Secondary Academies
The Leigh Academy
At The Leigh Academy this summer we have enjoyed being able to develop our students' experiences outside the classroom.
A highlight of this module was the year 13 leavers’ event, with an afternoon tea, a photo wall and speeches in which staff and students alike shared memories and farewells. It was a pleasure to be able to host this, our first face-to-face social event in many months, and well deserved by our year 13 cohort, who have tackled recent challenges with great resilience and team spirit, supported by the fantastic post-16 team. Other highlights in module 5 included the year 7 and year 9 projects in the community.
Year 7 have been writing to residents in local care homes and have been pleased to receive replies and notes of thanks for the postcards, birthday cards, puzzles and celebratory banners that they have made for residents.
Year 9 led on a NHS We Care project, which saw hampers of goodies for NHS workers being delivered to the 29 wards at Darent Valley Hospital by our students. The Leigh community donated snacks, toiletries and treats for NHS workers to enjoy during their breaks as a small token of our appreciation for all that they do.
Most recently, we have enjoyed our academy sports days, with students from years 7 to 10 participating over several days in the field and track events. It was lovely to also invite Milestone at The Leigh students to join in and a joy to hear Leigh students cheering M@L students on, particularly in the 800 metres race!
We are looking forward to our celebration week in July, when all students will have further opportunities to show their risk-taking, open-minded approach to learning as they solve problems in the ‘escape’ rooms, participate in STEM rocket experiments, enjoy the Lego and egg-drop team-building challenges and other surprise activities!
Longfield Academy
Whilst our return to face-to-face instruction has been successful, it has not been without its challenges. Staff and students were just becoming proficient at the routines associated with remote learning when the change in routines and the need to maintain year-group bubbles meant that staff and students had to readjust in order to ensure that successful learning continued. However, I am delighted to report that, despite the many challenges, we have made some good progress as a community towards living our school’s motto of ‘Achieving Beyond Expectations’. I am grateful to our staff and students for their continued support, resilience and commitment to the cause.
Unfortunately, we have had to abandon our plans for year 6 ‘taster’ days and induction evenings due to recent government guidelines. Nevertheless, as part of our efforts to support year 6 students to transfer smoothly to secondary school, we will be offering a summer school during the first two weeks of the summer holidays, from 26 July to 6 August. We have planned sessions that will encourage students’ participation in mainstream education, raise their attainment in mathematics, science and English and open doors for them to enjoy and succeed in the subjects they will be studying when they join us in September as year 7 students. Sessions will include:
Maths - transition to year 7, term 1 content;
Literacy - to be facilitated by a book club. Students will be directed to read specific texts which will then be discussed in the club;
Science - experiments covering building rockets, the viscosity of fluids, acids and alkalis, and safety in the laboratory;
MYP and international-mindedness;
Health and fitness days; and
Celebration assemblies.
In addition to the year 6 summer school, we will also run targeted interventions for students in years 10 and 12. These will also take place during the first two weeks of the holidays with the aim of plugging gaps in learning resulting from the lockdown and preparing students for the examination year ahead.
We will be hosting incoming post-16 students at our comprehensive two-day induction programme on the 5th and 6th of July. Students will subsequently be able to access transition materials via our well-resourced Google Classroom, specifically designed to aid their transition from KS4 to KS5.
Outside school, some of our students have been participating and excelling in other activities. Aaron (year 12) is the captain of the U19 Great Britain white-water rafting team. Aaron and his team competed at the National Whitewater Centre at Holme Pierre Point in Nottingham against teams from across England, Wales and Scotland, coming top in their age category (U19).
We are also proud of another of our students, Katie Butcher in Year 8, who participated in the Kent School Games Secondary Leadership Virtual Award and task booklet and was judged to be one of the top students within the local area.
We will be saying goodbye to some of our long-serving teachers and SLT at the end of the academic year. Ms Mulherran is retiring as a teacher of criminology and as our staff governor, while Mr Lever, Ms Marlborough, Mr Stone and Ms Gianini are moving on to continue their teaching careers elsewhere. We are grateful to all of these colleagues for their meritorious service to Longfield Academy and wish them the very best for the future.
Wilmington Academy
Despite a challenging year, students of Wilmington Academy have enjoyed huge successes, with lots of positive achievements and experiences.
The Literacy Team at Wilmington Academy were very proud to be able to enter a team for the virtual National Reading Champions’ Quiz. Four fantastic readers from years 8 and 9 were invited to participate. This is the first time that Wilmington Academy has entered a team for this event, and the Wilmington Wildcats did us proud!
Our PE team arranged an exciting Sports Day event spanning three days, culminating in a winners’ day on the third day. Sports on offer included rounders, volleyball, handball and relay events. Students participated in college teams, displaying the full range of IB learner profile traits.
Students from Wilmington also took part in The Adobe Spark competition, which ran for six weeks. The students were tasked with addressing six different topics and creating a Spark page to explore each topic. We would like to congratulate Dexter Reynolds for his piece on robots and Erica Musoke for her piece on renewable energy.
During module 5, year 9 were provided with the prestigious opportunity to delve deeper into the harsh realities of the Kindertransport rescue effort. Year 9 students and teaching staff were able to attend a Zoom call with a married couple who, as children, experienced the evacuation at first hand as they were part of it. “I can guarantee that I speak on behalf of all of year 9 by saying that we are appreciative of Bob and Anne’s kindness and bravery in recalling their truly chilling experiences. We fully acknowledge that the Kindertransport programme, the Nazi regime and all that these entailed have had an irrevocable impact on their lives”. (SW, Jupiter College, year 9).
It was fantastic to welcome year 11 students back into the academy for their first taste of post-16 life during our summer transition programme. Our induction, which took place over the course of three days in June, saw students sample post-16 lessons, experience our personalised, wraparound pastoral support and take part in an interactive skills development day.
"Attending the sixth form induction has confirmed my decision to enrol here in September. I found the environment really engaging and supportive, something which is missing at my current school."
External student at Wilmington Academy's Induction Day
The Leigh UTC
Students in year 10 have been putting together everything they have learned over the year about electronics to independently design, programme, build and test circuits of their own design to a given brief.
During module 5, they have been learning to program. The brief was to design a circuit for a baby’s night light which will detect when it is dark and automatically turn on a mood light. It must also detect if the baby moves using an appropriate sensor, before playing a tune and pulsing lighting in time with the tune to lull the baby back to sleep. The tune and lights should stop playing if the sensor no longer detects the baby moving.
It was down to the students to select the right components, construct the circuit with simulation software, programme it and test it, before developing it into a simulated PCB to be etched into a real physical circuit.
The students then had to drill their PCBs for component holes, check the continuity in the tracks with a multimeter, solder their components using the PCB diagrams they had created and wire up the relevant components of their choice. They then downloaded the programme onto their circuit, gave it a test run and debugged it live, identifying any faulty components. Once the programme was finalised, they wired it up to a laser-cut presentation nightlight template, where they learned how to secure components, reduce wiring issues and insulate components.
Overall, students have produced outstanding work and remained on task, even those who had no prior programming knowledge. Mr Nash, Director of Learning for Engineering, is looking forward to seeing more high-quality work when they continue their programming in year 11.
Mascalls Academy
This module, our year 8 students were able to take part in an army activities day. Focusing on team-building, resilience, gender equality and future careers, the students participated exceptionally well on the first of three days for each college, designed to support our personal-development programme. Once again, the students were a credit to the academy, so thank you all and well done to all involved.
Students also engaged in our first academy diversity week, showing an open-minded, caring approach with regard to some very topical issues. We are very proud of their community awareness and global citizenship.
Our two-week sixth-form induction programme also took place during this module, with the aim of providing current Year 11 students with a taste of life in the Mascalls Academy sixth form. The programme was designed to give students the best possible opportunity to engage with their subject choices and, if needed, to trial other subjects for their accessibility and suitability for onward study/work requirements. All subjects offered three one-hour taught session, with keynote sessions on preparation for sixth-form study and communication strategies. It was exceptionally well attended with the highest number of sixth-form applicants in our history, showing that students are happy here and demonstrating our exceptionally effective provision.
Stationers' Crown Woods Academy
Module six saw SCWA undergo the rigours of an external review by Challenge Partners. There were five reviewers: three from LAT, one from elsewhere in the Challenge Partners family and our lead reviewer, Bernard Senier, who is also a professional inspector and school-improvement specialist. Bernard does thirty Challenge Partner reviews per year between his work with Ofsted and his private consultancy and to say that he is forensic and laser-sharp is an understatement. Bernard was flanked by three of LATs finest: Crispin Morris (SJWMS), Carl Hassett (HOHA) and Liz Nuttall (LAB), whom I would like to thank for their time, their expertise and their professionalism.
The process reminded me of the old days of Ofsted: five reviewers over three days. Compared to a section 8 review, with only two reviewers over one day, the Challenge Partners review felt rigorous and extremely worthwhile. Preparation is key to having a positive experience as the APA, the initial introductions and the strategic meetings set the scene. These early interactions form the agenda for the review and, ultimately, the lines of enquiry. This is the point from which vertical alignment is judged. Whatever leaders say must be confirmed by senior and middle leaders, teachers, support staff and pupils.
The review focused heavily on disadvantaged pupils. Even though our disadvantaged students have actually made greater progress than their peers, the review highlighted how their progress is tracked at all levels. How many disadvantaged students have accessed trips, engaged in the co-curricular programme, are accessing reading-recovery support, have had fixed-term exclusions or are counted in the persistent absenteeism statistics? Disadvantaged pupils have become a major area of concern for any school or academy since lockdown and this is reflected by Challenge Partners and Ofsted.
This was probably the most enlightening aspect of the review: the relentless pursuit of one group’s progress to achieve quality of provision.
SCWA came through the process unscathed with a fantastic report and some crystal-clear areas to concentrate on prior to its expected Ofsted inspection.
Leigh Academy Blackheath
Here at LAB, we have always been passionate for our students to develop strong habits of reading.
Indeed, our students read for over an hour a day, at school and at home. We also conduct termly reading tests so we can monitor and support the progress of their literacy skills and even devote an entire week to our very own Literary Festival each year.
We do this, not only because reading fosters increased wonder and empathy, but because we know that a rich vocabulary provides students with the foundational knowledge they need to access the school curriculum. Without this “mental velcro” (Hirsch: 2013), our students may struggle to comprehend the increasingly complex texts they will encounter later on in their secondary education.
This is why we are delighted to announce that, over the last month, we have finally been able to open up our library to the student body, one bubble at a time!
Thus far, over 1,100 books have been checked out. A huge thank you is due to our librarian, Ms Medcalfe, for her hard work in this regard. A special well done also to Tara in 7C, who is currently our top reader, having finished 17 books already!
Of course, as an authorised IB World School for the International Baccalaureate Middle-Years Programme (IBMYP), we are passionate about not only developing our students’ acquisition of vocabulary but also their intercultural understanding. That is why, over the past seven days, our library has celebrated refugee week. which honours the contributions of those who have sought sanctuary, by promoting the range of texts in our library that seek to capture the resilience of those who have been displaced.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the librarians across the Trust for their guidance and support over the past few months, helping us to establish what has already become a beloved space for so many of our students.
The Halley Academy
The Halley Academy governors’ day ended with a bang, as our visiting Board Members witnessed the much-anticipated launch of the STEM Club rockets.
Governors thoroughly enjoyed their day at the Academy, meeting senior leaders, conducting learning walks and chatting with students to get their view of daily life at the academy, as well as seeing at first hand the quality of our curriculum.
A variety of aspects of academy life were explored during the action-packed day, including:
Safeguarding
Teaching and learning
Raising attainment
Pupil premium/COVID catch-up funding
Attendance
Behaviour
Wellbeing
Staff development
English as an additional language
Special educational needs and disabilities
Health and safety
International Baccalaureate Middle-Years Programme (IBMYP)
Relationships and sex education
Transition
Post-16 studies
Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)
Careers
Governors commented that it was good to see that all the individual strategies were part and parcel of one comprehensive, overarching strategy. The learning walks revealed a calm, productive academy and students were working well. Governors noted that the standardisation of teaching materials was very powerful.
Governors enjoyed speaking about the wellbeing support and pastoral care in place for staff and students, particularly in the context of the pandemic, and were impressed with the attendance, behaviour and welfare interventions. They also enjoyed conversations with students who speak English as an additional language and congratulated the Student Voice panel on their role as enthusiastic ambassadors for the academy.
The Governors’ final event of the day was to join the STEM club on the playing field to witness the launch of their self-built rockets. The STEM club meets every week under the watchful eye of David Mensah, our Coordinator of Learning for Science, and the Science Department. Students benefit from a weekly STEM club newsletter, Curiosity, and the support of fantastic Science Technicians who tirelessly champion all things STEM, a real focus at the academy. Thanks also must go to David Kelly, former LAT Director of Improvement, for his enthusiastic support for the Science Department at The Halley.
"I loved the rocket launching as it went very high."
Diego, Year 8
"My experience in the STEM club is good because we managed to make face masks and this is helpful because it helps with civil engineering."
Kingston, Year 8
"I think the STEM club is a good club, full of opportunities. As the pandemic came, we had to adapt and change. As we arrived, there have been many restrictions applied in school, and being able to participate in this club is a privilege. There we are able to use different equipment and materials to carry out experiments about relevant topics such as engineering in a pandemic. This club offers us unlimited possibilities that I could never have dreamed of after the pandemic. A massive thank you to the school for making us realise that we are stronger together, and that hope is not lost and it never will be."
Sara, Year 8
"What an end to a spectacular day to witness the successful launch of all those rockets! Thank you so much to the STEM Club for inviting us to take part, I thoroughly enjoyed it… even if some of them did fly ever so slightly near to our heads!"
Kate Shiner, Chair of Governors
Strood Academy
It would be an understatement to say that Strood Academy relishes the opportunity to be back face-to-face with our staff and students. We have settled into learning well and staff have continued to support and teach our young people in the fantastic way that they do! The gradual reduction in Covid restrictions and the ability to interact with our young people face to face have provided a range of opportunities for us to further develop their love for learning.
One of the opportunities our PE and Performing Arts colleagues have welcomed is the opportunity to facilitate clubs and extra-curricular activities once again. These opportunities are more vital than ever for the physical and mental well-being of our students, following the challenges faced by all during the pandemic. The extra-curricular programme has included high-quality external clubs and coaches. Students have been given the opportunity to attend coaching sessions in boxing, dance and tennis, while the PE staff have delivered clubs to each year group as well as our own Euro Football competition. In Performing Arts, students have been able to start peripatetic music lessons again, in which they have been working hard to develop their skills in drums, piano and guitar. We are extremely lucky to have access to these sports and music specialists, and these activities also have a positive impact on student well-being.
Our International Baccalaureate Middle-Years Programme continues to provide opportunities and staff have enjoyed working collaboratively within our interdisciplinary units, embedding knowledge across the curriculum to support students who are doing the same.
The Science and Maths Departments have teamed up to enable students in year 8 to take part in an interdisciplinary unit in which they have been considering the impact of human decision-making on the environment. Students have the opportunity to explore 3D models and demonstrate their understanding of surface area and volume, using logic to design a windowsill eco-garden model. Students will also consider which materials to recycle for use in their model.
The PE Department has collaborated with its Modern Foreign Languages counterpart to deliver a unit on sports of Spanish origin. Students have been learning about the history of these sports in their Spanish lessons before trying them for themselves in their PE lessons. Week 1 saw students participating in a “bull run”, in which students were selected to play the role of the bull and were gradually “released” to try and catch their peers, who were running at speed in the “bull-run arena.”
Year 12 Media Studies students have been using their professional Photoshop skills to create DVD covers and posters as part of their coursework portfolio component, a cross-media production embracing elements of mise-en-scene and representation to convey the film genre of their choice. Students use their own photography to design professional marketing products that would sell the products to a target audience; they work completely independently and use elements of deconstruction in their final statements to provide an overview of the choices they make for the mise-en-scene and representation, which must show an awareness of a range of codes and conventions of the genre to achieve the top grades in this subject.
We have been incredibly proud of our year 11 students as they have gone through their mock assessment cycle to gather further evidence for teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) as part of this year’s examination series. Whilst this year has been unusually challenging, the resilience and commitment of both staff and students to complete the TAG process has been exemplary. This has enabled the school to gather abundant evidence through a rigorous process of quality assurance to justify and support the TAGs.
It was a joy to say a fond farewell to our year 11 and 13 students and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Following the farewell we were absolutely delighted to welcome back our year 11 students to their sixth-form induction days this week. Having worked with them closely over the three days, the sixth-form team were really impressed. The sense of purposefulness, drive and commitment to immersing themselves in their new subjects were almost tangible, while their capacity to listen and engage with all that was offered was exceptional. They blended well as a group and were willing to take risks and answer open questions posed to them about study, wellbeing and how to succeed, really rising to the challenge. They received a number of mementos including a little sixth-form survival kit put together by the team, a poem about their future aspirations and a mini-breakfast on their first day. There were lots of laughs and interesting conundrums posed by the teambuilding event in the Sports Hall, which they navigated with a generous spirit. We wish them well over the summer as they continue to prepare for their courses in September.
Looking to the future, we are really looking forward to the opportunity to welcome our new year 7 cohort to our transition events, including an action-packed summer school. Over the course of the week, students will have the opportunity to experience a diverse and enriching programme of learning through activities and each day will be themed around IBMYP learner attributes. They will also be inspired and motivated by guest speakers. Highlights of the week include a presentation by South African World Cup-winning ex-rugby international, George Fouche, on his motivational Dare2Aspire programme; Educating Yorkshire’s Mushuraf Asghar’s reflections on his own experiences of school and how he has overcome the difficulties caused by his stammer; Dragon’s Den-backed Sublime Science wowing the students with some fun experiments; and performance poet Ian Bland working with students to create their own poems which they will later perform in front of their parents.
Strood Academy continues to thrive and we are looking forward to the new academic year and the opportunities it will bring.
The Hundred of Hoo Academy
At The Hundred of Hoo Academy, we take great pride in making our teaching more innovative and accessible through our home-learning strategy, ensuring that no child is left behind as a result of the ongoing pandemic. This year, through lockdowns and isolations, we’ve pulled together more strongly and are more determined than ever to ensure that our community remains engaged in and enthused by education. Our digital implementation strategy has been at the forefront of our battle against Covid-19. The teaching body has moved beyond Google Classroom to deliver world-class live lessons from their homes, with pets frequently making celebrity appearances! At The Hundred of Hoo, we don’t just use technology when we’re apart. Our ChromeBook roll-out has meant that all pupils in our secondary phase have their own device for home use, in lessons and, for our sixth-formers, during study sessions. As a result, they have constant access to reading materials, lesson resources and instant feedback to enhance their learning experience.
Our vision is for our pupils to ‘Aspire, Achieve, and Excel.’ This vision has been at the forefront of our minds as we delivered the IB Middle-Years Programme (MYP) to our new year 7 cohort. Our teams developed the already-broad curriculum to embrace and enhance the IBMYP learner profile attributes, including a balanced outlook, strong principles and reflectiveness. IBMYP lessons are enquiry-led, enabling us to not only deliver the content needed, but to explore our attitudes to learning. We consider ‘learning how to learn’ and support our pupils in mastering communication, social and thinking skills, to name but a few.
There’s no denying that at times it’s been a tough year. At The Hundred of Hoo, our Performing Arts Department has worked exceptionally hard at maintaining positivity and a sense of community. Miss Dare knew that our daily interactions make teaching enjoyable, and armed with this knowledge she put together the Twelve Days of Christmas. This kept everyone miling until the end of 2020, bringing together a host of talented students from multiple year groups and extra-curricular clubs to prepare Christmas-themed performances to be broadcast on social media for our community’s enjoyment. The videos, including personalised holiday greetings from staff, were well received by all. Luckily for us, Miss Dare is also preparing a ‘Summer Showcase’, which will highlight our pupils’ talents in Art, Drama, Music and Design in a long-anticipated school event.
A global pandemic hasn’t dampened our pupils' enthusiasm and determination. Their strength and grit has shone through as they continue to take advantage of the opening-up of the world. Special congratulations go to Cameron in year 9, who this year not only achieved a personal best in the 200m, but triumphed across all Kent Schools, while Emily is well on the way to becoming a role model for females in sport. In May, she competed in the LSERSA ski-racing summer series, taking first place in the U18, second in the female category and ninth out of 50 racers on the day.
The Hundred of Hoo community has responded superbly to the challenges of this unprecedented year. Our staff and students have shown their IB colours by responding with care and open-mindedness to the reopening of our school. We’re so proud of our staff’s resilience and have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with our colleagues and pupils.
Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School
LAMDA is one of the oldest and most-respected awarding organisations and provides a suite of qualifications in drama, spoken language and public speaking, to name but a few. These qualifications are great for building confidence, preparing students for interviews and adding to employability skills. They also support a range of academic skills such as the construction of arguments and evaluation of interpretations, as well as complementing subjects such as English and drama. LAMDA qualifications are similar to those earned when studying a musical instrument, and lessons are organised in school in a very similar way to musical-instrument tuition.
On completion of each LAMDA examination, learners are awarded an internationally-accredited qualification, regulated by OFQUAL in the UK. Grade 4 and 5 examinations are level 2 qualifications, the equivalent of GCSE, while grades 6, 7 and 8 are level 3 qualifications equivalent to AS and A Levels, with UCAS points awarded for each qualification. For example, if a learner takes both grade 8 in communication (speaking of verse and prose, reading for performance or public speaking) and in performance (acting) and is awarded a distinction for both, they will accumulate 60 UCAS points (30+30). For reference, an A* at A level is worth 56 points and an A, 48 points, showing just how valuable LAMDA is for learners’ next steps. Not only are they awarded qualifications and UCAS points, but the communication skills they acquire are invaluable!
This year, despite the majority of the learning taking place on Zoom, our students have achieved an incredible set of results, with 34 gaining a distinction, the very highest award ,and a further eleven gaining a merit. All six of our grade 8 students were awarded a distinction, earning each of them 30 UCAS points; a huge and well-deserved bonus in what has been a very tough year for all. In fact, LAMDA exams were the only exam many students were actually able to take this year and the fantastic results have been extremely rewarding and confidence-boosting for them.
We congratulate the students on their resilience, talent and ambition. Well done!
"Personally I really enjoyed the whole experience LAMDA had to offer and I would highly recommend it to any student or parent who thinks their child will benefit from these very useful life skills. I believe that by taking these qualifications my overall public speaking skills have improved which is what was wanted at the end of the day, and it looks great on CVs, which is ultimately just strengthening your application; so with LAMDA come many positives, and it's only one 20-40 minute lesson per week, meaning it’s not as time-consuming as people think, which just further increases my recommendation for the qualification!"
Sam, Year 12
Leigh Academy Rainham
This term, we completed our recruitment programme for Leigh Academy Rainham, with all our teaching and support staff now appointed. What a fantastic team they are! We are in the process of planning our transition events for parents and St Margaret's Church have kindly offered us the use of their venue for two evenings in July so that we can meet all of our parents face-to-face prior to September.
We are working in partnership with The Hundred of Hoo Academy, another LAT academy in the Medway cluster, to host a Saturday transition event for our pupils. Our wonderful new teaching team has offered support to deliver this event to enable our students to meet the staff and experience taster lessons, despite the fact that the site itself is not yet accessible.
Mrs Millward has begun visiting local primary schools in person to meet all of our founding cohort before they start. She has been using this opportunity to share the academy’s ethos with students and to learn what their concerns are prior to transitioning to secondary school, as well as providing reassurances and answering their questions.
It has been a delightful experience to meet our fantastic young people and put names to faces and we cannot wait to welcome them on day one!
