News from Education and Skills: End of another academic year

As we approach the end of another academic year I want to thank you for your commitment. Education remains an extremely challenging sector to be working in, however, I am incredibly proud of the resilience and vision of the education leaders in our city. Challenges around finance and the increase in the numbers and complexity of our vulnerable learners have presented all settings with significant challenges. However, the quality of provision in Brighton and Hove remains strong and the education partnership is collectively working towards a shared vision, tackling our main priorities such as improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners. I hope you manage to find time to relax over the summer break and I look forward to working with you all going forward.

Team Domenica's Employer Partner Celebration

The Team Domenica event

It’s been great to hear more about the Team Domenica event on Friday 12 July which was held to celebrate the commitment made by employers, candidates, staff and volunteers to making a difference in the city. Team Domenica’s Founder, Baroness Rosa Monckton MBE, spoke of the journey the organisation has made in the last 8 years. Employer partners such as the i360 and Pizza Pilgrims shared the benefits of supporting candidates with additional needs into paid work and the positive impact it has had on recruitment, business, and wellbeing in their staff. Candidates articulated their own individual journeys and successes. It was a wonderful opportunity to value the work done by Team Domenica and their candidates and to be reminded of the inclusive and progressive business community in Brighton and Hove.

Interschool Poetry Competition

Pupils from Coldean, Coombe Road, Moulsecoomb, St Bernadette's, St John the Baptist

and St Joseph's celebrate their successes!

Winners Connie and Kayden being presented with their prizes

Last month, pupils from schools across the Aspirational Partners in Learning & Leadership (APLL) Partnership came together at St Joseph’s Catholic School to participate in the inaugural APLL Cluster Inter-school Poetry Competition. The event was a celebration of poetry and of creativity, with participants either performing their own work or bringing to life the poems of well-known poets.

Connie from St John the Baptist Catholic Primary was awarded first place for performing a moving poem that she had created, ‘The Wishes of the World’ and Kayden from Coldean Primary gave an enthusiastic performance of the poem 'I Wish I Was Our Sammy' monologue from Blood Brothers by Willy Russell. St Joseph’s Headteacher, Gill Foan, congratulated all poets for participating in this event, and having the courage to share their thoughts and emotions through poetry, with a reminder that, “Your voices matter, and your words have the power to change the world.” Well done to everyone who took part.

Meaningful Features

Students at the event

Well done to all of the post 16 students from BACA, Varndean College, BHASVIC and Newman College who attended an inspirational week of work experiences and workshops at Plus X Innovation centre as part of skills week. The event, led by Celine Mckeown from Do What Matters and Paris Palmano from Citizens Brighton & Hove, helped students to learn about purpose, meaning, power and impact through two simple but powerful frameworks - The Map of Meaning and the 10 One Planet Living Principles.

The students visited a range of organisations from a commercial business, social enterprise, charity with a commercial arm and a charity doing outreach work. On the final day, a panel of stakeholders from the world of education, business and sustainability were presented with a manifesto written by the young people based on their learning from the week. Feedback included: ‘Meaningful work can come in many forms and doesn’t have to be one type of job’ and ‘You can combine having a successful career with meaningful work.’

Virtual School Education Conference

This year’s Virtual School Education Conference was a huge success. Working to a theme of ‘Creative Solutions’ there were excellent keynote presentations from education expert Marc Roland on “Supporting Disadvantaged Children in our Schools” and from “Representation Matters” founder Aisha Thomas. Shelley Baker, Headteacher of Varndean School, shared the fantastic work they have been doing to support the attendance of vulnerable children and we were delighted to hear from Cardinal Newman, Patcham Juniors and Carden Primary who have been working with Kit Messenger to develop their whole school relationship-based approach to supporting behaviour in school.

Withdean Athletics

The sun shone at Withdean Stadium last month as 1,495 children took part in the Brighton and Hove School Games Athletics event. Children from years 4, 5 and 6 from 42 primary schools were represented at the event. 78 Sports Leaders from Varndean College, Blatchington Mill, Dorothy Stringer and Patcham High all supported the event. It’s been another brilliant year for the School Games programme in the city with over 6,000 students taking part in 42 different events, competitions and festivals. Well done to everyone involved in these fantastic events.

Careers Hub Summer Conference

Attendees at the conference

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Skills and Employment team attended the West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub Summer Conference on Wednesday 3 July. There were some useful presentations supporting schools and colleges to plan for the next academic year including helping young people understand apprenticeships, working with parents and carers, and some LinkedIn training to help connect our school and college careers leaders with local employers. Many of our school and college careers teams in Brighton and Hove were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Careers Hub. Congratulations to all those who were awarded “Careers Champions 2024 certificates of recognition”.

Four schools in the city have recently been inspected by Ofsted.

Fairlight Primary School received a ‘Section 8’ ungraded inspection, where Ofsted visit a school to check it is still ‘Good’. I was really pleased to hear that if this had been a fuller, ‘Section 5’ graded inspection, it may have improved from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’, so a graded inspection will be carried out next time. Inspectors were particularly impressed with pupil progress and behaviour, commenting that pupils ‘focus intently on their learning, determined to succeed’. Other highlights in the report included the ‘exceptional’ teaching of reading, skilful teacher assessment, committed governors and the range of wider opportunities available to enhance pupils’ learning and give them a ‘healthy appetite for outdoor interests’.

St Martin’s CE Primary School retained its ‘Good’ judgement overall, with ‘Behaviour and attitudes and personal development’ judged as ‘Outstanding’. Inspectors praised the ‘reflective’ and ‘inspirational’ leadership in the school, with staff who are consistent and ambitious in their approach to teaching and learning. Other strengths include the early years curriculum, ‘impeccable’ pupil behaviour, the support for pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and the range of cultural experiences the school offers.

Middle Street Primary School also retained its ‘Good’ judgement overall, with ‘Personal development’ judged as ‘Outstanding’. Inspectors particularly recognised the ‘ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum’, the effective support for children with SEND and the priority given to develop children’s reading. The extensive range of opportunities available in the wider curriculum benefits the pupils’ personal development, and the ‘cohesive community’ is inclusive of everyone.

Brunswick Primary School’s inspection report recognises there are now rapid improvements in teaching and learning, which had previously been affected by a period of leadership changes. Although the school’s overall judgement is ‘Requires Improvement’, there are many strengths highlighted, such as strong school governance, a ‘rich and stimulating’ early years environment, ‘expert’ support for children with SEND, a ‘highly effective’ approach to pupils’ personal development, and good behaviour and attendance. We will continue to support the school in its journey of improvement.

Well done to all staff, governors and pupils for their hard work.

Goodbye and Thank You

We have reached the time of year again where we say goodbye and thank you to colleagues across the partnership for the fantastic contribution they have made to children and families in the city. We would like to wish them all the best for the future and hope they will keep in touch.