10th January 2020
12 months after the official launch of Wave Trust, all 300 members of staff from Wave’s 11 academies across Cornwall and Devon came together at the China Fleet Club in Saltash on 10th January 2020 for a very special day of activities and workshops.
The aim of the day was to celebrate the first anniversary of the three Devon Academies joining the Wave family, the opening of Torlands, Sowenna, the award of Glendinning House Special School and reflect on the hard work and positive achievements during an action packed 2019.
Welcoming staff to the Inset Day, Wave Chief Executive Rob Gasson said “This has been a period of considerable change for staff, parents, carers and pupils. I have been delighted by the enthusiasm with which everyone has worked together to deliver improvements and the positive results are clear to see.”
“As well as seeing improvements in this year’s exam results across all our centres, we have also received some fantastic messages from parents and carers about the difference our academies are making to their children. One parent said the family were in a difficult place when they met us, but we have turned them around and they don't know what they would do without us, while another said “'I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for A. She's literally a different child. She's so much happier and healthier than before. All the excellent teaching and home tutoring was just what she needed. I can't begin to tell you what a difference you have all made.
We have also seen the opening of Sowenna, the new 14 bed child and adolescent mental health unit in Bodmin. We were delighted to be chosen to provide education services for children attending the unit while they are receiving specialist medical treatment. Led by Jayne Brigg, the team are now working with specialist teachers from CHES to support 10 young people from across Devon and Cornwall.
We held a special ceremony to mark the start of works on Glendinning House. Our new special free school for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those on the Autism spectrum, is due to open in September 2020 and I am looking forward to welcoming the first students through the doors.”
As well as highlighting some of the key achievements, staff also attended a series of workshops focusing on the Trust’s Strategic Plan, which sets out the organisation’s vision and priorities over the next five years and its newly adopted set of values. These are:
· Be Positive - It is our intention to stay constructive, optimistic and confident both for and with our young people and their families.
· Have Empathy - We consider the consequences of our decisions, large and small on those around us.
· Show Respect - We respect each other and those we work with.
· Work as a Team - When we work as a team we are stronger. Together we will achieve more.
· Be Inclusive - Everybody is treated fairly and equally; no-one is marginalised or left behind.
Staff also discussed the development of the new curriculum, which is designed to offer pupils new opportunities, raise their aspirations, self-esteem and self-worth and help them address social and emotional challenges, and the expansion of the Anna Freud project which is encouraging parents and carers to become more involved in their children’s education.
“Every single member of the Wave team works very hard to ensure that we are providing the highest quality education for all our pupils” said Rob Gasson. “Our aim is to support pupils who are disengaged from education so they can integrate back into mainstream or special needs schools, the world of work or into further education. This means equipping children with the skills they need for both education and for life.
We will continue to work positively with pupils, their parents and carers and staff to maintain and build on the progress which has made and look forward to celebrating further success in 12 months’ time.”
