Newsletter October 2006

This issue

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

In this issue:

• Exceeding targets
• New school year
• Greater ICT access
• Year 7
• New police liaison officer
• Swipe cards
• Coaching leads to greater sporting success
• Charity appeal
• Winter uniform
• Whistling our way to success!!
• Term and holiday dates

Dear Parents and Guardians

“It goes without saying that results such as ours cannot be achieved without a great deal of hard work by both staff and students and the long term support of parents and guardians. As always, I wish to thank the staff, teaching and support of Saint Paul's Academy for their hard work and commitment.”

Patrick Winston, Principal

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Exceeding targets

The beginning of the academic year is always an exciting and busy time, and this is particularly true of Saint Paul's Academy this year as we put into place the second phase of innovations which are challenging traditional ideas about learning and teaching.

However, before moving on to these subjects it is worth reflecting on the final success of last year, the GCSE results.

I am delighted to be able to tell you that 59% of last year's Year 11 students achieved five or more A* - C grades, far more than their Key Stage 2 and 3 data would have suggested possible and exceeding the target set for us by the London Borough of Greenwich. It is also extremely pleasing to be able to report that over 14% of all entries achieved A* or A grades, which is our best ever result in this area. Five subjects. Art and Design, Drama, Geography, Physical Education and Science achieved results significantly above the national average. Four departments - Art and Design, Geography, Religious Studies and Physical Education - achieved their best results ever.

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New school year

And now to the new year. As I said in the last newsletter, after consultation with staff and students, we have made changes to the organisation of the school day. Four ninety minute lessons have been replaced by five, seventy or seventy five minute periods and initial feed back from staff and students has been very positive. In the traditional academic subjects it is felt that the reduced time maximises learning opportunities, while in practical subjects and PE, double lessons mean that students have over two hours in which to undertake a specific task. This means that far less time is spent changing or clearing up and more time is spent engaged in the essential process of learning.

Also different this year have been our arrangements for Open Day, and once again this has been a change for the better. In the past we have opened our school to prospective students in the evening; this means that many parents and guardians do not see the school in daylight before sending their children here. So, this year, we decided to open on a Saturday morning, so that parents are able to see the school in its best light. The reaction of prospective students and parents was extremely positive and many people commented on the very positive atmosphere and the enthusiasm of staff and students. Visitors were able to use the restaurant area and it was felt to be a civilised and comfortable environment where people were able to take a few minutes out to enjoy a bacon sandwich! Our guests also appreciated the fact that all the profits from the sale of drinks and food on open morning were going to the charity, 'Vision Aid Overseas'.

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Greater ICT access

A large number of people were amazed at the creative ways we have used very limited accommodation to its best advantage and they were particularly impressed by the new ICT areas which were created over the summer.

The dividing wall between two classrooms was removed, creating a very large open learning space which has been fully refurbished and equipped with state of the art computers. The changes fit in with our commitment to flexible learning and also with our determination to give all members of the school community access to ICT facilities outside lesson time.

We have also been able to significantly increase our ICT provision in other areas of the school, such as room 26, which now has enough computers to accommodate a whole class.

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Year 7

The new Year 7 students have settled very well and they are confident and happy as they move around the school. Mr Crawley and his team are pleased with the progress Year 7 have made and feedback from parents, carers and primary schools suggests that students are very much enjoying their new challenges. We are well aware that our site is far from ideal but it is good to see Year 7, and indeed all other year groups, making the most of the facilities available to them.

At the end of November and beginning of December, members of the Senior Leadership Team, along with Year 7 form tutors, will be interviewing all Year 7 students with their Parents and Carers and we look forward to seeing you all then.

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New police liaison officer

We are also pleased to welcome a new police liaison officer to Saint Paul's Academy: PC Andy Harris has already become a very familiar face around the school and he is working with staff, particularly in Student Services, to support students and to work with families in order to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. We are also wholeheartedly supporting the local police initiative to eradicate vandalism in the local community and particularly on buses. We are now sent, via email, on a weekly basis, CCTV pictures of young people caught in the act of writing graffiti and are asked if we can identify any individuals. So far this term we have made three positive identifications and the parents and carers of those students will be receiving visits from the police in the near future. It is then for the police to decide whether or not the matter will be taken further.

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Swipe cards

Also on the topic of safety, swipe cards have been a great success because they have meant that students only have to carry a minimal amount of money, particularly as they now have free transport on buses. To make the system even safer, we would like to encourage you, where possible, to top up the swipe cards using cheques and we would also encourage you, again if possible, to pay for a month at a time. If your child has lunch and breakfast, you will need to allow £50 for November but this will give you the reassurance that food is only being purchased in school and it will also significantly reduce the amount of time your child has to spend waiting to top up their card. If you pay by cheque, please make it payable to Saint Paul 's Academy and write your child's name and form on the back. I would also like to reassure you that if your child loses their card, any outstanding balance will automatically be transferred to the new card.

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Coaching leads to greater sporting success

The sporting year has got off to an excellent start with comfortable wins for all year groups in the boys' football fixtures. At our now annual, friendly, trip to Folkestone to play Harvey Grammar School, all teams won apart from Year 7 who were very narrowly beaten. Girls' football fixtures have also started and we are hoping that netball will start after half term. All girls are very welcome to come along to the training after school. The PE staff have also begun going into our feeder primary schools to support coaching in various sports; this has been warmly welcomed by the primary schools and is strengthening the Academy's bonds with the local community.

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Charity appeal

When we return after half term, preparations for our annual Advent Charity appeal will begin with students, in consultation with staff, deciding how they are going to raise money. As many of you will know already, we have made a long term commitment to Sister Ann in Kenya to support not only the primary school she runs but also to pay for the secondary education of some of her former students, because in Kenya any education post-eleven has to be paid for.

However, we will also want to support a charity closer to home and this will be the choice of the student council. Traditionally we have supported a cause which has directly affected the lives of someone in our community and therefore the focus of the appeal has been very immediate. 

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Winter uniform

Also, when we return we will probably not have long before the weather gets colder and I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and carers about winter clothing. While we accept that some winter coats have hoods, hoodies are not allowed under any circumstances, not only because of the image they project but also because they do not give adequate protection from the weather. If students have hoodies in school they will be confiscated and only returned at the end of term. Similarly, there are many girls who are wearing shoes which are more suitable for ballet than for an English winter. Please ensure that your sons and daughters have appropriate footwear

In the meantime, let us hope that the good weather lasts for the half term break.

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Whistling our way to success!!

The Performance Arts Learning Zone is going from strength to strength at Saint Paul's Academy. Music, Sport and Drama have always been at the forefront of achievement at the Academy. A school Shakespeare adaptation of 'Much Ado about nothing' is being prepared as we write; musical recitals of varying scales are evident within Mr Robinson's department. Visiting theatre groups for Black History month are performing to KS3 and KS4 students, and in a sporting context netball, table tennis and football competitions have also got underway. But the highlight for us in the learning zone term is the response to playing the Tin Whistle.

Students in Year 7 and 8 have been fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn to play the Irish instrument during Performance Arts lessons. They have had five weeks of intense tuition in preparation for assessment but most importantly their 'Feis Ceol' after October half term. Feis Ceol is a music competition that will be held after school when we return from the break. All students can enter and compete, not only for prizes but also for their own pride and achievement. Work now is underway to create a link with a school in Northern Ireland and via web conferencing establish contacts to share musical interest.

Well done to all students. Your efforts have been greatly admired!

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Term and holiday dates 2006/2007

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