The Active Learning Trust Newsletter
Autumn Term 2024
Welcome to our end of term newsletter!
I know this will arrive with you all during the very busy, and exciting, final week before Christmas, but I do hope you are able to take a few moments to enjoy this seasonal round-up from across our Trust.
In this issue of our newsletter there is much to celebrate with our schools, including Red Oak Primary School who I was very proud to join at the recent National Schools Awards for a really memorable night.
You will also find further stories highlighting the fantastic pupil successes, learning and joy that we are privileged to see every day in our amazing schools. You will even spot some VIP guests from parliament, a Paralympian and a Royal!
A very merry Christmas to you and your families, and thank you for your continued support throughout the year.
Lynsey Holzer Chief Executive Officer
We've invested over £3.5m in capital projects at our schools during 202324... here are just some of the projects we’re proud to have completed!
Highfield Littleport Academy
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“We were pleased to be able to keep the pupils’ original graffiti artwork in the design of this project!” Yvonne Skillern, Headteacher
Earith Primary School
"I'm incredibly lucky to be surrounded by great people: from our school; from our Trust and from our Friends of Earith School who worked tirelessly to champion technology, raise vital funds and design and make our ICT project happen. The impact it will have on the successful delivery of the computing curriculum for our young people is profound." Tom Abbs, Headteacher
Gusford Primary School
"Thanks to the ALT Estates Team and Pentagon Play our new EYFS area is open and we are absolutely delighted with it. We now have clear, purposeful areas of outdoor provision that facilitate high quality learning for large groups of children. It is particularly wonderful to see the children immersed in play in the sand pit and mud kitchen area.” Stephen Tapley, Headteacher
Kingsfield Primary School
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"Our investment in the library reflects our commitment to placing reading at the heart of our curriculum. By providing our pupils with access to a wide range of high-quality books and implementing targeted reading programmes, we are helping them succeed in all areas of their education." Lisa
Corby, Executive Headteacher
ICT Project
Newlibrary
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We have also received over £178,000 in DfE funding for our Connect the Classroom project and work has recently been completed at Gusford Primary School, Grove Primary School, Hillside Primary School and Sidegate Primary School!
National Schools Awards 2024
We are very proud of Red Oak Primary School in Lowestoft for making the final shortlist for the School of the Year award at The National Schools Awards.
The finals took place at The House of Lords earlier this month where we were all inspired to be surrounded by so many other brilliant colleagues from the sector.
It was definitely a night to remember and a great opportunity to celebrate all of Red Oak’s successes. “I’ve
Earith Primary School
Hillside Primary School
Our choir performed Christmas songs to the residents of Thomas Wolsey Place in Ipswich town centre recently. We received lots of lovely comments about the children's singing and conduct.
The children also gave out hand-made Christmas cards designed by the pupils of Hillside to spread Christmas cheer!
We’re delighted to introduce our School Council for 2024/25! Our Councillors are selected via shortlisting and formal interviews before appointments are made by the Headteacher and Chair of Governors.
Councillors at Earith meet with the Headteacher and decide on topics they feel would be of interest to all children. These discussions then take place every fortnight, within classes, during PSHE lessons. So far this year, pupils have voted on school trips and how pupils would like to spend any free time available on the last day before the Christmas break.
Kingsfield Primary School
Pakefield Primary School
Our school council went to Pakefield Church to represent our school in the Remembrance Service. The children demonstrated some excellent behaviour and respect.
We are very proud of them!
A brilliant time was had by all at the Chatteris light switch-on event. Excel and Evelyn rode proudly with Santa on his sleigh and did a fantastic job at turning on the lights for the town. Our choir also did an outstanding performance!
Highfield Littleport Academy
We are proud to receive the Wellbeing Award for Schools. The award shows our strong commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its students, staff, and parents.
The award, developed by the National Children’s Bureau in partnership with Optimus Education, highlights the school’s commitment to creating a supportive and nurturing environment for all members of its community.
Cromwell Community College
In October, we had the honour of welcoming Paralympic legend Sean Rose. The day was packed with excitement, inspiration and a true sense of achievement as the children participated in a sponsored fun circuit led by Sean himself.
We raised £3,886.50 through the event, thanks to the generosity of our families. These funds will be used to purchase additional equipment for social times, encouraging everyone to stay active and develop new skills.
Red Oak Primary School
A few weeks ago our school Year 5/6 hockey team won Red Oak's 200th first placed sports trophy. To celebrate this monumental achievement, we held a special whole school assembly led by Mr Lee (Red Oak PE and Sports Coordinator).
We were joined in the assembly by former Red Oak students who captained previous trophy winning teams.
The school hockey team also paraded Red Oak's new special edition gold coloured team kits to commemorate the achievement of winning 200 championships in the period between 2014-2024. The new gold coloured kits have been generously sponsored by the Premier League.
A huge thank you to everyone at Red Oak for supporting our teams and contributing to our success!
Isle of Ely Primary School
Our big event this term was celebrating our 10th anniversary. We held a massive street party with singing, memories and cupcakes. Mr Lloyd, our former deputy Head teacher, had written a song for the children before he left and Mrs Branson, our amazing music lead, taught the whole school the song and we all performed it to the parents. It was magical and uplifting and brought the community together.
Our term has had a “Back to Nature” theme including tree planting and taking part in a nature event at Ely Library.
Chesterton Primary School
Albert Pye and Ravensmere Schools Federation
Our bedtime stories event was a huge success. Thank you to our amazing PTFA for organising and keeping us all full with tasty treats and warm and cosy with delicious hot chocolate. We had over 250 people attend the event which was amazing. This is a fantastic event that really encompassed the community spirit here at Albert Pye and Ravensmere and our love our reading!
We have also enjoyed a day at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum where one of the things we learned was how to fly a plane!
KS2 took part in a cross-country event where they were competing against 23 other schools, our children were simply amazing. Their energy and determination shone through, and we were proud of how they represented our school.
We also had a wonderful opportunity for the children to meet Keith Hatton, the author of 'Nature Boy'.
Our children were invited to meet the Mayor at the Christmas light switch-on event and we will be performing at a Carol Concert at our local Church. The children have been filling the school with festive tunes and we are very much looking forward to showcasing their talents.
Sidegate Primary School
Neale-Wade Academy
Well done to the red team for winning the recent staff football match! The final score was 5-2 and in total we raised £2,488.37 for Children in Need and for the memorial fund of our much missed student Nikita who recently passed away.
Thank you to everyone who supported this event.
Austin from Year 4 attended the St John Ambulance Young Achievers Ceremony in London. This is an annual event which honours young people who have excelled in first aid, provided exceptional personal care, contributed significantly to fundraising efforts or overcome personal challenges to make a substantial impact on their community.
As part of the day, Austin met and spoke with Princess Anne about his work in the community. We are all very proud of him!
Chantry Academy
We were delighted to welcome Education Secretary, Bridget Philipson MP and our local MP Jack Abbott to Chantry this term - along with a Channel 4 news crew!
Our VIP guests toured the school and had discussions with students and staff. They praised Chantry for our work on supporting students to increase attendance.
A very proud and exciting day for everyone at Chantry.
Gusford Primary School
An enthusiastic group of our parents and children took part in the ‘Gusford Gambol’, our Children in Need community walk. The weather was glorious for the five-mile loop to Chantry Park and back with a refreshment stop at Cath’s Café (tea and coffee from the back of a car). We had great fun and raised £444!
Highfield Ely Academy
One of the standout moments this term was the visit from the English Touring Opera. Our staff and students absolutely loved it! The performances were not just entertaining but also sparked lots of creativity and discussions about music and drama.
We're also proud to share that our school football team did us proud at a recent special school tournament. Their enthusiasm and teamwork showed just how dedicated they are, and we couldn’t be happier with their efforts.
Reydon Primary School
In November we welcomed mums, dads and carers into school to take part in our Parent Share sessions.
We had some lovely comments from the sessions including:
“I found the classroom atmosphere really calm and focused. I really agree with the importance of teaching acceptance messages” and comments that parents enjoyed “spending time in the classroom with my child and seeing them in the school with their peers and the adults”. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Westwood Primary School
We are very pleased to have maintained our Platinum Plus Safeguarding award. We were recognised for embedding processes in our daily practice and developing new initiatives and strategies to support the pupils, families and wider community that we serve.
Our No Outsiders Champions challenged us to get spotty for Children In Need, our Music Champions organised a sing-along with the residents at our local care home, our Eco Champions arranged a competition to decorate our classrooms for Christmas using recycled items and our Sports & Play Leaders launched our new breaktime baskets to encourage everyone to get active at play time!
Grove Primary School
We welcomed The Co-operative and Featherbed Tales to run an intergenerational event with Years 5 and 6. The children created voice recordings of tales of the CoOp in the past. These voice recordings will eventually be available at Suffolk Libraries online service. The visitors commented on how polite and interested the children were in the history that they shared together.
Social Media Update
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