United We Stand - A Sense of Community

Sutton United formed as a football team back in 1898 and have worn the chocolate and amber strip for the past 123 years. The club is proud of its non-league roots, battling their way through these lower ranks to finally reaching the football league in 2021, when they clinched the National League championship in the penultimate game of the season at home. This is the finest moment in the club's history. My dad has been an avid supporter all his life and he attended his first home game in 1946, when football resumed after World War Two. Volunteers are fundamental to the running of Sutton United and have helped build Sutton’s place in the community. People are at the heart of the club and the sense of belonging is felt by all. For years, supporters have sat in their same seats, cheering the team, celebrating their great successes and consoling each other after another defeat but they never give up the dream. Great bonds of friendship are formed, as the cry of “Come on the U’s,” is chanted across the stands. For my dad, this has been a place that feels like home. A place where he knows that he is always welcome and there is a friendly face for all. I have accompanied him many times to the big matches and feel that sense of belonging, team and hope.

In our schools, we need to make sure that all our young people feel welcome, feel that they belong and are important and valued. We need our students to know we are here to support them and that that learning is not always an easy journey. There will be successes and challenges along the way, but as staff we are their supporters, as we help them fulfil their goals and encourage them to dream big. United we stand.

Kate Collins

Head Teacher - Sandfield Primary School

Governor Training

Bitesize Learning Series

Thank you to those governors who have joined us on our trust-led training sessions so far. We have enjoyed seeing you and we hope that you found the sessions valuable and informative.

We really appreciate any feedback that you can share with us, and will use it to inform our planning for future sessions; if you have attended a session and not yet submitted your evaluation form, please do so!

The next session is coming up soon;

Wellbeing on 29 February. This session will be led by our trust experts in each area, and has been scoped to really support you in your role.

As always, we can only run these sessions if we have sufficient attendees to make them viable. Bookings are open now!

Microsoft Teams is a fantastic collaboration tool, whose uses go beyond online meetings. It can be incredibly helpful for cross-team working, individual and team organisation and sharing of information.

To maximise Teams efficiencies, it’s important to get the set-up right so the links this week look at how to create a Team within MS Teams and how you might look to use Teams and Channels.

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

To book onto the Wellbeing session,

please click here

Level 2 Excel Training

Further to the Excel Level 2 workshop on the Support Staff Inset Day, there will be two additional online sessions held on 20th & 27th March at 4pm. If you would be interested in attending, please contact Jodie Farrell-Gray.

HR Update

The first quarter of the year is always the time for preparing for any employment law changes that could come into effect from April, and this year has been no exception. With changes it the law regarding flexible working requests, carers’ leave and paternity leave to name a few, please look out for new and updated policies being rolled out in the coming months.

We have also been looking into new benefits and I am pleased to confirm that we are almost ready to launch our new Cycle to Work scheme. As you may know this was a popular benefit that we used to be able to access as part of the service offered from Surrey County Council when they administered our payroll, which enables staff to purchase a bike through the employer whilst spreading the cost over 12 months and making savings through tax breaks. We are just working through the administration side of things and are hoping to be able to launch towards the end of this term. Watch this space!

Finally, following on from a fantastic Resilience themed INSET day, I wanted to make everyone aware of the new WISDOM app recently launched by Health Assured, the company who provide our EAP. There is so much to this app which is designed to support every aspect of your well-being, from tracking your wellness to improving your mental health and staying resilient during tough times.

In the health hub you can:

· Utilise the interactive mood tracker: you can set it to receive regular prompts to track your mood and by doing so, Wisdom can help you identify patterns and areas for improvement in your wellbeing.

· Create a Four-week health plans: Wisdom will support you in your health goals, whether that be eating healthier, stopping smoking, sleeping better, or coping with pressure.

· Take a mini health checks: Take a minute to check in with yourself by using the health checks to assess and support your health and mental wellbeing.

· Use various breathing techniques and exercises designed to help you feel a sense of calm and relaxation to carry into the rest of your day.

There is also a wealth of resources available in the app, so you can design your homepage to reflect the areas that interest you, for example recipes, meditations, fitness guides, audio and visual resources such as soundscapes, podcasts and hundreds of articles and newsletters.

Finally, there is a Live Chat feature that allows you to contact a dedicated wellbeing counsellor using live messaging and video calls. This is alongside the traditional helpline which is available 24/7, 365 days a year making it as easy as possible for you to get the right advice when you need it the most.

You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play using the QR code below, and you will need our Learning Partners code which is MHA093315. If you just want to find a little more about the app, you can watch a video here.

Warm Regards,

Nicola Riley

Head of HR

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT continued

Effective Vocabulary Instruction

30 Apr 2024

Practical Approaches to

Improving Writing

24 Mar 2024 & 22 Apr 2024

Developing your Understanding

of Grammar & Punctuation

17 Jun 2024

Contact cpld@learningpartners.org

for suggestions

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

Premises Manager

Teaching Assistant

Child Healthcare Assistant

Learning Support Assistant (Physical & Medical Needs)

Loseley Fields

Northmead

Teaching Assistant

No current vacancies

Pirbright

Sandfield

Head Teacher

Premises Manager

Clerk to the Board of Governors

Class Teacher

Shalford Infant & Nursery School

HR & Premises Manager

Fullbrook

George Abbot

Head of Year 12

Teacher of Maths with TLR

Head of Physics

Head of Year 13

Receptionist

Guildford County

Kings College

Teacher of English

No current vacancies

Assistant Head Teacher

Glebelands School

Moss Lane Infant School

Languages 2nd in Department

No current vacancies

Lead Teacher of Science

Learning Support Assistant

Burpham Primary School

Tillingbourne Junior School

Teacher (SEN Responsibilities)

No current vacancies

Learning Partners Academy Trust

Surrey Maths School

No current vacancies

Senior Finance Manager

26.02.24 09.00-11.30

27.02.24 08.30-11.00

27.02.24 11.30-12.30

28.02.24 10.00-11.00

28.02.24 13.30-15.30

29.02.24 09.30-12.00

29.02.24 13.00-15.30

01.03.24 08.00-08.30

01.03.24 12.00-13.00

01.02.24 13.00-16.00