What a fantastic way to kick off Day One with our South West Teacher Training Cohort of 2026!

We were thrilled to welcome none other than Simon Weir, Trust leader for Inclusion and a school culture expert in positive behaviour management, as our opening keynote speaker.

Simon’s session has become a valued tradition—setting the tone not just for the start of the course, but for the teaching journeys of our trainees well into their careers.

A key takeaway that resonated with this year’s cohort was the powerful reminder: “We are the weather”—a reflection on how teachers set the tone and culture in their classrooms to help every child thrive.

As part of our session, we scripted key phrases and actions to support warm, intentional interactions—before moving into deliberate practice focused on intercepting a teenager who hasn’t had the best day. As you can imagine, there was plenty of laughter as we brought these scenarios to life!

Thank you again, Simon, for your inspiration. We look forward to welcoming you back in December to reflect on our first autumn term together.