The Leigh Academy Summer Newsletter 2019

THE LEIGH ACADEMY Summer 2019

THE LEIGH ACADEMY SUMMER EDITION 2019

NEWSLETTER

Letter from the Principal

Welcome to the summer edition of The Leigh Academy newsletter as we look back on the range of activities and events that have taken place through Modules 5 and 6. I am extremely proud to share with you that The Leigh Academy has become the first school in Calendar the U.K. to be awarded ‘The Healthy Minds’ kite mark, more details on page 4. Another highlight was The Leigh Academies Trust Sports Day, when The Leigh Academy retained it’s 15th August—A Level results position as the Champions for the 11th year in a row! Although we faced fierce competition, 22nd August—GCSE results particularly from two of the new academies to the Leigh Academies Trust, Sir Joseph Wil- liamson’s Mathematical School and The Hundred of Hoo Academy (pages 6&7). Congratula- 31st August—Year 7 & New Year tions to all participants! 12 students start Module 1

We have also held our REAL Awards evening, ‘Recognising Excellence At The Leigh’ at which 2nd September—Whole students from Years 7 to 10 received academic awards, League of Excellence awards, Academy returns for Module 1 awards for Readiness, Resilience, Relationships, Reflection and Responsibility, as well as 12th September—Year 6 Open many more (page 19). Evening

Our Year 11 and Year 13 students have also been challenged with a large number of GCSE, 19th September—Year 7,8 & 9 BTEC and A Level examinations, as well as our first cohort of students taking International Information Evening Baccalaureate (IB) diploma courses in Post-16. I am so proud to share that these results in 7 of the 9 IB subjects studied matched or exceeded the global average! Our students were 24th September—Years 10, 11 & well prepared for these examinations. So many were fully committed to attending all les- 12 Information Evening sons, working with dedication and in addition attending after school, Saturday and even 2nd October—Year 6 Open holiday revision sessions. I am sure that you would wish to join me in thanking all the staff Evening who devoted not only their working week, but also their weekends and holidays to provid- 16th October—Year 7 Parent ing additional support to our Leigh students and of course, well done to the students who Tutor Day, Years 11 &13 Parent worked so hard. We look forward to our results days in August. Teacher Day Year 13 students will be able to collect their results on Thursday 15th August from 9:30am. 18th October—Module 1 finishes Year 11 students may collect their results on Thursday 22nd August from 9:30am. Enrol- ment into our Post-16 will commence immediately after results are collected. Wishing our 4th November—Module 2 begins students all the very best of luck and the success they deserve!

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Letter from the Principal continued Contents

As an IB World School we have also had an IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) consultan- cy visit and were praised for the commitment from the staff for the delivery of the programme, and developing further our broad and balanced curriculum as we will now deliver this to Year 8 from September. Page 3— SLT Changes I would also like to thank parents and carers for your support this academic year. It is our Page 4—Healthy Minds Award partnership that enables every student to succeed and without your support that would not be possible. Pages 5-7—Sport

I wish you all a happy, restful summer break. I hope the lovely weather continues and I Page 8—Fundraising look forward to welcoming everyone back next year. Page 9—Justin Williams visit

All my best wishes Page 12—Junior Maths Challenge

Julia Collins, Principal Page 13—Story Box Challenge

Page 14—Visits

Page 15—Global Essay Competition

Page 17—Deaf Awareness Day

Pages 18-19 Student Achievements

Tata Young Expressions 2019

Congratulations must go to Arnav Sinha, Year 7, who has come second in the global creative writing competition run by Tata. Tata is a global enterprise group which operates in over 100 countries across six different continents, with a mission to ‘improve the quality of life of the communities they work in’.

This competition was about submitting a creative written piece about a‘superpower for a better world’. Arnav came up with an idea of a superhero called ‘Pixel Man’, an online superhero who could save people from online abuse, hacking and attacks.

A fantastic idea and a great achievement. Well done!

Lisa Bodle, Director of Learning, English Bromcom—My Child at School

A reminder that ‘My Child at School’ gives parents/carers a real-time view on assessment, timetable, rewards and consequences and other key data about your child.

The primary contact for each child has been emailed a user name and password to access the system at: https://www.mychildatschool.com

If you have any questions or issues in accessing the system, please contact [email protected]

Sarah Forde, Head of Chaucer College

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SLT Changes

As we approach the end of the end of the academic year, I would like to update you on some staffing adjustments that will take place from September 2019. The College Leadership Teams will be as follows: Brunel College

Head of College Mark Shepherd [email protected] Assistant Head of College Michael Williams [email protected] Student Services Manager Allieu Jalloh [email protected] College Administrator Janet Senior 01322 620507

Da Vinci College

Head of College Kevin Brewer [email protected] Assistant Head of College Matteo Stamato [email protected] Student Services Manager Sheena Turner [email protected] College Administrator Julie Howell 01322 620520

Darwin College

Head of College Stuart Lindars [email protected] Assistant Head of College Patrick Lonergan [email protected] Student Services Manager Donna Neve [email protected] College Administrator Michelle Tuck 01322 620508

Chaucer College Head of College Sarah Forde [email protected]

Assistant Head of College Matthew Piggott [email protected] Student Services Manager Louise Taylor [email protected] College Administrator Sandra Cockle 01322 620511

We are very fortunate at The Leigh Academy to have such a strong team of staff and senior leaders with a vast range of skills and experiences. This ensures that each child is fully supported to be academically successful and nurtured to become well-rounded young people fully prepared for life beyond The Leigh. Julia Collins, Principal

Healthy Minds Award

The Leigh Academy is one of the country's leading Healthy Minds schools. We have worked with Bounce Forward and The London School of Economics as a pioneer of this programme for the last 5 years. Healthy Minds is a curriculum aimed at developing resilience, social and emotional well-being as well as healthy habits, choices and relationships for our young people. Following successful training and implementation of the lessons, we at The Leigh Academy have seen an improvement in attendance, stronger relationships, and students provided with the strategies to make the right choices as well as supporting the mental health of students. On Wednesday 19th June we held an Open Day which was attended by over 25 educational professionals from across the UK, many of whom were from the Trust to showcase the programme as it is delivered here. Visitors were able to visit Healthy Minds lessons and speak with our students. Some of whom also participated in a Q&A session with our visitors and were great ambassadors for The Leigh Academy. We are delighted to be the first school in the UK to be presented with a Healthy Minds Award, in recognition of the ‘successful involvement in the Healthy Minds research project and demonstrating a commitment to the personal development of students’ from Lord Richard Layard from the London School of Economics. I would also like to say a special thank you to Mr Lindars, who is pas- sionate about this programme and ensuring that we support our students to become resilient, confident young people, equipping them with the tools to be successful in life at The Leigh and beyond. Julia Collins, Principal

District Cup Final—Years 8, 10 & 11

The Leigh Academy had one of it’s most successful footballing seasons on record this year, with the Year 12 football team reaching the Kent Cup Final earlier in the academic year. This was followed by the successes of the Year 8, 10 and 11 teams who all reached the Dartford and Gravesham cup finals. All three of the later cup finals were played on the Punjab United first team pitch and all were greeted with a large crowd of family and friends that came along to support. Unfortunately, the Year 10 and 11 teams just missed out on victory, but can still be proud of their hard work ethic and determination during both finals. The Year 8 team produced an exceptional performance in their final, winning 3-1 vs Meopham School. This is the second year running that this team have won the District Cup. Next season they will be aiming to keep up their winning record again, whilst also hoping to progress further in the prestigious Kent Cup competition. Andrew Pickett & Kirsty Marshall, Co-ordinators of Learning, PE

Accessible Parking

A polite reminder to all parents and carers. At The Leigh we have six disabled parking bays. These parking bays are distinguishable by the accessible parking sign. These parking bays are located close to the main academy entrance and are restricted to those who are a registered ‘Blue Badge’ holder. Those found parking in the bays without their Blue Badge will be asked to move. Thank you. Julia Collins, Principal

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Leigh Academies Trust Sports Day

On Monday 8th July 2019 the Leigh Academies Trust secondary sports day took place at Dartford Harriers athletics club for the 11th year. This was the first time that 12 academies had taken part, due to the addition of Hundred of Hoo, Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical Academy and Leigh Academy Blackheath this academic year, making the event even more competitive.

The athletes from the 12 academies that competed in this event already had a lot to be proud of, with success in their respective academy sports days which then resulted in qualification for this event. Each academy would compete in a series of sprints, long distance races, throws, jumps and relay races to see which school would be crowned Leigh Trust Champions for 2019. The high standard of performances were evident from the first event (1500m), with an outstanding individual performance from Oliver Horne (Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School). Oliver in year 9 ran an incredible time of 4 minutes 34 seconds to win and receive his gold medal, along with the Overall Outstanding Male award. His performance, accompanied by many more from his team mates, meant that Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School were victorious in the boy’s competition. The Leigh Academy were triumphant in the female competition, helped by wins from Freya Burns, Abbi Chambers, Charlotte Earle and Naomi Osivaya. The Leigh Academy also finished 1st in the overall standings, with a new member of the Leigh Trust, Hundred of Hoo finishing closely in second place.

Milestone Academy also took part and due to the consistent training and exemplary attitudes that they displayed on the day, also performed extremely well. Please see the girl’s results, boys result and final standings on the next page.

The Leigh Academy 2019 winners of the Leigh Academies Trust Sports Day

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Leigh Academies Trust Sports Day

Girls standings Boys standings

1st Leigh Academy 353 points 1st Sir Joseph Williamson’s 359 points

2nd Hundred of Hoo 299 points 2nd Leigh Academy 306 points

3rd Wilmington Academy 275 points 3rd Halley Academy 256 points

4th Mascalls Academy 269 points 4th Hundred of Hoo 251 points

5th Halley Academy 263 points 5th Mascalls Academy 233 points

6th Strood Academy 255 points 6th Strood Academy 227 points

7th Longfield Academy 231 points 7th Wilmington Academy 207 points

8th Stationers Crown Woods 213 points (no year 10’s) 8th Stationers Crown Woods 184 points (no year 10’s)

10th Leigh UTC 73 points (only year 7 and 10) 10th Leigh UTC 119 points (only year 7 and 10)

11th Leigh Academy Blackheath 54 points (only year 7 school) 11th Leigh Academy Blackheath 47 points (only year 7 school)

Overall standings

1st Leigh Academy 659 points

2nd Hundred of Hoo 550 points

3rd Halley Academy 519 points

4th Mascalls Academy 502 points

5th Strood Academy 482 points

6th Wilmington Academy 482 points

7th Longfield Academy 414 points

8th Stationers Crown Woods 397 points (no year 10’s)

9th Sir Joseph Williamson’s 359 points (boys only)

10th Leigh UTC 192 points (only year 7 and 10)

11th Leigh Academy Blackheath 101 points (only year 7 school)

Team Captains

Mitchel Rose, Year 9 & Jasmine Irving, Year 8,

Andrew Pickett & Kirsty Marshall, Co-ordinators of Learning, PE

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Olivia Williams—Fundraiser Extraordinaire!

Why did you decide to raise money for Ellenor Hospice?

Last year, my Dad died. After he died, staff from Ellenor Hospice supported my family. They took me and my siblings on days out, gave us Easter eggs and were really supportive of us all. They even gave my 7-year old sister counselling sessions. So, I decided I wanted to do something to say thank you to the staff and raise money for them on the anniversary of my Dad’s death.

What did you do in school to raise money and how much did you raise?

In May, I organised a cake sale and a raffle. My Aunt made all of the cakes, including the big cakes that we raffled and the cupcakes that we sold. My friends all helped me to run the stall and sell raffle tickets. We sold nearly all of the 200 cupcakes we had made. Lots of people made extra donations, as well as buying a cake, and some just made the donation. One student even offered a ten pound note for the two cakes he was buying, insisting we keep the change as a donation, which was typical of how generous everyone was. All in all, we made £316.20 on the day.

What else did you then do as part of your thank you?

On the following Monday, I went to Headcorn to complete a skydive for Ellenor Hospice. It was supposed to have happened on the Saturday but the hailstones that fell that day meant it had to be postponed. Walking out to the plane, I felt so nervous. I had to sit on the lap of the instructor with whom I was jumping and it was really crowded on the plane, as so many people were completing skydives that day. I was the only one doing it for charity. I was the youngest person jumping too. As the plane climbed to jump alti- tude, I became really excited to jump. I could see the altimeter going up, telling me we were getting nearer to the 12,000 feet from which we would be jumping. I thought other people were going to be jumping before me but my instructor insisted we were going first, which made me pretty scared! When it was time to jump, we shuffled forward, with the instructor sitting in the plane’s door- way and me leaning out into the air, attached by a harness. I couldn’t look down! He began rocking forward, which signalled it was time to jump. On the third rock forward, we went! I kept my eyes open, concentrating on my breathing, because my instinct was to hold my breath as we fell. I was screaming as we fell through the sky but I was also feeling pretty scared, as we were falling through cloud and I couldn’t see the ground. I was just hoping we wouldn’t leave the cloud and hit the ground straight away! That freefall felt like it went on for ages. Just as we left the clouds, the parachute opened and my body was jolted. A huge gust of wind hit us as the chute opened, which wasn’t supposed to happen, so we were blown off course and the instructor had to steer us back towards the drop zone. Flying down with the parachute was much slower but much more peaceful. The instructor gave me control of the steering handles, so I steered us towards our target, as he pointed out all the places we could see as we descended. As we prepared to land, I brought my legs up to be in a sitting position and gripped them into the landing position. I really concentrated at that point, so I didn’t land badly and break my legs. My instructor took most of the impact of hitting the ground and it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. My legs had gone to jelly, so it felt like my legs weren’t working properly back on the ground, but my instructor wanted to take photos straight away. I felt elated for completing the skydive and felt proud of myself. I also felt that my Dad would have been proud of me, too, and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, especially after so many people had sponsored me to do the jump. In fact, to date, I’ve raised £2,200.00 for Ellenor Hospice, through the skydive alone.

How do you feel now it’s all over? Would you recommend this as a good way to raise money for a charity you care about?

I feel great. Not only has the charity benefited hugely but I have faced a challenge that has made me feel like I’ve taken a massive personal leap forward.

So far, Olivia has raised over £2500.00 for Ellenor Hospice. If you would like to make a donation, visit her JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/olivia-williams17

Olivia Williams, Year 12 student

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Justin Williams visit

On 26th April, Justin Webb - veteran BBC journalist and presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 - visited The Leigh Academy to speak to Post-16 students about his career as a journalist, as well as sharing some valuable lessons for life. The visit was arranged by Speakers for Schools, the national charity that matches inspirational guest speakers with state schools. The academy had previously hosted visits from Sir Stephen Laws, the top civil servant who had created the Student Loan Scheme, and Professor April McMahon from the University of Kent. Visiting speakers usually present for 30 minutes and then take questions from students for 30 minutes but Justin kindly and generously gave significantly more time to our assembled Post-16 students. Justin had joined the BBC as a trainee journalist, straight from university, but he was able to explain to students that the BBC no longer requires a degree from their trainee journalists, often preferring to talent- spot trainees from school leavers at age 18. He emphasised that the BBC look for writing ability and a demonstrable interest in current events, as well as the creative and technological skills required in the digital age of journalism. He spoke at length about his experiences, covering conflicts and wars across the globe, events in Washington DC during his lengthy stint as the BBC’s US correspondent and his most recent deployment, anchoring the Today Programme, which is the most-listened-to news programme on UK radio. He told a rapt audience what it was like to report in active war zones, to meet world leaders like President Obama and to speak to members of the UK government in his radio studio. It was a sign of how well-received his talk was that, as soon as the floor opened up for questions, hands flew up with questions about journalism as a career, as well as his specific career journey. When his hour was up, well over thirty students chose to stay to speak to him one to one and he kindly stayed to speak to everyone, including Year 12 student, Louise Manley (pictured below with Justin), who aspires to become a war correspondent one day. Speakers for Schools visits, such as this, form a vital link between students and the real world of work or university study and prove inspirational and informative. Justin’s visit set a new standard, however, and will remain with the 240 students he spoke to for a long while to come. We thank him for his time, his enthusiasm and his ongoing contact with the academy.

Lee Forcella-Burton, Director of Post-16

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Mobile Phone Policy

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Mobile Phone Policy

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UK Junior Maths Challenge

On Tuesday 30th April, a record number of 68 Year 7 & 8 students were en- tered for the UK Junior Mathematical Challenge competition. These students were chosen by their maths teachers from all four colleges.

The students were required to sit in examination conditions for 1 hour and answer some very challenging and interesting problem solving questions that required them to really concentrate!

The use of calculators and measuring instruments were forbidden. So, how did our students do? Well… the results are in!

We had the following certificates awarded in the following categories:

Category Name of student Year Group

Best in school Arnav Sinha 7

Best in year Arnav Sinha 7

Samyog Karki 8

Bronze Award Arnav Sinha 7

Myah Andrews 7

Reece Sobey 7

Majus Kratavicius 8

Isabella Davies 8

Benjamin Haigh 8

Samyog Karki 8

It is very important to note that the Junior Mathematical Challenge is a tough competition and all 68 participants conducted themselves in a very positive and responsible manner. Very well done for accepting the challenge and taking part in the day!

Congratulations on all of your hard work and your achievements. You have made yourselves, your parents/carers and The Leigh staff proud.

We are hoping to produce even better results next year. Jessica Neilson, Maths

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Story Box Challenge

March saw the annual World Book Day celebrations and The Winning entries: to connect it to our literary strategy, we decided to run Year 7 a competition called ‘The Story Box Challenge’. Tutor Despite fantastic boxes from Miss Blackamore’s tutor group , groups from years 7 to 10 were invited to submit a box Chaucer 2, the overall winner was Mrs Chidgey and her tutor which contained a recreation of a scene from a book or group Brunel 2, with their entry ‘Northern Lights’. story that they enjoyed.

Miss Blackamore and I had the daunting task of choos-

ing the winning entries. This took longer than we had anticipated as there were so many fantastic entries, covering all types of books from ‘The Very Hungry Cat- erpillar’ to ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ as

well as several interpretations of ‘Charlie and the Choc- olate Factory’.

The three categories were: Year 7, Years 8 to 10 and Overall Academy Prize. The winner in each category Years 8 to 10 won a pizza and cookie party for their tutor group and The winners in this category were Miss Stroud’s tutor group, all entrants received reward points for taking part. Chaucer 9, with their interpretation of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. I must give a special mention to Mr It was a fabulous challenge for students and so nice to Crouch’s tutor group, for the sheer scale of their box as well as see them work collaboratively and independently. The Mrs Smith’s group for their original take on ‘Charlie and the healthy competition between tutors and students was a lot of fun and the English department were pleased to Chocolate Factory’. see the wide range of books being read around the Academy.

Overall Academy Prize

This category was created because we had so many entries of such a high standard. We looked at the originality, creativity and overall quality to help us reach our decision and had to announce a tie. Turing class for ‘Lucy’s Journey’ (Narnia) and Anning class for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Both Julie Moss, Literacy Co-ordinator classes are from the Milestone Academy based at The Leigh. Both classes planned their boxes in detail, with outstanding results.

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Photography visit

As part of the Key Stage 4 Photography course, students are required to produce photographs from their local area. The year 9 Photography students went on an investigative visit to Dartford to help with this. Even though many of them live in and around Dartford, students were surprised at the amount of interesting objects that were available for them to photograph.

This trip included visits to Brooklands Lake, the River Darent, Central Park, the Skate Park and Holy Trinity Church. The church was amazing with its ornate ceilings and brass memorial plaques. This venue allowed students to use their photographic skills such as aspect ratio and exposure. These students will now be able to use their photographs for their classwork and coursework during this module. Rachael Blackledge, Art

Cantabria visit

The Modern Foreign Languages Learning Areas from both The Leigh Academy and Wilmington Academy took 35 students to

Cantabria, Spain for five days during Module 6. It was an early start at Stansted Airport for our 2:30a.m. flight!

The days consisted of a variety of activities and tasks to test the Spanish skills of the students. Students put their speaking skills to the test when visiting the beautiful historical town of Santillana del Mar, where students communicated ordering food and drinks at the different restaurants. The next four days were spent visiting many different sites such as the ‘El Soplao’ Caves, a natural wildlife park called Cabarceno and Picos de Europa where we took the Fuente De Cable car to the top of the 1823 metre mountain. On the last day we visited the famous Guggenheim Museum. The students had an amazing time as they experienced Spanish culture and made new friends.

Thanks must go to all staff from both academies, especially

Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Bravo, Mr. McConville and Ms. Picazo. Elisa Picazo, Modern Foreign Languages

Car park safety

I would like to remind you about safety in the academy car park.

There is a speed limit of 5 miles per hour in the car park and the flow of traffic is one way. These two points are to ensure everyone’s safety.

It is all parent’s/carer’s responsibility to drive carefully and safely within these guidelines whilst on site.

Unfortunately, of late there have been occasions when safe and courteous driving has not taken place, which puts students and staff at risk.

You will have noticed that ‘speed bumps’ have been placed in the car park and I ask for your co-operation in driving safely and considerately.

If parents/carers cannot follow these simple guidelines, then I will have to reconsider parents/carers driving onto The Leigh Academy site at the start and end of the day.

Thank you in advance for your support in keeping our staff and children safe. Julia Collins, Principal

Global Essay Competition

Year 12 student, Anna Forcella-Burton, receives a commended entry award in a global essay writing competition

Earlier this year, The New College of the Humanities in London asked for entries from any Year 12 students around the world, following the UK curriculum, to enter their global essay writing competition, choosing one of two essay titles from subjects including History, Politics, Philosophy and Ethics. The university received over 3,600 entries from around the world, mainly from privately educated students and UK grammar school students.

Anna—an IBCP student who studies Global Politics as part of her programme—selected to write a Politics essay on how to increase voter turnout in elections. She was chosen as a commended runner up and was invited to attend a reception at the university’s head- quarters in central London, where she received her prize and recognition for her achievement.

Well done, Anna! Lee Forcella-Burton, Director of Post-16

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Careers

Here at the Leigh Academy, we pride ourselves in providing a comprehensive careers programme for all students. We do this in accordance with the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks that define the best careers provisions for schools and colleges. By doing this we are able to provide a strong careers guidance programme that is built around the student. Further information regarding our careers offer can be found here (2018-19) http://leighacademy.org.uk/careers/

As a reminder to both parents/carers and students, details of when meetings take place, please see the information below;

Career Guidance Meetings

 Career Guidance meetings take place every Thursday from 9a.m. to 2p.m.

 Selected meetings are currently taking place for Year 10. These will continue into the next academic year.

 Post-16 career drop-ins from 2p.m. to 3p.m.

 If you would like a career guidance meeting, please see Mr Lonergan, Mr Williams or Mr Forcella-Burton to arrange.

Career events that have taken place during Module 6;

 14th June: Sevenoaks Higher Education Event for selected Year 10 students (please see article for specific details)

 24th June: Year 12 IBCP visit to Canterbury Christ Church University.

 11th July: Year 10 Careers Convention at Longfield Academy.

 17th July: Year 7 Build a University Workshop—Kent University Outreach.

 Post-16 focus in tutor time on researching and selecting Post-18 destinations (university, employment or apprenticeships) Patrick Lonergan, in charge of careers at The Leigh Academy Romeo & Juliet

The Year 9 cohort are currently studying Romeo & Juliet, the famous love tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s use of poetic dramatic structure, switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, his expansion of minor characters and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story can be difficult for some students to understand. To overcome this, the English Learning Area have been helping students ‘deconstruct’ the play and then ‘transform’ the sonnets into memorable events to help secure their learning. A fantastic alternative to just reading the play I am sure you would agree.

Lisa Bodle, Director of Learning, English

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Deaf Awareness Day

The Leigh Academy opened its doors to Fleetdown Primary school to jointly raise deaf-awareness. Eleven deaf and hearing impaired students aged 4 to 10 years old visited The Leigh for the day. The theme of the day was a teddy bears’ picnic and all the students were encouraged to bring in a bear. First we had story time (which was signed and spoken) on picnic blankets in the library. There were also worksheets which could be chosen, including build your own bear. Our own Leigh students from the Hearing Impaired Specialist Resource Provision and British Sign Language learners were also involved with the day. After that the students took their bears to the field where they took photos of the teddy bears picnic. Students used iPads and took their own photos which will be sent to Fleetdown to remember the day. After lunch the students then had special guest speakers from Sign Health also known as Deaf Hope, which discussed deaf identity with the students through an interactive workshop in the Lecture Theatre. This was done through sign and oral. It was a lovely day for the students to develop friendships and their deaf identity. Thank you in particular to Mrs Khaira for her support through the day and all the staff from Fleetdown.

Kathryn Matthews, Trainee Teacher of the Deaf

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League of Excellence

Throughout Modules 5 and 6, students have been competing to collect their final reward points to enable them to have the greatest choice of Rewards Trips at the end of Module 6. The following students should be congratulated for reaching the top of the League of Excellence in Module 5;

Brunel Chaucer Artur Baran, Year 9 Trinity Yaxley, Year 8 Abigail Afrifah, Year 7 Leah Povey, Year 8 Callum Morford, Year 7 Jodie Moyse, Year 7

Da Vinci Darwin Tesha Halm, Year 7 Kajetan Cieslak, Year 7 Bella Todd, Year 7 Joshua Payne, Year 8 Aaron Archibald, Year 7 Amber Walford, Year 7

They were also rewarded with a hot chocolate and cake with the Principal, where everyone talked about their successful year and their plans for the year ahead.

Julia Collins, Principal

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REAL Awards

During Module 6 we held our annual awards evening, Recognising Excellence At the Leigh (REAL Awards). As always it was a popular event with over 200 guests. The 74 awards on the night ranged from Key Stage 3 and 4 subject awards, The 5 R’s, Sports Personality, Head of College and the prestigious Principal Award, which was won by Hasan Kaso this year for overcoming adversities in order to reach excellence.

The guest speaker this year was Paula Kerr, who is the founder of ‘Fitter Stronger’ and who also delivers the ‘Recharge’ programme here at The Leigh. The Recharge programme is designed for teenagers and young people, to assist them in setting achievable goals and to offer coping strategies for stress, enabling them to become more effective in school and resilient against difficulty, whether this is physical or mental trauma from outside school or coping with exams and peer pressure. We believe these elements breed confidence and an ability to look beyond current difficulty, to a healthy, positive future.

A huge congratulations must go to all our winners on the evening who we are very proud of and to staff for all their hard work to ensure the night was a success.

Matteo Stamato, Assistant Head of College

Principal’s Award winner, Hasan Kaso

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Reward Trips

Students in years 7, 8 and 9 were able to choose an end of year Reward Trip based on the number of reward points that they had earned through the year. Students could choose from days out at:

 Thorpe Park

 Panic Rooms

 Southend Adventure Island

 Cinema

 Bowling

 On-site activities Everyone had a great day, which is epitomised in this photo of Marcus Shadare, year 8 Da Vinci, who was the Champion Bowler this year, even beating the teachers!

Julia Collins, Principal

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Goodbyes and welcome to new staff

At this time of year we say goodbye to Mr Bacak, Ms Asante and Ms Fantham. We thank them for their years of service to The Leigh and wish them every success in the future. We also welcomed

 Mr Craig Goddard, Director of Learning, Science

 Ms Nazima Farukh, Geography

 Ms Juliana Okumangene, Health & Social Care

 Mr Samuel Buraimoh, Maths

 Ms Aimee Miller, English this module, all of whom have settled in to The Leigh team already.

We look forward to

 Mr Anthony Matthews, ICT

 Mr John Cutler, Media & English

 Mr Adam Hart, Business Studies

 Mr Amir Ramic, Business Studies

 Ms Andrea Binks, Drama & Dance

joining us in September.

Julia Collins, Principal