Thank you for taking the time to read this summer’s ELA newsletter. At the end of another fantastic year for schools across the Trust, we’ve collated some headline figures to illustrate the vibrant and enriching offer that has been provided for our students across the course of the last three terms.
The statistics contained below in ‘ELA’s year in numbers’ give a real flavour of the exceptional work undertaken by the whole ELA family this year – staff; students; parents; governors; trustees, and our communities more widely. This work has created a group of schools where students can expect excellent provision every day, and we remain very proud of that. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone involved in achieving this.
We’ve also included some personal messages from our heads of school for you to read as we look towards the summer holidays.
Wishing everyone a restful break, and I look forward to working with you all in 2024/25.
CEO of the Eastern Learning Alliance
STUDENTS STARRED IN DRAMA AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES
SPORTS FIXTURES ATTENDED
Vista Academy Littleport
In September, as we started the journey as Vista Academy Littleport, the idea of writing an end of year newsletter summarising the year felt a long way away. Yet here we are already at the end of a hugely successful and jam-packed maiden year. As a school, we have seen huge developments in all areas of school life, and we are excited for further school improvement going forward.
As you look through our weekly newsletters, you can read about an amazing array of student achievements. Every other Friday lunchtime the reward tuckshop is in full flow in the canteen, and this time is one of my favourites, as students from all year groups access the tuckshop using their well-earned tokens from showing their ambition in their learning in lessons, showing commitment to extra-curricular activities and positively contributing as a member of the Vista community. The big decisions of whether students spend it all on a donut, stationery and sweets or should they save up for something more significant like an amazon voucher are conversations that show how conscientious our students truly are.
We are very thankful for all the support and buy-in we have received from our local community since our inception to create a school that the local area is proud of. We have worked collaboratively with our local schools in Littleport wellbeing weeks, businesses who have hosted students on work experience, parents/carers who have committed to supporting their young people in and out of school. The partnership between home, students and the school continue to be vital to building success in a local community school such as Vista. We are thankful for your ongoing contributions to trips, enrichment week and ensuring your child has the necessary equipment. This partnership was evident throughout our GCSE exam season with unprecedented attendance for Year 11 exams where 100% of students able to attend did so for every exam (not something that often happens in even the most outstanding of schools).
As ever, it is a good opportunity to thank all the staff who have enabled so many extra-curricular clubs, sporting fixtures and trips to take place this year alongside the often unseen work of sitting with a student when they need that support, walking a new student to their lessons to help them settle in or taking time to mentor a student navigating something outside of school. We are proud to have recruited and retained a significant number of staff this academic year to offer consistency that any successful school relies upon. I am looking forward to developing our staff through effective weekly training and continuing to develop and build positive relationships between students and staff in the coming years ahead.
We are committed to listening to feedback from our community and again our recent survey responses reflect a significantly more positive outlook on the Academy, and it is also provided our senior team with supportive constructive feedback to how we can further improve. I look forward to celebrating much more success both academically and collectively over the coming months ahead and I hope you will continue to join us on our exciting journey in 2024/25.
Nick Harrison
Head of School
TEACHERS
TRAINED
RAISED FOR
CHARITY
Impington Village College
What an incredible academic year it has been for our college!
We began with the exciting announcement of growing our Cambridge International Baccalaureate (IB) cluster of schools; Girton Glebe Primary School is now an IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) candidate school. This means that learners in Cambridge are now able to follow the full IB continuum from ages 5 to 18, free of charge. This is an impressive achievement, and I would like to thank every member of our extended College community who has bought into and supported our mission of providing a world-class education for all our students through the IB. It has been fantastic to see our cluster of schools working together more closely this year, through shared teaching, training and collaboration.
The good news continued into Winter when we received the honour of being listed as East Anglia’s Top Comprehensive School of the Year 2024 by the Sunday Times Parent Power List, for the third time since 2020. I really can’t thank our incredible team enough for this achievement. It is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our entire community; a recognition of the well-rounded learning experiences that we work hard to provide for all our students, as well as another year of excellent academic outcomes.
Student successes
Our students have once again excelled academically throughout the year, and I look forward to celebrating their achievements on the upcoming results days.
The successes have continued beyond the classroom, with many students achieving impressive feats across sporting and performing arts disciplines. A number of our Sixth Form Rugby Scholars have received callups from county teams, while our alumnus Tyger Smalls, has been signed by Major League US Soccer team, Charlotte FC. I am pleased to be enhancing our Football Scholarship programme even further by partnering with Pro Direct in the new academic year.
In Performing Arts, our students have performed a number of stunning productions, including three sold-out nights of the Broadway classic, Guys and Dolls, as well as music and dance showcases. The show received rave reviews from attendees and thanks to the students’ efforts, they were able to raise almost £6,300 for our Parents and Friends Association. This money will enable us to deliver even more amazing learning experiences for our students.
Around the world
We are truly committed to providing an international learning experience for all our students. This academic year, students have visited Botswana, Peru, Japan, Vietnam and India to name a few. During each trip, students have volunteered their time to support projects that they are passionate about. In Botswana, students spent time at an orphanage where they played football with the locals and donated sports kits that they have secured through awareness raising projects. In India, students spent time teaching students at a school for young people with disabilities, while in Peru, student fundraising facilitated a trip to the beach for families who have never seen the sea before.
It has been a busy, exciting and rewarding year for the College, and I would like to thank our family of schools from across the trust for their support throughout. I am already looking forward to the next academic year and am particularly pleased to be relaunching Music as a subject option for our Sixth Form students and Mandarin as a language choice for our IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) students. Here is to the 2024/2025 academic year!
Victoria Hearn
Executive Headteacher
NEW MEMBERS OF STAFF JOINED ELA
OF CURRENT ELA STAFF STAYING WITH US NEXT YEAR
Chesterton Community College
We are absolutely delighted to celebrate the fantastic level of student achievement during the summer term at Chesterton across all year groups and all subjects. Highlights of the term include over 300 students taking part in the various UKMT maths challenges, with the majority achieving at least a Bronze certificate, and a number of them being invited to the next round. Collaboration with the Cambridge Maths School continues with over 30 sixth form mathematicians participating in the Cambridge Maths School Lecture series. Sixth form students and Year 10 students have been selected to be student ambassadors as part of the new student voice program for 2024/25. These students will represent and champion the three ethos strands of celebrating diversity, challenging our limits, and creating community.
Nurturing our community and challenging our limits are vital parts of our school life. This year, student experiences have focused on bringing students together and providing opportunities to develop interests and experiences that go above and beyond. From school events where whole year groups have listened to authors talk, watched actors perform Shakespeare, and interacted with animals in ZooLabs, to trying out the latest medical technology as part of our work on careers, our students have had rich experiences. The extracurricular offerings have included over 80 different clubs, 108 fixtures played, and over 1,100 places in drama and music performances. Looking forward to next year, we will continue to challenge every student to try new things.
Chesterton parents and carers are a hugely important part of our community. Many play a vital role in raising funds to support the wider curriculum experience for our students, and we are extremely grateful for this support. This year, the PTA has spent over £15,000 to fund teachers’ requests. These have included a Clavinova for the Music Department, workshops delivered by visiting theatre companies, a ZooLabs experience for the whole of Year 7, a new sound and lighting desk for Drama, and a visualizer for each classroom.
The PTA has organized various events this year, ranging from the Winter Fair to a band night at a local pub and the PTA Summer Bash. These events have been very well received by students, teachers, and parents/carers. They have helped us to build community, support our disadvantaged learners, and spread joy!
Sixth Form
With our Sixth Form now fully established, offering over 30 A Levels, we continue to effectively employ our personalised teaching and learning model. A large number of Y10 and Y11 students have shown interest in our offerings, and we look forward to further growth over the next few years.
All students who applied for university received offers from their chosen institutions, with a very high percentage being accepted into Russell Group universities, including fantastic offers from Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Exeter.
The Sixth Form has fully integrated itself into school life, with students playing their part as community members through supporting lower school enrichment clubs, working with weaker readers, and mentoring other students.
In terms of social action, half of the Year 12 students will visit Kenya to continue our projects at Nyathuna Primary School. In addition to teaching, they will bring the traveling telescope to 300 children in rural Kenya and plant 12,000 Acacia trees to combat climate change and recent flooding. The other half of the cohort will complete local social action projects aimed at supporting both the school and the Cambridge community.
Rolf Purvis
Executive Headteacher
TRIPS
OFFERED
STUDENT VOICE SESSIONS RUN
Cambridge Maths School
We deeply appreciate our dedicated staff for their unwavering commitment and hard work at CMS.
Over the course of the year, they have offered the students so many opportunities, both within lessons and beyond. Opening a new school brings a new challenge every day – sometimes a new challenge every hour – and everyone has welcomed these as opportunities to deliver an extraordinary experience for our students. This has included numerous competitions and challenges, trips and visits to such a broad range of places, access to content well beyond the A level curriculum, sports and games, cultural visits and so much more.
We often say that working at CMS is much more akin to working in a primary school, than a secondary school, because everyone has so many different things to do other than teach their subjects. CMS staff have embraced this, and this is what has made the school so special. Their efforts in creating a supportive and collaborative learning environment, providing personalized attention, and fostering developmental opportunities are immensely valued.
We are so proud of our wonderful students for their enthusiasm and hard work at CMS. Their feedback on our academic curriculum highlights the strengths of our supportive and close-knit community. We commend their dedication to their studies and their participation in so many various enriching activities. We are delighted that when we ask for volunteers, we always have far more than we need, when we put on optional extra activities, the students’ thirst for knowledge means they are always full. The students are determined and resilient and have incredibly high academic aspirations for themselves, but they are also always seeking opportunities to have fun, always looking for ways to make their lives as fulfilling as possible. Three quarters of the students are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, (despite an exceptionally wet and windy week in the Lake District!), three quarters are going to Kenya with the school to volunteer in a local primary school and experience the beauty of the Masai Mara. Nearly all the students are going to CERN in Geneva in September – every one of the students at CMS is taking part in at least one of these trips.
The exceptional presentations during the projects event were a highlight of the school year and reflected both the commitment and hard work of all our students.
At CMS we benefit on a weekly basis from the input of the wider community. This has included speakers on our lecture series, drawn from the Cambridge University Academics and innovators in Industry. Our student projects would not have been possible without the significant support of our project mentors, who guided and supported our students through their journeys. We have volunteers who come into school and work with our students, sometimes on a regular basis and sometimes to offer a one-off experience- both of these hugely benefit our school community.
Clare Hargraves
Head of School
EXTERNAL TALKS HOSTED IN OUR SCHOOLS
UNIVERSITY PLACES OFFERED / ACCEPTED
Witchford Village College
The Witchford Year 6 Parents’ Induction Evening broke the attendance record for any event in recent memory and is testament to the ever-increasing relationship between the school and parents. The success of being a ‘Good’ school with above average outcomes starts with the very basic home/school partnership of attendance, where we are now solidly in line with national standards, and attendance itself is often the product of having those good relationships. As a parent if you have ever asked your child what they did today, packed them with the correct equipment, cleaned their uniform, emailed in a concern, attended a Parents’ Evening, contributed to an iPad, trip or activity or supported any of our events, we truly are thankful because without it, we are not a school!
As we get towards the end of the year an ever-increasing number of students are meeting their rewards thresholds, with somewhat awkwardly the number of queue jump passes, free cookies or free lunch passes now outnumber the normal queue! This year has seen the initiation of the Witchford Pledge where students track and celebrate their achievements both inside and outside the classroom, and it has been a tremendous success. If nothing else the pandemic taught us that schools are boring and soulless buildings without children in(!), so if you have tried you best in lessons, attended a sports club, attended a subject club, attended Warhammer or Airfix or cooking or any club, been on DoE, represented the school, been in languages alive and many more things we thank you for your living breathing commitment to Witchford PRIDE: Passionate; Respectful; Inspired; Dedicated and Enthusiastic values in your academic and personal development work.
We are thankful to have dedicated and passionate staff at Witchford too! We believe teachers should also believe there is something they can learn too, and they have the ability for their next lesson to be the best they have ever taught. We give thanks to those who go the extra mile in school to provide opportunities for students from the big-ticket trips to the often-unnoticed acts of kindness like joining a game of football at lunchtime or walking a nervous child to lesson. Much of course of what staff do happens in their own time, the evening physics at the Royal Academy to improve subject knowledge, the overnight DoE expeditions for Bronze and Silver, looking at student artwork in public galleries, sorting out prom dresses etc…etc… We are thankful for all you do both in and out of school.
We are also incredibly thankful to the community for all the support they give. To those who have hosted DT trips, to those who have offered work experience places, to those who have given assemblies – local businesses, community groups such as the Ely Foodbank, Charites such as MAGPAS or the Air Ambulance. The first week in July sees out enrichment week with a day dedicated to our community where we share our pride in the community through artwork, which we hope to leave in the churchyards of our feeder villages through another community link that we are thankful for!
Richard Auffret
Head of School
BOOKS BORROWED FROM OUR LIBRARIES
STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH
Girton Glebe Primary School
As I reflect on the last year, I find my thoughts dominated by just how much progress we are making as a school, from curriculum enrichments to our day-to-day systems and the culture we continue to build around school. It feels a momentous task to try and unpack where specific thanks should go, as there are so many dedicated individuals involved in our success.
My first thanks must of course go to those who come to school for every day: our wonderful pupils. The pupils of Girton Glebe never fail to impress me with their hard work and resilience, and have done us proud this year academically, in how they have represented us during residentials and trips, and particularly in the things we have achieved in extra-curricular activities. A huge well done to every child who has represented our school in some form – our Young Writers’ success stories, those who participated in Maths challenges, our energetic School Council, and every child that has competed as part of one of our many successful sports teams, to name just a few.
Next, in a year where much of our focus has been on working towards implementing the IB PYP, my thanks go to Jo Pyle and Jo Sayle for all that they have done together to lead our curriculum development. Your leadership and guidance has been invaluable in supporting our staff as we make this change.
Alongside our motivated leadership team, who have gelled together in a relatively new but successful team, our fantastic teaching staff have worked tirelessly to plan and deliver a rich and engaging curriculum for our pupils; from those who joined us as ECTs this year to our longer standing members of staff, I am immensely proud of the team we are building and your strengths are reflected in our continued positive results. Our EYFS team have seamlessly welcomed our new intake this year, preparing these pupils to be key stage ready in September; our Key Stage One staff have made accelerated progress with our phonics programme, achieving impressive results in the end of year Phonics Screening Check; and all of our Key Stage Two staff – including visiting staff from IVC who have implemented a new Year 6 curriculum, supporting with a smooth transition for many of our leavers – have continued to promote high expectations and achieve great things! A special mention must go in particular to our extended Year 6 team, as this is the ultimate year of celebration at primary level. As we reflect on successes in our SATs, residential to Wales, end of year performance of The Wizard of Oz, and your preparations for all of our leavers’ celebrations, I’d like to say a special thank you to you. I of course can’t forget all of our support staff, from HLTAs who support with leading lessons and delivering our Forest School and PE curriculums, to our SEND team and the TAs who are those on the ground supporting our SEND community every day, thank you!
Outside of the classroom, I’d like to thank our energetic office team for being the true heart of the school and our non-stop engine room between 9.00 and 3.00! To our supportive parent community, and the incredible PTA, FOGG, thank you for all that you do, the events that you run and the drive that you have to continually improve the provision we can offer our pupils. Highlights for me include the financial support for a school trip a year for each class, productions and the chicks! Thank you for working alongside our staff throughout the year – and thank you to Lisa Knowler for continuing to develop ways to showcase our school’s talents and all that should be celebrated.
Next year will be largely focused on implementing the PYP and seeing all the hard work in planning and preparation come to fruition. We feel very fortunate to have retained a consistent teaching team, which will ensure we can offer continuity and growth for our pupils.
Chris Butler
Headteacher
LESSONS
TAUGHT
REWARD / HOUSE POINTS AWARDED
Downham Market Academy
With just a few days left of this academic year, we are all scratching our heads and asking, “where has that year gone?!”.
We are incredibly proud of all our students and the pride and passion they have shown in their learning as we embarked on our new approach to homework and assessment with dedicated windows to encourage development of long-term memory and practice. We are extremely grateful to all our parents and carers for their support in ensuring students complete their “prep” work to a high standard each week – all these efforts really are paying dividends when it comes to assessments.
This year saw around 200 of our students embark on trips abroad – the first to happen at DMA in many years. After all the anticipation and excitement in the build up to trips, it has been so rewarding hearing stories and seeing photos of adventures in Disneyland Paris, Iceland, Barcelona and the Ski Trip. We would like to extend a huge thank you to the staff that organised these trips that take months of careful planning, and then also the staff who accompanied students by giving up their own evenings, weekends and school holidays. As well as this there have been many day trips to enhance our curriculum and it is great to know that every student has had the opportunity to go on a variety of trips over the course of the year. Next year, we are building on successful trips and offering new residential trips abroad and in this country, and we very much appreciate parents and carers supporting these ventures.
Our Athena students have had a very successful year, and it has been humbling to see year 12 and year 13 students supporting one another and working together in lessons, during independent study time and during work experience supporting lessons throughout DMA. The Athena Futures week for year 12 kick started thoughts about what the future may hold for students when they leave us next summer. Athena hosted many guests from universities; apprentice providers and workplaces who provided advice and inspiration, our students also enjoyed visits to different universities to gain an insight into degree-level learning and the university experience. It is brilliant having such positive role models on site for our younger students – not only do they offer excellent academic inspiration, but they also embody our DMA DNA exhibiting pride, passion, perseverance, progress and positivity around the school.
Over the last two years, the food provided in our canteen has improved dramatically since new Head Chef Jason started and reinvigorated our catering team who now produce fresh, home cooked food that is both nutritious and delicious every day. They also cater for all our events throughout the year with stunning finger buffets and three course meals. Having a high-performing catering team has meant that our KS4 Hospitality and Catering students can enjoy work experience in our busy kitchen and see what it is like to prepare meals on a large scale and serve hundreds of eager customers. This was recognised earlier in the year when the DMA team were recognised as the Education Catering Team of the Year at the National Public Sector Awards. Karen and Hayley represented the team at the glitzy event and were overwhelmed to learn that they had won! We know from student and parent feedback that the food is very popular, and Jason is keen to continue developing the menu with feedback from students.
Mark Eastwood
Headteacher
STUDENTS WELCOMED IN RECEPTION, Y7 AND Y13
STUDENT LEAVERS AS Y11 AND Y13 FINISH THEIR ELA JOURNEYS
The Cavendish School
What an incredible year, I am so proud to share the extraordinary achievements and milestones we’ve reached together over the past year. Our journey this year has seen some remarkable celebration of difference, resilience, courage, and a real spirit of collaboration that has brought us numerous accolades and unforgettable experiences.
We are thrilled that our school has received the Outstanding rating from OFSTED. The recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and the unwavering support from our parents and community. It reflects the high standards of education and care we strive to provide every day. I particularly felt humbled by the praise for our community, ‘Pupils flourish…’, ‘The relentless determination of staff….’, ‘Pupils are accepted for who they are…’, and ‘No ceiling on what pupils can achieve’.
We have seen some real courage from our Year 10 students who have embarked on their first set of exams, marking a significant milestone in their educational journey. Their hard work and dedication really paid off and they faced the examination anxiety with a real determination, I am confident that their efforts will yield outstanding results in the long term. These exams are a stepping stone toward their future success, and the chance to access the GCSE examinations to the best of their ability. We are committed to supporting them every step of the way so they can flourish!
Being balanced is so important to us, so it has been wonderful to see in addition to our academic achievements, our school has also excelled in extracurricular activities. Our football team remains undefeated, showcasing not only their exceptional skills on the field but also their teamwork, communicator value, and sportsmanship. Years 9 and up have also taken part in some fascinating employer encounters including Nissan development, tractor sales and the police. Pupils were enthralled by the interactions and learning the sometimes unthought of roles in different industries and workplaces.
A highlight of this last term has been the hatching of ducks in our school. This experience has provided our pupils with a hands-on opportunity to learn about life cycles and responsibility. Watching the ducks grow has been a source of joy and excitement for everyone involved, we weren’t so good at giving them back and so they have found a permanent home with one of our staff.
I am also pleased to share that we successfully completed our IB authorisation readiness visit, paving the way for full IB authorisation by the end of the term. This achievement will place us within an internationally recognised education framework that fosters critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and lifelong learning.
In April, we hosted an Autism Celebration Event, which was a resounding success. The event was attended by a diverse group of professionals, highlighting the importance of not just awareness of Autism but celebration and inclusivity. It was a platform for sharing knowledge, celebrating our pupils’ unique strengths, and fostering a supportive community.
Lastly, our Hilltop residential trip provided our pupils with an opportunity to challenge themselves and develop their independence. The activities they participated in, from climbing to team-building exercises, have helped them build confidence and resilience. The memories and skills they gained during this trip will undoubtedly have a lasting impact.
As we reflect on the past year I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff, supportive parents, and incredible pupils. It is through our collective efforts that we continue to create a nurturing and inspiring environment where every student can thrive. We have a community to be proud of.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to maintaining our mission of enabling-the-self, continuing to support our pupil’s self-advocacy and growing and developing together. The next year will see new pupils join us, our first year 11 leavers (and stayers) with their exam results in hand – the school’s first GCSE results. We will be repeating our Autism celebration event next April – we would love to hear from the community any ideas for speakers or any topics they would love to see covered.
Thank you for being an integral part of our journey. Here’s to many more successes and milestones in the future!
Stephanie Smith
Head of School
Opportunities with the Eastern Learning Alliance
There are a number of vacancies across our family of schools. Find out more about our current vacancies by visiting our website – tela.org.uk/vacancies/
