Club

Sandfield

No current vacancies

Shalford Infant & Nursery School

Part time Teaching Assistant

School Business Manager

Caretaker

Fullbrook

George Abbot

Teacher of Sociology

No current vacancies

Acting Head of PE

Teacher of PE

Teacher of Science

Guildford County

Kings College

Associate Teacher

Clerk to Governors

No current vacancies

Sports Community & Lettings Assistant

Glebelands School

Moss Lane Infant School

Learning Support Assistant

No current vacancies

Tillingbourne Junior School

Burpham Primary School

No current vacancies

Clerk to Local Governing Body

Learning Partners Academy Trust

Surrey Maths School

Compliance Administrator

No current vacancies