Living our values

Aspirational, resilient, responsible, caring, curious and confident – these are our Tillingbourne school values. But school values should be just that, SCHOOL values. They are not just key aspirations we have for our children but for every member of our school community. This led me to reflect on how these are promoted more widely – from children to teachers; parents to governors.

We are excellent at being aspirational for our young people. We support them to take risks, try new things and achieve more than they thought possible every day. But what does this look like for our staff? I believe it's through the excellent CPD that schools offer. Giving staff the opportunities to learn new skills, take risks in their practice in the pursuit of innovation and progress in their carers as they grow and develop.

Arguably one of the most important elements of effective learning is to be resilient. We know that great learning occurs when we are at the edge of what’s comfortable, where we are taking risks and there is a greater likelihood of failure. In those moments it’s the resilience to try again and move forward that enables effective learning in our young people. This is certainly true of our staff too. When we encourage our teachers and teaching assistants to try new things and push the boundaries of their classroom practice there will indeed be times where things don’t go according to plan. It is the reflective nature of teachers and the resilience that we foster that allows them to adapt, try again and been successful next time.

When we thought about ways to promote school values more widely at Tillingbourne, caring was the easiest value to action first. Staff were quick to set up more regular social events, a mental health champion, well-being break times (where staff have extended break together hosted by a different year team each month) and a well being shelf full of treats, book swaps, puzzle swaps, pamper bits etc. Staff at Tillingbourne are extremely caring and that filters down to the children through their interactions, and to the parents in the same way. This is true of all the schools in our trust. My teachers have provided the same feedback after attending many network events; they feel supported and welcomed by a group of caring and like-minded schools.

What are your school values and how are they promoted through your school community? Are some better represented than others? And how could you better bring them to life within your own school community?

Ben Stevenson, Headteacher, Tillingbourne Junior School

Christmas card competition

The winning designs will be used on the trust’s digital Christmas card and a prize will be presented by Jack to each winner and a mention and photo (if permission given) in trust communications (website, staff bulletin, parent/carer newsletter and social media).

Governor Training

Interested in a career in teaching?

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 2 useful articles; Disadvantage in Education from the NGA and Challenge and Support - finding the balance from Governor Hub.

Please click on the links below to read more; we hope you will find these articles enjoyable and informative.

Audit & Risk Committee meeting

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the next A&R Committee meeting on Tuesday 5 December, 08.30 - 10.00am. Please note that the meeting will be held at Kings College, Guildford.

Trust Policy Templates

Trust Whistleblowing Policy Update

Our Whistleblowing policy has been updated and approved by the trustees.

You can find the latest version on our website, here:

Trust Pastoral Policies Updated

Our Attendance (Pupils) and Bereavement & Loss policies have been updated and ratified by trustees.

You can find these in the policies area on Sharepoint, here:

Finance Team Update

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.

Period 3 Close & Q1 Forecast

As a reminder, the period 3 close deadline is Friday 5th January. This is the end of first week of the Spring term, allowing colleagues who work during the holidays some additional time.

As this is a quarter-end this is a hard deadline, so that we can meet the quarterly trust consolidation deadline.

Due to the monthly VAT return deadline, we have additionally asked that all schools have processed and uploaded their VAT return to the SharePoint by the last day of the autumn term in December.

For your Q1 reforecast please ensure that you reflect your latest financial position; this should include any changes to staffing models, final approved staff pay scales and any other income and expenditure updates including revenue and capital projects.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the spring term the central finance team hope to progress the following areas, to enhance and streamline our financial processes further:

• Purchase to Pay – specifically around electronic approvals
  
• Financial reporting enhancements
  
• Banking – migration of our HSBC accounts to our new Lloyds platform, including a review and alignment of purchasing cards
  

Drop-In Sessions

We recently held a drop-in session covering SCA Process & Project Monitoring.

If any of your school finance staff were unable to make this session and have any questions on this topic, please contact the central finance team.

The next drop-in planned is in December covering Audit outcomes & follow-up

Please let us know what areas it would be useful for us to cover in future sessions.

Sarah Allen

Head of Finance

BROWSE

HERE

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT continued

Pyrford CofE Primary School

Guildford Grove Primary School

BROWSE OUR SPRING TERM CPLD OFFERING

& BOOK NOW USING THE QR CODES

OR CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

OR CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Pyrford CofE Primary School

Tillingbourne Junior School

OR CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

OR CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

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

Classroom Teacher

No current vacancies

Learning Support Assistant

Pupil Specific Learning Support Assistant

Child Health Care Assistant

Loseley Fields

Clerk to the Governing Body

EYFS Class Teacher

Administrative Assistant

Teaching Assistant

Northmead

No current vacancies

Pirbright

Learning Support Assistant

Sandfield

Extended Schools Assistant - Club Class After School Club

No current vacancies

Shalford Infant & Nursery School

School Business Manager

Caretaker

George Abbot

Fullbrook

No current vacancies

Acting Head of PE

Teacher of PE

HLTA, Alternative Learning Provision

Teacher of Science

Teacher of A Level Spanish

Guildford County

Clerk to Governors

Kings College

Associate Teacher

Receptionist & Administration Assistant

Head of Social Sciences

Teacher of MFL

Premises Manager – Shared Site : Guildford Grove Primary School & Kings College Guildford

Sports Community & Lettings Assistant

Glebelands School

Moss Lane Infant School

No current vacancies

No current vacancies

Tillingbourne Junior School

Burpham Primary School

No current vacancies

Year 2 Class Teacher

Learning Support Assistant - Part Time or Full Time

Surrey Maths School

No current vacancies

Learning Partners Academy Trust

Trust English Lead