NEWSLETTER SPRING 2019
Success in all we do Spring 2019.indd 1
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Welcome We made it through another winter! As I write the sun is shining, the clocks are about to move forward and we are looking forward to the summer term! It is always important to reflect on our work, and when I sit to write this termly piece it provides me with a chance to gauge how much of what we set out to achieve we have actually managed to successfully complete. Obviously our major aim for KLA for this academic year was to bring the school out of Special Measures, which we managed to do before Christmas, but as I wrote to parents at the time, our ambitions for your school run far deeper than just being ‘better than Special Measures!’ We have set ourselves goals for the next few years that, if realised, would make KLA the very high-performing school that we all wish it to be; and therefore making sure that we continue the fast rate of improvement that has been at the heart of our work this term. In particular we have been focusing on the following areas; • Curriculum development – led by Mr Bugg, with the enthusiastic support of subject leaders – has been at the centre of our planning this term. You may be aware that both the Department for Education and Ofsted have been urging schools to radically develop and improve their curriculum planning, and our new model is being intensively planned for September. • Improving attendance and reducing persistent absence – led by Mrs Roberts – has been another key focus. We are delighted that attendance has improved by over 2 percent this year (which is a massive improvement, even if it might not sound a lot! – it means that so far this year we have had 4,644 fewer absences than last year). Our attendance is now slightly higher than the national average for all secondary schools. I really need to thank all parents for their continued support of our work in this area. • Eradicating poor behaviour and reducing exclusion – led by Mrs Westbury and the Heads of Year – has been another area of consistent successful improvement. Lesson disruption is now much rarer than it was when I arrived 2 years ago, and exclusions are now 10 times lower than they were last year. Our students (your children!) are overwhelmingly polite, mature, pleasant and engaging, and we are incredibly proud of them. The introduction of the Forward Step inclusion facility – led by Mrs Espiner and Mrs Thomas – has had a great effect, and is already being seen as a beacon of best educational practice. However there remains much work to do in this area – we still unfortunately have to put up with an admittedly now very small number of children who think it is acceptable to disrupt lessons, and with it the learning of others, and we will continue to work as hard as we can to ensure this continues to reduce over the coming months. • Key Stage 3 – led by Miss Tea – continues to improve fast, and under her skilled leadership the quality of teaching, learning and pupil progress are all better than ever – and the word is clearly spreading! We are very heavily oversubscribed for entry into Year 7 in September, having received 235 applications for 180 places. We have agreed to take an extra class into Year 7 as a result, meaning that we currently are expecting to welcome 200 pupils into Year 7 for the second successive year, and we have a waiting list for entry in both year groups. So as you can see there continues to be plenty going on at KLA! I need to thank all those parents who support our work continually, and to ask for you to continue to do so. We really do want to hear your views on what we could still do to improve your children’s education, and to this end we recently set up a Parent Advisory Group, to help ensure that parental voice is given a clear place in our development. If you would be interested in contributing to this group please just let Reception know and we will make sure your information is passed on to those leading the group. With all best wishes and thanks Alan Fletcher Principal Spring 2019.indd 2
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STUDENT VOICE Spring 2019.indd 3
Student Voice News Student Commission continues to be a strong aspect of life here at King’s Lynn Academy. We opened the annual application window this term and received another really strong field of Year 7 and 8 applicants. This was the hardest year yet in terms of deciding who would be our new commissioners. In the end we welcomed 31 students to the team. Commissioners have been involved in their usual learning walks, but have also had the opportunity to be involved in the interview process for new members of the teaching team at KLA. They have done this with great insight and maturity. They should be really proud of their conduct and we look forward to there being more opportunities for this type of involvement in the future. The student voice question continues to be part of our weekly tutoring programme, with students answering a big question in form every week. Each half term there are a range of question topics which are linked to both life at KLA and current affairs. Students have to discuss their answers and come to an agreement with a small group in their forms, developing oracy, compromise and decision making skills as well as making them more aware of issues in the wider world. This term they have been asked to consider issues such as Brexit, members of ISIS returning to their home countries, an upper age for drivers and why Norfolk is such a popular place to live and visit. AQA Unlocking Potential Programme As mentioned in the autumn newsletter we were fortunate enough to have four of our students accepted onto the AQA Unlocking Potential Programme which is run in conjunction with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. This programme aims to bring out the best in young people who have had challenges in life that has made dedication to school difficult. This is all with a view to inspire and support them so that they can achieve their goals, develop their skills and confidence to raise their aspirations. The programme brings athlete mentors, usually ex-Olympic and championship athletes, to work with these students, sharing their stories and providing guidance. This is an exciting time for the four of them as they prepare their community projects that raise awareness of a chosen cause within their school and the community beyond. We are very much looking forward to supporting them further and seeing the results in the summer term. Head Boy and Head Girl The head boy and head girl, Josh and Jess are now, like the rest of Year 11, entering their busiest and most crucial time as their exams approach. They have both been excellent role models throughout as hardworking and conscientious students who have been an asset to their school. We would like to thank them for their hard work as they will soon be leaving us for the next part of their journey and we will be welcoming a new head boy and head girl to the team. 29/03/2019 20:11
BRILLIANT CLUB The small group of Year 9 students who were lucky enough to be selected for this year’s ‘Brilliant Club’, run by the scholars programme, were invited to the University of East Anglia (UEA) to attend a graduation ceremony and receive their certificates. The students who attended were Mickey Brown, Hannah Cope, Leanna Fitzgerald, Kaiden Lane, Jasmine Madder and Chelsea-Mae Morton. They travelled to the UEA in Norwich with their parents, who had also been invited to watch their children graduate on this very special occasion. On arrival we attended a welcome session. We were given advice and guidance from the university, this was followed by a tour around the campus lead by a student ambassador called Tomi. He was very helpful and answered many extra questions as we were walking around the grounds and touring the university. We returned to the lecture theatre and sat with 6 other schools who were also attending the graduation ceremony. The students received their graduation certificates to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements on the programme. It was also very interesting to see what other schools had to study for their assignments. Our KLA students studied ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, ‘The Vanishing Indian Tribes’, and ‘Settler Colonisation and Native American Cultures.’ The final piece of work was an extended final assignment, challenging them to work above their current key stage. All these students were very lucky to be chosen to take part in this programme, and I hope they all go on to achieve great things. Well done to them all. Here is a picture of our KLA students receiving their graduation certificates. From left to right: Chelsea-Mae Morton, Hannah Cope, Jasmine Madder, Kaiden Lane, Leanna Fitzgerald and Mickey Brown.
Carolyn Fysh Brilliant Club Co-ordinator
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EXAM INFORMATION Friday 10th May First written paper for summer external written exams Thursday 27th June Final date of summer external written exams Monday 10th June – Friday 28th June Mock exams for Years 7-10 Thursday 22nd August GCSE results day GCSE results are available for collection from 9.30am until 12pm in the central hub. Students who are unable to collect their results themselves can designate someone to collect their results on their behalf. To do this written consent stating who the designated person is must be forwarded to the exams officer before results day. The designated person will then need to bring their identification with them when collecting the results. Apologies, but exam results cannot be given out via telephone or email. If you have any exam related queries then please feel free to contact me at the school. Mrs Rutter Exams Officer
YEAR 11 EASTER REVISION SESSIONS Mon 8th
Tue 9th
Mon 15th
10am-3pm 9am-3pm 9am-3pm
DT
9am -3pm
Graphics
9am-1pm
Business/Finance
9am-1pm
Food
9am-1pm
Sociology
Tue 16th
10am-1pm
PE GCSE/BTEC Art
Fri 12th
8.30am10.30am
History Geography
Thu 11th
8.30am10.30am
English Maths
Wed 10th
9am-12pm
School is closed Wed 17th, Thurs 18th and Fri 19th
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PE & SCHOOL SPORT P Cross Country
Football
Students from Years 7 to 10 went to Springwood High School to represent KLA in the West Norfolk Cross Country Championships. Well done to all the runners that came to the event and worked really hard to complete the challenging course.
Year 7
Arabella Gingell in Year 10 came second in the West Norfolk championships held at Springwood High School. The top 10 runners then went through to represent the West at the Norfolk X-Country Championships held at Norwich – Langley School. Arabella came sixth at this event. The top 10 runners went through to represent Norfolk at the East of England championships in Leeds. Arabella came a respectable 42nd out of 350 other runners. This is a fantastic achievement that the school is incredibly proud of.
Year 8
Basketball
Year 10
Every year KLA hosts the West Norfolk boys and girls basketball tournaments from Years 7 – 11.
The Year 10’s continue to impress every school they play against. The boys have received some very nice compliments from the opposing managers and are still unbeaten this year. They will be looking to finish the school year unbeaten as well as continuing to play great football.
Each tournament ranged from 6 – 12 team entry. In many age categories for both boys and girls KLA came in the top three positions.
The Year 7 boys and girls teams have seen a huge improvement since September. The boys continue to get stronger every game while the girls continue to go from strength to strength.
The Year 8’s have had a tough year but continue to work hard for each other and continue to progress. We have a few more games to go this year, we are sure they will finish well. Year 9 The Year 9’s have had some mixed results, but continue to show a good level of maturity and ability. A massive shout out to Max Andrews and Oliver Cottam who both play with a mature head on young shoulders. Like the Year 8’s, the Year 9’s are hopeful of finishing the football season on a high.
As a school we thoroughly enjoy running these events to enable so many students to take part who may not necessarily have chosen basketball as their first sport and witness them achieving to a high standard. Spring 2019.indd 6
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T PE & SCHOOL SPORT Netball The netball season resumed in February following the winter break. The Year 9’s have had a particularly successful season so far, the girls came second in the West Norfolk netball tournament which secured them a place at the Norfolk county finals. This is the first time KLA has been able to represent the west at this level. The team consisted of a mixture of Year 8’s and 9’s, who gained an incredible amount of experience by attending the event, to play with the top schools in the county
and be officiated by top umpires. The girls gave up their Saturday and many comments were made by the organisers of how lovely the KLA students were. A massive congratulations to the following students: Millie Bareford, Katie Page, Courtney Burch-Bailey, Daisy Fox, Georgia Stone, Summa Bygrave, Paige Morey, Erica Charters, Kiera Ashby, Evie Blyth, Hannah Cope & Ruby Russell.
Clubs and Activities
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YEAR 7 ROUND-UP This time last year I was reporting how typical it was the Mart had brought along the bad weather as always, but this February half term was lovely. We are all looking forward to the lighter nights that come with the summer term. Back in November some Year 7’s were involved in the annual Rotary Club tournament. They were competing against Springwood, Smithdon and KESA. The Rotary Club chairman came into the Academy in March to give out certificates to those involved: Elliott Young, Dylan Chalke, Aleyna Oter, Eleanor Sludds, Grace Steward, Amy-Leigh Archer and Freya Chamberlain.
Well done to all the Year 7 students that put themselves forward for student commissioners, it is amazing that so many of you were successful, pictured above. You all look great in your ties and are already representing the academy!
YEAR 8 ROUND-UP We are officially over halfway through the academic year! Collectively the Year 8’s have earned 41,412 achievement points this year, which is brilliant! Thank you all for your hard work, you are all doing so well. I would like to share our top achievers in the year group, at the time of writing this. They are as follows, Annabella Robinson (8LBE) – 475, Amber Bramham (8LBE) – 464, Mason Desborough (8EBL) – 455, Saffron Krill (8JMA) – 445 and Thomas Brewer (8RES) – 429. Well done to you all! I am very proud of your achievements this year. In January the Year 8’s sat their mock exams. I was very pleased with how well they behaved themselves in the exam hall. Taking exams can be a very stressful time and all students did exceedingly well. This term the Year 8’s have had two presentations from Hazel Tampin who works in the Safer Schools Partnership team, within the police. The first of these presentations was delivered to Years 7 – 10, regarding key messages that the police wanted to give to the students. The Year 8 presentation was about healthy relationships and Hazel spoke about the importance of understanding what a healthy relationship is and where to find support and guidance regarding this. The second presentation was about County Lines and the Year 8 students were informed about what County Lines was and who to talk to, if they needed help about any topic discussed. The 15th March was Red Nose Day and 8THO did an assembly about it. We had a non-uniform day to raise money for the cause and Mrs May chose a handful of Year 8 students to bake cakes for a cake sale that morning. Thank you to our bakers for your fundraising efforts, it is very much appreciated! I hope you all have a restful break over the holidays and I look forward to seeing the Year 8’s back for the summer term!
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YEAR 9 ROUND-UP Wow, how fantastic it is to say that we have just jumped over the half way hurdle for Year 9! It has flown by as all the students have been so busy! As a year group Year 9 have earned 38,110 achievement points so far this academic year. A massive WELL DONE to you all, I am incredibly proud of you. I would just like to give a shout out to my top achievers as they all have over 500 points! They are as follows – Bradley Gregory – 584, Jack Senter – 549, Ethan Kenyon - 543, Gediminas Jurgaitis – 530, Katie Page – 530, Connor West – 526, Devon Hoste-Davies 524 and Keiren Cummins-Bailey – 517. Congratulations to you all and keep this up! We have been fortunate enough to have had two visitors join us for assemblies this half term. The first was Hazel Tampin who is a police officer, working in partnership with the safer schools project. The assembly was about child exploitation and grooming. Although it is a very sensitive subject, it was delivered in such a way that the importance of being safe was paramount. The second guest was Gemma from the UEA in Norwich. It’s great that the students get the opportunity to listen to people about how important it is to have a career and keep focused. You can and will get there! On 7th March we held parents evening for Year 9 and it was a pleasure to see so many parents join us. Thank you all for attending. On Friday 15th March we supported Red Nose Day with a non-uniform day to raise money for the charity. Such a great cause that we are happy to support. I hope you all enjoy the break. I look forward to seeing you in the summer term. Bring on the sunshine!
YEAR 10 ROUND-UP We have made it to the half way point of this academic year, and have really started as we mean to go on! This time next year we will be preparing to start our GCSE exams, good luck to the Year 11’s who are beginning their exam journey. The Year 10’s have had some really excellent achievements from: • Excellent performance in the mock exams back in January. I was extremely impressed with the behaviour and effort from Year 10. Exams can be a stressful time and our year group did extremely well. • Mrs Roberts, Ms Webber and myself took 10 Year 10 boys paintballing on Saturday 16th February to Warzone Paintballing in Wisbech which was kindly funded by KLFM – thank you! • We have had some very poignant, but hard hitting assemblies and talks from Hazel Tampin from the Safer Schools Partnership, Norfolk Police. • Red Nose Day was celebrated with a non-uniform day and some of the younger years held a bake sale. As a year group we have improved our attendance, with there still being 15 students with 100% attendance. This is fantastic! All of these students have recently had a praise postcard sent home from myself to celebrate this achievement. Well done to: Erin Byfield-Stubbs, Harry Appleton, Jonas Rutkauskas, Brooke Williams, Charlie Bunnett, Chloe Gregory, Christopher Warren, Harry Whiley, Jack Dixon, Justina Svaplyte, Krissie – Leigh Taylor, Ryan Gipp, Silas Hozier. Top 10 Achievement points – Year 10 – Term 2 Hermione Scandrett 563 Justina Svaplyte 414 Silas Hozier 410 Emily Porter 384
Abbie Perry Naglis Juska Kristiana Zibala
456 412 410
Rosie Williams Brooke Williams Caitlyn Gaze
424 411 400
Have a lovely Easter holiday, I look forward to seeing you all next term. Spring 2019.indd 9
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YEAR 11 ROUND-UP It has been a great start back in the New Year of 2019. This term the Year 11’s have been working really hard in preparation for their mock GCSE exams. They have been attending after school booster sessions and study days during the half term holidays. For the first time at King’s Lynn Academy, we have introduced the GCSEPod. This is an online revision guide for all students, giving them access to vital pieces of information by using animated characters and text. In the first few weeks there were over 5000 podcasts viewed or downloaded by our Year 11 students. The National Citizen Service from the College of West Anglia have been into KLA to encourage our Year 11’s to sign up for the summer activity programme. This is now the fastest growing youth movement in our country for a century. The NCS programme breaks down into 4 packed weeks, each with different challenges designed to push and inspire our young people. It is a fabulous opportunity and looks great on a CV. KLA were also lucky to have received a silver award in recognition of outstanding NCS engagement.
THERE ARE
175
NON-SCHOOL
DAYS FOR HOLIDAYS,
ATTENDANCE
MATTERS ON TIME. FIRST TIME.
EVERY TIME.
OUTINGS + APPOINTMENTS
£60
F I X E D F I N E
PER CHILD PER PARENT FOR UNAUTHORISED HOLIDAY
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It is essential for every student that their school attendance is good and that they make the best of their time at KLA. With your support and our expertise we will shape our students into conscientious, enterprising young people with every opportunity before them. With good attendance, learning really does have no limits!
448 STUDENTS WITH GOOD ATTENDANCE
212 O F
T H O S E
H AV E 1 0 0 % ATTENDANCE
7 FAMILIES
FAST-TRACKED TO PROSECUTION
FOR NON-ATTENDANCE
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Bronze
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
I am delighted this year that we have a record breaking number of Bronze candidates taking on the challenge of Bronze Duke of Edinburgh:
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Florrie Rose, Corey Shaw, Charlie Johnson, Megan Osborne, Elise Clayton, Jack Timberlake, Matthew Loft, Natalia Seymour, Ella Mason, Millie Bareford, Thomas Chappell, Liam Burt, Joshua Cook, Alfie Rippengill, Kasey Tatnell, Olivia Pulsford-Harris, Mollie Dumbleton, Erica Charters, Bailey Naish, Erin Curl, Alex Mesesan, Kerry Johnson, Grace Johnson, Max Andrews, Stanley Wardale. These students have been full of enthusiasm to start their award, and have been working hard in training sessions covering First Aid, packing a rucksack, equipment and meal planning, putting up tents, cooking on a stove and The Countryside Code. I’ve been really impressed with how proactive and hardworking these students have been finding their skill, physical and volunteering sections. Already we have students involved in charity work, football coaching, fishing, composing music, swimming, photography, dance, Girl Guides, Science clubs, Scouts, playing instruments and cycling. It is wonderful to see these young people really pushing themselves out of their comfort zones and trying new skills and activities. Soon these students will be taking on the expedition section of their Bronze award, in two trips to go camping and orienteering. The students will be working as teams to navigate their way using only a map and compass and carrying all their equipment, and then will be camping self-sufficiently. As always, I’m sure these students will be a credit to the school, and I wish them the best of luck on their DofE journey! Silver This year’s Silver candidates faced their first practice expedition back in October. This was a real step-up from Bronze, but was a challenge which our pupils met with enthusiasm and determination, despite a few mishaps, like getting lost in a field! They are now preparing for their next expedition, which will take place in the much tougher terrain of Derbyshire. The students have been working hard to complete their voluntary, skill and sport sections. They have taken on a range of exciting projects and activities, such as volunteering at a bookshop for the deaf, helping at a local cat sanctuary, learning archery, piano lessons, creative writing, art and helping at charity shops. Congratulations! Congratulations to the following Year 10 students, Rachael Poll and Hollie Castle, who have now fully completed all sections of their Bronze award, and will shortly be receiving their Bronze badges and certificates. Well done, girls!
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CITIZENSHIP, BELIEFS AND VALUES Year 8 Spring Update Year 8 students spent all last half term learning about mental health stigma by participating in the Stop Stigma programme produced by Cornwall Healthy Schools. Stop Stigma aims to increase students’ awareness of stigma linked to mental health problems, the role of language in stigmatisation and to reduce stigma by increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of mental health problems. What is stigma? The Oxford English dictionary defines stigma as “a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person”. Stigma and discrimination • prevent people from seeking help • delay treatment • impair recovery • isolate people • exclude people from day-to-day activities • and stop people getting jobs Students also completed a survey about their own views on mental health, as well as doing a survey of the community about their views. 103 students and 207 community members completed the survey. The response was eye opening and the data shows there is still more work to do both in school and the community. Survey findings Statement - “I would be too embarrassed to tell anyone that I had a mental health problem”. Student - 67% of Year 8 students agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. This shows that well over half of the students would not be comfortable telling anyone if they were dealing with a mental health problem. Community - Only 20% of respondents said they would not be comfortable. This information tells us that there is still more work that needs to be done in school to make young people more comfortable talking about mental health problems. Embarrassment, and fear of being stigmatised, is a major stumbling block for people who need help with a mental health problem. Yet, being able to talk with someone can help recovery. Remember, most problems in life, especially mental health problems, get worse if they are left. Statement - “People with mental health problems are likely to be violent”. Student - 17% of Year 8 students believe this. Community - 50% of the community believe this. In fact, people with mental health problems are much more likely to be victims of violence. At odds of 1 in 10 million, you are as likely to be struck by lightning as to be killed by a stranger with a mental health problem. The violence myth makes it harder for people to talk openly about their mental health problems and may cause them to delay seeking help. It can also make friends and family reluctant to stay in touch. Statement - “If I thought that I had a mental health problem I would know how to get help”. Student - only 30% of students agreed with this. Community - 56% of the community agreed with this. There are lots of ways for people, including young people, to get confidential help, e.g. from school pastoral staff, counsellors, youth services or GP. Name calling - 56% of students have heard a person they know call someone names like ‘nutter’, ‘psycho’, ‘loony’. While it is intolerable nowadays to use sexist or racist language in our society we do not find stigma around mental health problems unacceptable. These derogatory and discriminating words and many others are widely used in the media and elsewhere. Such language increases the stigma faced by people experiencing mental health problems, and makes it more difficult for them to seek support. Living next door Student - 71% of students said they would not mind living next door to someone with a mental health problem. Community - 68% of the community said they would not mind living next door to someone with a mental health problem. The reality is that you might do so already without being aware. One in four of the people in your school, street or family may experience a mental health problem at any time in their lives. One of the best therapies is to be part of a supportive community, including family and friends, where they are not left out or stigmatised. This can really help the person to recover or to manage their mental health problem. Talk more about mental health, educate others and learn where you can access help. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Mr. Reeve-Hayes. Spring 2019.indd 12
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POETRY LIVE! On Thursday 31st January over 40 Year 10’s and 11’s ventured along a foggy A10 to Cambridge Corn Exchange for Poetry Live! Once they arrived they joined many other schools to spend the day listening to chief examiners from the exam board AQA and various poets from the AQA poetry series. Poets who attended included Simon Armitage who read his poem ‘Remains’, Imtiaz Dharker who read her poem ‘Tissue’ and John Agard who gave a lively performance of ‘Checking Out Me History’. A number of students commented on how important it was for them to see the actual poets who wrote the poetry they are studying and how brilliant it was to hear them read their poetry. Poets also discussed ideas behind their poems and students were able to ask questions. It was a brilliant day and provided students with more knowledge about part of their English Literature GCSE. Many thanks to Mr Griffin and Miss Stevens for helping out on the trip. Miss Barber
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE On Friday 18th January I was fortunate enough to be able to accompany 16 of our Year 11 students to attend the University Challenge event at the College of West Anglia’s University Centre, here in King’s Lynn. They were joined by students from six other West Norfolk secondary schools to compete in tasks and challenges within the core subject areas of Maths, English and Science. The morning started with the students listening to two inspirational speakers, both giving motivational and powerful speeches about their rise (and fall) to where they are now. Our students were then placed in teams compiled of mixed school groups and given guidelines and time limits to work together in competition. This was a great opportunity for our students to meet like-minded peers from other schools, build their confidence and inspire them to achieve even better results in their GCSE’s. All students that participated were given a certificate and we are proud to say that we had students in teams that came both first and third, these students were all awarded a medal. These were presented by Councillor Nick Daubney, the Mayor of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. Well done to the following students who were an absolute credit to King’s Lynn Academy: Laura Hornsby, Hannah Eke, Georgina Harris-Samarathunga, Lois Goodrum, Georgia Dix, Rebekah Hustler, Charlie Moore, Ross Chilvers, Lewis Palmer, Kira McMahon, Alex Hall, Charlie Long, Weronika Woznialis, Bethany Smith, Richard Newell and Reuben Webster. Miss Doughty
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BOROUGH MARKET FOOD TRIP This year the Year 11 Food and Nutrition students have been tasked with researching and cooking 3 separate street food dishes. Although King’s Lynn and the surrounding area can boast plenty of nice restaurants it is not blessed with a rich variety of street food vendors. With this in mind on Friday 8th February 32 bleary eyed Year 11 students arrived at school to travel by coach to London’s Borough Market. The aim of the trip was to inspire the students to think creatively about their own dishes, and we were not disappointed with what the market had to offer. There were over 30 street food vendors selling a variety of cuisines from Ethiopia to America! There were stir fries, paellas, risottos, pies, hog roasts, pizzas, burgers and mussels. And for those with a sweet tooth doughnuts, brownies, meringues and, the students favourite, hot waffles and ice cream! As well as the street food stalls there was also a huge range of fresh produce from all over the world including spices, meat, cheese and fish and it was a pleasure to see the students enthusiastically trying as many free samples as possible! All the students were a credit to the school and it was fabulous to see them eagerly photographing the produce for their coursework folders. With their new found inspiration we can’t wait to see what 3 dishes they cook in April for their final exam! Mrs May and Mrs Lockey
The market place itself was shrouded in a dome like structure with city rail tracks circulating the rooftops giving it a real downtown city feel. I continued through the labyrinth of stalls that surrounded me. In particular the seafood caught my attention with memories of the seaside flashing through my head thanks to the smell. It was arranged on snow glazed stalls with ice to preserve the produce. Octopus and giant shrimp were unusual but none the less interesting. Half way through I came across a stall that played on my sweet tooth. It was a waffle stall that looked fairly regular at first glance. I decided to buy one. It was expensive, but worth the price as it was delicious. The ice cream contrasted with the warm waffle and made for a great texture as I bit into it. Year 11 Student
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THEATRE TRIP What an excellent day the 46 Year 9-11 Drama students had going to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Produced by the National Theatre the play managed to be a theatrical extravaganza with amazing staging which gripped the students from the very moment they entered the theatre. The mystery of a dog that was brutally killed in a neighbour’s garden may sound gruesome, but it worked superbly and the production’s mixture of narrative and acted scenes meant the pace of the play never became laborious. What made the production even more special was Sam Norton’s astonishing performance as the 15-year old Christopher. He was unbearably poignant in moments of distress when he kneels with his face on the ground and moans, but also movingly captures the character’s courage, his brilliance at mathematics, and his startling perspectives on the world. His character cannot bear to be touched - he only allows the most fleeting physical contact with his parents, in which upraised palms briefly connect - and he has a host of other quirks, enthusiasm and dislikes. The theatrical techniques, lighting and sound work were exceptional and for all the GCSE Drama students an excellent performance to see to make notes for their Section B exam paper question on live performance evaluation. Clearly, the students enjoyed the day as the following comments show: ‘Adventure / learning experience about autism and the theatre.’ ‘Amazingly good use of lighting.’ ‘Very emotional. Got to understand how a person on the autistic spectrum may be feeling – really touched.’ ‘The staging was unique – the use of lighting was mesmerising. Gave a detailed insight on autism and made us feel on edge the whole time.’ ‘Great play to answer our exam question.’ We are all looking forward to our next trip to the theatre later in the year. T. Hodkinson Teacher of Drama
PiXL MATHS CONFERENCE On Monday 18th March a group of Year 11 students attended the Corn Exchange to take part in a Maths focused workshop conducted by the education company PiXL. The morning session featured key topics that appear regularly in the foundation exam, while the afternoon was focused on the higher tier. Both morning and afternoon sessions had some great hints and tips for the final exam, which will be shared with all students during Maths lessons. The topics faced were tough for some of the students, but they all rose to the challenge. The students were clearly hungry to learn more and achieve a better grade in their final exam. The behaviour from KLA students was exceptional. Both groups were complimented by the organisers on how self-motivated and well behaved they were throughout every part of the day. Well done all!
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CHRISTMAS LUNCH As some of you are aware we hosted our first KLA community Christmas lunch in December when the students broke up for Christmas. This was a roaring success and was enjoyed by 102 members of our community in our central hub. Some of our guests were former pupils including a head girl. They enjoyed a two-course meal with sherry, mince pies and tea or coffee, all served by staff and volunteers. Staff and students had nominated deserving people to enjoy this event. They were all given a gift and there were also over 50 complimentary raffle prizes to take home. Mr Starling was fantastic as our compere and entertainer throughout the lunch and did a grand job. I would personally like to thank all the volunteers that helped not just on the day but also beforehand parents for donating hamper goods for prizes and to those staff members that re-gifted unwanted items over the year. Thankyou also to our magnificent catering team for cooking an amazing lunch and making such a difference to so many people. Local businesses have also played a part in making the event such a success: Vulcatech, Mr Thomas, Barsby greengrocers, Bowers butchers, Cooks butchers, Hopwells, Bidfoods and Tesco. Last, but by no means least, staff and students at KLA - without the generosity, help and support from you all this would not have been possible. Thank you all so very much. We are looking to hold this event again Saturday 21st December 2019. Mrs H Lockey
Term Dates Friday 5th April Last day of term Monday 8th April until Monday 22nd April Easter holiday Monday 8th April and Tuesday 9th April GCSE Maths revision boot camp
Principal: Alan Fletcher King’s Lynn Academy Queen Mary Road, King’s Lynn, PE30 4QG 01553 774671 enquiries@kla.eastern-mat.co.uk
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Tuesday 23rd April Start of summer term Monday 6th May Bank Holiday Monday Friday 24th May Last day Monday 27th May until Friday 31st May Half term Friday 5th July Prom Wednesday 24th July Last day of the academic year
Keep up to date with us on our website kingslynnacademy.co.uk Spring 2019.indd 16
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