There is more that unites us than divides us

Those that know me best will understand that I am at my happiest when I am travelling far and distant places. As a geology and geography graduate, I have become conditioned in finding great joy in understanding the physical processes that have shaped our great world. I feel most at home in the mountains although coastal environments come a very close second in the places which bring me the greatest pleasure.

A decade or so ago, before my life was filled with the demands of Headship and motherhood, I was gifted a year-long secondment away from my busy deputy headship life. Having saved hard for this once in a lifetime experience, I was able to travel with two of my closest friends, work free for a whole year, experiencing thirteen countries across three continents. Predictably, the trip’s itinerary was packed with adrenaline-filled activities designed to connect me to the physical environments that I love so much; trekking to Everest Base Camp, cycling the World’s most dangerous road in Bolivia, white water rafting in Chile and learning to be a master diver on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to name but a few.

However, what took me more by surprise was what this trip taught me about the common values that connect us as human beings, no matter what corner of the land we call home. It was what I learnt from the people I met on my journey that truly shaped me, instilling me with the values that I have used in the decisions I have made as a school leader; values that we endeavour to teach the children at Loseley.

Through my many months spent travelling through the developing world, I was struck, and often very moved, by the generosity of the strangers that I had the pleasure to meet and by the happiness I observed in communities of people who have far less than we do. It was humbling to experience first-hand.

As we enter the month of November, before the hectic run up to Christmas begins, maybe we should all take a step back to pause and remember those things that we have that are most precious to us.

During this month, across the world different communities come together to celebrate their own festivals: The Chiang Mai Lantern festival in Thailand honours Buddha by lighting lanterns as an act of letting go of negativity; Diwali celebrates good overcoming evil; the Niagara Falls festivals of lights in Canada, with its 5 km illumination of water, is just for fun. Such festivals are united by their use of LIGHT, one of the oldest and most meaningful symbols to signify celebration, new beginnings and hope.

During this time, when the news is dominated by stories of conflict between communities across the globe, it would seem to me to be important that when we all stop for our two minute silence on Remembrance Sunday this week, we should not just give thanks to those who fought for the freedom that we all enjoy but maybe we could all also light a candle in the hope that those who are a suffering war or persecution soon find peace and light from their dark world.

Amanda Pedder, Headteacher, Loseley Fields Primary School

Bitesize Learning Series

Have you ever had two columns of information that you want to list as one or, conversely, more than one piece of data in a field that you need to separate into multiple fields? This week’s learning will help you with just that!

Don’t forget, if there are topics that you would like covering, drop Jodie an email to request it.

Click on the images to access the options

Please note that all of our governor training sessions have been scheduled & developed on the basis of feedback from LGBs. We can only run these sessions if we have sufficient bookings to make them viable. Please don’t miss out on your opportunity to learn about this key subject.

Christmas card competition

Click here to sign up

Interested in a career in teaching?

Join bestselling and multi award-winning author of Adventures on Trains, Beetle Boy and The Twitchers, M.G. Leonard to hear about her new book The Ice Children, a modern fairytale celebrating the magic and wonder of winter.

At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park standing on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him.

Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit?

Each day, more children are found frozen and Bianca realizes she’s running out of time. Her quest to discover the truth and rescue her little brother hurls her into a fantastical winter wonderland, full of beauty and danger, where all is not as it seems.

Can Bianca save her brother and the other Ice Children before they are forever lost?

Finance Team Update

Access Training Sessions

The final Access training day is coming up. While these training days have been organised for new and joining schools, they are open to any of our finance/HR staff who would benefit from attending.

Details are:

Tuesday 14th November – Boxgrove

AM Finance (Day 1& 2 Q&A, Period-end; Bank Rec, VAT Rtn & Corrections)

PM Finance & Budgets (System Reports, FMR, Project Accounting)

Please get in touch ASAP if you would like to book a space and have not done so already.

Termly Financial Reviews

Termly financial review meetings have all been arranged with schools for 23/24. Please ensure that these dates have been shared with the relevant attendees from your LGB.

The first termly financial review meetings of the year begin w/c 4th December. These provide an opportunity for the central team to meet with schools and their governors, to discuss collectively the schools financial position and areas of focus. Upcoming meetings will focus on audit outcomes, the latest forecasts for 23/24 and reserves investment plans schools have.

Best Wishes,

Sarah Allen

Head of Finance

spotlight on

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT continued

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Geography Network - 17 Oct

still time for cpld this term

For help or advice contact CPLD@learningpartners.org

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 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

Please make the most of these fabulous benefits!

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

Nursery Assistant

No current vacancies

Nursery Practitioner

Northmead

Loseley Fields

No current vacancies

EYFS Class Teacher - Maternity Cover

Sandfield

Pirbright

Learning Support Assistant

Learning Support Assistant

Shalford Infant & Nursery School

Caretaker

George Abbot

Fullbrook

Visual Arts Technician

Teacher of PE (maternity cover)

Teacher of MFL

Learning Support Assistant

Teacher of Spanish

Guildford County

Kings College

Sports Community & Lettings Assistant

Receptionist & Administration Assistant

Assistant Caretaker

Safeguarding & Pastoral Administrator

Associate Teacher

Glebelands School

Moss Lane Infant School

No current vacancies

No current vacancies

Surrey Maths School

Burpham Primary School

School Administrator Coordinator

No current vacancies

Learning Partners Academy Trust

Tillingbourne Junior School

No current vacancies

No current vacancies

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