Students at West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, are taking part in the 15th celebration of Sustrans #BigWalkAndWheel, the UK's largest inter-school walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge.  Sustrans is a UK based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. 

The challenge aims to inspire hundreds of thousands of students to get active on the school run and over a period of 10 days, schools record the number of students walking, scooting or cycling to school.  Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel inspires students to improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.

At West Exe School, they are using sports leaders to go around to tutors each day and record the numbers for how students got to school.  The school is going to award prizes for the tutor group with the highest number across the 10 days in each year group and a prize for the overall tutor leading the scoreboard across all five years.  As a school, West Exe is also competing against different schools from across the country.

Currently over two thousand schools are taking part across the country with 728, 953 children taking part, Sustrans has a live journey counter on their website, showing all the journeys that have been taken so far.  The challenge runs from the 11th to the 22nd of March.

According to Cycling UK, on average just 2.2% of children cycle to school and 35.4% are driven, they estimate that if just one child cycled to school instead of travelling by car for a year, it would save almost half a tonne in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to growing eight trees for a decade or charging 58,388 mobile phones.

Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

“I am so proud that we are taking part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel challenge. Over 200 children at West Exe cycle to the school everyday and we also have a very active staffing body, many of whom choose to beat the traffic and ride in daily. 

“ I am delighted that so many of our students make the choice to cycle in everyday and we will continue to support others to complete the training needed to feel safe and confident cycling to school.”

West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, welcomed members of the economics department from the University of Exeter to the school this month as part of a joint initiative from the university and the ‘Discover Economics’ programme.

Discover Economics is on a mission to increase the diversity of economics students. They aim to broaden the appeal of economics to potential students, change their perceptions of economics and economists and attract more students from under-represented groups (women, state school/further education college students and minoritised ethnic groups).

Budding economists and entrepreneurs taking GCSE Business Studies heard from three current Exeter university students who ran brilliant sessions looking at topics such as, what is gross domestic product and how your take home salary is affected at different income levels. Students were shocked at what their take-home salary would look like after they’ve paid their income tax and national insurance!

The group went on to look at the government's current budget deficit, and what approaches politicians could take to address this. They had a large debate about whether tax should be increased for top earners and what other ways more income could be brought into the UK.

The university students will be back again later this term to examine other careers in economics and answer questions.

Economics students at the University of Exeter cover a variety of topics including inflation, monopoly control, the study of developing economies and the finance of multinational companies. The University is in the top ten in the UK for economics.

Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

“I want to say a big thank you to the Exeter University students who took the time to come and discuss economics with our Business Studies class. It was great for them to be introduced to some new concepts and to have them start thinking about the wider applications of what they are studying.”

Debbie Du Preez, Economics lecturer and ‘Discover Economics’ lead at the University of Exeter said:

“It is a privilege for us to go into the local state schools and promote Economics to a diverse set of learners. We want to transform learner perceptions of what “Economics” actually is and show them just how accessible and rewarding a career in Economics can be.”

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust said:

“At the Ted Wragg Trust we are really keen to see organisations in our communities collaborate and this was a great example of how local educational institutions can work together for the benefit of all young people.”

West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, recently hosted their first inter-school chess competition with 9 of the school’s Year 8 students who attend a lunchtime Chess Club taking on their counterparts from Matford Brook.

There were a few nerves alongside a lot of excitement amongst the students who were proud to represent the school.  Both sets of students played some excellent chess over the course of the afternoon, with a lot of incredibly close games as students got to grips with the pressure of playing under timed conditions for the first time. 

The West Exe students ultimately won the majority of the games played, claiming an overall victory on the day!  Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon with students from both schools showing both a competitive spirit, as well as fantastic sportsmanship all round.

Texts referencing the origins of chess date from the start of the seventh century.  The game received a surge in popularity in recent years following the TV show The Queen’s Gambit which centres on a woman trying to become a chess champion.

 Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

"I am delighted that West Exe students won our very first inter-school chess tournament and want to offer everyone who took part a big congratulations!  Watching our Year 7s take such joy not just in their chess, but in hosting students from MBA was the highlight of my week.  I am incredibly proud of them all."

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust said:

“It was great to hear that West Exe has hosted this chess challenge and to see that so many students were excited to take part.  Many congratulations to the West Exe students for their victory.”

West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Trust, has been marking Children’s Mental Health Week this week.  Children’s Mental Health Week is a mental health awareness week that empowers, equips and gives a voice to all children and young people in the UK and runs this year from the 5th until the 11th of February.  Children's Mental Health Week was launched in 2015 and each year, hundreds of schools, children, parents and carers take part.  Now in its 10th year, the theme for 2024 is ‘My Voice Matters’.

Students at West Exe are supported with their mental health in a manner of ways;  the school has Student Wellbeing Ambassadors who have been trained by the NHS mental health support team and they provide ideas for events, advocate for positive student mental health and listen to students who share concerns with them.

The school also offers an elective programme on mindfulness, where coping skills are developed with students through psychoeducation, psychoeducation reduces stigma around mental health and improves overall wellbeing. 

As part of the mindfulness elective, West Exe students will be visiting local primary schools to share their healthy coping strategies with Year 6s through games, such as bingo.  The secondary students will also speak to Year 6 students about the importance of speaking openly about their feelings and emotions. 

 One student commenting on the mindfulness elective said:

 “I think it’s great that I can discuss how I’m feeling openly in a safe place where there is no judgement and I have learnt a lot about the reasons behind mental health conditions and how I can help myself in stressful situations.”

A debate on mindfulness in schools was actually held in Westminster Hall in Parliament this week, with Charlotte Nichols MP who led the debate stating that:

“Mindfulness programmes are becoming increasingly popular in schools and educational settings worldwide, with a growing quantitative evidence base emerging from research studies. Mindfulness in schools is about introducing children to skills as early as possible to support their lifelong wellbeing. It has benefits for educators, too, including stress regulation and reduction, increased self-compassion and teaching efficacy.”

The school is committed to promoting good mental health and is going to continue investing in this area, they have recently appointed a new Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead, Leanne York and she’ll be working with the Student Ambassadors to support and prioritise ideas that support good mental health and wellbeing across the community. 

Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

“At West Exe School, we recognise that good mental wellbeing can support students through day-to-day challenges, in relating to others, making healthy choices and developing into resilient young adults.  That is why we help students to create their own mental health toolbox during their school life, through learning and utilising healthy coping strategies to manage life challenges.” 

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust said:

“It’s been great to shine a light on the work our schools do on mental health this Children’s Mental Health Week.  I am so proud of West Exe for the pioneering actions they have taken to support the whole child when it comes to looking after the mental and emotional wellbeing of their students and of their student ambassadors for the role they play in supporting other children in primary schools in their communities.”

Pupils from six local primary schools have taken part in a tag rugby festival at West Exe School, part of the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust, thanks to the school’s Primary Sports Offer. 

The primary schools taking advantage of West Exe’s Primary Sports Offer are Alphington, Exwick Heights, Ide, Bowhill, St Gabriel’s and St Thomas.  Each school is invited to participate in six festivals across the school year, these involve a wide range of sports from cross country and multi skills to tag rugby.

Each school also takes part in a Year 6 Competitive sporting league in football and netball, with the Cowick Cats Netball Club delivering a free coaching session for all primary students involved.  All events are assisted by West Exe Sports Leaders who help plan, organise, and deliver each event.

On Monday, 29 January West Exe held their last week of the Year 6 Netball league.  They had teams from Alphington, Bowhill, Exwick Heights, St Gabriel’s and St Thomas, each school played each other over the course of 4 weeks and the league consisted of Year 6 students playing in a seven a side format.

Aside from the clear physical and mental benefits of taking part in sports, it is hoped that allowing the primary children to experience the surroundings and atmosphere of a secondary school will make the transition when leaving primary school easier. 

The Primary Sports Offer means that there is an opportunity for each primary student to visit West Exe for a sporting activity in each year of the primary education from Year 1-6, meaning they develop strong links and familiarity to the school, which is especially helpful for those joining them for their secondary education journey.

On Tuesday, 30 January, West Exe held a Gymnastics Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop at Bowhill.  Teachers from Bowhill and St Thomas took part in the session which was delivered by Lianne Johnson who is a gym specialist with extensive knowledge and expertise in gymnastics.  A West Exe student assisted with the session to very ably demonstrate the skills and supports needed.

Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

“I am so proud of our Primary Sports Offer here at West Exe, not only does it encourage children to try out new sports and form a positive relationship with exercise, it also helps them become comfortable in a secondary school environment."  

“Forging strong links with the other schools and teachers in our local community is very important to me and it’s brilliant to be able to offer them training sessions from some of our expert sports leaders.”

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust said:

“I am delighted that West Exe provides such a strong Primary Sports Offer, part of the Ted Wragg Trust mission is to make sure we benefit and strengthen our local communities, and this is an excellent example of that.”

Congratulations to Y9 student, Leo D-C, who recently represented WES at the Devon Schools Cross Country. A superb performance saw Leo finish fourth in the junior boys' race. Leo’s next race will be the South West Schools Cross Country in February but his fourth position means he automatically qualifies to represent Devon Schools (and WES) at the English Schools National Championships later this term in Pontefract! Well done, Leo! We are so proud of your performance, hard work and training! #BestExe #WestExeProud