E-Newsletter 2nd July 2021

Friday 2nd July 2021 Update from the Principal Dear parents/carers and families, I hope that you are keeping well and enjoying the sunshine, as and when it comes out.   Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support. We have had a really positive start to our Academy “RESET”, and I have found it a joy to see students engaging in lessons as they move around the school, rather than being based in one area. Students have responded really positively and the Academy feels much calmer as a result. The issuing of equipment to students has meant that lessons can begin promptly, and that students are fully prepared. This supports improved learning for all. As you will be aware, covid cases are rising. Clifton remains well below the national average, but we are seeing one or two cases locally. At the time of writing, we have had one positive case confirmed in the Academy since half term. This has meant a group of students have had to work from home for a few days. We know that many schools have had significantly more disruption than we have. We are not complacent however, and continue to request the wearing of masks inside the building. It is essential that you support the Academy by ensuring your children take the lateral flow tests twice a week – especially on a Sunday evening. You must let the school know the result of the test. Click here to complete the form. You must also share the results with the NHS (www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result). As we move forward, we have also taken the difficult decision to postpone our transition events. While we are confident that we can keep students safe, the current situation means we cannot offer the normal jam packed event that we would. We will therefore be encouraging our new students to join in our summer school at the end of August, as well as carrying out our transition activities at the start of term in September. We will be contacting parents of year 6 children over the next week or so. Today marks the last day at the school of Mrs Watson. Mrs Watson has been a dedicated servant of the school and the Clifton community for over 20 years, and I have enjoyed working with her since I started. She is leaving us to a post working across a number of schools, and I am sure that she will be a great success. I am aware that many of you have been taught by Mrs Watson, and will want to share with me in wishing her the best for the future – I am confident we will see her around Clifton again. Mrs Watson’s replacement is Mr Davis. Mr Davis has worked across a number of schools for the Spencer Academies Trust with great success and will be instrumental in continuing to move our Academy forward. He will be in the Academy for much of the remainder of term. Finally, since being here I’ve been considering how we grow our engagement with the community locally. I have therefore asked my senior team to complete duties at the end of the day further away from the Academy building. I have had some lovely conversations with our neighbours and we will continue to do this to show that our responsibilities as an Academy do not start and end at the gate. I hope that you have a lovely weekend – I will be enjoying the England Ukraine match tomorrow evening, although I am meant to be at a family wedding so I need to work out how to do both! Yours sincerely, Graeme Smith Principal News Goodbye from Mrs Watson I have so many wonderful memories and the many years I have spent teaching your children have been the most rewarding of my life. When I first entered the building as a Newly Qualified Teacher, I never dreamt that I would fall in love with the school, teaching, the community and honestly, still be here 21 years later! I would also like to officially apologise for the many years of the ‘Cornflakes and Milk’ song that many of you have heard on repeat!  For now, I will be moving on to a vice principal position across a different trust and I would like to wish all at The Farnborough Academy the best for the future and hope that whilst this may be the end for now, it will not be the end forever. Clare Watson Let's Pitch It Workshop  Last week some of our Year 9 pupils took part in the 'Let's Pitch It' workshop delivered by Baasit Siddiqui from Channel 4's Gogglebox. The workshop helps to develop the pupils entrepreneurial and creative skills whilst developing a concept for a new television show. Emphasis is placed on celebrating how communication, collaboration and effective use of digital literacy are essential skills in all professions. Year 8 DofE Sign Up Bronze sign ups are now open for current Year 8 students! Sign up this half term to ensure you can get started straight away in September. Click here to watch a video for more information.  The sign up form can be found on the Farnborough App. Registration is £30 payable on sQuid. PP students can claim a free space. The expedition (final section) is usually about £110 but this fee isn’t payable right away. Any questions at all please get in touch via the App or at r.carter@thefarnboroughacademy.com Dates for Your Diary Please click here to view our future term dates.    Parents' Notices Social Media Don't forget that you can follow us on social media to keep up-to-date with what's happening at the academy. Follow us here: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. The Farnborough Academy App  Most parents and carers have now signed up for The Farnborough Academy App, our new communication tool which enables us to keep you up to date with important notices and news. You can also report an absence and communicate directly with your child's tutor and class teachers. You can download the app for iOS here and Android here. You will need your enrolment code to sign in for the first time. If you have not received this, please email app@thefarnboroughacademy.com.    Read for Good Sponsored Read The Read for Good Sponsored Read starts on Monday 5th July! Our goal is to raise money to give books to children in hospital and for more books in our school. It’s really easy for sponsors to pay online at https://readforgood.org/sponsor-a-pupil-taking-part-in-readathon/ Please make sure that you have a reading book with you everyday until 16th July! Year 10 Mocks Year 10 students have now successfully completed their first round of mock exams and considering it’s the first time they’ve sat in the hall to sit formal exams since the end of year 8 they really rose to the challenge and applied themselves well. Students have now received the majority of their results and have begun the process of feedback with their class teacher. As always with exams there has been a range of results and emotions to match them, some students have done well and for others its been the wake up call they needed. It has been a difficult 18months and that of course has impacted the students academically, but what this exam period has shown is that where students have continued to work hard, apply themselves consistently and engaged in their learning they reap the rewards. Please be talking to your child about their results.  Standout performances: Angel O- Levels 6-9 across the board Laila O B- History Level 5 (target level 3) Josh C- Maths- Level 4- highest mark on foundation paper Katie K- History- level 6- highest mark in the year (target level 5) Pride Month Pride Month is in June each year. Click here to view a video assembly which gives more information about the history of Pride, and why Pride is still needed today. A new LGBT+ group started this week and will be held every Thursday 3-4pm in Room 10. The LGBT+ group is a new initiative to provide space for young people to explore and celebrate their identities in a safe and supportive environment, using resources from The Proud Trust and Stonewall. The group is open to all students including those who wish to become a better ally.  After School Sports Clubs Summer Term 2021 - Sports Hall 3-4pm Monday: Y8 Football  Tuesday: Y7 Football, Y7 Rackets  Wednesday: Y8 Dodgeball Thursday: Y9 Rounders, Y9 Football Thursday: Y10 Btec Theory LR1

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