HEART

MattersNews and Views from HEART Academies Trust Shackleton Primary

Cauldwell School Shortstown Primary

Bedford Academy Shackleton Primary Issue 03 | Autumn 2020 Cauldwell Primary Shortstown Primary www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk Welcome Every school within HEART Academies Trust continues to astound me during this pandemic. The resilience, work ethic and commitment of our staff in their pursuit to provide each child with the opportunity to succeed and prosper has been truly remarkable and clearly highlights what can be achieved when everyone works together as one. The main focus of every school should always be to provide high quality teaching and to safeguard the pupils and students in its care. To support this, particularly during these challenging times, colleagues in support services have continued to CONTENTS ensure the smooth and safe daily operation of our schools: HEART Academies Trust 2-3 • Cleaners have provided enhanced cleaning regimes to assure that each learning environment is safe and virus free for staff and children to attend. School Improvement Team Catering • In collaboration with each school the IT team have identified and implemented a digital strategy to allow distance learning to work, especially for those children Free School Meals who have had to self-isolate. Careers • The Facilities team have worked hard to make our schools physically COVID-19 Bedford Academy 4-5 secure in line with our extensive risk assessments and national guidelines. Basketball Sports Academy • The Catering teams have worked throughout to guarantee all pupils and students have access to tasty, nutritional food, whether in school or isolating at home. Enrichment Independent Learning Centre As the country endures another period of national lockdown our schools remain open to ensure the children in our care continue to receive an excellent education Geography Fieldwork within clean and safe environments. Catch up money has been spent on extra The Joys of Maths! resource, IT and staffing to help accelerate progress that remained stationary English during lockdown. We will only succeed moving forward if parents, children and staff It’s Science Jim, but not quite as we know it… work together and we really appreciate the support families have given in these Photography A-level challenging times. Dance at Bedford Academy David Morris, CEO, HEART Academies Trust Shackleton Primary 6-7 Year 1 Geography Well Done Mrs Shillington Black History Month School Improvement Team Getting to know Mrs Gibbons – New LSA Heart Academies Trust strives to support school improvement at all levels. The Trust is committed to working collaboratively with the Headteachers and staff at the Harvest 2020 individual schools to ensure the support provided is bespoke to the needs of each Roald Dahl Day school. The School Improvement Team will follow a process of Identifying the areas Hunting & Gathering for improvement, Highlighting the best resources to support the improvement Thank you from Bedford Foodbank and Action the relevant support. The Trust is dedicated to working alongside the Grand Designs! schools to quality assure all work to ensure our children receive the best educational experience at our schools and leave each relevant stage of education with the Cauldwell School 8-9 necessary qualifications to be successful in life. Welcome to Cauldwell The improvement team comprises of Trust Learning Consultants and Senior Learning Additional needs Consultants and brings a wealth of experience in all phases to provide both stage Harvest and subject specific support as well as in more general areas of education to further Healthy School develop the provision for all the young people in our Trust and beyond. Learning Bug Club Anna Crawte – School Improvement Director Shortstown Primary 10-11 We are delighted to announce that Anna Crawte has been promoted to the role of Changes to school life School Improvement Director. Anna began Welcome working at HEART Academies Trust in Virtual London Marathon September 2018 and was previously Academy Harvest celebrations Improvement Advisor for Continuous Year 3 discover Africa Professional Development (CPD), working Year 5 Sculpture closely with all schools within the Trust as well Year 6 Science as the leadership teams to ensure the best Orienteering Challenge outcomes for all children at HEART Academies.

2 HEART Academies Trust | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | Autumn 2020 Title Intro Text It laboreicit amusciu scideniet estis deleni netur ma sed ut fugit ra nonsequ. It laboreicit amusciu scideniet estis deleni netur Catering HEART Academies Trust has always been proud of the excellent in-house catering service it provides. Each day we ensure all pupils and students have access to freshly prepared, nutritious and appetising meals cooked onsite by our team of dedicated and talented chefs. The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on all aspects gluten free alternatives. As you would expect, rigorous cleaning of school life, including catering. Throughout the first national schedules are part of the day-to-day operation of each kitchen lockdown the Catering team continued to provide meals, but, in addition, we have introduced further Covid 19 related free of charge, to the children of key workers and vulnerable control measures, including the wearing of face coverings by families who attended school, whilst also distributing food staff and enhanced, high-touch cleaning regimes to protect staff packages to families entitled to Free School Meals who and students alike. Reassuringly, the Trust’s external food safety remained at home. experts recently undertook a Covid-19 virtual safety audit and When schools re-opened the Trust had to adapt the way all kitchens passed with flying colours. Each school also holds it delivered catering to ensure each class and year group a 5-star environmental health food safety rating. Bubble remained intact for the safety of pupils and students. HEART Academies Trust partners with ParentPay – an easily At Primary level this has meant splitting lunchtime service accessible and convenient way to pay for your child’s meals. between classrooms and the dining hall. The menu has evolved If you aren’t already registered or haven’t activated your during the Autumn term to ensure that children equally enjoy child’s ParentPay account please contact the food provided in classrooms to that traditionally served in [email protected] for further details. the dining hall. At Bedford Academy, the service has been split For further information, to ask a question or to simply provide between inside and outside servery points. The menu offering, feedback on our catering service, please contact Russell Abbey, initially limited, has gradually progressed to the point where we [email protected]. now offer our full, pre-Covid menu inside and, with a few slight We would love to hear from you! tweaks, have extended the outdoor catering options to include hot meal favourites such as fish and chips, macaroni cheese and TRUST ACADEMIES HEART burgers. The good news is, as the weather turns colder, we are planning to bring all food service indoors and to utilise the main school hall as an additional dining space. Russell Abbey, Head of Catering Services, and his team are constantly striving to develop and expand our catering provision. Whilst each Primary subscribes to the National Breakfast Scheme, Bedford Academy offers a free breakfast to all students consisting of cereal, porridge, toast and fruit. We review and refresh our lunch menus at least twice a year to ensure food choices reflect varying tastes and cultures and have recently introduced Halal and vegan main meal dishes as part of our daily options. Food safety is paramount; we cater for allergens and food intolerances, are nut free and offer

FREE SCHOOL MEALS At HEART Academies Trust we understand the importance of providing students with healthy and nutritious food which enhances levels of concentration and achievement. A free meal allowance per day is following benefits: • Universal credit – if you apply on or allocated to eligible students. A main • Income Support after 1 April 2018 your household meal option with dessert and drink income must be less than £7,400 a • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (water) that does not exceed the daily year (after tax and not including any free meal allowance of £2.25 for Primary • Income-related employment and benefits you get) support Allowance school and £2.40 for • The guaranteed element of pension students will be provided. At Bedford • Support under Part V1 of the credit Academy, students can make alternative Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 *This threshold is provided by the DFE choices and use the free meal allowance • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not and is subject to change in part payment for their chosen meal. also entitled to Working Tax Credit If you feel you may be eligible for Free Extras, such as drinks or extra dessert, and have an annual gross income of School Meals, please contact Bedford above the allowance value will need to no more than £16,190* be paid for by parents/carers. Borough Council Education Welfare • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for Service and request an application form Free School Meals (FSM) can be claimed 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for to be sent to you or apply online via by those students whose parents or Working Tax Credit www.bedford.gov.uk carers are in receipt of one of the

Autumn 2020 | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | HEART Academies Trust 3 Bedford Academy BEDFORD ACADEMY BEDFORD Basketball Sports Academy The Basketball Sports Academy was launched in September, where students studying their A-Levels are able to undertake a sport programme alongside their academic studies. Across a 2 week timetable the student-athletes undergo 14hr on-court training, paired with player and team development sessions while additionally participating in a strength and conditions programme. Geography Fieldwork In Year 9 geography we have started this term with a very Enrichment exciting new topic – fieldwork! Even though we have been unable to hold our usual after school clubs this Students have been learning about term we have still had a range of virtual opportunities on offer to our students the different methods and skills including media film making competition, introduction to Latin, pre-teaching required to carry out fieldwork, programme, raising awareness through art and view from our window. using the school grounds for data We are planning on offering a limited number of after school enrichments in research. Our hypothesis was: ‘The line with current guidance after half term. Details will be shared with students environmental impacts are greater and parents once they have been finalised. on the Mile Road perimeter than elsewhere on the Bedford Academy site’. Students carried out a variety of methods to prove/disprove this hypothesis, such as: traffic count, Independent Learning Centre pedestrian counts, environmental When your child joins Bedford Academy in to topics being studied in English. quality surveys and decibel readings, they become a member of our Library. The Heroes and Villains session is very just to name a few. We are very well resourced with nearly popular. Competitions run throughout Now the data has been collected, 10,000 books so everyone can find the year and from Year 6, students can students will create graphs before at least one book they would like to be a Bedford Academy Reading Star analysing the data in order to read! We also have 30 Chromebooks and begin the school year with a credit prove/disprove the hypothesis. The available for students to use, as well as balance of Praise Points by taking part in students have really enjoyed getting Chess sets and Scrabble games. Craft our summer challenge. As well as Praise out of the classroom and learning Club runs during break and lunchtimes. Points, prizes range from stationery new skills – what a fantastic start to Book Talks are delivered to Year 7 classes items, collectibles, shopping vouchers and the new academic year! by Miss McGill each half term and link a Kindle Fire Tablet.

4 HEART Academies Trust | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | Autumn 2020 The Joys of Maths! We are delighted to be back doing what once again that we will be assessing the For any student who misses lessons for we love; teaching young people the students for their final grades as we had any reason, albeit illness or self-isolation, joys of Maths! We would like to praise to last year. If this is the case, we must work can be found to catch up using our students’ attitude to learning during grade students on classwork, homework Microsoft Teams. this term; on the whole they have been and mock exams. It is therefore vital that If you would like further information on fantastic, especially those in older years. students engage in all three fully in order anything maths related, please drop an We would like to really reiterate the for us to have evidence of their optimum email to Mr Martins or Mr Marsham. need for students to give 100% this year ability. As with last year, all Maths to all aspects of Maths. There is a chance homework will be set via Mathswatch. Dance English at Bedford Academy Our students have been exploring opinions, so we have also tried to focus Dance at Bedford Academy has diverse voices through short stories on how being able to express themselves made a comeback on the KS4 which have helped us to consider why in writing. This enables our students to curriculum and Year 10 have the experiences of young people are so contribute to important national and made a fantastic start to the ACADEMY BEDFORD important for our community. It is more international conversations about our term. important than ever that young people future and our community. The class have been working can share their ideas, experiences and hard every lesson, taking part in technique classes, to strengthen their dance skills and fitness levels and have also had the opportunity It’s Science Jim, but not quite to choreograph their own routines using popular music as a stimulus for inspiration. It has been fantastic to as we know it… see some amazing ideas blossoming Science lessons look a little different Science then please feel free to email from the group and it is clear that with the current restrictions as we are Mr Parish. We understand that the their choreographic skills are already unable to complete the same level of challenges of home learning have been at a high level. Many thanks to Mrs practical work we would usually enjoy. difficult to overcome for many students Atkinson, teacher of Performing Arts We continue to work hard to redesign and so beginning with Year 11 we shall for all her fantastic hard work! lessons to allow for active learning in be running catch up sessions after half new and engaging ways. If you or your term along with the usual intervention child have any questions relating to sessions.

Photography A-level Our A-level students are going above and beyond within their Photography studies at Bedford Academy. During these uncertain times, we are using our initiative and making use of our facilities! Here are some examples of their fantastic work! Miss Lancaster – Photography & Art

Autumn 2020 | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | HEART Academies Trust 5 Year 1 Geography The above pictures show a 3D representation of the school and its grounds and the key physical features of its surrounding environment. Well done Year 1! SHACKLETON PRIMARY SHACKLETON

Well Done Mrs Shillington

Well done to Mrs Shillington for running 100 miles and raising £420 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Thank you to everyone who sponsored Mrs Shillington. Amazing design of an Egyptian death Teenage Cancer Trust is a cancer care and support charity in the UK that mask from a Year 5 pupil! exists to improve the cancer experience of young people aged 13–24. Founded in 1990, the charity’s key service is providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. It also trains and funds staff who are teenage cancer specialists. Harvest 2020 Black History Month This year’s Harvest was different October was Black History Month in the UK, an event that has been to our usual event, due to covid celebrated nationwide for more than 30 years. restrictions. It was originally founded to recognise Shackleton celebrated Black History Instead of bringing in food donations, the contributions that people of Africa Month in many ways, one of them was children brought in over £350, which and Caribbean backgrounds have made sharing stories as part of our daily whole was cleaned and then sent on to to the UK over many generations. Now, class reading sessions. If you would like our Harvest Charity, Bedford Food Black History Month has expanded to to enjoy some of these stories at home, Bank. Children wore mufti on the include the history of not just African please visit the news section of our day, and spent time reading poems and Caribbean people, but black people website for the library list. and prose. in general.

Getting to know Mrs Gibbons – New LSA Some facts about Mrs Gibbons: I have really enjoyed my first few weeks at Shackleton Hobbies: Tai Chi and cycling Primary School everybody has been so kind, friendly and welcoming. It’s been amazing to see and listen to the Favourite Colour: Red children’s ideas and see them all work so hard. Favourite Food: Steak and chips Mrs Gibbons Favourite Sports Team: Luton Town Football Club Do you have any pets? I have a black cat called Meg who is a bit crazy!

6 HEART Academies Trust | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | Autumn 2020 Roald Dahl Day On the 14th of September we celebrated Roald Dahl Day. The children all took part in some lovely activities to celebrate the many wonderful books that this great author wrote. We learnt about what inspired him to write such funny and exciting stories and the events in his life that led up to him becoming a writer. In some year groups, the children stepped in to Roald Dahl’s shoes and created their own characters, whilst others created their own Marvellous Medicines like George did. We all enjoyed the day and continue to love reading the many wonderful stories of Roald Dahl. Mrs Johnson SHACKLETON PRIMARY SHACKLETON

Hunting & Grand Designs! A little over a year ago the school started transforming the environment in the early Gathering years areas. We’re delighted with the transformation! Year 3 had an AMAZING afternoon exploring what ‘hunting’ and ‘gathering’ means. We identified foods to gather like nuts, berries and shoreline shellfish, learnt skills needed for spear fishing and hunted prey using spears, rocks and nets (foam, javelins, foam, balls) A massive thank you to Mr George who assisted us as a horse to be ‘hunted’! We all had a wonderful afternoon. Miss Pryor

Autumn 2020 | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | HEART Academies Trust 7 Welcome to Cauldwell At Cauldwell we welcome children from all over the world and who have many different skills and abilities. We are an inclusive school and work hard to support every child to achieve their potential by following our mission statement

CAULDWELL SCHOOL CAULDWELL ‘Committed to Achievement for All’. This term we have welcomed 60 new different parts of the world and speak parents to use this at home too. children into our Early Years classes and 41 different home languages. To support Our website also has a link to Google 24 pupils across the rest of the school. pupils who speak little or no English we Translate so it can be translated in to Starting at ‘Big School’ is daunting enough use the Learning Village online learning numerous different languages. Click without a pandemic! But our Reception tool. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, on the World logo next to Quick children have risen to the challenge and we now manage this provision in the Links and select the language you need. have settled in brilliantly. classroom rather than in small groups The whole website will then be in this Children at Cauldwell come from outside the classroom. We encourage language.

Bulgarian, French, English, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Latvian, Lithuanian, Panjabi, Tamil, Urdu Portuguese, Polish, Romanian

NORTH EUROPE ASIA AMERICA

AFRICA

SOUTH AMERICA AUSTRALIA

Fula, Swahili, Akan/Twi Fante

Additional needs There are lots of other pupils who staff team. In have additional needs at Cauldwell addition to this and we work hard to ensure each we have a whole school focus upon and every one of our pupils has all speech, language and communication, the support and provision they need using specific support strategies and to make the best progress they can. personalised learning approaches for We achieve this through quality pupils with additional needs. first teaching, effective support staff We have recently appointed a and by providing regular training to Medical Support Assistant to address update and refresh our hard working the various needs in school.

8 HEART Academies Trust | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | Autumn 2020 It’s certainly been different at Cauldwell this term but children returned positively and have adapted really well to our new ways of working.

Harvest Harvest Assembly was different this year. Each class learnt their Harvest poem and actions and practiced really hard. Then every class performed to the whole SCHOOL CAULDWELL school via TEAMS. It was a great success.

Healthy School To remain an active, healthy school we have re-started our Daily Mile, and are taking part in skipping competitions. Lunchtimes new routines are established and children are enjoying their special lunch boxes.

Learning Children have all started their new topics and are enjoying their learning: Reception and Year 1 – We’re going on a Bear Hunt Years 2 and 3 – Swords and Sandals Years 4 and 5 – We’ll Meet Again Year 6 – Africa Bug Club We are delighted to offer on-line reading resources to our children here at Cauldwell School. The Bug Club Independent is published through Pearson Education and offers each child between 40 and 50 additional reading books to access from home. All children have been taught how to use this resource to help develop their reading knowledge and comprehension. We are sure that children and parents alike will enjoy these lovely books.

Autumn 2020 | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | HEART Academies Trust 9 Changes to school life The children have returned with enthusiasm and adapted to the changes in practice. The older children are having their lunches in the classroom and enjoying their social interactions. SHORTSTOWN PRIMARY SHORTSTOWN Welcome It has been a pleasure welcoming all of the children back to school. We have had a number of families joining us in Preschool, Reception and in a number of year groups. They have all settled in so well and us, they have adjusted well to life at adhered to the changes in school life. Shortstown and are an asset to the team. Behaviour has been outstanding and There is a lot of work to do to meet children have settled well into their the learning needs, but working between learning. Parents have supported us in home and school, progress is already the new start and finish times and one being seen. way systems. We have managed to be Happy, stay safe We have had 5 new teachers joining and learn. Fantastic.

Virtual London Marathon Miss Reid completed the virtual London Marathon, in under 4 hours. She raised over £1300 for Bedford Hospital Charity. Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraising event. She will take part again next year.

Harvest celebrations Although Harvest celebrations have been different, this year. The children have still collected for Bedford Food bank. These donations will be gratefully received.

10 HEART Academies Trust | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | Autumn 2020 Year 3 discover Africa PRIMARY SHORTSTOWN Year 3 have ventured further afield with their topic, learning about Africa.

Year 6 Science Year 6 Science topic was all Year 5 about the human body. The children ‘made blood’ and had the Sculpture opportunity to dissect a Heart. Year 5 have been developing the Surgeons in the making. techniques of sculpture, using fruits.

Orienteering Challenge Year 5 pupils took part in Sport Partnerships orienteering challenge. They located flags and landmarks around the field using their map reading skills. Well done everyone!

Autumn 2020 | www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk | HEART Academies Trust 11 CAREERS Careers Advice for Parents As a way of further supporting our community at this challenging time, the BA Careers team will be offering Parents the opportunity to access careers advice via a weekly phone in every Wednesday during term time from 14.00 to 15.00. No need to pre-book just call 01234 301500 extension 182/359. Both Miss Green and Mr Dawe have both previously worked in the adult sector with Miss Green working for the DWP, Bedford College and NACRO and Mr Dawe in and the social housing sector.

Aspirations Bulletin This term we have extended our regular careers bulletin to incorporate all things aspirational – careers, assemblies, enrichment, events and visits. The aim of this is to keep parents, staff, students and stakeholders up to date with how students can develop their soft skills. Assemblies Assemblies have had to run somewhat (Personal Guidance) differently this term and are currently Careers Appointments pre-recorded. This has not stopped With less opportunities to take students on 13 can continue to request appointments staff delivering some fantastic visits and have events in school, our current whenever they need them. assemblies. We have begun to build priority is to offer all students a Careers in competitions to boost engagement appointment, whilst remaining safe and too with Bedford Bid vouchers and following the current Covid-19 guidelines. pizza being up for grabs. Assemblies The focus of these appointments is to build this term have included Say Yes, Student relationship with the students and help them Flight paths, The five ways to Wellbeing, to explore their strengths and interests, Black History Month, World Food Day thereby helping them think about initial job and The BA Way at Work with guest ideas and GCSE option choices. Now that speaker Kathryn Jack from the Royal Year 11 have all been seen, Year 9 are having Institute of Chartered Surveyors. their guidance appointments. Year 11, 12 and

Year 11 Mock Interviews One event that we just had to make sure we did this term was our Year 11 mock interview. This has had such a fantastic impact and been such a boost for students in the past we didn’t want students to miss out this year. After lots of head scratching we have managed to come up with a format that we think will work. Our mock interview day has become mock interview week and will take place from the 16th to 20th of November remotely via Teams. We have managed to source some amazing volunteers this year including a female engineer from Racing Point F1 team, an Art Specialist who has previously appeared on The Antiques Road show and our CEO David Morris. Year 11 students have been preparing for their mock interviews in PCD lessons and Reflection time and have had employer led sessions covering CVs and interview techniques from Lenean Callender from Network rail and Tim Guest, Independent Business Consultant.

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Bedford Academy Cauldwell Primary Shackleton Primary Shortstown Primary Mile Road Edward Road Pearcey Road Beauvais Square Bedford Bedford Bedford Shortstown, Bedford MK42 9TR MK42 9DR MK42 9LZ MK42 0GS

01234 301500 01234 301400 01234 352912 01234 740881 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] bedfordacademy.co.uk cauldwellschool.com shackletonprimary.co.uk shortstownprimary.co.uk