On Wednesday 3rd January we hosted our first Trust Inset Day for staff at The Halston in Carlisle. We took the opportunity to bring together 300 members of staff from across our family of eight schools, allowing staff to build connections, share ideas and collaborate with colleagues in preparation for starting a new year and new school term.
CEO, Jonathan Johnson OBE opened up the day by welcoming staff and sharing news and updates on behalf of the Trust.
Guest speaker Jaz Ampaw-Farr (CEO of Human First Ltd, Author and TV star) delivered an empowering and inspirational talk, sharing her path from a challenging and often brutal childhood to teacher, Ted X speaker, author and reality star. Through her own personal experiences Jaz shared a powerful message ‘because of you, this is me’, about how teachers are ‘every day heroes’ with the influence to change lives.
Feedback from Jaz’s talk has been incredibly positive with staff commenting how positive and uplifting she was. Comments we received after the event have included:
- “Jaz was fantastic, a brilliant speaker.”
- “A vibrant inspiring and authentic presenter.”
- “Guest speaker reminded me why I love what I do.”
- “Jaz’s whole presentation was truly inspiring.”
- “Jaz was an excellent and enjoyable speaker, she gave me a boost and reminded me of the importance of what we do.”
In the afternoon, Jaz led staff in some interactive activities, which allowed for staff to work alongside colleagues in similar roles from across the Trust, sharing ideas and building relationships.
The event was a success with many staff commenting positively about the event and the opportunity to meet their colleagues. Plans are in progress for the next staff event.
