Why you should send your child to the new Academy

I'm pleased that everyone now seems to have settled back into school life and has become used to their new routines.

It's been a busy couple of weeks with so many new students and teachers getting to know each other and learning the way we do things at the Academy.

Our Year 7 students have settled well and have risen to the challenge of joining a secondary school.

We have been looking at various ways of making the transition between schools easier. One initiative involved organising a half-day team-building session for every Year 7 student at the Caldecotte Xperience at Simpson during the first week of term. This was very successful and proved to be a good way of helping children make new friends.

Looking around the Academy it is excellent to see so many students wearing 'breakthrough' badges and ties. Students who have been identified as having the potential of achieving very good GCSE exam results become members of breakthrough groups. Our 'breakthrough' scheme was set up to encourage and support students to excel and teachers report that it is already having many positive results in terms of performance and behaviour.

On the subject of excellence, many of our older students collected very good exam results back in August. It was wonderful to see the expressions of joy when so many GCSE students realised that they had been awarded good grades including lots of As and A*s. There is more about this on the news section of the website.

After speaking to some of the students who did particularly well in their exams, it is clear that they generally all had a lot of support and encouragement from their parents. The importance of good parental support to a child's learning cannot be under-estimated. Just simple things such as making sure that students get up early enough to have breakfast and get to school on time ready to learn can make a huge difference.

The start of a new school year is a time of great energy and enthusiasm and it's wonderful to see so many students determined to work hard. I will do all that I can to make sure that learning across all subjects is successful so that we see improvements in many areas during the course of the year.

Lorna Caldicott

Principal of the Milton Keynes Academy

End of Term

I’m sure that all of our students will be pleased that the end of the academic year has arrived and that they can enjoy a well-deserved summer break.

This has been a very busy year for everyone, but particularly for the older students who took exams during the past few weeks.  They will be able to come into school to collect A-level results on August 18 and GCSE results on August 25.

Throughout the year it has been very satisfying to see that so many of our students have progressed well in a broad range of subjects.  I’m sure that anyone who visited our recent Art and Design Show, Fashion Show or Dance Showcase will have been very impressed with the creativity, imagination and professionalism on display.  Elsewhere, we have seen many students excel at sport while others have revealed musical talents.

Students have been progressing well in academic areas too, with huge strides made in literacy.  The extra time spent on reading and writing is beginning to reap rewards.  From September students will notice new improved ways in which we teach maths and we should be seeing an improvement in grades following the introduction of our numeracy ‘catch up’ programme.

Studio 6 continues to expand and I am very pleased that around 130 Year 11 students will be remaining with us next year to join our sixth form.  I am confident that they will be able to gain the necessary qualifications and skills to progress to university or work and then go on to succeed in their chosen path.

Our intensive teacher training sessions have proved to be very beneficial and we are focusing a lot of effort on helping our many good teachers become outstanding at their work.  The improvement in the quality of teaching will have a major impact on the educational success of our students.

As we come to the end of our second year we know what still needs to be achieved and we have a clear plan on how to do this.  This programme will be led by an excellent leadership team which has been boosted during the past few months by three senior appointments.  I am delighted that we have been joined by new Vice Principal of Teaching and Learning Martin Bates, Vice Principal of Behaviour and Inclusion Jeanette Mackie and Vice Principal of Curriculum and Data Jon Hebblethwaite.

For me, the year end is tinged with sadness as we say goodbye to some of our students.  My best wishes go to all of our leavers and to their families.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone – students, staff, governors, parents and local businesses and organisations - for their support and hard work. 

Finally, I hope that everyone has a good holiday and I look forward to seeing students back at the Academy on Monday 5 September.

Mrs Caldicott, Principal

Food for thought

Our plan to hand out free bananas to students starts soon!

Research has shown that students perform better in exams if they eat well first, so we will be giving special food boosts before exams.

All Year 11 students will be able to enjoy a nutritious free breakfast or lunch ahead of their big GCSE English, Maths and Science exams.  We will also give out water, energy bars and bananas to all Year 11 students taking other exams during the next few weeks too.

All Studio 6 students will be able to collect free water and fruit before their A Level and GCSE exams.

Of course, we will also be providing support in a more traditional way by putting in place intensive compulsory revision sessions from May 16 onwards.  These will really focus on specific subject exams and will involve study of past exam papers.

I realise that all Year 11 and Studio 6 students will have a challenging time ahead of them in the next few weeks, but know that they realise the importance of continuing to study hard right up to the final exam.

Parents can give support by ensuring that their child revises every day for an hour at a time, followed by a short break. Trying to cram in lots of last minute revision just doesn’t work.  It’s also vital to get a good night’s sleep before each exam day.

I’m pleased to say that after all the exams there will be treats in store.  Year 11 students will have a special Graduation Brunch on June 8 to celebrate the end of an era.  They will also be able to dress up and have fun at their prom on Friday 17 June.

Good luck to every student who will be taking exams in May and June.

I would also like to take this opportunity to talk about school uniform.  Following feedback from students and parents we have introduced new rules about summer uniform which will apply for the rest of this term.

It will not be necessary to wear the Academy blazer or the sleeveless jumper, but they can be worn if the weather is cooler.

Boys and girls must wear the Academy tie - showing nine black stripes, a white shirt tucked into black trousers, black shoes and an Academy backpack.  Girls are permitted to wear a modest-length black skirt.  Jewellery and earphones are not allowed.

The Academy is not the place for scruffy students.  Look smart, feel smart and act smart.

Mrs Caldicott, Principal

We are now beginning to see some very positive results from the changes introduced at the beginning of January.

The move to a 28-hour week has given teachers more team planning time on Monday afternoons to support our aim of improving the quality of teaching and learning.  I am very pleased to report that this has already had a positive impact in lessons, with teachers seeing improvements to student work across the different subject areas. 

The introduction of more Subject Villages has also been very successful with students and teachers responding well to our new working environment.  The building work is almost complete and we now have smaller enclosed learning spaces in many Villages which enable students to concentrate better.

On the subject of building work, we have heard from the glass manufacturer that the large broken window pane in the front of the building will be ready for installation at Easter.  I will be pleased to see this repair carried out and the Academy's smart appearance restored.  A fantastic art mural will also be installed at the student entrance during the Easter break.

As the half-term holiday fast approaches, many students will be looking forward to a well-deserved break.  However, not everyone will be having a time of rest as students in Years 11 and Studio 6 will be preparing for their GCSEs, A levels and other exams in May and June.  I wish them well during this very important time.

The holiday will also be a good opportunity for Year 8 students to have a serious think about their next steps.  Decisions will need to be made in March so the deadline is fast approaching.  I cannot stress how important it is for students to select the right subjects and courses for Year 9 to set them on the right path for the future.

We know that parents strongly support the Academy commitment to having a school uniform.  We would like to thank all of you who make a real effort to make sure your child looks smart and ready to learn.  Uniform plays a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of an Academy and setting an appropriate tone.  We believe our uniform will instil pride and supports positive behaviour and discipline.

Finally, please don't forget the rules we introduced at the start of 2011: Do as you are told the first time, be ready to learn and be nice to people.  If that happens, then everyone will be happy.

I am delighted that the Milton Keynes Academy has just been recognised for its outstanding work to engage parents in their children's learning.

The Academy received the Parental Engagement Quality Standard (PEQS) which was developed by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) to formally recognise the important work schools do with their parent community and to encourage other schools to develop their own activities in this area.

In order to achieve the PEQS, schools are measured against criteria which include encouraging parents to engage in the daily life of the school; accessible and interactive communication; supporting positive behaviour; promoting learning in the home; and adult learning.

I believe that parental engagement has one of the most significant impacts on a young person's education. Since we opened last year we have experimented with a range of different ways to work with our students' parents and this is having a positive impact that has now been formally recognised by the SSAT.

Thank you in particular to the Academy's Mr. Davies who has been leading crucial aspect of our work.