NEARLY 200 teachers and school staff from every primary school in the Rother Valley joined together for an inspirational conference about learning and inclusion.

The event was held at Easebourne Primary School, organised by headteachers of Hollycombe, Rake, Rogate, Fittleworth and Easebourne schools.

The day was entitled “Strictly Ready to Learn” and keynote speakers were Robin Windsor and Anya Garnis from the BBC’s Saturday night ratings topper Strictly Come Dancing.

The couple took to the floor to perform a rumba and samba before getting every adult in the room on their feet to learn a quick routine.

Robin and Anya spoke passionately about their own learning experiences and how they had successfully adopted teaching methods to suit the different learning styles of their celebrity contestants.

This was followed by Julie Burnett-Kirk, co-ordinator of the Rother Valley Inclusion Hub, who gave a fascinating overview of the exciting new virtual Hub and how schools and parents can make the best use of the services and information on offer.

Rake Primary School headteacher David Bertwhistle said: “Our mission was to ensure that all children regardless of their background or individual needs are Strictly Ready to Learn.

“We set out to explore the barriers to learning that our children experience and work together to make learning better for everyone.”

The rest of the day included a series of workshops put on by volunteers from a range of sectors on aspects of inclusion, sleep, healthy eating, self-esteem and lego therapy.

For more details about the project, visit rvhub.org.uk.