INSPIRING TIMES: SECONDARY AND SIXTH FORM EDITION A celebration of the amazing achievements, special events and competitions in our secondary schools and sixth forms during the Spring term.
Spring 2022
An introduction from our Secondary Director, Louise Jackson.
I am proud to share with you our second edition of ‘Inspiring Times,’ showcasing news and accomplishments from our secondary schools and sixth forms during the spring term. Our vision as a Trust is rooted in the ambition that all pupils are able to experience a rounded and broad education, valuing an academic curriculum, but also opportunities to thrive in both sports and arts. This edition of Inspiring Times showcases the recent range of productions across our schools, all of which I was delighted to experience as an audience member. Likewise, the sports leader board shows that after all of the inter-school competitions to date this year, Hethersett is currently top of the table, closely followed in second place by EPA and KES in third. It was great to watch the netball matches at Hethersett and see the determination and pride our pupils displayed. I must mention the recent success of East Point Academy during their Ofsted inspection in February. The school was acknowledged as continuing to provide a ‘good’ education for its pupils, with recognition of the significant improvements made since the last visit. My congratulations go to Richard
Dolding, the staff, pupils, Academy Committee members, and wider community who should feel incredibly proud of this excellent outcome. This section of the report sums up how the EPA pupils themselves expressed that they value their experience and feel secure within their wonderful school: “Pupils at East Point Academy value the education they receive. They consider it to be a strength of the school. In lessons, the work that pupils complete and the things they are asked to think about are demanding. Teachers help pupils of all backgrounds and starting points to meet this challenge.” You will also read about Cromer Academy’s fantastic recent achievement in being granted Behaviour Hub Status. This will see Darren Hollingsworth and his team act as advisors to other schools who want to develop their culture and ethos, working with the guidance of Tom Bennett, OBE. Now that we are emerging from the Covid landscape, it is our privilege to lead pupils with certainty through their educational pathways once more. Our Year 11s and Year 13s will be able to fulfil their right of passage through their examination seasons; something pupils have
not been able to do for two years. The article within shows just how committed our schools are to ensuring pupils receive the support and intervention needed so that they can achieve ambitious goals and success in the next stage of their lives. As we move forward with hope, and anticipate those familiar emotions of trepidation as we await exam results, we must remember that while life for us begins to return to a sense of normality, life for the young people of Ukraine is shattered by the impact of war. Many of our school communities have been raising funds and donating goods to support the campaign for Ukraine. There will of course be pupils and families who have relatives impacted in Ukraine and Russia and we offer our support and care to them however we can. Thank you for your commitment and determination to support every one of our pupils – together we are making a difference to the lives of young people in the East of England and beyond. I’ll leave you with this quote: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” St Francis of Assisi
East Point celebrates Ofsted success! A fantastic result for East Point Academy, and a huge well done to all pupils and staff. We are delighted to share the news that East Point Academy has again been judged as a ‘good’ school by Ofsted. This is the first time in the school’s history that it has received two consecutive good inspection judgments. We are incredibly proud of the school’s achievements, and the recognition of the commitment of the whole school community. East Point Academy was inspected on the 9th and 10th of February. The inspection report highlights the “ambitious curriculum that provides a good quality of education for pupils throughout the school”. Ofsted praised the clear routines for behaviour within the school, stating “Pupils feel safe at the school. There are clear routines for behaviour which help pupils meet teachers’ high expectations.“ East Point Academy’s rigorous curriculum was acknowledged, as were standards of teaching: “Pupils at East Point Academy value the education they receive. They consider it to be a strength of the school. In lessons, the work that pupils complete and the things they are asked to think about are demanding. Teachers help pupils of all backgrounds and starting points to meet this challenge.” Secondary Director, Louise Jackson, said: “This is an inspection report that the whole school community should be very proud of. With a more demanding inspection framework in place than that used in the last Ofsted visit, clearly the school’s pupils and staff have risen to meet the challenge. East Point Academy provides an excellent education for its young people, and as a Trust we will continue to support the school to strive for further success.”
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This report recognises the sustained progress and significant improvements the academy has made since our last inspection. The report reflects what is unique about EPA, getting across the richness of the experience that our pupils receive, our high aspirations and expectations. Furthermore it makes it clear how our pupils value their education, whilst feeling safe and thriving in our care. The inspection is testament to the efforts of the EPA community – pupils, staff and parents alike. We are very proud of what our community has achieved, and what we know we will go on to achieve in the future. Richard Dolding - Principal of East Point Academy
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It’s Greased Lightnin’! A striking performance by our Norwich-based high schools and sixth form in the Trust’s first theatre collaboration
amazing performance of Grease. Not only was it the first production since 2019, it was also the first ever collaboration between three different schools, making it a performance to remember!
Staged over three nights in February at the Walter Roy Theatre, Hewett Academy, Jane Austen College and Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form put on an
The production was founded by a grant from Bluespark Foundation and a £1500 sponsorship from local businesses; Jones Financial, Leathes Prior, and Adrian Flux,
allowing the show to have professional staging from Scenic Productions, a great sound system (Viking Stage Lighting) and West-End-worthy costumes! Through the audition, rehearsal and performance process, students involved in Grease were given a taste of what it’s like to perform in a professional production. They were also involved in the ‘behind the scenes’ aspect - managing the stage, costumes and helping with hair and make-up. A huge thank you to all of the local businesses that sponsored this production, it was an incredible experience.
We are so proud of the students and the work they put in. The performances were amazing and a real testament to the work both the students and staff put into the production. Hewett Executive Principal Antony Little said:
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Drama productions are back big time at the Walter Roy Theatre and it is clear that audiences enjoyed this every bit as much as the cast did! Grease is such a brilliant musical and the familiar songs, classic storyline and warm characters were such a good way of bringing back the familiar roar of the theatre. This has been so important for young people, who have made so many sacrifices in the last 2 years. The hard work and determination of the cast, the crew, musicians and directors has been inspiring. I wanted to particularly thank the staff from all three schools who have put their heart and soul into Grease. And, of course, the plaudits go to the brilliant cast who have made us all so proud with their performance!
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Carmel Hannant, Teacher of Performing Arts at Jane Austen College said:
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We are so proud of our students, every single one of them shone upon the Walter Roy stage. The audience were astounded by the talent of our students on the stage.
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It’s the final countdown… Exams return and our pupils are determined to succeed An update on the upcoming exams this year and the resilience of our pupils. When Ofqual confirmed exams would be going ahead in the summer, for me it signalled a return to the normality needed for our young people. After years of disruption to their education, they will be able to work through their final examinations, demonstrating their knowledge and ultimately, celebrating the success they deserve after persevering with long periods of remote education. Gareth Stevens, our CEO, in his Schools Week article said: “Pupils currently in year 13 did not have traditional examinations in year 11. Cancelling them again this year would have seen them go on to university without ever taking a serious examination and would have done them a complete disservice.” When I visit our secondary schools, I am always impressed by the resilience our pupils show. They want to tackle their exams this year and many see it as a right of passage. In a Trust survey of our Y11 and Y13 pupils: • • • •
60% said they would prefer to have their grades decided by an examination system 71% agreed that exams are the fairest way of gaining qualifications. 92% agreed the advance information would reduce their anxiety over the coming exams and help them target their revision. 61% said they would rather sit examinations than have teacher assessments.
That is not to say that we are not prioritising the wellbeing and mental health support our pupils are entitled to. Our secondary pupils have access to a range of counselling support services in addition to the expert pastoral care and support our own school staff provide. A range of motivational speakers also visit schools to talk about career opportunities and aspirations regularly - for example, BBC visiting speakers at JAC, Cromer and GYCA, and the visit from Lotus Cars at Wayland Academy. In terms of academic support, our secondary schools have detailed and effective raising achievement strategies that are personalised to ensure pupils can achieve highly in their exams. This year they are targeted to support and build on any learning missed during the pandemic and give pupils the confidence they need. This year as a Trust, we have partnered with the online tutoring provider ‘My Tutor’ to offer targeted, live online tuition. So far, over 7,500 online tuition sessions have been delivered. Our schools are targeting School Led Tutoring programmes through twilight programmes, breakfast clubs and by offering expert tuition on Saturdays and during half terms. Our pupils are taking these opportunities in their stride.
Louise Jackson - Secondary Director
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We’ve been busy at Thetford working to ensure Year 11 and 13 are well prepared for their exams whilst investing resources into Years 7-10 to make sure we’re filling knowledge gaps early. We’ve been lucky to have lots of staff who’ve been keen to supervise after school intervention classes and this has enabled us to use the catch-up funding to provide over 250 pupils with either 3:1 or 1:1 tuition in Years 7-11 so far this academic year. We’ve largely been using ‘My Tutor’, which we’ve found to be an incredibly useful resource, but we’ve also been working with the UEA through their ‘Path to Pass’ programme which has provided an excellent 3:1 tuition programme this spring term. For Year 11 in particular we’ve been busy leading up to the recent mocks with Half Term revision, Year 11 Breakfast Club and pizza-fuelled evening boosters. We’ve got a week of revision sessions planned over Easter and we’re hoping that this on top of our Period 6 intervention programme will provide our cohort with everything extra that they need to feel prepared and confident going into the summer exams.
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Ellie Blake - Assistant Principal for Raising
Achievement, Thetford Academy
TES, October 2021
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Hethersett Academy offers free intervention sessions both during school and outside school. Inside school, Hethersett offers English and maths intervention sessions to help students achieve the best grades they can get. These sessions are extended to weekends where students who require them can go to them, completely free of charge for the students. A student from year 11 who regularly goes to the sessions had stated that, ”The sessions are really useful and make me challenge myself to help me prepare for the exams.” The intervention sessions don’t just stop there. During the holidays, students have extra optional opportunities to attend the sessions in order to catch up on any of the missed content during lockdown e.g science practicals. These free sessions help students to “consolidate their knowledge”, and many of them are “grateful’’ for them. Hethersett Academy offers clubs to help with exam stress. The club gives advice in order to help students get the best grades possible. Furthermore within subjects themselves, teachers are beyond helpful, supplying a range of revision material and exam question practice. Recently, the whole year took part in two walking talking mocks to practise exam timing for the English language exams. Many students found these very helpful with one saying it helped him to “gain a clear sense of what the real exams will be like, reducing any stress and making me feel more prepared”. Overall, the school is phenomenal at providing students with useful resources and intervention sessions both within class time and outside of school, allowing them to achieve their full potential and feel prepared for what is to come. As one student said “I am very grateful for the help I have received”.
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Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy at Hethersett Academy
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School has really helped me prepare for my exams by increasing support around revision. There are lunchtime and after school revision sessions, interventions and teachers have been offering their time during half terms to come into school in order to help us prepare. Additionally I have received targeted feedback based on previous exams and areas that I struggle with. I am still very anxious in regards to my exams, however I feel as though I am better prepared and in a more confident position to sit my GCSEs in the summer.
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Lilyane - Student at Hewett Academy
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The year 11s at Hethersett Academy have experienced 5 years of fundamental education at the school. By gathering opinions from many year 11 pupils it is evident that the education and support the school offers is astonishing: especially in the final year. It was said by pupils that they felt ‘extremely well prepared’ for their GCSEs which are rapidly approaching. The school goes that extra mile, supporting year 11s with extra tuition on Saturdays and after school. This has been said to ‘sky rocket grades’ making pupils feel able to conquer those exams! Another student in year 11 has said that they find the extra tuition ‘extremely beneficial’ and it has made them ‘feel less stressed’ about their upcoming exams. This tuition encourages all students to be driven, helping them achieve the grades that they deserve. Year 11s at Hethersett Academy get the most out of lesson time too. Revision is implemented into lessons in order for pupils to feel secure on past knowledge in school with the support of teachers. Similarly, independent studies are also guided by teachers with specific tasks in order to aid effective revision, for example the year 11 revision guide timetable. Sessions have been organised for year 11 students during lunch time that help them to create an organised revision plan ready for their upcoming exams which makes them feel ‘more secure’ and ‘confident’. As well as helping all students progress, the school has also considered their mental health and wellbeing. After school activities have been arranged such as helping the PE department teach the lower years a variety of sports on Mondays and Fridays. This is offered to year 11s which helps them gain confidence and prepares them for the future after school. Other activities such as Chess Club are also run after school which allows students to take a mental break from their studies. Additionally, in years 7 & 8 pupils are given Knowledge Organiser homework. These consist of writing about 1 page using the Cover, Write, Check, Correct method. These pieces of work have been helpful to students as they build memory retention and writing speed, both of which are necessary building blocks for their GCSEs in year 11. Throughout students’ time at Hethersett Academy, homework plays a key role in preparing them for the future. Therefore, students have said they feel prepared and supported in their studies from the very start of joining Hethersett Academy.
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Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl at Hethersett Academy
Inspiration Trust’s family of schools take part in Netball Tournament! On Tuesday 22nd March Inspiration Trust hosted their Netball Tournament staged over two venues. Year 9 & 10 took part in the netball tournament at UEA Sportspark and Year 7 & 8 at Hethersett Academy’s sports court. This marked the fourth instalment of Inspiration Trust’s Whole Trust sports competition programme for the academic year involving nine secondary schools. The tournament involved over 320 players from Year 7 - 10 and 32 teams of enthusiastic players. The sun shone and at both venues all games were played in great spirit, endeavour and high skill. Huge congratulations to the students who won individual performance awards, as nominated by school PE staff: Year 7 = Noela Year 8 = Lauren Year 9 = Erin Year 10 = Grace
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All competitors were a credit to their school in terms of performance, effort and enthusiasm. My thanks go to the Sports Leaders from Hethersett Academy who helped with the junior tournament with the results collation on every court throughout the morning, they were excellent!
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Steve Adams - Whole Trust Sports Coordinator
Our Sports Updates
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My thanks goes to all of our referees for giving up their time and officiating in order for the matches to be controlled safely and efficiently. My thanks also go to the Year 12 Sports Leaders from Thetford Academy who helped with the results collation from all the pitches throughout the morning, their efforts were very much appreciated! I hope that many of the players who are new to the game may be encouraged to join their local club and further their rugby development in Norfolk and North Suffolk!
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Steve Adams - Whole Trust Sports Coordinator
Inspiration Trust hosts Whole Trust Rugby Tournament On Thursday 24th March the Inspiration Trust hosted their Rugby 7’s Tournament at Wymondham Rugby Football Club which provided a fabulous venue for the 28 teams. The playing surfaces were excellent, weather superb and the club were fantastic hosts. Seven secondary academies from Inspiration Trust’s family of schools took part, which was really encouraging as for many of the teams it was the first competitive rugby tournament they had been involved in! Over 280 players from Year 7 - 10 competed, and teams played on 8 half-sided pitches in a round-robin tournament, so there was plenty of competition and matches. The games were played in fantastic spirit and all competitors were a credit to their school in terms of performance, effort and commitment. The competition was fortunately refereed by Norfolk Referees Society, which was fantastic. Congratulations to all of the individual winners for their sporting performance, as judged by school PE staff: Year 7 = Jack Year 8 = Will Year 9 = Ethan Year 10 = Tommy
The Sports Leaderboard Following the netball, rugby and football events this term, the annual leaderboard stands as:
Next up... our summer competitions: Athletics “Champions Day” - 20th May at UEA Sportspark Tennis Tournament - 12th & 14th July at Cromer Tennis Club
SCHOOL NEWS
Another term of great stories. Read about some of our special events, improvements and achievements! Inspiring reading at Charter Great Yarmouth Charter Academy are thrilled to announce the opening of their new library, housing hundreds of new and exciting books for students to enjoy. From classic fiction, to fact-filled reads, students at GYCA will benefit from a diverse and inclusive range of literature at their fingertips. The purpose of the new library is to create a warm and welcoming environment where students feel comfortable enough to visit and explore literature and ideas that they maybe would not have previously, and to inspire a love for reading. Amongst a whole host of exciting new books, the new library has also been furnished with plants, warm lamp lighting and cosy areas that promise a calm and chilled experience for all students to enjoy. Great Yarmouth Charter Academy’s Vice Principal, Lynne Weber, and librarian, Daisy Demarco, have worked hard to ensure that a space is accessible for all students to get lost in reading.
They have worked on various initiatives to entice students to have fun when selecting books, including their ‘Blind date with a book’, that aims to encourage students to read literature outside of their comfort zone. Vice Principal Lynne Weber said: “When we moved into the new library, we had a room and a few boxes of books. Our goal was to create a space that was both functional, and beautiful and warm: a place where everyone would feel welcome and could imagine themselves curling up with a good book. It was a huge project that involved working closely with Norfolk Children’s Book Centre to build a collection of books that would provide both a window to a world far bigger and more wonderful than anything our pupils could imagine, but that would also be a mirror in which all our pupils would be able to see themselves.” A huge thank you to Norfolk Children’s Book Centre who helped to transform GYCA’s library. This is a project we would love to roll out across all of our Inspiration Trust schools.
King Edward VII buildings improvement project The school opened in 1906 and over the years there has been a range of refurbishments and premises condition related work. But in 2021, when the Inspiration Trust took over the school, it was clear that a lot more work was needed - both to address long standing condition problems but also to create 21st century facilities for our pupils to learn in and our teachers and staff to work in. The project started in September 2021 and has some financial support from the Department for Education but also relies heavily on Inspiration Trust funding. Work started in February 2022 with the ICT replacement project. This replaced the cable network around the school with a fibre
core, and upgraded all of the switches and servers that the network relies on, creating an ICT network that can support the needs of the school now and for years ahead. This phase will be completed in September 2022. The first premises phase will start this month and deals with the A, B and C blocks, the original 1906 building, and encompasses refurbishment in B block of the main hall including the parquet floor. In A block, we will be creating three modern science laboratories and a large performance space for drama and music. Additionally, we will be creating two drama practice rooms and two music classrooms. Sixth form students will be able to use a larger work room space on the second floor of C block,
while all pupils will have access to a redesigned library space. Many of the classrooms and corridors throughout are also being repainted, recarpeted and will have new lighting installed. Further phases will follow, with D, E and M blocks being next in line for improvement work. Richard Cole (Project Lead) said: “The work to refurbish and develop the buildings is complex and expensive. This means that we must take care to make sure the changes we make are of high quality and deliver the improvements that the school needs in order to ensure the very best outcomes for all staff and pupils.”
James Wild MP visits KES for first time as a governor and talks careers in government & politics to students at King Edward VII Academy North West Norfolk MP James Wild has enjoyed his first official visit to King Edward VII Academy since being appointed as a governor on the school’s Academy Committee last year. James was impressed by the efforts of the leadership team to improve results and by the work of Inspiration Trust which took over the running of the academy in September. The school prides itself on ensuring high ambitions and expectations for all of the students as well as exposing them to a challenging curriculum and encouraging them to work hard, be committed, and conduct themselves well.
James was given a tour of the school by Principal Sarah Hartshorn and took part in a Q&A session with form leaders before meeting with sixth-form students who are interested in a career either in civil service, politics, or law. Commenting after the visit James said, “Increasing opportunities for young people to realise their potential is one of my priorities and a good education is vital for achieving that. That’s why I was delighted to join KES’ Academy Committee to support the school leadership to continue to make improvements to give the pupils the best possible start in life. With so many options for people when they leave sixth form I enjoyed talking to sixth formers about some of the roles in the civil service as well as law that they could pursue.” Last November James was appointed as an Academy Committee Member for KES. The committee works in close partnership with the Principal and staff, parents, and pupils to provide support, challenge, and scrutiny to help improve
performance. The Inspiration Trust is continuing to make changes to improve the education on offer which was reflected in the recent Ofsted short inspection.
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I was delighted to welcome James to be part of our Academy Committee and glad to be able to provide him with the opportunity to see the school in action, and witness first-hand the improvements we have already made. Our students very much enjoyed meeting with him and raised some very pertinent points in their question-and-answer sessions; I know James is already planning on taking these forward. His visit has already inspired one of our sixth formers to pursue a career in politics. We look forward to welcoming him back in his capacity as a governor to help support the school’s upward trajectory and the aim of becoming outstanding. Sarah Hartshorn
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- KES Principal
It was a great opportunity for our schools that brought fun and excitement back after so long without external visitors. Students thoroughly enjoyed their sessions with the BBC and were all encouraged to tell their own stories to participate in BBC’S Young Reporter Scheme, to celebrate 100 years of the BBC storytelling.
The BBC visits Inspiration Trust schools as part of their centenary celebrations! Students across Jane Austen College, Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and Cromer Academy have been lucky enough to welcome visits from the BBC as part of their centenary celebrations. The BBC 100 Share Your Story project is an initiative that aims to build pupil’s resilience and confidence in storytelling, whilst introducing students to exciting careers within the BBC that they may previously have never considered, or even heard of. The BBC Share Your Story tour visited both Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and Cromer Academy with host and BBC Radio 1 Extra presenter Swarzy Mcally and special guests, Rosanna Skwarka, Rights and
Business Affairs Executive and Amy Nomvula, BBC Norfolk Senior Journalist. The guests took to the stage to share their stories, talk about their lives and how their journey and setbacks led them to their current roles within the BBC. Jane Austen College was also visited as part of the tour and also welcomed host Swarzy Mcally, and a very exciting special guest, Brit award nominee, Tom Grennan, who also took to the stage to chat to students all about his career path - and challenge them to a keepy-uppy competition (that he didn’t win!) Rosanna, Amy and Tom spoke to our students all about their lives and growing up, and how they were unsure about the routes they wanted to take. They also explained about how they ended up in careers they love and thrive
in, despite many setbacks along the way. Students took part in various Q&A sessions where they got to ask their guests hard hitting questions from ‘What’s the biggest setback you’ve ever had and how did you overcome it?’, ‘What’s the best piece of advice you can give to a student who doesn’t know what they want to do after high school?’ to of course the most important question ‘Do you prefer orange or apple juice?!’. A huge thank you to BBC Bitesize, Swarzy Mcally, Rosanna Skwarka, Amy Novula, Tom Grennan and of course the BBC team who made this tour possible for our students to enjoy.
Behaviour Hub Lead school status for Cromer Academy The Behaviour Hub programme is a national initiative thought up, and led, by Tom Bennett OBE. This government backed initiative has been established to provide school to school guidance and support to schools that need to develop the strong, positive cultures that help young people develop and thrive. Until recently there were only 7 primary schools and 8 secondary schools in the whole country that were identified as having the culture, leadership and capacity to be part of the programme. We are happy to announce that Cromer Academy has now joined this elite group. After an extensive selection process including an in depth review of data, policies and practices as well as a full day of interviews with staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders; their Behaviour Hubs Lead School status was confirmed. In his feedback to the leadership team after the interview process the lead interviewer said that he ‘had never experienced a culture in a school like it before’ and that, to paraphrase the late, great Brian Clough, ‘I can’t say that this is the best school culture of any school that we have looked at on this programme, but it would be in the top 1!’
Cromer Academy will now be welcoming visitors from schools from across the country for regular open days and will be supporting leadership teams far and wide as they work on developing the cultures that they need in their schools. Congratulations to Principal Darren Hollingsworth, his leadership team, the staff and the pupils for achieving this.
“ Hethersett Academy’s Sarah is elected as Youth Parliament Member for Norwich & South! Youth Parliament elections and the Make Your Mark vote is an initiative hosted by the British Youth Council and supported by UK Parliament and Norfolk County Council. Young people from across the UK are encouraged to vote in their local election, and also the Mark Your Mark vote, which determines the issues that will be focused on. Youth Parliament members represent young people’s views locally and nationally to important decision makers. Hethersett Academy took part in an exciting week of form-time learning about Democracy, Youth Parliament and hearing from each of the 11 candidates for Norwich and South. Students also reflected upon and voted for the issues that they would like to see as priorities by their elected representatives. 5 students from Hethersett Academy went on to stand in the election from years 7 - 11, with 37 schools in Norfolk taking part. The Norfolk Youth Parliament, and the Make Your Mark received over 23,500 votes. Not only will these results be used nationally, but will also be used by Norfolk County Council to build up a picture of priorities of young people locally to then build and develop services, so every single vote really does make a difference. Hethersett Academy’s student, Sarah has been impressively elected as Norwich & South’s Youth Parliament member. A huge congratulations to Sarah and her impressive campaign, we’re looking forward to watching her flourish within her new role.
I would love to represent young people in south Norfolk and Norwich because I feel very passionately about environmental but also social issues that face young people today. I see this opportunity as a chance to make a difference in important issues and to bring young people across the UK together. Youth Parliament is a role I have been interested in for a long time and I know I can help make a difference. As a Youth Parliament member I hope to tackle problems regarding mental health and climate change because I feel these are two very big issues facing young people in society today. For example, current climate change rates will greatly impact our generation, so I think it’s important to do something now before it’s too late because after all, there is no planet B. Ways to tackle this could consist of encouraging shops to use plastic free packaging and grants for solar panels in communal areas like schools. Additionally, mental health conditions are far too common amongst young people. 1 in 7 young people aged 4 to 17 experience a mental health condition and this has only increased since the pandemic. As a Youth Parliament member I hope to utilize the position in order to achieve justice on what I really believe are very important issues currently facing young people in the UK and I will listen to other 11-18 year olds in order to help resolve problems they may face. This could include domestic violence and hate crime, discrimination and also childhood poverty. I would bring key qualities to this role including my passion for equality and enthusiasm for the environment and I will ensure that after my two years in role, the young people of South Norfolk and Norwich will have an improved quality of life for years to follow.
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Sarah - Youth Parliament Member
Cromer Academy stage Disney classic, Mary Poppins Jr! Students and staff of Cromer Academy came together to put on a fantastic performance of the family favourite and ever popular Disney classic, Mary Poppins Jr!
After a long hiatus of stage Musicals at Cromer Academy, the cast and crew were ready to deliver a spectacular and high energy performance of some of the most memorable show tunes ever written. Featuring a fantastic cast of pupils, Mary Poppins Jr promised to be a great event, held on the 22nd and 23rd March. Tickets sold out very quickly for the two evening shows, in anticipation of the talent and confidence shown by our amazing pupils.
Led by Kyra as Mary Poppins the perfect Nanny, tending to the needs of the under pressure Banks family, our audiences were joining in with songs such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Let’s go fly a kite. Many staff, led by the amazing Miss Renton, came together to make the show happen. It was one of Cromer’s greatest and most memorable shows.
School of Rock A Class Act A fantastic set of performances was given by students from East Point Academy in their roof-raising rendition of School of Rock. Staged over four sold out nights in February 2022, the students and staff of East Point Academy came together to produce and perform in a fantastic production of the musical, School of Rock, which was a resounding success. The production involved over 40 students from across all year groups including performers, musicians, technical crew and front of house. The cast and crew have embraced the arts and proudly represented the school in a highly commended performance. The students worked extremely hard over 6 months of exhilarating rehearsals and are now looking forward to their reward trip to see Mary Poppins in London’s West End. Beth said: ‘School of Rock was an amazing opportunity, I loved every minute of the show and have made friends for life!’
East Point Academy’s Head of Performing Arts, Joanna Gilbert said: “The cast and crew have worked exceptionally hard over the past six months which has been imperative to the performance world that has been badly affected during these challenging times. It is refreshing to be able to produce and perform live theatre, and to once again show the local community the talent, passion and love that East Point Academy students have for the arts.”
Inspiration Teacher Training Inspiration Teacher Training is our School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) based at the Inspiration Teaching School Hub. Reflecting the Trust’s same emphasis on knowledge-rich and subject specificity, Inspiration Teacher Training delivers high quality training which is focused on developing expert practitioners in the classroom. Applications for a September 2022 start are open for fee paying trainees, with bursaries being available for some secondary subjects: • • • • • • • • • •
Secondary biology with science Secondary chemistry with science Secondary physics with science Secondary English Secondary geography Secondary history Secondary maths Secondary modern foreign languages Secondary religious education Primary general
If you know of anyone that might be interested in training to teach, please encourage them to explore our offer. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a potential application further, please contact inspirationteachertraining@ inspirationtrust.org. Visit www. inspirationteachertraining .org to find out more.
Inspiration Teaching School Hub
Events: Developing a rigorous and diverse knowledge rich curriculum Wednesday 27th April 2022 - 15:30
The Inspiration Teaching School Hub provides a one-stop service for everything teaching related in our region.
Developing a truly rich inclusive curriculum
Designated by the Department of Education, we support over 228 schools within Norfolk and Suffolk. Our remit is to focus on the recruitment, support, retention and development of colleagues within our region. We are here from the moment teachers join the profession and throughout their career. We create a community that connects colleagues, schools, MATs, Trusts and education partners across our region, supporting their work to improve student outcomes and deliver the best educational experience to our young people.
Wednesday 25th May 2022 - 15:30
Specifically, we: • • • • • • •
Play a significant role in school-based teacher training through our SCITT. Deliver and support the delivery of the Early Career Framework (ECF). Deliver the new specialist National Professional Qualifications (NPQ). Deliver the new leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQ). Seek, create and promote development opportunities for all (CPD). Deliver high-quality evidence-based professional development (CPD). Showcase the amazing work, initiatives and research taking place in our region’s schools.
Wednesday 11th May 2022 - 15:30
Creating a culture of meaningful staff wellbeing and courgeous conversations These events are all free using the code ‘inspirEd’
KS3 Assessment changes provide exciting opportunities As you know, at Inspiration Trust, we are committed to the useful and effective use of assessment. We believe in a knowledge-rich curriculum, structured by traditional subjects. We know that rigorous summative assessment of this curriculum is needed to tell us how well our children have learnt the curriculum that we are teaching them. Historically, we have assessed our children three times a year at KS3. This meant that students sat assessments in the autumn, spring and summer terms. Although this assessment gave us lots of data that we could share, it meant that we lost important curriculum time and coherence. That is to say, we might, understandably, feel that we had to prioritise summative assessment rather than thinking deeply about how to move learning forwards. We believe that our time is much better spent on our core business: teaching a brilliant curriculum and effectively checking that our students understand it. Formative assessment can tell us how to improve learning by allowing us to check that pupils are secure in the building blocks of knowledge; by giving us useful and immediate information about what needs to be fixed. Therefore, we have made the collective decision to remove the need for us to report summative assessment data centrally in the autumn and spring terms. This means that we can focus on our core business. That is to say, rather than losing invaluable curriculum time we will instead focus on using formative assessment to drive learning forwards. Formative assessment can be seen as a process. Although more nuanced, we can argue that it contains four key elements. Firstly, the input of a
teacher such as a multiple-choice question or the use of mini whiteboards. The teacher then considers the findings of this formative assessment – what information does the formative assessment tell the teacher about what has or has not been understood? This is followed by a ‘fork in the road’ moment of decision – what options does the teacher have about what to do next? Perhaps it is in that very moment, or maybe it is during a later lesson or feedback lesson. Ultimately, this action drives learning forwards. Please speak with your subject’s Central Subject Lead, or your schools’ SLT if you have any questions.
Matt Carnaby - Curriculum Lead for English