Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• A free chance to observe teaching for mastery in maths

  Tue 25 Feb 2020

  The North Midlands Specialist Maths Hub, based at Painsley Catholic College, is offering an opportunity for primary school teachers to see a ‘Mastery’ lesson being delivered by two Mastery Specialist teachers at Meir Heath Academy, Stoke-on-Trent on 11th and 12th March.  The two teachers, one from Meir Heath Academy, Stoke-on-Trent and one from The Priory in Walsall were selected last year to take part in a prestigious teacher exchange, focusing on mathematics, with a partner school in Shanghai.

  Mrs. Andrea Turkmen and Mr. Lewis McGee are among around 100 expert mathematics teachers from schools across England taking part in the exchange programme as part of the Maths Hub Mastery Programme.

  The purpose of the programme is to further develop the understanding and implementation of mastery approaches to teaching maths in Meir Heath Academy and The Priory School, and in local partner schools, they will be working with during the school year 2019/20.

  The Mastery lesson will give colleagues from across the region the chance to see a demonstration of excellent classroom practice and to find out more about the wider Teaching for Mastery programme.  Places are free but interested parties do need to sign up in advance, to find out more contact the local Maths hub by emailing mathshub@painsley.staffs.sch.uk.

  This is one part of the Teaching for Mastery Programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) in conjunction with the Maths Hubs Programme, and funded by the DfE. Funding for the four-year programme, initially amounting to £41m, was launched in July 2016 and over 200 schools have worked with the North Mids Maths Hub on the mastery programme since 2016.

  There are 37 Maths Hubs, spread across England, each led by a school with a record of high achievement in maths, and of supporting, improvements in maths teaching and learning in neighbouring schools.

  

• The Painsley Catholic Academy on Target to Raise £100,000

  Fri 14 Feb 2020 M Nee

  Painsley Catholic Academy has raised just over £50,000 for Mary’s Meals at the halfway point in the school year.

   In September, all fifteen schools within the academy decided to take part in a campaign that they have called ‘20:20 for Mary’.  This campaign aims to motivate each child and staff member to try to raise a target of £20 for the Mary’s Meals charity by February half term, and another £20 by the end of July during 2020.   The overall aim is to raise an ambitious target of £100,000 in just one school year.

  “The concept of Mary’s Meals is so very simple and yet effective, it really appeals to our students,” commented Mr. Steve Bell, C.E.O of The Painsley Catholic Academy. “Mary’s Meals is about providing children with a daily meal at a place of education something that our students of all ages can really relate to.  The efforts of each and every one of our students, from age just 4 or 5 years to 18 years, are very much appreciated. I am proud and delighted that at the halfway point in the year, we are just over halfway to our target.  Well done and thank you to everyone who has supported this worthy cause.” 

  The 20:20 campaign began in September with both secondary and primary school children busy running cake sales, fashion shows, raffles, Christmas gifts and craft sales, art shows and sponsored sports events.  The schools have not lost momentum and have more events planned for the next few months including a sponsored skydive, a marathon run, and a sponsored row.

  Mary’s Meals was founded in 2002 and has grown from its first feeding operation of 200 children in Malawi to a worldwide campaign, providing free school meals in hundreds of schools and feeding more than one and a half million children daily. Mary's Meals is named after Mary, the mother of Jesus, by its founders, who were inspired by their Catholic faith.  The charity claims that just £15.90 is enough to feed one child for an entire school year.  If The Painsley Catholic Academy can reach its target, this will feed over 6,000 children for a year.