Bedford Highlights Academy News and Views from Bedford Academy Summer 2019 Inside this issue: • OFSTED grades Bedford • Summer Reading Challenge • Communications Academy as Good Page 04 Page 09 Page 19 Welcome to our termly newsletter It has been an action packed year to create a phone free environment and at Bedford Academy with some key completely changed the way we reward developments taking place. We have tried and praise our students. We also had our utmost to carefully consider and an Ofsted visit in May 2019. Pleasingly communicate these developments with the result was ‘Good’ and inspectors all stakeholders in our school community, highlighted the progress we have made so that we can all move forward on our in the short time that these systems and school improvement journey together. changes have been in place. When I started the role as Head Teacher The focus now for our staff is to ensure a year ago, I set about working with that the systems and consistency is students and staff to identify areas of our embedded, allowing our students to develop school practice and systems that needed their potential in a welcoming, supportive refreshing and in some cases rebuilding. and structured learning environment, where seeing our KS4 and KS5 students collecting This started with a real focus on two basic everyone can achieve. I firmly believe that results in August and we will all welcome an areas, building positive relationships with with the new leadership team in place, opportunity to recharge and rest over the each other and setting high standards for we have the foundations to make Bedford summer holidays. everyone involved with the school. Academy the best in Bedford. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the From this platform we have built our new The summer term is always my favourite successes that our fantastic students have school vision, developed The BA Way, term as there is so much to be positive experienced over the past term and I wish changed our school day to give students about in school. Sports Day, Year 6 you all a happy and relaxing summer break a more consistent experience at school, transition days, Discos, Activity day and when it arrives. revamped our approach to teaching, Prom all make for a really strong end to Thank you for your continued support of learning and feedback, implemented Yondr the academic year. We are excited about our school, it is much appreciated. Mr Deller, Head Teacher, Bedford Academy Paul House – Deputy Head (Teaching & Learning, and Curriculum) I am extremely excited to have joined Bedford Academy at a time when it is making huge strides forward. opportunity to secure outcomes that will that they are fully engaged and play an active allow them to take their desired next role in their learning. steps in the future. Since my appointment The curriculum will also continue to in January the school has made significant evolve in the coming months. The new progress as a result of the introduction of Year 7 will arrive in September to begin a a number of different policies including The knowledge-rich curriculum which will firmly BA Way and a comprehensive feedback embed the knowledge that the students Before joining Bedford Academy I was policy. These strategies have ensured that require to be successful in each subject. an Assistant Principal responsible for lessons are calm, so that students are Teachers have worked extremely hard at teaching & learning in a large secondary focused on their learning, and that students designing and developing this curriculum in Northampton. I have also worked at are becoming clearer about how they are and I am confident the Year 7 students will schools in Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. doing in their work and what they need to thoroughly enjoy this work in September. Outside of school I enjoy spending time develop in the future. Throughout the next year we will continue with my young family. I am also a sports fan In the next academic year our work will to review our curriculum offer throughout and keen runner. focus on developing strategies that provide the school to ensure that we are offering My role at Bedford Academy is to continue the students with the knowledge and skills the students the opportunities to be the school’s drive to develop the quality required to become independent, resilient successful but also the necessary pathways of teaching and learning within Bedford learners. It is also our responsibility to to allow them to be successful in the future. Academy so that every student has the foster a love of learning in the students so 02 Highlights - Summer 2019 Extra Curricular Activities News The View From Our Window was The Rising Stars Programme has launched in the spring term. This is a new continued over the spring and summer initiative to Bedford Academy, devised by terms and we now look forward to our their social Mr Marsham, Mrs Cave, Mr Wright and Summer Celebration event with parents and consciences. Miss Potter as part of our cross-curricular students who have graduated from Years We have enrichment programme. This is a coming 6 and 8. The final session of the year saw given together of Art, Geography and Photography. students designing and building sustainable students Students will spend one enrichment slot per and durable nature bridges. The competition autonomy season landscape drawing, photographing and was strong and the students really enjoyed with some field sketching the view from one vantage the challenge. Congratulations to all those support and point within Bedford Academy – the beautiful involved and to all those who graduated Year guidance view from one of our Art rooms which looks 8 after four years of participation. It has been from Mr Marsham to create pop-up out across the entrance to the school. This a pleasure seeing these young people grow in displays around school to raise awareness work will be used to create a display within confidence year on year. of social issues that matter to them and us school showing the as a community. So far we have seen an geographical change in informative Mental Health Board pop-up our school over time. A by Hayley Wells, a Lessons from Auschwitz huge well done to all of display pop-up by Ayesha Ahir and Melissa the enthusiastic Year 7s Braine, a human rights display pop-up with who got involved! contributions from Brayden Acheson and Aaliyah Goodman and a Charity Committee pop-up display showcasing the amazing work our charity committee have done A new initiative for former Rising Stars is this year. We currently underway called the Rising Stars feel this is Public Speaking Programme. This initiative a fantastic has seen six Year 9 students take part in way to give research into public speaking, attend a public our students speaking seminar by local business owner a voice, as well as being another opportunity for all Bedford Academy’s Pre-Teaching Tim Guest (below) and plan presentations, visitors to Bedford Academy to see what our Programme, a new initiative, was launched speeches, questions and networking skills for students are capable of. last term and concludes this summer. The their upcoming Public Speaking Challenge results so far have been incredible and we are Day. This day will see these students take immensely proud of those students involved. part in four challenges that involve speaking Working alongside Bedford Girls School Working closely with Mr Marsham, Sixth in public in front of a mixture of audiences. we have been delighted to put on a project Form students Martin Roskar, Hayden Moss, They will be presenting their research on the called Write Out! for our aspiring creative Ayesha Ahir, Alisha Ahir, Forhana Begum, environment to the residents at Sharnbrook writers in Year 8 to work alongside the Sabihah Begum, Cindy Ziu, Greta Skripkaite House Care Home after networking with the Girls School’s Year 8 with sessions led by and Valentina Vancea have written six weeks parents at Sharnbrook Tiny Tots Playgroup both schools A Level English students. This Schemes of Learning and an assessment for and leading the toddlers’ story time. The project has been a wonderful opportunity Year 7-11 students to study and be tested students will then be travelling to Bedford for collaboration and follows the exciting upon as part of the Introduction to A Levels Modern School for a question and answer work we did with the same students in and Introduction to Languages projects. We session with senior staff member Sean Reid autumn at Bedford School, where our Year 8s have had students from all Years learning before leading a presentation to a Year 7 class were taught Latin by Bedford School’s Sixth Psychology, Sociology, Poetry, Media Studies, of Bedford Modern students. Form students. We are very proud of all the Italian and Norwegian. The students involved, students who have represented us so well at both teaching and learning, have made us all our fellow HEART Academies Trust schools. very proud and leave the project with graded Bedford Academy Sixth Former, Forhana certificates and references to use in their Begum described the project for Bedford future personal statements and applications Girls School’s website brilliantly as she for college and university. wrote, “For the past two weeks, I have been assisting a Creative Writing Scheme at Bedford Girls School. Alongside three other Sixth Form students, I have had the ability to plan, experience and enjoy what it would feel like to teach creative writing to a group of joyous and passionate children. This experience is ideal for Bedford Academy’s Raising Awareness those craving a stress-free and relaxing time to Through Art project has given students reflect on their future aspiration of becoming the opportunity to showcase their artistic teachers.