Yia insight newsletter edition 4

Issue 4 – November 2015

YIA:Insight

Achieving success through motivation, knowledge and skills

As we move towards the end of the calendar year it is often a time of reflection. We all know there has been a significant change at Yate International Academy over the last 12 months but I now firmly believe the Academy is in a strong position to develop into the outstanding institution that it should be. Recently OFSTED praised our changes and improvements to uniform, attendance and punctuality and also recognised that leaders have a clear understanding of other aspects that are needed to further improve the Academy.

Initial data is already demonstrating strong progress measures and support for our Year 11 students is now well under way.

Other data demonstrates that our attendance has increased from this time last year and our exclusion figures have decreased compared to the same period last year. Recently I have been able to further increase the size and shape of the senior leadership team (SLT), thus creating a hugely experienced group of leaders to support both students, staff and parents. It has been lovely over the last few months to meet many of you and listen to your ideas, thank you to those parents that were able to attend the Parent Information evenings and the SLT surgery. The next SLT surgery will take place on Tuesday 5th January 3:30pm – 7:00pm, this is an informal opportunity to come along for a cup of tea and ask any questions that you may have.

Just last week it was lovely to attend the celebration evening for last years, Year 11 students. This was a very grand event held in the Wills Memorial Building and certainly an event that we want to ensure carries on in the future. Further details and images can be found online http://www.trfyia.org.uk/award/a-celebratory-event-for-student-achievement/.

You will see from this newsletter that there has been a host of events recently, all aimed at bringing education to life, to enrich the lives of our young people and ensure we are doing all we can to develop the global citizens of the future.

Live Lounge On the 15th October we held our first Live Lounge, allowing students to perform and show off their talents.

May I take this opportunity to wish you, and your family a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Paul Skipp Principal of Yate International Academy Dates for your Diary December 9th – Year 11 Report Evening 10th – Live lounge Christmas Special 11th – Year 7 -11 Reports. To be received by Christmas 18th – Christmas Jumper Day, Last Day of Term 12.20pm finish for students January Year 11 Mocks 4th – Inset Day 13th – Year 9 Options Evening 21st – Year 9 Parents report Evening

This was a very enjoyable evening and was hosted by some future stars. We will be holding a ‘Live Lounge Christmas Special’ which may include some very familiar faces, on Thursday 10th December. All are welcome.

Issue 4 – November 2015

Communication with Parent / Carers Communication

Good-Bye & Good Luck

Over the last term we have continued to look at various ways to further build our communication with parents and carers.

At Christmas we will be saying goodbye and goodluck to Kathryn Winyard and Deborah Longley, both of whom have decided to retire. Here are their messages:

Therefore I want to take this opportunity to outline some of the measures that we have already taken in order to develop this two-way partnership.

Mrs Kathryn Winyard “After many years as a Teacher of the Deaf in charge of the Hearing Impaired Resource Base at YIA (formerly King Edmund Community School) I have decided the time is now right for me to retire. I have enjoyed my years here and have met many lovely people; students, parents and colleagues alike. It was a privilege to be part of such a great team.”

Please look out for our updated Twitter account, this will now have a lot more updates, with regular pictures of students and up-to-date information of activities during the Academy day.

Please follow: @TRFYIA Report Evenings The previous dates for report evenings have been amended therefore check below for the correct dates.

Dates of report evenings this academic year are as follows: Year 7 – 16th June 2016 Year 8 – 18th February 2016 Year 9 – 21st January 2016 Year 10 – 4th February 2016, 21st July 2016 Year 11 – 9th December 2015, 3rd March 2016 Year 9 Options Information Evening Our Year 9 Option Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 13th January 2016 from 6pm.

This is a crucial time for the students as they start to look ahead and consider which subjects they would like to pursue.

We would like to invite parents/carers and students to attend this options evening to gain as much information as possible regarding the subjects and courses offered.

Option booklets will be distributed to help students to understand the subjects and make a decision as to what subjects they wish to study.

There will also be an opportunity to discuss and meet with specific subject leaders if you or your child has any concerns.

Deborah Longley “I have always considered myself to be a very lucky person. A large part of that happiness is due to the job satisfaction I have found in working for King Edmunds and now Yate International Academy. It has been a real privilege to work with the young people and also many of their parents when they attended the school. I calculated a few months ago that there is probably a child in Yate who might attend TFRYIA soon and tell me I taught their grandparent so I decided the time had come to retire! I come from Yate so, I can say, without fear of contradiction, that it is a wonderful community – possibly a clue as to why I was able to stay so long!”

At the end of term we also say goodbye to Dave Tushingham, Hayley Derrett, Mark Ward and Suzanne Stewart. We wish you all the best in your next roles.

Among the new starters in January we are excited to welcome Katie Barbour, an experienced SENCO. Concerns If you have any concerns or worries regarding your child your first point of call is your child’s Head of Guild.

Aquila – Sophie Williams, Griffin - Patrick Bolster, Lion – James Maggs, Pegasus – Simon Matthews, Phoenix – Deborah Longley. All can be contact via email firstname.surname@trfyia.org.uk Website We have recently re-designed and updated the website.

If you have any questions or comments about the marketing of Yate International Academy please contact Rob Phillips who has recently returned to his role as Head of Marketing and Communications. rob.phillips@trfa.org.uk

Issue 4 – November 2015

Sports News

Collison Reconstruction Presentation th

Blaise X Country Championships 19 November Following a morning of heavy rain we travelled to Blaise for the Annual X Country Championships. Spirits were high following some good performances at the recent league matches. James Puddy in year 7 had finished 5th and 4th and Milo Lewis in year 10 had finished 6th and 2nd in the league races. The year 7 boys had finished second in the first league race at Castle School and were confident going into the Championships.

On inspection of the course it was clear that footwear was going to play a key part in the day, those with trainers on were going to struggle in the boggy conditions. The team of 35 must be congratulated on their behaviour, enthusiasm, effort and perseverance in the races. Top performers were James Puddy in year 7 who finished 5th, Jasmine Bull in year 8 who finished 7th in the year 8/9 race and Jack Boulton who finished a respectable 14th having only just returned from injury.

On Friday 16th October, we invited the Fire Brigade in to raise awareness of staying safe in a car, both as a driver and a passenger. The event was for year 10 -13.

The presentation was quite hard hitting. Students witnessed the severity of a car accident, which included an actress being cut out of a car in a crash scene.

We believe it was essential that our young adults were made aware of the potential dangers and risks of driving whilst using a mobile phone

Year 5/6 Sports hall Athletics On the 12th November the new year 9 sports leaders, assisted by the year 10 Sports Ambassadors, took charge of their first tournament. As expected they were outstanding in their leadership; running the events calmly and offering all students coaching points to improve performance. The competition involved a number of local schools. The Ridge School beat St Johns Mead into first place and will now go on to represent the Yate School Sport Partnership at the WESPORT Finals in January.

Year 5/6 EFSA Girls 7 aside football tournament The current year 13 BTEC Sport class ran the South Gloucestershire leg of the competition as part of their coursework. The students organised a fantastic tournament and must be credited for their planning which allowed the tournament to run so smoothly.

They even managed to secure a sponsorship deal with Harris Sports to supply each school with a football for the day!

19 schools played in a champion’s league style tournament for the afternoon. The Ridge beat Christchurch school on penalties in the final to become the eventual winners. Well done to the year 13 group of Taylor Avery, Ashley Drew and Kieran Giles. Also a special mention goes to Curtis Haynes from year 10 who was selected for his outstanding refereeing during the competition to referee the final.

Cotswold Edge Open Evening Cotswold Edge Open Evening was again a huge success with over 500 prospective students attending the event. For further information of the offering please visit http://www.trfyia.org.uk/cotswoldedgesixthform/

Issue 4 – November 2015

Lion Guild – Charity – SANDS Last term the Guild Ambassadors were tasked with planning a variety of fundraising and raising awareness activities.

The Lion Guild’s chosen Charity is SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal death Charity).

The ambassadors agreed to display a white memory tree in the Hub area, and for students to write a memory on a leaf and place it on the tree. They also agreed to have a balloon release in memory of anyone they have lost .

On Friday 13th November, we asked students and staff to come to school dressed as a hero, aspiring figure or historical figure, and in return donate £1.

The students and staff looked fantastic and showed some great imagination!

The total amount raised for Children In Need from us was

Christmas Jumper Day - Friday 18th December Students may come wearing A Christmas jumper, and in return we ask for £1 donation.

All the monies raised will be donated to the ‘Save the Children’ Charity.

£593

Contact Us All staff can be contacted using their firstname.surname@trfyia.org.uk. i.e. john.smith@trfyia.org.uk If you wish to contact someone regarding your child, your first point of call is their tutor. For further assistance your child’s Head of Guild would be the next point of call.

For operational matters regarding YIA (Primary Phase) Woodlands site – Please contact Mrs. Sarah Findlay-Cobb on 01454 866535 or email primary@trfyia.org.uk For operational matters regarding YIA (Secondary Phase) – Please contact Mr. Paul Skipp on 01454 333560 or email office@trfyia.org.uk For matters appertaining to policy and practice of any of the phases within The Ridings’ Federation of Academies, please contact Mrs Suzanne Head on 01454 252000 or email office@trfyia.org.uk