LEIGH ACADEMY WILMINGTON

At their meeting in December 2023, the Directors of Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) decided unanimously that now is an appropriate time to rename our academies. This programme has been phased in from September 2024. The decision has followed extensive discussions with our local board governors, Academy leadership teams, founding sponsor Sir Geoffery Leigh, and livery company partners. Academies themselves will not be expected to make any financial contributions towards these changes.

Consequently, starting September 2025, Wilmington Academy will change its name to Leigh Academy Wilmington. All associated branding, including pupil uniforms, will be updated to reflect this change. To minimise any cost to parents, all existing uniform items currently in circulation can continue to be worn until they are phased out. In consultation with our uniform providers, any new items of uniform purchased for the next academic year reflect this change of name.

What is the benefit of renaming the Academies?

A clearer name and identity will reinforce the fact that we are one community, and we can use this to attract staff and pupils to be part of the Leigh network. We have seen that a clear LAT link influences staff recruitment and that retention is better in LAT too. We have observed first-hand in recent times the keenness of potential leaders to join us because of the trust identity. We have used the Leigh name to build instant recognition and positive change throughout our schools in Greenwich, Bexley, Medway, Tonbridge, and others, and we will, in the future, gain a similar boost from this explicit recognition.

Preserving Individual Academy Identity

We are adopting a naming convention that combines a shared framework with unique elements reflecting each academy’s identity. For example, Blackheath, Rainham, Bexley, and Tonbridge academies already follow this approach. Each academy will continue to develop its own ethos and values while aligning with LAT’s overarching vision. This balance ensures that individual academies retain their distinct character while benefiting from the collective strength and capacity of the Trust.

Leigh Academy Wilmington Logo

Our new logo reflects our global outlook and commitment to cultural awareness as an International Baccalaureate school. The globe symbolises our international perspective, and the colourful stars represent our small school model, which ensures inclusive and personalised care for all pupils.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD

As an IB World School, Wilmington Academy is striving to create global citizens and further develop the international ethos holistically, as well as, academically. Our work was recognised by the British Council back in 2022 when we achieved the full accreditation level of the International School Award for 3 years. We have, since then, strengthened our International policy to ensure our students are internationally-minded, respect cultural diversity and are able to take their place in an increasingly complex and ever-changing world. We are currently working towards achieving the reaccreditation in 2025.

This academic year, we plan to carry out a minimum of eight curriculum-based international learning activities, covering a range of subjects and involving the majority of students from Year 7 to 13. The activities will take place throughout the academic year as part of our established curriculum, including the SMSC programme, Action Days and Interdisciplinary Days. 

In addition to the cross curricular links and collaboration, which are already embedded within the academy, we will complete two language activities with our well - established partner schools in France and Colombia, and an online exchange with our new link in India. These projects will all have elements of cultural exchange with students at Wilmington Academy and our international partners learning from each other. In addition to these activities, there will be five more activities with an international learning dimension. Some of those activities have already started and in this new section of the Newsletter students and teachers are sharing the impact that these international experiences are having on them. We are also planning to host an Ambassadors’ Event in July to share our international work with other schools in the UK.

Beyond the News project- MYP Cultural Awareness

“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”

Mahatma Gandhi

Cultural Awareness has continued to grow in the opening two modules of the year. Following the incredibly popular topic of Egypt, students and tutors have worked  incredibly hard to create presentations sharing the key cultural study points including; the history of the culture, the pyramids and Tutunkhamun, cultural music and famous sportsman Mo Salah. 

Congratulations to the following students who developed excellent presentations showing their understanding of the culture: Ralph Perry, Frankie Forshaw, Shine Chhetri, Samuel Horsley-Wood and Luke Boxall.

In module 2, we studied China, paying particular attention to the history of the culture and language, how the Chinese New Year is celebrated, and martial arts. We are looking forward to the projects being submitted and to seeing the wonderful things that have been discovered.

In addition to the above two cultures, we also celebrated Black History Month firstly through our Action Day on Monday 7th October where students in Year 10 spent the day exploring culture, identity and diversity through the lens of Rastafarianism. Students were invited to explore the rich history of Rastafari and explore how it has developed over the years to incorporate lots of cultures. We were also extremely lucky to have a number of excellent assemblies delivered by Ms Akinwunmi to share some of the most important things with regard to her culture. Thank you for this. Students were able to develop their understanding and address any misconceptions.

Spanish and French pen pals MYP projects

Spanish

The MFL department has been busy contributing to the International School Award already this year continuing with our connection to our international school partner Institución Educativa Departamental Enrique Pardo Parra, in Colombia. Our Year 8 and Year 9 Spanish students have been busy doing research on Colombia, designing their own postcards and writing lots of interesting information about themselves. They have written about school life in the UK including: uniform, extra curricular activities, school rules and even their favourite subjects ! They are eagerly waiting for their responses from the Colombian students, especially as they asked very specific questions about how different school life might be on the other side of the world. 

French

Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students studying French are writing Christmas cards to their penpal in a French college, called Théodore Monod. We visited the school in June 2024 when our Year 9 and Year 10 students went to Paris and we are looking forward to strengthening our link with the school and doing more projects. Our students are writing about their school life in the UK, their hobbies and their plans for Christmas. We look forward to receiving their reply in the new year. 

A War for Water- Y7 project (English, Geography and Science)

During module 1 and 2, Year 7 students have embarked on a powerful interdisciplinary journey that began with studying the biographical text “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park. Based on the lives of Sudanese refugees, this text introduces students to the harrowing realities of water scarcity and its impact on survival. Through the experiences of Nya, one of the protagonists, students are learning about the devastating consequences of waterborne diseases and the psychological and emotional toll of living without access to clean water.  

Nya’s story highlights how access to this fundamental resource can change lives, breaking cycles of poverty and improving health and education outcomes. These themes inspire students to think critically about the role water plays in shaping communities and individuals’ futures.  

Building on these insights, the exploration continues in Module 3 with the Geography topic, ‘A Watery World’. This unit expands the conversation to a global scale, focusing on the interconnected themes of resource management, resource pressure, population change, and sustainability.   Students explore diverse locations, each offering unique perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of water resource management:  

• South Sudan: Building on their literary study, students delve deeper into the region's struggles with water scarcity, conflict, and development.  

• Las Vegas, USA: A stark contrast to South Sudan, this desert city illustrates how resource management and technological innovation can sustain life in arid environments, while also highlighting the pressures of overconsumption.  

• The UK: Closer to home, students examine how water usage and management impact sustainability, exploring local solutions to global challenges.  

Through these case studies, students connect the theoretical aspects of resource management to real-world examples, deepening their understanding of the balance between human needs and environmental limits.  

This combined approach of literature and geography not only equips Year 7 students with knowledge but also fosters empathy, critical thinking, and a sense of global responsibility. The journey from *A Long Walk to Water* to *A Watery World* offers them a unique lens to view the complexities of water as a resource and its pivotal role in shaping lives and landscapes around the globe.

A showcase is in development for Module 6 to show off our students' international work and share this with the student’s parents and guardians. We are really excited to have our students present their own work at the end of the year. 

A India Online exchange- Year 9 Geography project

Year 9 Geography students have been exploring the topic of rural and urban living as part of their curriculum in this module. This unit of study not only equips them with a deeper understanding of the contrasts and connections between these environments but also sets the stage for an exciting international collaboration with students from Nahar International School in Mumbai, India.

The upcoming online exchange programme with Nahar International School offers students a unique opportunity to explore urban dynamics in a global context. Mumbai, known as the financial capital of India, presents a vibrant case study of urban living, vastly different from many rural and urban areas studied in the UK. By engaging with their peers in Mumbai, Year 9 students will gain first-hand insights into urbanisation, sustainability, and community living on an international scale, in addition to having opportunities to have open conversations with their peers across the globe. The project aims to engage students in real-world applications of their learning, encouraging them to think critically about the challenges faced by communities both locally and globally. This project incorporates all of the features of the IB learner profile ranging from caring, to communicator and principled.

As part of their preparation, students completed a Google Form where they expressed their preferences for Geography or History as potential GCSE options. This form allowed them to articulate their interests and outline their motivations for choosing one of these subjects. For many, this activity was a moment of reflection on how their subject specific studies connect to their broader academic and career aspirations.

Mr Walker and Mr West agree; "The online exchange and project are fantastic opportunities for our Year 9 students to broaden their horizons. They not only learn about the world but also develop skills like collaboration, empathy, and critical thinking, which are essential in today’s interconnected world."

The programme promises to be an enriching experience, fostering cultural exchange and practical learning. Year 9 students are poised to take on this challenge with enthusiasm, ready to explore new perspectives and make meaningful connections with their peers across the globe.

Cultural Heritage project- Post 16 Cultural Day

IBCP Language Development- Post 16 Project (Italy)

The Language Development element of the core of the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme provides students with an exciting opportunity to learn a new language and explore the culture of other countries. Post-16 students who have chosen this path, begin Year 12 by looking at the history and evolution of other languages and considering the role of languages and different cultures in the world today and the impact that they have on personal identity. After this, they narrow down their studies to one language. This year, the students have chosen Italian and we have begun our journey into learning this beautiful language and about all things Italian. The emphasis during lessons is for students to learn how to become independent language acquirers and this year’s cohort is really rising to the challenge, having already researched and become confident using numbers, days and months in Italian. In the run up to the festive period, students have begun to research Christmas traditions in Italy and are preparing to make tiramisu for the annual Christmas tea dance. They are also excited to try traditional festive treats such as panettone and pandoro. Students are also looking forward to the New Year when they will explore the rich history of Italy and continue to develop their independent research skills to develop their knowledge of key Italian vocabulary and phrases.

THE EXECUTIVE CHALLENGE

It has been a privilege to see how many of the girls benefitted from taking part in this programme. They not only gained valuable work-experience but developed confidence and self-belief which has transferred to their approach to their academic studies. I look forward to seeing them publicly congratulated at their graduation event in February. 

There are five more Post 16 students taking part in the next cohort for The Executive Challenge and three of them will have a chance to gain a place on Project Phoenix - another program delivered by The Women’s Association. Project Phoenix is a three day transformative retreat designed to help girls break free from the pressures of social media and reconnect with themselves. 

T LEVEL VISIT TO EBBSFLEET

Last week, Wilmington Academy Engineering T Level students visited Ebbsfleet Garden Village to immerse themselves in the world of construction. Organised between Karen Man, The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and The Construction Youth Trust, students were invited to take part in a three day careers workshop. 

Their first day was spent in ‘The Observatory’, at the headquarters and offices at the Castleford site learning about how the concept of Ebbsfleet Garden Village came about and the different stages of construction. The workshops included learning about the wide variety of job roles and opportunities within the construction sector.They had various speakers such as: architects, planners and designers working at the Ebbsfleet development site explaining their roles and responsibilities to the students.

On the second day, they were taken to the construction site of the new secondary school being built in Alkerden village, where they ‘donned’ hard hats, high vis vests and safety boots.  Students were ‘blown away’ by the sheer height of the cranes and learnt about the concrete formwork and various materials that were being used in the development.  Afterwards they were taken on a tour of the whole Ebbsfleet site and were educated on how the corporation were working with the local people to develop existing buildings as well as joining them to the Ebbsfleet site.

The last day was spent in teams working on a construction project.  Industry professionals came in to work with the students to advise them on how to plan, consider budgets and design a prototype for a school.The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and in their teams had to present back to the group their ideas and models. In conclusion, we can be really proud of ourselves as Cohen and Ethan were in the team that won!

SEND

As we approach the festive season, the SEND department would like to share some of the thoughts and experiences of some of our students. We asked our students who attend our Morning Club, Break Club and Lunch Club interventions what they would like to say about their experiences of the Interventions we offer to support them both academically and Socially. 

We are pleased to share them with you:

“ I love break clubs, without it , I would not have made all my friends and with break clubs, I now have something to look forward to.”                  

“ It's very fun, it's a good way to have social time with people and there are lots of games and other cool stuff.”

“ I like break and lunch clubs because they are very social. I can hang out with all my friends. If I ever feel concerned, I can always go to the teachers. It is not too busy but it is still nice.”                                      

It has been a busy time for the SEND Department, with over twenty hours of intervention per week offered to over 100 students over the past two modules. These have included the following: 

• Lego Therapy 

• Sensory Circuits 

• Literacy 

• Numeracy 

• Speech and Language Therapy 

• Neurodiversity Awareness

• Transitions: Preparing for the Future

• Resilience

Seeing the students develop confidence and capacity to achieve their goals has been wonderful.  As always, please do let us know if the SEND Department can offer any further support. If you send any concerns to sendadmin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk, we will be in touch in the New Year.

BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT

This academic year, the Academy has provided lots of career opportunities for the students.  There have been career talks and many off-site visits for our Post 16 students particularly  the T Level students.

Here are the highlights so far:

Behind the Headlines The Guardian

The students from P16 IB English and T Level Media, Broadcast and Production had an opportunity to do a three hour workshop at The Guardian, HO London.  Students were able to learn and produce a front page newspaper article using the software and creating the headlines for the day. They were given a copy of their newspaper article to take home.  Some of these articles are displayed outside the T Level Media classroom in the Jupiter building.

Lloyds Banking Group - Year 10

Lloyds Banking Group delivered a careers talk to all of Year 10 about the different roles within the bank.  The area was focused around cyber security and ransomware and how to protect our bank accounts.

UK London Parliament

The T Level Legal Services and P16 students had a fascinating day exploring the UK Parliament in London. They learned how the King delivers his speeches and the kind of laws passed in the House of Commons. The tour even took them to the House of Lords and the room where the King gets ready for his big speeches!

Bromley Magistrates

The T Level Legal Services students had an ‘experience day’ at the magistrates and attended a few public galleries to hear some court cases. The students explored the roles of the court settings and cascaded this information back to their teacher; there were some interesting cases to hear.All the students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  In February 2025, the students will be visiting the Old Bailey, City Crown Court to listen to some cases in the public gallery and the opportunity to meet the judge later that day.

Bromley Football Club

The Year 8 students were given an opportunity to hear what kind of roles there are in a football club.  How it is operated on days where there is a match.  They also saw the winning cup from the FA Trophy which Bromley FC won in 2021-2022.  The students were all engaged and inspired by the career journey from the guest speaker, Matt Hall (Pictured with Mr Mike Gore and Mrs Stephanie Goodhall) and noting one of our Wilmington Academy ex-student is a player for Bromley FC!

Sky Studio Elstree

T Level Media, Broadcast and Production and P16 Film Studies students had a fantastic day at Sky Studio Elstree, using the first time in their Sky Academy room.  The students got to hear from all the different departments within the Borehamwood studio where Wicked, Paddington in Peru and Bridget Jones are filmed on that very site.  Students were able to do a mini-film in which they had roles of being a director, editor, camera/lights and actors.  What a brilliant experience for them all!

Darent Valley Hospital

The T Level Health students went to Darent Valley Hospital to promote the T Level Health course and spent the day with the Clinical Education team.  The students have been on various onboarding courses and have officially started their T Level work placement this month.

Business Breakfast Meeting December 2024

Wilmington Academy hosted the first Business breakfast meeting this academic year with over 14 businesses present.  Students from the T Level course came to the meeting and did a presentation on how they are getting on their T Level course and their experiences so far.  It was a great opportunity for the students to engage with the employers for the first time and asked many questions for guidance on their future career.  Well done to the Year 8 students who participated in this event!

WELLBEING @ WILMINGTON

Agencies you may seek support from over the Winter Break:

LITERACY

“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.”

Roald Dahl

Team Literacy has had a fantastic start to our new academic year, and during this wonderful time of the year, we are very excited to announce the winner of our Christmas Poetry Competition: Freddy T. from Jupiter 10. 

All students across the colleges participated in the Christmas Poetry Competition and tutor groups jostled with each other to be crowned the winners! 

Here is the creative, festive and enchanting winning poem, I am sure that everyone will agree that it is truly magical! Well done Freddy!

Accelerated Reader Reward Trip

On December 19th, 2024 we took the top 15 AR students to Bateman’s in East Sussex to celebrate their achievement. While we were there students got the chance to experience “The Jungle Book Christmas”, a Christmas event celebrating the works of the late Rudyard Kipling. Students had a magical time seeing all of the themed - Christmas trees and learning about the life of Kipling through a series of art installations and displays throughout the house, as well as from the dozens of questions they asked the staff in each room.

Form reading is now firmly established across the school with each college reading a complete novel each term. Students engage in lively discussion during form time on Fridays based on their novel. During the Wilmington Christmas assemblies, prizes were awarded to the winning students in all three colleges respectively for their brilliant engagement in the literacy tutor programme- well done to all our deserving winners! 

Furthermore, our ever-famous ‘Word of the Week’ continues to keep tutors, subject teachers and students on their toes with the spelling, pronunciation and etymology of these tier 2 words. It has been really fantastic to note that these words are being used effectively in classwork, assessments and in the mock exams! As all our students continue to engage with these tier 2 words, their word-hoard is rapidly increasing and this makes us very proud indeed!

Year 7 and year 8 students are actively engaged in literacy interventions to improve gaps in their literacy skills and we are really grateful  to the  SEN team as well as the following post 16 students who are selflessly giving up their time to support, mentor and guide our new Year 7 students with their reading and comprehension skills:

• Anjola H

• Lily R

• Jack M

• Christine A

• Queen N

• Kimberley N

• Ehinome N-I

Thank you to all staff, students and parents for always supporting our efforts, programmes and activities.

MATHS

Congratulations to the positive start that has been made by all years with Year 7 and Year 12 beginning their journey on the MYP and IB course respectively,  Year 10 beginning their GCSE course and Years 8, 9, 11 and 13 continuing their journey on their relevant courses.

Welcome our new Year 7 students who have now completed their baseline assessment and are now set and settled into their new classes.

While Year 10 have begun their GCSE journey positively, Year 11 are focused and looking to complete the course this year. Well done to you all for completing the first MOCK exams.

KS3 / MYP

Well done to Year 7 and Year 8 for completing their criterion A (knowledge) assessments and Year 9 for completing their criterion D (real-life applications) assessments for this module and showing us just how knowledgeable they are. Students have also done a very good job at showing off their principled and organisational skills by completing their Sparx homework every week. Students have been  truly sparkling when it comes to Sparx and completing all of their homework every single week. Keep it up!

KS4

Since the beginning of the academic year, the KS4 cohort has demonstrated commendable dedication to their studies. They have actively engaged with the curriculum. 

The recent mock exams, held in November, served as an essential benchmark for our Year 11, providing valuable insights into their understanding of the subject and identifying areas for further improvement.The mock exams have provided a clear reflection of their capabilities and areas for improvement. Finally, we believe that with continued hard work, revision and dedication, they can achieve their academic goals.

Sparx

Well done for a great start to Sparx this year. Look out for certificates in the achievements assemblies of this module. 

ART AND DESIGN

HISTORY

The new academic year has started off brilliantly this year, with all year groups showing strong results in our early assessments and some excellent development in our extended writing abilities.

Year 7

The year 7 cohort have been demonstrating all the amazing topics they learned at Primary, including the World Wars, Victorian England and even the fashion of the 1960s! This has helped them to make a wonderful start to the MYP history curriculum at Wilmington Academy, looking at Britain’s early history and first settlers through to William’s arrival and conquest of England after the battle of Hastings in 1066. At the same time, our youngest historians have been developing their communication skills in sharing their opinions on historical topics, and making powerful connections from the country’s history and how it has helped shape our society in the modern day.

Year 8

The causes and the consequences of the British Empire has been a complicated and intriguing journey for our year 8s. Module one focused on the foundation of the Triangular Trade Route and enslavement of people from West Africa to the Americas and Caribbean. It has been key to ensure that students are aware of the brutality and barbaric nature of this terrible point as recent events have shown we are still to come to terms properly with our colonial past.  In Module two, students have been  looking at more in-  depth investigations into the British Empire’s impact in India, Australia and the Caribbean. In their research assessments, they have been using their devices to research and write on whether this impact in these colonies was positive or negative, thus developing and improving their critical thinking and extended writing skills.

Year 9

The story of Migration to Britain, has taken each class on a journey to explore different groups and their stories, looking at the Protestant Huguenots desperate escape from Catholic persecution, to more local area studies of the Windrush generation and their treatment and contribution to the country. In module two we have turned our attention to the Rise of Dictators in the 20th Century, thus helping students develop their critical thinking when trying to argue whether or not some of the worst regimes from history had made a positive impact on their country. 

KS4

Our GCSE cohort in year 10 have started their studies in earnest, covering the major parts of the Medicine in Britain course, poring over the many different theories that people had in the Medieval and Renaissance periods about why people got sick (Was it all punishment from God? Did the stars and planets control how we felt?) and looking at case studies on the Great Plague and into the recent Industrial era and the advancement of science and technology. Their assessments have been based on GCSE exam style questions enabling them to enhance their understanding of the detail and arguments needed as they make their way in their studies. 

The 20th Century has been the main area of study for the year 11s as they come to grips with the heightened tension and paranoia of the Cold War, focusing on key events in the 45 year history of the USSR and USAs battle for control and influence that almost brought about the end of the world as we know it with the Cuban Missile Crisis. We have also started our journey into the last topic of study ; Anglo-Saxon and Norman England. Having already sat their mocks, we hope the group have now had a valuable experience and are gearing up for the real thing in only a few short month

Post-16

Our Year 12 students have settled into their IB studies well and have kickstarted IB History by studying the Civil Rights Protest in America as well as the rivalries and tensions of the Cold War. Year 13 students have been finalising their final drafts for their Internal Assessment as well as looking at Imperial Russia and the Origins of the First World War. A huge well done for their hard work in their recent mock exams - we hope their dedication shines through in the mock results as well as in the real exams! 

E-SPORTS

Wilmington Academy Esports has continued to flourish this year, as we entered our 5th year of competitive action! This season, we have teams in two PC game titles, Overwatch and Rocket League, one team in SIM Racing F124 and one team in EAFC.

The Winter season is well underway, and our teams are performing admirably! Student leadership is shining brightly across the board, and it's fantastic to see our students demonstrating the IB Learner Profile, even when things don't go as planned. We're incredibly lucky to have such a supportive school and amazing facilities at our disposal.

Alongside the gameplay, we have excellent student leadership in the Production of the games live on a Wednesday afternoon by Joseph S. Digital Media content by Harry W. and Assistant Directorship and Discord moderation by Nova B.

Please continue to support the school team if you can by coming along on a Wednesday at 4pm to watch live or log into our You Tube production @Wilmingtonacademyesports

Every Thursday, from 3.15- 4.15 in S3 pupils from Years 7 to 9 have been attending Drama club. During this time, we have played Drama-related games, created various performances and consolidated their learning of Greek theatre. Pupils have also been rehearsing the Three Little Pigs, a famous poem by Roald Dahl. There are still a few spaces available if anyone would like to join.

Last module, our Year 10 students had the incredible opportunity to take part in a cooking workshop led by two talented chefs from the Fun Chinese Cooking organisation. The chefs shared their expertise on traditional Chinese sauces, the diverse cuisines from different regions of China, and even demonstrated how to prepare an authentic Chinese dish!

Students were introduced to the rich flavours of Chinese cooking, learning about the importance of ingredients like light and dark soy sauce, hoisin, black bean and five-spice powder. The chefs then guided the students through the process of making a delicious Chicken Hoisin dish paired with fluffy rice. Each student had the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and create their own meal, which turned out to be both tasty and educational. 

The session was not only a fun hands-on experience but also a fantastic opportunity for students to broaden their culinary knowledge! The Year 10 students thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, with many expressing how much they learned about Chinese cuisine and cooking techniques.

We’d like to thank the chefs for their engaging presentation and hands-on approach. We’re already looking forward to welcoming them back next year for more culinary adventures!

“I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round … as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their hearts freely”

‘A Christmas Carol’, Charles Dickens

“There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.”

Michael Phelps

RETURN IN THE NEW YEAR

School returns on Tuesday 7th January 2024 at 8:30am.

(Please note: Students will go straight to Form Time at the start of the day).

KEY DATES