Aston Community Education Trust
(ACET) Newsletter
July 2016
Dear Parents/Carers
Congratulations to all our pupils and
students who have made Summer
Term 2016 such a happy and successful
period in our four ACET academies.
It is a pleasure to work with so many
well behaved, polite and conscientious
young people who value their learning
and show respect and appreciation of
the dedicated staff who support them.
As usual, in addition to all the
crucial
teaching
and learning which has taken place in
the classrooms, gyms and sports fields
of Aston, Lowedges, Springwood and
Thurcroft, there have been numerous
extracurricular, enrichment and just
plain fun activities, some of which have
been recorded in this newsletter. One
particular highlight was the visit of
Princess Anne to Aston Academy, where
the entire student body of our secondary
academy and representatives of the
junior academies, gave up most of their
lunch break to provide a wonderful send off to the Princess
Royal who was visiting South Yorkshire. Thurcroft pupil,
Niamh Jones, had the honour of presenting her with a posy of
flowers on behalf of ACET.
Another highlight for me was the fifth ACET Awards Evening
on Thursday May 5th. It is wonderful to see the expressions
of pride on the faces of our award winners and their parents/
carers as their outstanding achievement is recognised and
celebrated before an audience representing all
our academies. A new development this year
were the individual Academy Awards events
which, with their Oscars theme, were very well
received
by
the
award
winners
a n d
their families. We have
so much to celebrate
in our trust where our
individual learners, and
academies as a whole, continue to make excellent progress.
Of great importance in the Summer Term are the external tests
and assessments which are taken by our pupils and students
in KS1, KS2, KS4 and KS5. Our Principals reported that
our young people conducted themselves extremely well; they
were well prepared and worked conscientiously throughout.
By the time this newsletter is published our younger pupils
should know their results but GCSE and A Level students will
have to wait until August. I hope they all achieve the grades
they want and deserve and which support Y11 and Post 16
students in securing their first choice of courses in the next
phase of their education journey.
This term also sees significant planning and preparation for
the new academic year which will include the welcome of two
new academies to ACET: Swinton Community Secondary
School and Aughton Primary School will join us on September
1st and October 1st respectively. I am sure we will all extend a
warm welcome to both our new academies.
To promote strong cohesion and liaison between our
secondary academies, Mrs Rebecca Hibberd, Associate
Principal and Mr Richard Wyatt, Assistant Headteacher
will move to Swinton next year. There will also be changes at
senior leadership level in some of our other academies: Mr
Dominic Curran will lead Aston with Mrs Josie Sanigar as
Associate Principal; Mr Richard Porter has been promoted
to Associate Principal at Thurcroft, where he will lead our
foundation junior academy with Mrs Denise Richardson;
Mrs Cathryn Keeton will become Associate Principal at
Springwood, allowing the current Principal, Mr David
Simpson, to provide senior leadership support next year to
Listerdale Primary School, which is part of the Children’s
Academy Trust. Whilst Rebecca, Richard and David will, no
doubt, be sadly missed by their current academies, I am sure
we wish them well in their new roles. Best wishes and thank
you to all staff who are leaving the trust at the end of the year,
especially those beginning retirement after many years of
service in education.
The end of the Summer Term is filled with numerous
celebratory events; assemblies, graduations, proms and
parties, most notably for the young people moving on at
the end of the year. Good luck to all our leavers, whether
your destination be secondary school, college, university,
apprenticeship or employment. We wish you continued
success and happiness and thank you for making your
academy and trust a better place for your presence.
Whilst most staff also begin the long summer break on Friday,
others continue to work during July and August, preparing
our academies for the start of the new year. This will certainly
be the case at Lowedges, where both Y1 classrooms are
undergoing significant refurbishment and at Aston, where
accommodation in MFL, RE and Science is being significantly
upgraded. Students should definitely notice a difference on
their return, not least in Science, where our newly appointed
Head of Faculty, Mr David Frith, has been working with
consultants in the design of two new laboratories which
will be named after famous scientists. This refurbishment
programme will continue until all our laboratories have been
refitted, providing excellent facilities for Physics, Chemistry
and Biology.
Finally, thank you to all our pupils and students and
their parent/carers and our staff and governors for your
contribution to Academic Year 2015/16. I wish you all a sunny,
safe and enjoyable summer and look forward to welcoming
you back in September for the start of the new year.
Best wishes,
Eunice Newton
A message from the ACET Trustees
Where did that year go? It’s said to be a sign of being busy when
another year flashes by. ACET has certainly been very busy. As
you know, Springwood Junior Academy joined us in July 2015
to take our Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) to four academies. I
can now tell you the exciting news that two more academies are
joining our Trust this year. Governing bodies at both schools
have voted unanimously following stakeholder consultations
to join ACET and Academy Orders have been issued by the
Department for Education (DfE).
Aughton Primary School will become Aughton Junior Academy
within ACET MAT in October 2016. At the last Ofsted inspection
at the end of 2012 Aughton was rated as a Good school. We
welcome them and look forward to helping a school that is
doing well to become even better, as well as our other academies
benefitting from their strengths. Their vision is ‘All learning
together in a changing world’ and fits very nicely with the ACET
ethos.
Swinton Community Secondary School will become Swinton
Academy in September 2016 within ACET MAT. Swinton
becomes the second secondary school within our trust and adds
an exciting wealth of opportunities as a result. Their school
motto ‘Everybody doing everything possible to help every
student succeed in every way’ again fits very well with ACET and
Rotherham LEA’s vision for education. Swinton’s last Ofsted was
back at the end of 2011 where it also was rated as a Good school.
ACET made presentations to Governors, staff and parents/
carers and we are working closely with both schools to ensure
the transition is as smooth as possible and that both academies
hit the ground running in the new school year.
We are constantly looking for
ways to improve the learning
environment and are currently
working with a new local
team of educational building
consultants (led by an ex
student from Aston) to refresh
our
strategic
educational
vision. The Trust continues
to be in a healthy financial
position with all academies
doing well. We are in a very
healthy
staffing
position
as well, thanks to a hectic
interview schedule where we
have recruited some more
outstanding staff. Our thanks
therefore go to the premises, personnel and finance teams within
the trust for these achievements as well as for all the background
work that goes into maintaining and improving the grounds and
properties at all our sites.
At ACET Every Child Matters. We set up ACET as a fully
inclusive trust (see www.astoncetrust.org) because all trustees
are passionate about every child being given the opportunity
to achieve their best. Some of the most notable achievements at
our recent very successful fifth ACET awards evening were for
those for pupils who have achieved despite the cards seemingly
being stacked against them. Our academic results over the past
year have been very pleasing and all the indicators are positive
that we should be looking forward confidently to further good
results this summer. The results of our academies are not just
about headline news and numbers, but about the individual
achievements that make up those numbers.
Our thanks go to all the pupils and staff at our academies for the
hard work and commitment they have put in over the last year.
The Trustees (Roy Dyson, John Swift, Paul Bennett, Eunice
Newton and myself (John Barton)) hope you find time to have
a pleasant summer break; the new school year will come around
only too soon.
John Barton
Chair of ACET
ACET Term Dates
Aston
Autumn Term
Thurcroft
Autumn Term
Lowedges
Autumn Term
Springwood
Autumn Term
Wednesday 7th September 2016
to Friday 21st October 2016
Tuesday 6th September 2016 to
Friday 21st October 2016
Monday 5th September 2016 to
Friday 21st October 2016
Tuesday 6th September 2016 to
Thursday 20th October 2016
Monday 31st October 2016 to
Friday 16th December 2016
Monday 31st October 2016 to
Friday 16th December 2016
Monday 31st October 2016 to
Thursday 15th December 2016
Monday 31st October 2016 to
Friday 16th December 2016
Spring Term
Spring Term
Spring Term
Spring Term
Tuesday 3rd January 2017 to
Friday 17th February 2017
Tuesday 3rd January 2017 to
Friday 17th February 2017
Tuesday 3rd January 2017 to
Thursday 16th February 2017
Tuesday 3rd January 2017 to
Friday 17th February 2017
Monday 27th February 2017 to
Friday 7th April 2017
Monday 27th February 2017 to
Thursday 6th April 2017
Monday 27th February 2017 to
Thursday 6th April 2017
Monday 27th February 2017 to
Friday 7th April 2017
Summer Term
Summer Term
Summer Term
Summer Term
Monday 24th April 2017 to
Friday 26th May 2017
Monday 24th April 2017 to
Friday 26th May 2017
Monday 24th April 2017 to
Friday 26th May 2017
Monday 24th April 2017 to
Friday 26th May 2017
May Day (school closed)
Monday 1st May 2017
May Day (school closed)
Monday 1st May 2017
May Day (school closed)
Monday 1st May 2017
May Day (school closed)
Monday 1st May 2017
Monday 5th June 2017 to
Friday 21st July 2017
Monday 5th June 2017 to
Friday 21st July 2017
Tuesday 6th June 2017 to
Friday 21st July 2017
Tuesday 6th June 2017 to
Friday 21st July 2017
INSET Days
Monday 5th September 2016
Tuesday 6th September 2016
Friday 17th March 2017
Monday 24th July 2017
Tuesday 25th July 2017
INSET Days
Monday 5th September 2016
Monday 2nd January 2017
Friday 7th April 2017
INSET Days
Thursday 1st September 2016
Friday 2nd September 2016
Friday 16th December 2016
Friday 17th February 2017
Monday 5th June 2017
INSET Days
Monday 5th September 2016
Friday 21st October 2016
Monday 5th June 2017
Monday 24th July 2017
Tuesday 25th July 2017
ACET Creativity
GCE Success 2016
Work created by Y12 & 13 Artists and Photographers 2016
GCSE Success 2016
Here are a selection of examples of the wonderful GCSE work produced by students in Y11
ACET Creativity
Creativity at Lowedges Academy
Y2 have been studying the topic of Space. They have created newspaper collage, clay moons or Death Stars; colourful
3D rockets; Tie Fighters and stars, some wrapped whilst others have been collaged. Y1 parents and carers have been
working with their children on a range of art projects including making relief patterns on clay tiles; painting portraits
in the style of Picasso using paint, oil pastel and large scale collage. In Y3 whilst studying the Egyptians students have
made clay bowls decorated with hieroglyphics, large scale Egyptian god collages and last term painted self-portraits
in the style of Picasso.
Springwood Junior Academy
Thurcroft Junior Academy
ACET Awards 2016
The fifth annual Aston Community
Education Trust awards evening,
which recognises the achievements
of students from Aston, Thurcroft
and Lowedges academies and,
for the first time, our new Junior
Academy, Springwood, took place
on the evening of Thursday 5th May
2016. The focus was to recognise
the achievements of students from
all four academies in a number of
key areas; attendance, community,
resilience, arts, sports, academic
progress in English, Maths and
Science and academic achievement.
The students attending were the
overall award winners from the First
Academy Awards Oscars ceremonies
which took place in April.
The school hall was once again
transformed, with students and
guests
being
served
a three
course
meal by
highly
professional waiters/waitresses. This
service was provided by Y11 and Y12
students, who generously volunteered
their time to support the event.
The evening was attended by
governors, parents/carers, students
and staff from all four academies;
special guest included Pam Smith,
Sheffield’s Head of Primary and
Targeted Intervention and Karen
Borthwick, Rotherham’s Director for
Education and Skills who gave the
keynote speech. Also present were
former PE teacher, Kearn Nicklin,
who presented the awards for PE
and Sport and Andrew Reaney who
represented Maltby Lions and kindly
donated £200 to the ACET student of
the year who was, for the second year
running, Sasha Kiddy.
The celebration began with a
performance by the ACET choir
which is made up of young
people from our four academies,
conducted by Jennie Machan. This
was followed by a dance performed
by a group of students from Aston
Academy accompanied by pupils
from Thurcroft, Springwood and
Lowedges. The dance expressed
creatively the importance of having
resilience and a determination to
succeed - qualities which we hope to
develop in all the young people in our
ACET academies.
For the first time awards were
given for Writer, Mathematician
and Scientist of the year. This was
a fiercely contested set of awards;
the worthy winners of the Writer’s
award were from Thurcroft Niamh
Jones, from Springwood Millie
Aziz and from Aston Ellie Slater.
The Mathematicians of the year
were Joshua Horan-Knight from
Thurcroft Junior Academy and
Will Leaning from Aston Academy,
and our Scientists of the year were
The first award of the evening was
Maddison Scofield from Lowedges
for attendance; the overall winner,
Junior Academy and Keaton Askew
Jason Wilcox, has had an impressive
from Aston. All were worthy winners
attendance record throughout his
and we wish them well in their future
time at Aston Academy. In fact this
studies.
is the third time Jason has won this
award. The Junior Academy winner The 2016 ACET Students of the Year
was Danny Young, from Lowedges. were nominated for the outstanding
Remember this name. He may follow progress they have made across a Key
in Jason’s footsteps and be a regular at Stage; the winners all received £25
these awards! Both Jason and Danny which was generously donated from
received a £25 gift from one of our the ACET accountants Hartshaw.
sponsors, Wright Brothers.
The winners from Lowedges Junior
Academy were Millie Clark and
The overall award winners for the
Nicholas Mott, from Thurcroft Will
Elite Sport were Jack Ross and Sam
Pickford and Jack Robinson and from
Martin. Jack, from Lowedges Junior
Aston Daniel Grey. The overall ACET
Academy, has been captain of both the
Student of the Year, who received a
football and the tag rugby teams, and
cheque for £200 donated by Maltby
has been a positive leader throughout.
Lions, was Sasha Kiddy. Sasha heads
Aston’s Sam has been captain of the
off to University this year to study
school team for 5 years and has led
Dentistry, so who will be next year’s
them to three Rotherham School’s
overall winner? Watch this space!
finals. We are delighted that Sam has
It was truly an inspirational evening,
recently signed his first professional
and we look forward to next year’s.
contract with Rotherham United.
ACET Awards 2016
ACET PE, Sports & Music
Music across ACET
What an exciting year it’s been for
our Faculty! We have an immense
amount of talent within ACET! These
are just some of the events we’ve been
involved in:
The ACET Choir rehearsing for ACET Awards Evening
During the Autumn Term, our
ACET choir performed ‘Let it Snow’
on stage during the Christmas
celebrations. This involved students
from Aston Academy, Thurcroft
Academy, Lowedges Academy and
Aston Springwood Academy.
During Spring Term, Y7 students took
to the stage to perform in a singing
competition.
Congratulations to
7FE and 7FA2 for winning! Richard
Masters, a professional song-writer
worked with our Y9 students on
how to write effective lyrics. He then
chose some students to record their
work at his recording studio and is
coming back to Aston for them to
add a further vocal line.
Our Summer Term has been
extremely busy with many soloists
demonstrating their talents at
Rotherham Young Musician of the
Year and Rotherham’s Got Talent.
Our ever growing and ever popular
Summer Showcase Spectacular
took place on 15th June at Aston
Academy. Around 100 dancers and
musicians from all of our Academies
and Listerdale School performed.
It was a tremendous success and
involved the ACET choir, a Ukulele
group, Y7 singers, an orchestra, a
string and flute ensemble as well as
collaborations between dance and
music.
Congratulations to Beth
Jones Y9 for winning the Musician of
the Year!
In the wider community, our
orchestra recently performed at
Swallownest Care Home as part of
the Queen’s birthday celebrations and
some Y7 and Y9 students performed
at Happy Days Adult Learning
Centre in Swallownest. Our choir
will perform at One Voice, held at
Magna in July.
Many of our students continue to have
instrumental lessons and several have
successfully passed examinations this
year, some achieving distinctions.
We are very proud of all our students
and would like to offer even more
opportunities next year. A timetable
of extra-curricular activities will be
published early September and is
open to all students.
Aston Crowned Y8 Football
Rotherham Schools Champions
At the end of the last term Aston
reached the final of the Rotherham
Schools Football competition. With
12 wins from 13 games this year
they were confident, but with 20
minutes to play the game was level
at 2-2. However, Aston’s class shone
through as they scored 4 quick fire
goals to secure the victory. Special
performances go to Billy Parker in
goal who saved a penalty, Mitchell
Clogg getting two assists and Harvey
Smythe who scored a hat-trick.
Performance Showcase 2016
On Thursday 15th June Aston held
its annual ‘Performance showcase’
which was bigger than ever this year.
This year 150 students performed in
the evening! It was a fantastic evening
which showcased the incredible
talent and commitment from our
Aston students. It was also a truly
inclusive ACET evening involving all
of our trust primary schools.
ACET PE, Sports & Music
The show was completely sold out
and we would like to say an enormous
thank you to parents/carers for your
incredible support at the evening
performance and throughout the
year.
was an excellent afternoon further
developing our community links.
This year’s Outstanding Performance
Awards
went
to
Aesthetics,
Beth Clifton and Ellie Shepherd
(photographed with Miss Mcdonald)
and music Beth Jones.
Students involved in
Rewards Day
On Tuesday 14th June over 90
students were involved in a reward
activity day. Students from 4 different
tutor groups were rewarded for
attendance, and attitudes to learning
with a day of Archery, Climbing and
Caving.
Year 7 Underbank Activity Week
At the start on June a group of
35 students from Year 7 attended
Underbank Activity Centre for a
week of Climbing, Raft Building,
Sailing, Orienteering and Kayaking.
The students stayed in tents and
spent time developing a range of
skills beyond sport. The students had
an excellent week.
Y7 Rounders Success
The Y7 Rounders team have had
a brilliant year. They got through
to play in the Rotherham Schools
Aston Students selected in
quarter final on Saturday. They played
Rotherham Athletics Squad
against Wath and won. They then
Congratulations to Oliver Bolland played in the finals of Rotherham
and Harrison Kitson who have both schools and represented Aston
been selected to represent Rotherham Academy to an outstanding level.
in the South Yorkshire School Games The fielding was amazing however
we were unfortunately beaten in the
at 100m and 200m.
final by Wales. The girls came 2nd in
Aston Students Support Events Rotherham Schools Rounders and
they made us very proud. Well done
in the Community
to all the girls that have represented
Within the community, students and attended training this year.
from Health and Social Care and the
school orchestra attended a summer
fair at Swallownest Court Home as
part of the Queen’s 90th birthday
celebrations. Students played Music
throughout the day and served cakes
and drinks to local residents and
other members of the community.
Students received a glowing reference
from members of the local area and it
Lowedges Junior Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will aim high to achieve and exceed expectations”
Dear Parents / Carers,
engaged in their learning, eager
to find out more – there have
I can hardly believe the end of
certainly been many examples of
the school year is almost upon us;
this.
where has the time gone? ‘Time
flies when you are having fun,’ the
saying goes and that has certainly
been the case at Lowedges Junior
Academy this year!
As the term draws to a close,
I would like to take this
opportunity to wish you all a
wonderful summer break with
your children and look forward to
them all returning safe and sound,
refreshed and full of vigour for
the year ahead.
Thank you for our continued time
and support,
There have been some very proud
moments throughout the year and
fulfilment comes in abundance
for me seeing pupils thoroughly
Rebecca Scutt
Associate Principal
Our Easter bonnet displays
The Joy of the Parade
Curriculum Redesign
Although a distant memory now, the last
day of the spring term saw an amazing
turnout from pupils across the whole
academy. My thanks go to all parents
and carers who supported their child/
ren to take part in the making of Easter
bonnets and construction of garden
creations – the school hall was an oasis of
awe and wonder! It really was impressive
to see the imaginations of the children
shine through their competition entries.
It proved to be a big hit with parents and
they were the ones to judge the pupils’
efforts – thank you to everyone who took
part and voted. Thank you to parents
once again for joining us for the parade
which was held in the afternoon; your
support for your children was, as always,
overwhelming. My thanks also go to
Miss Quinn who played a significant part
in the smooth running of the morning
competition and judging.
A few changes are planned for the
academy curriculum for September
onwards
in light of
feedback
received
from pupils
and staff.
There are
of course
statutory parts of the curriculum which
have to be taught, but we are in a fortunate
position to be able to design topics based
around what pupils are likely to be most
interested in. From September, the pupils’
learning across the curriculum will be
based around
an enquiry
question for
example,
‘What is out
there?’ ‘How
lucky are we?’
Over the summer break, teachers will
have the delight of planning curriculum
lessons to fit the enquiry. Each year
group will receive further information
about their curriculum enquiry when
the pupils return in September…
Lowedges Junior Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will aim high to achieve and exceed expectations”
Kelham Island – Inventors’ Day
Eight impeccably-behaved pupils with a
passion for designing and creating were
invited to take part in this year’s Kelham
Island day. Their inventions were vast
and gave a flavour of the fun pupils
experienced during their visit. The day’s
achievements now take pride of place in
the main corridor of the academy.
Improving Progress in Reading
Recently, Miss Rushforth has been
appointed to the role of Assistant
Lead Learner with a focus on ‘Reading
Development’. Part of this role will
involve organising library times for each
class along with allocated lunchtime
slots for pupils to use the library. Before
the end of the summer term, we are
hoping to invite a special visitor to
formally open the library and we hope
to be able to loan books out to pupils to
read over the summer. Please remember
to return the book in September if your
child brings one home! Look out for
special invitations for parents to join
their child’s class in the library – I hope
you will be able to join them.
ACET House Morning
The second ACET House Morning was
an even
m o r e
exciting
o c c a s i on
than the
first, with
h o u s e
t e a m s
from Year 3 coming together from
Lowedges, Thurcroft and Springwood to
play a matball competition. Ably led by
the Sport Leaders from Aston Academy,
each team played 6 matches, which
meant a total of 36 overall, and there were
a fabulous 180 goals scored. Springwood
Green emerged as the winners this time.
There was a particular emphasis on
the School Games Values of Respect,
Honesty, Self-Belief, Determination,
Teamwork and Passion, which all the
boys and girls were striving towards!
British Heart Foundation
Jump Rope
Thank you to Mr Lynch for organising
the jump rope
activities
which
pupils have been
involved in during
PE lessons. There
are certainly many
talented skippers
now showing off
their skills on the
yard at lunchtime!
Skipping ropes are
out in abundance and pupils are actively
helping each other learn new routines
and skills which is lovely to observe.
Thank you to everyone who sponsored
their child during the skipping event –
we raised £235 for the BHF – well done
to you all!
Attendance Matters
Pupils, parents and staff continue to
work hard to improve the attendance
of all year groups of pupils throughout
the academy. Despite this, attendance
is still much lower than the national
average and causing a concern. Pupils
with an attendance of at least 95% are in
a much stronger position to achieve their
potential when they leave the academy at
the end of Y6 and are likely to achieve
better outcomes when they finish Y11. If
your child is feeling under the weather,
please bring them into the academy
where staff will keep a close eye on them
– should your child need to go home, we
will contact you. There are many rewards
both pupils and parents could achieve
for their attendance – please look out for
the attendance leaflet coming home to
you before the end of the summer term
which outlines the prizes your raffle
tickets could win you at the end of the
first half term in October.
Sheffield Adventure Challenge
Winners!
A combined Lowedges and Mossbrook
team have won the the Sheffield
Adventure Challenge held at Rother
Valley Country Park. The competition
involves a number of challenges and tasks
that have to be tackled and the teams
are marked on their teamworks skills,
effective communication and creativity.
Teams are made up of a mixture of
mainstream and special schools.
Lowedges Junior Academy and
Mossbrook School have now qualified
for the South
Yo r k s h i r e
S c h o o l
G a m e s
Finals
in
R ot h e r h am
in
July,
where they will represent Sheffield and
compete against the other regional
winners in the area. Despite entering
many competitions this year, this is the
first event that we have been selected
for and the first time in many years that
Lowedges are going to this regional
event. Well done everyone!
Play Unified at the English
Institute of Sport
Three classes from Lowedges represented
the Academy in this Inclusive event back
in April. The event involved pupils from
4 primary schools, 4 special schools and
1 secondary school. Using the fantastic
facility of the indoor athletics track at the
English Institute of Sport, all the children
moved around a range of activities in the
morning, developing team skills, coordination, ball skills and dancing. In
the afternoon, there were many races on
the track, beginning with short sprints,
before moving onto full laps of the track.
All the boys and girls had great fun on
the day, worked really well with children
from other schools and came away
inspired to be the best they can be!
Thurcroft Junior Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will exceed expectation”
Dear Parents / Carers,
As this term brings us to the end of another very
successful academic year, we have time to reflect on
all the fantastic learning opportunities we have been
able to offer our pupils this term. Our educational
residential visit for Y6 was a new venture which
successfully combined two of our ACET junior
academies, Thurcroft and Lowedges in Sheffield. Our
Y5 pupils enjoyed a visit to the National Coal Mining
Museum as part of their work on the Victorians with
Y4 and Y3 experiencing the scientific world of Eureka.
Educational visits give pupils a chance to experience
learning away from school and home with their friends,
and the academy staff are always there to support them.
All visits returned home safe, and most returned with
souvenirs of days to remember.
new schools. Before they go we are looking forward
to seeing our Y6 parents at the Graduation Ceremony.
Our Leavers Tea and the end of term ‘Moving on Up
Disco’ will be a time for Y6 and the rest of the school
to share happy memories, and say goodbye to some of
their friends.
I wish all of you a very happy and safe summer holiday
together. As we return in September, refreshed and
ready for the new challenges ahead I would like to say
a very sincere thank you to you all, for the support you
give to your child every day, and to the academy. It is
very much appreciated.
Denise Richardson
Associate Principal
Our Y6 pupils have worked hard throughout the year,
and they took their SATs in May. Some of our Y6 pupils
left us early to start their transition into KS3. This
year pupils will be going to Wickersley, Dinnington
Wales and Clifton secondary schools. They are well
prepared and ready to move into the next key stage of
their education. We wish them all every success at their
Oscars
We had our very own Oscars
Ceremony in April, and we felt it
was definitely more exciting than the
Hollywood version. The recognition
of achievement, academic progress
and hard work was represented in
the golden statuettes, which our
governors were more than happy to
present to the winners.
good, the red carpet made it special,
and the photographs said it all. Well
done to all our worthy winners, it was
an amazing afternoon appreciated by
all.
Royal Visit
Our Head Boy Joshua
Horan-Knight and Head Girl Libby
Newton Powell, made sure the
winners were presented with the
correct Oscar. The popcorn was
As part of ACET we had the great
honour of being invited to greet
Her Royal Highness Princess Anne,
when she paid a flying visit to Aston
Academy. Several of our pupil’s
attended the occasion to wave the
flags and cheer, but it was our very
own Thurcroft Academy’s Y5 pupil
Niamh Jones, who was chosen to
present the posy to the royal visitor.
What an exciting moment for Niamh,
who I have to say performed the task
superbly. Thank you Niamh.
Thurcroft Junior Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will exceed expectation”
Safeguarding
The work that the NSPCC do for
children to keep them safe was
highlighted this term by the excellent
assembly which their team delivered
to
the
whole
school.
T h e y
explained
how easy
it is to get help if a pupil needs it, and
they also gave lots of reassurance to
make our children feel safe. It was
quickly followed up by the NSPCC
staff working alongside teaching staff
in the classrooms the following week
to answer any queries that had risen.
It all helped to secure what the pupils
had learnt. Our Community Police
Officer PC Waller, also continued
the safeguarding theme this term by
ensuring that we all know how to be
tolerant and stay safe. She delivered
a clear message through an assembly
on ‘What is Racism?’ The pupils
learnt that the law protects us from
racial abuse, and that racism will
not be tolerated in our community.
Superb pieces of work by all the
professionals involved who are
dedicated to keeping our children
safe both in school, and outside in
the wider world.
Spelling Bees
Spelling forms such an important
part of the curriculum, and the
challenge was set in June to find the
ACET Academy Spelling Champion.
Not being afraid of any challenge our
Y5 pupils took it on, and represented
us in the Grand Final which was held
in Thurcroft Junior Academy. Our
Y5 were busy spelling bees, learning
from the chosen spelling lists, and
getting through the heats, during
the term until just 4 Thurcroft pupils
remained. They were the ones who
gave it their best in the ACET Spelling
Bee Grand Final. Y4 pupils from all the
junior academies arrived at Thurcroft
to cheer on their teams. It was all
done with great sportsmanship, and
it really didn’t matter in the end who
won, because the learning had been
such fun for everyone who had taken
part. We look forward to next year’s
Spelling Bee challenge.
Residential Visit to
Boggle Hole
This year the Y6’s went off to ‘Boggle
Hole’. It was the first combined ACET
residential visit and proved to be an
outstanding success. Boggle Hole is
a coastal residence near Whitby and
Robin Hood’s Bay with direct access
to the beach. The weather was superb
and the sun shone as the teams
entered the Beach Art competition.
Rock pooling, visits to Whitby,
walking along the cliffs and eating
huge ice-creams ensured the visit was
both educational and enjoyable. The
pupils have recommended that we
book again for next year.
ACET Award Winners
In May members of the school
were busy rehearsing for the ACET
Awards Evening. Thurcroft Academy
was extremely proud of our ACET
award winners, and of those who
performed on the night as part of
the ACET choir or the dance group.
The trophies and medals were well
deserved, and proudly displayed in
our school reception.
Springwood Junior Academy NEWS
“Sempur Sersum - Always Aim High!”
Dear Parents / Carers,
It’s a year since we academized and
became part of Aston Community
Education Trust, and what a great
year it has been. The opportunities
it has opened up for our pupils have
been immense and there is lots to
show for it.
During the course of the year we
have had a brand new refurbished
library complete with £3000 worth
of new books. We have completely
refurbished the Y1 classroom, with
wonderful new tables and chairs,
role play areas and quiet corners. We
have installed a huge projector screen
in the school hall for assemblies,
presentations, performances and the
like. Alongside all that pupils have
been enjoying sports teaching from
Upper KS2 Residential
Every year Y5 and Y6 pupils get the
chance to go to Crowden Outdoor
Adventure Centre in the Peak
District for three days and two nights
away from home. They braved very
unsettled weather (rain, wind, hot
sun, and even snow – all within the
same day on one occasion!) earlier
this term to tackle a variety of
adventurous pursuits and found out
a little more about themselves and
what they could face. They stream
scrambled (in icy water), weaselled
through small gaps between very
large boulders, climbed towers
of crates on
highly qualified Aston Academy
sports staff, as well as input from
humanities and modern foreign
language experts. Pupils and staff
alike are thriving in an environment
where we can take our expertise and
talent outside our four walls, and
also receive support and training
from similarly expert professionals
within the trust.
Such a mutually supportive
partnership is only benefiting the
education of the pupils in all its
forms. Thanks to hard work, good
teaching and mutual support from
all academies in the trust, our FS2
have achieved the highest level of
Good Development we have seen,
and Y2 and Y6 pupils are expected
to have achieved well against the
new curriculum assessment system
harnesses and high ropes, zip-lined
across a fast-flowing river, and
learned how to fire bows and arrows
in an archery
contest.
In doing so, they
faced their own
personal anxieties
and learned what
they were capable
of
pushing
themselves to and
achieving. They
had a fantastic,
but tiring, time and came
back full of tales of courage and
bravado to tell their families.
Sports Day
On Thursday 8th June we held our
annual Sports Day, and it was a
wonderful event. The weather was
kind, and pupils across school took
part in a range of competitive races:
60m sprint, skipping race, egg and
spoon, bean-bag shuttle run, long
introduced this year. Whatever
the outcomes, they have all worked
extremely hard and we are very
proud of them.
I wish Y6 the best of luck in Y7, and
to all our community and ACET
partners, have a very happy summer
break.
David Simpson
Associate Principal
distance and sprint relay. All year
groups had a fantastic time and
earned points for their House team,
while wearing House coloured
T-shirts. Parents were extremely
supportive with a high turn-out of
families cheering on their children.
The overall winning House on the day
was Furnival! Many congratulations
to them! A big ‘Thank You’ must go
to Mr Staniland of Aston Academy
and his team of staff and Post-16
Sports Leaders who did an amazing
job organizing and running the day
to a very high standard and making
the event a massive success.
Springwood Junior Academy NEWS
“Sempur Sersum - Always Aim High!”
they braced sticks across the top
and added more foliage to create
a surprisingly rainproof roof. The
finished ‘building’ is a fantastic
achievement and really shows what
teamwork can achieve.
Academy Award winners
Springwood Academy Awards
On Friday 29th April, we held our
very first Springwood Academy
Awards, celebrating pupils who have
shone in every area of school life over
the past year. In a packed hall, forty
four pupils were honoured with four
pupils (two boys and two girls) being
nominated in each of the eleven
categories. It was a fantastic event
with many proud pupils and even
prouder parents, followed by photo
opportunities and popcorn! From
each category, overall winners were
chosen as the pupil of the year for
that category. Well done to everyone
who was nominated and celebrated
at that event. The overall winners
were as follows:
Attendance Award
Jack Bowler
Community Award
Charlie Brooks
Resilience Award
Miley Martin
House Award
Harriet Stockdale
Sports Award
Jay Ward-Vaughan
Art Award
Ella Simmonite
Maths Award
Logan Collins
Writing Award
Millie Aziz
Science Award
Grace Canetti
Greatest Progress
Michael MacDonald
Students of the Year
Lucy Tingle and Tauran Milner
First Hand Learning
Learning outside the classroom has
always been a big part of learning
generally at Springwood, and there
have been plenty of opportunities to
do so this term. A number of pupils
who receive social therapy with Mr
Mercer, aimed at promoting social
skills, compromise and teamwork,
have been constructing a full-sized
Viking roundhouse in the school
grounds. They wove sticks and twigs
together to make the frame which
took hours of intricate binding and
weaving, and then used leaves, firs
and other foliage woven within the
sticks to finish the walls off. Finally
In addition, Y3, Y4 and Y5
reinforced their learning on visits
to Filey, Creswell Crags and the
Beamish Museum respectively. Y3
were comparing Filey in the rain
with Aston as part of their study on
contrasting environments; Y4 have
been finding historical evidence of
early Man as part of the Stone, Bronze
and Iron Age study, and Y5 have been
learning about Victorian life and early
industry.
All three
visits were
a
great
success
w i t h
pupils
getting a
sense
of the
reality
of what
t h e y
were learning
in the classroom. A big thank you to
all staff involved for organising these
excellent opportunities.
Aston Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will make a difference”
Dear Parents / Carers,
As we approach the end of this
academic year we would like to
take this opportunity to thank
you for your continued support in
ensuring that students attend well,
are punctual, arrive in the correct
uniform and with the necessary
equipment. It has been a very busy
year, and as always, has gone by very
quickly. Our students have worked
hard throughout, making positive
contributions both in and outside
the classroom.
Post 16 and Y11 students have now
completed their exams and we are all
proud of their positive and resilient
approach. We look forward to
receiving their results this summer
and anticipate that they will have
achieved great things. We wish them
all well with the next stage of their
careers; whether this is moving
on to Post 16 provision, college,
apprenticeships, university or the
world of work. We hope they keep
in touch about their many future
achievements.
Over the last term we were delighted
to celebrate
the many
successes
of
our
students
at our first
ever
‘Academy
Oscars Ceremony’. Students were
nominated in a wide variety of
categories, all receiving a medal,
with the overall winners being
awarded with their very own golden
Oscar statue. After the ceremony all
students and guests were treated to
popcorn and a drink. The atmosphere
was amazing and everyone had a
very enjoyable evening.
In May, we also held another
successful ‘ACET Awards Evening’,
inviting pupils and students from all
academies in the Trust to celebrate
their many achievements. More
recently Y11 and Y13 students
looked incredible as they enjoyed
t h e i r
Proms,
meeting
together
in their
y e a r
groups
for one last time. We are also
looking forward to the end of term
trips, again a wonderful opportunity
for students to enjoy a fun day with
their friends and peers, a reward for
their dedication and commitment
throughout the year.
be making a contribution to the
work of the trust in two of our other
academies. Mr Wyatt, who has been
an excellent Assistant Headteacher
and Head of the Humanities Faculty
will also be working across the
trust next year. In addition, Mr
Hodgson who has made a significant
contribution to the leadership and
management of the academy over
many years in his role as Assistant
Headteacher, will be using his
expertise to lead the Humanities
Faculty in September. I am sure Mr
Wyatt will agree that he will be leaving
the faculty in safe hands! We would
like to thank all three colleagues for
their contribution to the effective
leadership and management of
Aston Academy. They have all
shown outstanding commitment
and dedication to ensuring that we
We would like to take this provide the best possible education
opportunity to thank staff who will for all the students in our care. We
be leaving Aston Academy this will be welcoming Mrs Barquero,
summer. Diane Geldart, Assistant Mr Duncan, Mr Esberger, Mr
Head of the Design Technology and Goddard, Mr Kilgannon and Mr Lye
Art Faculty, has made a significant to our Leadership Team as Assistant
contribution to the success of our Headteachers in September.
academy over several years. We
also send our best wishes to Megan We also wish you and your family,
Orloff from the Maths faculty who is on behalf of the staff, governors and
leaving to pursue a career in finance. trustees of ACET, a long, happy and
Also to Curtis Baxter from Science, relaxing summer holiday, resting
Gerry Morton from Computing, ready for another busy academic
Jonathan Burton from MFL and year. We return on Wednesday 7th
Josh Balcombe from Maths who are September 2016.
moving on to work in other local
schools.
Josie Sanigar & Rebecca Hibberd
Associate Principals
We would also like to say a fond
farewell, for the time being, to
Mrs Hibberd and Mr Wyatt. Mrs
Hibberd has made an outstanding
contribution to the leadership of
our academy in her role as Associate
Principal and she will be greatly
missed by her colleagues and our
students. Thankfully, she will still
Aston Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will make a difference”
Bonjour! Hola!
After the success of 2014 – 2015, Y7
students took part in the Spelling Bee
competition again. They worked very
hard to learn the alphabet in French
and Spanish and the spelling of about
150 words in these languages. I am
sure you will agree that it is a fantastic
achievement.
In March, Miss Platts and Paula, our
Spanish assistant took the winners to
Hull University to represent Aston
Academy. Charlotte Goodall and
Harry Nixon were our French team
and Hannah Moore was our brave
Spanish representative.
The 24th May saw the visit of our
French partner school at Aston
Academy. As always, the French
students were very impressed and
excited to observe the daily routine
of a British school. Some were
disappointed that the school does
not look like Hogwarts! All of them
commented on how smart Aston
Academy students look in their
uniform.
Mr Barker and Mr Griffith also
accompanied a small group of Y10
to Castleton where they spent the
whole day with the French students.
They were very proud that our
students made a fantastic effort to
communicate with their French
peers, using a mixture of French,
English and gestures. I know the
French students were very impressed
by the level of French of our students!
You can easily do this over the
summer by logging on www.
linguascope.com. Our username is
Astonaca; the password is lingua1.
As always, Aston students attracted
high praise for their attentiveness and
impeccable manners.
Mathematics
Congratulations to 33 students in Y7
and Y8 who have been awarded with
bronze, silver and gold certificates
in the annual UK Mathematics
Trust Junior Challenge! The
students competed against students
from across the country in a very
challenging national numeracy
and problem solving test. Extra
congratulations go to 4 students
from Miss Hutchinson’s Y8 class who
We are now starting to prepare our
visit to the French school in December
(and to the waffle factory!). This trip
will be opened to all Y8 students
who will receive a letter early in
September. I hope you will join us on
this exciting and fun visit!
Premier League Reading Stars
They made all of us very proud and
had a fantastic day visiting Hull Uni.
So if you are currently in Y6 and
joining Aston Academy in September
2016, start practising the alphabet in
French and Spanish if you would like
to go to Hull University to represent
Aston Academy next year.
selected squad enjoyed a ground
tour and met popular children’s
authors Phil Earle and Helena
Pielichaty.
received joint ‘Best in School’ award:
Lower School students thoroughly Daisy Smith, Billie Moss, Michael
enjoyed a Club Author day at Sheffield Balderson and Marik Goodwin. Well
Wednesday Football Club linked to done to you all!
the
Premier
Careers
L e a g u e
Reading Stars The Academy is thrilled to be
scheme.
involved in the Sheffield City Region’s
The scheme, ‘Enterprise Adviser Network.’ The
led by Mr aim of the project is to promote
Jenkins
and understanding and cooperation
Mr
Sills, between educational institutions
e n c o u r a g e s and employers. Each participating
e x t r a - education institution is partnered
c u r r i c u l a r with an employer and allocated
reading linked to ‘the beautiful game.’ a named person as an Enterprise
As a reward for their enthusiastic and Coordinator and we are delighted
sustained participation a carefully to be working in conjunction with
Blatchford.
Aston Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will make a difference”
This is an extremely exciting link for
the Academy and further develops
our already existing links with STEM
(Science Technology Engineering and
Mathematics) employers. Although our
partnership is in its infancy we are very
excited to get started and we are already
planning and developing some exciting
projects for our students to get involved
with.
Aston Academy is proud to be working
in partnership with Lloyds Banking
Group and taking part in their ‘Schools
to Work’ programme. Over the past
academic year sixteen Post 16 students
have enjoyed a week’s work placement
hosted by the banking group at its local
branches and contact centres. As well
as getting to grips with mortgage rates,
saving options and Internet banking our
students have all achieved a chartered
banking qualification and received a
generous £75 for their time. Feedback
from branch managers and co-workers
has been extremely positive and many
of our students have been encouraged
to look out for future employment
opportunities within the banking group.
The work placements will be offered
again in the coming academic year
and are scheduled to take place during
the October and February holidays.
Interested students are to ask Mrs Sykes
for further details.
The University of Sheffield and Aston
Academy is proud to have completed
its first year of partnership working
on the highly successful university
led mentoring project - US in Schools
Mentoring Project. The project aims
to offer support and encouragement to
students in local schools. Aston Academy
w e r e
accepted
on to the
programme
l a s t
September
and
over
the past academic year, four Sheffield
university undergraduate students have
been visiting the academy on a weekly
basis to conduct one to one mentoring
sessions benefiting 19 specially selected
Y9 and Y10 students. As well as receiving
help with tricky ELT, practising their
MFL and discussing career aspirations,
our students have visited the university
to take a look
at student life
and sample
lunch
in
one of the
university’s
canteens.
The
year
ended on a high with an awards/
graduation ceremony held at the
Octagon (University of Sheffield) to
which parents and carers were invited
to attend. Feedback from the university
of Sheffield mentors and our students
was extremely positive with both parties
forging a strong bond and increased
confidence for their futures.
Year 11
The year 11 students enjoyed a welldeserved celebration at their end of
year Prom. After such a busy summer
examination period the students had
been looking forward to this date and
it didn’t disappoint.
The location of The Royal Victoria
Inn, Sheffield was fantastic and the
students looked fabulous in their
dresses, suits and glamorous modes
of transport.
Students enjoyed
an evening of dancing, great food
and some surprise awards. The
evening was very well attended by
staff and senior leaders. As you
would expect the behaviour of the
students throughout the evening was
excellent, by the end of the night staff
and students were all very sorry to be
saying goodbye but already looking
forward to working with many of the
students again in September when
they join Post 16.
The summer term has been extremely
busy for all Y11’s. We have been
delighted by their attitude, resilience
and commitment to the exam
preparation and completion. The
academy has been busy with revising
students after school, during the half
term holidays and every Saturday
and Sunday.
The positive ‘can do’ attitude has
been infectious and together with
the direction from staff and the
We look forward to building on these support from home the students
events and launching many more have tackled every challenge and
exciting opportunities for our Aston exam with energy and confidence.
Academy students.
Please do not Our chief examination officer, Jo
hesitate to contact me directly to discuss Bentley, commented that our exam
these or any other questions around invigilators have been very impressed
careers guidance.
with the Y11 cohort’s attitude,
punctuality and work rate during the
[email protected]
examination season.
Aston Academy NEWS
“With your commitment we will make a difference”
The Upper school team would
like to thank all Y11 parents and
carers who have been so supportive
throughout Y11. The close contact
between school and home has meant
that students have been given the best
opportunity to succeed in Y11. Your
positive and consistent support with
uniform, attendance, punctuality
and pastoral support have made a
huge difference. We all hope that
students will be very pleased and
proud of the results they receive in
August. We very much look forward
to welcoming back a huge number of
our Y11 cohort in September as they
begin post 16 courses. We also wish
students who are leaving to begin
new courses elsewhere the best of
luck. Students will be able to collect
their GCSE results on Thursday 25th
August between 8am and 11am in
Hall 2. If a relative or family friend
is collecting results on your behalf
please can you notify school before
the collection date. Any results that
are not collected by 11am will be
posted to your home address.
For any further exam information
please use the below contacts –
[email protected]
Jo Bentley, Exams Officer
[email protected]
James Graham, Vice Principal
To all Y11 students, have a wonderful
summer and we will hopefully see
you on GCSE results collection
morning.
Y11 Prom 2016
Post 16 NEWS
As we approach the end of this term
we would like to take the opportunity
to wish all our Y12 and Y13 students
“Good Luck” for their summer exam
results.
and have attended the
UCAS
Convention at Sheffield Arena on
Friday 17th June 2016.
We would also like to thank our
parents/carers for all the help and
support they have given to our
students and the Post 16 Team
during these demanding and
often very stressful months. We
have been delighted with how the
examination period has gone; all our
students have been well prepared
and focussed; attendance at all
exams has been excellent. This year
85% of Y13 students are hoping to
achieve the necessary grades to be
accepted at the university of their
choice; other students have secured
apprenticeship.
Our annual Pathways Week was held
during the week commencing 27th
June; students received lots of valuable
information and presentations from a
number of guest speakers, including
Sheffield Hallam University, the
universities of Lincoln, Sheffield
and Leeds, Rotherham College,
Buckinghamshire New University,
Lloyds Banking Group and HEPP
(who brought a double decker bus
onto site!). We were also delighted
that a number of ex-students joined
us to share their experiences of
university.
Leavers’ Assembly
O n
Friday
20th
M a y
2016
it was
t h e
Y13 Leavers’ Assembly and we were
delighted that so many students
attended. It was a wonderful event;
students were presented with a number
of awards and took the opportunity
to say “Thank you” to their Form
Tutors who have supported them
throughout
the UCAS
application
process
and their
time in Post
16.
Our present Y12 students returned
from their AS examinations on
13th June and are now focussed on
planning for their futures; all have
been writing personal statements
Pathways Week
The Post 16 Team have also been
busy planning the next academic
year for our new Y12 students. We
were delighted with their excellent
attendance,
commitment
and
enthusiasm during the Post 16
transition days which took place
on the 5th and 6th July. During
these sessions the students had the
opportunity to sample life as a Post
16 student and experience the new
teaching and learning styles used
on A Level courses. Many of them
have already volunteered to be peer
mentors, ready to welcome and
support our new Y7 students on their
Induction days and in September.
The Y13 Ball
The Y13 Leaver’s Ball took place at
The Holiday Inn Royal Victoria on
Thursday 29th June. Our Year 13
students turned out in their masses
to celebrate the end of their exams. It
was fantastic to them enjoying each
other’s company as a year group, for
the last time; this was enhanced by
the music which helped to ensure
the students were kept on their feet
dancing all evening. Will Leaning
later said, “Everyone had a great
time; thank you to everyone who
organised the evening”.
The end of the evening was emotional
as we said goodbye- until we meet
again on results day when we look
forward to celebrating their fantastic
achievements.