issue 11 / spring term 2018...advertised in the near future, and we hope to make the appointment...
TRANSCRIPT
Issue 11 / Spring term 2018
We are now two thirds of the way through the academic year, and it is turning out to be an exciting year for Nova Hreod
Academy. I recently met a group of parents, and we reflected together on what makes Nova a great school. Parents also shared
with me their ideas about the areas we might improve and develop. I would like to thank everyone who gave up an evening to
meet with me.
This newsletter is a real testament to the hard work and dedication shown by Nova students this term, including a very
successful performance of Sister Act, the fantastic Nova’s Got Talent, and a whole range of achievements and successes both in
school and outside. We were also honoured with a visit from Olympic medallist Shelley Rudman as seen on the front page.
I have spent a lot of time this term talking with senior and middle leaders about the future of Nova Hreod Academy, and the
direction we should take. I have also undertaken a consultation with the whole staff. What is clear is that all of our staff are in
strong agreement that we must continue to nurture a climate of high expectations. Staff wish Nova to be known as a school
where pupils are smart, polite and hardworking. In addition, staff feel that our exemplary behaviour in lessons makes it possible
for all pupils to make the most of their learning, to study and to maximize their potential. Therefore it is important that we keep
Binary Behaviour.
There are a number of areas that we have agreed to develop at Nova:
Pupil Progress and Achievement
Whilst there has been a pleasing improvement in headline
examination results at Nova, achievement is not yet as good
as it should be. Our pupils are hardworking and intelligent,
but I am disappointed with the GCSE progress scores for Nova
in 2017 and 2018. Myself and Mrs Stokes (Secondary Head
Teacher at Swindon Academy) are working closely with Nova’s
Senior Leadership Team and staff to ensure that our pupils are
supported and challenged to achieve their potential in the
forthcoming GCSE examinations. We want every pupil to leave
Nova and go on to study at Sixth Form or to take up training
and apprenticeships with a strong set of GCSE qualifications.
The Key Stage 3 Curriculum
All staff at Nova are agreed that the Key Stage 3 curriculum
should be broadened next year. This means that all pupils will
have a lesson of Art, Music, Drama and DT and two lessons of
PE each week; we believe that pupils are entitled to a broad
and balanced curriculum that provides opportunities to
develop creative and sporting excellence. We have already
appointed an additional teacher for Art and one for DT. In
addition, we have appointed two new PE teachers which
means that our extra-curricular programme and our sports
teams will increase in September 2018.
The Key Stage 4 Curriculum
We have broadened the Key Stage 4 curriculum and included
a number of new subjects that pupils can opt to study in Year
10, including Health and Social Care, Product Design,
Photography and Business Studies. Our teachers are excited
about being able to offer these new courses, and Year 9
pupils are looking forward to having their option choices
confirmed.
The School Day
In order to be able to offer the additional subjects outlined
above, we will be making a change to the school day at Nova.
There will be a Parents’ Information Evening after Easter – I
will inform parents once the date for this event has been
agreed. Parents are welcome to attend this meeting to hear
the details of the proposed changes.
The Pastoral System
We are currently consulting with staff about re-introducing a
House System for Nova. This would mean that pupils belong
to a House, and are able to take part in a wide range of
events and competitions to represent their House. More
details of this will be shared at the Parents’ Information
Evening.
Extra-curricular opportunities
I am a great believer in the importance of extra-curricular
clubs, teams and activities. Having appointed two new PE
teachers, we will be able to offer a greater range of sports and
teams for pupils to get involved with. In addition, our new PE
teachers are both Duke of Edinburgh trained, so we will be
able to run a successful DofE programme at Nova.
I am currently working with United Learning and with our Governors to appoint a new Headteacher for Nova. The post will be
advertised in the near future, and we hope to make the appointment during May. I will keep parents informed of progress with
the appointment.
So, as we reach the end of another busy term, I would like to thank our parents for their continued support. I wish all of our
families a happy Easter – do enjoy the Easter break.
Ruth Robinson
Executive Principal
The school
c o u n c i l
have been
very busy
this term.
Not only did they
organise and run the
very successful Year
7/8 disco they also
helped out with the
box office at the Sister
Act show, expertly
serving drinks during
the interval.
They have been
involved in other
projects including the
recruitment of some
new teaching staff
who join us in
September. Members
of the school council
completed individual
c a n d i d a t e p ane l
interviews and gave
tours of the building to
the applicants.
Our new catering
company, Sodexo,
invited a group of
students from the
council to act as
“Agents for Change”,
representing their
peers in the redesign
of the Stellar Diner
and the catering offer.
The first step was for
students to discuss
how they would like
the Stellar Diner to
look, they were able to
share their views with
Sodexo designers
which are being
considered in the
redesign. The results
of their ideas were
then presented to the
students when they
were invited back to
give feedback on the
new menu ideas.
“The Agents for Change have been fantastic
ambassadors for the school and have really helped
us to find out what Nova students want, both in
terms of the design of their dining hall and the
meals that they have at school”
Sodexo
Year 10 welcomed a representative from The Harbour Project
Swindon. They led a conference about their work with
refugees in Swindon and shared the story of one individual
who had fled Kuwait for the safety of the UK.
Schools motivational speaker Cameron Parker held an
inspirational assembly and workshop with our Year 9
students to raise their aspirations and improve their
self-esteem.
Justin Tomlinson MP was invited into school to hear a
presentation from students about the 100 Million
Campaign. The campaign encourages students to talk
to their local MP about researching the issues and
discuss how we can all play a role in helping children
worldwide have access to safe and sustainable
education.
A group of Year 9 and 10 students sat a UKMT Maths
Challenge paper alongside many other students across the
UK. The challenge aims to stimulate mathematical
problem solving and is a rewarding experience to
challenge all abilities. The papers have been returned and
marked from the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust and
we are proud to share some very successful achievements.
Silver Certificates were awarded to: Ashley, Amy, Hope,
Izzy, Emily, Gemma and Isobel (all 10N1), and Jacob
(10N2). Receiving a Bronze Certificate were 10N1’s Jay,
Jake, Bea and Daniel.
Meanwhile in year 9, Ehren (9N1) scored exceptionally
well with a Silver Certificate and achieving ‘Best in Year’.
Alicja (9N5), Shannyn (9N1) and
Imogen (9N1) also achieved Bronze
Certificates.
The mathematics department
would like to congratulate every
student who took part in this yearly
national challenge.
We are delighted
that Ehren (9N1)
has been selected
to take part in
the next stage of
the UKMT
challenge.
Ehren's success
has put him in
the top 8000
students in the
UK. Good luck
and Well done
Ehren!
Congratulations
to Patrick
(10N1) who was
awarded the
only Gold
Certificate,
along with Best
in Year
Certificate.
Well done
Patrick!
Congratulations to the four Nova students who have reached the regional final of the UKMT Team Challenge.
Liam (9N1), Oliver (9N1) Hana (8N3) and Alexander (8N3) will be attending Royal Wootton Bassett Academy to work
together to compete for a place in the National Final in London later this academic year; we wish our team the very
best of luck!
Well done to our two teams of Year 7 students who both achieved between 98%-100% in the majority of weekly
challenges in the University of Southampton's National Cipher Challenge 2017 - The Mystery of the Lost Legion.
Students had to decipher large messages both by hand and using computer programmes to help them read messages
and solve problems.
Seven students have made a strong start in
the Swindon Maths League, with Ellie (7N3),
Denise (7N3) and Aayushi (7N5) on one team
and Ethan (7N6), Ruben (7N6), Finley (7N6)
and Kenneth (7N5) on the other. The boys’
team scored top marks in the main four
rounds with the girls team scoring very closely
behind.
Our two very competitive teams are
determined, enthusiastic and currently
preparing themselves for another successful
round at Ridgeway School next term.
Weeks of hard work really paid off as our performing arts students delivered
two fantastic performances this term. Well done to everyone for such a
fantastic display of talent.
Achievements
Year 9 students Sam (9N1)
and Liam (9N2) have reached
the final of a national app
competition after being
shortlisted to the final 10
teams out of over 400 entries.
Their idea, The Ultimate Guide
to School, was selected by a
team of judges and they had
to submit a video presentation
to get through the second
round.
The boys have worked hard on
their entry, creating posters
and doing market research to
help with the development of
the app. They have been
chosen to go through to the
final at IBM Headquarters in
London, where they will give a
presentation to a panel about
their design. The winning team
will see their app developed
and featured on the App Store.
Twitter users can follow the
c o m p e t i t i o n a t
#UnitedApp2018. We are very
excited about Sam and Liam’s
success and look forward to
hearing how they get on.
Congratulations to the winners of the Year 7 and 8 French vocabulary challenge.
Year 7, 8 and some of Year 9 came together to raise money for the British Heart Foundation in a sponsored
Skipathon.
A big thank you to everyone who helped raise an amazing £1,292, and a big shout out to Darcy-Jean (8N4) and
Jamie (9N4) who collected the most sponsorship.
Kerry (8N5) and Xander (8N3) wowed the staff and students with their amazing skipping skills.
Primary school transition programme
Our primary school transition programme has welcomed pupils
from our feeder primary schools to take part in workshops and
events at Nova. We believe that being introduced to secondary
school early helps students adjust to their new surroundings
and reduces any anxieties about moving up to Year 7.
We welcomed students from Moredon
Primary School and St. Francis CofE
School for the first of our primary school
science shows. It was an explosive
experience for the Year 5 pupils, who
were thrilled by a series of explosions and
smoke. Dr Clapp demonstrated the
sublimation of dry ice, exploded hydrogen
balloons, and explained how rockets are
propelled into space.
All the visiting pupils were a credit to their
schools and we are looking forward to the
next science show, our Maths Murder
Mystery and Spaghetti Structures
workshops next term.
Haydon Wick Primary School came along to a
storytelling event which encouraged pupils to
think about how we tell stories out loud to one
another. Mr Hetherington went first, telling us a
story about the time he got to play baseball
(badly) in America (everyone seemed to like the
idea of him being hit in the head with a baseball).
The Haydon Wick pupils then spent up to two
minutes telling a true story of their own, which
included some fantastic stories about rogue
shuttlecocks, slippery staircases, trips to Spain,
and Little Mix concerts.
Students from Haydon Wick Primary and Even
Swindon School joined us in the theatre for a
matinee dress rehearsal of Sister Act. The visiting
students were exceptionally well behaved and we
look forward to welcoming them back for our
next performance.
This term has welcomed the start
of the football season with all
year groups taking part this year.
Year 7 have played two games
with a 3-0 win against Abbey
Park and a 1-1 draw with RWBA.
Great performances so far from the boys. Year 8 have also
got off to a winning start with a 4-3 win over Dorcan
Academy after being 3-1 down.
Our Year 9 team won their first two games
with a hat-trick in the first match from Adam
(9N3), who went on to score two more in the
next match. An all round solid performance
from the team. Great start!
The Year 10 team have yet to play a fixture due to the bad
weather, and Year 11 have struggled so far this season,
losing 8-2 to Commonweal and 5-1 to RWBA. Their heads
haven’t dropped though and they keep fighting until the
final whistle. Hopefully they will do well in the cup
competition that they have coming up shortly. The boys in
all year groups have done excellent so far and hopefully as
the fixtures continue we will see more promising results and
maybe a league title or a good cup run.
Moving onto the girls who play 5 aside indoors. Both the
Year 7 and Year 8/9 teams lost their first games against
Abbey Park Academy, but our Year 10/11 girls team won
their first match with a great result 11-2. It’s still too early
in the season to call, but fingers crossed for more positive
results.
Congratulations to Bailey (9N2) who has been selected for Team England U15 Boys Ice Hockey team. Bailey will
be travelling to Slovakia at Easter and we wish him and the team all the very best.
Well done to Joshua (11EN2) for achieving a 1st degree black
belt in martial arts. Josh is also one of our CCF cadets and a
Year 11 Prefect.
GCSE & BTEC PE students were on hand to support two of United Learning’s head office team as they took part in #RideABC,
a gruelling 600 mile bike ride visiting 25 United Learning schools to raise money for Sport Relief and the United Learning
sports charity SITUPS. Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman came along to work with Year 7 and 8 pupils as they took part
in a Sport Relief Mile, raising a total of £126.84. More fundraising activities for Sport Relief will feature in the next newsletter.
Lewis (7N4)
reached the final
of the Wiltshire
ASA County
Championships
and achieved 7
brilliant personal
bests.
Well done Lewis!
(photo courtesy of DE photo)
A group of Year 7 and 8 students took part in the launch
of Swindon Stories, an initiative from the National
Literacy Trust that aims to encourage the whole town to
prioritise reading, writing and talking. The students
boarded a literacy bus where they enjoyed a performance
from musicians AJ and Ant from The Tribe who performed
a song that they had written about the importance of
literacy skills.
Year 10 History students visited a 19th century operating
theatre in London to support their studies about health
and medicine for their GCSE, and 100 students travelled
to the Tate Art Gallery where they were able to get ideas
for their practical submissions and learn more about art
and art history.
Many of our Year 9
students were lucky enough
to be able to take part in a
day of activities with the
Royal Air Force Youth
Engagement Team when
they joined forces with the
Engineering Development
Trust and visited Nova to
promote STEM careers with
a day of hands-on activities.
Students have had opportunities to find out more
about their post-16 choices with a selection of
visits to local colleges, universities and businesses
this term. Year 11 have visited Swindon College
and have had a tour of the Honda plant. A group
of Year 9 students visited the University of
Reading and the Royal Agricultural University.
Information about apprenticeships has also been
widely available, with visits from BMW,
Tithegrove and Green Labyrinth. A group of Year
10 girls attended a Women in Engineering event
at Wiltshire College. Ambassadors from a variety
of local and national engineering companies and
prestigious universities were on hand to talk to
students about the different types of employment
opportunities and the routes into engineering.
To mark National Careers Week and National
Apprenticeship Week, the whole of Key Stage 3
participated in a ‘Futures in Public Services’ event
which promoted careers in the Army, Navy, RAF,
teaching, and the police. As well as daily tutor
group activities, other activities throughout the
week included a trip to Swindon Jobfest for 50
Year 10 students and an apprenticeship assembly
and workshop hosted by the Gloucestershire and
Wiltshire Partnership and Tithegrove
Construction. Finally, all students in Year 10 were
given the opportunity to experience Mock
Interviews with employees from Sodexo, PGL and
Arval. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone who has helped support our
careers education programme this term.
“The students’
performance was
fantastic. They did
themselves, the
school and their
family proud”
‘‘Very polite
students. It was a
pleasure to be part
of this experience”
“I met some really
lovely people who
were polite and
friendly”
“Amazing! I think
these students
have done a
superb job – they
have worked hard
and prepared
well. I can’t
believe some of
them are only 14!”
“ A very high
standard. I am
impressed with the
school and its
students”
“ I think this has
been invaluable for
the students but
also for us at
Arval. There is
some real talent
that we have seen
today. This worked
really well – so
nothing to
improve. An
excellent morning”
A full calendar of events and more information can be found at www.novahreodacademy.org.uk
April
Thursday 29th March last day of term
Monday 16th April INSET Day
Thursday 19th April Year 10 Parents’ Evening
May
Thursday 3rd May Year 8 Parents’ Evening
Friday 4th May Year 11 Leavers’ photo
Friday 25th May last day of term
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (Europe) Photo by Joan Marcus
April 2018
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
May 2018
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31