A secondary school’s plans to create a new campus for its youngest students has led to the appointment of a new head of school.

Ben Jeffery will be leading the new County Upper School lower campus for Year 7 and 8 students, based at Westley Middle School where he is currently headteacher.

The decision to split the County Upper School site – from September 2023 – was a direct result of the public consultation into the reorganisation plans of four Bury St Edmunds schools, led by Unity Schools Partnership.

With Horringer Court and Westley middle schools due to close next year, Mr Jeffery said the new lower school campus would create a smooth transition with the existing County site at Beetons Way.

Mr Jeffery said: “We know this has been a challenging time for both staff, students and the whole community and we hope the creation of a lower school campus will make the transition as smooth as possible.

“I am excited by the fact that the lower school site will allow us to continue with all the best things about a middle school, including having its own specialist staff.

“We will also be working very closely with the staff at the main County Upper School site to offer the same high quality curriculum.”

Alongside working on the new lower school site, Mr Jeffery said he wanted to do everything possible to make sure the last year at Westley Middle School was as enjoyable and beneficial as possible for students.

He added: “I must praise staff at Westley and Horringer Court for ensuring they still offer the very best education to our students at both schools.”

Sally Kennedy, headteacher at County Upper School, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben Jeffery as our new head of lower school.

“We are very excited about the opportunities presented by having the school across two sites and we know how highly regarded Ben is within the local community.”

Parents of Year 5 and 6 students, currently at the two middle schools, will get a chance to hear about the new plans at an open evening on Wednesday 22nd June at Westley Middle School.

Please call the school office on 01284 755144 to book your place.

Dr Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership, has been recognised in the Birthday Honours List for services to education and awarded a CBE.

Tim has taught in five schools, including as Headteacher at William Tyndale Primary School in Islington, and worked in three local authorities – Reading, Camden and as Director of Education for Essex County Council – before becoming the first Regional Schools Commissioner for the East of England and North East London.

Since 2017, he has been Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust of 30 primary, middle, secondary and special schools.

He has also carried out the voluntary role of Independent Chair of the Norwich Opportunity Area Partnership Board.

Tim said: “This award is for all the amazing people with whom I have had the good fortune to work with and alongside.

“So many of them have brought passion and determination to improve education and life chances for children and I am privileged to have seen the difference they have made.”

There has been a lot written recently about the importance of Key Stage 2 SATs at the end of primary school.

Following a turbulent few years, it is the first time we have had to focus on traditional assessment and examination arrangements since 2019.

And, as we always knew they would, children and teachers are once again rising to the challenge.

We have all read comments suggesting whether these tests are right for the oldest primary school pupils, but we also see many who enjoy the experience.

Of course, SATs are not the only tests taking place and on the horizon. Those taking A-levels are sitting public examinations for the first time, having missed out on GCSE exams in 2020, the first summer of the pandemic.

We all know that young people have missed out on so much over the last few years, but we admire their resilience and committee to what is coming up. We wish all of them well and that they get grades they deserve.

Communication in schools has always been incredibly important – for students and staff, families and the local community.

And there are many ways this communication can take place, from the letter to parents to more bespoke class pages.

Over the last few years, one form of communication that has really increased in value has been on social media.

We all know there are pitfalls associated with the likes of Facebook and Twitter and they have to be used correctly.

But they have also become a hugely valuable communication tool, a great way for schools of all sizes to showcase news (such as the above photo of Karen Pickering MBE officially opening the Thomas Gainsborough School swimming pool), events and celebrate achievement.

And there has been a notable difference in the type of content posted by our family of schools in the last week or two – where we have seen a sharp increase in the amount of shared photos that have been taken outside.

After a difficult last few months for all schools, when Covid was once again rife, schools have taken advantage of the improved weather to take their education outside.

School trips and visits, art projects inspired by the local surroundings, Duke of Edinburgh awards and students simply enjoying some sunshine over lunch have all been highlights on the various social media channels.

All these things we once took for granted. We are fortunate that so many schools have impressive grounds and we know how much students and staff have been enjoying the great outdoors once again.

By Tim Coulson, Chief Executive, Unity Schools Partnership

Plans to reorganise the structure of four schools in Bury St Edmunds have been approved by the Department for Education.

Unity Schools Partnership first published proposals in January for the reorganisation of Tollgate Primary, Horringer Court Middle, Westley Middle and County Upper schools.

During four weeks of public consultation, the trust organised meetings with staff and parents, held public and online meetings and also met with representatives of groups that put forward alternative proposals.

Unity Schools Partnership has been informed that the proposals have been approved by the Department for Education – which means the trust can start implementing the following:

• Children in Year 4 will now stay at their primary schools in September 2022 and will not be admitted to either middle school.
• In August 2023, the middle schools will close and at this point County Upper School will take responsibility for the education of Years 7 and 8, based at the Westley site.
• Tollgate Primary School will extend to include Year 5 from September 2022 and Year 6 from September 2023.
• Transport to Westley and Horringer Court schools during 2022-23 will be subsidised so that there is no increase in costs to families as a result of these proposed changes.

Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership, said: “We understand that there are parents who are concerned and disappointed at the changes these proposals represent.

“We will now work with each school community to ensure that disruption is minimised and plans are followed to create a school system in Bury St Edmunds that further benefits the children of the town and surrounding area.

“We published proposals in January and following an extensive consultation we amended the proposals before submitting them to the Department for Education.

“We decided that there should continue to be education on the Westley site and that the new County Upper secondary school should be distinctive in having younger and older sections of the school, with the younger children still at the Westley site and not transferring to the County Upper site until they are 13 years old.”

In addition to the comprehensive consultation, there is now a required period of time set aside to hear what people think about how Unity Schools Partnership should implement the plans.

Referred to as the ‘listening period’, it will run from Friday 13th May to Friday 17th June 2022.

Anyone wanting to take part in the listening period should visit https://consultationbse.unitysp.co.uk/ where there is more information and a link to an area to register comments.

Schools across Bury St Edmunds have joined together to take part in a concert at St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

More than 100 students from secondary, middle and primary schools in the town formed a special choir for the event alongside a live band made up of staff and students from County Upper School.

The secondary school also had choir members along with Horringer Court and Westley middle schools and primary pupils from Tollgate and Abbots Green.

Hannah Brookman, headteacher at Tollgate Primary School, said: “It was a very special evening as, for many pupils, it was the first time they had been able to join up with other schools for the last two years.

“The setting of St Edmundsbury Cathedral was as beautiful as ever and made for an event that was enjoyed by everyone involved.

“For all schools involved, music is an important part of their curriculum and this event played an important part in building confidence and working together.”

“Every day is different and I can make a difference”.

“I have a chance to guide and support children from a young age”.

“I work in a dynamic and vibrant environment”.

I am always in awe of anyone and everyone who works in the education sector and their reasons for doing so.

Working in schools, no matter how big or small, can be fulfilling and challenging in equal measure.

As with any job, there are good days and bad days. And as with any sector, the last two years has seen unprecedented challenges that no one could have foreseen.

But school staff have continually risen to these challenges and be driven to put young people first.

The education profession is an amazing one to be part where people can make a difference every single day of their working lives.

We are delighted to be shining a spotlight on the profession with a special online recruitment evening on Monday 25^th April. Please visit our website – www.unitysp.co.uk – to find out more.

Schools should help shape young people, and young minds, so they can move forward and make a difference on their doorstep and beyond.

Make no mistake, it is a special profession to be part of. There are examples of that every day of every week.

Just last week, our schools from across Bury St Edmunds joined together in a celebration of music at the beautiful St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

It was a wonderful occasion to be part of and an amazing spectacle of simply seeing schools join up and take part together.

Elsewhere, school trips, both locally and across the country, have been taking part as students once again benefit from a valuable enrichment programme.

Successful charity events have become a feature of recent weeks as have sporting achievements, both individual and collective.

Schools are preparing to hold celebrations to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, only this week one of our primary schools were featured on local radio as part of a Suffolk-wide spring clean.

These are all things that make schools, and the entire teaching profession, so great and powerful.

We know these are difficult times as Covid once again hits schools – and society – up and down the country.

But once again, our leaders, and all our school staff, have risen to the challenge with amazing dedication and commitment.

That has been a constant for the last two year, but we must never take it for granted.

I would like to wish all our schools, staff, students and families a very restful and peaceful Easter holidays.

By Tim Coulson, Chief Executive, Unity Schools Partnership

Last month, I wrote about my hopes for more stability ahead after the unprecedented events of the last two years.

Within little over a week of the column going to print, we began witnessing the horrors of war as Russia invaded Ukraine.

The daily headlines, images and stories have been difficult for us all to comprehend.

But what of our young people? How do we talk to them about the events in the Ukraine, especially coming in the aftermath of a two-year pandemic?

These are difficult questions which come with the acknowledgement that none of us have all the answers.

Schools have a role to play in opening up discussion, listening to the views of young people and guiding them where they can.

It is a difficult balancing act but one that school staff cope with admirably whenever a disaster hits our TV screens and newspapers.

As wellbeing becomes an even bigger issue for us all, Unity Schools Partnership has signed up to a new ground-breaking SEEN (Secondary Education around Early Neurodevelopment) programme.

Delivering innovative science lessons to secondary school pupils, the programme helps students understand how baby development and care have a long-term impact on adulthood and wellbeing.

It is part of a wider drive to increase public understanding of how early experiences can shape the adults we become. These include the way we talk to babies, encourage learning through play and how to strengthen resilience.

We have joined up with leading trusts from across the country to deliver the programme this academic year.

The earliest years of children’s lives are critical and we are delighted to support this crucial work in widening the understanding of children’s early development.

I write this column in the days after World Book Day, which was, once again, celebrated with so much enthusiasm, engagement and colour across our schools.

As always, we had an array of fantastic costumes – from pupils to staff alike.

But it also gave a great opportunity for other impressive literary-inspired work, including older pupils reading to their younger counterparts.

We even had book-themed potato design competitions at a couple of our schools. This might seem a different way of celebrating World Book Day, but there was a great reason behind combining potatoes and books.

The schools in question wanted to introduce something that would spark creativity and also engagement between families and pupils when they were designing their potatoes at home and thinking and talking about reading and characters.

This was a great way of using a much-loved national awareness day to promote parental engagement in reading.

By Tim Coulson, Chief Executive, Unity Schools Partnership

Plans to reorganise the structure of four schools in Bury St Edmunds have been approved by the board of Unity Schools Partnership.

The trust published proposals in January for the reorganisation of Tollgate Primary, Horringer Court Middle, Westley Middle and County Upper schools.

Over four weeks of public consultation, meetings were held with staff and parents at each school as well as four public meetings, an online meeting and with representatives of groups that put forward alternative proposals.

The trust has today written to school governors, staff and parents to inform them of the board’s careful consideration of the responses expressed during the consultation.

After meeting twice during the consultation period and again after it was concluded, the board carefully considered all comments made over the last month, including alternative proposals.

The trust board agreed the following proposals, which will now be sent to the Department for Education for a final decision:

• To request an extension of the age ranges of children at Tollgate and County Upper and the closure of Horringer Court and Westley middle schools in August 2023.
• To carry out further work on developing specialist facilities for the proposed expanded Tollgate Primary School.
• That the proposed extension of County Upper School make use of the Westley site for Years 7 and 8 for the foreseeable future.
• To subsidise transport to Westley and Horringer Court schools during 2022-23 so that there is no increase in costs to families as a result of these proposed changes.

Christine Quinn, Chair of the Trust Board, said: “We were very grateful for all who engaged in the consultation and in particular we recognised the disappointment expressed by many who explained their strong views about the value of a middle school education.

“The trust board believes that the overall rationale for the proposals is strong and that they are in the best interests of the education of children in Bury St Edmunds and surrounding areas, both now and in the future.

“We are determined that the strong features of the current schools are maintained in the new system being proposed. Thank you to all who engaged so seriously with the proposals.”

Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership, said: “The trust recognises the highly professional way that staff have continued to work in the context of the publication of these very significant proposals.

“The responses during the consultation have improved the proposals and we will carry out further work on developing specialist facilities for the proposed expanded Tollgate Primary School, make use of the Westley site for Years 7 and 8 for the foreseeable future and will ensure that there is no increase in costs to families next school year to both Horringer Court and Westley schools as a result of these proposed changes.”

A report on the consultation has been sent to the Department for Education alongside the request to reorganise the four schools. This report has been published today on the consultation website – http://consultationbse.unitysp.co.uk.

The trust hopes to hear back from the Department for Education early in the summer term and will pass on any decision straightaway.

A month into the New Year and what would be our biggest wish for 2022? I think most in the education sector would simply want a stable calendar year ahead, dare I say ‘normal’.

The start to this year has so far had some similarities with the last two pandemic-dominated years.

The numbers of children and staff testing positive for covid are the highest we have seen and the impact of self-isolation has brought daily challenges around staffing numbers.

That said, green shoots of optimism are certainly emerging. Schools have begun to rehearse for productions, school trips are again taking place and meetings and visits to schools are being carried out face-to-face rather than via Zoom. These are the ‘normal’ things I was referring to.

Once the half term break is over and we say goodbye to January and February, we all hope that spring will herald even more positivity in and out of the classroom. Our staff and students, and everyone connected to our schools, certainly deserve that.

After two years of cancelled public examinations, our secondary schools are back to focusing on exam preparation. 

National exams are going ahead this year for the first time since the pandemic began and this week exam boards published information about what to expect from this year’s GCSE, AS and A-level exams.

Of course, we are pleased with any additional support given to students sitting exams this summer, following the last two years.

And I know staff throughout our schools are working tirelessly to ensure students are as best prepared as possible to achieve the grades their hard work deserves.

The other big educational headline recently was the publication of the Government’s levelling-up white paper.

Suffolk was identified as one of 55 areas in England where education needed further support and we welcome any plans that improve teacher pay and retention.

As with all such announcements, we will wait and see what they actually mean in practice.

We also welcome the further support for action research announced by Suffolk County Council for the most vulnerable children in schools and are volunteering to take part.

As with the headlines around the rise in the cost of living, society is now having to deal with the effects of living through a pandemic.

Education is no different and we need to all pool together and do everything we can for our students, both now and in the future.

• Unity Schools Partnership is currently consulting on plans to reorganise four schools in Bury St Edmunds. Find out more and please share your views via https://consultationbse.unitysp.co.uk/ before Thursday 17^th February.

By Tim Coulson, Chief Executive, Unity Schools Partnership