Newsletter July 2008

This issue

Welcome to the July 2008 edition of Saint Paul's Academy's newsletter!

In this issue:

• Another successful year
• Praise indeed
• A model of good practice
• Former head receives CBE
• Summer music concert
• Progress at last
• Leaving Saint Paul's
• Girls Sport is flourishing...
• Girls Sport highlight of the year
• Enterprise Education
• Thank you for all your support
• Term & holiday dates 2008/2009
• Gaelic Football - beaten in All Ireland Final
• From our football correspondent

Dear Parents and Guardians

“I am delighted to tell you that our recent Catholic School Inspection went extremely well and that the
inspectors said many good things about our school.”

Patrick Winston, Principal

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Another successful year

We are coming to the end of another very successful year at Saint Paul's Academy; the examinations are now over and we have time to reflect on this academic year. Again, I am very pleased to say that we have a great deal to celebrate in all aspects of school life. In May, we had our Section 48 Inspection. This is the Catholic counterpart to Ofsted and it looks not only at the teaching of RS but also at the ethos of the school and the way we live out the gospel values.

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Praise indeed

I am delighted to tell you that this inspection went extremely well with the headline that Saint Paul's is a very good Catholic school with many outstanding features. What delighted us most is that the inspectors recognised not only the strength of the Catholic ethos but also our commitment to inclusion and the success of our strategies.

The report says that the Academy, seeks to serve both the Catholic and the local community, welcoming all those who embrace its values and quest for excellence. It is thereby making a significant contribution to community cohesion. Sometimes, with the pressure on schools to produce academic results, it is easy to forget that schools are very important in developing young people as citizens and leaders of the future; this report confirms that we do this very well.

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A model of good practice

It is becoming quite common for other schools and outside agencies to look to Saint.Paul's as a model of good practice and this term we were contacted by the DCFS because of the many and varied roles that our Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) undertake.

The two representatives from the Department who visited the school were very impressed that we have broken away from the traditional model of a LSA supporting a single child in lessons. They were amazed to see the LSAs teaching not only small groups of children, but whole classes; LSAs working on tracking students' absence and providing invaluable administrative support for teachers. My thanks go to those LSAs who took the time to explain their roles and responsibilities; they have helped to put Saint Paul's Academy even more fully on the map.

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Former head receives CBE

I am sure many of you are aware that a former head teacher of the school, Bernie Borland, was awarded the CBE in the recent Honours List. The award was given for his contribution to education and I am sure many of you will be aware of the huge impact his leadership had on Saint Paul's and know you will join with me in sending our best wishes and congratulations. We also send our congratulations to Mr Akif, Head of P.E, who is getting married this summer.

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Summer music concert

For the first time, we held our summer music concert at Saint Alfege's Church in Greenwich. This was an outstanding event covering a huge number of musical genres and giving students a chance to demonstrate phenomenal talent. My thanks go to all the staff involved; events like these do not just happen, they evolve over a period of time as students' talents are nurtured and their confidence grows. We were made very welcome at Saint Alfege's, which is one of the most important historical churches in London, and we intend to use this venue again at Christmas. More details will be published nearer the time.

The celebration of our patronal feast day was also a great success. This year for the first time we went to Catford Broadway Theatre and combined the celebration of mass with our annual awards ceremony. We were delighted to welcome Bishop Pat Lynch, our Area Bishop, to lead the celebrations, and I would like to thank all staff for the tremendous amount of hard work which goes into organising an event like this.

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Progress at last

As far as the building of the new campus is concerned, contractors went on site at the beginning of June and piling started on the 16th. The work is progressing very well and by the beginning of September, the site will look significantly different as all the groundwork will be finished. Of course, I will keep you informed of developments in this area.

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Leaving Saint Paul's

As always at this time of year, we have to say goodbye to staff who are leaving Saint Paul's. Mr Curtis, who has been acting Head of English and Communications, is leaving to take up a post in Kuala Lumpara, Ms Pierce, who worked in the R.E department and became our Chaplain two years ago is leaving to work with CAFOD; Miss Joyce, Mr McDermott, Mrs O'Keefe, Miss Cascioli will be joining other schools; Miss Branagan will be undertaking voluntary work and Ms Brennan who will be undertaking new ventures with her family. My thanks go to all of them for their contributions to our school and we wish them every success in the future. Sadly, I also have to tell you about the death of Sheila Law, a neighbour and former member of our premises staff, who died recently. Our sympathy and prayers go to her husband and to her three sons, who are former pupils of our school.

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Girls Sport is flourishing...

. . . with record numbers participating in extra-curricular activities. With talent being discovered on the track, on the pitch, on court and in the dance studio, the girls are starting to challenge the tradition of the boys celebrating all the glory at Saint Paul's Academy!

With five Netball teams competing in District, Borough and County fixtures it was a busy year of development with a mixture of jubilant successes and valuable learning experiences. Twenty students from Years 9 and 10 went to a Netball and Sports Sciences Taster Day at Brunel University in January, which involved a private coaching session from Australian Super League player Lara Welham, Sports Science lectures and a tour around campus from University students. This was real insight into opportunities in sports education.

A group of 37 Netball enthusiasts travelled to Spain in May to compete in a Schools Sports Party consisting of two days professional coaching and tournaments along with sightseeing and cultural activities.

We also had an eventful Girls Football season with a very promising U12 team celebrating win after win, but unfortunately failing to bring home any silverware in the Bromley 5-aside cup after injuries diminished the side.

Two students from Year 10 have also been utilising their street dancing and acting skills and were in the last 20 out of 3000 hopefuls to play the lead role in a British movie about a young street dancer settling in an Inner London School. This was an amazing achievement and more is sure to follow for these talented girls.

Finally, Saint Paul's girls claimed the Greenwich Indoor Athletics title after beating Thomas Tallis School by a comfortable margin. After such a successful year, we are confident that Girls sport will move from strength to strength and flourish in the new school year.

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Girls Sport highlight of the year 

• Greenwich Junior Girls Indoor Athletics Tournaments - Winners
• Greenwich Schools Junior Netball Tournament 2008 - Runners Up
• Greenwich Schools Senior Netball Tournament 2008 - Winners
• Bromley District Netball Association U16 Division 2 - Runners Up
• Girls Football Kent Cup U16 - Semi-finalists

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Enterprise Education

Enterprise Education is one of Saint Paul's specialisms and it aims to raise students' aspirations and develop valuable skills for further education and employment through a variety of initiatives.

It projects a positive image of what young people are capable of achieving outside the taught curriculum, given support, encouragement and the opportunity to flourish.

We do not, as yet, have a final total of all the money raised for charity through various initiatives this academic year, but the total will definitely be in excess of £6,500. This represents a magnificent effort on the part of the whole school community and demonstrates the commitment of our students to support those less fortunate than themselves.

Our Student Forum have chosen, once again this year, to donate funds to support the work of Sister Ann O'Connor in Ting'ang'a, East Kenya. The money we have raised in previous years has already helped to pay school fees for a number of students who would not otherwise have had access to secondary education, as well as providing support for orphan children and those with HIV/AIDS.

This same Forum also elected to support Demelza, a Hospice offering care for children with life threatening conditions. A second Hospice is now being built in Eltham and we hope we will be able to maintain contact and continue to help their worthwhile work. Numerous other charities have benefited from our students' generosity and the money they have raised throughout the school year. These have included Vision Aid Overseas, Children in Need, Goal and Guide Dogs for the Blind, plus a host of others.

As everyone knows it is not easy to raise money, and part of the Enterprise initiative is to show students how money works and to provide them with a high level of financial literacy. This is done not through conventional lessons but through Enrichment Days and projects undertaken by small groups of students. At the moment these activities generally take place in Years 10 and 11 but we are hoping to introduce similar activities lower down the school in the near future. The success of Enterprise Education relies on all of us continuing to work together and I am very confident that we will continue to do so during the next academic year. Ms J Stevenson I/C of Enterprise Education.

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Thank you for all your support

It only remains for me to thank all members of staff, parents and governors for their tremendous support throughout the year. For a school to be successful, all stakeholders must take an active and positive part. Fortunately for Saint Paul's, this is very much the case and together we work to help our students achieve their very best. I wish you all a very happy summer, but would like to remind you and your sons and daughters about the importance of safety at all times.

We will be reminding students of the necessity for responsible behaviour and I would be very grateful if you could do the same.

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Term & holiday dates 2008/2009

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Gaelic Football - beaten in All Ireland Final

Nine of our students recently represented South London in the Feile Peil na nOg competition. The team prepared for the tournament by travelling to Castlerea, Co. Roscommon and won a challenge game against the local team. In Ireland, The Feile is an international tournament that had attracted almost 160 teams from Ireland, the UK and the USA.

For the first part of the tournament, the team was placed in a group of four in Belturbet. They won all three games and then defeated Yorkshire in the semi-final. However, in the All- Ireland final they were beaten by Dungarvan from Co.Waterford.

The team received excellent reviews whilst in Ireland both for their play and their behaviour. The Irish Independent reported, While South London may have lost, the fact that they must have been one of the most ethnically diverse Gaelic football teams playing over the weekend is testimony to the great work being done to introduce non-Expats to the GAA in London.

We would like to thank all of the families in both Castlerea and Belturbet who hosted our students with such generosity. Though we are approaching the end of term, there are still plenty of fixtures to fulfill in both the club and school competitions.

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From our football correspondent

The complete set of results to date is: 

Goalscorers: T. Olagunju 15, J. Williamson 7, R. President 5, R.Bambara 4, C. McMahon 2, E. Nihill 1, H. Verdades 1, M.Gambanga 1, A. Williams 1, H. Cottrell 1, T. Yala-Sabua 1, Own Goal 1.

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London School's Championship - Under 12 

Goalscorers: T. Adeloye 33, B. Owusu-Ansah 28, W. Orimolusi 27, D. President 12, O. Isichei 11, A. Baptiste 7, C. Walcott-Blunt 7, B. Anidugbe 5, B. Holdsworth 5, C. Baillie 4, T.Pemu 4, T. Esan 4, J. Tshibangu 3, S. Cassells 3, N. Davies 1, H. O’Hara 1, L. Ijeh 1, Own Goals 4.

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Peter McGlynn Memorial Tournament - Under 12 

Goalscorers: N. Eka 21, G. Murphy 12, K. Brown 7, K. Okogwu 6, D. Conteh 4, A. Rufino 4, J. Olufade 4, K. Sharp 2, J. Garrett 1, V. Ejaria 1, H. Hill 1, D. Fernandes1, K. Makinde 1, D. Bailey-Pioli 1, K. Akande 1, Y. Adyemi 1, JC. Hines 1, Own Goal 1.

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Great Britain "Sevens" - Birmingham Under 12 

Goalscorers: M. Brobbey 15, A. Wright 12, O. Odebunmi 10, L. Shobande 6, A.Marshall-Peacock 5, J. Driscoll 4, L. Akanni 4, R. Minett 4, E. Bakarr 3, C. Grant-Regis 3, L. Obembe 3, K. Simms 3, A. Swain 2, S. Lingwood 2, A. Obilaja 1, N. Nartey 1, N. Eka 1, K. Idedevbo 1.

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South London Tour to Ireland 

Goalscorers: M. Fabiyi 3, J. Baptiste 2, J. McGilly 2, J. Garry- Gillespie 1, O. Odebunmi 1, J. Redfern 1, O. Akande 1, M. Kolawole 1, Own Goal 1.

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