National Art Project Returns Inviting Schools to Create and Connect  Coombeshead Academy is excited to announce the second iteration of the Codex Project, a nationwide initiative encouraging students and educators to explore creative expression through art. It is being co- ordinated through Sidmouth School of Art and Sam Eyre from Create at Coombeshead Academy. This year’s project invites participants to create 2D artwork inspired by Bob & Roberta Smith’s celebrated piece, “Puzzle 4 Sidmouth.”  The Codex Project provides an opportunity for both primary and secondary students, as well as teachers, to submit artwork in a variety of 2D formats, including painting, collage, drawing, digital media, and mixed media. All submissions will be showcased in a collective exhibition in Autumn 2026, celebrating the creativity and talent of young people and educators from across the country.  The initiative, coordinated through the Sidmouth School of Art, aims to highlight the power of art as a tool for communication, connection, and community engagement. Participating schools and individuals will also receive a free teacher pack, providing full project details, guidance, and inspiration for submissions.  Interested students and educators should email Sam Eyre at Coombeshead Academy to register their interest and receive their free teacher pack: sam.eyre@coombesheadacademy.org.uk   Sam Eyre, organiser and Head of CREATE at Coombeshead Academy, said:  “The Codex Project is a unique opportunity for schools and communities to come together to celebrate artistic creativity and the voices of young people. By inviting students and teachers from across the country to respond to a shared artwork, the project creates a national dialogue through the arts, showing how creativity can connect people, spark conversation, and build a sense of shared purpose.”  Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West, said:  “Projects like the Codex Project reflect our commitment to collaboration and opportunity for all learners. By engaging students and teachers in a shared national artistic experience, this initiative not only nurtures creative talent but also strengthens connections between schools, communities and the wider cultural landscape. We are proud to support a project that places creativity at the heart of education.”

Wynstream Primary School Launches New Toddler Group for Local Families  Wynstream Primary School has launched a new toddler group through its Community Hub, creating a welcoming weekly space for parents, carers and young children to come together at the heart of the local community.  Supported by a grant from Tesco, the Toddler Group runs every Wednesday morning and offers families the opportunity to enjoy playtime, companionship, refreshments and informal support in a relaxed and inclusive environment. The sessions have already attracted strong interest from local families.  The launch of the Toddler Group forms part of ESW’s wider Community Hub programme, which is grounded in the belief that schools act as community anchors. Schools within the academy trust provide safe, supportive spaces where families can connect, access support and build brighter futures together.  Through a growing network of Community Hubs across the trust, ESW is working with local partners to build wraparound services for families, supporting wellbeing and resilience from the early years onwards. The ambition is for each hub to reflect the needs of its local community while sharing a common purpose: strengthening life chances for children by supporting the whole family.  At Wynstream, the toddler group plays a key role in this work, supporting children’s early social development while helping parents and carers build connections with one another and with the school. Plans are already in place to invite local practitioners to future sessions, raising awareness of the wider support available to families. The group will also introduce themed weeks linked to festivals, events and celebrations throughout the year.  Elise Redman, Headteacher at Wynstream Primary School, said:  “We’re delighted to have launched the toddler group to support our community. It’s already proving to be a really positive space for families to come together, build friendships and feel a sense of belonging. Creating these early connections with families is incredibly important to us, and we welcome newcomers.”  Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West, said:  “Our Community Hubs reflect our belief that schools sit at the heart of their communities. The launch of the toddler group at Wynstream is a great example of how small, thoughtful initiatives can make a meaningful difference, supporting families early on and helping children get the very best start in life.”

 Growing teachers for a sustainable tomorrow  What does it take to prepare young people for a world shaped by climate change, rapid innovation and shifting global priorities? Increasingly, the answer lies in how we train and support the teachers who guide them. At the South West Institute for Teaching (SWIFT), that means going beyond traditional teacher development to place climate literacy, subject expertise and leadership at the heart of education in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.  Led by Education South West (ESW) and Colyton Grammar School, SWIFT brings together more than 300 schools and trusts through a powerful, collaborative network. As one of the region’s two Department for Education Teaching School Hubs, it delivers high-quality training for early career teachers, develops the next generation of leaders, and now trains new entrants to the profession through its own Initial Teacher Training programme.  In 2024–25, SWIFT supported 817 early career teachers (ECTs) through its Appropriate Body Service and worked with 1,105 ECTs and mentors via the Early Career Framework. These programmes ensure that teachers at the very beginning of their careers are not only meeting statutory requirements, but are also well-supported to stay in the profession and thrive. From September 2025, the Early Career Framework will be replaced nationally by the reformed Early Career Teacher Programme. SWIFT will deliver this new model in exclusive partnership with the National Institute of Teaching, further enhancing the support available to new teachers across our region.  SWIFT also plays a key role in developing leadership at all levels. In 2024–25, it delivered 10 National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) to 422 participants across the South West in partnership with OneCornwall and other local hubs. While national uptake of NPQs has dropped due to funding changes, the strong take-up locally reflects the value placed by schools on professional development. In our latest satisfaction survey, 100% of school and trust leaders said they were satisfied with their experience of SWIFT provision.  This year also marked the successful launch of SWIFT Teacher Training, developed and delivered by Education South West after achieving government accreditation. With 83 trainees across five campuses, and recruitment quickly hitting target for 2025-26, the programme is helping rural and coastal schools grow their own talent. Feedback shows that the local delivery model is particularly valuable to those who may otherwise struggle to access teacher training. Recruitment into shortage subjects such as physics, computing and modern foreign languages has been especially strong.  A major highlight of the year was the SWIFT Climate Change, Sustainability and Regeneration Conference, held in partnership with the University of Plymouth. The event brought together trainee teachers, classroom staff and national climate experts including the Met Office, Surfers Against Sewage and Devon Wildlife Trust. Through keynote sessions, hands-on workshops and peer learning, the conference empowered teachers to embed sustainability and environmental understanding across the curriculum.  Martin Smith, Executive Director, SWIFT, Education South West, said at the launch of the conference:  “Education is key to preparing young people for a changing world. Through SWIFT, we are building a network of teachers and leaders who are confident, capable and committed to delivering a better future for our children, our schools and our communities.”  From climate-ready classrooms to high-quality leadership, SWIFT is helping to shape education that is fit for the future, right here in the South West.

Young Eco-Champions Lead the Way in School Recycling Initiative  This month a group of pupils from Dartmouth Academy participated in an exciting ‘Waste Action Day’, aimed at improving recycling across the school. Working alongside Alex and Izzy from Resources Futures, the pupils reviewed the results of a recent recycling audit and discussed what actions were needed to make a real difference.  The children then got creative, designing eye-catching bin labels and posters using scrap and best paper to clearly show where recycling should go and which materials belong in each bin. Pupils also collaborated to write an assembly script, learned a fun recycling song, and played an interactive game to deepen their understanding of why reducing, reusing, and recycling matters.  In the afternoon, the pupils confidently presented their assembly to the whole primary school, sharing what they had learned and demonstrating how everyone can recycle better. They highlighted the locations of recycling bins and explained how to use them correctly, ensuring that the message reached the entire school community.  Jennifer Tierney, Primary Principal at Dartmouth Academy, said:  “The enthusiasm and creativity our pupils showed during Waste Action Day was incredible. Not only have they helped improve our recycling systems, but they have also become true eco-champions, inspiring the whole school to take better care of the environment.”  Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West said:  "It’s fantastic to see our pupils taking the lead in protecting the environment. Waste Action Day not only teaches important lessons about recycling and sustainability, but it also empowers children to make a real difference in their school and community. Initiatives like this show the positive impact young people can have when given the tools and support to take action."

Kingsbridge Primary to Host National Steplab Coaching Hub Day  Kingsbridge Primary School (KPS),is inviting educators from across the country to attend its next Steplab Coaching Hub Day on Thursday 29th January 2026, from 11:30am to 4:30pm. Having been officially recognised as a Steplab Coaching Hub earlier last  year, Kingsbridge Primary is one of a small number of schools nationally to receive this prestigious designation, awarded to schools demonstrating exemplary use of Steplab’s evidence-based instructional coaching tools to support high-quality professional development.  The hub day will offer a highly practical and engaging programme, giving attendees the opportunity to hear directly about KPS’s implementation journey and the role coaching has played in driving rapid school improvement. Visitors will observe expert coaching in action, attend a live staff professional development meeting, and engage in meaningful discussions with school leaders about building a strong and sustainable coaching culture.  Kingsbridge Primary’s approach places instructional coaching at the heart of professional learning, with every teacher receiving fortnightly coaching supported by diagnostic tools, rehearsal strategies and high-quality feedback. The day will also provide space for reflection, discussion and sharing best practice with colleagues from other schools.  Places for the event can be booked here.  Miranda Martyn, Headteacher at Kingsbridge Primary School, said:  “This is a really practical and insightful day for anyone interested in using coaching and professional development as a key driver for school improvement. We are excited to share our journey, open our doors to other educators, and show how instructional coaching has made a tangible difference at Kingsbridge Primary School.”

Matthew Shanks, ESW CEO, on Why Young People Should Be Judged at 25, Not 16  “We value what we measure, but in education we haven’t always measured what we value.”  We are delighted that our CEO Matthew Shanks has appeared on the first Heads & Tales episode of 2026.  Matthew reflects on leading a multi-academy trust across the southwest of England, supporting school leaders, and how his own challenging experiences with inspection shaped him into an inspector himself.  A key theme of the discussion is Matthew’s belief that education shouldn’t be judged linearly. He makes a compelling case for measuring success at 25 rather than 16, arguing that lives, confidence, and contribution matter far more than flash-in-the-pan exam results.  Listen to the full episode here: https://www.oppidaneducation.com/heads-and-tales/xyn0m3teayd9oltndyw8j8mnwpld4d

Strengthening schools through community engagement: supporting families to raise life chances  We believe that schools are more than places of learning. They are community anchors - safe, supportive spaces where families can connect, access support, and build brighter futures together. This belief, grounded in our charitable mission to advance education for all children, is now shaping the way we work across all 14 schools in the trust through the development of a new network of Community Hubs. This initiative builds on a core ESW value: community. We see every school as a vital part of its local neighbourhood, offering education, opportunity, connection, and care. We know that children thrive when their families and communities are supported. That’s why, in October 2024, we deepened our partnership with the Reach Foundation to put this vision into action - moving beyond curriculum and pedagogy into an ambitious programme of ‘community anchoring’. Community anchoring is all about creating strong local networks that support wellbeing and resilience. It means embedding services, support and partnerships within our school communities that respond to local need. Working closely with charities, councils, parents, and civic partners, our Community Hubs are helping to rebuild some of the wraparound services that once supported families through multi-agency work. Our first Community Hub launched at Kingsbridge Primary School in March 2025. When a former children’s centre space at the school became available, we saw an opportunity to do something different. Working with two local charities - MotherBorn, which supports new parents with early parenting and breastfeeding, and The Fidget Project, which offers therapeutic support for children with emerging SEND needs - we began to reimagine what the space could offer. Seed funding from the Reach Foundation allowed these projects to get off the ground. What emerged was a powerful new model: services delivered from the heart of the school, embedded in the daily life of the local community. The After School Club, already a vital support for working families, became part of a wider offer that helps families feel connected and supported from the earliest stages of parenthood. Kingsbridge is also now a base for the newly formed Family Hubs network, further extending the support available. The success of this pilot is now guiding our plans for other schools. Over the past 12 months, the Community Hub model has begun to grow. In Dartmouth, we are repurposing another former children’s centre to support families at Dartmouth Academy, our all-through 3–16 school. In Newton Abbot, ESW has secured funding to host Citizens Advice sessions in our schools to offer help with housing, benefits, and other complex issues affecting vulnerable families. Breakfast clubs have been set up in partnership with local food banks to ensure every child starts the day ready to learn. Across both Teignbridge and the South Hams, our new relationship with Citizens Advice now includes two dedicated caseworkers who work directly with our pastoral teams. These caseworkers deliver weekly outreach sessions, open to all families linked to our schools and the wider community. Funded by grant bids, this work is already making a difference and we’re actively seeking ways to extend and secure it for the future. Our schools are also working with local Rotary Clubs, with particularly close ties developing in Newton Abbot. Rotary members have offered financial support, mentoring, and practical help; from funding enrichment trips and Duke of Edinburgh kit to helping build a herb garden with medicinal plants at Coombeshead Academy. Four of our schools - Teign School, Kingsbridge Primary, Rydon and Christow - took part in this year’s Rotary Young Apprentice programme, raising funds through events like plant sales and fun runs while learning valuable enterprise and leadership skills. “This is about rebuilding the wraparound services children and families need.” Robert Coles, Deputy CEO, Education South West. At South Devon UTC, a new breakfast club launched in October 2024 in partnership with the local food bank and supported by donations from supermarkets. The club has grown steadily and now serves both students and the adjacent community fridge - a small but powerful example of how schools can play a central role in reducing food insecurity. At Wynstream Primary School, a community garden project is being developed with local charity New Roots. Children and parents are working side by side to restore the school’s raised beds, and partnerships with Exeter Housing are helping to widen the project’s reach to local residents. The goal is to create a truly intergenerational space that brings people together and builds pride in the local environment. Looking ahead, we’re excited to be working with the Rotary Club to bring the South West Festival of Youth to Teign School in March 2026, which promises to be a celebration of the ideas, talents and contributions of young people in our region. Our aim is clear: to develop a Community Hub in every ESW school. It’s now a central part of our school improvement planning for 2025–26. While each hub will reflect the unique needs of its community, all will be designed to strengthen local networks and ensure every family has the support they need. This work relies on partnerships with local authorities, charities, businesses, volunteers, and families. It depends on schools being open to new ways of working, and on civic and political leaders championing the vital role that schools play in community life.

Deepening support for Ukrainian schools In last year’s annual report we shared how Education South West (ESW) was beginning to support Ukraine’s upper secondary education reform through an international partnership facilitated by the OECD. A year on, that work has grown in reach, depth, and impact and is built on trust, mutual respect, and a shared belief in the power of education to shape a better future.  Four of our schools - Coombeshead Academy, Teign School, Kingsbridge Community College (KCC), and King Edward VI Community College (KEVICC) - are now actively partnered with Ukrainian ‘Ambassador’ schools. These 30 Ambassador schools, drawn from regions across Ukraine, from Lviv and Kyiv to Odesa, Dnipro and Kharkiv, are preparing to pilot the country’s new upper secondary curriculum from September 2025. The reforms are bold: they aim to move away from a rigid, exam-heavy system to one that offers students more subject choice, improved careers guidance, and learning that develops key competencies.  The OECD are helping to facilitate partnerships between these Ukrainian schools and international schools from across the globe including: Sweden, Poland, Japan, Ireland, Portugal, Singapore, and England. ESW was the first trust in England to take part in the initiative, offering moral support and concrete insights into curriculum design, student options, and digital innovation.  Teign School in Kingsteignton, for example, has forged a close partnership with Zalishchyky State Gimnasia in western Ukraine. Despite the thousands of miles and vastly different day-to-day realities, the two schools have built a shared rhythm of learning.  Students have marked key international dates together, such as World Holocaust Day and European Day of Languages. Teachers have exchanged ideas on digital platforms, curriculum structures, and life beyond school. Lucie Wagner, head of school at Teign Academy says: “It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience working alongside headteacher Oleksandra Voychyshyn and her team. Our students have gained so much insight and perspective from the exchange. We hope to one day host our Ukrainian colleagues here in Devon.”  This year also saw ESW take part in a national forum in Kyiv, titled ‘From the Curriculum to the Classroom’. Our CEO, Matthew Shanks, was invited as an international speaker alongside colleagues from the World Bank, Finnish Ministry of Education, and education ministries across Europe.  His contribution focused on how UK schools have successfully created more flexible subject choices and tailored courses to meet student needs, which are key priorities for the Ukrainian reform model.  Matthew’s visit built on his earlier trip to Lviv, where he addressed a major education conference opened by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska. His reflections from that visit, delivered while air raid sirens forced sessions into bomb shelters, highlighted the extraordinary resilience of Ukrainian educators. “Despite everything,” he noted, “there is a collective refusal to let education stop. That determination is both humbling and inspiring.”  As a trust, ESW’s involvement in this work reflects our values in action. All our schools hold UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools accreditation, and our commitment to global citizenship is not limited to a curriculum unit or assembly - it’s something we live out in partnerships like this.  The collaboration continues to grow. We are calling on more UK schools to get involved and join this international effort. Supporting Ukraine’s reforms is the right thing to do and it’s a chance for our own students and staff to broaden their horizons, deepen their empathy, and contribute to a global education community rooted in solidarity and shared learning.  We thank all those across our trust who have supported this work and helped keep the spirit of internationalism alive in our classrooms.

South Devon UTC Community Comes Together to Support Local Foodbank  Staff and families at South Devon UTC have once again demonstrated their commitment to supporting the local community through a successful foodbank collection.  Since October, the UTC community has been donating essential items to support Teignbridge Homeless Action Today (THAT). The annual collection has become a well established tradition at the UTC, with students taking pride in giving back and helping those in need.  This year’s initiative introduced an additional challenge for students, who were tasked with purchasing as many foodbank items as possible using a £5 budget. The competition encouraged creativity and teamwork, while also helping students develop valuable money management skills and an understanding of living on a budget, key preparation for life beyond education.  The result was the largest collection the UTC has achieved to date, with an impressive volume of donations delivered to the local foodbank. The school would like to extend a sincere thank you to all staff, students and parents who contributed so generously.  Claire Plumb, Headteacher at South Devon UTC, said:  “I am incredibly proud of our students, staff and families for coming together to support such an important local cause. The foodbank collection is something our community really values, and this year’s response has been outstanding. The £5 challenge also gave students the opportunity to develop real-life budgeting skills while making a positive difference to others.”  Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West, said:  “South Devon UTC continues to demonstrate how education goes beyond the classroom. This initiative not only supports those in need within the local community, but also helps students build essential life skills such as teamwork, empathy and financial awareness. It is wonderful to see such strong community spirit across the school.”

MP Martin Wrigley Visits Teign School  Teign School welcomed MP Martin Wrigley  for a visit designed to showcase school life and give students the opportunity to engage directly with their local representative.  The visit was made even more meaningful by the return of Rebecca Jones, a member of Wrigley’s staff and proud Teign alumna, whose passion for politics was first nurtured during her time at the school.  Mr Wrigley’s itinerary included a guided tour of the school’s nurture rooms, REACH and The Nest, classroom visits including a GCSE Citizenship lesson, and a Q&A session with the Student Council.  Students asked thought-provoking questions on issues such as assisted dying, violence against women and girls, lowering the voting age, and climate change, sparking lively discussion. The visit also included stops in A Level Criminology and Sociology classes, followed by the Careers Centre, where students explored university pathways and career opportunities.  The visit provided an inspiring and memorable experience for students, highlighting the value of combining academic learning with practical engagement in civic life.  Lucie Wagner, Head of School at Teign School, said:  "We are thrilled to have hosted Martin Wrigley and to see our students engaging so confidently with important social and political issues. Visits like this bring learning to life and inspire our young people to think critically about the world around them."  Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West, said:  "It is fantastic to see students connecting classroom learning with real-world politics. Teign School continues to provide opportunities for pupils to explore their interests and develop the skills they need to make a positive impact in their communities."