The Halley's Comment

Issue 22 - Module 1

“Our Academy values - respect, achievement, collaboration, integrity and resilience - permeate everything we do"

A message from Mr Russell, Principal

In our first edition of The Halley’s Comment for this new academic year, you’ll be able to see why we are so proud of our Academy community: aspirational, disciplined, dynamic and unique.

September is always one of our busiest times of year - and the last productive 8 weeks have been no different! We’ve had a fantastic start with our new Year 7 and 12 cohorts, and we have also welcomed more students across other year groups to join the Halley family. Our Open Events saw record figures of prospective families visiting the Academy, all of whom commented on the warm welcome they received from our student ambassadors and staff.

Our students in Year 10 have commenced on their GCSE courses, Year 11s have benefitted from additional study skill sessions and our Year 13s are working hard on their university and apprenticeship applications for 2024. Students across the Academy have also enjoyed activities in both lessons and tutor time that have celebrated Black History Month. In our Humanities, English and Arts curriculum, for example, students have explored the rich and vibrant array of contributions and achievements of black communities around the world, and throughout History.

Above all, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing high-quality learning experiences and personalised pastoral care. This is perhaps best exemplified by the release this week of the Department for Education’s secondary school league tables. We’re delighted to celebrate being one of the most improved schools in the country for both progress and attainment measures for Year 11 students, in comparison to 2019. The Halley now stands as one of the top performing mixed comprehensive schools in the borough of Greenwich in our own right. This is fantastic achievement and a real testament to the hard work of all our students, and the commitment of staff to delivering the best outcomes possible for the young people in our care.

On behalf of all the staff at the Academy, we wish you and your families a lovely half-term break, and we look forward to welcoming students back to the Academy on Monday 6th November.

Mr Russell

Principal

“Those who can imagine anything can create the impossible”

Turing School

I joined the Turing School learning community at the start of this academic year as Head of School. It has been a pleasure to meet and get to know the Turing students; I have been warmly welcomed and their continued drive to do their best has been evident throughout this module. We are proud to see our Turing students who are committed to their learning and are proud of belonging to Turing School. At the start of Module 1, we had a Turing School assembly where all students were reminded of our values and the expectations at the Academy. We also looked at how the work of Alan Turing inspires us to always be a positive influence in all that we do. Our end of Module 1 assembly will focus on celebrating the achievements of the Turing students.

Our Year 7 students have now settled well into Academy life. They have a positive attitude to the various learning opportunities that they have been introduced to across the Academy and are beginning to form strong positive relationships with fellow students, including beyond their year group and small school. In addition to the various intervention sessions that have taken place, the Year 11 students have had a study skills workshop to help them prepare for their mock examinations in December and beyond. We are all looking forward to supporting them in their remaining time until the start of their GCSE examinations. As the academic year unfolds we will of course strive to keep you, the families, updated with everything that your child has been up to

We continue to celebrate the large number of Turing students who have achieved a 100% attendance record. At The Halley Academy we believe that students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance.

We would like to thank everybody in the Turing learning community - students, parents/carers, tutors and staff who have continued to make Turing School as successful as it is. A special mention to Mrs Panton, Deputy Head of Turing School, Mr Rajendran, Director of Progress, Ms Smith and Ms Halliday, Small School Managers and Ms Murfitt, Small School Administrator, who go above and beyond every day to support the students

If you would like to contact someone from Turing School at any point, please email us at turing@thehalleyacademy.org.uk.

Mr Kamya

Head of Turing School

Easley School

What a wonderful first module of the 2023-24 academic year. Easley students have started this academic year as they left the last, meeting and exceeding the highest of expectations. Our Year 11 students have stepped up and are currently demonstrating an immense commitment to their studies through a mature and thorough approach to their learning. It is fantastic to celebrate their excellent attendance and commitment to learning, which is certainly having a significantly positive impact on the progress they are making.

Our Year 7 students have settled well and it already feels like they have been Halley students forever. They have made friends, both in Easley and the rest of the year group and we are excited about the potential they have already shown. It has been tremendous to see how quickly they have settled and grown in confidence. They have set themselves the highest standards and have shown great organisational skills and a real thirst for learning. It has been a pleasure to see so many of them taking up the exciting extracurricular opportunities that secondary school brings. On a personal note, it is a privilege to start each day by meeting and greeting the students at the school gate, as their cheery and enthusiastic good morning is the best way to start the working day.

This week in our regular Easley assembly, we took the opportunity to celebrate many successes already this academic year. I would again like to congratulate the long list of students who have maintained 100% attendance since the beginning of this year. You know who you are! The excellent attendance of individuals impacts the attendance of the tutor group. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise our high achieving tutor groups.

I am proud that attendance at The Halley Academy remains above all national figures and demonstrates how much our students enjoy coming to school each day.

Tutor Group % of attendance

7E2 96.55%

11E1 96.13%

7E1 95.53%

Students also received individual recognition at the end of module assembly for the number of ‘praise home’ emails they received. The top students in Easley for module 1 were: Zain S, Elizabeth K, Abdulmalik A, Lily P, Simi B, Jessica D, Aiden L, Bella C, Felicia EP and Lexi P. A huge well done to these students.

A number of Easley students were also recognised in the assembly for the kindness they have shown to others. We are immensely proud of Enzo T, George M, Georgia-Rose M, Jack L, Jessica A, Jessica D, Jordan R, Ketty A, Levi W, Lexi P, Sahra I, Stefan C, Stefani C, Zhara O and Teni A-O.

In the final assembly celebration, we celebrated two students worthy of a special mention. The first was Lira in Year 11, for a great commitment to learning, which has led to significant progress this year so far. She is a great role model to others and embodies the Easley school motto of; “You can do anything you want to, but you have to work at it.” The second student is a Year 7 student who has shown exceptional care and kindness for others and has supported another young person throughout the module. The kindness and care that Molly G has shown is definitely worthy of a special mention.

Finally, I would like to recognise the students nominated for tea with the Principal in module 1. Each week, Mr Russell meets with students nominated by small schools to congratulate them on their efforts, commitment and improvement. This is also a valuable opportunity for the Principal to hear feedback from the students. Congratulations go to Jax A, Sydnie B, Enzo T, Poppie H, George M, Fola E and Priscilla A.

If you would like to contact the Easley Small School then please do so by emailing easleyschool@thehalleyacademy.org.uk.

Mrs Cronin

Head of Easley School

“You can do anything you want to, but you have to work at it”

“All that is necessary is the belief that by doing our best we shall come nearer to success andm that success ..... is worth attaining”

Franklin School

The start of any academic year provides new chapters and opportunities and it has been pleasing to see so many in Franklin already taking advantage of the opportunities within and outside of the classroom. So many of our students have started the academic year striving to do their very best, embedding and instilling our Academy values; from our youngest and newest members of the small school in Year 7 to those in Year 11 who are commencing the final year of their five-year learning journey with us.

We have had notable successes in this module already, following on from our victory in the Sports Day at the end of the last academic year. These achievements include nine students who have been given over 20 praise emails already this year. Our top performers in this are Harley-Marie M, Marcella W and Muhammad A who have already received 23 praise points.

Franklin are also proud to announce that Mars C, Diego L-M and Hannah T have all been chosen to be our Academy prefects following a rigorous interview process. Meanwhile, outside of the Academy, special mentions should go to Piers C, who received a Jack Petchy prize for his great achievements and Isla B who has been selected to train with Chelsea’s Under 18 Women Football Squad.

Attending school remains the most determining factor in children’s academic progress and performance. We are pleased, therefore, to report that more students than ever before have 100% attendance so far this year. This attendance also allows for our students to take advantage of the great extracurricular opportunities that are available. Our Franklin students have been pivotal behind the design and building of the Eco-racing car, they have been the winners of the STEM quiz held in October and have also proved to be excellent ambassadors for the Academy during the Open Events that have been held throughout this busy first module.

As always, our Franklin team is here to support your child in having the most positive experience of the Academy possible and my continued thanks go to the team who work tirelessly to ensure that this is possible; Ms Ruthven, Deputy Head of Franklin School, Mr Roques, Director of Progress, Mrs Godfrey, Small School Manager, Ms Billings, Small School Manager and Mrs Walder, Small School Administrator.

We are excited to see how the same positive start to this module continues throughout the academic year ahead.

If you would like to contact the Franklin Small School then please do so by emailing franklin@thehalleyacademy.org.uk.

Mrs Parsons

Head of Franklin School

Hawking School

It has been a fantastic start to this year with our new Year 12 students settling into academic life as sixth formers and our Year 13 students already en route considering their next steps after their time at The Halley Academy.

I have been fortunate in getting to know some wonderful and determined young people in my new role as Head of Hawking School and this has certainly been a productive module indeed.

We have launched two new programmes this year to further bolster the offer for our students; T-Levels in Engineering and Digital Services. The students are enjoying the use of both our Engineering and Design Centre and our IT resources provide them with an excellent foundation in this new pathway option.

Our Year 12 students have undertaken a ‘Bridging the Gap’ workshop designed to assist them in transitioning from GCSE studies to their level 3 courses. This external workshop was invaluable in helping our Year 12 students shift their mindsets and attitudes to manage this next step.

The Hawking Team has also worked with the entire Key Stage 5 teaching team to bolster our independent learning periods with a new Google classroom. This portal has been populated with extensive resources to equip our students with extra work, support and guidance for all their studies and continues to be updated every fortnight.

In addition, towards the end of this module, we launched new student leadership opportunities for all students. Our new Head Students and Deputies will be from our Year 12 and Year 13 cohorts and other student ambassadors will be from Key Stages 3 and 4. The rigorous selection process involved a written letter of application to our Principal, Mr Russell, followed by an interview with the Principal and finally a panel discussion to determine the new posts and roles.

I am therefore delighted to announce Zainab O and Stephanie P as our new Head Students, with Iqra A, Scarlett O and Khadra A as our Deputy Head Students. Their roles and responsibilities will include enrichment planning, common room logistics, academic mentoring, amongst other responsibilities.

Finally, on the final Thursday of the module, Hawking hosted the Year 13 Information Evening. This event looked closely at the flight path for all Year 13 students in their final year with us. This included important information and deadlines for Exams, Coursework, UCAS and next steps into Higher/Further Education not to mention, what parents/carers can do to support their child during this vital time. If you were unable to attend the event, then the resources are available on our main website here.

We hope you enjoy the end of module break and look forward to seeing all our students in Module 2 where we will have the pivotal Year 13 Mock examination window as well as our first Cultural Capital Day of the year!

If you would like to contact the Hawking Small School then please do so by emailing hawking@thehalleyacademy.org.uk.

Mr Cowie

Head of Hawking School

"Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet"

Greatness in Greenwich Award Ceremony

On Tuesday 5th September, Mr Russell along with two of our top achieving students, Harry, and Mehak attended the Greatness in Greenwich Award Ceremony at The Woolwich Works, Fireworks Factory. It was an opportunity to connect with other students across Leigh Academies Trust who were also being celebrated and were supported by their Principals. This was a prestigious event celebrating the top-achieving students across the Borough. Needless to say, we are proud of all our students and this was a truly momentous occasion; we took delight in the opportunity to celebrate with Harry, Mehak, and their families. Congratulations to you both!

The event was hosted by Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Matt Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Florence Kroll, Director of Children’s Services.

Year 7 Information Event and Chromebook Introductory Sessions

This year, our Year 7 students received their Chromebooks in their second week at the Academy. This was followed by all students receiving an introductory session on how to use Google Classroom safely at home and whilst within lessons. It has been a pleasure seeing the Year 7s begin their learning journey with such enthusiasm, using the Google Classroom platform both in lessons and at home to support their progress. All Year 7 students are currently completing their Google Level 1 Certification in their Information Technology sessions, and we look forward to them all achieving this qualification by the end of Module 2.

Positively You Sessions

In line with our Raising Standards programme for this academic year, all Year 11 and 12 students attended a Positive You workshop this module. The workshop was facilitated by Positively You, an organisation that delivers workshops to students, providing them with tools that enable them to become effective lifelong learners while enjoying the educational journey.

The focus of the Year 11 workshop was study skills. During the workshop the students had the opportunity to learn new study skills or further enhance those skills that they have been using previously. The focus of the Year 12 workshop was bridging the gap. Students were equipped with the necessary skills needed to succeed at the Post-16 level.

The overall feedback from students is positive and they are looking forward to the next workshops planned for the start of Module 3 in January 2024.

Open Evening and Open Morning Events

This year we have welcomed over 600 visitors at our Open Events. Our first was our Academy Open Evening on Thursday 28th September where Year 6 prospective parents and students were given a tour of our building, met members of our staff and talked to staff and students about learning and life at the Academy. This successful evening was followed by a series of Open Mornings where visitors were able to see for themselves the Academy live in action. Many parents commented on our impressive calm and purposeful learning environment and that they thoroughly enjoyed seeing how engaged the students are in their learning.

Recognition and thanks must go to our fantastic team of Academy tour guides who gave each family a meaningful tour and were able to answer any queries. Many were complimented upon their completion of their tours and we are very proud to have such a strong and willing team of representatives. We look forward to meeting our next cohort of Year 7 students when the time comes for them to visit their new secondary school.

Jack Petchey Event

On Wednesday 4th October, five of our students and their families attended the Jack Petchey Awards event in Blackheath Halls, an exciting and inspiring event.

The students represented The Halley Academy proudly as they received the Jack Petchey Medallion from the Mayor of Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Dominic Mbang.

Celebrating the achievements by the Jack Petchey programme plays an important part in our student's personal development as well as helping them become positive citizens of our community.

Our students who were celebrated and attended the event were Piers, Libby, Nikita, Marcella and Leah. Their nominations included: being great ambassadors whilst personifying our values, facing personal challenges and overcoming obstacles, being actively involved in the Police Cadets and RAF Cadets, succeeding in sourcing and completing their Work Experience placement, looking after new students and helping their transition to our academy community, and succeeding in studies here as well completing assessments online for their Ukrainian school.

With the Jack Petchey Award students have the opportunity to invest £300 in their Academy to improve their educational experience. These awards were used for buying basketball balls and table tennis equipment for break time, books for sixth form, calculators for the Maths department and paying for students to carry out rock-climbing in the next Cultural Capital Day.

Box Clever Theatre Visit

On 6th October, Year 11 students were invited to watch a live adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, one of their GCSE English Literature texts. The interactive and stimulating performance, delivered by the Box Clever Theatre Company, gave students the chance to participate in a question-and-answer workshop, as well as the chance to perform in the role of one of the characters from the novel. This immersive experience was described by Crystal as, " A great experience; it gave us more insight on the context of the play. It also gave us more insight into the character's behaviour and the concepts that Stevenson was trying to promote in the play. They engaged with us as an audience and helped us to understand some key points about the characters." This wonderful opportunity was a fantastic revision opportunity ahead of the Module Two Mock Examinations.

STEM Quiz Final

The second edition of the much-anticipated Small Schools STEM Quiz Final took place in the Technology Centre on Tuesday 10th October. The competition lived up to expectations, with Franklin, Easley and Turing all fiercely competing for the win. The competition was exciting until the end, with Franklin winning by a narrow margin of 1 point! Congratulations to Franklin and all students who took part in the final.

Sporting Fixture - Year 12 Sport BTEC Trip

On Wednesday 11th October, eleven of our Year 12 students visited the renowned Sports Dock facility at the University of East London. Students were able to experience fitness testing within one of the sport labs, conducting the Countermovement Jump test (CMJ test) and analysing the results. Halley students were also provided with some fascinating insight into the broader field of exercise science and university life, supplemented by the anecdotal experiences of two current students at the UEL. The whole event was very well received by everyone. The students in attendance openly expressed their newly found interest in pursuing a sports science route at university following the second year in the Post 16 at The Halley. We hope to return and visit Lee and his team for further fitness testing to support the BTEC Level 3 Sport course students are currently following.

Parental Workshop

On 12th October, we had the first of our Parental Teaching and Learning Workshops of this academic year. In this module, the focus was on Google Classroom and the teaching platforms that are used by various departments to support the teaching and learning of our students. It was led by our Lead Practitioners and was attended by 28 families of students ranging from Years 7 to 13. It was an opportunity for parents to gain an indication of how they can best support their children at home and promote further the partnership between the Academy and home to ensure the progress of all of our students.

Marine Challenge Project

On Friday 13th October, sixty Year 9 students took part in an exciting Marine Challenge project organised by our partner organisation, Smallpeice Trust. The students worked in groups to build motorised boats using a selection of propulsion systems. Students had to design, cost and test their models, before presenting these to the rest of the group, to pitch for ‘funding’ for their company. Students worked cohesively and enthusiastically to create the most sustainable and cost-effective boats, using their teamwork, engineering and communication skills, all key aspects of the IB Middle Years Programme's Approaches to Learning.

Infinity Hub

On Wednesday 18th October, Ms Sully and Miss Pearce, Deputy SENDCo's at The Halley Academy, took eleven students from the Infinity Hub to Roots4Life in New Eltham. This outside lesson was to enable students to bring Geography to life. Linking what they had learned in their Geography lesson, the students started by using their map skills to explore the 8-acre site. At each point, they discussed what we need to survive in life and how nature can help us.

We started by looking at the shelter. This shelter has two large water containers so rainwater can be used to water the vegetable patches. They then explored the vegetable patches and picked edible flowers and vegetables.

The group then used compass skills to move from the north side of the site to the south side of the site to look in the polytunnel. There were lots of things to pick, eat, and smell in the polytunnel which was great fun. Our favourite smells were rosemary and lavender. We then brought home a basket of vegetables and flowers which we will use to complete some writing in our English lesson and practise our sketching skills by drawing what we picked.

STEM Club

The STEM club continues to grow in strength as we embark on new projects, with this year seeing our highest intake of new students. The club meets on Mondays in the Technology Centre, where students engage in practical tasks to develop their creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.

This year our sessions are themed to align with different national and global events and awareness days. The activities carried out so far are:

Ice cream production
Gingerbread genetics
Fitness testing
Designing and making pop rockets
Spooky Science

Our weekly newsletter, Curiosity, featured in the school’s student bulletin, informs the student population about the different projects we are carrying out and new developments in the STEM frontier.

As part of our STEM offering, we also run the microdrone and robotics clubs. Currently in the microdrone club, students are designing different drone models using the Tinkercard software ready for 3D printing and testing. The Robotics club will be starting soon where students will have the opportunity to design and build robots to meet specific challenges and are looking forward to taking them to regional and national competitions.

The Halley Comet Greenpower Racer

The Greenpower Racing project is a flagship project of The Halley Academy's STEM programme. Through the project, students have worked collaboratively to plan, design and build a life-size racing car named "The Halley Comet" which they plan to take to competitions across the UK.

In September, CERES POWER, a hydrogen-technology company visited the Greenpower Racing Team, to see the car in action and discuss how they can support the team in their upcoming competitions.

Halley Apiary

We started off this module with two hives containing one large colony (from a collected swarm) and one small colony (purchased as this season's nucleus colony). Shortly after the start of the module, our larger colony started to become progressively grumpier - this is often a sign that the queen is either not performing well or has died. The smaller colony was happy, but was being very slow to build up stores for the winter and to grow in size. After some discussion, we decided to unite the two colonies to hopefully make one strong one that would have a better chance of surviving through the winter. Colonies are united by stacking them directly one on top of the other (the one with a known queen goes on the bottom), separated by a sheet of newspaper. The bees chew through the paper over the course of a few days - this gives them time to get used to each other's smell and ensures that the bees don’t fight.

Our united colony seems to be settling down nicely - this week will probably be the last proper inspection before the hive is closed for the winter months.

We are lucky this year to have some keen new beekeepers helping out - our budding apiarists are from Year 7 and Year 13, and help to carry out all tasks around the hives, including inspections in the active season, honey extraction and bottling and general hive maintenance in the closed season. Most recently, the beekeeping club has been learning to make frames - the pictures show their first attempts.

Pastures New

This summer after 11 years of keeping chickens, we said goodbye to our remaining hens. After a lot of searching, we found them a lovely new home together with an existing flock of 30 other hens (and a cockerel) on a smallholding in Lincolnshire. The girls are now living free range in an orchard with a small flock of sheep, and have settled in very happily. The picture shows some of them on their first morning in their new home tucking into toast for breakfast.

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