The Cabot Learning Federation Newsletter Edition 3

Three December 2014

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NICK CLEGG VISITS BATH COMMUNITY ACADEMY

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

NEW CEO FOR THE CLF

Pic Dan Copp BCA

Pupils and staff at the Bath Community Academy welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Steve Bradley into their classrooms recently.Over the summer, the school had record GCSE results and gained the title of the most improved school in the South West.

REMEMBRANCE ACROSS THE CLF

The Deputy Prime Minister spent time with the academy’s Principal, Adam Williams, and was then given a tour of part of the school where he assisted in the creation of a curry in a domestic science lesson, and then took part in a radio interview conducted by a group of students.

Mr Clegg was impressed with his tour round the school and said it was good to be able to visit a school which had gone through difficult times and was now “going places.” He said: “What stands out is that you should never write off kids, you should never write off a community and you should never write off a school.

“You just need to see the happy faces of the boys and girls doing parkour and the children stirring their curries to see that this is a school with a future.”

Principal Adam Williams said: “One of the things I’m most pleased about is that so many students who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to interact with someone of his standing have had the opportunity to talk to him today.

PANTO TIME AT BBA

“Something today may have re-directed a child’s life, he may have given them a new focus in something that he has said to them.

“We have made so much progress, 110 per cent progress in one year, but we have our feet on the ground.

“Compared to other schools in Bath we have some way to go, but it’s nice that there is recognition of progress.It’s great that there is that willingness to celebrate progress as part of the journey.”

To watch Nick Clegg’s interview with Pheonix Radio at BCA go tohttp://www.bathcommunityacademy.org/nick-clegg-visit/

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

NEW CEO FOR THE CLF Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), which runs 12 schools in the greater Bristol area, has named Steve Taylor as its next Chief Executive. Mr Taylor, an Executive Principal at the Federation, came out top of a strong field of applicants from around the country following an extensive interview process.

He will take up his post on January 1st, 2015.

It is a key role for education in the region and in England. Cabot Learning Federation is one of the leading schools groups in the country. It has about 5,600 students aged from three to 19 and more than 1,000 staff. Its annual budget exceeds £50 million.

Professor Ron Ritchie, chairman of the CLF board, said: “Steve has played a major part in the development of the Federation over the past five years and is the ideal person to take us on to the next stage. We look forward to a new era for the CLF, building on our considerable strengths and embracing fresh ideas so we can continue to provide the very best opportunities for children, young people and families.”

Mr Taylor joined the Federation at its formation in 2009 as the first Principal of Bristol Metropolitan Academy in Fishponds. He worked previously at Backwell School in North Somerset and as a Principal in a schools Federation in The Netherlands.

He became Executive Principal a year ago and led moves to raise GCSE performance in the six CLF secondary academies, making it the second most improved federation in the country in 2014. He was part of the Mayor of Bristol's Education and Skills Commission and is committed to the vision of Bristol as a Learning City and to working with other education providers in the city region and more widely.

Mr Taylor, 43, said: “I am delighted to have the chance to lead the CLF forward into its next chapter. It is a great privilege and a responsibility I do not take lightly. The Federation plays a vital role in improving lives in the communities we serve and developing the citizens of tomorrow.”

The Federation's motto is Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement and it is recognised as one of the best providers of school-to-school support. It leads a Teaching School Alliance, which includes excellent practitioners from many schools in the region.

Mr Taylor said: “Our core moral purpose is to provide outstanding education for all children aged from three to 19, bringing together the best ideas so that everyone can benefit. We are committed to spreading our learning and making a contribution across the education system. One of my priorities will be to go out and learn from the best schools and school groups in the country how we at CLF can continue to improve life chances for the families who put their trust in our academies.”

Big Read for Children in Need Academies across the Cabot Learning Federation got involved in a sponsored read for Children in Need.

At Bristol Metropolitan Academy, Bristol Brunel Academy, Minerva Primary Academy and Begbrook Primary Academy students read their favourite books during the morning and secondary and primary academies linked up via webcam for live interactive sessions in the afternoon.

Bristol Metropolitan also had a Pudsey cake baked and on display.

Helen Harman, Librarian, Bristol Metropolitan Academy said, “The CLF has raised an amazing £5479.04 with our Big Read over the last few years.

Not only does this event raise money for such worthy causes it also promotes literacy across the Federation.”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

THE CLF NOVEMBER CONFERENCE

Early November the CLF conference took place at four locations. Fishponds & Bristol Metropolitan Academies hosted teachers from across the Federation. Hans Price Academy hosted trainee teachers and the University of the West of England (UWE) hosted support staff.

One thousand CLF staff took part in a range of collaborative activities throughout day sharing the latest best practice.

Secondary and primary teachers got involved and were taught as primary and secondary school students in a variety of different subject lessons.

Support staff at UWE got involved in team building activities which included being passed through a web, building a pyramid out of cardboard triangles and the finale taking part in the Hakka!

This event was voted the best conference to date, by both teaching and support staff. There were plenty of resources for staff to use with students in their home academies.

If you would like to view the support staff conference video here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77gFCtTy28&list=UUmju UZbgYEdLL2xqE1K9nrQ

THE CABOT LEARNING FEDERATION REMEMBERS

King’s Oak Academy staff and students at Warmley War Memorial

Picture Steve South King’s Oak Academy.

This year is the centenary for the Great War and King’s Oak Academy ran a whole school Remembrance Week from Monday 10th November. There were a range of activities during tutor time, students laid wreaths at the local Warmley War Memorial and learned about the War and how it affected their local community.

Meanwhile at Hanham Woods Academy Finlay Wilson, a Year 11 student, played the Last Post which was followed by two minutes silence. (Pic right) Joe Brydon, a Post 16 student at the CLF, led a week of assemblies at John Cabot Academy for Remembrance Week. Joe was assisted by other students and staff.

At Bath Community Academy there was a poignant Remembrance Day whole school assembly led by BCA students and ending in 2 minutes silence.

Author Visits Bristol Met

Author Tracy Alexander visited Bristol Metropolitan Academy to talk about her new book ‘Hacked’ and to work with students.

Tracy worked with Year 7, 8, and 9 students giving them an insight into what it is like to be an author and to talk them through the process of writing a book.

Tracy tracked down a real-life hacker to assist with her research who is called Dan in the book. Dan is far too clever for his own good and he gets sucked into the murky and dangerous road of hacking. Through the book Dan shows how easy it can be to step onto the wrong path and just how difficult it is to try to right a wrong.

Tracy said, “This certainly isn't a ‘how to hack’ instruction manual, but I hope students enjoy the book and it encourages them to read more”.

Helen Harman, Librarian at Bristol Metropolitan said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tracy for visiting, the students really enjoyed this teaching and learning experience.

We are always talking to students about the importance of literacy and today has gone some way in promoting that.”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

PANTO TIME AT BRISTOL BRUNEL….OH YES IT WAS!

HWA Student Develops Own Successful APP Business

Bristol Brunel Academy put on a spectacular performance of Snow White the Panto. This one off show involved a cast and crew of 25 students from Years 7-10.

This rib tickling Panto made reference to lots of local landmarks throughout the performance.The cast have been busy rehearsing since September and were rewarded with an appreciative audience of around 100 who thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Anna Shaw & Laura Harry, joints Heads of Drama said, “It has been brilliant working with the students on this for the last few months, they have worked extremely hard. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that came and saw the show.”

A Year 12 student from Hanham Woods Academy successfully managed to earn £500 in the space of a week through his app business. The student, Toby Clench aged 16, earned the profits through his various apps, sold in the BlackBerry World app marketplace.

The student's most successful app is Hub Browser, a utility that opens a web browser directly within any other app to improve efficiency. Hub Browser reached the top grossing paid apps’ section of BlackBerry World during the first few weeks following release; it received a total of 1325 downloads during the month of September. Sales improved again in October as the application was featured directly on the home page of BlackBerry World, across the globe for a week in October, helping the app to reach an exponential amount of downloads.

The Hanham Woods Academy student has more apps currently in development, including a Spotify app that allows you to search and add tracks to your Spotify playlists. Another app entitled ‘Heads Up’ utilises your device’s camera and uses its view as the background to a text area, so you can walk and type at the same time without the worry of walking into something or someone!

Given the Smartphone manufacturer's recent shift in focus back towards the Enterprise side of its business, Toby has followed BlackBerry's lead by co-creating an Enterprise Developer Group in Bristol, called "BrizBerryDevs". The group has recently begun work on its first app specifically for business customers.

Mrs Hansford, Head of Business said, “Toby has proven you can be a successful entrepreneur at a young age. We are extremely proud of his achievements and I am sure we will hear a lot more from him in the future.”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

“Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement”

KING’S OAK ACADEMY’S COLSTON HALL CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Picture Steve South King’s Oak Academy

King’s Oak Academy’s partner primary schools put on a spectacular Christmas concert at the Colston Hall recently.

This annual concert, hosted by King’s Oak Academy, included eight of the academy’s partner primary schools, Beacon Rise, Park Primary, Parkwall, TheTynings, Summerhill Academy and King’s forest.

With over 500 voices on stage, including King’s Oak Academy students, the children performed a range of songs including, Happy, Standing in the Hall of Fame, Hallelujah, The Camel Boogie Woogie and a medley of Christmas songs. Other ensembles including steel bands, a drum group, rock bands, and soloists were also featured. The aim of this event was to promote participation in making music and that music can be fun for all ages.

This was the thirteenth annual Colston Hall concert in succession and was produced and directed by Tim Warren, Team Leader of Performance & Participation from King’s Oak Academy, who said, “This concert is part of the continuing work between our academy and our partner primaries which covers many areas of the curriculum. The students and pupils really enjoyed the day and worked really well together, they put on a fantastic performance thoroughly enjoyed by the audience, who also joined in.”

This was also a charity fundraiser so a silver collection was made in aid of Young Carers for Bristol & South Gloucs.

Christmas Jumper Day to Raise Money Minerva Primary Academy staff and students really got into the festive spirit and wore Christmas jumpers for the day. Around 280 students took part in this fun event, but for a serious reason.

Students wore their jumpers to take part in Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day. Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day is now in its third year and, thanks to fantastic supporters popping on their pullovers up and down the nation, they have raised more than £1.6 million to date.

They are asking people to make the world better with a sweater by wearing a Christmas jumper for the day and donating to Save the Children. They are asking for £1 per woolly.

Gemma Jackson, Principal of Minerva Academy said, “The children really enjoyed wearing their jumpers and staff had a great deal of fun too.

Importantly, this event gave us the opportunity to talk to our students about the work Save the Children undertakes and the impact it has on underprivileged children across the globe. The students want to raise as much money as possible for this very worthy cause.”

Festive Singing & Dancing For Charity

A Group of 15 talented musicians and dancers from John Cabot Academy produced a charity Christmas concert. This festive evening of fun and live entertainment included a choir, bands and Ceilidh dancing.

Students from Years 7- 13 took part to raise much needed funds for ‘Caring at Christmas,’ a charity that provides safe shelter for homeless people in Bristol over the festive period, from 24th December through to New Year’s Day. This concert took place at John Cabot Academy in the main hall and foyer on 10th December.

Charlotte Grierson, Teacher of Music & Head of Community who helped organise this concert said, “Our students have rehearsed and worked extremely hard pulling this concert together and Steve Clarke, Head of Music, and I have been extremely impressed by their talent. The students chose this charity as they felt it could really make a difference in their local and wider communities.”

Hanham Woods Academy ScoopsTwo Awards Hanham Woods Academy in Bristol has recently been presented with two awards from national bodies. They have been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom and the Employability Chartermark for Education, which reflects the huge importance placed on ensuring the students are given every opportunity to achieve their employability potential and achieve their career goals.

The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools that do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens. The British Council paid special tribute to the links Hanham Woods have formed with a school in China.

When the West of England local enterprise partnership awarded The Employability Chartermark for Education to Hanham Woods, they noted many areas of good practice from staff and just as importantly students. They were encouraged to hear from students who benefitted from their work placements and employability elements of the curriculum.

Ms Jo Postlethwaite, Vice Principal said, “To receive not one but two awards from national bodies is absolutely fantastic as staff work extremely hard embedding these topics into the curriculum.

It is vitally important our students leave Hanham Woods with the skills to make them not just employable but globally aware citizens

CHRISTMAS NATIVITY ACROSS THE FEDERATION

Fishponds Church of England Academy

Frome Vale Academy. This picture also featured on the front page of the Bristol Post nativity supplement

Wallscourt Farm Academy

Summerhill Academy

Minerva Primary Academy

All pictures were featured in the Bristol Post nativity supplement.

FEDERATION SPORT CLF Football Team Top The Table

Thanks to Tim Shears, KOA, for the pic.

Congratulations to the CLF football team who top the league at present. Keep up the good work lads!

Bristol Met Fencing Success

Nine Fencers from Bristol Metropolitan Academy took part in a Fencing Competition at Sherbourne Girls School.

Palmy Yotsophon, Louis Findlay Smith, Aquelis Soares, Sam Gallop, Wanida Kasikitwiwat and Kaustubh Dave fought in the Senior Sabre class while Tom Bennett and Connor Daniel fought in the Cadet competition. Ben Page represented the Academy in the Junior Sabre.

In terms of results Tom Bennett achieved Gold in the Cadet category whilst Palmy and Wanida gained Gold and Silver in the Senior Sabre.

Nigel Cooley from Bristol Metropolitan said, “Our students did extremely well in the face of tough opposition. They fought bravely and deserved their triumphs, a very well done to you all!�

Cabot Learning Federation

@cabotfederation www.cabotlearningfederation.net

Written, photographed and produced by Dean Blake Communications Manager. Edited by Jayne Selway.