WRENN ACADEMY “Proud to be Wrenn”
“Every student has the opportunity to enjoy achieving beyond their potential”
Welcome from the Principal I would like to welcome you all to Wrenn Academy, a thriving, highly successful learning community, committed to both individual and collective success. I take enormous pride in leading this inspiring Academy. With our dedicated staff, we are committed to raising the aspirations and achievements of all our students. Our aim is to unlock everyone’s potential by ensuring our students receive the best education and opportunities that they deserve. Our Academy is developing a reputation for its relentless pursuit of excellence and its focus on academic rigour. It insists on outstanding behaviour within a harmonious and respectful culture, where students feel happy and safe. We encourage our students to become confident, independent young adults, balanced by compassion with respect for others. There are no limits to the levels of success our students can achieve. “I can achieve anything”, is a belief that emanates throughout the Academy community. We create a positive attitude through our ethos and values of being ‘Proud to be Wrenn’, ensuring every child receives access to a top quality education. Wrenn is an Academy with a bright future and we are delighted to welcome you to our Academy. Steve Elliott Principal
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People Our students; their experience, their well-being and their needs are at the centre of everything we do as a school. Our ‘Proud to be Wrenn’ ethos and values are central to our culture, organisation and student success. The attention we give to ensuring our students are safe and well cared for is recognised as a strength of the academy. Our experienced and dedicated team of support staff, encourage and cajole all of our students, no matter their background, needs and aspirations. We ensure our students all have the maximum opportunity to achieve and succeed both academically and personally.
Each year group has a Progress Leader who provides guidance, support and challenge to the students under their care, right from day one. Through detailed monitoring with their subject teachers they liaise closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure that any barriers or potential barriers to learning are addressed, allowing every student the opportunity to succeed. A Year Team Manager is always available to offer support to students and their families. We aim to respond quickly and sensitively to any student who needs our help, using a range of external and internal agencies.
“Wrenn have been a helpful, listening and caring school and one where my child feels safe and enjoys lessons”. Year 7 parent
Charlie Pyle
“The entire C5 team were touched by the kind and encouraging words that member of staff had for each arriving year 11, and came away with a hugely positive impression of the school”.
(Progress Leader and PE Teacher)
Channel 5 production team
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Teaching & Learning At Wrenn Academy we demand excellence from our students and our teaching enables them to flourish and achieve beyond their potential. We set aspirational and challenging goals and targets for our students which are reviewed regularly. Students and parents are kept informed of their progress and how they can improve through our innovative ‘Wrenn-proformas’, in addition to our regular assessments and parent evenings. All teachers are challenged to be consistently outstanding and learning is rigorously reviewed. Our personalised staff training programme ensures that our staff are at
the cutting edge of educational theory and practice. We encourage our students to be aspirational and challenge their own expectations of themselves to provide them with the knowledge and learning that will allow them to pursue a range of education and career opportunities in the future. ‘Prep’ takes the place of more traditional homework. Work set for outside of school is designed to prepare students for the learning ahead through a wide range of tasks and activities. Parents are kept fully informed of the work set through IT based communication systems such as ‘Connect-Ed’ and ‘Show my Homework’.
“The close relationships between teachers and students is clear. My daughter is proud to be Wrenn, and I am proud to be a Wrenn Year 8 parent”. Year 8 parent
“We cannot be more proud of our son’s achievements this year”. Helen Prince (Head of Drama and Academy Teaching and Learning consultant)
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Year 9 parent
Curriculum Year 7 and 8 students spend most of their time based on our London Road site. They access and experience a large range of subjects, all of which are delivered through a skills based curriculum providing them with a firm academic foundation for their studies, as they move up through the school. After graduation at the end of Year 8, students move to the Doddington Road site where they begin their GCSE subjects from Years 9 -11.
We encourage our students to follow the EBACC model which includes courses in History, Geography, ICT Computing and a Modern Foreign Language. We also offer a wide range of optional courses including more traditional GCSE subjects alongside the more vocational BTEC qualifications, ensuring our students find the correct balance of subjects that match their needs. Our Year 11 students who meet the entry criteria are then given a wonderful opportunity to continue their studies in our Sixth Form based at our London Road site.
A detailed options information process during Year 8, together with an outstanding programme of careers information and guidance in all years, helps support and guide students and parents towards the choices of subjects they should be taking. This is based on the knowledge of what we believe they will be successful in, and will provide them with the best career opportunities for the future. We offer a wide and varied range of subjects. Our core subjects of Mathematics, English and Science tend to be taught in sets, while others are taught in a combination of mixed ability sets. Hannah Clarke-Jones (Faculty Leader Art and Design)
“Wrenn provided my daughter with the best range of GCSE subjects which matched her career aspirations to study medicine� Year 11 parent 5
Extra-curricular We aim to provide students with a large number of opportunities to enable them to broaden their experiences outside of the classroom. Whether this is as part of a range of formal sports teams, including football, rounders, volleyball and athletics, to more informal clubs in Science, Music, Technology, Dance or Drama, where students can come along and try something new. Our annual Drama production provides many opportunities to get involved, whether front of house, on the stage, or in support helping with lighting or makeup. Recent productions have included the Lion King and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
We also ensure our students experience a wide range of career based activities such as university visits, apprenticeship conferences and visits to local and national businesses. Trips abroad have included visits to CERN in Switzerland, schools in Barcelona, and language trips to France. Many subjects offer opportunities to grow and develop beyond the confines of formal examinations. Subjects such as Maths and Art provide students with additional courses that are tailored towards student’s strengths and interests. Our message is simple, if you want to try something new we will do all we can to provide the opportunity.
We offer a wide range of activities, trips and cultural visits which embrace many aspects of the curriculum.
“We just wanted to say a huge thankyou to you all for taking our daughter to France. She had a brilliant time and enjoyed all aspects of the trip”. Year 9 parent
“Students at Wrenn are excellent and a credit to the school”. World at Work day tutor
Mark Loosemore (PE & Teaching & Learning Consultant)
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Admissions Moving from primary to secondary is an exciting and significant event. We acknowledge this important milestone and invest a significant amount of time and energy in ensuring that the transition is as smooth and problem free as possible. We visit all of our feeder primary schools on a number of occasions speaking with students and their class teachers, so we know as much as possible about them before they begin with us in September. Specialist staff from Wrenn also meet very early in the process, with parents of students with special educational needs, to discuss the provision that will be provided. A mix of open evenings, information workshop and tours during the school day, gives students and parents a chance to visit the school and meet teachers and students.
Deadline for applications The end of October is the deadline for places at Wrenn Academy for year 7 the following September. Applications after this date will be classed as late and will fall under the County Council’s allocation procedures. Students to Wrenn are admitted without reference to ability, aptitude or culture.
“My son has had an amazing couple of days and is now so excited about starting in September.” Year 6 parent I can’t thank you enough, my son has had an amazing day and now cannot wait to join in September”. Year 6 parent
Where to apply Applications should be made via the admissions system of the Local Authority in which the family lives. For more detailed information please access the schools website at www.wrenn.northants.sch.uk email us at info@wrenn-academy.net or call 01933 222039. Rebecca Hales (Director of Lower School and History Teacher)
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The Future Sixth Form study Our Sixth form is a vibrant and hugely successful destination for students after they have completed their GCSE studies. We attract students from both Wrenn and other local schools who wish to access the large and varied courses we offer. Due to the high expectations demanded of our students, the vast majority of students go on to higher education when they leave Wrenn. In the past three years students
have studied at universities in Sheffield, Manchester, Warwick, Oxford and Cambridge, studying a range of courses from medicine to business. Year 12 students are expected to complete the Extended Project Qualification – a researched and mini dissertation on a subject of their choice as part of the preparation for further education.
Career paths All students are encouraged to start thinking early in their school career about their future plans and direction. Work covered not only during scheduled topics in PSHE, along with bespoke career workshops and visits, enable our students to plan a successful career at the end of year 11 and 13. Many local employers have specifically looked to Wrenn for their future work force. Strong links with local businesses has enabled students to successfully complete two weeks work experience and achieve an apprenticeship in their chosen career.
Louise Ellis (Head of Sixth Form )
On accepting students into Wrenn we offer a seven year commitment that they will be equipped both academically, personally and socially for their life ahead. We are all “Proud to be Wrenn”, & know that the families that join us will be too. 8
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Wrenn Academy London Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2DQ Tel: 01933 222039 E-mail: info@wrenn-academy.net www.wrenn.northants.sch.uk Designed & Produced by FSE Design
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