Ted Wragg Trust

25/09/2026

🌟 National Teaching Assistant Day 🌟

Today, we're celebrating the incredible Teaching Assistants across our family of schools who support, encourage and inspire children every single day.

Whether it's helping a child build confidence, overcome challenges, develop new skills or simply feel safe and valued, Teaching Assistants play a vital role in helping young people thrive.

Across our family of schools, we're proud to invest in our Teaching Assistants through opportunities such as our Specialist Level 5 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship, delivered in partnership with Exeter College. The programme helps colleagues further develop their expertise and strengthen the support they provide to children and young people, particularly those with additional needs.

Earlier this year, our commitment to developing colleagues was recognised when we were named Large Employer of the Year at the Exeter Apprentices & Employer Awards 2026. The award recognised our work in creating opportunities for staff to learn, grow and flourish in their careers.

During National Thank a Teacher Day 2026, families shared hundreds of messages of appreciation for school staff. Here are just a few of the words written about Teaching Assistants across our schools:
💙"You are a marvellous TA who goes above and beyond to make sure children feel safe, looked after and reach their full learning potential."
💙"The way you support and nurture the children never goes unnoticed."
💙"You have helped him in ways no thank you card will ever put into words."

To every Teaching Assistant across our Trust, thank you. Your care, patience, expertise and dedication make a lasting difference to children's lives every day. 👏



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

24/09/2026

📚✨ Every child has a story to tell... and BBC 500 Words is back! ✨📚

We're encouraging children across our family of schools to get creative and take part in the UK's biggest children's story-writing competition, BBC 500 Words. The competition is open to children aged 5-11, with stories of 500 words or fewer. Spelling, punctuation and grammar aren't judged. It's all about imagination, originality and the joy of storytelling.

There are fantastic prizes up for grabs, including illustrated versions of the winning stories, National Book Tokens and a special BBC 500 Words winners' book. Even better, the schools of the gold-winning writers will receive 500 books for their school library.

Whether your story is funny, mysterious, magical or completely bonkers, we'd love to see our young writers getting involved.

Find resources to help inspire children here and get involved at bbc.co.uk/500words


Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

22/09/2026

✨ It's time to meet the sponsors of the Ted Wragg Awards 2026 ✨

Every year, the Ted Wragg Awards shine a spotlight on the students and staff who go above and beyond across our Trust. From inspiring leaders and outstanding teachers to unsung heroes and amazing teams, these awards celebrate the people making a difference every single day.

A huge thank you to our main event sponsors Exeter College, alongside this year's category sponsors:

🏆 Student of the Year – Exeter College
🏆 Teacher of the Year – Cornwall College
🏆 Co-Professional of the Year – SoftCat
🏆 Student Teamwork Award – City College Plymouth
🏆 Staff Teamwork Award – South West Metal Finishing
🏆 Inspirational Leader – Sparx Maths
🏆 Student Community Leadership – Design Foundry MEP Ltd
🏆 Unsung Hero Award – PHP LAW
🏆 Strengthening Communities Award – Plymouth Citybus

We can't wait to celebrate another year of exceptional achievements, dedication and impact across our Trust. 🌟



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

21/09/2026

💻✨ National Coding Week 2026 ✨💻

This National Coding Week, we're celebrating the many ways children and young people across our family of schools are developing the digital skills they'll need for the future.

At Cranbrook Education Campus, Year 10 Computer Science students took on an exciting challenge with Evo, using AI, creativity and teamwork to design and pitch new footwear concepts for Clarks. 👟🤖

Meanwhile, students at St Luke's C of E School Exeter explored the world of digital enterprise and innovation through a hands-on workshop with Evo Academy, discovering how technology can be used to solve problems, develop ideas and open doors to future careers.

From coding and computational thinking to artificial intelligence, digital design and entrepreneurship, we're proud to see students across our schools embracing technology with confidence and creativity.

The digital world is changing rapidly, and we're committed to helping every child develop the skills, curiosity and resilience they'll need to thrive in it. 🌍💙



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

18/09/2026

Youth Mental Health Day 💚

Today we're celebrating the everyday actions of our students and colleagues who help make our schools caring places and support young people’s wellbeing all year round.

There is so much positive work to share including:

💚 Therapy dog Missy providing comfort, companionship and support to pupils at Isca Academy
💚 Student Mental Health Ambassadors at West Exe School, trained by the NHS Mental Health Support Team to provide peer support during breaktimes
💚 Students across our schools developing the confidence and skills to understand and talk about their emotions through our work with RULER, helping them support both themselves and those around them.
💚 Marine Academy Primary being recognised as a Compassionate School for embedding kindness, empathy and support throughout its school community, helping children develop understanding and compassion for others.

We know there is always more we can do, and we’re proud that more than half of our schools have already achieved the Mental Health Charter Mark, reflecting our ongoing commitment to creating environments where wellbeing matters.



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

15/09/2026

Huge congratulations to our All Saints Academy Plymouth team coming 1st and 2nd place in the Dunsfold Circuit over the weekend!🎉

14/09/2026

Everyone deserves to belong 💙

This National Inclusion Week, we're celebrating the many ways our schools work to ensure every child feels welcomed, valued and supported.

At the Ted Wragg Trust, we believe children thrive when they feel safe, connected and part of their school community. That's why inclusion sits at the heart of everything we do, helping every child develop the confidence, wellbeing and opportunities they need to succeed.

How do we do this?

💙 Our schools are embedding RULER, a leading social and emotional learning approach developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, helping children develop emotional literacy, build empathy and strengthen relationships so that every child feels seen, heard and valued.

💙 We are working with Boys’ Impact to listen more closely to boys’ experiences of school and identify the inclusive practices that help them feel they belong, engage and thrive.

💙 Over the past two years, we have opened 11 new inclusion bases across Devon, and this month we opened a new specialist base, helping more children access the personalised support they need to succeed while maintaining a strong sense of belonging within their school community.

But perhaps the most powerful evidence comes from our children themselves:
💬 "I like that everyone is respected here and everyone is welcome. It is like a family where everyone looks after each other."

💬 "Diversity and acceptance of the various different backgrounds, ethnicities and opinions of students makes them feel valued and accepted within the wider school community."

We're incredibly proud of the dedication shown by colleagues across our family of schools every day to help children feel that they belong, their voices matter and they have every opportunity to flourish.



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

10/09/2026

🌟 A warm welcome to our newest colleagues! 🌟

This week, we were delighted to welcome new staff from across our family of schools at induction events in Exeter and Plymouth.

Whether they're working in classrooms, school offices, catering teams, estates, pastoral support or leadership roles, every colleague plays an important part in helping children and young people thrive.

By bringing new colleagues together, we're helping them feel supported, connected and ready to make a positive difference from day one.

We're proud to be growing our team with talented people who share our commitment to improving life chances for children and young people across our communities.

Welcome to Team Ted Wragg. We're so pleased you've joined us! 💙



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary

09/09/2026

💙 A fantastic milestone for Matford Brook Academy.

Following its first ever Ofsted inspection, the School has achieved the Expected Standard across all seven inspection areas, recognising the strong foundations, ambition and sense of belonging that have been built over the last three years.

Congratulations to pupils, colleagues, families, governors and everyone who has played a part in this achievement. 👏

🎉 We're delighted to share our positive Ofsted report! 🎉

Following our first ever Ofsted inspection, Matford Brook Academy achieved the Expected Standard across all seven inspection areas. As a new and growing school, we're incredibly proud that our first inspection recognised the strong foundations, culture and ambition that have been established over the last three years. 🏫✨

Inspectors recognised the strong sense of belonging at the heart of our school, noting that pupils "feel a sense of belonging to the school" and "feel known as individuals".

They also highlighted our:

✅ Effective teaching and positive relationships
✅ Ambitious and carefully planned curriculum
✅ Commitment to inclusion and helping every child succeed
✅ Breadth of opportunities available through our Discovery Programme
✅ Values of scholarship and kindness

This is a wonderful reflection of our incredible pupils, dedicated staff, supportive families, governors and colleagues across the Ted Wragg Trust. Thank you to everyone who has helped shape our story so far. 💙

As a growing school, we're proud of this important milestone in our journey and excited for the next chapter as we continue to help every child thrive and write their own story. 📖

🔗 Read the full report
https://www.matfordbrook.academy/_site/data/files/files/6BB0577D70C5B39B21BFD7B7C7EE63C9.pdf

09/09/2026

Year 6 Families: Have You Booked Your Open Events Yet?

With secondary school applications now open, it's time to start exploring your options for September 2027.

Our secondary school open events give families the chance to tour the school, meet students and staff, learn about opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, and ask questions.

If your child is in Year 6, we'd love to welcome you into our schools this autumn.

Find open event dates across our schools here👉 https://www.tedwraggtrust.co.uk/school-open-events



Whipton Barton Federation | West Exe School | St James Exeter | Isca Academy | All Saints Academy Plymouth | Marine Academy Primary | Cranbrook Education Campus | Queen Elizabeth's School | St Luke's C of E School Exeter | Tor Bridge High | Lipson Co-operative Academy | Exwick Heights Primary School | Honiton Community College | Sidmouth College | Matford Brook Academy | South West Teacher Training | Ted Wragg Speech & Language Team | Exmouth Community College | Marine Academy Secondary