Welcome back!

• Book places on Implementing WELL: Workshop 3 (26th/27th November) for a member of SLT and your priority focus subject lead with the School Development Team, selecting the date most relevant to your school’s implementation priority.

Universal/ Targeted Grant Funding

Thank you to all the schools that submitted their Universal/ Targeted Grant Offer paperwork by the due date of Friday 24^th October.

We were really pleased to be able to transfer over £500k in grants directly to those schools over half term.

Implementing WELL: Workshop 3

Implementing WELL: Workshop 3 will take place on 26th/27th November, focusing on defining core components, understanding implementation strategies, and refining problem statements.

Please bring a detailed description of the 'problem' and 'final outcomes' on your Implementation Plan.

Several WELL Element Leads will attend to offer direct support for each school’s implementation priority. To get the most from the session, we recommend attending in person.

Ideally, both a member of SLT and the subject lead of your focus area will attend to work directly with the Element leading experts when defining core components and exploring implementation strategies.

Universal/Targeted grant funding can be used to release staff and cover supply costs to support this.

A full workshop schedule, including details of the Element Leads attending each session, is available below. If your school’s focus area is not listed but was included in your Implementation Plan, it will be covered under ‘Other’.

The online workshop on 26th November 15:30 - 17:00 will provide a broader focus on core components and implementation strategies, led by Jonathan and Jon. 

Please ensure you book onto the workshop date most relevant to your school’s implementation priority. If you are already booked and need to change your date, please contact school.development@cumberland.gov.uk.

Disadvantaged Provision Project (DPP) with Marc Rowland

Thank you to all the schools that have shared their draft Pupil Premium (PP) strategies for annotated feedback from Marc Rowland and the ERA team.

If you are involved in the Disadvantaged Provision Project and haven't yet shared your draft PP strategy, please send these to pwilliams@ashfield-jun.cumbria.sch.uk by this Friday (7th November).

Early Years Writing Webinar: A Practical Approach with WISE Academies

Wednesday 5th November 15:30 - 17:00, Online

As mentioned at the Sentenced to Success launch session, please find the flyer for the WISE Academies/ Town End Research School webinar on Early Writing taking place this evening, Wednesday 5th November 15:30 - 17:00 HERE.

This webinar is open to all WELL schools. Please find the link to register attendance at the webinar HERE.

Autumn Term Award Newsletter 

We are delighted to share the Cumbrian Award: Autumn Term 2025 Newsletter.

Including key updates on grant funding to enable participation, strand resources and recent award developments.

Please click below to view the newsletter:

Deep Dive into Evidence with Simon Cox

Before Half Term, leaders and teachers from across WELL Schools joined Session 1 of our Deep Dive into Evidence series with Simon Cox - exploring the EEF’s Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3 guidance report.

Led by Simon Cox, Director of Blackpool Research School, the session unpacked practical strategies to strengthen mathematical thinking across KS2 and KS3, with a focus on:

• Problem Solving
• Metacognition
• Teacher Modelling
• Use of Assessment
• Manipulatives & Representations

A recording of the webinar can be found HERE. 

If you would like to attend Session 2 with Simon on Tuesday 11th November 15:30 - 17:00, please email WELL@cumberland.gov.uk.

Simon will also be joining the Implementing WELL Workshop 3 on Thursday, 27 November, to support schools focusing on Mathematics as their Implementation priority.

First Learning Community of the Year

Tuesday 18th November 15:30 - 17:00, Online 

We’re looking forward to welcoming 34 schools to the first GTT Learning Community of the year on Tuesday, 18 November, from 15:30–17:00, Online.

Ahead of the session, we kindly ask all GTT Leads and teachers attending to add their comments to the GTT Learning Community Padlet, ready to share with the group during the meeting.

During the session, participants will join breakout rooms for focused discussion. If you would like to facilitate a breakout room, leading conversations and sharing examples of great practice with the wider Learning Community, please email WELL@cumberland.gov.uk.

Autumn Term Data Reflective Community Meeting

Wednesday 19^th November 15:30 - 17:00, Online

Thank you to all Secondary schools involved in the NGRT project for completing the first testing window over Autumn Term 1.

The NGRT Learning Community Meeting on Wednesday 19^th November 15:30 - 17:00, Online for all NGRT Leads to review, collaborate and discuss the data and findings at project level from this testing window.

If NGRT leads haven’t done so already, please ‘accept’ this meeting invite as confirmation of attendance.

Cohort 2: Day 2 Training

Thursday 20th November 09:30 - 15:30, Whitehaven Golf Club

We are looking forward to seeing all Cohort 2 schools involved in the MITA Programme at Day 2 training on Thursday 20th November 09:30 - 15:30 at Whitehaven Golf Club. 

In advance of Day 2 training please complete the RAG self-assessment tool and bring this document with you to the session.

INSET Day: TA Training

Bookings are available for your Teaching Assistants on the Spring Term INSET Day training with Sally taking place on Tuesday 6th January 09:30 - 15:00 at Energus, Lillyhall.

Please email the names and email addresses of the colleagues you would like to attend to School.Development@cumberland.gov.uk to secure their places. 

Module 2 Online Session

Thursday 6th November 13:00 - 16:00, Online

We are looking forward to seeing all the schools and leaders involved in the Sentenced to Success programme on Thursday 6th November 13:00 - 16:00, Online. 

Recordings Available 

Stella Jones has recorded the contents of the Sentenced to Success Launch and Module 1 sessions.

We are making these available to all WELL schools, please find the link to the recordings included in a google drive HERE. 

Annual Events Planner & Implementing WELL Padlet 2025/26

All 2025/26 WELL Events and training sessions are detailed in the WELL Annual Events Planner.

Events with the 'green dot' are bookable via SLA Online/ School Development Team.

For all other events, please email WELL@Cumberland.gov.uk directly to express an interest.

The Implementing WELL Padlet includes all  presentation slides, recordings and resources to support participation in the Implementing WELL project.

Please do not share these resources more widely than your school.