Newsletter February 2006

This issue

Welcome to the February 2006 edition of Saint Paul's Academy's newsletter!

In this issue:

• Inspectors pleased with our progress
• New timetable meets with approval
• ICT facilities are even more popular
• Trainee teachers improve staff levels
• Approaching GCSEs
• Examination progress
• Year 10
• Year 9
• Year 7
• Students enjoy drama workshop
• Concert not to be missed
• Extra curricular activities
• Ash Wednesday
• Sports scene
  
• Football progress report
  
• Holiday dates 2005/2006
• Important dates

Dear Parents and Guardians

“We are delighted to report that the feed back we have received after our first six months has been most encouraging.”

Patrick Winston, Principal

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Inspectors pleased with our progress

As we reach February half term, we also reach the half way point in the academic year, a point from which we can review the progress Saint Paul's Academy has made in its first six months. I am very pleased to report that all the current indicators are very positive; feed back from the Academies Division at the Department for Education and Skills makes it clear that the major changes that we have implemented since September have been successful and that they are steadily improving the quality of teaching and learning. These findings have been backed by the visits of inspectors.

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New timetable meets with approval

Particularly significant in this respect are the longer school day, the longer lessons and the staggered breakfast and lunchtimes; all of these are having a significant impact for a variety of reasons. Firstly there is far less movement around the school which creates a much calmer atmosphere than we have had in the past. Secondly, students are able to concentrate on one particular subject for an extended period of time which gives both students and teachers more time to employ a wider range of strategies to improve learning. Thirdly, the staggered breaks mean that there are far fewer students in the playground at one time than there have been in the past and this again creates a much calmer atmosphere which has considerably reduced the number of serious incidents which take place in school.

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ICT facilities are even more popular

Students too are now clearly seeing the benefits of the new school day and many of them even appreciate the earlier start which means that the buses are not as crowded as they have been in the past! Many students are now using the new ICT facilities which are available to them before and after school and it is extremely encouraging to see groups of students working together in the Learning Resources Area. One of our long term aims is to give our students greater control of their own learning and this is obviously beginning to happen as students are working with a far greater degree of independence than they have done in the past.

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Trainee teachers improve staff levels

Since September we have also been very pleased to welcome a large number trainee teachers who are working with experienced staff in order to learn and gain experience. Trainee teachers are very important at Saint Paul's because each year a significant number stay on to work with us as qualified teachers. This way, when new staff start in September, we can be certain that we have teachers of the highest possible calibre and new staff can be clear about the expectations of the Academy.

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Approaching GCSEs

As I write, we have just finished collating the results of the trial GCSE examinations taken by Year 11 students just before Christmas. The results are extremely encouraging and they show that with continued hard work this year's cohort could at least equal if not exceed last year's. Coursework in most subjects has now been completed which means that students can concentrate on revision and preparation for the terminal examinations. In all subject areas, students will be given past papers to work through so that they become completely confident about what will be expected of them in June and in many subject areas revision classes will be arranged. Full details will be given nearer the time.

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Examination progress

On the subject of examination results, many people have commented that Saint Paul's data was not included in the Performance Tables which were published at the end of January. I have spoken to the DfES about this and they state that they do not publish data relating to schools that change status. However, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that last year's Year 11 achieved 62% and I can confirm that the level of value added placed Saint Paul's in the top 10% of schools nationally in terms of the progress made from when they entered Saint Paul's.

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Year 10

Students are now starting their coursework in many subjects and this obviously has a direct bearing on their GCSE results. In some curriculum areas, coursework is worth up to 60% and so hard work and good attendance are of paramount importance. In January, we were very pleased to welcome Mr Ring as Head of the Maths and Commerce Learning Zone which also has responsibility for Year 10. Mr Ring is becoming a familiar figure around the Academy and is quickly getting to know the Year 10 students.

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Year 9

Students in Year 9 are generally working very hard in preparation for their Key Stage 3 SATs in English, maths, science and ICT. All students know the levels they are aiming for in each subject and they all have clear revision strategies. As I explained in the last newsletter, Year 8 students are also preparing to take their SATs in maths as the start of our strategy to allow students to take examinations when they are ready rather than as dictated by chronological age. It is also very exciting to see that there is a group of Year 9 students who have already started their GCSE music course which they will take at the end of Year 10. As I have said before, a flexible approach to examination entry will allow us to cater for the needs of individuals rather than treating the whole cohort of students in the same way.

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Year 7

Most students have settled confidently into secondary school and are making good progress. Many of them are now taking an active part in a wide range of extra curricular activities and they are seeing school life as being far more than simply lessons. On the subject of extra curricular activities, Saint Paul's Academy is involved with many projects which take both staff and students into the wider community.

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Students enjoy drama workshops

In drama, GCSE students went with students from Abbey Wood School to watch A level students at Plumstead Manor perform their devised pieces. The GCSE students were described as an excellent audience! GCSE drama students also explored their movement skills in a workshop run by Greenwich Dance Agency. Within the school, Chucks Onyia, Serena Moore, Marcel Koomson and Ola Shittu who are all in Year 10 lead a fantastic drama workshop for forty lower school students, passing on their skills and enthusiasm, as well as demonstrating their talent.

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Concert not to be missed

In music, there have been many extra curricular activities involving a large number of our students. Following a successful Christmas Concert we look forward to another one on Thursday, 30th March. Our school choir also gave an excellent performance at the Winter Gardens in Margate at the end of December where they performed alongside the Snowdon Colliery Brass Band and the Gillingham Male Voice Choir!

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Extra curricular activities

There are many other extra curricular activities, far too numerous to mention here, going on across the Academy and I am extremely grateful to staff who give so generously of their time. However, to give you a flavour of the range of activities going on, Year 10 recently went to see Rumble a hip-hop dance version of Romeo and Juliet; a group of Year 11 went to the Shaftesbury Theatre in London to see some of the poets they are studying for GCSE reading their poems while other groups have been to see The Woman in Black and Of Mice and Men.

We have had theatre groups in school and all students in Year 8 will have had an Away day with the RE department by the end of February. Coming up in March, we have a Year 9 French Trip, a Year 8 visit to Wales and a live performance of Macbeth in school for Year 9.

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Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent, is on 1st March and as usual we will mark the occasion in school. Lent is the time for self appraisal so that we can face up to and accept responsibility for our mistakes and respond to the purposes of God in our lives. The community of Saint Paul's Academy will seek to use this time as a period of reflection and renewal through reconciliation services, prayer and time set aside for personal meditation. Hope you are enjoying these informative news letters.

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Sports scene

This year we are very pleased to be able to offer students a greater choice of sporting activities than has been possible in the past. We are now able to offer golf, wall climbing, orienteering and table tennis as well as all the activities that have traditionally taken place at Saint Paul's. Golf has been particularly popular with both girls and boys alike, and we are in the fortunate position to be able to offer professional coaching to a number of students who are showing obvious ability in this area. Wall climbing has only been available to Year 10 and 11 students up till now but it has been such a success that it will be offered to lower school students after half term. Table tennis is also proving to be extremely popular and this Olympic sport is being promoted by many London schools at the moment as part of their inclusion strategy. At Saint Paul's we have been able, through Academy funding, to employ a top national coach to support our students and with continued dedication we may even have a competitor in the London Olympics!

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Football progress report 

• Year 11 boys have reached the semi-finals of the Kent Cup. 
• Year 10 boys have reached the quarter finals of the Bromley Cup. 
• Year 8 boys have reached the quarter finals of the Bromley Cup. 
• Under 14 girls have reached the 5th round (last 32) of the English Schools Cup. 

We wish all teams every success in the next rounds and will give updates in the Easter Newsletter.

Congratulations to all those who have taken part in sporting activities this term!

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Holiday dates 2005/2006

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Important dates

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