Improvements at the Academy formally noted!

Each half term we have a visit from our sponsor with the aim of ensuring that we are on the right track to secure the improvements that our students and our community deserve and that we have been promising.
This term’s report coming, as it does, ahead of the OfSTED visit we know we will have before the summer break is both helpful and timely.

Key points:

- The learning walk took in seven lessons across the range of ages and subjects of the academy. Positive learning displays were a strong feature observed throughout the academy, as was student behaviour, teacher-student relationships and student engagement. A range of active group work and learning activities was observed, along with consistent marking and feedback practice.

- In the work scrutiny meetings with both Y10 and Y11, the students were clear in their view that assessment and marking has improved. They like the assessment feedback grids and stickers that have been introduced, following regular assessment tasks, and say that they receive useful and specific feedback. They believe that their own target setting is best when they are overseen by their teachers, rather than working alone, and when they are given time to reflect on feedback during a lesson rather than in their own time.

- During my lesson observations and learning walk, no poor behaviour was observed and the vast majority of students were on task and engaged. The group of Y6 pupils that I met were clear that they feel safe in the academy and they have no fears of moving to KS3 because of the strong connections that have been formed in the all-through academy.

- It is clear that the quality of teaching is improving, as indeed Ofsted identified last year.

- The Y6 pupils were not only positive about the academy in general (“It’s really good for education!”) but about their teachers and lessons.

- In the work scrutiny meetings with both Y10 and Y11, the students were clear in their view that assessment and marking has improved. They like the assessment feedback grids and stickers that have been introduced, following regular assessment tasks, and say that they receive useful and specific feedback.

Communicating with you

The Newsletter hits a ton!

This week will see the 100th edition of the Newsletter, with Issue 1 being published on 17th September 2010. As regular readers will know we moved away from the printed format of the original you now receive, almost exactly one year ago.

The very first edition introduced readers to: Shelagh Potter, our interim Principal who oversaw the opening of the Academy and the handover to me in January 2011; to Barry Bainbridge, Chair of Governors until last August; and to Rik Meek, Vice Principal. There were articles about Mrs Buckland’s planned trip to Canada in the summer of 2011, a trip that took place with great success, and about Tom and Matt Moysey’s success with their bowling.

A special thanks was given to five Year 9 students for helping out showing potential parents around the Academy; Rory Bush, Robert Elliott, Dylan Wild, Freddie Davis, Lorna Elliott and Will Smith. Two of these boys, now in Year 11, helped out last night with refreshments at the Year 10 parents’ evening.

The decision to switch to weekly Newsletters via email was taken alongside the launching of a more substantial termly magazine, one that captured what was going on in the Academy, and contained longer detailed articles about what we are doing and why.

The first edition of the Inspire Magazine came out in October and the latest edition is now being delivered to all local households. If you cannot wait for your copy logon to our website and see it there: http://www.dartmouthacademy.org.uk/.

As so many organisations have now done we have also branched into social media and have an Academy Facebook page and Twitter feed, both of which can be found on the front page of the website by following the link above.

Communication is vital, the children and young adults here do so many wonderful things that need and deserve celebrating. There is so much going on here that we need to share with you, whether this is information about parents’ evenings, term dates, the new build, or whatever, you need to know. If there is anything you think we are missing out on, or work we could do to improve our communication with you please do not hesitate to contact us.

Every issue of the past 100 newsletters is on our website here: http://www.dartmouthacademy.org.uk/news/

What are you reading this holiday?

This book is a really excellent read but one that took me a while to get going on, due to the level of detail. This detail is both the book’s strength and its weakness. The Easter break has given me the chance to read for more than a few minutes at a time, and I am so pleased I persevered! The fascinating and carefully researched historical backdrop allied with the characterisations of famous historical characters from Tudor England; including Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey, make it simultaneously engaging and educational.

Nick Hindmarsh

Looking ahead

It has been a long winter with a prolonged cold snap but at last the days are drawing out and, even if the temperatures are not rising, the days when one left for work in the dark and returned form work in the dark are behind us until next winter.

I heard this week that 1976 had a late cold snap and then we had that wonderful very hot summer; I think the implication was that this might happen again this year.  Well we can hope!

What we do not “hope” for are better results.  We believe in the young people here, working hard for better results and in our teaching qualities to expect, not “hope” for, improvement.  Last month’s GCSE results for Y11 indicate we are going in the right direction and have due cause to believe.  Year 6 are working hard, as I type, on practice SATS papers and the data these are generating look good for the final outcomes.

I have always maintained that education is not simply about examination results and that to truly engage young people you have to inspire them and give them a wide range of experiences so that every child has positive reasons for coming to school.  Whether this is great Drama teaching, inspiring Science opportunities, sport, visits and trips; whatever, school is about more than simply examinations.

However, when the time comes for students to leave us their future opportunities will be severely limited without quality examination outcomes so we have a moral duty to ensure this happens.

Fortunately these aims are not mutually exclusive, indeed I would contest that without genuine inspiration and participation from young people with the things they enjoy you will never achieve great examination outcomes.

Next term brings a number of important staging posts in the Academy’s short term and longer term future, as well as all the fun activities that take place.

• Examinations will be taken and their outcomes take us further down the path of improvement
• OfSTED will visit (in fact at the time of writing they could still visit this term!)
• The Fashion Show moves from the Hall here to the Flavel
• We welcome record Year 6 numbers, for Year 7 in September to their induction days
• We welcome Year 5 students to a variety of taster days
• We have activities and residentials taking place in July, alongside Y10 work experience
• We really push on Star Reading
• The first set of Sixth Form Travel Awards take place
• Year 11 have their Prom at Britannia Royal Naval College

Oh and, in case I forget, we have the little matter of the new build taking place in the heart of our site.

These are important times of change, as we make Dartmouth Academy the local school of choice.

Enjoy the Easter break with family and loved ones!

Turf cutting ceremony marks formal start of the new build

This is it: the start of the biggest investment in education and public buildings in Dartmouth’s history

On Wednesday next week we will officially begin our rebuild – an adventure which will be exciting and challenging for us all.

We will be holding a small ‘turf breaking’ ceremony on the building site at midday on March 20th, which marks the beginning of the 14 month build, this will be followed by a visit to the exhibition that is being set up in the Textiles room.

Although we can’t have everyone there, we hope that you are as excited as we are about the possibilities this rebuild offers to all of us and our community.

Soon much will be changing on site with demolition starting this week followed by the steel erection scheduled for the end of April.

Look out for details on the ceremony in next week’s newsletter, on the rebuild blog, on the website and in the local press.

Exciting times!

Yorke students’ reports – due next week

Spring Term Reports

Whatever your child’s age the reports this term are an important marker and, whether or not you have a parents’ evening in the near future, we would welcome contact from you about any issues you may have with this report. If this is the case then please, in the first instance, make contact with your child’s Form Tutor who will help you resolve your concerns.

If your child is in Year 7 then we will by now be developing a detailed understanding of them and their learning needs, and you will have had a chance to share your thoughts at the recent parents’ evening but if not please o not wait until the next parents’ evening. The sooner worries are addressed the sooner we can address them.

For those of you with a child in Year 8 the choices process is well underway and we will be contacting you in the next few weeks, soon after Easter, with details of the courses your child will be following at Key Stage 4. If the comments made in these reports gives rise to any concerns about the choices made then please contact Nick Bowles who, as you will know, oversees the choices process.

Year 9 students should by now have settled to GCSE study and most will be taking external modular exams in the next few months. If there is anything about these exams about which you want additional information then do not delay asking.

I have been delighted with the manner in which Year 10 have stepped up this year and the progress they are making. This time next year they will be approaching the final few weeks of their GCSE courses so it is crucial that they maintain and further improve their work rate. Attendance is an area where a number of the cohort needs to improve; this is a key aspect of securing success next year. If this applies to your child then I am sure I can count on your support in putting this right.

Those of you with children in Year 11 will, I am sure, join me in doing all we can to maintain their focus on their studies over the course of these final three months of their GCSEs. Following the exams in June most will have a break of 8-10 weeks; this is the time to relax but for now the pressure is on. They will need our support in the management of the pressure we, and they, put on themselves. Do not delay if there is anything you feel we need to know to make these final weeks as productive as possible.

Many thanks for all your support and in anticipation of your continued support.

Yours sincerely

and so it begins, at last!

On Monday contractors will be on site to begin preparing for the start of the building contract. Their first job is to prepare the site office in the former Room 27/Nurses/VI Form building. As a result a small area of the Car Park (approx. 4 spaces) near to the Swimming Pool changing rooms will be fenced off for delivery and storage of materials, as will Room 27.

As far as we know (i.e. informally) onsite work proper will start on the 11th Feb. If so, when the Academy reopens after half term the building site and hoarding around it will be established. More information about the implications of this will be provided between now and half term.

As we enter this exciting period it’s worth noting that though we will face unforeseen and perhaps significant challenges, that a great deal is being asked of everyone, and that much patience will be needed; it is all going to be well worth ‘the pain’ because the foundations of 25 years of success are, quite literally, being built around us during the next 14/18 months (and the new Academy will be a fantastic place to learn and work). So with all that in mind ‘thank you’ in advance for your co-operation, adaptability, resilience, persistence, tolerance and good humour!