Warwickshire’s Aspiring Headteacher Programme – Register your interest NOW
Warwickshire’s Aspiring Headteacher Programme is an innovative programme intended to support senior and experienced middle leaders who aspire to headship in a Warwickshire school. This course is appropriate for school leaders who have a minimum of 2 years senior leadership experience and are considering applying for a Headship, in Warwickshire, in the next 2 years. It is fully funded by Warwickshire County Council and is being organised by the Gateway Alliance.
The course runs over 2 terms and includes a mix of both face-to-face and online sessions. This year, at the face-to-face sessions, the cohort have heard from a range of practicing headteachers as well and some national speakers. The online sessions included a discussion with a current, serving Ofsted inspector as well presentations from a wide range of Local Authority leaders from HR, Finance, Governor Services, etc.
Here’s what some of the previous participants have said about the programme…
“I embarked on this course, with a nudge from my current Head, thinking it would give me a little more information about being a Headteacher and some all-round beneficial CPD. In fact, what it did was quickly make me realise I had the skills and experience to go for it! Using the tips and learning from the course, I secured a post with my first application and feel that the many inspirational speakers have given me the confidence to make the leap. This is well worth enrolling on for any senior leader in a Warwickshire school.”
Laura
“Just wanted to send you a quick thank you for such a fab year. I found these sessions so informative and inspiring. Even after a tough week, attending these meetings filled up my cup and made me feel excited for the next steps in my career. I think I felt this way because you delivered it with such care and a real a down to earth nature. It is so evident that you care about and want to nurture this cohort of potential heads. I also enjoyed the 'me' time the course provided - it isn't often we get to indulge in some 'self' work, stepping back and thinking about who we are and how we want to lead.”
Rhian
“Really well paced, useful and interesting content from all speakers, opportunities to reflect and talk to colleagues.”
Esther
“Thank you so much for the time and effort you have put in to running the course. Every one of them has been completely inspiring. I genuinely don't have any feedback on how to improve as I think that you've found exactly what aspiring headteachers need (for me anyway), which is valuable time to listen to the experiences of a variety of current and former heads. This was then followed up with small chunks of pedagogy and good practice. Thank you!”
Nick
Photos: Aspiring Headteacher Programme Cohort 2 – Celebration Event (June 2023)
JOIN THE NEXT COHORT…
If you or one of your team are thinking about Warwickshire Headship in the future then we’d be delighted to welcome you to join our next cohort starting in January 2024. Please consider this when participating in or leading performance management meetings in September and October too.
We will be sharing more details again in the autumn term but if you wish to show early interest then please complete this google form or contact Helen Martin on helen@gatewayalliance.co.uk
Fire safety for home educated families
On Monday 17th July, members of the Prevention Team with WFRS held another successful fire safety event for the home educated community, this time at Leamington library. The session was attended by 15 children and their families and was an hour and a half of fun learning!
The children had access to lots of resources, including hazard spotting, colouring, word searches, mazes, maths questions, The Great Fire of London information and much more! Small uniforms were worn for role play and those who wanted had the opportunity to dress up in an actual firefighter uniform! Dexter and Freckles made another appearance via a cartoon to demonstrate what to do in the event of a fire, safety snap was popular, along with a practice of stop, drop, and roll!
Safety information was readily available to take home, the team spoke with the adults to encourage accessing the StayWise website for further learning and feedback was positive.
- 'The session was very well organized'
- 'Enjoyed access to equipment + information + staff really lovely.'
- 'Children had a lot of resources to choose from. They were suitable for different ages.'
- 'Meeting a real fireman was quite special too, and the kids loved to play dress up.'
- 'It was also informative for parents. I will definitely be looking at the online resources on the website we were shown.'
- 'Liked everything about the program, I think it's great to teach children about different type of dangers, even more so for home schooled children.'
The team would like to thank staff at Leamington library for allowing them to host the session. The Prevention Team look forward to arranging more of the same at other locations within the County in their continuing effort to keep people safe in their homes, their workplace, their environment and whilst travelling through Warwickshire.
Does your Governing Board require professional clerking?
Warwickshire Governor Services offers a high quality, comprehensive and professional Clerking Service for schools and academy trusts in Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham.
In addition to supporting Governing Boards in fulfilling their core functions, statutory duties and to promote high-quality governance, the well – established Clerking Service supports trustees and governors by providing professional clerking, advice and guidance on matters of governance.
Following a successful recruitment campaign, the Clerking Service has recently recruited additional School Governance Professionals (formerly known as Clerk(s) to the Governing Board) to:
- meet demand and
- support school and academy governing boards
If your Governing Board is looking to recruit a School Governance Professional, or you would like to discuss your Clerking arrangements, please contact Gurby Dhesi (gurbydhesi@warwickshire.gov.uk) to see how the Warwickshire Clerking Service can help you.
Vacancy – Operational lead at the Staffordshire Research School (2 days a week) – deadline 15th September
Please see the vacancy to join the Research School and Teaching School Hub at John Taylor:
https://www.wmjobs.co.uk/job/168370/research-school-operational-lead-staffordshire-research-school/
Nuneaton & Bedworth and North Warwickshire NPQ offer – deadline 19th September
Join a NPQ programme from Ambition Institute and John Taylor Teaching School Hub
Warwickshire Holiday Activities & Food Programme offers summer fun for children and young people
We're thrilled to announce that we will soon be delivering a wide range of fun and free activities to children and young people eligible for benefits-related free school meals. It's the perfect opportunity to HAF a go and make the most of your summer!
The full programme of summer activities has something for everyone; including equine learning, animal care, sports, arts & crafts, dance & performing arts, tennis, and much more! The best part is that every single activity comes with a nutritious and delicious meal to keep your children energised and satisfied.
Read more information here.