Edition No.7 – March 2018 Issue
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Edition No.7 – March 2018 just follow the arrows and you will always come back to reception and my office. The new lockers that were fitted over the summer are now very well used and ensure that pupils do not have to carry all items Issue: and coats around with them during the day. If any other pupil would like a locker, please collect a letter from reception. One Year anniversary Another very busy term in what led up to our one- year anniversary in our new building in February. We have continued to reinforce our academy vision of Aspire, Endeavour and Succeed and have extended the opportunities within the academy to Year 2 pupils, Year 5 Gifted and Talented scientists as well as all local Primary and Junior schools with our second annual joint concert. In addition, we successfully completed our first full employer curriculum challenge when our Year 8 pupils took part in the Denby Pottery Challenge. We have also started our planning for next academic year with the continued growth of our Sixth Form, GCSE options and the appointment of new staff ready for our increased pupil numbers. This newsletter will give you a flavour of some of the activities that have taken place this term. I continue to be very grateful to the staff across the academy who give their time to make David Nieper Academy such a vibrant and exciting place to be. Carillion update As we returned to school after the February half term As you are all aware Carillion PLC went into we celebrated our first anniversary in our new compulsory liquidation in January 2018. While this building. What an amazing year! The building now has not affected our academy building, sports hall or feels much more “lived in” and our classrooms and the operation of our school it has meant that all corridors are now filled with notice boards and remaining work on our grounds redevelopment and displays. The new IT equipment that we purchased the completion of our playing fields and car park has including the Promethean interactive televisions in come to a temporary halt. The site has been made each classroom, the lap tops and faculty tablets are safe and secure and all machinery and work materials all now in full operation supporting our teaching and have been removed. 24-hour security remains on the learning every day. The one-way system remains in building site and will continue to do so. The place and ensures that no student can ever get lost – David Nieper Academy, Grange Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7JA David Nieper Academy T: (01773) 832331 E: [email protected] www: davidnieper.academy Department for Education and the Education and only in the morning and afternoon. We continue to Skills Funding Agency are working to find a new main encourage all of our pupils to walk to the academy contractor who will take over the works and and if car travel is essential to be dropped off at a complete our grounds. We are very hopeful that we distance and walk the remaining way. will have news shortly on who the new contractor Sixth Form will be and that we can agree a new schedule of work and a date for final completion. We are very grateful We are delighted with the uptake for our Level 3 that we are in our new building and are very much Sixth Form provision for September 2018. Along with looking forward to all work being completed so that our Level 2 BTEC Business course we will now be we can have full use of our grounds. I will of course offering a Level 3 BTEC Business Diploma and Level 3 share this information with you as soon as possible BTEC Health and Social Care Diploma, both courses via our academy website www.davidnieperacademy equivalent to two A levels. Alongside the Level 3 BTEC Snow! courses pupils will be able to take an additional course of IFS Level 3 Finance qualification, A Level As we were hit by the “Beast from the East” and the English Literature or A Level Sociology. We will be snow came down we were forced to close the running a taster day in early July to allow all pupils academy early on Wednesday 7th March. We then who have applied for the Sixth Form to take part in had to take the decision to close on the Thursday and course taster sessions to confirm their initial choices, Friday as the snow continued to fall on top of the to meet with other students planning on joining the remaining ice which made the site unsafe. In the Sixth Form from David Nieper Academy and other event of an academy closure we will always put up- schools and to meet with their Sixth Form teachers. to-date notices on our academy website www.davidnieperacademy and our twitter feed We are very pleased to have appointed Miss Brandwood as our new Health & Social Care teacher. @nieperacademy. We will also contact parents via text message to the first priority contact that we hold Miss Brandwood joins us a teacher but also as a and also through announcements on PeakFM. The qualified nurse so will be able to provide a very strong vocational and applied aspect to the course addition of Show My Homework (see later section in this newsletter) will also allow us to set specific work delivery. for all pupils in all classes. We are very hopeful that the worst of the weather is now behind us and that we can avoid any further school closures. Bus Park It was with regret that in consultation with local schools we have had to stop using the bus park as a temporary drop off point and revert its use to that of a bus park only. The bus park was becoming an An essential component of our Sixth form provision is unsafe place due to the large volume of traffic from a the weekly employer engagement. All pupils will take number of local schools. We had requested yellow part in weekly employer visits, talks and/ or work hatchings to be included in the bus park to ensure experience. Mr Dixon, our Sixth Form Business that the buses could safely park and reverse. Studies teacher, is currently developing a range of Unfortunately, some visitors had started to ignore employer links for both Sixth form courses. If you are these markings. Despite asking for pupils not to cross able to offer any contacts or support for this the bus park we had a near miss with a car and a child provision please contact Mr Dixon on and therefore in order to ensure the safety of the [email protected] pupils and the well-being of staff we have returned to the previous position of this area being a bus park David Nieper Academy, Grange Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7JA T: (01773) 832331 E: [email protected] www: davidnieper.academy Pupil numbers for September 2018 Our pupil numbers continue to grow. We are delighted to have welcomed an additional 30 pupils to David Nieper Academy since September into years 7 to 10. Please do contact reception if you would like to come and have a tour of the academy and meet staff to discuss joining the academy. The best way to access Show My Homework is via the We are equally delighted to be looking forward to free app, you will then be sent push notifications to welcoming a record number of Year 7’s in September let you know what homework is due. This is available 2018. We currently only have a small number of year for free for both apple and android devices. You will 7 places left and we would encourage early also be notified of overdue homework and application if you are thinking of a Year 7 place to announcements/events. avoid any disappointment. Applications for Year 7 places are via the Derbyshire admissions process please see www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education Such a dramatic rise in school applications in such a short space of time is testimony to the many changes now in place at the David Nieper Academy and the exceptional hard work of each and every member of staff. If any students do not have access to an internet enabled computer, laptop, or smartphone the school Dr. Kathryn Hobbs has a homework club which runs every lunchtime and Show My Homework after school, 3.35-4.35pm, Monday to Friday where students can access Show My Homework. By now both students and parents are using our new Homework will continue to be recorded in planners online homework system Show My Homework. This initially whilst we roll out Show My Homework. All is an online tool to help you keep track of your child’s worksheets will also be uploaded to Show My homework. Show My Homework will allow you to see Homework. the details of the tasks your child has been set, all their deadlines and their submission status and If you would like further information or to provide grades. We have decided to bring in this system to feedback on this new programme, please contact Mr improve the way we communicate with parents and Endacott, Assistant Headteacher by email give you greater visibility into the homework we set. [email protected] To view all homework set without logging in, please ‘Tough Love’ visit the David Nieper Academy website. The link for Show My Homework is in scrolling text at the top of On Monday 5th March all students had the the home page.