Summer 2016
Useful Information
Mon 5, Tues 6 Sept
Non pupil day
Weds 7 Sept
Start of new term
Thurs 15 Sept
Year 5 and 6
Open Evening
6.00pm till 8.00pm
Fri 21 Oct
Non pupil day
Mon 24th Oct Fri 28th Oct (inclusive)
Half term
Tues 22 Nov
6th Form
Information Evening
6.30pm till 8.30pm
Fri, 16 Dec
Last day of term
BADGE OF HONOUR
Fantastic Achievement! 12 year old ASAP
student Dylan Ellis wins the Plymouth Armed
Forces Day Badge
competition. He was
presented with his
prize of £100 by the
Lord Mayor for the
winning design, sold
during Armed
Forces Week.
Contact Number:
01752 705131
DofE SUCCESS AT
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
& TEN TORS GRIT
Issue 22
David Hatherall
TEN TORS 2016
AUSTEN
HEAD OF HOUSE
Students taking part in the Ten Tors
and DofE demonstrate grit, power
and determination to succeed.
Feeling privileged: Our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
leader Lyndsey Pengelly and Headteacher Gary Futcher
attend the annual Gold Award presentation at
Buckingham Palace in May.
ASAP was invited in recognition of the fact
it’s helped and continues to support a whole
host of students ‘be the best they can be’
through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
For the past seven decades, the charity has
inspired and transformed the lives of millions
of young people from all walks of life. From
volunteering to physical activities, life skills
to expeditions, achieving a DofE Award is
a passport to a brighter future, valued by
employers and universities.
Miss N Fletcher
CHURCHILL
HEAD OF HOUSE
MEET THE HEAD WHO
HAS FAITH IN EDUCATION
Mrs K Merricks
DARWIN
HEAD OF HOUSE
Miss H Freeman
NIGHTINGALE
HEAD OF HOUSE
Mr T Goodman
SHAKESPEARE
HEAD OF HOUSE
Mrs M Lidington
SENCO
Mrs S Mullinder
Andrew Renouf/Heather Murray
A service of commissioning, led by the Bishop of Plymouth, was held in ASAP’s chapel during the Summer term to officially
welcome Gary Futcher into his new role as Headteacher.
ASAP’s Chaplain Reverend Andrew Bowden; Gary Futcher; The Bishop of Plymouth and Bob Harrison, ASAP’s Chair
of Governors.
The first thing Gary Futcher did when he took
up his post here at ASAP at the beginning
of the year was to change his title from
‘principal’ to ‘Headteacher’ because he
strongly believes he is “a teacher first and
foremost’. He then moved his office into the
heart of the campus, enabling him to get out
and about at every opportunity, ‘live and
breathe the school’ and become ‘more visible’
- a big part of the job.
BY 2020 OUR VISION IS TO BE THE
SCHOOL OF CHOICE FOR FAMILIES OF
CHRISTIAN FAITH.
As the only CofE secondary school in
Plymouth, Gary was recruited to ASAP as
a practising Christian and his aim is to
build on its strong Christian ethos, to create
a community of learning that puts faith
in education and provides students with
a broad and balanced curriculum which
strengthens the body, challenges the mind,
Save the date: Yr. 5/6 Open Evening: Thurs, Sept 15th (6-8pm), 6th Form Info. Evening: Tues, Nov 22nd. 6.30- 8.30pm.
nourishes the spirit and encourages everyone
to go beyond their best.
WE WANT TO PRODUCE WELL-ROUNDED,
MORAL, ACADEMIC AND WORK-READY
CHILDREN WITH GOOD FUTURES AHEAD
OF THEM.
His vision for ASAP is based around the 4F’s Faith (putting Christian faith at the heart of every
action and ensuring a safe environment and
caring ethos for all), Foundations (providing
strong foundations in learning, behaviour and
success for all), Family (understanding the
importance of family, the value of community
and support for all) and Futures (preparing for
bright futures shaped from excellent progress,
achievement and choice for all).
I’M SUPPORTED BY ABSOLUTELY CRACKING
STAFF WHO LOVE THE SCHOOL AND THEIR
STUDENTS, WHICH MAKES MY JOB A
LOT EASIER. IT’S HARD WORK, BUT I’M
LOVING IT AND I REALLY BELIEVE IN IT.
YOU CAN
MEET THE HEAD:
SAVE THE DATE:
YR. 5/6 OPEN EVENING:
)
THURS, SEPT 15TH (6-8PM
SAVE THE DATE:
6TH FORM INFO.
D
EVENING: TUES, NOV 22N
6.30-8.30PM
Gary’s vision for the
school is based
on the 4Fs - faith, fou
ndations,
family and futures.
Individual Campus tours available - just give us a call
UK MATHS CHALLENGE:
STUDENTS FIGURE IT OUT!
XANDER SCOOPS A HAUL OF MEDALS
As part of our commitment to the
development of collaborative learning
experiences we continue to host a
programme of initiatives and activities
for local primary school students designed
to raise aspirations and enhance children’s
financial awareness, enterprise and
STEM skills.
FEELING PROUD:
FIELD GUN TRAINING PAYS
OFF FOR TRANSITION CLUB
As part of its Yr 6 transition programme,
ASAP’s Field Gun Club took part in the first
ever Junior Field Gun Tournament as part
of the Armed Forces Weekend in June.
Our current Yr. 7s joined future Yr. 7s from
our neighbouring primary schools (Knowle,
Mount Wise, Ernesettle, Mayflower,
Montpelier and Weston Mill) to compete
- the only secondary school and transition
club in Devon to do so.
As you might have already seen in the local
press, Yr. 7 student Xander Harris continues
to thrive in the sporting world after taking
part in the annual National Dwarf Games for
the fourth time and returning from the West
Midlands with a plethora of medals.
The 2024 initiative: Students painted, moulded, captured and sewed together a
wonderful tapestry of talent which was put on display in a private exhibition to
give their families the opportunity to check out their child’s art moves.
PRIMARY ARTS INITIATIVE KEEPS CREATIVITY
IN THE CURRICULUM
At a time when government policy, it could be
argued, is under-valuing the arts in schools,
we’ve been busy nurturing local creative talent.
This year, Yr. 5 students from some of our
neighbouring primary schools (Widey Court,
Montpelier, Pennycross and Shakespeare) have
been tapping into our art and design expertise
every Friday afternoon as part of a free, ten
week initiative: 2024.
As a nod to the year (2024) in which they
might choose to go on to Higher Education,
we’ve given the community’s most passionate
and creatively talented youngsters a head start
by encouraging and nurturing their potential.
“IT’S BEEN SO MUCH FUN, SOCIALISING
WITH PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS
AND DOING WHAT I ENJOY BEST. I
REALLY LOVE FASHION AND ART AND
BECAUSE WE DON’T NORMALLY GET THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PAINT AT SCHOOL, IT’S
BEEN A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A FRIDAY
AFTERNOON!” SAYS EMILY, AGED 10
FROM PENNYCROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL.
After training hard they did extremely
well at the event and demonstrated the
characteristics that Field Gun demands teamwork, communication and discipline.
A great achievement - well done!
He now has his eyes set on the World Dwarf
Games in Canada in 2017.
Our science department once again brought
the magic of the discipline alive for 112 Yr.
5 students from 14 neighbouring primary
schools as part of our ‘Science with a Twist’
programme. They joined us in our high tech
labs to conduct ‘hands on’ experiments and
“The only way to learn Science is to do
Science,” says ASAP Science Teacher
Ellie Crispin who delivers the stimulating,
creative sessions which raise aspirations
and introduce a host of alternative career
possibilities to every participating child.
“The children love the interaction and real
life application, get very excited and emerge
from the experience without even realising
how much they’ve learnt,” he adds.
FIVE A DAY: VALUES THAT COUNT
ASAP Chaplain, Reverend Bowden has been
leading assemblies in many of our local
Church of England primary schools, exploring
themes such as: trust, leadership, teamwork,
thankfulness and the Fruit of the Spirit.
Amongst other things he has been challenging
the youngsters to think about how they view
people and how important everyone is,
whatever their job or role in society; reflecting
our desire to follow the example of Jesus,
who had time for everyone. Every student
is important to us at ASAP no matter what
subjects they like or do well in, what sports
they enjoy or what music they listen to.
Our primary school initiatives raise aspirations, boost skills and enrich young lives
ympic Gold
Xander with Paral nds OBE.
mo
Sim
ie
Ell
list
da
Me
“XANDER HAS DEMONSTRATED TO THE
REST OF OUR STUDENTS THAT IF THEY ARE
FOCUSED AND DETERMINED THEY CAN
ACHIEVE AMAZING THINGS,” SAYS HEAD
TEACHER GARY FUTCHER.
Year 7s with Kai (pictured centre)
ASAP STUDENTS: CAREER READY!
Formal mock interviews with our business
partners Plymouth Community Homes gave our
final year Career Ready students an insight into
how to get a job by being prepared, looking the
part and ‘selling’ themselves. The PCH interview
panel provided students with valuable advice
and feedback on their performance - how they
came across, their responses, appearance and
eye contact. It was a great experience for
all involved.
SIMS VENTURE:
A BUSINESS ADVENTURE
Fifteen of our Yr. 12 and 13 students
recently faced the challenges of running
a company when they took park in
Sims Venture at Plymouth University. The
multi-award winning and sophisticated
business simulation game makes students
hone their strategic skills to engage them
in a deeper, richer learning experience
and develop lasting business, enterprise
and entrepreneurial talent.
HEROES AT ASAP
First graduation of the new Career Ready
programme. The ceremony was attended by
business mentors, masterclass hosts and
internship supervisors. Some students presented
to the gathered audience and shared their
Career Ready experiences. Video messages of
congratulations were sent by Anne Spackman,
Chief Executive of Career Ready and also from
Simon Page, Regional Manager.
PRIMARY INITIATIVE FUELS A LOVE OF SCIENCE
gain real, practical experience. Fuelling
an interest in the STEM subjects (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths) the
children were given a challenge to explore,
investigate and solve in groups using
organisational skills, critical thinking and
science knowledge gained during the day.
They were also assisted by a handpicked
group of our own students who are excelling
and showing signs of promise in science.
27 students from Years 7 and 8 have
excelled in the UK Junior Maths challenge
giving ASAP its greatest ever haul of
certificates from this competition.
26 Students attained silver and bronze
certificates and Kai Smith (Yr. 7) achieved
ASAP’s first ever gold certificate putting
him in the top 6% of Yr. 7 and 8 students
nationally. Well done all and special
congratulations to Kai!
DEVELOPING CITIZENS OF THE WORLD
their horizons, appreciate different cultures and
understand the real world. Our foreign modern
language students are well on their way to
becoming confident, open minded global citizens.
As our recent exchanges with our partner
schools in France and Germany demonstrate,
ASAP adopts a multi-cultural perspective to
education. Our global networking adds an
international dimension to every aspect of
school life and helps young people broaden
Pictures show: French and German students from Brest
and Werne visiting their ASAP counterparts for lessons,
sports and fun
Military Kids Club (MKC) Heroes
Ambassador Brianna Skinner, Senior
Chorister in the Military Kids Choir and
Standard Bearer Jack Carpenter (pictured
above) joined other ASAP students to
commemorate the Battle of the Somme and
the Battle of Jutland in the City. They were
both nominated in the HMS Heroes service
Children’s Voice Awards. Brianna received
a trophy for her support of others and
Jack received the Ambassador’s award.
Brianna and Jack (one of the most active
members of the MKC) join some 2,500
other children and young people of service
and veterans’ families in Plymouth.
...... Did you know ASAP is Plymouth’s only UK Career Ready Academy?