Thank you for taking the time to read this winter’s ELA Newsletter. It’s been brilliant to see the ongoing collaborative work happening across our schools this term, particularly as we’ve moved into the festive period.
The spirit of working together in pursuit of the best possible education experiences for young people is strong across the ELA, and we hope this newsletter gives you an insight into how we achieve this.
We have welcomed two new schools to the ELA this term: the Cambridge Maths School which opened its doors to their first year 12 cohort in September, and Vista Academy Littleport, who joined us following a re-brokering process at the start of the year. Both schools are going from strength to strength, and it has been fantastic to welcome those staff and students into our ELA family. As ever we’re really grateful to headteachers in all our schools and colleges for their updates below.
We’ve focussed as always on our three themes: reflecting on things we have to celebrate, considering ways in which we’ve worked together, and looking ahead to exciting opportunities across the rest of the academic year.
If you’d be interested in getting involved with Trust work, through offering a student talk, careers support, or volunteering more widely, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the headteacher of your school.
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas break, and we look forward to seeing staff, students and parents in the spring term.
CEO of the Eastern Learning Alliance
Things to celebrate
Vista Academy Littleport
We officially opened as Vista Academy Littleport at the start of September and it was wonderful to welcome the community into our school for the first time for our Open Evening in October. The evening showcased the best of our students and provided prospective and current parents with the opportunity to meet our staff body and see the exciting future ahead at Vista.
As a small school at the heart of our community, we have been excited to partner with various local agencies and the opportunities this affords our students. We have welcomed in a local rapper who delivered song writing and social media workshops for our students. In December we have hosted our first ever Vista Wonderland as part of our Christmas Extravaganza with stalls from local business and friends of the school. The event included a performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ written by Steve Shaw our drama teacher and performed by our performing arts and drama club students. We are excited to build on our community links moving forward into 2024.
If you were to look through our weekly newsletter and fortnightly PE newsletter, it shows the huge enthusiasm from our students and staff to maximise their time at Vista. Every week the newsletter has felt jam-packed full of highlights about student’s experiences, launching new projects, highlighting the many achievements of our students including our new rewards tuckshop and departments sharing high quality pieces of work.
We were delighted to welcome Jonathan Duff, Regional Director for the East of England at the Department of Education into the academy. We toured the school, met with staff and students and discussed the significant work that has been happening at Vista since the start of term. Jonathan remarked on how our students talked so positively of the changes that have been implemented thus far and how the atmosphere in the Academy felt calm and purposeful.
A number of our students have enjoyed the opportunities to engage and enjoy educational trips. Year 10 artists have been to Cambridge to explore the Fitzwilliam Museum, our Year 10 photography students took some stunning photos of Ely Cathedral for their coursework, Year 11 students were able to head to the theatre to watch Macbeth, a text they are studying in their GCSE. The whole of the Year 10 cohort headed to the Careers Fair in Ely and our Year 11 students earnt a well-earned rewards trip post their mock exam period.
Cambridge Maths School
Inspiring Speakers
We have been lucky enough to have 3 high profile speakers delivering inspirational lectures to our students.
Simon Peyton Jones was our first speaker who gave an excellent lecture at the school on how AI systems can and need to differentiate between good and poor-quality data, so we get reliable predictions.
Before Half term we lucky enough to have Sir David Spiegelhalter talking about his career and in his words “Using maths and statistics to explain Covid, get on game shows, and catch serial murderers”. This was an entertaining and informative talk giving the students an insight into where a careers in mathematics might take you.
More recently we have had a talk from Jade Alglave from Arm Computing who’s talk on “Herding Cats” explained how modern multiprocessors work in tandem to perform their computation more efficiently: this is sometimes called concurrent computations.
Next term we are looking forward to lectures from Matthias Dörrzapf and Julia Gog both from Cambridge University.
Super-curricular and Thursday Afternoon Sports
We have a programme of sporting activities up and running with all students taking part on a Thursday afternoon. We want to this to promote the health and wellbeing of everyone at the school as well as bringing us together in informal and fun activities.
So far, we have been running Netball, Badminton, Ultimate Frisbee, table tennis and football.
Curriculum
Students have been rising to the challenge in our unique Curriculum over the past term, enjoying their weekly problem-solving lessons and relishing in the super-curricular skills delivered as part of the standard lessons. In addition, students have enrolled in a number of National Challenges, which run throughout the Autumn term; students are working in groups on the N-Cipher Challenge (held by University of Southampton) and the Ri-tangle challenge (run by the MEI). In October, all students sat the UKMT Senior Olympiad with all 45 entries achieving a certificate, 18 at the gold level. The two highest scoring students qualified for the first round of the British Maths Olympiad, on which we await the results, with the other gold award winners gaining entry to the Senior Kangaroo. Finally, 10 of our female students entered the Maths Olympiad for Girls, with 6 achieving the highest award (a distinction) and all the others a Merit.
Impington International College
Our former Year 13 students beat the global average point score in their IB examinations, with two of our cohort achieving the rare feat of a perfect score of 45 out of 45 points. They were two of just 25 students in the entire UK to achieve this accolade. We were also pleased to have record numbers of attendance at our Open Evening in October, welcoming over 600 prospective students and their families to learn more about the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP).
Elsewhere, our current students have enjoyed numerous field trips, including the Model United Nations in Munich, Germany, and the Japan Day at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.
Downham Market Academy
Antibullying Award
At the start of the year DMA were recognised with the prestigious “United Against Bullying” award at bronze level by the Antibullying Alliance. The judging team were impressed by both the proactive and reactive measures in place at DMA to prevent and reduce instances of bullying.
Thank you and congratulations to Alice Watts who, in her role as Antibullying Champion last year, worked so hard to improve our provision and response that has led to this award.
New House
As the popularity and reputation of DMA continues to rise, so too does the number of applications to join us. So much so that we decided to create a fifth House within our pastoral structure. September welcomed “Stella” House, led by Miss Ford and Mr Hunter, who joins existing Houses: Ventus, Ignis, Terra, Aqua. Students who moved over to join Stella have worked really well together and formed great working relationships in their PD groups and beyond, and it is so good to see Stella already with a clear identity within the school.
Trampoline funding
We were awarded a grant of £2000 from Persimmon Homes Community Fund to buy new equipment for trampolining.
This will mean more students can bounce at the same time to dazzle with their skills during both lessons and after school clubs.
Colleagues from Persimmon presented year 8 with the cheque today and they were blown away by what they saw on display: super-talented students, trying their best and enthusiastically participating.
Chesterton Sixth Form
The start of the year saw us welcome the new Year 12 cohort with a trip to Cornwall on the first day of the school year. The purpose of the trip was to bring our new students together and forge as a new community. The trip included a series of lectures at the Eden Project as well as giant paddleboarding, climbing, archery and caving. It was a huge success and a great way to get to know the new students properly and resulted in a very positive start to lessons and life at Chesterton Sixth Form.
We are particularly impressed with the new Year 12 cohort who on average, are a whole GCSE grade higher than that of Year 13. They have hit the ground running and have been incredibly responsive and proactive both in lessons and with the array of opportunities that they have had available to them. An example of this is the two Rotary Debate competitions that students took part in; some of which had never experienced debating before.
The growth of the sixth form has seen a much more obvious sixth form presence around the school and this has been complemented by students regularly integrating with students lower down whether it be through supporting weak readers, subject mentors or whole school leadership roles students have taken on.
Finally, we are thrilled to congratulate our Y13 students who were invited to interview for Oxbridge – best of luck to them!
Girton Glebe Primary School
For Girton Glebe this academic year, our focus is on understanding and preparing to implement the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). I am extremely proud of the consistent high attainment of our pupils, achieving above the national average in many subjects and impressive Greater Depth percentages across a range of subjects at the end of the last academic year. The high-quality teaching and enthusiasm for change that we have embedded as a team over the past year enables us to explore new ways of improving our curriculum offer and the experience of Girton Glebe children. The prospect of delivering the PYP is an exciting one, only possible due to our strong foundations and the hard work of our teaching team.
On top of this, I must also share my pride in the extra-curricular opportunities that our children now access. Building on the strong range of clubs we already offered and working alongside parents and members of the community to provide our children with more memorable experiences, the start of this year has already seen a whole host of workshops from In-Line skating to Afro-Dance and even a tour of the world through musical instruments, as well as a variety of new lunchtime and afterschool clubs to capture everyone’s interests, including Gardening, Magic and Coding club. We have also developed our offer of sports clubs, allowing us to enter local leagues such as the local schools’ netball league, in which our Year 5 & 6 team won the first tournament this term and have progressed to the second round, and developing our Cross County team, who recently had runners placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their races at the local schools’ competition.
Finally, I continue to take pride in our connection with the wider Girton community. We have already had the privilege this year of working closely with the local Baptist Church for events such as “Christmas Unwrapped” and continue to work closely with St Andrew’s Church, celebrating events such as Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas together so far. Our ever-growing school choir are also a source of great pride. With over 50 pupils from across Key Stage Two, our talented choir have been great ambassadors not only at school events for family members, but also at the local church and as part of village fayres, and are preparing to sing at local care homes, too. Our deepening connection with the local community has also enabled our children to access a wider range of hands-on experiences in school, with parents, family members and Girton locals delivering workshops such as wreath-making and language learning, sharing cultural traditions from around the world, and even visits from police officers, paramedics and a horse to make our children’s time at Girton a memorable one.
Chesterton Community College
Chesterton ranks #1 in Cambridgeshire
We are delighted to be able to confirm, following publication of Department for Education (DfE) 2023 performance tables this week, that Chesterton officially sits at the top of all schools in the Cambridgeshire local authority in terms of progress made by our students. Nationally, according to the DfE, we come in at 58th place (out of almost 7000 schools) – which once again places us in the top 1% of schools nationally.
We are pleased to once again have an overall ‘Progress 8’ score of above 1. That score means that Chesterton students, on average, get one grade higher in every GCSE they take, than they would if those same students had gone to an average school.
Life at Chesterton is about much more than exams, but exam results have a major effect on our children’s life chances. So we are extremely proud of our students for their amazing effort, and of our dedicated staff for supporting students so well in the return to formal exams.
Young Voices Shine
Members of the Junior Choir enjoyed performing at the Music for Youth Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday. The students sang as part of the Creative Project, a very large ensemble together with other young people from across the UK. The students were a credit to Chesterton. Well done to all who took part.
‘HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL’ WINS OUR HEARTS!
At the end of last week, Chesterton Youth Theatre’s production of ‘High School Musical’ was performed four times with two different main casts to a collective audience of 800 people!
This sell-out production has been described as ‘AMAZING’, ‘heart-warming’, ‘outstanding’ and ‘wonderful’ by audience members alike, and ‘one of the best experiences of my life’ by one cast member, with all the Company whooping for joy after every show. The drama department is extremely proud of the skilful, slick, stupendous quality of performance that the Company brought to the start of term, managing to put it all together within the space of 3 weeks! In spite of the hard work and Sunday rehearsal, it was high school magic, and highly enjoyable as an experience for everyone! Thank you to the cast, creative team, stage managers, lights and sound, front-of-house support, the PTA for their themed refreshments and finally, the spirited audiences who laughed along with this immersive entertainment.
One former student who had visited America in the summer and saw the final show said: ‘seriously, it was just like the American high school I visited!’.
Now, time for a brief breath out, and then: on with the dance, as they say!
Medical Mavericks
On Wednesday 27th September all Year 9 students took part in medical mavericks activity. A company designed to inform students about over 350 jobs in the NHS as well as linking to our science topic on human health.
Students were able to take blood from a fake arm, record their own ECG, try key hole surgery and see inside their body with an ultrasound machine. Every student had the opportunity to carry out their own medical observations linked to different careers as well as take home a print out of their ECG.
Before the session many students could name “doctor, nurse, physio, dentist, midwife” as careers in the medical field … however, in the workshop year 9 focussed also on the lesser known careers such as biomedical science, healthcare science, medical engineering, medical physics, physiology, bioinformatics and many of which are accessible with levels 9-4 at GCSE.
Several highlights were trying on different goggles to mimic different medical conditions, hear their own blood pumping through their veins and meeting our host, a real life junior doctor.
The science department hope to invite the Medical Mavericks back again next year.
Impington Village College
We were delighted to have our commitment to providing our students with an international education recognised by British Council recently, by receiving its prestigious Intermediate International School Award.
Elsewhere, we have continued our digitalisation drive by equipping our Year 7 students with their own 1:1 Chromebook. We are pleased to share that every International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) student now has their own device, which will pave the way for them to thrive in an increasingly digitalised world.
Finally, our students continue to enjoy educational visits within the UK and further afield, with visits completed to Sheringham, St Albans and Rome. Field trips play an important role in enabling students to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to real-world scenarios and, this year, we are also focusing on widening participation in local enrichment opportunities as well as our incredible range of overseas trips. This term, we have taken more than 200 students to the British Museum and Grafham Water, have had all of Year 7 involved in a theatre workshop and our Year 8 cohort are visiting the pantomime in Ely before Christmas. We are very keen to ensure that every child has the chance to enrich their learning and to make the most of what our local area has to offer.
Witchford Village College
It has been a positive year at Witchford to date, with school adapting to having a bigger student body. Student groups really do take a leading role at WVC and we have had some very productive meetings with the Senior Student Team who have some great ideas on their projects for the year and their legacy. Some student led initiatives are very visual, such as last years team reinstating one way systems to ensure everyone feels safe, but some are not, such as the change of waste management company and skips which have enabled a greater level of mixed recycling. What is most impressive though is the range of student groups who wish to raise money for those less fortunate than themselves. Our GCSE vocational studies group took it upon themselves to raise money to create a sensory room for the SEND Department and the Cabin. They arranged everything form making sure the event was in the calendar, to creating ways to raise money, to how to collect and bank donations and the process for getting the room off the ground – they day felt like it had been arranged by adults. Likewise, a huge number of students took part in the 12-hour dance-a-thon to raise money for Children in need.
There is something moving about whole school events, and the schools Act of Remembrance for Armistice Day was no exception. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of a school day, one can worry about chatter in solum moments, but all students impeccably and respectfully observed the service and were a credit to themselves. We invited members of our broader community into school and received wonderful feedback regarding the event and the conduct of our students.
On the lines of services, Music students were privileged to be invited to the Carols at Kings College Cambridge with WVC as the lead school. Students were a credit to WVC and sat in the Choir stalls on the other side of the Screen from the Antechapel, in full awe of the choir singing.
There is of course so much to be proud of and celebrate, and to name but a few:
- All those who participate in and are frequently victorious on sporting fixtures;
- All those who take advantage of the extra-curricular program, from Airfix to Catering to Warhammer!
- Those who have represented the school in places such as the House of Commons, or at events such as the spelling bees.
- Those from MPs to Archaeologist to Authors who have visited WVC to enhance the curriculum.
- Those have participate in or are rehersing for all the Arts, Drama, Dance and Music events that we put on, including the upcoming Christmas Concert!
What we are most of though is the effort and dedication that all staff and students into the regular day at WVC, the lessons and social times that make up the bulk of the time. Walking around lessons and social time, it is an absolute privilege to see the hard work, dedication, focus and respect that is seen far, far often – and that does not just happen by magic; it happens though the sheer hard work, dedication and attitude of staff and students. We are proud to be WVC.
Cambridge Maths School
During their Personal Development sessions students have been giving some excellent presentations. The diversity of topics covered has been nothing short of fascinating, showcasing the rich tapestry of interests and talents within our student body.
From exploring niche hobbies to delving into personal experiences, each presentation has been a testament to the individuality that defines our students. It’s heartening to see them embrace the opportunity to express themselves, fostering an environment where every voice is valued and heard.
The supportive atmosphere during these presentations speaks volumes about the positive culture we’ve cultivated within our school community in such a short period of time. Students aren’t just presenting; they’re engaging in a collective celebration of each other’s journeys.
As we continue to witness these individual presentations, it becomes evident that our students are not only learning about specific topics but are also developing crucial life skills. They are becoming adept at expressing themselves, appreciating the diverse narratives within their community, and embracing the power of their own voices.
The Cavendish School
This term we have welcomed a new Deputy Head, key middle leaders and specialist teachers to the TCS family.
TCS have had their very own giraffe decoration project to celebrate our wonderful community spirit and impact.
We have continued to build community links, for example with Cambridge Cricket association.
A number of our pupils are part of the Sleeps to Santa jingle on the radio!
Pupils have been awarded kitchen assistant jobs within the school.
TCS have also welcomed Doctor and Nigel the hamsters.
Paramount Pictures and The Light Cinema, Cambridge have gifted us with our own private showing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
We also had a visit from a renowned photographer who spent time capturing the wonder that is TCS: from lessons with fire, parachutes in the corridor, to science lessons that literally have your hair standing on end – it was great that we could capture TCS at its inspiring best!
Athena Sixth Form College
Empowering Youth Voices
Our local MP, Liz Truss, came to visit – she met lots of students in lessons and was really impressed at their commitment and enthusiasm to do well. She was then given a grilling by our Politics students in Year 12 & 13. Oliver, Thomas, Noah, Daniel, Francesca, Edward and Bella prepared a range of questions on topics they learnt in their politics lessons, as well as topics that impact their lives as young people today. Ms Truss was very responsive to the questions and explained how her role as a legislator gave her the chance to shape laws that could make the lives of young people today better.
Bella, in Year 13, said of the experience: ‘It was a good to get the chance to meet our local MP. I thought Ms Truss was direct in her answers to our questions. The opportunity has bolstered my university application, and I am sure it helped me to be offered a place at Nottingham, my top choice university.’
All the hard work paid off
Athena students had a great summer, and we were delighted that they left us to pursue careers in everything from accountancy to music production. Students secured university placements all across the country and are heading everywhere from Canterbury to Liverpool.
We are proud of our students who are already in apprenticeships within our community. You may well come across them in the local area working as accountants, NHS Theatre Assistants or even working in sports massage.
Athena in Action
We welcomed guests from 8 local schools and numerous parents to our ever-popular ‘Athena in Action’ mornings. Following the success of our Open Evening in June, we wanted students to see the real essence of what it is like to be a student here every day. Over 100 students joined us over 3 mornings to hear about the courses on offer, watch lessons and speak to staff members. The new prospectus was distributed at the end of each event and contains all the information prospective students will need about Athena.
UCAS Success
It only seems like yesterday that the current Year 13 cohort went on their university trip in June but, after some excellent personal statements and very hard work, many of them have offers at universities already, despite the UCAS deadline not being until January. The students have got their applications in early to allow them to focus on their mock and to make sure that they have clear targets to work towards. Many students have multiple offers already form a range of universities including Nottingham, Warwick, University of Kent and Loughborough.
Downham Market Academy
Welcome to the Hive!
Following a successful grant application to the Sheila Coates Foundation we have been able to refurbish our Inclusion space.
The Hive is a quiet area within the Academy where students can access support from our Progress Support Workers and SENDCo team as well as joining their peers for break and lunch. Prep club is held daily in the Hive; students can come along to complete prep in a supportive environment with staff on hand to answer questions and provide help.
We have a new intervention room where students are invited to complete small group work and as well as a range of different activities. These include literacy and numeracy support, lego therapy and speech and language therapy.
Currently students and staff are developing The Hive garden helped by kind donations from Tesco Downham Market and Skylark Garden Centre, Wimblington. We hope to start growing our own winter vegetable crops in the coming weeks.
European Day of Languages
The MFL team at DMA helped the school to celebrate the European Day of Languages by including themed activities across the school and dressing up in traditional dress from different countries. Our amazing catering team prepared lunch from across Europe each day over a week including German, Greek, Spanish, French and Italian delicacies.
Friends of DMA plan community events
Our parent volunteer group, “FoDMA”, have planned community events this term that have raised thousands of pounds that will be used to support projects in school that directly benefit our students. A Year 7 disco in September provided a great opportunity for our newest students to get to know one another having joined from primary schools across a huge swathe of West Norfolk. The family Bingo evening was a roaring success with a local pop up bar and posh pizza wagon providing refreshments – the event was so popular we had to hastily squeeze in more tables to fit everyone in! A family quiz night posed questions set by departments within the school and had members of the community scratching their heads and trying to remember things from their own school days. Many more events are planned for the coming months starting with a Christmas Fayre and Carol Service ahead of the festive season. If anybody else would like to get involved, please do contact the school or visit the FoDMA Facebook page directly for more information
Art gallery on a massive scale
Earlier this term, visiting artists added to the external art gallery that has been created around the school site. Six new pieces were created, each measuring over 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. These amazing pieces were recreated from original work by our talented students, many of whom still attend school and were shocked to see their work being admired on this scale. We are very proud of our Art team and what they offer students at DMA and Athena – a truly exceptional experience every lesson with a rich extra curricular offer to inspire future artists.
Cambridge Maths School
Clubs
We have been asking students about the Clubs that they would like to run in the school. We now have a range of clubs which are either student or teacher led.
For example, Ms Berry and Mr Gordon are running a debate club, there is a student Dungeons and Dragons Club, a very active Christian Union and we have just had a request to start a music club which will open this week.
Open Evening
We were delighted to welcome over 500 people to our open evening in October. The majority of our students and all our staff were on hand to explain why the Cambridge Maths School community is so inspiring and it was a huge pleasure talking to so many prospective students and their families. We are hugely excited about receiving their applications, the deadline for these is on January 9th.
Athena Sixth Form College
An Evening with Rory Stewart
Students, staff and parents from Athena attended a wonderful evening at Ely Cathedral on 15th September. 1,200 people packed into the venue to see to see Rory Stewart, a former MP, minister, candidate for the Conservative Party leadership and much more. We’re delighted that the History and Politics department is now the proud owner of a second author-signed book!
Health & Social Care donation
Athena and DMA are delighted to be supported by an energetic and vibrant PTA group called ‘The Friends of DMA’, affectionately known by all as FoDMA. FoDMA have kindly donated money to Health and Social Care to allow Athena students to have the equipment needed to practise the skills needed for their course. Money was used to purchase blood pressure monitors and oximeters to support the Anatomy and Physiology delivery. Shoehorns, dressing sticks and sock aids were also bought to demonstrate the importance of values of care in a practical way. Thank you FoDMA!!
Gonville and Caius
Athena was delighted to welcome Matthew from Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge to speak to Year 12 students who are interested in Oxbridge and other top universities. Students were given hints and tips about how to prepare for university, as well as being invited to take part in a special scheme that will give them access to subject specific webinars and university taster sessions. We look forward to working with Gonville and Caius in the future.
Foodball Education Programme
Our football in Education Programme continues to go from strength to strength – our NCFC students faced Ipswich in a rollercoaster match, securing a 4-3 win. Despite an early setback, the team showed resilience, with Price and Bateson scoring crucial goals to claim an important 3 points.
Working Together
Impington Village College
We are proud of our strong partnerships with schools across the Trust, including The Cavendish School and Girton Glebe Primary School. Building on the strength of our relationships, Girton Glebe Primary School will apply for candidacy to teach the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) to its pupils from September 2024. Our specialist teachers are delivering lessons in Art, Design and Technology, History, Geography, RE and languages including Latin and French at the primary school.
Together with our Sixth Form, Impington International College, and The Cavendish School, we will be the first cluster of state schools in Europe to offer all four IB programmes for children aged four to 18 across primary, secondary, sixth form and special education settings.
Athena Sixth Form College
We have been delighted to visit Vista, ELA’s new academy. Staff from Athena worked with Year 10 and 11s at Vista giving advice and support for the students’ post-16 applications. Mr Pettitt delivered an assembly outlining the options the student have available as well as providing clarity about the different course types and level of study that are available. Everyone at Athena is looking forward to meeting the Vista students at their guidance meetings and to helping the Vista students with their future plans.
As always, Athena is always striving for academic excellence. We have been delighted to be able to work with our ELA sister post-16 school, Cambridge Maths School, to develop our Maths curriculum. Colleagues from CMS helped Athena staff to create the new assessments carried out by Year 12 students in November and their knowledge and expertise was crucial to help us to carry out the delivery of lessons and assessments that culminated in many students attaining A grades in their November assessments.
Chesterton Community College
In recent weeks, the Exams Office staff at DMA and IVC extended support to CCC in setting up exams in SIMS. The English Trust meeting helped to further shape the curriculum and teaching.
Additionally, we shared our schools’ approach to rebranding and values remodelling with other Trust Schools. These exchanges aim to strengthen connections and encourage a continuous flow of ideas within te ELA.
Mini-G
Our school giraffe has finally started to show it’s spots! A huge congratulations to Emily of Cavendish House who had a beautiful inspiring design, we have chosen Emily’s design to help us create our final Mini-G. Emily has been helping us this week to add spots, colour and extra detail to our designs.
Our Mini-G will be on display in Cambridge during Spring and Summer for everyone to see, it will be part of a trail (Standing Tall) across the city where you will be able to see our sixth form and trust giraffe as well as other schools, charities, clubs and organisations that have been involved. It will be a lovely way to see Cambridge as well as some beautiful giraffes!
Inspired Minds: Students Attend Sir David Spiegelhalter’s Lecture
18 of our maths and physics students attended a lecture on big data and statistics, by Sir David Spiegelhalter, at St John’s College. It was very insightful to hear about how Sir David contributed to the data during covid and how statistics can be used to in a court of law to prove or disprove murders.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed the lecture and we’d like to say a big thank you to The Cambridge Math School, another ELA school, for organising and inviting us.
Girton Glebe Primary School
One hugely beneficial outcome of being a part of the ELA this year is the trust’s commitment to facilitating a seamless transition for our Year 6 pupils. Through close connections with IVC, we have been able to create an engaging and challenging curriculum for our Year 6 class, offering provision from specialist secondary teachers in foundation subjects such as Performing Arts, Languages and the Humanities. The teaching support provided has supported our students in preparing for the change from a small village primary to the range of teachers and teaching styles they will experience once at secondary school. Another standout contribution from the ELA this term has been the provision of new Chromebooks for each of our Year 6 pupils, which have been instrumental in empowering our students to take responsibility for their own learning, whilst advancing both the pupils’ and teachers’ understanding of the benefits of technology in the classroom through CPD sessions and IVC visits. This is another way in which our pupils have been able to prepare for the transition to secondary learning and has been a fantastic resource in building pupils’ confidence and independence.
As we embark on the journey towards delivering the IB PYP, the ELA has played a pivotal role in supporting our preparations. The trust’s expertise and resources have been invaluable in helping us to lay a strong foundation for the implementation of the IB, ensuring that our staff are well-prepared and have strong subject knowledge ahead of the launch of this in September 2024. In addition, the trust’s recognition of the importance of staff well-being through the additional perks that ELA Horizons offer, and the continued small gestures that acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our staff, all contribute to a positive and supportive work environment as we embark on this challenge together. The collaborative efforts between our school and the ELA to invest in both student and staff well-being have collectively contributed to an enriched educational experience at Girton Glebe. Being part of the ELA has proven to be a tremendous asset for our community: the trust’s commitment to holistic education, technological advancement, and the well-being of both students and staff aligns seamlessly with our school’s core values. ELA’s support goes beyond the traditional boundaries of education, creating a nurturing environment that fosters growth, creativity, and community engagement. As we look forward to the upcoming term, we are grateful for the ongoing partnership with ELA and excited about the continued positive impact it will have on our school community.
Witchford Village College
The Trust leads have worked tirelessly with our internal leads to ensure that we as a school keep developing, improving and providing a better experience for all of our students. We of course have many Trust leads based at WVC who have been supporting other schools in the same way – being a Trust of similar and local schools really does mean WVC can have the benefits of the bigger school, while being a slightly smaller on itself. It also gives WVC staff a tremendous boost and sense of value and purpose to be able to help and support other schools too.
WVC well-being leads at middle and senior level have delivered a mush enhanced and improved program this year and we have seen more and more staff using supportive services from ELA Horizons including better access to medial care and Gym access at the fantastic facilities we have across the Trust
Trust scrutiny is incredibly useful to a smaller school like WVC. It provides tremendous validation for the good work we are doing, but also the advice and guidance from the Trust on ideas and initiatives that we may not have though of, that have been successful in other schools. These look at academic performance and curriculum, but also attendance, safeguarding, SEND and reading.
Cambridge Maths School
Around half of the cohort at CMS have signed up to volunteer with maths in Primary Schools via a programme ran by the Royal Institution in London. Students from CMS and other TELA schools attended a training event run by the Royal Institution where they were shown the types of maths problems that might be suitable for primary age students, how they might be introduced in a fun way and given some training on how to plan and resource their own problem-solving session. Later in the year students will go out to Primary Schools to run sessions and to inspire the mathematicians of the future.
Downham Market Academy
Colleagues at DMA continue to benefit from the close working relationship with those across the Trust. Leaders in many subjects have been able to meet up and provide invaluable support to each other for the benefit of students and staff at DMA and other schools.
Being just a few minutes up the road has enabled many of our staff to support the newest team in our Trust at Vista Academy in Littleport get up and running and we are looking forward to this continuing in the new year.
A recent visit by Ryan Kelsall, Deputy CEO, to review “Student Welfare” at DMA as part of the ELA cycle of school review and improvement highlighted the many strengths in our pastoral team, and how our PSHE and RSE programme supports our students to recognise potential risks such as unhealthy relationships and mental health worries.
The Cavendish School
TCS love being a part of the ELA family. Some great benefits this term have included:
- A new reading group and strategy work around promoting reading for all
- Interventions and strategies from other sectors in education which have allowed us to ensure that our practice is cutting edge and that we are adapting resources with the highest aims for all our students
- We are also grateful to the ELA Estates Team who have worked to ensure improvement works to our fences to support the safeguarding of all our pupils.
Chesterton Sixth Form
With the opening of the CMS and at the same time the growth of the CSF sixth form community, it has meant we have been able to work collaboratively and provide students with additional opportunities such as the half termly lectures that were very popular with our STEM students.
It should be noted that we are incredibly grateful to our parent body for supporting the sixth form. This term, we have been able to establish foreign language speaking assistants for French, German and Spanish to work with our A Level students; this is a truly outstanding provision to be able to offer and is something that students will really benefit from.
Impington International College
We have enjoyed collaborating with Cambridge Maths School and Chesterton Sixth Form on a project run by the Royal Institute, which will enable our Year 12 students to deliver masterclasses to primary school pupils within the Trust.
Our students have also enjoyed, and benefited hugely from, attending a number of lectures arranged by Cambridge Maths School, including lectures delivered by renowned statistician, David Spegelhalter and Jade Alglave from Arm.
Downham Market Academy
Looking ahead to 2024, there are four things that stand out for many students: Disney Land, Iceland, Skiing and Barcelona! After a long absence from the calendar at DMA, international trips are back with a bang. These trips take a huge amount of planning and organisation on top of a full timetable of teaching, so we are hugely grateful to the teachers and support staff that have given up their time to make these trips happen and provide exciting opportunities for our students.
Alongside these residential opportunities, there are many other day trips planned for 2024 so that every student will have had the opportunity to learn outside the classroom this year.
Vista Academy Littleport
As the latest secondary school to join the Eastern Learning Alliance we have benefitted from support from colleagues around the Trust able to provide expertise, resources and guidance to aid rapid school improvement. This has included colleagues who have developed our curriculum being available to coach and mentor staff at Vista with a focus on how to embed the curriculum at Vista. Senior leaders across the Trust have delivered high quality training sessions as part of our ongoing staff CPD offer.
Significant site work in collaboration with our central Trust site team has been undertaken this term to ensure the Academy meets all health and safety statutory guidance that it previously didn’t meet. This has also enabled us to redesign teaching spaces to improve the experience for our learners such as in our science labs. We have benefited from Juliet Martin, Trust Careers Advisor who has been meeting with Year 11 students individually to offer guidance and support them in their post-16 decision making. Trips and collaboration with our sister school Witchford already are in place for this year including some of our Vista students heading to Iceland in 2024.
As we launch the Duke of Edinburgh programme, we will be working together with WVC on certain elements of the programme including the expeditions. We hope to look at more international collaborative trips in the future.
Looking Ahead
Impington Village College
Our founder, Henry Morris, firmly believed that education should be a lifelong process and this ethos underpins our approach to education. We are excited to announce the relaunch of our Adult Education programme, which has been refreshed to offer classes in pottery, yoga, and ballroom dancing, as well as modern foreign languages including French, Portuguese, Italian and Mandarin. Classes are open to the community, including children aged 14 years and over who are accompanied by an adult, providing a unique opportunity for families within Cambridgeshire to enjoy a new hobby together.
Vista Academy Littleport
In January, we are looking forward to welcoming six more new members of teaching staff to the team as we develop our high-quality classroom teaching. In the New Year we are excited to welcome parents and families into the Academy more often with Parents’ evenings, community events and parent forums as we build on the foundations built this term.
We are looking forward to launching Friends of Vista (Parent association) in the near future and look forward to partnering with our families further. Furthermore, we can’t wait to share plans for our first ever enrichment week in the summer term that will include opportunities for all Year 7 – 10s to go on a trip, a full sports day programme and other events to help build the skills of our students.
Witchford Village College
As we move into 2024, there is much to look forward to! The main excitement in any school is the continuous improvements and our current everyone is continuing to enjoy the new curriculum with more and more students benefiting from the stability and quality of curriculum and teaching that we have had in place for a number of years now. Year 11 had a really successful mock exam period and we are looking forward again to try to improve all areas of academic, personal and pastoral devilment of our students.
We are also looking forward to:
- Planning enrichment week;
- Setting up Primary School Partnerships;
- Moving forward with our new build / refurbishment of the Gym and Hall;
- The Spring term extra-curricular program;
- Putting on ore opportunities such as the Iceland trip in February;
- Year 9 choosing their KS4 courses;
- Our program of careers and work-related learning activities;
- Working with Year 6 as we begin to think about transition;
- And we are of course looking forward to Christmas!
Girton Glebe Primary School
A significant milestone in 2024 will be the full implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. This marks a shift in our approach to education, emphasising inquiry-based learning, global perspectives, and the continued development of well-rounded, compassionate individuals. We are eager to see the positive impact this curriculum will have on our students, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of an interconnected world, and further developing our close relationship with IVC as we work together to create an IB curriculum from ages 4 to 18.
To ensure a smooth transition to this new curriculum, we are committed to fostering a collaborative partnership with parents. Throughout the year, we will be organising a series of parent workshops designed to provide insights into the IB methodology, curriculum expectations, and strategies for supporting children’s learning. Additionally, we will continue to encourage parents and members of the local community to actively engage in their child’s education by sharing their professional expertise through in-school workshops. This collaborative approach between school and community will enhance the educational experience for our students, connecting classroom learning with real-world applications.
As always, our commitment to providing exceptional learning opportunities in primary extends beyond the classroom, and in 2024 and beyond we are thrilled to announce enhanced residentials for Years 5 and 6. Building on the success of previous outdoor-activity trips to Norfolk and Wales, we have exciting plans in place including a return to France and an adventurous week of camping under the stars to offer our students a unique and unforgettable experience, fostering teamwork, resilience, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
As we embark on this exciting journey into 2024, we look forward to the continued collaboration and support of our dedicated school community. Together, we will create a learning environment that nurtures curiosity, fosters growth, and prepares our students for a future full of possibilities.
Chesterton Sixth Form
Next term, we look forward to the next part of our recruitment process in the form of guidance meetings, that is concluded at the end of term with a meet and greet event. This is a great event and really starts to generate a buzz for the subsequent year.
With our Year 13, we will be sending off all UCAS applications early January, an exciting step in their journey and one that really highlights just how close they are to moving onto the next exciting chapter in their lives.
Next term, we will continue our fundraising work to support the Kenya trip taking place in the summer. This will include quiz nights, sport tournaments and even a staff car wash!
We are always looking to improve and develop the opportunities we are able to provide students and so we are very keen to work more closely with the parent community throughout the rest of the year. If there is anyone who feels they can support the sixth form provision, whether it be for a specific subject or focused around personal development, we would love to chat!
Athena Sixth Form College
Following the success of last year’s cohort, we have launched the EPQ qualification for Year 12 students. This is an opportunity for learners to complete an independent research project on an area of their interest which gains extra UCAS points and is an excellent addition to personal statements and CVs. Miss Lloyd is running the projects and is looking forward to seeing how they take shape in the new year.
Thomas, a Year 13 student at Athena, passed his grade 8 piano exam this year and will be the organist at our special community event over Christmas. Thomas has arranged the Carol Service for our community and put together an order of service. Members of DMA and Athena will make readings during the service. We are looking forward to supporting Thomas and to enjoying this special event.
Chesterton Community College
Looking into next year parents and the community are always welcome to lend a hand to the PTA who support the school extensively. You can find their contact details on the school website.
As we move into 2024 we look forwards to students continuing to excel and gaining the gold and platinum House Point Badges.
We are excited to have a really fantastic range of extra-curricular clubs and visits planned for the spring and summer terms – watch this space for more details!
Impington International College
We are looking forward to visiting our partner schools in Botswana, Borneo, India, Japan, Peru and Vietnam to further strengthen our relationships and enhance our students’ learning. International visits offer our students a valuable opportunity to learn first-hand about new cultures and practise their language skills.
Closer to home, our students will continue to their service learning, supporting local community partners including Abbey Fields, a nearby nature conservation project. We will also be shortly welcoming representatives from the IB to conduct our five-year evaluation of the IB programmes and we look forward to showcasing how the programmes have continued to grow and develop since their last visit.
Athena Sixth Form College
Following the success of last year’s cohort, we have launched the EPQ qualification for Year 12 students. This is an opportunity for learners to complete an independent research project on an area of their interest which gains extra UCAS points and is an excellent addition to personal statements and CVs. Miss Lloyd is running the projects and is looking forward to seeing how they take shape in the new year.
Thomas, a Year 13 student at Athena, passed his grade 8 piano exam this year and will be the organist at our special community event over Christmas. Thomas has arranged the Carol Service for our community and put together an order of service. Members of DMA and Athena will make readings during the service. We are looking forward to supporting Thomas and to enjoying this special event.
The Cavendish School
We are excited to be building a virtual tour of the school, where all pupils will be invited to contribute to the information shared with the community about our offer.
We are working on many projects within the Local Authority in order to share our knowledge and practice with others and develop the school even further
Parents can get involved through:
- Our community Easter event
- Our events to mark Autism awareness month
- Our Summer activity day
More details to follow about all of these!
We also hold regular community cafés for parents and their friends and families to spend some time with the school community.
Cambridge Maths School
Empowering Change: Inaugural School Council Embarks on a Journey
In recent weeks, Cambridge Maths School community has witnessed an inspiring initiative taking root—the formation of our very own school council. Comprising dedicated students this council has made a resolute commitment to instigate positive change, foster collaboration, and enhance the overall school experience for everyone involved.
What stands out remarkably is the proactive approach of students who, in their own social time, collaborated seamlessly to establish this pivotal entity. This wasn’t merely a bureaucratic exercise; it was a testament to the students’ passion for shaping the future of our school community.
The initial meetings saw these young leaders delving into discussions with enthusiasm, setting objectives that reflect their collective vision for the school’s growth. From addressing academic concerns to enhancing extracurricular activities, the council’s scope encompasses a wide array of issues crucial to the student body.
As the council gains momentum, several exciting initiatives have been set into motion. One of the first events on the horizon is the eagerly anticipated Christmas social. The council members are working diligently to organize an event that brings festive cheer to the school community, fostering a sense of camaraderie and joy during the holiday season.
Trip to Kenya
Cambridge Maths School are thrilled to announce that we will be running a school trip to Kenya from 7th-18th July 2024. This trip will be an exciting educational experience that will provide our students with a chance to explore a different culture, go on safari, and engage in various charity projects in partnership with Nakuru Children’s Project.
Nakuru Children’s Project is a charity founded by Rebecca Siddall who is an Assistant Headteacher in another school within our Trust. Our students will be helping Rebecca and her team fund and carry out essential work such as building and maintaining classrooms, cooking school lunches for the Kenyan students and encouraging spoken English to help students prepare for examinations.
This opportunity is open to all Cambridge Maths School students, and we hope it will greatly contribute to their personal growth, cultural capital, and social development.
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/
