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Bedford Highlights Academy News and Views from Bedford Academy Spring 2019 Bake-Off WINNERS See page 05 Inside this issue: • Head of Year profiles • Cambridge University • National Careers Week & National Page 03 Shadowing Experience Page 11 Apprenticeships Week Page 15 Welcome A message from Bedford Academy Head Teacher, Mr Deller. As the Easter break is nearly with us, now is a great time to reflect on some of the successes of the last term. Our Newsletter provides an opportunity to do just this and I hope you find the articles included give you a real flavour of what it is like to be part of the Bedford Academy community. We are delighted to announce that we achieved the Natonal Careers quality mark, the first school in the country to achieve this status with the new benchmarks. We are very proud of the careers offer we have at Bedford Academy and are now looking to forward-plan so that this quality provision can drip feed into our feeder schools. Enrichment and intervention for GCSE subjects has been a hot topic for Year 10 and 11 students this last term, with staff encouraging students to attend as many sessions as possible before GCSEs begin in early May. Sessions running before, during and after the school day continue to add massive value for students and staff and we will continue to offer these during the ‘final push’ period from now until exams end in June. You will notice a Head of Year feature on the next page, we have included this as I feel it is vital that our pastoral team are highlighted and known by parents and carers, as so many of you will have dealings with them over the next few years. Our Year system now runs in such a way that Heads of Year stay with their Year groups throughout their time at the school. An effective and open relationship between these key staff, parents and students is essential to success. The staff team have been taking part in some forward planning sessions for the next Academic year. We have looked at the structure of the school day, the current quality of teaching and learning and the ever increasing profile of mobile phones in our school community. I will have some significant new information to share with parents over the next few months, relating to changes that will improve the school for the community it serves. All of these changes will be announced appropriately in due course and have been carefully considered by myself, the senior team and the staff. Happy reading and I hope to see you in and around the BA site in the near future. Mr Deller, Head Teacher Counselling at BA Every Monday we have a counselling service run by Angela Lawn, from Bedford Open Door. As a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) she has experience of working with a range of different issues. Counselling is a chance for students to talk • Confusion of sexuality or gender in confidence about anything that may be • Difficulty making decisions worrying them. You won’t get advice or • Difficulties with drugs or be told what to do but the counsellor will alcohol abuse give you time to explore your feelings and • Thoughts about harming help you to find a way of working through themselves difficulties and problems. Counselling provides • Problems with family and a chance for you to work towards finding relationships your strengths and live in a happier way. If, as a student, you would like help, Things you might want to talk about: please email: • Loneliness, anxiety and depression [email protected] • Just a feeling that things could be better and we will set up an appointment for • Eating disorders you. If you feel that you would rather • Bereavement talk to someone else outside of school • Lack of confidence and there are other places you can contact, social skills see posters for more information. 02 Highlights - Spring 2019 News Head of Year Profiles Abby Jordan – Carly Tarrant – Head of Year 7 Head of Year 9 Stuart Hoare – As Head of Year 7, my A typical day for me Head of Year 11 / role is to deal with the involves greeting KS4 Coordinator day-to-day needs of students in the morning, The role of Head of Year students in my year encouraging them to 11 is one of balancing group including pastoral get into form, dealing panic and promoting welfare, behaviour with any behavioural positive action. As we concerns and academic issues, speaking to approach the end of our support. I also work students one-on-one, students’ compulsory alongside external teaching PE and Child education there is a agencies who may be Development lessons moment for every able to support the and speaking to parents. student, we call it the young people at Bedford Academy, as well as their My responsibilities stretch from ensuring my year ‘Penny- drop moment’. It is where the seriousness families. Year 7 is an exciting but often scary time group are safe, happy and prepared for a day of of the impending GCSE’s and end of compulsory for students as they transition from their Primary learning to meeting parents, applying sanctions and education is felt by everyone. Recognising this is vital schools up to the Secondary setting. My job is to supporting tutors. Year 9 is a tough year where for us to reward positive action and engagement as prepare them for the next 5 years in secondary students are becoming mature young adults having well as intervene if we need to. school by building resilience, respect and strong work to cope with the stress and strain of Year 11 exams For the students this is where we have a positive ethic amongst the students before they move up to at 14 years old. Every day is different at school and drive into the exams. My role is to support the Year 8. I am learning constantly. I am looking forward to development of all students, firstly to be ready for The second part of my role is working with the seeing how Year 9 develop into adults and progress their exams and secondly to have the tools and feeder primary schools to provide transition support through their years at Bedford Academy with me tactics to ensure they are prepared for this. for students in Year 6. This includes leading assemblies as their Head of Year. The fantastic benefit of seeing Preparation involves understanding the working at the schools, meeting with students who may my year group through to the end of their School memory and individual learning styles and needs so require more support and discussing the needs of the career means that I get to understand their individual each student can be ready for their exams. needs and get to know them and their families on new cohort with the staff in the primaries. I remain as We support each student through additional directed the Head of Year 7 each year to ensure consistency in a personal level so that the support I can offer is tailored to them. interventions such as exam stress techniques, one- our transition process and it is a pleasure to see how on-one mentoring, P6 enrichment and targeted they grow, even in the first few months of being at intervention by core and optional subjects and the Bedford Academy. Charlene Camfield coordination of the end of year prom. Every new day brings new challenges within the year – Head of Year 10 Alongside all pastoral intervention through other group but Year 7 is the key to developing skills that As Head of Year 10 agencies, the ability of being on the ground and going will benefit them as they move up the school and into I am currently to watch my year group meet this challenge and the world of further education and employment. responsible for nine grow into exceptional young people is an extremely tutor groups and rewarding part of the job. Andrew Burns – the overall welfare of 222 students. Head of Year 8 Jack Green – Head On a daily basis I After starting at Bedford of Years 12 and 13 provide academic Academy in January My name is Mr Green I have quickly learnt guidance, leadership and support for maintaining and I am Head of Years that the role of Head 12 and 13. The thing I of Year is one where a high standard of behaviour within Bedford Academy by enforcing the enjoy most about my you never know what role is that no day is each day will bring. agreed expectations concerning uniform, attendance, behaviour and punctuality. I work in close liaison the same. I consider my From supporting form main responsibility of tutors in the morning with appropriate staff and outside agencies, such as Education Welfare and Social Services, to safeguard being Head of Year is to continually striving to to ensure our students improve student engagement and ensure that all the wellbeing and academic progress of all students in my year group. leave Bedford Academy the students and staff within the Year 8 team have as functioning young the tools to be successful each day. My role requires forward planning, which adults, ready for real life. Whether our students go on Since January, my role has been reinforcing the high currently involves developing strategies to tackle to University, get an apprenticeship or go into full time expectations and trying to raise the standards of underachievement and improve behaviour. I also work, my job is to make sure the transition is as stress behaviour and attainment to make sure all students teach Business Studies at Key Stage 4 and 5, which free as possible.