Watergrove Trust Hosted National Whole Education Event
Focusing on tackling disadvantage while building a relational school community, Watergrove Trust recently welcomed leaders from across the UK for a successful two-day deep-dive into its innovative practice.
The Watergrove Trust proudly hosted the prestigious Whole Education Learning Exchange Visit which brought together a national network of educational leaders committed to a “Whole Education” that ensures all young people thrive in life, learning, and work.
Tackling Disadvantage Through Connection
Our mission is rooted in the belief of “Providing more, as one community, to enable life in all its fullness”. The Learning Exchange Visit (LEV) allowed delegates to explore our successful journey in developing capacity to counter disadvantage, all while staying focused on remaining a highly relational and connected community.
Attendees investigated the Watergrove approach through several key lenses:
- Values and Beliefs: The core philosophy driving the Trust’s work.
- Work Addressing Disadvantage: Strategies focused on relation and belonging.
- Closing the Disadvantage Gap: Including the impact of our innovative D6 Provision.
- Developing Responsive Teaching.
- Wider Trust Organisation Development.
Experience the Innovation in Action
The two-day itinerary moved beyond theory and successfully showcased the practice across our schools.
Day 1 Highlights: Deep-Dive into Practice
The first day, hosted primarily at Moorhouse Academy and other Trust schools, included:
- An introduction to the Trust’s core mission, exploring “Our why? what? and how?”.
- A session on how the Trust “grappled with addressing disadvantage”.
- Afternoon Experience Visits allowed delegates to see key practices first-hand:
- Falinge Park High School: Focusing on ‘Belonging in Action’.
- Kentmere Academy (Primary): Showcasing ‘Responsive teaching, including SEND’.
- Sandbrook Community Primary: Demonstrating ‘Primary D6 in Action’.
- Matthew Moss High School: Presenting the ‘D6 Secondary Marketplace’.
- The day concluded with table-sharing sessions on vital topics such as the Group Light Transactional Analysis tool and The Role of the Teaching Assistant in D6.
This is a Trust that knows their communities and is “providing more” as it’s mission proudly states. We learnt so much from Mark, Karen and their brilliant colleagues. I could have spent many more hours soaking up Mark’s and Karen’s knowledge and experience.
Christopher Best | Deputy CEO Manor Hall Trust
Day 2 Highlights: Future Focus and System-Wide Change
The second day, also held at Moorhouse Academy, focused on system-level strategy and future goals:
- A session explored “Closing Gaps with D6” and how the program is successfully reversing gaps for disadvantaged groups.
- Discussions covered Watergrove’s Future Focus and Grapples.
- An exploration of MAT Organisation Development shared the lessons learned from Whole Education’s Action Learning work.
- The event closed with valuable Network Member Reflection and Sharing.
A National Network of Leaders Collaborates
The event attracted a significant presence from the Whole Education Network, with attendees confirmed from Trusts and schools across the country.
Attendees included representatives from:
- Pioneer Educational Trust
- Manor Hall Trust
- Red Kite Learning Trust
- Thrive Co-Operative Learning Trust
- Excalibur Academies Trust
- Impact Education MAT
- Voyage Education Partnership
- And many more, including Alder Grange, St Bart’s Multi Academy Trust, and The Education Alliance (TEAL).
Charlotte (Head Teacher at Manor Hall Trust), enjoyed a brilliant visit to Matthew Moss High School. She was blown away by the inclusive practices she saw in classrooms. This is a brilliant and honest reflection from an experienced SEMH School headteacher. It was a powerful reminder that those of us working in the Specialist sector have to be open to learning from our mainstream colleagues.
Christopher Best | Deputy CEO Manor Hall Trust
This two-day event provided an invaluable opportunity for collaboration, reflective practice, and the co-creation of quality education for all learners. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this event possible.
