British Council - International School Award

On 20 March, Wilmington Academy and Leigh Academies Trust Principal, Mr Michael Gore, was invited to the prestigious Houses of Parliament to receive the Full International School Award from the CEO of the British Council. The award was presented to the academy for a commitment to supporting peace and prosperity through building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

The event hosted many dignitaries, including MPs and other award winners from across the UK.

Wilmington Academy was successful in gaining the prestigious full award as they demonstrated evidence of meeting the following criteria:

• working with international partners on a range of projects throughout the academic year

• embedding an international ethos and work across the whole school

• sharing educational practice with partners in other countries and implementing changes across the school.

Wilmington Academy was also successful because it was able to clearly demonstrate its commitment to international education throughout the entire school.  This involved clear plans of activity and impact assessments to develop the quality of both international education and the educational mindedness of its students.

Fundraising at Wilmington

Attendance and Punctuality

As an Academy we are now above 92% which is fantastic! Our percentage of students in PA (<90%) is decreasing and is currently at 24%. Since our ‘late gate’ initiative began, we have seen a significant decrease in the number of students signing in late to school. We also have increased from 75% average to above 93% average attendance to late gate as a result of students' improved punctuality and attendance to school. We are also proud of the increased number of students recording 100% attendance for each module and year to date. Well done to everyone!

Mr R. Butler

Literacy

Top AR Students

Number of books borrowed from the LRC this year: 4,286

Maths 

Sparx

Sparx continues to be a successful teaching and learning tool in supporting students to consolidate, develop, and apply their mathematical knowledge. Week on week, the homework completion rate has improved. As result, on January 30th 2023,   Wilmington Academy was awarded a ‘Certificate of Achievement’ for the most improved homework completion rate across the Trust, climbing 99 places on the Sparx National Leaderboard. 

We would like to say ‘well done’ to all students who have been very proactive in completing their maths homework regularly. Each week a selection of students are identified and given a ‘skip the queue’ pass to use in the restaurant for break and/or lunch.If students require support with any of their questions they can ‘seek help’ from their teacher or any member of the maths department by coming to the upper Minerva plaza. Keep up the good work, we are really proud of you all!

Numeracy

Since the start of the academic year, MYP students have been participating in the Numeracy Ninjas’ programme during form time.  The aim of the programme is to support students in developing high levels of fluency in important numeracy skills, including mental calculation strategies and times tables.  The students have been completing a 5 minute, 30 question low-stakes quiz called a Ninja Skill Check several times each module. The students' progress in the programme is monitored and prizes have already been awarded this year to the highest achievers, as well as those who have made the greatest improvement so far in each College. Well done to all students for their hard work and commitment to the programme and to the tutors for their support in delivering it.  Easter eggs will soon be delivered to the most improved students for modules 3 and 4, in each college at the end of this module.  Could this be you?  Good luck to all students in working towards achieving this! 

Action Day

During Action Day 02/02/23, we had set our focus to sustainability, exploring the impact of sustainable fashion within the industry. Students were able to engage with a range of mathematical concepts as they developed their understanding of what a viable business model is. Using the case study of Burberry, students explored the history and recent development of the company; how the brand has become a global icon and has enabled others to maintain a viable business model whilst also ensuring sustainability remains at the heart of their development. Students utilised and honed their IB learner profile skills to create a range of work through universal learning designs and excellent collaboration. Students focused their work on a range of mathematical concepts, including: revenue, profit, outlet, financial gain/loss and gross profit margins. They excellently demonstrated an incredible thirst for learning and engrossed themselves in a wonderful and successful action day.

Interdisciplinary Day

On Thursday 9 March 2023, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 engaged in their second Interdisciplinary Day. Maths teamed up with P.E. and Science to provide Year 8 with the opportunity to investigate sustainability, particularly in sporting events. The day commenced with students revisiting their learning which was achieved from the first Interdisciplinary Day, discussing and creating their own sustainable development goals that could be utilised by projects they researched. The rest of the day helped students identify how technology, infrastructure and travel could affect sustainability and global warming, with a focus on the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games. By considering air miles and distance charts when looking at travel, students used their Maths skills to identify the true effect of travelling by air; an element heavily utilised by sporting events. By displaying various IB learner profile skills, students used research, prior knowledge, conversations and reflection to end the day by planning key elements of their own sporting event, with an aim to be carbon neutral and as sustainable as possible.

Mock Exams

Year 11 students successfully completed their 2nd round of the GCSE maths mock exams. As ever, we have been very impressed by the way in which our students conducted themselves for these mock exams and how hard they have been working. Following these mocks, we hope students will continue to attend revision sessions which will be used to support and develop areas that they wish to work on. We wish all year 11 students great success in the summer exams.

What’s Next?

UK Maths Challenge

Following the success of our first competition, our year 7 and 8 top sets will be taking part in the Junior Maths Challenge in April. We wish them all the best and good luck.

Yr 10 Mocks

To support the year 10 students as they prepare to move on into year 11, they will be sitting a set of MOCK examinations during module 5. We wish them all the best.

Interdisciplinary Day 3

During module 6, we will be having the final interdisciplinary day where students will be able to continue to design and develop their sporting event from day 2, concluding in a sporting event which will be carbon neutral and as sustainable as possible. 

SEND 

Iris Centre

The Iris Centre is our Special Resource Provision for young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. We moved into our own space in September, and we are delighted with how well received our new space has been. There are comfy chairs for students to come and relax, bean bags and all of the sensory toys that can be imagined. Before school, and at break and lunch, there is a quiet buzz about the place as students catch up with each other, eat and play Uno. The group has also been thinking about how we can demonstrate kindness to each other, which has led to at least one budding friendship. 

Coffee Afternoon

The SEN Department recently hosted our first Coffee Afternoon, in which parents and guardians of young people with special educational needs were invited to come and speak to us on an informal basis. We were delighted to welcome many parents, to discuss strategies to support their child both at home and at school. We are looking forward to hosting another session in Module Five, and look forward to seeing you there!  As always, we are here to help and support. 

If we can offer any support, please do get in touch with us; our email address is sendadmin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk 

E-sports 

Six pupils have had an exciting opportunity to work with the Lionscreed Esports team on a work experience program. Jake, Freddie, Matthew, Zack, Jayden, and Aaron were given the chance to work with a professional esports team and learn more about the industry.

Throughout the program, the pupils have been given different job roles, such as:  journalist, data analyst, tournament admin, and coach. They have been working with the Lionscreed team on various projects and events, learning valuable skills and gaining real-world experience. Their last task was to help run a Valorant LAN event at Warwick University. The pupils were responsible for various aspects of the event, from setting up the equipment to managing the participants and running the tournament smoothly. The event was a huge success, and the pupils received praise from the Lionscreed team and the participants.

The pupils have gained valuable skills, including teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and time management, which will help them in their future careers. The Lionscreed team has also expressed their satisfaction with the pupils' performance. "We were impressed with the pupils’ enthusiasm and dedication to the event. They have shown great potential and talent, and we are delighted to have been a part of their work experience journey," said the Lionscreed spokesperson.

Overall, the pupils' work experience programme with the Lionscreed Esports team has been a success, and they have gained valuable skills and experiences that will benefit them in their future careers.

MFL 

We have also hosted our own languagenut competition within the school and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our French and Spanish winners in years 7-10. Well done to:

• Shaurya (year 7 French) 

• Alex (year 7 Spanish)

• Malcolm (year 8 French) 

• Daniel (year 8 Spanish)

• Bedangshi (year 9 French) 

• Elisabeth (year 9 Spanish)

• Tabitha (year 10 French) 

• Sydney (year 10 Spanish)

They have all been awarded with certificates and amazon vouchers for all of their hard work. 

There have been some changes to assessments within the MFL department this year and for the first time ever, we have been doing phonics tests. Our year 7 and 8 pupils have shown just how fantastic their communication skills are and already we have seen just how much of an impact the NCELP scheme of work is having on our students' language abilities, especially their pronunciation! 

The MFL department has lots to look forward to over the next couple of modules. In April we have planned a trip to Paris and our French language assistant has already started an afterschool club so that our year 9 and 10 pupils can start practising some of the language they will need when they’re abroad. We also have a trip to Malaga planned and of course we invited Onatti productions back to the school, so that our pupils can enjoy plays in both French and Spanish. 

Music 

On Monday’s after school, the music department is the place to be! 

With many students playing a variety of songs, whether it may be the Rock and Pop band blasting as loud as they can,  ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ song or year 10 students striking on their Guitars and Drums at full volume, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ or maybe it could be some of the year 7 students in the practice rooms playing on the piano a classical pieces such as ‘Für Elise’. If that isn’t enough, on Thursdays we have the voices of angels singing away at the singing club preparing for future shows!

Music Awards 

I would like to say a big ‘Well Done’ to the students that have received their Bronze badge and for the students who have also received their silver badge — you are  true ambassadors of the music department!

Instrumental Lessons 

Last but not least, instrumental lessons are starting back in module 5 for 10 weeks. If you are interested in learning how to play a musical instrument such as the Drums, Guitar, Piano or Bass, please speak to Mr Watson. Enjoy your Easter Break!

Sport and PE

Y11 BTEC Leadership sessions 

As part of their BTEC sport course, our year 11 students had the opportunity to lead  training sessions within an activity area of their choice including football, handball, basketball and fitness. Pupils studying the MYP curriculum had the opportunity to participate within these sessions and learn from pupils aspiring to have a career in sport. This was an amazing effort all round from our year 11 pupils for some excellently planned and delivered sports sessions, helping to develop technique within a range of these sports in a fun and enriching environment. A huge thank you also to our KS3 pupils for making this possible. 

Year 10 - Drop Down Days

The first component of our year 10 BTEC Sport Course has been undertaken with pupils completing their controlled assessments during assessment dropdown days. This gave pupils the opportunity to complete tasks 1, 2 and 3. It was amazing to see how many of our sports pupils were prepared, ready and put in a lot of effort to complete the 3 assessment tasks.

Basketball 

The Wilmington Academy basketball squads have upheld their names to fame throughout the county, taking part in a range of tournaments to showcase their progress in the game. So far, the team have had the opportunity to play around 4 tournaments each, for both year 7 and year 8, and have had some close games which has showcased the emerging and developing talent of our pupils. It has been a great honour to have taken pupils, who aren’t always able to access these opportunities in their local area, to engage in a sport which is ever-increasing in popularity across our country. A massive ‘well done’ to all involved and hopefully even more success will be shared in the near future!

Football

A select group of year 7, 8 and 9 pupils competed in the LAT 5-aside football tournament at the Leigh Academy. All pupils that took part in these tournaments displayed high levels of sportsmanship and teamwork. It is worth noting the standout performance from the year 7 and 8 Girls’ Team who placed 2nd in their group. 

Our 8s have had several fixtures recently with the most recent success over Thamesview with a thrilling 6-0 win! All  the boys worked so well together as a team to score that many goals and still not concede. Despite the score line they all presented themselves in true Wilmington Academy fashion and were gracious in victory being true sportsmen to the end.

The year 9 football team played a very close match against the Leigh Academy, ultimately losing 2-1. Despite the loss, the team showed awesome effort and progress throughout the game. They demonstrated great teamwork, determination, and skill on the field, making it a thrilling match to watch. Overall, the year 9 football team should be proud of their performance, even in defeat.

Netball

This term, our students have continued to strive in Netball, turning up each week eager to learn, progress and play. Our students have consistently shown high levels of enthusiasm, motivation and effort throughout this term towards netball, even when we have played on outdoor courts in cold wintery weather. For many of the pupils, they experienced their first ever school competition away against other schools in tournaments and played extremely well, demonstrating their dedication and progress in the Netball club this year. All these students should be immensely proud of their improvement and engagement within the sport this term and we look forward to participating in many more fixtures and tournaments in the forthcoming modules. 

Module 5 Extracurricular timetable 

We have thoroughly enjoyed running these clubs in this module and look forward to changing over to the new clubs timetable next module. 

The clubs we are planning to run in module  5 are as follows:

We hope to see more of you try out some new sports after Easter!

History 

Our historians at Wilmington Academy have had a busy start to 2023!

MYP

Year 7

In Module 3, students learnt about the Islamic Civilisation and made interdisciplinary connections with World Religions about how the Islamic faith spread. Students enjoyed learning about the importance that Baghdad had to the Islamic Civilisation and how it was at the centre of the silk roads trade route. 

In Module 4, students have been learning about life in Medieval England and how unhygienic conditions led to the spread of the Black Death. Some students really enjoyed learning about the gory symptoms of the plague! 

Year 8 

In Module 3, students studied the Industrial Revolution and learnt about the impact that it had on Britain and her economy. Students explored what it was like to be a child during the Industrial revolution and they researched and analysed work from different historians to make judgements on whether they think the Industrial Revolution was positive or negative. 

Module 4, has seen Year 8 students learning about the impact of the First World War. Students have been engaging with what it was like to be a soldier on the Western Front and the injuries and illnesses that they faced. They have gained an in-depth knowledge of the Battle of the Somme and have been making their own interpretations on whether they believe General Haig to be the Butcher of the Somme.

Year 9

In Module 3, students learnt about the Holocaust. They looked at stories of Jewish families before the Second World war and how they were negatively impacted by the Nazis. They found it really interesting to explore the personal stories and how the Holocaust has had a lasting impact even up to present times!

In Module 4, students have been learning about the South African Apartheid. They have been looking into the effects that Apartheid had on South Africa and the impact that key figures such as Nelson Mandela had on changing South African law. Students have been debating whether they believe Nelson Mandela to be a terrorist or a freedom fighter. 

Year 9 students also had a really successful IDL day where students explored the theme of migration through the lens of History, Geography and English and learnt how the skills for these subjects interleave with one another. 

KS4

Year 10

Our Year 10 historians have now finished Paper 1: Medicine in Britain which is worth 30% of their GCSE content. They have now progressed to Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany. In recent lessons, they have been learning about the effects of the First World War on Germany and how this led to Hitler being able to rise to power. 

Year 11

Year 11 students have continued to make us proud with their hard work and commitment to their recent mock exams with many students outperforming themselves from Module 2. Students are just completing the  content learning for their final paper on the Cold War which means that after Easter we will be ‘full steam’ ahead with revision ready for their first History GCSE exam on 18th May. The history team would like to wish Year 11 the best of luck in their forthcoming exams!

KS5

Year 12

Year 12 have been making excellent strides in their IB History course. They have completed Paper 1: Rights and Protests and have become experts at analysing sources. They have also finished their first half of Paper 2, Authoritarian States, where they have learnt how to compare and contrast the methods used by Hitler and Mao. Students are now learning the second half of Paper 2: Independence Movements; studying how India and Ireland gained independence. 

Year 13

Last but not least, year 13 students are in full exam preparation mode. They have finished their IAs which were of fantastic quality so they are now fully focused on their revision for their up and coming exams. The History teachers wish them the best of luck in their exams.

Geography 

The Geography cohort has been extremely busy since Christmas, investigating issues from around the world, ranging from Prisoners of Geography with the Year 9 students ; to finishing off our rivers’ fieldwork write-up with Year 13.

Post 16

Year 12 students have been ‘plugging away’, covering a range of topics including changing population and power places and networks. They have just moved on to Freshwater, which leads effectively on to their Fieldwork which they will be completing in Module 6. Students will visit the River Darent to investigate the fluvial processes happening along its course.

Finally, Year 13 students are in full exam preparation mode, working through ‘walking-talking’ mocks and past paper questions. They have especially enjoyed practising the longer answer questions in agonising detail.

Drama 

Drama- Theatre Trip

In January 2023,  the Drama department held a competition to win a free ticket to see "Wicked" in London. Pupils had to write or perform a monologue or design a costume based on one of the characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Working with Businesses

The past few months, the academy has been working hard to forge links with businesses in order to enhance personal development provision. We have been providing a number of events for our students with opportunities to interact with local, national and international businesses. Consequently, students are now more confident in making their decisions about their future choices.  Below is a summary of the opportunities offered since we returned in Modules three and four.

Handelsbanken talk to Year 9, 12 and 13

In January, both our Year 9, 12 and year 13 students were given the opportunity to learn about Handelsbanken in the world of banking and the employment opportunities they offer.  Our guest speaker, Jonathan Gurney (Branch Manager), gave an overview of the bank and its functions and an overview of his role within the bank and how his journey started.  This helped students to understand that there are a multitude of roles within a business such as Handelsbanken.

Students also learnt about the banking office roles within the branch and how to progress the career path into banking.  Opportunities were given to our students to  ask questions to the guest speaker.

Construction Youth Trust and MESH Construction Consultancy talk to Year 8

Construction Youth Trust is a charitable organisation that supports schools in delivering career talks to young people about the construction industry.  Naomi Ryan, who was the facilitator, joined  MESH Construction Consultancy, a team of Quantity Surveyors, to provide a background of their different roles within the construction industry.  The team also gave an overview of how they got into their roles as Quantity Surveyors, for example the university and apprenticeship route. Students thoroughly enjoyed asking questions and found they found this to be a very interactive session!

T Levels Information Evening for Year 11 students and parents 

We held an event for students and parents who were interested to find out more about the T levels Health/ Management and Administration courses which will be  launched in September 2023.  Our guest speakers for this event were from NHS/BAE Systems and the senior advisor from the Baker Dearing Education Trust with a welcome introduction from Wilmington Academy Principal,  Mr Mike Gore.  The event was very informative and the students and parents departed with a comprehensive understanding of the T level course as well as meeting the experts in the industry work placement!  we will be planning another T level information event – watch this space!

IB Westminster Commonwealth Day

Part of the IB ethos is to develop cultural understanding and an international mindset. This March, eight students had the opportunity to attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.  Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed by people all over the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe. This was the first Commonwealth Day since Her Majesty’s passing, and the first presided over by His Majesty, King Charles III as King and Head of the Commonwealth.

Queen’s College at Cambridge University Trip 2023

Wilmington Academy had the privilege to take 31 HAP/DA students to Queen’s College at Cambridge University.  The programme started with an introduction to the journey of applying to university, either at Oxbridge or any other university of the student’s choosing.  Students were informed of the skills needed to succeed at both secondary and higher education as well as the variety of courses that are offered across the UK.

The morning continued with a tour of Queen’s College, discussing the numerous historic buildings that date back to the 15th century, many of which are still in constant use by students and staff alike.  The tour included discussions on the daily life of University students regarding the extracurricular activities that are available, allowing students to expand their interests outside of the academic rigours.

The programme concluded with a performative session in Applied Drama, where art is introduced to communities that would not be regularly exposed to theatre.  Although some of the students struggled with the idea of performing in front of their peers, all of them had the perseverance to complete the task, learning how to work as a team and showing true resilience.  We are extremely proud of our pupils for demonstrating many key skills of the IB learner profile, such as risk takers, inquirers and reflectiveness.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Charlotte Armstrong and her team at Queen’s College for providing us with an invaluable experience and the memories that our students will not soon forget.

“Spring is the Time for Plans and Projects.” 

Leo Tolstoy

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

Winston Churchill

Return after Easter

We look forward to welcoming students back at the start of Module 5 on Monday 17th April. 

Lessons start promptly at 8.40 am.

Key Dates