TrustEd
Issue 4 Autumn 2019
The staff magazine of The Cam Academy Trust
Trust moves to new headquarters
Welcome to our Autumn edition of TrustEd which has examples of how colleagues across The Cam Academy Trust are working together to strengthen their skills, teaching and outcomes for students.
This half-term has seen some new and exciting developments for the Trust. We have moved our headquarters to stand-alone premises on the Comberton Village College site, which enables Trust staff to work more collaboratively.
so if you have any news to share, please do let us know.
It has been a great start to the Autumn term, and I have been very impressed with the remarkable work going on across our schools. It is clear to see that staff have a strong desire to provide a high-quality education for our students. I hope you enjoy reading more about the people, exciting initiatives and innovations that are happening across all of our schools.
If you have an idea for an article or picture we could use in a future edition please let us know by emailing publicity@catrust.co.uk Stephen Munday, CEO
Schools are keen to be green!
We also have a new Trust website which reflects the style being implemented gradually across all the schools’ websites. The Trust also now has its own Twitter account
Many of our schools are making a considerable effort to be more environmentally friendly. Among the interesting initiatives is Gamlingay Village Primary’s pledge to minimise single-use plastic with their Year 6 students leading a pen recycling campaign.
Prefects at Melbourn Village College are developing a proposal to improve recycling throughout the school and the wider community, speaking to the governing body and local parish council.
Meanwhile, the Green Group at Comberton Village College is working closely with the canteen to integrate metal cutlery and reusable plates. Comberton’s Green Group is also holding assemblies to raise awareness among students on issues such as Palm Oil and how to reduce carbon emissions. Students from both colleges also attended the climate change marches earlier this term.
recent Geography trip where they saw the living wall and learned about how the building is sustainable.
Pupils at Thongsley Fields are also learning about the environment and now the school has a wild meadow, encouraging the growth of natural plants and habitats for a variety of creatures. It is great to see such great initiatives taking place across the Trust.
Cambourne Village College is helping students to understand more about the environment. Year 10 and 11 students visited the David Attenborough Building on a
What’s inside the latest edition l Page 1 — Trust Moves to New Headquarters; Keen to be Green l Page 2 — A Trust at the Heart of the Community l Page 3 — 60th Birthday Party is Time to Reflect; Celebrating the Start of a New Era l Page 4 — Helping Schools Re-Evaluate; Sensory Garden takes Shape l Page 5 — Trust is committed to International Ethos l Page 6 — Offord: A Small School with Big Ideas l Page 7 — Making Best Use of Technology for All; Circuit
Cambourne students learn about the Living Wall at Cambridge University’s David Attenborough building.
Provides Space for Art Attack l Page 8 — Now to Spread Word on Children’s Rights; Big-Hearted TAs fund Defibrillator l Page 9 — Numbers up as Schools Prove Popular; ‘Posh’ Visitors delight Primary Pupils l Page 10 — Going’ Tizzy’ to Improve Communcations; It’s Good to Talk as School Wins Award l Page 11 — Cabin Plans Primary Expansion for 2020 l Page 12 — Improving Attendance across the Trust
The Cam Academy Trust info@catrust.co.uk
(01223) 606605
www.catrust.co.uk
A Trust at the heart of the community
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
People Focus: Sue Williamson, Chair of The Cam Academy Trust
The Cam Academy Trust’s Chair of Trustees, Sue Williamson, outlines her hopes for the Trust in the coming years.
Sue Williamson started her career in education as a teacher in 1980 and since then has progressed to roles including a headteacher, CEO of the specialist schools and academies trust and the Chief Executive of SSAT (the Schools, Students and Teachers network), a role she currently holds. Sue has also worked with The Cam Academy Trust for several years, initially as a governor at Melbourn Village College and now Chair of Trustees.
Sue said: “Being Chair of Trustees is an honour and I would like to praise Gordon Johnson for the great job he did before me. My key aims over the next few years include focusing on developing our middle leaders, the recruitment of maths teachers and building on our teacher training offering to make and retain high-quality teachers. I also want to ensure excellence for our young people through teaching and learning and the opportunities we provide.
“One of the first activities I am undertaking is a review of the work of the local governing bodies. As we take our next Sue Williamson has several key aims for the coming years. steps it is important for us to understand what outstanding them. We are also looking at governance in MATs looks like, capacity to take on other what areas we need to focus ‘At the Trust we are united by our our schools. We want to ensure all on and what can we put in desire to make a difference for our schools are within our local place to ensure excellence community, believe in our across the Trust. our young people’ values and want to join us. We will continue to develop our — Sue Williamson, Chair, The “At the Trust we are united by key vision of providing our desire to make a difference Cam Academy Trust education from ages 4 to 18. for our young people. Stephen is a great leader and has always been collaborative in his “We are also developing a five-year plan for our estate. mindset. We also have a strong team of staff, trustees and Gamlingay Village Primary is a great example of how we governors. As we move forward, we not only want to provide excellence for our own students but want to explore can take on a school and help to improve the learning environment. We now want to assess how we can do that how we can work with and support other schools in for all our schools, from social areas to classrooms. Cambridgeshire. We are one community, after all, and can learn lots from each other. “While we have all these ambitions and exciting aims, as “The Trust has grown significantly over the last few years which has been fantastic. Recently we have seen a growth in the number of primary schools, and we are keen to ensure we are providing the best support and expertise for
trustees we also have to consider their feasibility. Unfortunately, Cambridgeshire education is underfunded. I wrote a piece recently comparing education in different areas and on average schools in Manchester receive £2,000 more per pupil than in Cambridgeshire. This means we have to be careful with how we use and invest our funds.
“However, despite this, it is amazing to see just how much great work and improvement is taking place across our schools. To see GCSE results improving and schools being oversubscribed is a true testament to the fantastic teaching and passion of our staff.”
Gamlingay’s new home is the first stage of a five-year plan to improve learning environments across the Trust.
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Away from work, Sue is an avid football fan and supports Ipswich Town, reflecting on fond memories of the Sir Bobby Robson era and now watches matches with her grandson. Sue also enjoys walking her dog, cooking and going to the theatre.
60th birthday party is time to reflect
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
School Focus: Melbourn Village College
As we look at all the great initiatives taking place across the Trust and future projects, it is also important to reflect on our past and how far we have come. This year Melbourn Village College is celebrating its 60th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, more than 200 staff and students past and present gathered for a party.
Over a couple of hours, former students reunited with old friends and their teachers. An impressive 22 members of the college’s first-ever cohort returned for the occasion with one ‘lucky’ student having her homework returned to her 60 years late.
As part of the event, the college and volunteers, led by Vanessa Mann, orchestrated a collection of items and resources from across the decades. Returning staff and students took a trip down memory lane as they browsed the items on show. Susan Warren, who attended from the first day until 1963, was reunited with her fashion project book, which had been carefully preserved in Melbourn’s archives for six decades. Guests also had a glimpse into education in the 21st Century as they toured the school and chatted to current students, who had volunteered to help out although it was a
Some of Melbourn’s original students with current Principal Simon Holmes (6th from right).
staff training day.
Vanessa Mann also organised a remarkable birthday cake which was kindly made by catering manager Lynn Gregory and iced by Wendy Penn.
Simon Holmes, Principal at Melbourn Village College, said: “It was amazing to see so many former students and staff, many of whom had made a significant effort to get here. It was a clear indication of the fondness which they feel for the college and a great opportunity to share memories from their time here.”
Celebrating the start of a new era
Next year, Comberton Village College will celebrate its 60th birthday and we wait to see how they intend to celebrate!
South Cambs MP Heidi Allen and pupils representing each year group cut the ribbon.
The Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire unveils the plaque to mark Gamlingay Village Primary’s official opening.
Gamlingay Village Primary School’s new building was officially opened during a fantastic day of celebrations.
all times.
School Focus: Gamlingay Village Primary
The school’s special guests, Lord Lansley, Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, and South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen had the honour of opening the school during the day’s festivities held towards the end of the summer term. The building is at the redeveloped site of the old village college and staff and pupils moved into the building in January 2019.
Lord Lansley unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion and Mrs Allen joined a group of pupils to cut the ribbon.
Champion inline rollerblader Jenna Downing and New Zealand para-athlete Tim Prendergast, who both work for the Youth Sports Trust, ran workshops on the day where they spoke to the school’s pupils and inspired them to believe in themselves, live healthy lives and do their best at
An oak tree was also planted at the front of the school site to mark the occasion.
The winners of the school's public speaking competition were also invited to read their entries about 'our school’. Pupils representing each class then sang their 'superheroes assembly' song, 'What have you done today to make you feel proud’. The day was rounded off by a high tea for 250 guests and an exciting fete with lots of stalls run by the Friends of Gamlingay Village Primary. The opening of the school building reinforces The Cam Academy Trust’s vision to provide excellent facilities for primary education in line with high-quality education.
In addition, the site allows the strong community engagement and activity that the Trust is keen to see in all of its schools.
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Helping schools re-evaluate curriculums
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
People Focus: Paul Lawrence, Director of Education
This year, Ofsted has introduced a new framework for how it inspects schools with initial findings showing an increased importance on the curriculum. As the Trust’s Director of Education, Paul Lawrence is making sure all our schools are adapting towards this new framework. Paul works closely with the Trust’s Primary Executive Leader, Chris Jukes.
“The main focus of my role this year is to work with our school to help them re-evaluate their curriculums,” he said. “This is a transitional period for schools nationally following the change and we need to make sure that we are teaching the right things, and in the right order. “This can be a particular challenge for primary schools where Ofsted have traditionally placed more emphasis on Maths and English teaching, and now all other subjects need to have the same level of focus.”
A Specialist Leader of Education with a Masters’ degree in Educational Management, a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and an Ofsted lead inspector, Paul has more than 25 years’ experience of teaching and is fully versed on the Ofsted inspection procedures not just in Cambridgeshire, but with neighbouring local authorities.
Director of Education Paul Lawrence is helping schools re-evaluate their curriculums to meet new national guidelines.
Paul is particularly interested in fostering a joined-up approach between all the Trust’s schools. He added: “Collaboration across schools is something I have been fascinated in, so much so I did a doctoral thesis about how schools worked together. “We have considerable expertise in our teaching staff across the Trust, in both secondary and primary. It is now important to harness this talent within the Trust, so it supports all our schools as one.
Garden will give full sensory experience
“The next stage will be how our teachers can help support those from other Trusts.”
A new sensory garden is taking shape at Cambourne Village Colllege.
School Focus: Cambourne Village College
Cambourne Village College has started work on a stimulating new sensory garden which will bring students together and promote positive wellbeing. After the success of its polytunnel and raised herb beds, the school won two grants, including one from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and have begun work on their new garden.
When completed, the sensory garden will stimulate all five senses, with interesting visual designs, scented roses, edible herbs, windchimes and a variety of textured grasses and plants. The aim of the garden is to break down barriers in the community, bring students of all ages together, promote positive wellbeing and behaviour, provide opportunities for fresh air and exercise, encourage biodiversity, support learning in the curriculum and provide an oasis from technology.
More than 70 students have volunteered to help create the
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garden and have formed three committees comprising construction, media and planting. Thanks to the work of students and staff, the ground has already been rotavated, green manure laid, and many worms have arrived on site to aerate the soil. Builders Kier have also prepared the base for a shed. The school has also received donations, including wood from the community of Romsey in Cambridge, which has been turned into a bench. This term, students visited Hyde Hall in Chelmsford and the Cambridge University Botanic Garden to learn more about plants. Each student then used this as inspiration to create their own designs for the college garden. This will inform a final plan. The college also hopes that each new student will paint a pebble and place it in the garden, creating a sense of ownership and togetherness. The community will also be able to enjoy the facilities through specially arranged projects.
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Trust is committed to international ethos
Melbourn, Comberton and Cambourne Languge Leaders at their training day at Murray Edwards College in Cambridge.
The International School Award rewards schools that have shown a commitment to developing an international ethos throughout the school and embedding it within the curriculum. Three of The Cam Academy Trust’s secondary schools currently have the full award, and one primary has the foundation level.
Rachel Hawkes, Director of International Education and Research at the Trust, explained the progress with The International School Awards, some of the Trust’s flagship international projects, and the long-term aspiration for all Trust schools to fully develop their international ethos.
“We want to ensure that all the schools across the Trust have the very best international opportunities and language learning experiences, in line with our principle of ‘excellence for all’,” she said. “The approach of the Trust has always been that an international outlook opens the door to new partnership opportunities with schools in other countries.
“We find that by encouraging openness to other cultures, it not only motivates pupils to learn languages but also deepens their understanding of what life is like elsewhere in the world, giving them a well-rounded knowledge, setting
Cambourne students enjoy a partnership with a school in Zaragoza, Spain.
‘The approach of the Trust has always been that an international outlook opens the door to new partnership opportunities with schools in other countries’ — Rachel Hawkes, Director of International Education & Research
them up well for life in our local and global society.
“We are using the International School Award as a framework for development of the international dimension, at the heart of which is a strong languages curriculum.
“One of the flagship international projects is Language Leaders; pupils in Year 9 prepare to teach language lessons to pupils in partner primary schools. The programme develops both leadership and linguistic skills and rewards pupils’ language learning, giving them a purpose and context for their language skills. Primary schools also benefit from the enriched transition; language leaders make valuable role models for younger pupils. “I am also very pleased to be working closely with several of our primary schools this year on their language curriculum and further plans to exploit international opportunities.
“It is not something to rush, however; each school will develop its own bespoke approach to internationalism and set out an activity plan that fits the local context.”
Comberton’s languge leaders working with primary school pupils at a partner school.
One example of this is the introduction of Mandarin as a curriculum subject at Melbourn Village College. Now in its fourth year, the first cohort will sit GCSE in 2021, and Rachel has challenged herself to join them. A teacher of French, German and Spanish, Rachel added: “I love learning Chinese, but am not able to dedicate much time to it. The pressure of entering the exam alongside MVC students is a strong motivator, though. I have a lot to live up to!”
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Offord: a small school with big ideas
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
School Focus: Offord Primary School
Offord’s recently recreated library is already a big hit with pupils of all ages.
The popular Forest School is one of the areas that was refreshed up by volunteers and contractors over the summer.
Kate Ruddock, the newly appointed Headteacher, previously worked as a Deputy Headteacher at Hartford Junior School, which is also part of the Trust.
“We were also invited to the inset day with all the other primary schools in the Trust. Shelley Desborough, head of Gamlingay Village Primary, is also working closely with us over the next term and we have received lots of support from Chris Jukes, Primary Executive Leader, and other members of the team.
We are thrilled to welcome Offord Primary School into The Cam Academy Trust. The school, which officially joined on 1st September 2019, is based in the village of Offord D’arcy between St Neots and Huntingdon and caters for up to 119 children. It is a family-orientated school with a strong community focus.
and have begun working closely to share and learn best practice from other schools, including Jeavons Wood Primary School and Hartford Infant and Junior Schools.
“Overall I am delighted that our school is now part of the Kate said: “The Offord team are so happy to have joined Trust. We value the same things and by sharing our the Cam Academy Trust. After a period of turbulence for experiences we can broaden the school, we are delighted to ‘All staff have been warmly our knowledge and improve have settled into the Trust, in The Offords. I am whose values of excellence, welcomed and we are already education very excited to see the school inclusion and a broad curriculum align so closely with benefiting from working closely develop and I am looking forward to continuing our our own. with other primary schools and journey. “All staff have been warmly Over the summer, a team of welcomed and we are already experts within the Trust’ volunteers and contractors benefiting from working closely — Kate Ruddock, Headteacher tidied up and refreshed the with other primary schools and school, both inside and out, experts within the Trust. I am ahead of joining the Trust. very excited to see the school develop over the academic year.” Since the start of term, the school has embarked on Liz Simpkin is the Chair of Governors. She has many years several exciting initiatives. Teachers have received new of experience in education, previously working as a laptops, which have enabled them to use the interactive Headteacher and School Improvement Adviser in whiteboard more effectively. It has also facilitated their Hertfordshire. teaching more widely and planning, and as a result, they are enthused and positive. She was invited to join the Governing Body so that she could use her considerable expertise and knowledge to The school has also implemented Power Maths, a new support the local school. Liz has one grandson at the approach to learning where students are taught in classes school with another due to join next year. according to their ability rather than their age. This has been well received by the children, who are really engaged Liz said: “I was really keen to use my experiences to help and enjoying their learning. develop the school and support our local community. I stepped up to Chair of Governors when the school went Another exciting initiative is the revival of the school library. through the academisation process. The school hasn’t had a library for many years but with the help of the new head, who won 100 books, the school has “I have been thoroughly impressed with the help and recreated one and the children are already loving it. support The Cam Academy Trust has provided. Every officer that we have worked with has been courteous and OPTA, the parent-teacher association, are currently respectful. We have been made to feel like part of the Trust fundraising to purchase new furniture for the library.
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Making the best use of technology for all
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
The introduction of a modern IT strategy across the Trust continues to receive positive feedback from staff, students and parents.
Spearheaded by the Trust’s Director of IT Strategy, Sean Sumner – now focusing fully on this area after stepping down as Deputy Principal at Cambourne Village College in the summer – the impact of innovative IT practices and programmes has been considerable. Sean’s vision is to ensure all Trust academies make the best use of technology for both learning and teaching. His priorities for this year include the implementation of a 1:1 iPad scheme and the continued development of internal collaboration across the Trust’s academies. He said: “In 18 months we want to continue to implement iPads for learning across the Trust. The pilot projects produced a very positive response and Cambourne 1:1 iPads have been introduced to Year 7 and Year 9 pupils.” Initial feedback has been excellent. One English teacher commented: “I think that the iPad helped to make pupils
more independent and also opened up a way of working that would have been otherwise unavailable to them. For example, carrying out research, using pictures and taking photos of their exercise books.
“However, I think that the biggest benefit that the iPad had on the project was that it enabled them to draft more effectively and for me to see how their ideas evolved.”
Sean added: “One of the key tasks for this year is to work with the Trust’s Primary schools to see how we can support their classroom work with technology and IT innovation.” The Trust’s Digital Learning Developer, Jonathan Bowers, works closely with Sean and is leading the development of CATalogue. This uses Office 365 to create learning spaces where resources are stored so they are always available and accessible across the Trust.
Jonathan is visiting schools to upskill staff members so they can learn about the benefits of using CATalogue and put the cloud-based technology into practice.
Circuit provides space for art attack!
The roll-out of iPads, which started at Cambourne, is set to continue across the Trust in the coming year.
School Focus: St Peter’s School
Students from St Peter’s School are benefiting from a range of exciting opportunities in the arts this year. Students in Years 9-11 have the chance to join the Creative Circuit: Huntingdon programme with students from Hinchingbrooke School. This is a programme where galleries work in partnership with youth organisations to create opportunities for a range of young people and encourage them to engage with art.
environment and work with colour.
The students are thriving and enjoying taking part in this opportunity. We look forward to seeing the work they produce over the next year!
Students are experimenting and making art with the support of real artists from Wysing Arts at Bourn, helping to build their confidence, practical skills and social and personal development. Year 7 students are also benefiting from working with Wysing artists. They are working with different artists on a four week rotation. One artist, Lucy Steggals, is looking at timeless objects and working with circular forms and another, Jack Cornell, is helping students to create collaborative sculptures. Naomi Harwin is encouraging engagement with the visual environment and Caroline Wendling is working with them to study the school
St Peter’s students have been experimenting with art.
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Now to spread word on children’s rights School Focus: Comberton Village College
Comberton Village College has won the prestigious Gold Rights Respecting School award.
The Unicef initiative aims to put children’s rights at the heart of UK schools, playing a key role in developing young people as active, engaged local and global citizens. Comberton has been working towards the award for the last two years and after achieving the gold award in June 2019, now wants to share its learning and good practice with other schools in the Trust.
There are more than 50 different rights to follow, including the right to relax and play, the right to freedom of expression and the right to education.
Marielle Burgess, Assistant Principal, Head of Year 11 and Rights Respecting School Coordinator, explained: “We were already doing lots of positive work at the school and the award seemed like a great way to bring it all together and ensure consistency throughout our curriculum, classwork, pastoral care and extra-curricular activities.
steering group with students from each year group, which meets two or three times every half term to decide which rights to focus on and how best to do so. This can be anything from pupils leading a school assembly to populating our noticeboards and launching exciting projects.
“For example, our students encouraged all of our bus drivers, parents and carers to switch their engines off when dropping and picking up students to promote the right to clean air. It was great fun and the bus drivers were good at getting involved. We are now looking at how to make this a habit, not just on one day a year. Our students also took part in a national Unicef scheme to donate unwanted shoes to Clarks who gave them to children in poorer countries.” To win the gold award an inspector visited the school and observed some of these projects, watched lessons, inspected resources and met the steering group.
Marielle added: “Our next task is to involve our sixth form students more and share our knowledge with other schools in the Trust to help them begin their own journey to become a Rights Respecting School. If any school is interested in learning more, please reach out to us!”
Big-hearted TAs fund school defibrillator “We focused on educating our students about their rights and engaging them in different activities. We established a
School Focus: Hartford Infant School
Four Teaching Assistants from Hartford Infant School bravely took part in a Tough Mudder challenge to raise almost £1,300 for a school defibrillator.
The idea came after a member of staff suffered a heart attack at school.
For the event the quartet, Sara Turner, Natalie Beecher, Nicola Jordan and Moira Whitham, wore one of the school’s ‘Hartford Heroes’ — Teamwork Tiger — on their Tshirts and worked as a team to help each other overcome the challenging obstacles on the course and keep spirits high. The four amateur runners prepared for the challenge by swimming, weight training and running. Despite the bruises and aches, everyone said they had great fun. They convincingly exceeded their target of £500.
The school has been able to order not only the defibrillator but the box it’s stored in and an electrician to fit it at school.
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The TAs were “truly blown away” by the community’s generosity and would like to extend a massive thank you.
The school celebrated the achievement by presenting them with certificates. The students loved holding their medals and were very enthusiastic about their success.
Numbers up as schools prove popular
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
A rise in student roll numbers is reflecting the popularity of the Trust’s schools and their standing in their communities.
In the last three years, many of our schools have seen a significant increase in the number of students entering Year 7. Some notable rises include at Melbourn Village College where there has been an increase of more than 50%. Cambourne Village College and St Peter’s School have also seen a rise of more than 100 students in the last three years and Comberton is also admitting more students. Some of our primaries are also experiencing impressive increases with Gamlingay Village Primary School’s roll rising by 23 pupils in just one year. Overall, across all the schools in the Trust, there has been a 5.23% increase in students on roll since October 2016. Any increase in numbers must be well managed and the Trust has to work within restrictions including available space at school sites.
Comberton Sixth Form is an interesting example of rising school rolls and how it has been successfully dealt with.
The sixth form has grown considerably from a cohort of 100 Year 12 students in 2011, to a cohort of more than 500 Year 12 and 13 students in 2019. David Clarke, Head of Sixth Form, spoke about the reasons and impact of the growth.
“It is due to several factors including retaining more Year 11 students as they progress, becoming a more popular choice for our feeder schools and developing a good reputation for the wellbeing of our students in our community,” he said.
“We also have a strong academic standing with our progress and headline figures above the national average.
“While space can be a challenge, we have developed a growth strategy and created several new areas for students to study and socialise. We have doubled the size of our sixth form café, added two new science laboratories and created more classrooms.” The increased number of sixth form students has led to lots of opportunity and a pro-active approach when it comes to supporting charities and the community. David added: “As a result of having a larger sixth form, more students are volunteering in the main school and helping to support our younger students. We are also raising more money for good causes - last year alone we raised in excess for £10,000 for charity.
“We can now also offer new and exciting enrichment activities such as ski trips and our Japan exchange. More students attending also means we can offer these trips at a lower cost to students. “Overall, we are thrilled with the positive impact of our rising student roll and long may it continue!”
‘Posh’ visitors delight primary pupils Comberton Sixth Form has created two new science labs and additional classrooms to accommodate more students.
A rising roll means the Sixth Form is able to be proactive in supporting younger students and raising money for charity.
School Focus: Thongsley Fields Primary School
Pupils and staff at Thongsley Fields Primary School were thrilled to welcome members of Peterborough United Football Club.
Club staff delivered a special school assembly, talking to the children about ‘The Posh’, and playing a video of goals, creating a fun, interactive and enjoyable assembly. Peter Burrows, the team mascot, proved a particularly popular
visitor.
As part of their assembly, Peterborough United gave free tickets to all pupils for a forthcoming Peterborough United game, with an adult also admitted free of charge.
The football club is keen to work with schools in the region and if you want to get in touch contact the club’s media officer Phil Adlam on phil@theposh.com
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Going ‘Tizzy’ to improve communication
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Pupils are enjoying the Early Talk Boost initiative to help those with delayed language and communication skills.
School Focus: Jeavons Wood Pre-School
At Jeavons Wood Pre-School children’s progress in language and communication is accelerated through the Early Talk Boost programme.
The Early Talk Boost programme is an intervention used to boost children’s language and communication skills. When Jeavons Wood heard about the training, they were very keen to find out more. Children’s language and communication is essential for learning, play and social interaction and they felt this would be a great tool for helping children who needed a boost in this area of development.
They decided to use some of their Early Years Pupil Premium funding to access the Early Talk Boost training with Jackie Pitman, from the Cambridgeshire County Council Early Years Team. Two members of staff attended the training and are now the Early Talk Boost champions at the Pre-School. Each child’s language and communication is assessed using the Early Talk Boost tracker and the nine-week programme is rolled out with children identified as delayed in their language and communication development.
There are three short sessions a week, which involve language and communication targeted activities, a song of the week and a weekly book. All the books and resources for the activities are included with the training course.
Parents are invited to an introductory workshop before the start of the programme and are asked to share each weekly book at home with their child. Parents are then invited to a celebration session at the end of the programme where the children share a photo book of their ‘Tizzy Time’ sessions with their parents. Children are assessed again at the end of the programme and Jeavons Wood have had great success, with children making progress where they are then working within age expectations because of the programme.
Parents have been positive about the outcomes and some of their comments are: “Really impressed with the rapid progress he has made. The fact he enjoyed it made it worthwhile.” “I have seen progress in him. He is using new words at home. He enjoys the books.”
It’s good to talk as school wins award This is a fun programme for the children which involves a tiger puppet called ‘Tizzy.’ So, the programme quickly became known as ‘Tizzy Time.’
Evertots, the pre-school at Everton Heath Primary School, and the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage were awarded the 'Communication Friendly Award' by The Children's Speech & Language Therapy Service for Luton and Bedfordshire in the summer.
“I feel he has made progress. He liked the pictures in the books and would tell the story himself. He looked at the books with his brothers.”
School Focus: Everton Heath Primary School
The award celebrates a whole setting approach to supporting best practice around Communication and Language. Staff demonstrated excellent and consistent practice while working with children and their parents and Reception teacher Sarah Pates and Pre-School leader Hayley Smith collected the award.
Everton Heath Headteacher Aileen Russell said: “This award has highlighted the importance that EHPS give to the training and supporting of staff, children and parents in the overall communication and language development for all our children. Congratulations to our EYFS team!” Evertots and Everton Heath’s EYFS have won an award.
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Cabin plans primary expansion for 2020 Baking and sharing a fun day with mainstream students are among the activities Cabin students can enjoy.
The Cam Academy Trust plans to expand the provisions for students with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) to more schools in the Trust.
They are investigating the options for establishing a primary version of ‘The Cabin’ following its success at secondary level.
The Cabin was created nearly 15 years ago to bring students with ASC into mainstream school so they too can navigate the social intricacies of school life, instead of being home-schooled or attending out-of-county placements. The Cabin was established at Comberton Village College, but now St Peter’s School and Melbourn Village College both have Cabins too. Across the Trust, we support more than 70 students, many who live locally, but some as far away as Suffolk and Hertfordshire.
Through the Cabin, the colleges provide varying support for students, from assistance in mainstream lessons to small group learning or individual support. This helps students to develop their independence and life skills in a safe and stress-free environment that allows them to engage in their interests. Peter Allcock, Director of Cabin Provisions, said: “We strive to provide a broad and balanced education for all of our students as well as a supportive environment to fully develop their academic and social potential. However, students with complex needs can often find the classroom overstimulating and confusing. This can result in them becoming increasingly demoralised, anxious and isolated from their school community.
“The Cabin has made a huge difference to their lives as the unique space and academic opportunity has given them the confidence, support and skills needed to progress, whilst remaining in the wider school community, helping prepare them for life after education.
“We have a team of brilliant staff who run the Cabins and help each student to reach their individual goals by challenging them in a way that is suited to their needs. The results have been amazing with many of last year’s Year 11 students managing to complete work experiences and go
on to local colleges where we can envisage them getting work and contributing to society in the future.”
As we begin the next academic year, the Cabin has some exciting new plans. Over recent years, the provisions have evolved from simply supporting students to access mainstream lessons, to encompassing a variety of pastoral and academic concerns. This is because there is an increasing number of students with ASC who are not accessing a primary education and subsequently arriving at secondary school not having had sufficient support and not practised in learning. Many of them also suffer from associated mental health issues, including self-esteem and inability to interact with their peers.
As a result, we are now looking to reflect and support these issues by providing bespoke tutorials in Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) and other related subjects to ensure these students can manage their worries and keep themselves safe in the real and virtual worlds. Another key focus for this year is to look into the viability of developing a primary school Cabin provision that can run alongside mainstream primary teaching, but support students so that they are ready academically and socially for secondary school. We hope that building their resilience at an earlier age will ensure their time in secondary school is more successful, and in the long term will enable a greater chance to reach their full academic potential. Peter said: “I currently know of about 50 students in the three counties who are not in school due to lack of primary places. By extending and adapting the Cabin provision to primary schools, we will be able to reach and support even more students with ASC, growing our supportive and inclusive community.
“We are currently investigating how this could look at Gamlingay Village Primary and the types of offerings we can provide, such as social skills development and occupational therapy. We believe that helping students from a younger age will not only keep them in mainstream education and reduce the risk of isolation, but help them to settle into learning and develop skills ready for secondary school.”
‘We believe that helping students from a younger age will not only keep them in mainstream education and reduce the risk of isolation, but help them to settle into learning and develop skills ready for secondary school’ — Peter Allcock, Director of Cabin Provisions
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Improving attendance across the Trust
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
The Trust has appointed Kerry Puttock as its new Education Welfare lead. Here she explains the purpose of the new role and her plans for the year ahead.
Kerry Puttock will be working closely with our schools, helping them to achieve attendance figures above the national averages and have the highest possible levels of welfare for our students. She will provide advice on complex cases, complete EHAs to facilitate multi-agency support, evaluate procedures and assess our monitoring systems. Kerry will also meet with students and families experiencing attendance issues.
Kerry is well-placed for this new role with a background in Human Resources, where she focuses on improving adult attendance, as well as having worked in pastoral and SEN roles in education including at Melbourn Village College.
She said: “The Cam Academy Trust is passionate about ensuring an excellent and comprehensive education for all students. Unfortunately, some of our students inevitably have challenging circumstances which can lead to poor attendance. I will be working with each school to help improve the increasing absence rates and make sure we are doing everything we can to help students attend school and reach their potential. “I will spend a day at each school, working more so with secondary schools in the first instance, and supporting primaries where needed. I will be liaising with Headteachers and Attendance Officers to identify key attendance concerns and work out where I can best support them. I will provide advice on referral letters, penalties and how to manage different circumstances affecting attendance, such as medical or mental health reasons, as well as looking at how we can support these individuals.
“One of the more challenging aspects of the role so far has been getting to know each of the 11 academies and understanding their socio-economic circumstances. There appears to be quite a variety of contexts, but this can be beneficial when sharing learning.
“It is really important to me that I get to know the families of our students. Some families have had negative
Get in Touch
Please help us make this a magazine for staff by staff. We will continue to focus on the people and the schools involved as well as specific subjects. If you have ideas for articles for inclusion in future editions, please contact either Trust Publicity and Communications Manager Judy Czylok on jczylok@catrust.co.uk or Mark Pearson at our communications partners Athene on mark@athene-communications.co.uk
Kerry Puttock wants to address the reasons that cause some students to miss a lot of school.
experiences of school which in turn can impact their child’s view of attending school. Although it can be challenging, if we can connect and gain support from the whole family, it can have a hugely positive impact on a student’s attendance. We must work to break the historical patterns and cycles of negativity within a family regarding education. Already I have seen that in schools where the Attendance Officer and Family Officer work closely together, the attendance of these pupils is higher.
“Another of my aims for this role is to increase collaboration and sharing of best practice between schools. I want to support schools in implementing and maintaining rigorous and robust systems which will target the right families, but will allow for flexibility for the families where their child does need extra support. “I also want to work towards removing barriers to education, especially for those suffering from poor mental health. Encouraging early intervention is very important as it increases the chances of turning a situation around.
“Overall, I am really enjoying getting to know the staff and students and taking on the new challenges. I am very excited to get started on our journey of transformation and look forward to seeing the progress the schools make over the next year.”
Useful Contacts
l Curriculum changes — Paul Lawrence on plawrence@catrust.co.uk l Sensory Garden — Nicola Durant on ndurant@cambournevc.org l International Award — Rachel Hawkes: rhawkes@catrust.co.uk l iPad project — ssumner@catrust.co.uk l Rights Respecting School Award — Marielle Burgess on mburgess@combertonvc.org l The Cabin — Peter Allcock on pallcock@combertonvc.org l Attendance — Kerry Puttock on kputtock@catrust.co.uk
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