13 January 2023 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back after what I hope was a restful break and a happy start to 2023.

The Christmas period was very busy Chez McInnes with part of the Italian family visiting who had a great time and left pondering our Christmas tradition of turkey with jam (cranberry jelly) and setting fire to the pudding. We also had two engagements, with weddings later this year. It was the perfect antidote to a challenging first term of the academic year. Tomorrow, the season finally comes to an end, with an Epiphany dinner when La Befana will be distributing coal and sweets.

We have had a busy start to the term and I’m pleased to let you know I have visited five schools so far.

This week I was delighted to spend a day visiting the four secondary schools in the Valley Invicta Academy Trust with my colleague Michelle Stanley, KCC lead for School Improvement. A huge thank you to Julie Derrick Chief Executive Officer, Richard Hayden Chief Operating Officer and Kim Gunn (formerly TEP) and now Executive Headteacher Valley Park School, who gave up their whole day to show us round. The Trust have put inclusion at the heart of all their work and it was fascinating to see how they have successfully melded academic, creative and personal development in their schools, all of which have very different identities. Big thank you to Chris Foreman and Amanda Rain of the Lenham School , Kim Gunn, Margaret Hutchinson and Woody of Valley Park School, Van Beales, Ryan Royston and Gilly Gidley or School of Science and Technology Maidstone and Van Beales and Marelle Giles at Invicta Grammar School. We saw some amazing textiles work and hear some wonderful music on our tour and a helpful conversations to inform our development work on mental health.

This week Cabinet member Rory Love and I visited Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School to find out more about their 10 year biodiversity project, Biojoyversity, which is providing students with opportunities to be involved in ground-breaking research in collaboration with university staff as well as a therapeutic environment to enjoy and have fun in. The school community, including the delightful and passionate students, are committed to working in partnership with other schools so if ecology and biodiversity is of interest I encourage you to get in touch with them.

That evening I was really pleased to be at the launch of their ambitious project, Encompass, which aims to bring young people together from across Kent to learn and experience new approaches to care for nature through the creative arts and sciences. A big thank you to the students, headteacher Paul Pollard, Sam Goodfellow Biology teacher and the hugely enthusiastic Professor Becky Parker.

And finally I was really pleased to attend a joint KCC FE sector SEND problem solving event which has agreed an action plan to improve the transition of students into the post 16 sector, under the auspices of the Pathways for All 16 to 19 reform programme. A big thank you to all involved and to The Yarrow Hotel for hosting.

Best wishes

Christine McInnes
Director of Education