Newsletter July 2007

This issue

Welcome to the July 2007 edition of Saint Paul's Academy's newsletter!

In this issue:

• Extra funding agreed
• Respect for others
• Mobile phones
• Enrichment activities
• Also leaving
• New courses start in September
• Champions, champions, champions!!
• Important dates
• Gaelic football

Dear Parents and Guardians

“As we come to the end of the school year, we inevitably have to say goodbye to some people. This
year, Mr Crawley is retiring after thirty five years of service to the school, and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for the significant contribution he has made to the development of Saint Paul's Catholic School and Saint Paul's Academy. As Head of Art at Saint Paul's School, Mr Crawley working with Mrs Gobey, achieved outstanding results at GCSE (very often getting 100% A* - C passes). As well as this, and in some ways more importantly, all students regardless of ability have always been encouraged to take art, and almost without exception, they have achieved more than could reasonably have been expected.

When the Academy was first proposed, Mr Crawley, as a governor, whole heartedly supported the project and played a large part in convincing others that this was the right way forward. As Assistant Principal in charge of the Creativity and Technology Learning Zone, Mr Crawley quickly extended the curriculum offer to include textiles, food technology and computer-aided design. On behalf of the governors, I wish to thank Mr Crawley for all the support he has given the school and wish him every happiness in the years to come.”

Patrick Winston, Principal

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Extra funding agreed

As we approach the end of another very successful year for Saint Paul's Academy, I am delighted to at last be able to give you positive news about the building programme. We have recently heard that the DfES has agreed to contribute an extra £4.2 million towards the new building and, as I write, the sponsors, the Trustees of the Academy who represent the Arch Diocese of Southwark, are discussing the details with ministers.

This news has come as a huge relief to myself, the staff and all those involved with the project. Obviously, this is only the beginning but it ends a very  frustrating period during which we have had to put many of our plans on hold. We have always said that the physical environment would never get in the way of our determination to provide the very best for our students, but there can be no doubt that this news has lifted morale considerably. We would expect the new building to be ready some time during 2010, and obviously I will keep you up to date with any developments.

In the meantime, we will continue to make the best of the accommodation we have. Hopefully, we will have two more temporary classrooms in place by September, although this will further reduce our already very limited playground area. I have recently met with local residents in order to discuss the impact of the new classrooms and the increase in student numbers and I hope that this will be the beginning of a useful dialogue for both parties. From now on, our neighbours will receive a copy of this newsletter and I welcome their comments on how, together, we can work to create a safe and pleasant community.

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Respect for others

One of the most important features of any flourishing community is the respect that people have for each other. When this respect breaks down, chaos follows, and unfortunately senior staff have recently had to deal with several extremely serious incidents arising from conflict between student - which led to conflict between parents and guardians. I cannot emphasise strongly enough that we operate a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any form of bullying, violence or intimidation.

If issues arise, they must be brought to the attention of a member of staff and we will deal with them; students and parents must not take matters into their own hands. I also need to point out that many incidents would not happen if there were no spectators; very often it is the crowd that encourages the fight and from now on those who encourage fights and manipulate others into fights will be treated in the same way as those who actually take part. As I have said before, we have an excellent relationship with our local police liaison officer, and when necessary PC Harris and his colleagues help us resolve conflict.

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Mobile phones

I would also like to remind you that mobile phones are not allowed in school unless it is by special arrangement, in which case they must be left in the office. Again, senior staff have recently wasted a huge amount of time dealing with issues related to mobile phones; in some cases this has been the theft of the phones and in others the use of phones to video incidents in school and on the way to and from school. We have also had occasions when students have phoned home during the school day and parents have arrived in school to discuss issues that staff have not had a chance to investigate.

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Enrichment activities

On a more positive note our students have continued to take part in a very wide range of enrichment activities both during and outside of school hours. As I always say, it is impossible to mention every trip and thank every memberof staff, but without their generosity, these activities could not take place. Highlights this term have included the Year 7 residential trip to Osmington Bay in Dorset, an outing for Year 8 students to Downing Street and Scotland Yard organised by PC Harris, a visit to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben facilitated by John Walker our local MP and as I write all students in Year 10 are taking part in two weeks work experience.

What is particularly significant about all these activities is that they all involve our students being involved with the wider community in a very proactive way. It is through activities such as these that students develop their confidence and social skills in a wider context, preparing them to be socially aware and active citizens of the twenty first century. On June 29th, we celebrated the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul with mass for the whole school at Aylesford Priory in Kent.

This sort of event takes an enormous amount of preparation but the end result is always worth it because the whole community comes together in solidarity to give thanks for the many blessings which we have and to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. Being at Aylesford also gives our students are rare chance to relax together in a spacious and beautiful environment. Unfortunately we had to cut our visit short because of torrential rain, but we were able to celebrate mass with the sun blazing!

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Also leaving

We are also sorry to be losing Mr Robinson, our Head of Music who has been with us for five years and who has greatly extended the music provision at Saint Paul's; we wish him well in his new post at Coopers Technology College. Miss Ballardie is also moving on having established food technology as a very popular subject at Saint Paul's, and I am sure that she will be successful in whatever new ventures she undertakes.

As you will know, when the Academy was established we made a commitment to increase the number of support staff, and in particular, teaching assistants. Many of these are young graduates who have not made a final decision about what they want to do when they leave university. We also have people from other walks of life who add diversity by bringing their skills and experience into the classroom.

This year Miss Samways, Miss English, Mr Crawley (Junior), Miss Faulknall, Miss Andrews, Miss Kieran and Mrs Cox are all leaving to undertake new projects which range from international travel to careers in medicine, palaeontology, teaching and the probation service. We hope that they will be very successful in whatever they  undertake and that they will keep in touch.

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New courses start in September

As the Academic year comes to an end, I want to thank all staff for their hard work and continued support; in spite of working in very difficult conditions at times the school is going from strength to strength. In September, a new range of vocational courses will be introduced in Year 9 as an alternative to the traditional GCSE offer, we will also be starting a Philosophy and Ethics GCSE for those students in Year 11 who took their RE GCSE in Year 10. We are always looking for ways of improving what we offer our students and, as you know, we are never complacent.

I look forward to your continued support as we start the new academic year and in the meantime I wish you an enjoyable and safe holiday.

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Champions, champions, champions!!

We are coming to the end of a very successful Gaelic Football season and it is pleasing to reflect on a number of significant highlights:

• A successful tour to Ireland with victories in Armagh, Cavan, Fermanagh and Roscommon
• At U12 level: Winners of the London Schools' Championship
• At U13 level: Winners of the London Sevens
• At U14 level: Winners of the Double: Club Championship and London Schools' Championship
• At U15 level: Runners Up in the London Sevens
• Eight students represented London in the Feile Peile na nOg competition in Co. Leitrim

At the end of May twenty one students from Saint Paul's accompanied the Dulwich Harps Club on their tour to Ireland. The party stayed at the Clinton Hostel in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. The extensive programme of activities included a visit to the Ulster American Folk Museum in Omagh, Co. Tyrone and to the Ulster Championship football fixture between Armagh and Donegal. The team won their four games convincingly against strong opposition. Following their return from Ireland the U14 team won the London Championship by defeating Saint Kiernan's 6 - 07 (25pts) to 0 - 04. The team has represented London in the Great Britain Championship and has qualified for the final, which will take place after the summer break. They will also be taking part in the finals of the London League. 

Our U12 team has made an excellent start to the Gaelic Football programme. They have already qualified for the semi-final of the championship. This team has benefited from a number of students from local primary schools, who have joined this team as part of our Induction Strategy. At the end of June eight of our students (Lennox Appiah, Ross Bayeto, Lamarl Hubbard, Kenny Idedevbo, Michael Kolawole, Joseph Meade, Jacob Redfern and Anthony Swain) represented London in the Feile Peile na nOg competition in Co. Leitrm. The team was successful in their first two games but they were beaten in their final group match. 

Finally, I must extend my thanks to colleagues and parents who have been involved in the continuing development of Gaelic Football at Saint Paul's. I would like to thank our coaching staff Mr Akif, Mr Bradley and Mr McCann for their invaluable work for both midweek and Saturday fixtures. We are also very grateful for the unstinting support of Tom Denning, Anne McLoone and their colleagues at Dulwich Harps for the opportunities that they have provided for the students at our school.

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Important Dates

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Gaelic football

The complete set of results to date is:

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Ireland Tour May 2007

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London Schools’ Championship

Under 12

Under 14

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