The Power of Collaboration – ‘Collective Effervescence’ at Quantock Education Trust

17th November 2023

This Inset Day showcased the power of collaboration within the Quantock Education Trust, emphasising the importance of shared goals and a unified vision and culture for student success. Teaching and support staff joined together for the first hour for a Trust-wide session delivered by Chrysta Garnett, Sarah Joseph, Julie North & Malcolm Reeve on ‘Living our intended culture: QET Values, Character and Inclusion in action’. The launch session set the tone really well for the rest of the day to help schools celebrate their uniqueness, work with their school community, prioritising students’ aspirations, treating each other with respect, and promoting equity within our schools.

Keynote Address on SEND

A priority of the day was focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Haygrove invited Erica Wolstenholme, Whole School SEND National Coordinator at the National Association for Special Educational Needs, to speak to their entire staff group promoting the ethos that providing support for SEND students is not just one person’s responsibility but everybody’s.

Sexey’s School held a session called “Understanding students’ needs and what we can do to support our students in making exceptional progress” focusing on improving pedagogy through a SEND lens.

Dedicated Department Time for Tailored Learning

Recognising the importance of focused departmental time, the QET Inset Day incorporated dedicated sessions for primary and secondary school teachers to delve into specific curriculum and pedagogical priorities. This allowed educators to collaborate within their departments, exchange ideas, and align their approaches to better meet the diverse needs of students. Our support staff were introduced to the online training platform TES Develop, which covers extensive mandatory and optional CPD opportunities.

Our Primary Schools

The focus for their QET INSET day was

• Reclarifying School Improvement Priorities
• Focussing on the Maths element in both School Development Plans
• Using the new GL system to implement inclusive practices

Having the opportunity to spend time with colleagues and deep dive into these areas was invaluable and will have an immediate impact on the educational offer at both schools.

Building a Stronger Educational Community

This Inset Day reinforced the sense of community and revisited our core values within the QET, fostering a spirit of collaboration and mutual support as well as the concept of ‘connected autonomy’ – a key approach to the ways in which we work together across our schools and within the Trust.

We are committed to ongoing staff development and collaboration within our community to create more opportunities for our students and to support and retain our excellent staff.