Mrs Cooper’s Prizegiving Speech 2014 Welcome parents, students, Governors and invited guests; and especially our Speaker tonight, Ian Armitage who I had the pleasure of meeting last week when he visited the school to see us in action and find out a little more about us. It is a pleasure to deliver my first Senior Prizegiving Speech and Annual School Report for 2013‐2014. I will continue in a similar vein as Danny Moloney with recognition of the achievements in so many facets of school life. I am not sure if we have any staff members tonight running a book on how long my speech will take – I know in the past there have been rumours that this has gone on. However, having researched all the activities that have taken place over the last academic year, I can appreciate the difficulty that Danny had in trying to keep this speech concise when so much happens at George Abbot school over a 12 month period. I feel very privileged to take on this full Headship responsibility in a school where so many talented staff are prepared to go way beyond their normal role and I am delighted that we have yearly events where the students achievements are celebrated. This summer, we enjoyed four Prizegiving Events where we recognised the talents of students in each of the year groups from year 7 – 10; 4 weeks ago we enjoyed a fantastic evening at Holy Trinity Church celebrating the achievements of our Year 13 students at their Graduation. And here we are tonight celebrating the successes of last year’s year 11 and 12 students. George Abbot is classed by Ofsted as an Outstanding School. We are outstanding because we have an outstanding team of teachers, technicians, administrators, curriculum support staff and a premises team that are incredibly hard working and dedicated to support our young people in achieving their potential in all curriculum areas, as well as supporting students in their personal development into fully rounded, confident and happy individuals. With our continued high expectations, we have to ensure that every student achieves their very best, hours are spent producing resources to create the best lessons and then more hours spent marking, assessing and providing feedback to inform students of how to improve further. This dedication in all subject areas has given us some of the best results we have ever had at a time when the powers that be, have made things so much harder for schools to meet the standards. This summer, our exams changed to being linear – this means that where previously students have been able to study modules and take exams at intervals during the year, we have reverted back to an exam at the end of GCSE & A Level course. At the same time, there has been a halt in providing opportunity for entering students early to take exams and then allowing them to improve their grades at a later stage. Many exams have changed with coursework elements disappearing – all in all the exam process now is much harder than it 1
was for students over many years and as a result schools and the staff within them have had to adapt accordingly. Even so, I am delighted that unlike so many other schools that have taken a serious dip in their results this summer, George Abbot has maintained the excellent grades we have come to expect; At the end of KS3 – 49% of our students achieved Level 6 or above in all English, Maths and Science, with 88% of students achieving at least Level 5 in 5 subjects, including Maths, English, & Science. At KS4 – We were delighted that our students with all the exam constraints not only maintained the excellent results from the previous year, but in many subjects surpassed them: ‐ 90% of students achieving 5 A*‐C grades ‐ 82% of students achieving 5 A*‐C including English and Maths and by the end of the summer this figure rose to 85% . ‐ 45 students achieved 10 or more of their passes at Grade A* or A. ‐ 11 students achieved at least ten A* grades. ‐ My congratulations to, Hannah KATMAY, Alice LITTLE, William SUTCLIFFE, Alice TURNOCK and Linh TRAN all achieving 10 A*s Lucy WOLSTENCROFT, Chloe WATTS, Eugenia LAU, Matthew MCALISTER and Amelia NEWMAN all achieving 11 A*s Helena ASCOW achieve 12 straight A*s At KS5 – 215 students completed Sixth Form courses with us. ‐ 50% achieved (at least 1) A*‐A. 94.4% achieved (at least 1) A*‐C ‐ 39% achieved 3+ A*‐B, 69% achieved 3+ A*‐ C Individual students were recognised at their graduation ceremony in September, but we were delighted that three students achieved three A* grades at A Level, four of our Year 13 students achieved an exceptional four A* at A Level and one student achieved an amazing 5 A* at A Level. 209 of our students applied to Universities this year, 194 accepted offers and 83% of those accepted their first choice. 9 students have gone to study medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry 2
17 are undertaking engineering degrees, which has become the most popular subject applied for this year 10 are undertaking an Arts Foundation Diploma which will then lead to a degree in the Arts 11 students have entered Oxford or Cambridge 3 have gone to Imperial College London, 1 to the London School of Economics and 1 to the Guildhall School of Music. The most popular universities this year were yet again Sheffield and Southampton with Durham, Kent and Exeter close behind. We have seen a definite increase this year in students entering Higher Level apprenticeships at 18, particularly in fields such as finance and business where they can earn, learn and get their full professional qualifications. Di Head anticipates this area is likely to develop further over the coming couple of years as companies are doing sponsored on the job earn and learn degrees linked with the university sector. And of course these students do not end up with university related debt. The remainder of our students have either taken a gap year or gone into employment but it is reassuring to know that we are confident that all of our students, at the point of leaving us, have a definite destination. Making choices for when students leave George Abbot is crucial and we are frequently complimented for the support that is provided to assist students with these difficult decisions. Careers Education and preparing students for the world of work is an essential part of young people’s education. Much is done as part of the core PSE programme, however outside the classroom, we continue to provide extensive guidance. My thanks to Di Head our HE Co‐ordinator, Helen Rose our Careers Co‐ordinator and Jackie Sellars for providing support and arranging events in this area. We are truly a comprehensive school and many of our students have a range of special needs from learning and physical difficulties, to emotional and social needs. Unless you are actually working in school it is difficult to appreciate the vast amount of work that goes on to ensure these students needs are met in mainstream education. Students are provided with adapted resources, additional support within lessons, given catch up sessions or 1:1 tuition, attend summer schools and are provided with special arrangements in examinations. My thanks to a fantastic team of staff, Pippa Morris our SENco, supported by Karen Newman our SEN Manager with her team of Learning Support TAs, Sarah Keay and Lynne Regan for arranging alternative provision, Yvonne Cameron and her team of TAs that support our students with a visual impairment and Sue Wallace and Rebecca Ellis who work tirelessly to 3
ensure students get the concessions they need in examinations. I am delighted to report that so many of our students identified with Special Needs exceed their expectations. So my thanks go to every member of staff who have supported our students in achieving these outstanding results. However, I would like to give a special mention to our Assistant Headteacher Jude Thomas, who in her role for School Improvement, has led and worked closely with so many middle leaders on the various support strategies which have had such a positive impact on our continued improvement and success for individuals, as well as our whole school results. George Abbot is not just about providing quality lessons and getting good academic results, it is about providing opportunities for learning and development outside the classroom as well. I have mentioned already about providing the best possible education for those students with special needs and this also include students who are gifted and talented. Eva Cave, our G & T Co‐ordinator and numerous staff within Faculties, ensure that throughout the year different subjects areas provide a whole range of extension and enrichment activities to stretch our talented students. Every year the Honours Tie Panel, made up of staff and students, award these special ties to students who have bought honour to the school through performing or carrying out their role at the highest level. Last year, they awarded an additional 13 ties to join the existing 42 we have in school already. Ties were awarded across all year groups for outstanding achievement in Hockey and Ice Hockey, Gymnastics, Ice Skating, Football, Judo, Athletics, Rugby, Kayaking, Rowing, Squash and Community Service. We are in the process of setting up this part of the school website to keep up to date with the progress of past and present students who are performing in their respective fields at the highest level. Almost every subject at some time during last year organised a day trip or residential experience. Many of these trips are planned to enhance students understanding of subjects, support their exam courses and many trips have been organised to provide challenges and contribute to student’s personal and social development. The Top 8 have already mentioned several that they were involved with. When I asked our Educational Visits Co‐ordinator to provide a breakdown I was so impressed to see that last year we provided our students with 17 different residential trips and a staggering 107 day / evening trips. My thanks go to Gary Rowland, our Educational Visits Co‐ordinator and Susan Harkness, our Finance Officer for all the administrative work they do in supporting our many trips throughout the school year. In addition to our Language Exchanges to schools in Europe, we continue to link with schools from much further afield. Phil Reeves, Ali Green and Jane Hamer visited The Voice School in Tanzania this summer and Anna Gifford represented George Abbot visiting schools in 4
Shanghai. I know there are plans afoot to try to organise more student visits to both these countries in the future. In the Performing and Visual Arts our extra‐curricular provision is extensive. We continue to exhibit work in September, June and July. We took part in the Surrey Drama Festival in June and our school production was ‘The Witches’ performed at Electric Theatre in March. The Dance Department put on a lovely display of GCSE & A Level Coursework in July. In addition to the 72 students and staff that took centre stage at Euro‐Disney in Paris during the Easter holidays, the Music Department also presented a Christmas Concert in December, and 160 students were involved in the G‐Live Rotary Music event in March. And we are looking forward to our forthcoming production Grease in February so keep your eye open for tickets. In Sport, 74 different teams/clubs ran throughout the year. This year, new sports were added to an already impressive list, partly thanks to our new Astro turf pitch opened officially in April by our ex‐student and West Ham player Matt Jarvis. Competition is an important part of the George Abbot ethos. Our PE department had a successful year with 3 of our teams winning the District Athletics, the Year 9 Girls winning the Basketball County Cup, our Orienteering team winning the District Championship, the Year 8 Cricket team were undefeated, the Year 11 Football team runners up in the County Cup and the same Year group Rugby team were County Cup winners. My thanks go to all the performing and visual arts staff for all the extra‐curricular activities you provide, I also want to especially thank those teaching and support staff who run clubs, teams, trips and other activities completely outside their own role in school. The rebirth of our House Competition System, continues to be very popular with staff and students alike. The culmination of the House Challenge happens in the summer with a spectacular Inter‐House Day which involves every student taking part followed by the final House assembly where the students wait in anticipation as results are given out. This year Martlett stole the House cup from Phoenix and I would like to say a big thank you to Richard Rowe the House Co‐ordinator and the five Heads of Houses – Gary Rowland, Mike Lewis, Janis Lawrence, Alison Taylor and Anna Gifford for all the work they do in making this such a success. On a side note, we decided to include the Sainsbury Voucher scheme as part of our House Competition last year with students having to hand in vouchers to their Form Tutors to see who could bring in the most vouchers. In the Sainsbury’s scheme the previous year, we raised £18,463, however add a little competition and this year the school raised £79,057! 5
These vouchers were converted into equipment for the PE and Food Technology department. GA recognises the important contribution students can make to their community and traditionally we have provided leadership opportunities through the School Council, House and Sports Captains, Sound and Lighting crews, Prefects and the Top Eight. However in the last 3 years much work has been done to widen these opportunities to students in every year group. Last year 30 Peer Mentors (15 Year 10 & 15 Year 12) were trained to mentor younger students to act as ‘buddies’ and support anti‐bullying and vulnerable students. A total of 78 KS3 students received tuition in English and Maths and 14 KS4 students received tuition in Science from Sixth Form Peer Tutors. In July, 25 Year 10 Ambassadors trained in public speaking throughout the year; they have supported special events, leading tours for prospective parents and students, and have taken an active role in some of our staff interviews. This programme continues to develop each year and I would like to say a particular thank you to Assistant Headteacher, Sue Medley for her vision and the work she has carried out in developing leadership potential at George Abbot. I am delighted that two students are being awarded tonight in recognition for the leadership roles they had last year. I would also like to thank all students, who have taken on a leadership role in any capacity, for the contribution you have made to our school community. Every year our students raise a fantastic sum of money to support charities. Each year group has a charity week and as mentioned, the 6th Form has their unforgettable Rag Week. The total amount raised by our students collectively was just over £18,000. Our Teaching School is now in its 3rd year. Over the last 12 months, we have carried out research projects, led workshops at national conferences, supported new teaching schools, set up a new Aspiring SENco programme and continued to run the well‐established Support Staff Training programme. As part of the Surrey Teaching School Network we have organised and delivered the Level 2 National Qualification for Senior Leadership with 58 teachers already enrolled on the scheme and another 24 signed up for this year. We continue to work closely and share best practice with other secondary and primary schools. Although the two year partnership with Kings College came to an end this summer, we are pleased to continue working together, along with Boxgrove and Sandfield Primaries, as four founder schools of the Guildford Education Partnership, our own Multi‐Academy Trust with Danny Moloney as the Chief Executive. 6
Our Teacher Training programmes continue to grow in popularity. Last year, 27 secondary trainees completed the programme. Everyone went on to employment within teaching, including 7 that we have employed at George Abbot. There is a very talented team that work closely together to achieve such success and continue to develop this area and although there are too many to mention, I would like to thank Jane Sherlock, who retired from our Senior Leadership Team this year, for her leadership in this area. I am pleased to say that she is continuing to work in a part time capacity within the Teaching School. The last 6 months have been the most significant turnover of teachers that we have had in my 23 years at George Abbot. 5 teachers relocated to other areas of the country, 8 members of staff were promoted to new teaching leadership and management roles and 10 chose to retire at the same time. Normally we would mention the vast majority who have left as well as the new staff who have joined us, but due to the numbers this year, I am only going to mention our 10 long serving members of staff that retired this year as their contributions over many years have been so highly valued: ‐ Elizabeth Evanson: 12 years in the Science department ‐ Jane Eatwell: 13 years’ service with a break in Social Sciences ‐ Sue Medley: Assistant Headteacher for 17 years ‐ Joy Thompson: 22 years in the Languages Faculty ‐ Jane Sherlock, initially appointed as Head of Food and finishing as Assistant Head with 22 years’ service ‐ Deirdre Dalgleish:23 years in Social Sciences ‐ Chris Caple: 28 years and a woman of many talents who joined us to teach Graphics, then became Head of the Graphics Department and for the last 10 years was our Head of Music. ‐ Fiona Woowat: 38 years in PE, Geography and a Head of Year. ‐ Graham Haddy who taught Geography at George Abbot for 40 years I should of course also mention Danny Moloney who was at George Abbot as a Deputy for 3 years and then returned 5 years later to be our Headteacher for the last 15 years who is of course also retired. Collectively this group of 10 teachers had served 230 years at George Abbot and you will be pleased to know that we gave them a really good send off with the first retirement party beginning in May and the last one in July! So we welcome the 27 new teachers and 8 new members of support staff who joined us this September. We also congratulate the nine members of staff who have been promoted to new roles internally. 7
To draw things to a close, I would like to personally thank Danny Moloney for all he did for George Abbot as Headteacher over the last 15 years and for the support he gave me, particularly in the last two years in my role as Head of School. To also thank my Deputies Leigh Adams, now Head of School at the Costello School in Basingstoke, Phil Reeves who works tirelessly leading and supporting curriculum matters and our Business Manager, Julian Seymour whose attention to detail and building projects have resulted in the school facilities not only being maintained well, but continue to improve. Also to give my congratulations to Maud Perry, previously Assistant Headteacher for Pastoral, who has now commenced her new role here this September as Deputy Headteacher for Student Development. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Deborah Clough and Sarah Notley for the fantastic administrative support they have provided myself and the Senior Leadership Team over the year. To you Madame Chairman and the Governors of the School, who throughout the year continue to demonstrate remarkable commitment entirely in a voluntary capacity. Our staff have been delighted to see so many of you take an interest in seeing the school in action and for the advice and support you provide. To all the Heads of Faculty, Heads of Subjects, Heads of Year and Key Stage Managers, teaching and support staff…… for the work carried out last year, I would like to say the achievements and success I have reported on tonight is a fantastic collective effort, thank you for everything you do. I would like to conclude by thanking Kim Shaw, Alistair White and Wendy Nightingale for their work last year with Year 11 and Mr O Sullivan, Mr Taylor, Mr Chorley, Miss Keegan, Mrs Head and Miss Smith for their work last year with the Sixth Form. Finally I would like to say a special thank you to one of our new appointments, my Personal Assistant Georgina Crabb who has worked flat out for the last 48 hours to ensure tonight’s event runs smoothly. I am sure she will sleep well tonight! We look forward to the year ahead. We thank parents and students for completing the National Kirland Rowell Survey last year as part of our school self‐evaluation. Feedback was very encouraging and also informative and has allowed us to shape our School Development Plan for this academic year and ensure that the outstanding work continues in the challenging period that lies ahead, Thank you for listening. D Cooper, Headteacher 8