1. education
2. school

Newsletter
March 2015
Aspire Achieve Advance
INSIDE THIS EDITION: • THE WIZZARD OF OZ • STAND AT EASE • CAREERS & WORK EXPERIENCE
A Message from
the Principal
Welcome to a bumper edition of the Westbourne
Academy news. Lots of marvellous things have been
happening in the last few months and, as you will see,
our students continue to amaze us.
Parent consultation evenings for Years 7, 9 and 11 have been very well
attended and hugely positive experiences. It has been fantastic to meet
parents and to hear them being complimentary about the changes to the
academy and the improvements in teaching that are occurring. I look forward
to meeting Year 8 parents on Thursday 14th May 2015 and Year 10 parents on
Thursday 26th March 2015.
The student vote for new outdoor facilities closed recently. There were 222
responses, which represents a quarter of the academy in total. The top three
choices were more covered areas, an additional serving area in the Food
Hall and more football space. The runner-up facility was new outdoor gym
equipment. We are now working on plans to get these areas developed over
the coming months.
We will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 5th
March 2015 and I am looking forward to seeing what book
related cake creations and outfits our students and staff
come up with.
The main academy building was built in 1939 and, as you
imagine, some of the brickwork, pointing and roofing is now
showing signs of weather damage. Between now and the
end of March 2015, I am pleased to advise that we will have
contractors working onsite to carry out major repair and refurbishment work.
The female toilets in H block are being completely refurbished and modernised
and, from what I have seen of the plans, they will be the envy of the school!
The carpeted floors and walls in S block are being replaced with hard flooring
and the perimeter wall near the bike store is also being repaired. Scaffolding
will be erected around the main school buildings in order for roof repairs to be
effected. By the time we return to school after Easter, all the works should be
completed. We are fully committed to ensuring our students get the facilities
and learning environment they deserve.
As you know, the academy was inspected by
Ofsted two weeks before Christmas. We would
like to congratulate all of our students for the
way in which they conducted themselves
during the Ofsted visit. It was also pleasing to
see the hard work and commitment of all our staff,
parents and governors recognised by Ofsted, as well as that of
our sponsor, the Academy Transformation Trust. The full inspection
report is available to download and read under the ‘About’ page of
our website.
The inspectors noted the clear improvements that are taking place
in terms of behaviour for learning and that students ‘behave well as
they move around the academy’ and that their ‘attitudes towards
learning have greatly improved’.
All schools can make improvements and we are no exception. The
Ofsted team recognised that we have developed since becoming an
academy in February 2013 and that we are ‘well placed to continue to
improve quickly.’ Their report said:
• Good pastoral care and support help to keep students safe. The academy is a harmonious community whose members support
each other well.
• The academy promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.
• Senior leadership has strengthened, establishing higher
expectations and leading to improvements in the quality of
teaching and students’ behaviour.
• The local governing body is committed to making the academy better.
Going forwards, we are focused on continuing to improve teaching
and to ensuring that all of our subject leaders consistently drive
improvements in their areas. To ensure future success, we will
continue to work closely with parents and the wider academy
community and we will use the report as another stepping-stone
on the way towards an outstanding education for all at Westbourne
Academy.
Mr G Trott, Principal
B T C o S pace C hallen g e 2 0 1 4
Competing teams were
tasked with creating a
program to control a virtual
robot which would collect
a series of coloured sprites.
Two of the Westbourne
teams finished in the
top three, with one team
storming to first position and
a place in the next round in
March 2015.
charity news
On behalf of Jodie Coe, Kacey Long, Ashleigh
Goddard, Jessica Brett and Ayesha Saunders, a big
thank you to all the staff and students who baked
and bought cakes on Friday 6th February. The
friends, who are in Year 8, showed great initiative,
organising and promoting a charity cake sale in
school at break and lunch. The array of cakes and
muffins tasted as good as they looked and the girls
raised £85 towards their chosen charity, The British
Heart Foundation.
Well done!
Attendance Matters
We would like to start by thanking all our parents and carers for their continued
support regarding their child’s attendance. Our aim this academic year is to
achieve 94.5% attendance across the academy. Unfortunately, Year 11 attendance
as a whole falls below that achieved by other year groups. Research shows that
if a child’s school attendance drops below 90%, their chances of achieving 5A*- C
grades drop to 50%. We are committed to working with parents to improve the
attendance and attainment of all our students.
Punctuality
Changes to our punctuality procedure have resulted in a 50%
reduction in the number of students arriving late to school, for the first
lesson. The academy is open for students from 8.00am and first lesson
starts at 8.25am which is the time that students are expected to be in
their classrooms, not the time they arrive at school. I have spoken to
many parents and students about this and my advice is always the
same; students should aim to be on the school site by 8.15am at the
latest.
After February half term, we changed the closing time of our morning
registers. The new closing time is 8.35am. This means that if a student
arrives at the academy after 8.35am, without a valid reason, they will
be marked as an ‘unauthorised’ late. Unauthorised marks put parents
at risk of receiving a Fixed Penalty, a resulting fine and the possibility
of Education Welfare involvement.
To reiterate information previously issued, if a student arrives late
to school twice in a week they will be set a 60 minute detention on a
Friday as well as being set an initial 30 minute detention at the end of
the day on which they are late. If a student arrives late three times in
a week, they will be required to attend a Saturday morning detention
with Mr Trott beginning at 9.00am.
The occasional lateness is sometimes unavoidable but if you
know your child is going to arrive late to school, for any reason,
please contact the attendance team on 01473 466145 or email us at
[email protected]
Illness
Statistics show that the current cold weather and dark mornings
means this is a time where school attendance tends to decline. If
your child says they are feeling a little unwell and you feel they may
not last a whole day in school, I would urge them to come to school in
the morning and see how they get on. We do understand that illness
cannot be helped and that ultimately it is a parent’s judgement and
responsibility to get their child to school.
Fixed Penalty Fines
As of 1st September 2014, Suffolk County Council allowed schools in
Suffolk to create their own procedure for Fixed Penalty Notices as a
result of unauthorised absence and lateness. At that time the decision
was made to continue with the procedure that was in place previously.
Now however, we recognise there is a need for us to modify this and
tighten our procedures. With effect from Monday 23rd February 2015, if
a student has 6 unauthorised marks (for absence/lateness) in 12 school
weeks, then parents are likely to receive a Fixed Penalty. A Fixed
Penalty is a fine of £60 per parent per child and is issued from Suffolk
County Council.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding your child’s attendance,
please do not hesitate to contact me on 01473 466130 and I can make an
appointment to meet with you in school.
Mr M Agate,
Attendance Manager
If your child is off school and you are unable to contact us by telephone, you can now email us instead at [email protected]
Give a Suffolk child the
care they dream about
Some children dream of being rich and
famous, but for others their dreams are often
heartbreakingly simple; the love of a family,
a feeling of belonging, home cooking and a
bedroom of their own.
Suffolk’s fostering and adoption teams
have launched their first joint campaign to
recruit more people who want to help care
for Suffolk’s looked after children. We are
specifically looking for people with the capacity
to care for sibling groups, teenagers and
children with disabilities.
Suffolk foster carers and adopters do an
incredible job caring for and fulfilling the
simple dreams of some of our most vulnerable
children. With support from the Suffolk
fostering and adoption service and other
professionals, including teaching staff, they
work to provide positive futures for children
who have had a difficult start to their lives.
If you have enthusiasm, patience and room, you
could be the one to give a looked after child the
care they dream about.
You can find videos of carers talking about their
experiences on our website:
http://dreams.suffolk.gov.uk (no WWW)
Or call us for an informal chat about fostering
or adoption on: 01473 264800
Student Voice
The Ipswich Branch of The Royal British Legion invited
Westbourne Academy to represent the student community at
their Ipswich Armistice Day Service at Christchurch Park. The
Student Council attended, laid a wreath and were also invited to
read aloud to the assembled congregation at the cenotaph. The
students showed wonderful dignity and respect throughout what
was quite a sombre occasion and were an absolute credit to the
academy.
FORM AMBASSADORS
We now have a full complement of Form Ambassadors and Student Councillors
across all year groups, following the Year 7 appointments last term.
The Student Council were also invited to
meet with Dr Dan Poulter MP for another
Q&A session. Students enjoyed the
opportunity to question Dr Poulter about
important local matters.
GCSE Photography Trip
In December, we took
35 of our Year 10 GCSE
Photography students to
the London National Portrait
Gallery to view the 2014
Taylor Wessing Photographic
Portrait Prize and to take part
in a photography workshop.
The students had a fantastic day and yet again
the Queen made an appearance (arriving home)
whilst our students were outside Buckingham
Palace ... that’s two years in a row …
I think she likes us!
During the workshop students were able to create their own portraits of one another
in a professional photography studio. As part of the portraiture workshop, they were
extremely fortunate to get to work with a professional photographer. He taught them
how to meter light for studio flash and use different types of light to change the mood of
the portraits. Our students really did themselves proud throughout the day and we look
forward to receiving all the images from their photo shoots.
Miss A Leggett - Photography Teacher
Westbourne Academy welcome
Autism outreach service
We have been delighted to provide a new base for The County
Inclusive Resource (CIR), Suffolk’s outreach service for pupils with
a diagnosis of Autism in mainstream schools.
CIR staff work from 5 locations across the whole of the county and
staff working in the Ipswich and Felixstowe area have relocated
from Beacon Hill Special School to their new base at Westbourne
Academy.
Mr Trott, Principal said:
‘We are extremely happy to be providing a new facility for the
outreach team here at Westbourne. We know that they have an
excellent reputation for supporting young people with Autism
across the county. We look forward to working alongside them and
will hopefully benefit from their expertise in order to enhance our
own provision and understanding of students with Autism.’
The CIR staff work with over 800 pupils in mainstream schools
across the whole of Suffolk. CIR staff support schools with the
successful inclusion of pupils on their caseload, working directly
with pupils, making resources to support learning and offering
a wide range of advice and training. Referrals to the service are
made via the pupil’s school. Recently the team have been one of three teams
shortlisted nationally for an award for Outstanding Educational Provision
from the National Autistic Society.
Mrs Welsh, CIR Headteacher said:
‘I am very proud of the team and the work they do alongside Suffolk schools.
Westbourne Academy have provided us with an excellent base from which
staff can go out and work with schools in the area. The staff at Westbourne
have made us feel very welcome and we are really looking forward to
working in partnership with them.’
Students of the month
November 2014
ART
Tayla Starling
7L
Kizzie Chaplin
7R
Caden Gardiner
7W
Erin Keer
8H
Elie AnneKayembe8L
Lauren Kerridge 8T
Maryam Faris
9K
Nicolau
Neves-Mitcul9N
Skye Bloomfield 9R
Josh Ripper
10K
Ellie Horton
10W
Caitlin Miller
11K
Megan Carver
11T
PHOTOGRAPHY
Thomas Raby
Luke Addison
Owen Arnold
DRAMA
Ellie Zantboer
Ryan Yellen
Danielle Jade
Chappel
Haden Starling
10T
11M
7K
7L
7N
7R
8D
Shannon
MacSephney8H
Diana Fonseca
8N
Niamh Varley
8T
Bailey Richards
9D
Lukasz Tynny
9D
Abbie Haxley
9R
Jack Welham
9R
ENGLISH
Clara Stiles
Kiran Kaur
Ellie Zantboer
Harvey Brown
Mariana Lacasta
Berkcan Topal
Lee Steel
David Beales
Iosif Pitigoi
Jasmine Collins
Megan Harrison
Chloe Grant
Lanya Sarawan
Arthur Ali
7D
7D
7L
8N
8T
8T
8W
9W
10D
10R
11K
11K
11R
11W
HUMANITIES
Adam Rose
Zohal Karim
7K
7L
Abbie Haxley
Jasmine Bilner
Jodie Seale
Karol Kalizniak
Maryam Faris
Abbie Haxley
Jack Howard
Marley Curtis
Grace Gayle
Zoe Ablitt
Lanya Sarawan
Lucy Brighty
7T
7W
8K
8T
9K
9R
10D
10H
10T
11L
11L
11W
ICT
Kizzi Brame
Lauren Kerridge
Shelby Coleman
Kameron Crick
Britney Coe
Deam Rangphuree
Tea Addison
James Pratt
7L
8T
9R
10D
10D
10K
11M
11N
LANGUAGES
Hollie Watson
Tyler Blair
Jasmine Roberts
Ellie Barker
7D
7H
7H
7K
Kizzi Brame
7L
Morgan Rudland 7L
Luke Kelleher
7N
Callum Pearce
7T
Ryan Woolnough 7T
Rowan Ford
7W
Jake Mundy
7W
Keon Pemberton 7W
Amber Bickers
8D
Adam Chambers 8D
Chloe Spalding
8D
Shannon
MacSephney8H
Lu Lu Perry
8H
Lottie Aldous
8K
Khaled Miah
8N
Jessica Brett
8R
Jensen Larkin
8R
Karol Kaluzniak
8T
Deborah Zini
8T
Rosie Curl
9D
Bailey Richards
9D
Archie Nichols
9H
Mariana Manata 9K
Saleah Khatun
9L
Lewis Marchant 9N
Mariana Abegao 9T
Charlotte Dowsing 9W
Ellie Matthews
Natasha Ranger
Temuri Turner
Juliet Onuoha
10T
10W
11R
11W
MUSIC
Zsombor Selmeci
Ayesha Peach
Karol Kaluzniak
Gina Pitigoi
Jack Bowen
Martell Dacus
Sophie Rumbold
Kailan Last
Juliet Onuoha
Temuri Turner
7N
7R
8T
8W
9D
9D
10T
10L
11W
11R
LANGUAGES
Rugile Pirstelyte
Kayleigh Baker
Lily Baldwin
Tayla Starling
Edward Pardoe
Benn Rayson
Emma Beales
Makayla Bowler
Harry Dedman
D’vage Parnell
Kai-James Scott
Hannah Newson
Tasnim Ali
Charlie Jenkins
Matthew Tricker
Jakub Witkowski
Ismail Ahmed
Kathryn Miles
Elle Castaldo
Jessica Brett
Reece Lawrence
Tolga Arduc
Mariana Lacasta
Marcus Scoggins
Jamie Pointon
Maryam Faris
Jack Miller
Esme Scott
Marshal Hunt
Jade Archer
Jordon Pulham
Hollie Walden
Sophi Derrett
Adam Steele
Emma Cook
Alisha Hixson
PE
Jasmine Roberts 7H
Ruben Mota
10L
SCIENCE
Alex Dam
Charlie Gundry
Lorna Kelly
Megan Barnett
Ieva Velutyte
7R
8N
9N
WISE
11L
December 2014
DRAMA
Hollie Watson
7D
Luke Cole
7H
Ellie Bultitude
7K
Kayleigh Baker
7K
Lizzie Dyes
7K
Abbie Guest
7L
Emilie Rodrigues
Sanches7N
Kizzie Chaplin
7R
Makayla Bowler
7R
Abbie Aleksic
7T
Maisie Allen
7T
Jodie Cloud
7T
Amber Reavell
7T
Harry Livermore
7W
Nattalie Mann
7W
Kimberley Dix
8D
Chloe Spalding
8D
Emily Doncaster
8H
Jodie Coe
8L
Elie Anne Kayembe 8L
Kacey Long
8L
Donell Harris
9D
Depade Ouassingou 9R
Harry-Paul Cranmer 9W
Lauren Fosker
Kylie Mann
Taylor Warner
Maddison Cloud
Harry Wilson
Aliesha Farrell
Hannah Baker
Sophie Rumbold
Ellie Horton
Ewan Milne
Sian Williams
Zoe Ablitt
Michaeleen Murphy
9W
9W
10D
10H
10H
10R
10T
10T
10W
11H
11K
11L
11N
ENGLISH
Jasmine Roberts
7H
Makayla Bowler
7R
D’Vage Parnell
7R
Erin Jackaman
7T
Cristiana Cascalheira8L
Amie Howes
8W
Conner Bilner
9R
Hollie Walden
9W
Keeley Rudland
10T
Nathan Widmark
11H
Luke Addison
11M
William Fry
11M
HUMANITIES
Ellie Barker
7K
Owen Garwood
7K
Erin Jackaman
7T
Ruby Scott
8H
Gabriella Wingar
8H
Tolga Arduc
8T
Chloe Young
9D
Hollie Walden
9W
Sumayah Tawfiq
10D
Taylor Warner
10D
Destiny Minors
10R
Aleksandra Kasinska 11L
Tara Norman
11N
Alisha Hixson
11W
ICT
Kayleigh Baker
Florentina Petrescu
Amy Sidney
Daniel Prophet
Luke Richardson
Callum Marshall
Erin Van Tankeren
Ewan Milne
7K
8W
9H
10N
10N
11N
10R
11H
7H
7K
7K
7L
7N
7N
7R
7R
7R
7R
7T
7W
8D
8D
8D
8D
8H
8H
8N
8R
8R
8T
8T
8T
9H
9K
9K
9K
9R
9W
9W
9W
10D
10H
11W
11W
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Lucy Brighty
11W
Connor Bilner
9R
SCIENCE
Paulina Samoskaite 7H
Tolga Arduc
8T
Jowita Danilczyk
9K
Darius Dausa
10K
Juliet Onuoha
11W
Charity & COMMUNITY NEWS
Staff and their families enjoyed a very competitive
Staff Quiz Night and in the process raised funds
towards the production costs for The Wizard of Oz.
A Fright Night Disco for students was very well attended
with students (and their parents) going to amazing lengths
with their costumes; again the proceeds went towards
production costs for the show. Erin Shaw and Cameron Way
won the Best Dressed Girl and Boy Prize for their costumes.
Events
In October, we joined in with the
MacMillan Big Coffee morning and staff
baked, brought and bought cakes, raising
£128.67 in the process. For Movember, a
number of gentlemen staff showed their
support by growing assorted moustaches
and in doing so, raising awareness of
men’s cancer amongst the academy
community.
In October, Ellie Horton and Elle Scott
in Year 10 held a very successful cake
sale in aid of Whizz-Kids, a charity that
transforms the lives of disabled children
and young people who struggle to get a
wheelchair that meets their needs.
To mark BBC Children in Need
Day in November, students and
staff were invited to take part in a
civvies day. We achieved our target
and raised £1008 in total which was
shared equally with Whizz-Kids.
In November, Mr Moore and Mr
Smith hosted a race night for staff
and their families and £1000 was
raised in aid of BLISS, a charity
which helps premature babies who
need support in special care baby
units in order to survive.
In December, we held a Christmas
Disco for students in Years 7 and
8. The proceeds of £431 were
donated to BLISS.
Christmas Cake Competition
Community Christmas
Lunch
On Thursday 11th
December the Student
Council invited a group
of elderly residents from
Hazeldell Care Home and
Handford House to join
them for Christmas lunch
in the Food Hall. Together
with their carers, our
guests enjoyed listening
to students singing carols
around the piano and
even received a surprise
visit from a very hearty
Santa. In the season
of good will to all, staff
kindly donated small
gifts for our guest to take
home.
Mrs Hutchinson, Food Technology teacher, organised a
Christmas cake baking competition for staff and students.
Parents entered a draw to win one of two cakes and the
proceeds went to East Anglian’s Children’s Hospices. This
charity chosen by Sophie Sparrow and Temuri Turner
in Year 11 who organised a cake sale and promoted the
competition and cake draw which raised £179.15.
Congratulations to Adam Goddard and Temuri Turner
whose fabulously decorated cakes were judged as joint
winners. Thank you to Lisa Johnson, bake-off judge and
parent governor who kindly donated the vouchers given
as prizes (pictured right with Garry Trott and the winners).
Christmas Jumper Day 2014
On Friday 12th December,
students and staff were invited
to wear festive jumpers,
hats and tinsel to school, in
support of Save the Children’s
Fund Christmas Jumper Day.
Students and staff raised £1000
for this very good cause.
£1,000,000
Robot
Mania
WHAT WOULD YOU SPEND IT ON?
As part of our drive to encourage
students into engineering, we
have entered a new educational
programme called VEX Robotics.
National Grid donated £2000
worth of equipment to the
academy as part of their ongoing
bid to inspire youngsters to take
up STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and
Maths) subjects.
Last term, a group of students from the VEX
(STEM) Club visited Rapid Electronics HQ in
Colchester in order to attend a training session
with the National Grid and VEX teams. This
exciting taster session showed students not only
how to operate and build robots but how much fun
they will have working together as a team to bring
their creative ideas to fruition.
In February, three members of the VEX Club took
their Clawbot to Rapid Electronics Colchester
so they could test out their design in advance
of an area competition. The testing gave the
team some ideas on how to improve their robot
as well as allowing them
to practise their driving
skills within the arena. In
addition to designing and
making their Clawbot from
scratch, using the VEX
robotics kit, the team have
written a programme which
allows the robot to run
autonomously and manually
through a wireless Xbox
style controller.
If we are successful in
March 2015, our teams may
go on to compete at regional
and national level. VEX
Club runs on Tuesdays after
school in Room B11 in the
DT department.
Mr M Foreman
Team Leader/Design
Technology
The North West Ipswich
Big Local Trust has
£1 million and needs
your help to ensure
the money is spent wisely and for
the benefit of residents of Whitton,
Whitehouse and Castle Hill.
North West Ipswich Big Local Trust, which is a resident
led group, was given £1,000,000 by the National Lottery to
improve the North West Ipswich Area.
Since 2012 NWI BLT has given out over £80,000 in grants to
various groups and organisations within this area. These
have been children playgroups, school garden projects,
garden furniture for the elderly, musical school for teenagers
and many more including a summer event in Whitehouse
park. NWI BLT is currently in talks with the local Credit Union
(Eastern Savings & Loans) to help deter illegal doorstep
lending, such as loan sharks.
Now NWI BLT is contributing £100K towards building a
skatepark in Whitehouse Park and plans are well on their
way to achieving this, with additional grants from the SITA
Trust and Ipswich Borough Council. Look on NWI BLT
website for further news and developments on the skate
park. www.nwipswichblt.co.uk
The opinions of the local residents are paramount and NWI
BLT are also keen to find out what the young people feel is
lacking or need improving in the community. To achieve this
NWI BLT is delighted to have the opportunity to work with
Westbourne Academy, to engage with their students. It has
been arranged that on a monthly basis NWI BLT will be at
Westbourne Academy, at an information and engagement
point in front of the Main Hall, starting on 3rd April 2015.
Students can come and meet NWI BLT and share their
views. Any students who would like to join the young people
forum, to help get things moving, will be warmly welcomed.
NWI BLT can do things for the community only if residents
tell them what is needed so please contact them on their
website www.nwipswichblt.co.uk and let them know. If you
have time why not join NWI BLT at Castle Hill Community
Centre for coffee. Faye Smith will be there every Thursday
morning between 9.00 and 11.30 to listen to you and perhaps
if you are a resident of North West Ipswich, you might like to
join one of our groups and help get things done.
For further information contact
Faye Smith 01473 354349 / 07976565329
e-Safety Advice
We are pleased to advise you
that Mrs Cook and Mr Lipman
have been appointed as joint
e-Safety Leads for the academy.
Results of a recent parent survey indicated that advice on internet safety
would be very welcome. The preferred methods of communication were
information sheets sent home, information on our website and email
correspondence.
Earlier this term, we produced our first e-Safety Newsletter for parents.
This was sent home with students, uploaded on our website, posted on
our Facebook page and also on our Twitter feed. We also emailed a PDF
copy to those parents for whom we have an email contact address.
If you have not yet read our e-safety advice, you can download a
full colour copy by entering the following address into your internet
browser:
www.westbourne.attrust.org.uk/News/e-Safety-advice/
More general internet safety advice is available on our website
under the Student/Internet Safety page.
STAND AT EASE
The candidates demonstrated the range
of skills they had acquired from the 10
week course; cooking army rations using
a camping stove which was lit using storm
proof matches. Unfortunately, it was so
cold that the rehydrated ‘stuff’ took longer
to heat up than the time we had available so
we were unable to taste it – such a shame!
The students also showed us their abilities in
semaphore, tapping out code, orienteering
and emergency first aid. They showed
the assembled parents how to check for
breathing, how to place an unconscious
person into the recovery position and how to
perform life-savings skills and CPR.
The group of 12 students finished by giving
us a demonstration of their marching skills
and paraded in the hardcourt area.
Afterwards, students were awarded two
certificates by Cheryl Salter, Head of Phase
for Years 7 and 8. The first one was in
recognition of their completing the course
and the other was their first aid certificate.
The students have also received their BTEC
certificates in Citizenship and Team Building.
Well done!
Westbourne in Top 10% Nationally
Congratulations to Mrs Ali Furlong, School Games Organiser (SGO) for
Ipswich & South Suffolk who is based at Westbourne Academy.
Mrs Furlong’s hard work and success this year puts her in the top 10%
of SGO Host sites nationally. An outstanding achievement!
An analysis by the Youth Sport Trust, shows that Mrs Furlong’s work
with primary and secondary schools is having a fantastic impact, in
terms of our young people’s participation in local sports clubs and in
sports competitions. The Sports Leadership programme, which
Mrs Furlong runs in local high schools, continues to be very successful
and broadens participation opportunities through volunteering and
workforce roles.
Westbourne students in Years 9 and 10 (who are interested in sport)
can join our Accredited Sports Leadership programme. This programme
is delivered through their PE lessons and through their involvement
The ‘Passing Out’
Parade of the 12
students involved
in the Schools
Partnership Project
with CVQO went very
well on Tuesday 16th
December.
Thanks to AXA Ipswich, students who have
English as an additional language (EAL)
will benefit from some brand new English
translation dictionaries in their lessons. The
translation dictionaries are essential learning tools which
will help students translate English to and from Romanian,
Polish, Portuguese and Lithuanian.
Mrs Dyes, who works as a PA to the AXA Liabilities
Managers, kindly arranged for the purchase of the new
dictionaries as part of AXA’s charitable contribution for the
local community.
We are proud of our diverse, multi-cultural community and
we value the contribution made to academy life by all our
young people and our staff. Currently, 1 in 4 students at
Westbourne Academy has English as an additional language.
We are also pleased to welcome two new members of
staff, Mrs Khalyaeva and Mrs Wolska, who join us as
EAL Teaching Assistants working closely with our EAL
Coordinator, Ms Graziani.
with hosting and assisting at School Games competitions. Sport
Leaders will learn about event management and timekeeping and
they will be trained as referees by qualified coaches in each sport.
Working with Mrs Furlong, as a part of a team, they will assist with
the delivery of competitions in athletics, basketball, cricket, football,
netball, rugby, tennis and quick sticks hockey.
As a result of her achievement, Mrs Furlong has been invited to work
on a School Games Organiser Master Class programme. This is
aimed at the highest performing SGO’s in the county and ensures not
only their further development but also looks to support the success
of the network as a whole.
Those of you who came to see our production of The Wizard of Oz, in
December, will no doubt agree that it was a resounding success and
truly showcased the talent of our students and our staff.
The professional production was of very high quality. The singing,
choreography and characterisation was inspiring! It was wonderful to see the
cast finally take to the stage to perform in front of a large audience. Brimming
with nervous excitement, pride and confidence, the students clearly revelled in
the experience and thoroughly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight.
School productions of this nature are huge extra-curricular projects and their
success is the culmination of many, many hours of hard work and dedication
from the cast and crew. The cast members of the show worked for countless
hours in rehearsals, often late after school and at weekends.
Thank you to everybody who assisted in making the show possible. We
wholeheartedly appreciate the free time that was sacrificed to help with the
production, set design, stage management, choreography, music, singing and
rehearsals. It is testament to months of hard work that a show of this scale
and quality can be put on by secondary school students.
We are very proud of the way in which the students involved displayed such
high levels of commitment, energy and enthusiasm, on top of their academic
commitments. To work in a school where our young people have such a love
of the performing arts is most gratifying and they should be very proud of what
they managed to achieve together.
Mr A Smith
Team Leader/Expressive Arts
During their time with Westbourne
Academy, students take part in a number
of careers and work related learning
activities.
In Key Stage 3, students are encouraged to
explore different careers and occupations using
a variety of methods including attending site
visits and using online programs designed to
give impartial careers guidance and information.
Careers
& Work
Experience
Activities
The Westbourne Annual Careers Fair - Open to all
students, designed to support interaction, exploration and
engagement with local and national employers and post 16
service and information providers.
Progression Interviews - One to one sessions for students
in Key Stage 4. The interview is used to provide a platform
upon which career planning and managing expectations are
based. Linked closely with student attainment and post-16
option choices.
Enrichment Programs - Open to students who meet
externally funded provider eligibility. These range from
12 week courses in character and team building skills
to internal and external mentoring programs for 1 or 2
academic years.
Higher Education site visit - Students who meet eligibility
criteria and for whom the experience would provide
motivation and inspiration.
Regional and National Events - When appropriate, students
will be encouraged to take part in both regional and national
events to help with their understanding of the skills and
experiences which will be required in the world of work.
Transition Evening - Open to students and parents of
students in Key stage 4. The main aim of the event is to help
determine the most appropriate post - 16 option choices.
Employer talks - Open to all students in Key stage 4 by
student selection and invitation, to provide an up to date
and relevant overview of industry and sector specific
information and advice.
In Key Stage 4, students will be expected
to demonstrate efficient and practical career
planning skills along with an associated
understanding of post-16 options that are
available to them locally and nationwide.
They will take part in progression interviews,
workshops and external events which are
designed to assist with raising aspirations and
managing expectations.
online resources
The National Careers Service provides information,
advice and guidance to help you make decisions on
learning, training and work opportunities. The service
offers confidential and impartial advice. The service offers
confidential and impartial advice and is supported by
qualified careers advisers. Students can produce a CV and
their own career plan online.
On Plotr you will find hints and tips and videos from
companies and people that actually have those careers so you can see what it’s like and how you get there. Then
you can search for the best courses, work experience,
apprenticeships or even entry level jobs, near you, to help
get to a career you love.
icould is a small, dynamic charity, providing career
inspiration and information for young people. We show
what is possible in work and offer different ways to think
about careers through free access to over 1000 personal
video stories, detailed job information, plus practical tips,
insight and advice.
Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job
with study. As an apprentice you will work alongside
experienced staff, gain job-specific skills, study towards
a related qualification (usually one day a week).
Apprenticeships take 1 to 4 years to complete depending
on their level.
Independent Careers Advice
Mrs Sarah Pawlewski is a careers adviser with over 20 years’ experience. She runs
her own consultancy - Career Directions Ltd - and works with clients of all ages across
schools, colleges, universities and industry. Mrs Pawlewski holds degrees in Psychology
and Careers Guidance and is a member of the Career Development Institute.
Mrs Pawlewski, provides impartial, independent careers advice to pupils on an individual
basis. The purpose of the individual meetings is to help our students decide what they
would like to do once they leave Westbourne Academy and also to raise their aspirations
about jobs and careers for the future. The careers adviser will talk to students about their
interests, ideas, values and skills. She will work with students to look at local opportunities
for post 16 education, training and apprenticeships.
An action plan will then give each student an outline of their current career aims, a
number of action points as well as provide them with information, web sites and other
resources to help you and your child explore their ideas further.
Work Experience
In 2010 we made the decision to move away from the traditional pattern of a two week
work experience block where all students go on work experience at the same time.
If students would like to attend a period of work experience, they will need to make
contact and confirm a placement independently. Miss Atkinson, who is based in Student
Services, will be able to give you some guidance on your approach to secure a placement
and will provide where possible an existing contact. For Year 11 students it is important
to find out if you are required to complete any form of work experience for any course
starting in September and make the necessary arrangements.
Year 7
In addition to gaining the consent of the
organisation, there is certain information that
students and parents need to consider when
arranging a placement.
• Make sure the placement takes place during the school holidays. Work experience during term time MUST first be approved by the Principal.
• Make sure the organisation has Public Liability Insurance.
• Make sure that the organisation’s Employers
Liability Insurance covers students for the duration of the placement.
• Parents need to understand that they are directly responsible for their child in the event
of an emergency during the placement, ie
sudden illness or injury.
• Wherever possible ask for confirmation of the placement in writing.
The academy will confirm the following information
in respect of any request by an employer:
1
2
3
That the student is on roll with the academy
That the responsibilities for students during their placement remains with the parent.
That the placement has been agreed during term time if appropriate.
If you have any questions or queries please come
and see Miss Atkinson in Student Services.
Mandarin Workshop
On Wednesday 28th January, Mr Ismay and I were
fortunate to accompany ten Year 7 students on a visit
to Mildenhall Academy to take part in a Mandarin
Language Workshop. The workshop was funded by
ATT and, as such, the students had the opportunity
to meet other Year 7-9 students from three local ATT
academies: Iceni, Nicholas Hammond and Mildenhall.
During the course of the day, students took part in a number of
different activities including: an introduction to China, an active
storytelling session of the Great Race story, a language workshop
trying out their memories with numbers 1-100 and questions like Ni
Hao Ma?, a lantern chain craft activity, a calligraphy
session learning about Chinese characters and the four
tones of the Mandarin language (maā,
má, maǎ and mà), a
bit of Tai Chi and a Lion Dance activity.
v
Finally, each student was presented with a certificate
and a Hong Bao 红包
(red envelope) which, as is
considered polite in China, they had to accept with
both hands whilst saying 謝謝
or xie xie (thank you).
Each of the students represented Westbourne very
well demonstrating positive attitudes and a real willingness to learn
new things. The students were: Abbie Aleksic (7T), Zack Archer (7K),
Ellie Barker (7K), Ellie Bultitude (7K), Alex Dam (7R), Charlie Farrow
(7H) Erin Jackaman (7T), Anisah Khatun (7L), Ayesha Peach (7T) and
Clara Stiles (7D).
Mrs M Woodhouse
Vice Principal
at Mildenhall Academy
UNIFORM STANDARDS
It is pleasing to see that the vast majority of students wear
the correct uniform and shoes to school, take pride in their
appearance and are properly equipped for lessons. It is
our belief that being smart and wearing uniform helps our
young people feel they belong and are part of a community.
The academy is now collecting Sainsbury’s
Active Kids vouchers. If you buy fuel or shop in
Sainsbury’s, please ask for the vouchers and
send them into school with your child. There is a
collection box in Student Services and in the Food
Tech department.
We recently published a guide to our academy uniform
standards. It contains detailed advice for parents and
students about what is and what is not acceptable.
Copies of the leaflet are available in Reception or you may
download a PDF version from our website:
www.westbourne.attrust.org.uk/Parents/Uniform/uniform_standards.pdf
If we can collect enough vouchers, this brilliant
scheme for schools will enable us to buy a range
of new cookery equipment and accessories for
students to use in their Food Technology lessons.
Contact INFORMATION
Staff Training Days (Non-Pupil Days) In purple
Miss A Howlett
Food Technology Technician
SHARP
A new confidential online reporting system was
implemented last term in conjunction with
anti-bullying week. Well done to all those students who took the time to enter the
competition. Congratulations to Clara Stiles in Year 7 who won our Anti-Bullying Week
competition with her thought provoking video.
TERM DATES 2014/2015
TERM DATES 2015/2016
Spring Term
Begins Tue 6th January
Ends Fri 27th March
[Staff PD days are yet to be agreed]
Spring Half Term
Begins Mon 15th February 2016
Ends Fri 19th February 2016
Autumn Term
Begins Wed 2nd September 2015
Ends Fri 18th December 2015
Easter Break
Begins Fri 25th March 2016
Ends Fri 8th April 2016
Autumn Half Term
Begins Mon 26th October 2015
Ends Fri 30th October 2015
Summer Term
Begins Mon 11th April 2016
Ends Thu 21st July 2016
Wed 22nd July 2015 is a PD Day
Christmas Holiday
Begins Mon 21st December 2015
Ends Fri 1st January 2016
Summer Half Term
Begins Mon 30th May 2016
Ends Fri 3rd June 2016
Summer Half Term
Begins Mon 25th May 2015
Ends Fri 29th May 2015
Spring Term
Begins Mon 4th January 2016
Ends Thu 24th March 2016
Easter Break
Begins Mon 30th March 2015
Ends Fri 10th April 2015
Summer Term
Begins Mon 13th April 2015
Ends Wed 22nd July 2015
Years 7 & 8: 01473 466 172
Mr Lee, Student Manager
Ms Salter, Head of Phase
Year 9: 01473 466 169
Mrs Anderson, Student Manager
Miss Stringer, Head of Year
Years 10 & 11: 01473 466 170
Mrs Clarke, Student Manager
Mr Payne, Head of Phase
Safeguarding Senior Designated Lead (SDL)
Mrs C Cook, Assistant Principal: 01473 466 156
Alternate Designated Lead (ADL)
Mrs C Clarke, Student Manager: 01473 466 170
Named Governor: Mrs L Johnson
e-Safety Leads Mrs C Cook, Assistant Principal
Mr I Lipman, IT/Infrastructure Manager
Chair of Governors Dr R Impey: 01473 466 136
Attendance & Absence
If your child is going to absent from school or is going to arrive late to school, please telephone
us on 01473 466 145 before 8.15am each day. Please state your child’s full name, form group and
reason for absence/lateness.
Please remember to notify the Attendance team on 01473 466 145 in advance of any known,
regular absences, ie medical/orthodontal appointments, which cannot be arranged outside of
the school day (8.25am – 2.50pm).
Remember that you can also email us at [email protected]
Westbourne Academy, Marlow Road, Ipswich. IP1 5JN Tel: 01473 742 315
Website www.westbourne.attrust.org.uk
Email [email protected]
www.facebook.com/westbourneacademy
www.twitter.com/WestbourneA
Safeguarding
Carol Clarke, the Student
Manager for Years 10 and 11,
has been appointed as our
Alternate Designated Lead for
safeguarding, in place of Dave
Lee-Allan.
Suffolk Safeguarding
Children Board:
www.suffolkscb.org.uk
Cross County Success
Congratulations to Conner Bilner 9R and Lucy Brighty
11W who both competed in the Anglian Schools Cross
Country competition in February. Both students won
through at the Area and County stage competitions
last term. With a 6th place finish at RHS Holbrook
in February, Lucy Brighty will next compete in the
England Schools Cross County competiton to be held
in Blackpool in March. An amazing achievement!
Dates
for your
2015
Sainsbury’s Active
Kids Vouchers
We will continue to challenge any student who comes to
school in clothing or footwear that does not comply with
our standards. Similarly, we will challenge students who
choose to defy jewellery, make-up and hair standards.
Thu 26th March
Fri 17th April
Mon 4th May
Thu 14th May
Thu 2nd July
Fri 17th July
Tue 21st July
Wed 22nd July
Year 10 Parent Evening
Year 11 Photos
Bank Holiday UK
Year 8 Parent Evening
Year 6 Parent Evening
Year 11 Prom (Wherstead Park)
Last day of term for students
Staff Training Day (Non-Pupil Day)