I hope everyone continues to be well and you are enjoying what we all hope is the beginning of some decent summer weather! Our two Executive Heads Louise Gilbert and Sarah Sanson keep in contact with the schools by phone and email and visit the schools regularly to help each school site. I have been visiting all the schools with them over the last few weeks to check everyone has everything they need and to identify how we continue to push forward to help children to make the necessary gains. Everyone has done an amazing job to welcome and settle children into a normal school routine this half term. The work around the classrooms exemplifies the high standard to which the children are working and is testament to the skill of staff in helping to give your children those exciting and interesting learning opportunities. I was at Pelynt yesterday and enjoyed joining Class 1 who were burning their best work in the form of houses they had made styled from 1666, concluding their studies to re-enact the Great Fire of London - it was a spectacle to behold! These are the memories staff in all our schools are helping children to acquire.

There are several updates I would like to share to keep you informed of developments across the Trust.

Classrooms
We have organised tables in most classrooms into rows but now schools are fully occupied, we will go back to grouped tables and remove the forward-facing arrangement to allow free flow around the classrooms where that is needed.

Bubbles
Secondary School colleagues have been operating class bubbles in year groups of 250 plus. After half term we will start to relax our class bubble system with small schools operating as one bubble, medium and large schools may wish to operate as Key Stage bubbles in EYFS, KS1 and KS2; heads will advise you of what is safe and logistically easy to manage on each school site.

New Central Office
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Our landlord at Lanhydrock wanted a large rent increase as our lease with them comes to an end. With training and meetings mostly taking place on Microsoft Teams, it is unlikely we will need, or return to using the two training rooms so we started to look for a new, smaller office space. We have found a much more cost-effective alternative on the Callywith Business Park in Bodmin. We hope to make the move in July.

Budget
The new budget has been set to apportion our £10.5m for September 2021/22. We will carry forward a reserve after working through the last three years to stabilise our financial future paying off inherited school debts. Everyone in every school has helped us, working within a reduced public purse. We were congratulated by the Education Skills and Funding Agency on effecting such a quick turnaround. Our financial health puts us in the top quartile of all Trusts in the Southwest, which is a tremendous achievement.

School allocation of additional funds
By working together, we have saved over £1m of costs and added over £3m of monies secured through grants to improve our school buildings. This is money our schools would never have received had schools stayed in the Local Authority as the political decision was taken to move monies into the academy sector. We have taken full advantage of this and will continue to do so to benefit the children in our schools.

To start the reinvestment programme the Trust Board agreed £100k of funds will be added to extend IT provision in all 14 schools. We will also allocate an additional £50k to small, medium and large school budgets to be used as head teachers and governors see fit, for additional Key Stage resources. Small schools will receive £750, medium schools £2500, large schools £8000 which on a per pupil basis seemed the fairest way to allocate an additional £50k. More information will follow from heads after half term.

INSET
We look forward to the whole Trust INSET Day on Friday 11th June via Microsoft Teams. All Bridge Schools will be closed on this day. These opportunities to bring together the best from all the schools are invaluable in sharing expertise and helping everyone to raise our expectations through high quality professional development.

Parent Survey
There will be another opportunity to share your views after half term, specifically on communications. More news on that after the holiday. Until then, I would like to thank you for your continued support for Bridge Schools and hope you enjoy the bank holiday.

With all good wishes,

Adrian Massey and everyone at Bridge Schools.