Information on new website, sent on behalf of Aspire and Buckinghamshire Council

Sent on behalf of Joanna Cassey, Service Director for Education, Children’s Services Directorate

Dear Colleagues

We are delighted to share with you a new website that we have designed to keep teachers across Bucks (and beyond) connected during this uniquely challenging period. The site has been designed by a web designer, Richard Robinson, with the content developed by a team of teachers and educational psychologists from Aspire and Buckinghamshire Council, overseen by Debra Rutley, Executive Headteacher of Aspire. The site has been shaped by requests from educators and leaders across Bucks and we will continue to develop it in the light of your suggestions and ideas.

https://www.connectingbucksschools.com

We have adapted the platform the we had initially developed for Teaching and Learning Day on 3 July – we are yet to make a final decision about the nature of this day and will be guided by Bucks leaders on this.

The site aims to:
• support school staff through this period
• help prepare staff for a return to school
• develop into a hub for communication and sharing of good practice in the longer term
The website has four main sections:

1. A wellbeing section to help educators look after themselves at this time.

2. A CPD section with links to free external training and ideas (based on the themes Bucks staff identified as of interest for the Teaching and Learning Day)

3. Practical ideas for Teaching and Learning during this period

4. A blog, which is open to contributions from all staff in any of the areas above

There is also a survey, which we would encourage staff across Bucks to complete. It gauges their current wellbeing and needs as well as gaining their input on what they would find most useful on the site. On request, we can share anonymised findings with school leaders for their own staff.

Coming soon:

• A book group

• A comments section to generate discussion under the blogs

We would encourage staff and schools to follow us on Twitter @ntldbucks, where we post regular updates.

We hope that this website will make a small but significant positive contribution to helping us all get through to the other side of this period in the best shape possible, personally and professionally. Staff can contact us, either through my email address (ekell@bucksgfl.org.uk) or directly through the site’s ‘contact us’ section.

With kind regards,

Emma Kell

Dr Emma Kell

Teaching School Lead, Aspire Teaching School Alliance

I work for 2 days a week for Aspire (varying hours). If you need to contact me urgently, please use my mobile number: 07989978816

Joanna Cassey
Service Director for Education
Children’s Services Directorate
Buckinghamshire Council

01296 382081
joanna.cassey@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Room G37, Council Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UA