FACULTY NEWS

Students in Year 9, 10 and 11 had the privilege of attending a Careers Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 had the privilege of attending a careers fair, here in school, where 30 employers and further education providers Festival, here in school, where 30 employers and further education exhibited on Thursday 7th October, 2021. The event was designed to allow students to seek information from the various employers and providers exhibited on Thursday 7 October. The event was designed to allow students to seek information from the various employers and colleges regarding their organisations, the jobs they seek to colleges regarding their organisations, the jobs they seek to employ, the qualifications needed and the level of job satisfaction that might be on offer, should they choose to peruse that pathway. It fantastic to be able to open our doors and create face to face careers event in school. The benefit of face to face conversations and employ, the qualifications needed and the level of job satisfaction information gathering was a huge benefit to our students. The interactions and questioning they were able to engage with, was priceless. that might be on offer, should they choose to peruse that pathway. Students and exhibitors were very positive about the event and both gained much from those interactions. It was fantastic to be able to open our doors and create face to face All the employers who attended stated that the students at Colchester Academy were wonderful; they said they asked some very intuitive careers event in school. The advantage of face to face conversations and information gathering was a huge benefit to our students. The questions, were not afraid to ask challenging questions and sort as much information as they could, to help them make informed decisions about their futures. Students represented the school brilliantly and made us all very proud. interactions and questioning they were able to engage with was It was a privilege to create and host such an event, next year we hope to make it even bigger! It was a proud moment to see the high level of priceless. Students and exhibitors were very positive about the event engagement in the activities. Well done to all our students, we hope the information you gathered will inspire you to aim high and seek to be the and both gained much from those interactions. best that you can be. The employers who attended stated that the students at Colchester Academy were wonderful; they said they asked some very intuitive Mrs Ross Assistant Principal questions, were not afraid to ask challenging questions and sort as much information as they could, to help them make informed decisions about their futures. Students represented the school brilliantly and made us all very proud. It was a privilege to create and host such an event, next year we hope to make it even bigger! It was a proud moment to see the high level of engagement in the activities. Well done to all our students, we Realise your Potential with Make Happen hope the information you gathered will inspire you to aim high and seek to be the best that you can be. Mrs Ross Assistant Principal

GCSE Success Evening

It was an absolute pleasure to open our doors to a record turnout of our Year 11 students and their supportive parents on Thursday 23 September. The evening was a great success, offering plenty of guidance regarding key curriculum information, directly from the experts in every faculty. We also shared how to stay calm, relaxed and yet strive to achieve during the exam season, as well as revision techniques, curriculum revision guides, information on sleep and exercise to support a smooth journey. We were blessed to have support from three of our further education colleges, as well as having the privilege of hosting Cambridge University; our ambitions for our students are endless! All this and we had some amazing food demonstrations and tasting from the fantastic teachers in our Food department. Parents were wonderfully supportive of their children and feedback was highly complementary. All our further education providers were impressed with the level of questions students asked, and staff commented on the enthusiasm our students had for their studies and their determination to do well. Long may this continue. The evening was designed to give as much information as possible, to reduce fears and above all, give all our students the message that we, the school and their families, are with them every step of the way. This is a journey, where the end is now insight, so as we take each step, we hope that the information from the evening will help smooth some of those bumps in the road, to make Year 11 a positive and purposeful journey, to success at the end. Good Luck Year 11! Mrs Ross Assistant Principal

Something else Author Visit

Remote Learning, Learning Online, Live Learning …we have been doing it all, at Colchester Academy Lockdown has been long and tiring. Sitting in front of a screen, day in day out, has been a burden on all of us, including students, parents and guardians, and any other poor souls who has assisted in ensuring students at CA have continued to be dedicated to their studies. However, we are immensely proud of our community and cohort of students for the dedication and resilience they have shown in progressing with their learning. It has been a real pleasure seeing our learners flourish, especially with new features, such as the ‘chat function’ in the google classroom. Such a function has enabled our teachers to question students in a different manner, engaging new responses and developing ideas and thoughts in a different way. Further to this, the attendance to lessons of all students has been of an exceptional standard, especially when you consider we, as an academy, have been providing ‘live’ lessons for all learners. Highlights have seen 78% of the academy logging on and attending lessons per day, with this peaking in certain year groups to 82.9% in Year 11, 79.3% in Year 10 and 79.5% in Year 7. Additionally, we have also seen real dedication from our students with 51% attending 4 or more lessons on a daily basis; again, this has peaked at 53.9% in Year 11, 55.5% in Year 10 and 52.7% in Year 9. I hasten to add, these figures are above national averages, as reported by the Sutton Trust. We know we are all yearning for the return of students to the academy. We know that whatever measures have been put in place online, it doesn’t make up for the quality of face to face teaching and lea Prefects are Year 11 students who have been nominated by departments before undergoing a rigorous selection process. They have a range of duties to fulfil including lunch supervision, teaching small groups of younger students and supporting the school’s faculties. Our Head Students are selected from within a group of Senior Prefects. The path to these appointments is rigorous, and before selected, they have completed an application form, delivered a presentation and then undergone an interview with a panel of senior staff members. This year’s demanding selection process was the most competitive the school has Some of our Year 7 and 8 students have been participating during lockdown in a Mini Book Club – At Home reading witnessed in recent years, and due to the quality of the candidates, the decision of whom would become the an ebook of ‘I Have No Secrets’ by Penny Joelson, a page-turning thriller seen through the eyes of a unique narrator. school’s Head Students was an extremely difficult one to make. Nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal, it won the FCBG Children’s Book Award for Older Readers. After much deliberation, the above students were chosen to fill the appointments of Head Students. Students met online in a Google Classroom and when we finally came back to school we were able to use a large classroom for our discussions. Well done to Daniel Johnson and Skye Marzell. The last event was a Google Meet with the author, Penny Joelson, who gave us some insight into her writing style Mr Halliwell (lots of Post-It notes) and told the story of how she was once so immersed in her reading, she got locked in a library Assistant Principal for 2 hours after it shut! 1,500 pupils participated in the online interactive event! It was the first time so many pupils across the country took part in a book club. Pupil engagement was fantastic – there were so many questions that Google nearly crashed! We were very proud to have been part of the launch of the first-ever National Teen Book Club. Mrs Hawkins Library Coordinator

Deputy Head Students: Academic Mentoring Leads Layla Armstrong and Pen Igbinedion Our roles will be the following: - To assist the Head Students and to always be ready, if needed, to fill the Head Student role - To assist the Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related matters - All Team Leaders will use the Deputy Head Students to help other students with their planning or their actual studies. We will either provide the support ourselves or task one of the Prefect Team to help - Help Head Students to organise all other prefect related tasks - Assist with next year’s Prefect application process. New Joiners Leads Fab Sarwar and Brogan Mead Our roles will be the following: - To assist the Head and Deputy Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related matters - To work directly with all Year Leaders to ensure all new joiners are given a tour of the school - To actively ensure all new joiners, across the five year groups, are happy and to make sure their transition is healthy and positive - To be a point of contact for all new joiners, if there is an issue they feel it is difficult to speak to a member of staff about. Friendship Mentoring & Wellbeing Leads David Clayton and Maddie Kelsey Our roles will be the following: - To assist the Head and Deputy Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related matters - To work directly with all Year Leaders to ensure all students who aren’t happy have a fellow student they can come to for advice - To be a point of contact for all students, if there is an issue they feel is too difficult to speak to a member of staff about. Extra-Curricular & Clubs/Sports, House and Functions Leads Kaitlyn McGenn and Ashley Dale Our roles will be the following: - To assist the Head and Deputy Head Students with matters concerning charity and Student Council related matters - To work directly with all staff who run or assist with any lunchtime or after school club or sports teams. We will offer the following assistance: - Administration help - Support with letters or advertising matters - Setting up and tidying away venues - General help regarding all matters to do with clubs and sporting events.