Melland High School Sixth Formers had the exciting opportunity to be part of history in the making. Manchester is a candidate to be a UNICEF Child Friendly City. Students were invited to present at a ‘Full Council Meeting’, chaired by the Lord Mayor of Manchester and attended by all 96 elected members, to discuss the important issues taking place across the city.  Melland’s presentation focused on the priority badge ‘Equal & Included’ to ensure that all children and young people, regardless of their background, culture and ability, feel welcome in the city, are protected from discrimination and have the same opportunities to grow, learn, explore and have fun.

The whole school stepped up to the challenge to create a video for the presentation that ensured as many voices and opinions were heard. A group of 12 Sixth Formers attended the meeting and experienced what it is like to visit the Town Hall and the Council Chambers with four students presenting to the council members. Students demonstrated excellent self-belief and communication and confidently addressed the room. Students also gained an insight into what it is like to work in the public sector and Manchester City Council. Melland are incredibly proud of students’ exemplary behaviour, and they received many kind, supportive and positive comments about the school’s contribution.

A huge thanks to Caroline Roberts, Careers Co-ordinator, for planning the project, to Paul Morgan for creating the video in such a short time, to Debbie Mellows for coordinating the students and organising the visit and a special thanks to Jo Aungier and David Naraynsingh from Manchester City Council for inviting Melland to take part in this prestigious event.

Lime Tree has joined The Neurodiversity Umbrella Project, which is an uplifting visual representation of all the different minds we have. The school proudly set up a rainbow-tastic display in ‘The Avenue’ to represent the one in five of us who have a neurodevelopmental condition, such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia or Tourette’s syndrome. These conditions fall under the umbrella term of neurodiversity. 

Lime Tree is helping to change the perception of neurodiverse/neurodivergent people and celebrating all the many strengths that come from thinking differently. Not only do they look amazing, but the umbrellas have also encouraged lots of conversation about neurodiversity and the school’s ‘No Outsiders’ ethos, as well as being the focus of a very informative whole-school assembly led by Lime Tree’s own SENCo, Mrs Lloyd, with lots of discussion about differences. Staff at Lime Tree received some fantastic feedback from children and adults alike who attended the assembly.

At Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, 25 brightly coloured umbrellas have been installed in the dining room also supporting the Neurodiversity Umbrella Project as sponsored by staff and families, and part-funded by the PTA. For Neurodiversity Celebration Week (18 – 24 March), Wellbeing Ambassadors led assemblies, form tutors dedicated time to celebrate Neurodiversity and workshops were led by the Year 9 School Council. Year 12 and 13 School Council Leaders also offered support.

The energy the students brought to the stage was electric as the students performed at Schools Alive 2024. The stage was set with vibrant pink lighting that matched the theme inspired by the hit movie ‘Barbie’. Miss Duckworth would like to give a special mention to Mrs Heckford and Miss Massey for their amazing support during rehearsals and backstage. 

A special mention also goes out to the Year 11 BTEC dance group, whose dedication and hard work brought them to this momentous occasion.

As the curtains came up, the audience saw a fun and empowering dance medley. Cheers and applause filled the theatre as each dancer moved with grace and precision, embodying the spirit of the performance.

The sense of pride and accomplishment was in the air, both the performers and the audience shared a moment of celebration and joy.

Pupils and staff at The Orchards had a brilliant time during Children’s Mental Health Week (5 – 11 February). The theme for the week was ‘My Voice Matters’ and The Orchards focused all week on the children getting their opinions over to staff. The children enjoyed an ice cream making workshop, a bouncy castle and a classical guitar concert, amongst other things. Parents shared photos of themselves and their children playing at home and these photos were shared, discussed and celebrated in classes. Two parent workshops were held with Ric Smith from the Bright Futures Educational Psychology and Specialist Outreach (EPSO) team to support and model appropriate play between parents and their children as pictured.

Councillor Dylan Butt visited Elmridge Primary School to contribute to the ‘Trees2School’ campaign initiated by Health-Enterprise. With a mission to enhance the school environment, Councillor Butt joined hands with school councillors, along with the head boy and girl, to plant two vibrant sapling trees. This initiative not only beautifies the school surroundings but also fosters habitats for local wildlife and purifies the air we breathe. Being actively involved in this campaign has been a rewarding experience for Elmridge, igniting a sense of pride and responsibility towards nurturing green spaces.

A group of Year 5 students from Rushbrook Primary Academy visited Cedar Mount Academy’s English department to take part in a creative writing workshop with Miss Reid. The main objective of the workshop was to unleash their creativity by rediscovering lost words and learning about the origins of natural vocabulary. Pupils revisited words such as conker, magpie, and dandelion. During the session, the pupils were given a passage from ‘The Lost Words’ by Robert McFarlane, where they learned about the traditions, superstitions, and importance of the natural world in an era where technology dominates.

Putting their newfound knowledge to use, pupils used the text to create a piece of ‘blackout poetry’. They used a marker pen to underline words and interesting phrases and shaded out the rest of the words on the page. From these words and sentences, they experimented with rhyme and line structure to produce acrostic poetry. The work was artistic, unique, and fun! Year 5 took turns to read out their work to the rest of the class and later customized their pieces with colour and pictures to create stunning pieces of artwork to take home with them.

Elmridge Primary School has launched a new ‘KS2 Science Squad’ who worked with Science Lead, Miss Aspinwall, to plan for British Science Week (8 – 17 March). The Squad also took part in a STEM competition run by Smallpeice Trust. The educational charity inspires young people to pursue careers in science and engineering through events and workshops. For over 50 years, they have been giving young people everything they need to fuel their passion for engineering. It all started with their founder, Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a brilliant engineer who invented the Smallpeice Lathe. Elmridge pupils were tasked with creating a model rocket. Children learnt all about forces required to launch a rocket, created a model rocket and then had a fantastic session on how to create sustainable aircrafts for the future.

From September 2024, we are delighted to be embarking on a new partnership with the University of Derby who will be the awarding body for Bright Futures SCITT (School centered Initial Teaching Training) Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

Following a robust and thorough procurement process which saw four universities submit contract tenders, the University of Derby was chosen as the clear favourite. The PGCE accredited by the University adopts a fresh and relevant approach to education and educational theory.

Trainees will undertake three modules which are research underpinned and thoroughly mapped against the Core Content Framework, complementing the SCITT professional development programme by enriching the Learn, Explore, Apply model of teacher education.

The University of Derby was awarded TEF Gold (Teaching Excellence Framework) in September 2023, making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes. Bright Futures SCITT trainees will be fully supported by a highly qualified and experienced team of dedicated, friendly tutors who are renowned internationally for high quality teaching and research.

Eleanor Davidson, Bright Future SCITT Director, said: “I am delighted that the University of Derby won the contract, this PGCE really excites me. The modules are pupil centered which fully aligns with the ethos and values of our SCITT, where community is at the heart of what we do. The PGCE is a fresh and exciting programme which I know will help our trainees to further embed the latest educational research into their classroom practice. This PGCE is truly a partnership with the University who are also committed to providing the very best in Initial teacher Training.”

Alison Hardman, Head of Discipline: Secondary and Post-14 FES ITT/E at the University of Derby, added: “The University is delighted to be working in partnership with Bright Futures SCITT. We feel that this partnership will develop highly effective teachers through high-quality, applied professional research that has sustainable impact locally, nationally and internationally. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities and together, we are committed to delivering transformational education, combining passion with integrity and in line with Bright Futures’ vision of achieving the best for everyone through the best from everyone.”

Bright Futures SCITT offers a range of school-based routes into teaching in the Early Years, Primary and Secondary sectors. For over a decade, the SCITT has worked in collaboration with a partnership of over 100 primary schools, secondary schools and early years settings, colleges and universities across the north west and beyond.

We encourage anybody interested in training to teach to contact Bright Futures SCITT at admin@scitt.bright-futures.co.uk or call 07549 025 620 (8.00am – 4.00pm Monday to Friday).

“Marton Primary Academy and Nursery has a truly inclusive ethos and culture that permeates every aspect of the school’s life.” 

In February, Marton Primary Academy and Nursery achieved the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.

Following their visit, the IQM Assessor said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to visit Marton for the day and to witness the exceptionally inclusive ethos, culture and practice”.

“In the words of one Year 6 pupil, ‘everyone is included, there are no excluded people’.  Staff describe the academy as, ‘like a family’ with a strong sense of, ‘how can we make this happen for the children?’  Parents and carers echo this and are strongly supportive of the work that the academy does for their children.”

Only around 100 UK schools have achieved IQM Flagship School status. This award recognises schools who have held IQM Centre of Excellence status for at least three years; and played a strong leadership role in developing inclusion best practice across a network of schools. The overarching aim of Flagship status is that the school can now further its work in inclusion through internal research activities.

Marton has recently begun its journey as a ‘Rights Respecting School’ which supports and underpins the academy’s ethos. 

To read the full report visit IQM Award

Lime Tree Primary Academy is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the GOLD Artsmark. The school is proud to have achieved this prestigious award which demonstrates an ongoing commitment to providing a varied and engaging range of learning opportunities within the arts for children who attend Lime Tree. Below is feedback received from the Arts Council England:

“There is a firm commitment to promoting Visual Art at Lime Tree Primary Academy, and to increasing children in KS2’s cultural capital through working alongside a professional local artist. On your first Artsmark journey under the new framework, you have carefully reviewed and adapted your Art curriculum so that it is clearly sequenced to ensure progression in knowledge and skills, with the effect that teachers are clear about children’s prior learning, as well as their next steps. Children have enjoyed opportunities to showcase their artwork to senior leaders and peers in class galleries, inspiring teachers to work collaboratively.”