The new school term is (almost) upon us, meaning it’s a busy time for school admin. To support the start of your appraisal and performance management cycle, we are offering training webinars for our customers during September. These will be helpful to all our clients who are responsible for administrating the system, staff who manage appraisal or are responsible for school improvement – whether you are new to BlueSky or simply need a refresher after a long hot summer break! See the full details of the sessions below.
We have added some new modules to the BlueSky Learning CPD library, including a fantastic module covering Practicals in Secondary Science from Dr Rebecca Glass. Read our blog on this topic to find out more.
For a reviving dose of inspiration, read how the Advance Learning Partnership is using BlueSky Education to support consistent processes and shared values as the trust rapidly grows.
Finally, the pay recommendations of the STRB report 2022 have been adopted by the DfE. Read Denise Inwood’s thoughts on some of the points raised in the report.
September Training Sessions
These live webinar sessions will be useful for any staff responsible for administrating BlueSky in your school, as well as those managing appraisal, performance management, school improvement and people strategy.
Lead by our Customer Success team, each 30-minute webinar will demonstrate relevant set up and admin tasks for the new school year, with an opportunity to ask questions at the end.
Please register via the links below. These sessions are offered free of charge and you are welcome to join one or both.
Wednesday 14th September
10:00 am UK time
We will cover:
- New school year general admin tasks, adding new users
- How to align staff development with the school improvement plan
- Map appraisal objectives to school priorities
- The latest feature updates for BlueSky Education
Wednesday 28th September
10:00 am UK time
We will cover:
- How to set up Appraisal objectives for staff
- Map appraisal objectives to school priorities
- Supporting ongoing conversations with staff around appraisal
- The latest feature updates for BlueSky Education
BlueSky Support
September can get very busy, so if you have a simple query about setting up your BlueSky account, send us a message via our contact us page.
Are we doing an experiment today?
According to research, the number of hands-on practical lessons in Secondary Science has declined, particularly since Covid. Our recent blog looks at some of the reasons for this decline, and why it matters, with an introduction to a new BlueSky Learning module to guide science teachers through best practice for Practicals in Secondary Science.
Case Study: Advance Learning Partnership
This County Durham based trust has expanded rapidly in the past year, using BlueSky Education to ensure that trust values and priorities are applied consistently across all of the schools as they join.
Read the full case study to learn how BlueSky underpins the trust’s approach to appraisal.
The School Teacher’s Review Body Report
The latest School Teachers’ Review Body report recommends that there should be a review of policy on Teacher’s pay progression, noting the impact of PRP on staff morale and retention, and that pay progression is not the only factor influencing job satisfaction. Read Denise Inwood’s response to the report and let us know what you think.
Author: Tamsin Denley,
Head of Marketing and Partnerships
