Alcester Academy NEWSLETTER
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Summer 2018 Alcester Academy NEWSLETTER HEAD lines... I am sure you’ll be slightly sur- around 60%. We were equally in the summer prised that our summer newsletter pleased with our grade 5+, term. Uniform has arrives with you in September. This coming in at 60%, again, around been excellent too, is happening because of a server 20% higher than the national with just one or two failure we experienced in the sum- average. students needing to mer term. Consequently the acade- We also experienced success right make slight chang- my was without our usually excel- across the subjects we offer at the es. lent ICT facility for much of the last academy as reflected in our Attain- Preparing the stu- week. We now have a new high ment 8 score of 54. This means the dents for the year ahead, I have specification server in place and average grade achieved in any qual- enjoyed delivering our believe we are in a better position ification was a grade 5.4, well above ‘welcome/welcome back’ assemblies than before. the ‘passing’ grade 4. As a conse- to the students. These are valuable I have taken the decision to re-write quence of this performance, we opportunities to stress the academy my opening Headlines and issue the believe our Progress 8 score will be expectations and offer advice as to newsletter now rather than let the above last year’s outstanding 0.49 – how students can be successful. work of the rest of the staff go to that is to say students achieve on The really important message this waste. average half a grade higher at year is always give 100% and be Last year certainly was a busy one. Alcester Academy than if they had honest. All too often students tell And a hugely successful one! attended an ‘average’ school. Need- themselves they have given 100% I have to congratulate all of the less to say, we are immensely when in reality they have coasted Year 11 students and staff on the proud. through a lesson. I am firmly of the GCSE exam results achieved in the Away from exams, we have wel- opinion that in order to be the best summer. I know you will have seen comed our new year 7. They appear that we can be, we have to challenge some information about how schools to have settled well – if there are ourselves to always work hard. I across Warwickshire have per- questions, let us know. We have believe, based on the lessons I’ve formed; I believe we are right up also welcomed years 8 to 11 back to visited this week, that this advice there with the very best again. the academy. I have been very im- has been taken well by all students. Some of the highlights include our pressed with the way students I think it is fair to say it has been 83% achieving a grade 4+ in English approached academy life this year. an excellent start to the new aca- and Maths. This is a massive Punctuality and attendance has demic year. I now look forward to achievement, particularly when been fantastic – remember there is another hugely successful year! considering the national average is a rewards trip linked to attendance Paul Hyde Headteacher PE Activities Inside this issue: Monday 10th September Year 7 Netball (4.30pm finish) Monday 10th September Year 8 Football (4.30pm finish) Year 6 Induction 3 Wednesday 12th September Year 8 Football @ Henley (5.45pm return to AA) Wednesday 12th September Year 9 Football (4.30pm finish) Wednesday 12th September Year 8/9/10 Netball (4.30pm finish) Celebration 5 Evening Dates for your diary AUTUMN TERM 2018 Open Evening 8 School closed Friday 26th October 2018 Teacher training day Half term Monday 29th October – Friday 2nd November Sports Day 2018 10 Back to school Monday 5th November 2018 Autumn Term ends Friday 21st December 2018 * www.alcesteracademy.org.uk * 01789 762285 * [email protected] * Twitter @AlcesterAcademy * Page 2 Alcester Academy NEWSLETTER With a change to school tradition, the annual school show will now take place in November 2018. We are happy to let you know that our next school production will be Mary Poppins! Auditions for our year 7 starters will take place in September. Miss Sacco Maths News Medical Mavericks This has been a great year in the Finally we got to enjoy the year 5 This term saw the return of Medical maths department, seeing a mass core curriculum induction day, as Mavericks, one of our favourite year 9 of successes for our students and we hosted the biggest mathemati- careers workshops. Students learned some fantastic collaboration with cal relay we have ever done with about the vast range of careers within our local primary schools. This great success. Overall, a great year the NHS and healthcare field. The ses- year has seen a great success in of mathematics across the school. sions were completely hands on and the UK Maths Challenge, with our included activities such as taking blood year 10 students achieving eight Mr Barker from a fake arm using a real needle; awards in the Intermediate Maths recording and printing an ECG and Challenge, and our year 7 and 8 wearing a special suit which enabled students achieving a staggering 34 the students to understand what it awards in the junior maths chal- feels like when you are over 80. lenge. During the year we have The workshops were run by a medical seen the inter house Easter Maths student and a science graduate, who Challenge take place across all were able to talk about the vast range year groups, with students display- of opportunities available for students ing exceptional mathematical with good grades in maths, science and thinking skills and teamwork English at GCSE. within their houses. We have also We were able to run this workshop due seen successes out- to a Skills for Employment grant, which side of our class- we were awarded by Warwickshire rooms with the County Council. year 10 numeracy leaders delivering an ‘introduction to algebra’ training day at Dunnington Primary School where some of our finest mathemati- cians were de- scribed as “an ab- solute credit to your school”. * www.alcesteracademy.org.uk * 01789 762285 * [email protected] * Twitter @AlcesterAcademy * Alcester Academy NEWSLETTER Page 3 Year 6 Induction Well, where did that year go then? July comes around so quickly and we were delighted to welcome another amazing group of students to the academy ready to start in September 2018. As usual, the day was packed with lots of new information and experiences for the students comprising of some theatrical dance sessions, drumming, learning to use a sewing machine, creating bunting in order to promote topical geographical issues to name just a few of the sessions that went on. The students had an ex- tremely success- ful day and we are looking for- ward to seeing them in the new term. Comments from some of them included: I’ve enjoyed making new friends and exploring. Alfred from Coughton Primary I enjoyed meeting new people and I really liked the art session. Poppy from Bidford Primary I really enjoyed the African drumming workshop. Cobey from St Nicholas’ Primary School I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I’m looking forward to September. Luke from Bidford Primary School I enjoyed the lessons. Charlotte from Salford Priors Primary. Year 5 Core Curriculum We were delighted to welcome six of our feeder primary schools to a Core Curriculum Day recently where they experienced what it might be like to learn in a brand new secondary school environment. Many thanks to St Nicholas’ Primary School, Coughton Primary, Temple Grafton, Salford Priors, Wootton Wawen and Great Alne for spending the day with us. The students had an amazing day experiencing some English, maths and science and finding out what a move to a secondary school might be like. The children said: I learnt how to have fun at high school It was so fun I enjoyed maths, science and English I liked all of it I think that the academy is great! I enjoyed the welcoming teachers I enjoyed meeting the kind helpers I learnt a lot of interesting facts I enjoyed learning about the lifestyle of a year 7 The teachers were friendly I have learnt that Alcester Academy is a good, fun school! We look forward to possibly seeing these students in September 2019 as brand new Alcester Academy students! * www.alcesteracademy.org.uk * 01789 762285 * [email protected] * Twitter @AlcesterAcademy * Page 4 Alcester Academy NEWSLETTER Young Enterprise Fast on the heels of markets and trade their success in the fairs. To date, they South Warwickshire have sold almost 1600 Awards in May, our bags and made a sub- Young Enterprise Team stantial profit which - We Love Alcester - will be returned to won through the to the shareholders. West Midlands finals Over the course of one after beating off all the academic year, the competition from the Young Enterprise rest of Warwickshire, Company Programme including teams from teaches students how King’s High, Warwick to run their own busi- School and a consortium ness, through hands- of schools from Rugby. on practical learning. Besides the Best Com- Some students are pany Award, they won inspired to become Best Marketing and entrepreneurs and go Best Financial Report. on to work in their Although they did not own businesses, oth- win through to the national finals, the The team became an overnight sensa- ers find that taking part in Young En- students came away with the Disney tion last Christmas with their London terprise has given them the confi- Award for Creativity and the Founda- New York Paris Alcester shopping bag dence, knowledge and skills to succeed tions for a Business Award at the West and went on to produce bags for in a wide variety of careers.