anniversary see

Bromley Beacon Academy celebrates five years of success

Last month, Bromley Beacon Academy celebrated its fifth birthday – and an outstanding journey of improvement.

The Trust’s special school in Old Homesdale Road, Bromley, supports children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Staff and pupils were joined for the celebration by the Deputy Mayor of Bromley, employers, councillors, parents and other stakeholders. Guests at the special event were treated to a fantastic dance display by Cohesion Plus, award presentations and tours of the facilities, led by pupils. Speeches were given by Trust CEO, Dr Sam Parrett, Deputy CEO, Mr Neil Miller, Headteacher Mr Philip Tagoe and Vice Chair of Trust, Denise

James-Mason.

When the Trust took the school in 2016 it was failing and at risk of closure – but dedicated leaders and staff have transformed provision for pupils, with Ofsted rating it as Good in 2019 for the first time in its history.

Achievement rates at the school have been on an upward trajectory for the last three years and every single pupil leaving the school last year moved into further education, an apprenticeship or employment.

Addressing guests, CEO of London South East Academies Trust, Dr Sam Parrett CBE, said: “The remarkable achievements of Bromley Beacon Academy are testament to the incredible dedication, commitment and hard work of the senior leadership team, staff, pupils and our wider community.

Working in partnership with the Local Authority, employers and our neighbours has strengthened our links with the community – and has enabled us to effectively support a growing number of children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs in the Borough.

I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has been involved in BBA’s journey to date and I look forward to the many further successes that this school will undoubtedly achieve.”

During the event, Deputy Mayor of Bromley, Cllr Tony Owens, announced Year 11 pupil, Khaidon, as winner of the school’s T Shirt competition, presenting him with a certificate and voucher. Pupils had been asked to come up with a special 5th birthday t-shirt design which reflected the school’s values and Khaidon’s fantastic effort was chosen as the winning creation.

Also during the afternoon of celebration, pupils Mark Baker, Nathanial Karikari and Tony Lee Lovell were presented with awards for writing some outstanding poetry.

Read more online now

Launch of Trust-wide Education Recovery Fund

Kate Shiner, Trust Director of Strategic Development

writes: I joined London South East Academies Trust at the

beginning of November.

I was delighted to meet you all at the recent Trust All Staff meeting and I hope to meet more of you face-to-face in the new year.

Part of my role is to follow up on the One Trust review that was started earlier this year and implement the next steps to ensure the central services meet your needs and operates as One Trust. I will be seeking staff input, so look out in the new year for how to get involved.

At the Trust All Staff meeting I was also very pleased to launch the Education Recovery Support Fund. This is a new central fund to support all academies with education recovery following Covid-19. The fund will provide extra resources from paying for extra teaching and non-teaching roles to innovative ideas such as new soft furnishings, soft play equipment, school trips, new IT resources, staff training. We want to encourage all staff to apply – those of you working in the academies every day are the best placed people to know where extra money would have a big impact on our pupils’ outcomes and wellbeing, so please do let us know through this process. The form is very short and easy to complete, and the application deadline is Friday 14th January. Please email your applications to Kate Shiner and Neil Miller and copy in your headteacher or head of school. Successful bids will be announced at the end of January.

Trust Staff and students celebrate hard work and resilience on GCSE results day

Students and staff across London South East Academies Trust’s schools demonstrated their hard work and resilience by delivering an encouraging set of GCSE or equivalent qualification results.

After an extremely challenging year, with much disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sustained improvement was achieved across the board, with outstanding individual achievements made by many students. In the vast majority of schools, 100% of students achieved a qualification in English and maths.

Over 100 young people across five of the Trust’s schools received GCSE or equivalent results.

Each school stayed opened throughout the lockdown period to support vulnerable students, helping to ensure that no child was academically disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic. A robust programme of online and distance learning was also put in place for those pupils unable to attend during this time.

School term highlights

Endeavour Academy gets a make-over

Over the summer, Endeavour Academy had a brand-new art room installed. The old food room was removed and converted into a brand new creative space for students. In addition, the old Art room has now been transformed into an amazing practical space for Food Technology. Staff and student feedback have been very positive and they have been enjoying the new spaces.

Belmont Academy celebrates National Poetry Day – and learns about the value of giving

In October, Belmont Academy celebrated National Poetry Day. The poet of choice was James Berry, an influential Jamaican Poet and the author of the poem One. Students immersed themselves in the poem and then created their own version, which included a performance to the song One Love by Bob Marley. They also created a 3D art representation of James Berry, accompanied by statements from the children celebrating their uniqueness.

The newly formed pupil-led community committee also welcomed St Paul’s Church Foodbank to Belmont as part of its commitment to contribute to the local community. Tying in with harvest festival, families donated an impressive amount of food items and toiletries and the children learnt about the important role the foodbank plays and where their donations end up.

Bromley Trust Academy, Hayes Campus relaunches Peer Mentoring scheme

This term Bromley Trust Academy, Hayes Campus, re-launched its peer mentoring programme. Pre-Covid this had been an immensely successful initiative where older students were nominated by their teachers to provide encouragement and advice for their younger peers. Year 11 students who applied for the position of mentor were formally interviewed and paired with a mentee from Year 10 or KS3 and received training from staff, including safeguarding rules and listening skills.

Mentors were recommended on the basis of their reliability, punctuality and willingness to commit to weekly meetings. As well as providing additional support for younger students, this initiative also provides excellent evidence for Year 11 when writing their CV’s and post 16 applications.

Aspire Academy re-introduces school sports provision

This term, Aspire Academy was excited to re-introduce its afterschool sports provision. The clubs, which include football, basketball, proved to be a hit with students. Swimming, an important life skill, was also added to the curriculum and students enjoyed their first tentative strokes in the pool.

Following a successful trial day last year, staff and students at Aspire Academy were also delighted to welcome back Olympia Boxing to deliver sessions.

Woodside Academy hosts coffee morning for parents and carers

In October, Woodside Academy hosted a coffee morning for parents and carers of Year 11, 12 and 13 students. The event, designed to share information about post-16 options, was well attended.

To support the running of the event, Post-16 students were on hand to escort visitors and provide refreshments. Their efforts were highly commended by guests and noted by the presentation of certificates.