UPDATE FOR PARENTS/CARERS

Monday 30th March

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support during our first week of remote learning. I understand from your feedback that our students are engaged in their learning and our quality assurance system indicates they are open to a regular dialogue with their teachers. We are pleased it has started smoothly.

Please refer to the Remote Learning Offer we sent to you on Friday 20^th March (available on our website) of key staff who are ready to help should you require any further assistance or if things are not running smoothly from home.

Our Pastoral Team are starting to contact home to check in on our students. This is a routine call and an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have.

We are mindful that Google Classroom could feel overwhelming for some students considering the large amount of resources/sessions on there. We kindly ask that you work with your child to plan their time against teacher deadlines and their normal school timetable, which can be found at the front of their planners. If you require any further guidance on deadlines, expectations on time allocation or have any concerns that are personal to your child please contact the Director of Learning for your child’s year group. 

The George Spencer aim with our Remote Learning Offer is that ‘we start strong and then become even stronger’.  With this in mind, Year 10 and Year 12 students will begin to notice an increase in expectations from their teachers as we try our best to ensure they keep up with their learning ready for Year 11 and Year 13. 

I will continue to keep you up to date on our offer plus any additional information regarding your child’s learning.

Kind regards.

Mrs Corbett

MESSAGE TO YEAR 11 & YEAR 13 PARENTS

Monday 23rd March

As we start our remote learning offer we are also unpicking the latest government guidance for how grades will be awarded to Year 11 and Year 13 students. We know this will involve teacher assessment and accurate predictions. Once we have definite guidelines in place we will share them with Year 11 and Year 13.

We have been contacted by some of you asking about the end of year prom as many have heard other schools have cancelled the event. We have not. If we need to move the prom to later in the year we will. As shared in assemblies on Thursday we will also ensure we provide Year 11 and Year 13 with a full leavers experience. We chose not to rush an experience for them on Friday for many reasons, two of these reasons link directly to the safety and well-being of our students. Firstly, the social distancing measure would have put students at risk with traditions like shirt signing etc and secondly, we have approximately 50% of students in Year 11 and Year 13 who would have missed out due to socially isolating and we wanted them to be part of the leavers experience.

I understand Miss Jenkinson, our Vice Principal of Achievement, has already contacted parents of Year 11 with some of the above information – stressing that 'we will make it happen' for their leavers experience – this also applies to Year 13. We will both continue to keep you all informed on developments with grades being award to students plus adaptions to leavers events as the academic year progresses.

We will continue to try our best to make the right decisions and should you have any queries please contact us at the school.

Yours sincerely

H Corbett

UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO THE LATEST GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE

Wednesday 18th March

Following the most up to date information from the Government, George Spencer Academy will be implementing the following strategy;

• Any students that display symptoms, live in a household where a member of that household is displaying symptoms or they have underlying existing medical conditions that would be vulnerable are expected to self-isolate for 14 days.

All other students are expected to be in school unless 'normal illness' occurs. At present we are able to open as normal and expect this to continue this week, however, if staff absences increase due to selfisolation, then a partial closure situation may occur. If this does need to happen then priority will be given to Year 11 and Year 13 at all times due to terminal examination pressures.

The severity of the partial closure would be determined by staff absence so at this stage it is impossible to predict how that would look but the following broad principles would be administered;

• Y7 will be next priority due to likely enforced childcare if they are not in school.
• All other year groups may be rotated depending on the severity of staff absence.
• As a special consideration we will accommodate any children of parents that work in the emergency services and front-line medical profession (regardless of partial closure) to allow those parents to do the essential work that is required to protect lives and keep the community safe. If this applies to you can you contact the academy to make us aware so we can pre-plan. I hope all parents understand the rationale behind this decision.

We would endeavour to make any decisions around a partial closure as soon as possible in order to support families with their arrangements as best we can, but, please understand that this situation changes so rapidly we can only respond when we have information. We will do everything we can to ensure a safe environment and keep the school open for as long as that is the case, if at any time safety is compromised I would close the school.

I also want to reassure parents that we fully understand your rights to protect your children and family and accept that you may choose to keep children off school and choose to self-isolate as a family for social distancing purposes or COVID-19 symptom purposes.

Any changes and updates including partial school closures will be communicated via text, email and our website at our earliest convenience, please keep a close eye on these channels.

As stated in previous correspondence we have reduced the contact with anyone outside our school community dramatically and will continue to 'screen' anyone visiting the school as well as the following measures;

• All 'non-essential' trips, visits and events both in school and within the UK have been cancelled.
• Parents evenings and other events where large groups of people would be in a small indoor space have been postponed.
• Assemblies have been cancelled.
• Sporting fixtures have been postponed.

Can I finally ask parents to be mindful of the stress and pressures on schools at this moment in time and whilst we will always try to support and help you we cannot, and are not in a position to, offer medical advice.

Please stay safe as we continue to support each other and our community in these most trying of circumstances.

• Click here to read the letter

GSA BADMINTON & DODGEBALL CLUBS

All GSA Badminton and Dodgeball clubs are cancelled until further notice.

NETBALL NATIONAL FINALS 2020

Our Year 11 girls netball team went to Stanborough School, Welwyn Garden City on the 14th March where they represented East Midlands in the Netball National Finals. To play at that level was incredible and to be a state school competing against private schools with outstanding players​ who also compete in the Netball Superleague was something else.

We are so proud to say that our girls were a credit to themselves and George Spencer. They played tremendously and showed superb sportsmanship throughout, bouncing back after every game when it got tough.

There were 15 schools in total competing in our age group and we are delighted to say that we came 6th in the country and are the highest placed state school in the country!

Please give them a massive congratulations if you see them around school:

• Ruth Grummitt (top goal scorer and captain)
• Scarlett Watson (top goal scorer)
• Amy Ridgley (V.Captain)
• Aimie Johnson
• Hannah Cramp
• Carlie Cooper
• Alice Harwood
• Eleanor Buckley
• Jessica Harvey ​

Also massive thank you to FROGs and Energi Consulting Services LTD for the fantastic rain jackets and hoodies!

Results

• GSA 10 - 10 South Hunsley
• GSA 15 - 9 St Catherine's School
• GSA 12 - 12 Newlands Girls School
• GSA 10 - 18 Blue Coat School
• GSA 12 - 9 Wrekin College
• GSA 15 - 6 The Broxbourne School
• GSA 11 - 18 Canford School

JUST SCHOOLWEAR NOTICE TO PARENTS

Just School Wear want to reach out and let you know about the steps we are taking during these uncertain times. Despite everything going on around us we will be doing our best to deliver your child's school uniform. We have already secured stock for 'back to school' 2020 and we want to reassure you that we will have the stock to fulfil orders.

We have taken the decision to shorten our store opening hours for the time being – this may change based on advice received from the government. From next week, week beginning 23rd March our stores in Arnold, Bulwell, Long Eaton, West Bridgford & Bluecoat Aspley will only open on Saturday's from 10am until 2pm. This will enable you to purchase uniform and collect online orders.

For those of you who are staying at home we have put advice on our website www.just-schoolwear.co.uk to help you order the correct sizes for your child's school uniform. We understand that uniform will not be at the top of everyone's list of things to do, and the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers and staff are our utmost priority.

We would like to thank you for your ongoing support and wish everyone well and good health in these unprecedented times.

• Click here to view the letter

UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO THE LATEST GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE

In light of the latest government guidance that was released yesterday afternoon regarding social distancing measures being implemented across the country, we have taken the decision to cancel up and coming non-essential events:

Key cancelled events as it stands are:

• Year 11 Mock Interview Day today
• Year 13 Progress Evening on Thursday 16 March
• Parents' Forum on Wednesday 25 March
• Careers Fayre on Wednesday 1 April

Within the school we are also minimising large gatherings, for example, whole year group assemblies have been cancelled and internal events for whole year groups will not go ahead.

The government has issued clear guidance to schools should a child show signs of the coronavirus. The guidance explains we are to remove the child out of circulation and isolate them until a parent/carer collects them. We would like to assure you that we have planned for such circumstances and have arranged for suitable isolated offices to be used until the child is collected.

Thank you to those who have been informing us of absences. Please note that we are not able to provide health-related advice. We would ask that families carefully follow government and NHS guidelines and, if you are not sure how to apply these guidelines to your situation, that you make use of NHS 111 on-line. Could I also please ask for your patience at this time as we are receiving higher than usual numbers of telephone calls and emails and are responding to these as quickly as we can.

Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by the cancelation of events or temporay changes to our normal ways of working, we hope you will understand these decisions have been made with the safety and well-being of our students and staff at the forefront of our minds.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE & CANCELLATION OF OVERSEAS TRAVEL

From Friday 13 March, all planned overseas travel from school has been cancelled. This will remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Any parents and students expecting overseas travel from school during the next two weeks have been contacted by text message, email and telephone.

There are no planned changes to timetables or school opening. All Spencer Academies Trust schools will continue to open as usual, and to take specific public health advice on a daily basis.

This follows a change in government advice about the continuing management of coronavirus, under which anyone with a 'new, continuous' cough or high temperature has been asked to stay at home and to 'self-isolate' for seven days.

People with symptoms are no longer asked to call NHS 111, but rather to look for information on the NHS website and 111 online.

Schools will now work with our insurers to understand the financial position for parents from cancellation of overseas travel, and will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Information about the simple steps families can take to limit the spread of coronavirus is available here.

CANCELLATION OF SCHEDULED TRAVEL TO ROMANIA & MOLDOVA

After careful consideration, the scheduled travel to Romania and Moldova has now been cancelled for geography students in Year 11. This has been a difficult decision for the academy, but we believe it is the only choice after careful review.

The trip had been designed as a field experience, and was expected to leave on 26 March. Students would have travelled to Bucharest by air, and then on to Chisinau by overnight sleeper train.

School staff are taking guidance from public health authorities on all scheduled travel, and are acting under specific advice in the cancellation of the Romania and Moldova field trip.

As of the 10 March, foreign nationals have not been able to enter Moldova by air. Additional measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus inside the country include quarantine for any travellers believed to be developing symptoms of winter virus.

Safeguarding is always the school's priority when offering any travel or field experience. Based upon the restrictive measures now in place in Moldova and the probability of further change, the risk that a student or staff member might be asked to self-isolate during the trip is now substantial.

In turn, this raises the risk that students and staff might be separated. Where this is the case, we will not be able to let an overseas trip go ahead.

We will now work with our insurers to understand the position for parents, and particularly with regard to the deposits and flight costs already received.

We will do our best to make this a quick process, but in the current circumstances, we expect that it may take a few days to have a clear answer on the position for parents – we expect to contact you about this next week. We are grateful for your patience in the meantime.

We will run a short meeting in school on Monday 16 March at morning break 11.25am in the Student Hub with Mr Platts, Mr Wilson and Miss Gooderham.

Geography staff now hope to offer an alternative field trip experience for students in the future. Thank you for your support and understanding.

NATIONAL TT FINALS

Congratulations to the U16 girls table tennis team who finished runners-up in the National School Team Championship Finals at Hinckley Leisure Centre on March 14. An amazing achievement.

Also, thank you to Bison Refurbishments who sponsored the team.

PARENT FORUM

 Wednesday 25th March - 6pm (GSA Conference Centre)

The next parent forum is on Wednesday 25th March in the conference centre starting at 6pm. The focus for this forum will be 'our curriculum and preparing students for learning (homework)'. We will be interested to hear your views on how we can further develop these areas. If you are interested in attending this forum, please send an email to the following address under the subject of 'GSA parent forum'; info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

DfE CORONAVIRUS HELPLINE

The DfE have launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:

• Phone: 0800 046 8687
• Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
• Opening Hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

SPORT RELIEF

Monday 9th - Friday 13th March 2020

Sport Relief 2020 is just around the corner and we've decided to get involved by getting active, having fun and in doing so, changing lives. To raise money for Sport Relief, we're going to set up two challenges that students can get involved in during school hours.

1. DO 10,000 STEPS EVERY DAY FROM THE 9TH - 13TH MARCH 2020 AND ASK PEOPLE TO SPONSOR YOU TO COMPLETE THIS. (Sponsor Forms Or Just Giving Page)

2. TAKE PART IN THE "KEEPIE UPPIE" CHALLENGE. CHOOSE FROM A FOOTBALL OR HOCKEY STICK AND BALL. KEEP THE BALL IN THE AIR FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT IT DROPPING! £1 per attempt.

These will take place from the 9th - 13th March 2020. The "Keepie Uppie" Challenge will take place during break and lunchtimes outside the sports hall foyer. The 10,000 step challenge will start as soon as you wake up and start your journey to getting ready for school.

We would love to raise as much money as possible to support this cause.

The money we raise will be used to change countless lives, both here in the UK and worldwide.

In fact, £250 could provide an hours' childcare for 25 mums in the UK with postnatal depression so they can get counselling and support.

We'll also be using Sport Relief as a learning opportunity to help our pupils explore the issues facing young people across the world, and how the money we raise can help.

We really appreciate your support and hope that you'll have fun helping us raise lots of money for Sport Relief.

• Click here to download our flyer
• Click here to view our Just Giving page

FEBRUARY BULLETIN

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are quickly approaching the halfway mark of the academic year and George Spencer Academy has accomplished many things which we are extremely proud of during this time. Our 'Ethos of Excellence' is becoming an embedded part of academy life with both staff and pupils using our motto as the basis for recognising and celebrating successes. I am delighted to observe that our core values have further strengthened the unity of our school community with pupils demonstrating each value on a daily basis. Since becoming Principal in September I have regularly talked about George Spencer Academy being a child centred school with the fundamental aim of ensuring we meet the needs of all our pupils. With this in mind we are in the process of building a Pupil Support Centre on our upper school site which will open in March. The Pupil Support Centre is located next to the main reception and will be a beacon for pupils to access support from our Pupil Support Assistants and Directors of Learning, all of whom will be housed in the centre.

In December I wrote of our updated school logo and how this has been developed by our pupils to visually represent the unity of our school community. In turn we are updating key items where our logo will be used; this includes the school blazer and school skirt. We are not requesting parents purchase a new blazer however the blazer with the old logo design has been discontinued. We accept that we will have a transition period of pupils wearing both the old and new logo and we plan to see a natural transition when new blazers are purchased as new intakes join the academy.

At George Spencer Academy we monitor the attendance of our pupils very closely because we know attendance to school is a good way to measure a child's eagerness to learn and engage in school life. Our attendance is continually improving showing that our pupils are ready to learn. This is, of course, a whole community effort and I thank parents and carers for driving forward our focus on punctuality and resilience in attendance. We have recently introduced a new role to our pastoral team, an Attendance Intervention Worker. Miss R Croft has been successfully appointed to this role and will start working with families and children where barriers are preventing a child from being able to attend school.

Our partnership with parents and carers remains our strength to fully supporting every child on their journey to 'excellence' so I encourage you to communicate with us whenever you feel the need and to also join our Parent Forum, details of which can be found on our school website or by contacting main reception - you can be assured a warm welcome.

Mrs H Corbett

Principal

YEAR 11 PRE PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS (PPEs)

The second set of PPEs will begin on Monday 2 March and end Friday 13 March. All year 11 students have been given a timetable of exams and there are plenty support sessions running during lunchtime and after school. The students are incredibly motivated to do their very best and aspire to achieve or exceed their targets. As a parent there are many ways you can support them in their revision.

• Ask them to show you their top pocket target card and have a conversation about each of their subjects and where they are at currently.
• Look over their PPE timetable and help create a revision schedule for over half term.
• Ensure they are working in a productive environment with minimal distractions.
• Give them incentives to revise and then relax.
• Make sure they are eating and drinking the right things at the right time.
• Try to keep to a routine with sleep and not be up too late or sleeping in too much – regulate the body clock.
• Keep talking.

We are so proud of all their efforts so far this year, and as I always say to them "You got this".

Miss L Jenkinson

Vice Principal/Director of Learning Year 11

SCHOOL UNIFORM

As you are aware we have high expectations of our students and how they wear our uniform, we are very proud of how the students present themselves on a daily basis. There are a selection of students choosing not to wear their uniform correctly (rolling up their skirt, having additional piercings, wearing cropped trousers, wearing trainers). Through assemblies this week we have reiterated our expectations and would appreciate your support in reminding your son/daughter of their need to wear the uniform correctly. Students have been made aware that persistent refusal to comply with our expectations will result in us dealing with issues in a more formal manner.

If you need clarification on any of the expectations please refer to your son/daughter's planner or contact their Director of Learning.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mr K Hartley

Assistant Principal

PUPIL WELLBEING

This half term, pupils in all year groups have had an assembly promoting mental health awareness as part of mental health week. Pupil well being is a huge priority for us as a school and we are always looking to develop the ways in which we support our students. We have recently launched the George Spencer Well Being line which pupils are able to call or text for support or guidance. The number for the well-being line is 07969203860. Students can contact this number if they are worried about anything, if they are having issues with other students, if they are concerned about one of their friends or they just need someone to talk to. The phone is monitored regularly by our support team who can offer guidance and support either over the phone or by text. The well being line was promoted as part of the mental health awareness assembly and posters will also be going up around school next half term.

Mr J Dakers

Assistant Principal

CAREERS

Careers information and guidance is being delivered through form time learning, dedicated growth lessons, through our subject curriculum and Challenge Days all of which underpin our desire to equip our students with the necessary employability skills that will ensure that they leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. Students have visited various universities; Nottingham, Warwick, Cambridge and Oxford. Our Y10 Designers are presenting at Design Ventura, London as I type. Students have also had college taster days and visited the World Skills Show. Up and coming events include our Y11 Interviews on the 17 March, if you can help out, please email Mr Platts. We had our first "A day in the life of...." presentation HR which was informative and went well. On the 1 April, Y8 and Post 16 students will have the opportunity of attending out next careers fayre which will see 20 companies and HE providers link with the students. On the 27 February we have our "Getting to know the Growing Success Hub and Unifrog". Please log into the Growing Success Hub and Unifrog using the links below to support your children at home: https://sites.google.com/george-spencer.notts.sch.uk/growingsuccess/home

As a parent, you can get access to Unifrog by following the link below and registering (please ignore that it says student!) using the form code; parentsgeorgespencer https://sites.google.com/george-spencer.notts.sch.uk/growingsuccess/home/parentcarer-information

Finally, a you may or may not be aware, alongside our curriculum we run a careers, information and guidance programme to ensure our students are sufficiently well informed and guided through their educational career and into the world of employment.

We work closely with Futures who provide bespoke guidance, interviews and planning sessions to help you and your child navigate the ever changing world of education and employment. In order to run this service efficiently, we need to share basic information about your child and their curriculum with Futures. Futures will store student data according to data protection regulations; this data will not be shared with other agencies and will remain confidential.

If you DO NOT wish for your child's information to be shared with our Future team, please email info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk so a record can be kept of this not being permissible.

FrOGS

The Friends of George Spencer (FrOGS) are an active body of parents and supporters of the school who run a range of community activities throughout the year which benefit both our students and our local community; examples being the Fireworks Extravaganza, the Joules clothing sales which proved to be extremely successful with visitors queuing to get inside the doors, the Christmas Artisan Market and several cheese and wine events throughout the year. If you would like to support FrOGS and the school please email them on: frogs@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

CHALLENGE DAYS

Challenge Days continue to underpin our enrichment with students being offered a wide range of activities ranging from Becky Boyle, Prison life, meet the employer, Money Matters to name but a few. As a focus, from this year, all Challenge Days are linked to an employability skill for example the 4 Rs, aspirational, informed, achieving and accountable. The intention behind this is that the students explicitly develop the "soft skills" that society and employers are looking for in the modern Britain of the future. We are equipping the students to embrace, succeed and indeed shape their future and hopefully the future of others.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR OFFER

Are your children taking advantage of our extra-curricular offer which ranges from academic support through Period 6, lunchtime and evenings designed to enhance the learning and progress of our students to a wide range of pastoral activities which develop our students as a whole? From the Lego club, Warhammer club to music, drama and sport, students have many opportunities to try new activities, thrive and develop their confidence and experiences outside the classroom. The production and quality of Oliver this year was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and staff.

We are very proud of our continuing sporting successes, an example being the Y11 girls netball team who recently became the Regional Champions and now go onto the National Finals which are held on Saturday 14 March at Welwyn Garden City. If any of you would like to attend and support our girls, I am sure that they would appreciate it.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme has been expanded this year with a larger take up in both the Bronze and Silver awards. The lifelong skills developed through participation in this scheme cannot be underestimated. Another example of the variety of activities available is the success of our Y10 students who are in the final of the Design Ventura competition at the Design Museum in London. It will be a long day for them but we wish them well. As a school, we always encourage our students to embrace life and the opportunities available to them. We are proud of and acknowledge the many activities that they participate in outside of school whether it be Army Cadets, dancing, volunteering or any other activity.

Our wealth of trips continue to add to the opportunities of our students. The rolling programme of Inclusive Games has offered competition and team building through a range of different sports. Trips to the GCSE and A Level Science Live show, the Tamworth Snowdome, various Maths Challenges, The Open Centre – Faith Trail, Cinderella Pantomime, Languages Pop Up museum, Art in Action and the River Trent to name but a few add to the enrichment of our students.

Mr N Platts

Assistant Principal

YEAR 13

This week we have had the PPEs and after half term there will be a Results Day. This will take place on Friday 6 March during registration. Once results have been issued then papers will be returned. We will of course celebrate successes and continue to support all students as we move towards the summer examinations. There will be subject specific sessions and additional workshops offered focussing on organisation, well being, revision techniques, dealing with stress and planning for the future.

Dates for Your Diary

• Thursday 19 March – Year 13 Progress Evening
• Thursday 26 March – Evening event focussing on Well Being in preparation for summer examinations.

Half term is also a great opportunity for students to get organised so any additional encouragement would be great! Just a few ideas - sort folders, print off specifications, make a revision plan as well of course taking time to rest.

YEAR 12

January started with Work Experience week. It can be very difficult for students to secure positions but it is all credit to them that they persevered and completed the week successfully. It is really important that they keep a record of their achievements so please encourage them to go onto UNIFROG and complete their activity log. (See above for information on how to log on to the system).

This week we held a celebration assembly and it was great to be able to deliver messages from subject teachers and to celebrate the success of so many students since the start of term.

Thank you for your continuing support. If you have any specific concerns then please do not hesitate to contact the Sixth Form team.

Mrs K Fawcett

Director of Learning

DID YOU KNOW!?

There is a chance to get our school a reward of £1000 towards our prom or leavers merchandise if 50% of our year group sign up to NCS, meaning they have fully completed their sign up including payment and medical forms by March. Is your child aged 16-17? Have they got plans when they finish their exams over the summer? Would you like them to have a fantastic opportunity that they will remember for years to come? If so please visit the National Citizen Service (NCS) website https://wearencs.com/what-is-ncs . NCS have been into school over the past few weeks running an assembly, a lunchtime doughnut drop and into tutor groups to hand out registration forms. If the cost is an issue, please contact James as they may be able to help:

James Bland

Youth Engagement Advisor

jbland@ingeus.co.uk

GETTING TO KNOW THE GROWING SUCCESS HUB

Thursday 27th February - 6pm-7pm (Main School Hall)

We are running a session to introduce these platforms to enable you to support your children in their career aspirations.

Please park on lower site and walk over the bridge to the hall to sign in.

As seating is limited, please complete this short form to indicate your attendance: https://forms.gle/SrbVEyu8WsyAfgna7

NON-UNIFORM DAY

Friday 14th February

Friday is a non-uniform day for all students. There will be staff and the School Sport Organising Committee' (SSOC) collecting money on both lower and upper gates. Money can also be put in a container that will be in reception. The cost is £1 and all of the money will go towards sport at George Spencer.

CHALLENGE DAY

Wednesday 5th February, 8.50am - 2.55pm

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30 - 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 - ICT & Business (Interactive Story)
• Year 8 - Languages (Celebrating Diversity)
• Year 9 - Sport & Health Studies (Tamworth Trip)
• Year 10 - Maths (Money Matters)
• Year 11 - Science (Dealing with Exam Stress)
• Year 12/13 - Some timetabled lessons will go ahead as normal

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

YEAR 9 GUIDED PATHWAYS

Deadline for completion - Friday 14th February

Parents/carers of Year 9 students must complete the following form by Friday 14th February.

http://bit.ly/2NNwj4Shttp://bit.ly/2NNwj4S

PARENT FORUM

 Thursday 30th January - 6pm (GSA Conference Centre)

The next parent forum is on Thursday 30^th January in the conference centre starting at 6pm. The focus for this forum will be ’supporting pupils with their futures’. We will be interested to hear your views on how we can further develop our careers and futures provision.  If you are interested in attending this forum, please send an email to the following address under the subject of ‘GSA Parent Forum’; info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk.

GSA PRESENTS OLIVER!

This year the GSA Drama and Music departments are doing Oliver! as the school production. The show will be performed on Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th and Friday 17th of January in the main school hall. Doors open at 7.00 for a 7.30pm start. This year we have 48 students in the cast, 19 in the band and 23 in the back stage crew, make up team and props team.

We have been rehearsing the show since September – three nights a week and are very excited to share all our hard work with you.

Consider yourself at home with Lionel Bart's classic musical based on Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike.

Mrs Askew

Drama

CHRISTMAS BULLETIN

Christmas and New Year are traditionally times to reflect on the past and look forward to what the future holds in store.

My first term at George Spencer Academy has been exciting and extremely rewarding. I am very proud of our pupils. They are outward facing, realising the decisions they make now affects their future happiness and prosperity. All of our pupils have been actively involved in discussing what it is that unites us, with November seeing the launch of our Core Values under our new strap line of 'Ethos of Excellence' as well as updating our school logo to represent unity with a clear nod to the existing design. As a school community we are driven towards achieving excellence in all that we do and I regularly see so many of our pupils going the extra mile to support not only their friends and classmates but our staff and the wider community we live in.

Children face a number of challenges today that in many respects are unique to their generation and I hope that you can see that we try to provide all our pupils with the support, skills and challenge needed in order for them to have the best chance possible of having safe, happy and successful lives. This involves putting equal emphasis on academic rigour, well-being and high expectations. Our website hosts our key policies, including our updated Behaviour Policy which is aligned with our new classroom systems. These have proven very successful so far this academic year, with over 31,000 positive rewards being issued so far to our pupils by staff. Please familiarise yourself with our policies and practice through our website.

The high expectations we have of our pupils isn't solely about building positive behaviours it is also about creating lifelong learners. We need men and women who will make a difference in their communities and the lives of others. Whether it is preparing pupils for academic success or supporting them in community works, sport or the arts we will always make sure that we do all we can to allow our pupils to be excellent. To quote Aristotle "Excellence is not an act it is a habit". If you ever feel something hasn't gone right, or we could have done something better please make your complaint in writing to me at the academy and I will work with you to resolve your concerns.

May I wish you a peaceful and joyful Christmas. We will look forward to the New Year with optimism built on a foundation of hard work and determination to be the best people we can possibly be.

Mrs Corbett

Principal

YEAR 11 PRE-PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS (PPE's)

The second half term started with three weeks of PPEs for our Year 11 students. They were given a very real experience of how the exams will be in the Summer of 2020 and all of them responded with great maturity and positivity. With some subjects having two or three separate papers, there was a lot to be covered in revision and the lower site resource centre was busy morning, lunch and after school!

I was incredibly proud of how they approached the PPEs and as such, many students have hit and even exceeded target grades in numerous subjects. In the end of year rewards assembly, over 100 students were nominated and received certificates from a variety of staff which is phenomenal.

Well done Year 11, a great start to the year.  Have a wonderful rest, but keep up that revision!

Miss Jenkinson

Vice Principal/Director of Learning

2019 IN REVIEW

In 2019 we are proud to say that 89 visits out of school have occurred so far and 12286 students have had the opportunity to take part. A total of 909 students have had the opportunity to go abroad. More local visits range from Devon to Nottingham. Students involved range from Y7 – Y13. Most of Y7 successfully attended the team building event at Walesby which has replaced the residential camp at the end of the year. The weather was good and students enjoyed the team building and bonding in their tutor groups. 4 students had the opportunity to represent our school at the Ex Jerboa shared Heritage remembrance event which was organised by the Army. They were a credit to the school. During the rest of the year we have trips going to Italy for the Ski trip, all of Y7 will be going to Warwick Castle for their Social Sciences challenge day and the Geographers will be going to Romania and Moldova. Y8 will get the opportunity to go to France (the Loire trip), Y9 to Club Corezze and Y12 will be visiting Cern. We also have a group going out to Tanzania to name but a few. We would like to thank our dedicated staff for going the extra mile and offering these fantastic opportunities.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Can you offer time to come into school to talk to students about what your job/career involves? Explaining the "world of work".

Would you be happy to explain to students about the different jobs/careers that you have held and how you got them?

Would you be happy to come in and interview students to give them interview practice and life skills?

Please could you follow the link and complete the short questionnaire - https://forms.gle/7hF1NLSp5Dkju9s89

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Mr Platts

Assistant Principal

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Wednesday 18th December

This Year's Christmas Concert will take place at St. Helen's Church in Stapleford on Wednesday 18th December, starting at 7pm.

The concert will include a range of items from soloists and small groups to full bands and promises to offer a mix of music, carols and readings.

Tickets are available on sQuid priced: £2.55 (Seasonal refreshments to be served during the interval).

We hope to see you at our forthcoming Christmas Concert.

CHALLENGE DAY

Tuesday 10th December, 8.50am - 2.55pm

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30 - 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Problem Solving (Technology)
• Year 8 – Normanton Trip/History/Geography (Social Science)
• Year 9 – GCSE Taster Day (Pastoral)
• Year 10 – Careers (Media & Creative Arts)

• Year 11 – Money Matters (Maths)

• Year 12 / 13 – Independent Study Day/Some lessons

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

HALF PRICE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

Wednesday 11th December - Tuesday 17th December

During this week, we will be holding a Half-Price Scholastic Book Fair in the Library during break, lunchtime and after school until 4pm. With a wide range of titles featuring some of the best new books, there's sure to be something for everyone to enjoy.

Every book sold will help to get FREE BOOKS for the School Library.

There will also be a range of stationery and posters available.

We will be taking cash at the Book Fair. Alternatively you can visit https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/gift-vouchers to find out about Book Fair Gift Vouchers. They offer a 20% discount when you buy online meaning a £12 voucher costs only £10, a £6 voucher costs only £5 and so on. Vouchers can be purchased up until midnight on the last day of the book fair. 

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at the fair!

ARTISAN CHRISTMAS MARKET

Saturday 30th November (11am - 3pm, Upper Site Hall)

This is organised by a group of parents and members of the local community called the FrOGS (Friends of George Spencer)

It is always a really good event with lots of stalls, games, a tombola, raffle, hot food, live music and a chance to visit Father Christmas.

Each year we have a non-uniform day on the Friday before the event (Friday 29th December) and instead of paying a pound students bring in items to support the market. Items could be books, computer games, DVDs, toiletries, cuddly toys, or anything that would make a great prize for the tombola. Please do not bring in cakes/baked goods. Students will need to bring their items to the Sports Hall before registration. It is always great to see the students bringing in their items on Friday morning. This support is fantastic and essential for the market to be a success.

The aim of the event is to raise money to support projects in school. The FrOGS have raised over £50,000 over the years and have supported many, many projects including staging, lighting for the Hall, curtains, sports kits, outdoor seating, library improvements, equipment for lessons, books, support for clubs and lots of improvements to the environment around school.

A lot of work goes into the event and on the day it is always well supported by the local residents. We would like to encourage parents and students to attend the Artisan Christmas market so if you have twenty minutes to spare on Saturday 30th November it would be really great to see you there to support the FrOGS and our school projects. The market opens at 11am and will finish around 3pm.

We really hope you can support our event and we look forward to seeing you.

CHALLENGE DAY

Tuesday 19th November, 8.50am - 2.55pm 

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30 - 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Becky Boyle (Science)
• Year 8 – Social Media Awareness (ICT & Business)
• Year 9 – Sex & Drug Education (MFL)
• Year 10 – Romeo & Juliet (English)
• Year 11 – Sixth-Form Taster Day
• Year 12 / 13 – Independent Study Day (No lessons)

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day.

UPDATE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

October 2019

We have had a fantastic start to the school year and we are very proud of the hard work and commitment to learning our young people have demonstrated so far this year. It has been a very busy half term with many exciting opportunities for all. Please follow us on Twitter to receive regular updates on what is happening within the academy.

Our Parent Forum meetings will continue this year. The meetings are held once per half term, in the Conference Centre. Please find below the dates and themes for this academic year, we hope you are able to attend.

A special thank you to all who attended the ‘Meet the Principal’ event in September. It was lovely to receive such a warm welcome and to get to meet you on an individual basis; for those of you who were unable to attend please see our website for further opportunities to come into the academy and meet us. I look forward to continuing to work with you all as we shape your child’s future.

 Parent Forums

At George Spencer Academy we understand the importance of listening to the views of our pupil’s parents. Consequently, this year we will be running a series of Parent Forums on the dates listed below. 

1.       Wednesday 6 November 2019 - Pupil development and keeping pupils safe at GSA

2.       Thursday 30 January 2020 - Supporting pupils with their futures

3.       Wednesday 25 March 2020 - Curriculum and preparing for learning/homework

4.       Wednesday 3 June 2020 - Literacy and reading

The first Parent Forum will start at 6pm on Wednesday 6 November in the conference centre.  At this forum, we would like to hear parent’s views on pupil development (including trips/visits, extra-curricular activities, form time learning, challenge days etc) and keeping children safe (including national safeguarding issues).  If you are interested in attending this forum, please send an email to the following address under the subject of ‘GSA Parent Forum’; info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk 

Please respond by Tuesday 5 November if you are interested in attending.

Winter Routine

Half term 2 will begin on Monday 4 November and this will see the start of our Winter Routine which means that all students are confined to hard surfaces only and should keep off all grass areas. We provide outdoor spaces for those who wish to play ball games as well as indoor spaces for those who would prefer to keep out of the cold. As you start to consider winter outerwear please may we remind you to refer to our Uniform Expectations which can be found on our website or in the Student Planner.

Pre-Public Examinations

Our Year 11 learners will be sitting their first Pre-Public Examinations from Monday 4 November to Friday 22 November 2019.  This is a very important time for our Years 11 and we ask all other students to be respectful of this by moving quietly around the exam allocated areas.

Prize Giving

We are excited about our up and coming annual Prize Giving which will be held at East Midlands Conference Centre on Monday 9 December 2019 to celebrate together with parents and carers the achievements of our learners from all year groups. Letters to prize winners will be sent out early next half term.

Library Books

Please could you help us in retrieving some of the more overdue, or ‘lost’, library books by having a look at home over the half-term holidays.  All of our library stock will have a George Spencer barcode inside and will be stamped with our address somewhere inside or on the book spine.  If you do find any, they can be returned to the library or main school reception on the Upper Site.  Thank you for your support with this.

All students should now have been given their login details for the library management system, Libresoft Librarian.  They can log-in at any time to check which books they have on loan and when they need to be returned, renew or reserve books, search the library catalogue and rate/review books they have been reading.  If students have any problems logging-on or using the system, they can see Miss Stevens in the Library for assistance.  Students can find the link to Libresoft Librarian and a user guide on the library website: https://sites.google.com/george-spencer.notts.sch.uk/library/libresoft-librarian

PARENT BULLETIN

October 2019

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you find the information in our half termly bulletins useful.  At George Spencer Academy we believe that an effective partnership with home is extremely important in supporting our learners in becoming successful. We are eager for you to understand all that we do so that you are able to support us with your child at home. This bulletin is designed to give you an overview of key information with further details being available on our website.

Please do let us know if you have any feedback on our bulletin or if you would find anything additional useful.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Helen Corbett

Principal

CHALLENGE DAY

Thursday 26th September, 8.50am - 2.55pm 

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30 - 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Sports Activities (Physical Education)
• Year 8 – Soap (Science)
• Year 9 – Enterprise (ICT & Business)
• Year 10 – Problem Solving (Technology)
• Year 11 – Symbology (English)
• Year 12/13 – Form Tutor Review  

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

GCSE RESULTS DAY

George Spencer Academy celebrated some fantastic GCSE results today with many outstanding individual performances. Close to three quarters of students achieved the benchmark of 4+ in English and Maths and secured their place at GSA sixth form, on apprenticeships or other further education provider.
Vice Principal, Scott Doyle said:

“Results days are always special at George Spencer and it has been lovely celebrating success with our students this morning. The hard work, dedication and excellent relationships between our staff and students has paid off with many of our students scooping the elusive grade 9s across their subjects and most achieving the necessary grades in English and Maths to progress into the next chapter of their education. Our young people have bright futures ahead of them – life at GSA is not just about exam results, we help to grow well rounded, capable young adults through a range of experiences and a relentless focus on learning and self-improvement. With this in mind, we look forward to welcoming the vast majority into our sixth form in September but, to those heading in other directions, we wish them all the best and bid them farewell.”

There are still places at George Spencer Sixth form. Information can be found on the link below:

http://www.george-spencer.notts.sch.uk/index.php/2015-06-17-09-14-23/welcome-to-sixth-form

and enquiries should be emailed to:

gsa_sixthform@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

A LEVEL RESULTS

George Spencer Academy celebrated their post-16 results this morning. Half of A-level grades were achieved at grade B or higher, with 99% of grades gaining a pass mark and 16% achieving A or A* grades.

Scott Doyle, Vice-Principal, said, " Our Sixth Form thrives on an ethos of hard work and very positive relationships with staff. These results reflect all the hard work that the pastoral support and teaching staff have put in to support our students, and above all else they are a tribute to the endeavours of the young people themselves. Our students have really promising futures ahead of them at some of the best universities, in employment or apprenticeships and training. I want to congratulate them all. As ever, I also want to thank our wonderful staff who are key in helping our sixth formers achieve these amazing results.

Karen Fawcett, Post 16 Director agreed, "I am very pleased with the results the students have achieved this year. Their determination to succeed, along with the dedication from our hard working staff, has given us a lot to be proud of. Days like today are always a highlight for me. It's great to see that so many of our students achieving the grades they needed for their university or future employment."

We wish all the students the very best. A limited number of sixth form places are still available for September 2019.

RESULTS DAY

•   Year 13 Results Day - Thursday 15th August from 8am in the Sixth Form Area.
•   Year 11 Results Day & Sixth Form Sign-Up - Thursday 22nd August from 9am in the Conference Centre.

SUMMER BULLETIN

Dear Parents/Carers,

Earlier this month, George Spencer Academy was re-designated by the World Class Schools symposium, meaning that we continue to be recognised and applauded by our peers in other outstanding academies around the country. With only 100 World Class Schools in England and Wales, for ourselves and Rushcliffe Academy (also in the SAT), this is an honour of which we can be proud.

On this note, it is the right moment for me to now step away from GSA and hand over the reins to Mrs Helen Corbett. With 18 new staff next term, including on her leadership team, George Spencer will embark on its next illustrious chapter after a decade of success under the academy banner.

I am off on my travels, as the geographer instinct still burns brightly, and aim to see many parts of the world, and have some fun, over the next ten years or so whilst still up to it!

Also leaving today is Scott Doyle, who has been my trusty lieutenant and the setter of standards since his arrival in 2008. He is always the consummate professional, and has thoroughly deserved the promotion to take up the Headship of Derby Moor, also in the Trust. GSA will certainly miss his daily impact!

We also say goodbye to other colleagues, including Tom Wilkinson (Head of Computing at Loughborough Grammar); Julien Wright (Head of Year at Heanor Gate); George Glover (Head of PE also in a Loughborough school); Stephen Cooper (relocating to Cheltenham); as well as the following: Miss Ambridge, Mrs Cresswell, Mrs Derbyshire, Miss Gration, Mr Highley, Mr Jenkins, Mr Leatham, Mrs Leech, Ms Russell, Mr Titley, and Miss Wilde.

Please note the arrangements for the "start of the next term" on September 2nd...... a phrase that no longer will apply to me.

Monday 2nd September

Year 12 will come into school between 10am – 2pm to collect their timetable and drop off their transition work.

Tuesday 3rd September

• All students Yr7-Yr13 arrive at 8.45am. Year 7 line up in the courts on Lower Site. Year 8 - 13 go to tutor rooms to be registered.
• Year 12 will have an induction day.
  • Year 12 lessons will not be running on Tuesday, normal lessons will begin on Wednesday 3rd.
• All students will be with their Learning Manager P1.
• All year groups to have an assembly with the new Principal.
• Lessons begin Period 2 for all year groups – there will be some disruption due to assemblies taking place.

Further to the information shared earlier this half term, for those students caught with their mobile phone on site details of how the Academy will deal with it are below.

Goodbye George Spencer, it's been a gas!

Mr Field

Principal

Documents

•   Uniform Expectations
•   No Mobile Phone System

SPORTS DAY ORDER OF EVENTS

Tuesday 23rd July 2019 @ Harvey Hadden Stadium

LAST DAY OF TERM

Wednesday 24th July - 12.15pm

Please be aware that school will finish at 12.15pm on Wednesday 24th July. Students will be in normal lessons from period 1-3.

SPORTS DAY

Tuesday 23rd July 2019 @ Harvey Hadden Stadium

Students in new Year 8 - 9 are expected to arrive at the lower school cage at 8.45am. They will then be transported to Harvey Hadden at 9.15am.

Students in new Year 10 - 11 are expected to arrive at the lower school cage at 9.45am. They will then be transported to Harvey Hadden at 10.15am.

Parents, please confirm your child's attendance at Sports Day with their Learning Manager, either through completing the form attached below or emailing the Learning Manager.

Click here for further information on the day.

WORLD CLASS STATUS REACCREDITATION

George Spencer have been reaccredited with World Class School status after first receiving the award back in 2016 following the outstanding Ofsted inspection.

The World Class Schools Quality Mark (WCSQM) is considered the new measure in education for schools who have moved beyond outstanding. It seeks to establish whether schools have achieved the much harder feat of having their students demonstrate World Class skills and competencies.

Schools must go through a rigorous accreditation process which provides a unique insight into the impact schools have on their students. They must compile comprehensive evidence in support of their application – a process which, uniquely, is led by students.

Students must develop the case for accreditation through detailed auditing of their school's capabilities, video submissions in support of their application, and participating in an assessment centre event, at which their performances are measured against a challenging framework.

The award's uniqueness lies in the fact that the students are assessed with regard to whether they themselves show the signs of a world class education, rather than the school itself. WCSQM believes that it is the calibre of the student which proves the calibre of the school. If the school is truly World Class then the students will be able to demonstrate World Class qualities.

Three World Class School student teams were involved in this year's reaccreditation process with fellow Spencer school and recently WCSQM accredited, Wyndham Primary Academy also involved in the day.

Each team reported on their own school, reviewed the partner school reports and completed exchange visits to each of the schools in which they recorded them in action as World Class.

George Spencer's World Class Ambassadors who coordinated the visits, production and symposium are Laura Delaney, Layla Middlemass, Sam Halliday, Yara Hamed, Olivia Hewitt-Taylor, Ryan Wilcox, Logan Connell, Thomas Playford and Evia Cooper- Evans.

Andrew Field, Principal at George Spencer Academy said: "It is a great tribute to the impact of George Spencer Academy that it has been re-designated as a World Class school. This recognition pays testament to the dedication to teaching and learning that is part of daily life at George Spencer and illustrates the professionalism of the staff and the focus of our students."

CHALLENGE DAYS

Wednesday 26th June & Thursday 27th June, 8.50am - 2.55pm

YEAR 7 BOYS FOOTBALL COUNTY CHAMPIONS

GSA's Year 7 Boys Football team have been crowned County Champions after beating Kimberley in last night's match. The team have done tremendously well over the season, after losing their first ever game.

Goalscorers were Ben Allsebrook (2), Christian Bago and Luke Daminabo. Captain for the match was Jack Bardill and man of the match went to Christian Bago.

The team will now play in a champion of champions tournament at St. George's Park in Burton on Saturday 6th July, having won the Butlins Skegness tournament.

Congratulations to the team from everyone at George Spencer and best of luck for the 6th!

PARENTS' FORUM

Wednesday 5th June is our final Parents' Forum of the year. The Parents' Forum takes place each half term, usually on a Wednesday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm. It is a chance to meet other parents, chat to some of our staff and ask questions about the way the school works, give feedback and influence policy making in the school. Over recent years the Parents' Forum have instigated the change in uniform suppliers, changes in reporting, improvements in the website, changes in communication to parents and helped with the development of the PARS rewards system.

All parents are welcome to attend - there is no commitment to attend all of the meetings and the agenda will change each half term - this will be decided by the group. Next week is an 'open forum' - there is no set agenda and we will discuss matters that are arising. If you are interested in attending, please come to the Conference Centre on Upper (Stapleford) Site for 6pm on Wednesday 5th June.

SPRING TERM BULLETIN

Dear parents/carers,

George Spencer Academy has appointed its next Principal, who will lead the school to even greater successes and recognition in the years ahead.

Ms Helen Corbett was appointed in March, after a rigorous and competitive process, by the Spencer Academies Trust. She is currently Vice Principal at Rushcliffe Academy, another of the Trust schools, and will gradually increase the frequency and impact of her visits to GSA during the summer term, with a view to being on site regularly from 1st July when we start our new timetable. I am sure that she will bring a new direction and vision to the next phase of the school's development, and a more youthful and energetic presence to the learning environment than the present incumbent!

We continually strive to uphold the values of a fair and tolerant learning society, and work tirelessly to demonstrate to all our students that a safe and inclusive environment is sacrosanct for us all. Unfortunately, in a world of ever greater judgmental myopia and callous vitriol, we have to try and counter the social media trends that add to the stresses of young people's lives. Whether the issue is that of racism, homophobia, genderism, cyberbullying, threats in the neighbourhood or actual assaults, George Spencer Academy always endeavours to resolve, and proportionately sanction, such inappropriate behaviours that involve our current student body. We alert and work with relevant external agencies and aim to build future relationships in a restorative way. We may not always succeed, but we do try hard to get it right. I am sure that Ms Corbett will continue to build on this foundation stone of why you choose to send your child to George Spencer.

It has been another busy term, as our sports teams progress deeper into regional competitions, we hosted "We Will Rock You" in January, and we have had successful overseas trips to Sestriere in Italy and Vilnius in Lithuania. 'World Book Day' and STEM Week both attracted a lot of attention, and many students have been suitably inspired by workshops and external speakers (including the army officer who walked solo across Antarctica - if ever there was a role model for resilience and self-belief it is Captain Rudd!)

May we wish all of you a Happy Easter and for those about to embark on the examination season next term we wish you all the best, and encourage you to balance work and rest (and a little 'play') in the coming weeks.

A reminder of our uniform expectations can be found here.

Mr Field

Principal

CHALLENGE DAY

Wednesday 3rd April, 8.50am - 2.55pm 

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30- 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – ICT & Business
• Year 8 – Technology
• Year 9 – Media & Creative Arts
• Year 10 – Languages
• Year 11 – Maths / English
• Year 12 – University visit / Apprenticeship workshops

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

PARENTS' FORUM

Wednesday 27th March 2019

Next Wednesday is our half termly Parents' Forum. The Parents' Forum takes place each half term, usually on a Wednesday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm. It is a chance to meet other parents, chat to some of our staff and ask questions about the way the school works, give feedback and influence policy making in the school. Over recent years the Parents' Forum have instigated the change in uniform suppliers, changes in reporting, improvements in the website, changes in communication to parents and helped with the development of the PARS rewards system.

All parents are welcome to attend, there is no commitment to attend all of the meetings and the agenda will change each half term - this will be decided by the group. Next week is an 'open forum' - there is no set agenda and we will discuss matters that are arising. If you are interested in attending, please come to the Conference Centre on Upper (Stapleford) Site for 6pm on Wednesday 27th March.

GSA WELCOMES RECORD-HOLDER CAPTAIN LOU RUDD MBE

George Spencer was honoured to welcome Captain Lou Rudd MBE to the school this morning. From October 2018 to January 2019 he completed Expedition SPIRIT OF ENDURANCE which saw him ski solo and unsupported 1,000 miles across Antarctica in just 56 days, becoming the first ever Briton and only the second person in history to complete this journey. He holds the world record as the first person to have traversed Antarctica twice on foot, and is holder of the Antarctic Distance Record, having a total mileage of approximately 2,800 miles behind him.

He talked to our Year 10 and Year 7 students about his experience and demonstrated what sheer strength and determination can achieve.

PARENT BULLETIN SPRING 2019

Careers, Information & Guidance Programme

As you may or may not be aware, alongside our curriculum we run a careers, information and guidance programme to ensure our students are sufficiently well informed and guided through their educational career and into the world of employment.

We work closely with Futures who provide bespoke guidance, interviews and planning sessions to help you and your child navigate the ever changing world of education and employment. In order to run this service efficiently, we need to share basic information about your child and their curriculum with Futures. Futures will store student data according to data protection regulations; this data will not be shared with other agencies and will remain confidential.

If you DO NOT wish for your child's information to be shared with our Future team, please email info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk so a record can be kept of this not being permissible.

Year 8 Options Events

The Year 8 options evening will be taking place on Thursday 28 February, letters will be sent out inviting you the week beginning 11 February.

Exam Stress Evening

All parents and carers of Year 11 and Year 13 students are welcome to attend an event in the conference centre on Tuesday 12 February at either 5pm or 6pm. The event is to discuss strategies and tips regarding beating exam stress, maintaining good mental health and ideas for revision strategies to support your child during this stressful time. Parents of other year groups are welcome to attend. There will also be a chance to meet the support team for students and the pastoral leads of year 11 and year 13 individually if you wish.

Resources will be available after the event on the school website http://www.george-spencer.notts.sch.uk/index.php/parents/2015-05-19-13-01-18/school-homework-exams-and-organisation

Challenge Day 4 - Tuesday 5 March

The school day will finish at 2.55pm. Year groups will be studying the following subjects:

• Year 7 – Media & Creative Arts
• Year 8 - Languages
• Year 9 – PE (Tamworth Snowdome)
• Year 10 - Maths
• Year 11 - Science
• Year 12 – Tutor Review
• Year 13 – Normal Lessons (some slight changes)

Parents Forum

The Parents' Forum takes place each half term, usually on a Wednesday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm. It is a chance to meet other parents, chat to some of our staff and ask questions about the way the school works, give feedback and influence policy making in the school. Over recent years the Parents' Forum have instigated the change in uniform suppliers, changes in reporting, improvements in the website, changes in communication to parents and helped with the development of the PARS rewards system.

All parents are welcome to attend, there is no commitment to attend all of the meetings and the agenda will change each half term - this will be decided by the group. If you are interested in attending, please come to the Conference Centre on Upper (Stapleford) Site for 6pm. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 March.

Uniform Reminder

As the weather turns colder, please ensure your child is equipped for the winter with a plain black outer coat. We have very limited indoor space and many of our students have a long walk to school. May we also remind you also that hoodies are not accepted as a coat.

Students travelling on bikes

If your child wishes to travel to school by bike, they need to ensure they get a bike pass from their Pastoral Support Assistant. As part of this agreement all students are required to wear a helmet to and from school, provide a lock to secure their bike and must ensure they are visible to other road user. WE have received some complaints about the conduct of students on bikes so safe road use and bike lights are crucial at this time of year.

George Spencer Academy Sports Stars

Does your child play competitive sport on a regular basis outside of school? Do they compete at an elite level? (County, Midlands, Nationally). If so, we would like to hear about your child's successes and achievements and help to celebrate these by including them on our sports stars wall of fame.

All you need to do is to email a photograph of your child competing in their sport along with any information about competitions they have won/taken part in, rankings they have achieved or next steps they will be taking.

We will then add them to our ever increasing sports stars wall of fame to celebrate your child's achievements and acknowledge how well they are doing in their sports/activities.

Please email your details to swalker@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

Netball

Both the Y8 and Y10 teams have qualified for the finals of the Central Venue League in March and have won every match they have played.

The Year 8 girls are also through to the Central Venue League finals in March. They have won the following games:

• 4 - 2 against NUSA
• 6 - 1 against Nottingham Free School
• 5 - 2 against Nottingham Girls High School
• 4 - 0 against Carlton Le Willows
• 5 - 0 against Chilwell

Year 10 netball team have won all their matches in the Central Venue League and are through to the finals. They have won the following:

• 19 - 4 against Carlton Le Willows
• 19 - 2 against Newark
• 19 - 1 against Fernwood
• 19 - 1 against Nottingham High School

Year 12 Students - HE+ Visit to Cambridge University - Wednesday 6 February

Students were a credit to the Sixth Form and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Students took part in University style lectures, presented projects to other students in their subject stream and learnt vital information about the Cambridge application process. They also participated in a question and answer session with current Cambridge students.

Message from the FrOGS 

Prosecco Tasting Evening - click the flyer below for more information.

YEAR 11 MOCK EXAMS

Monday 4th March - Friday 15th March

All mock exams are to be sat in the Sports Hall.

 All morning examinations to start in registration, students to line up in the fire assembly area at 8.45am.

Bags to be stored sensibly in the foyer area.

Afternoon examinations, students should line up in fire assembly area at 1.15pm (12.50pm on Weds)

Students will go straight home from all afternoon exams to revise for the next day.

GEORGE SPENCER ACADEMY SPORTS STARS

Does your child play competitive sport on a regular basis outside of school? Do they compete at an elite level? (County, Midlands, Nationally). If so, we would like to hear about your child's successes and achievements and help to celebrate these by including them on our sports stars wall of fame.

All you need to do is to email a photograph of your child competing in their sport along with any information about competitions they have won/taken part in, rankings they have achieved or next steps they will be taking.

We will then add them to our ever increasing sports stars wall of fame to celebrate your child's achievements and acknowledge how well they are doing in their sports/activities.

Please email your details to swalker@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

TEENAGE PRESSURE & EXAM STRESS

An Information Evening for Year 11 & 13 Parents

Please attend this event to meet with other parents of Year 11/13 students and learn strategies to deal with exam pressure and stress. Your child will attend a similar session during the day on March 5th (challenge day).

Tuesday 12th February 2019

• Session 1 – From 5.00 pm
• Session 2 – From 6.00 pm

• Click here to download a flyer.

YEAR 9 SCIENCE

Many thanks for supporting your child with their end of Key Stage 3 assessment before the Summer. Students were well prepared and demonstrated excellent subject knowledge skills.

Having completed a bridging to GCSE topic on Biomimicry with our new Year 9 students over Spencer time and into the beginning of September, students should have been or will be assessed on the skills learned in this topic so far. The intention from this was to encourage students to 'think outside of the box' about Science and to see how Science is used in everyday life and in future technology.

Students are now embarking on a 'Skills for Science- Working Scientifically' topic which is intended to build the skills required for embarking on the upcoming Science GCSE, which will begin after October half term. All students will be beginning on the GCSE Science course at this time, we may also make some adjustments to class groupings at this time to ensure that all students are in the very best class for their ability. The following information is designed to help you support students at home this academic year.

• Examination board: AQA
• Qualifications: GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry, GCSE Physics
• Students will be able to sit Higher or Foundation examinations
• All examinations will be at the end of Year 11
• Mock examinations of content studied will happen in both Year 9, Year 10 and 11.
• Specifications can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse
• Revision guides - we sell CGP revision guides in school at a reduced cost to parents - these can be purchased through Squid portal
• Bitesize: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/examspecs/zpgcbk7 (Biology) https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/examspecs/z8xtmnb (Chemistry) https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/examspecs/zsc9rdm(Physics)
• Kerboodle - all of our Science textbooks can be accessed for free through the Kerboodle website. Support on how to access this is attached to this email.
• Academic resources will be shared through the Science hub website, due to launch very soon - watch this space!
• Students will be expected to recall the 23 physics equations on the attached email (fewer for foundation students). They will be introduced to these throughout the course of their studies over the next three years and should aim to learn them as they come up.

If you have any concerns regarding your son / daughters' progress in Year 9, please do not hesitate to get in touch with myself, or Miss N. Sutton nsutton@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk or our Curriculum Leader Mr N. Baker nbaker@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

• Physics Equations
• Kerboodle Guide

PARENTS FORUM

Wednesday 30th January 2019

Dear Parents and Carers,

Next Wednesday is our third Parents' Forum of the year and will be a chance to meet Victoria Jones – our Assistant Principal for Inclusion. The Parents' Forum takes place each half term, usually on a Wednesday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm. It is a chance to meet other parents, chat to some of our staff and ask questions about the way the school works, give feedback and influence policy making in the school. Over recent years the Parents' Forum have instigated the change in uniform suppliers, changes in reporting, improvements in the website, changes in communication to parents and helped with the development of the PARS rewards system.

All parents are welcome to attend, there is no commitment to attend all of the meetings and the agenda will change each half term - this will be decided by the group. If you are interested in attending, please come to the Conference Centre on Upper (Stapleford) Site for 6pm on Wednesday 3 October.

Kind Regards,

Scott Doyle

Vice Principal

sdoyle@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we get closer to the holiday break, I wanted to write and to wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year, and at a time for catching up with friends and family, to share some personal news of my own.

After seventeen very happy years as Head of School and Principal at George Spencer Academy, I have decided to take retirement from August 2019. In my time at George Spencer I have seen the school become an academy, achieve two 'outstanding' judgements from Ofsted, and be recognised as a truly 'world class' school.

Our colleagues in our Teaching School, subject Hubs and the Spencer Academies Trust have flourished, and it has been particularly meaningful for me to support the training of hundreds of new teaching colleagues in my time here.

We are now determined that the next appointed Principal will be an exceptional candidate with the leadership skills and strategic understanding to set the direction for the next phase in George Spencer's sixty year history.

You will appreciate that finding a candidate of the calibre to lead our outstanding school through the next stage of our evolution is likely to be neither a quick task nor an easy one. Students may therefore see visiting candidates as they get to know the school in the days and weeks ahead, and I hope that you will all join with me in making potential applicants very welcome.

I have enjoyed meeting and working with so many of you this year and over the past seventeen years, and look forward to my last eight months at George Spencer. It has been a privilege to lead such an exceptional school.

May your Christmas be bright.

Best wishes.

Mr Field

HALF PRICE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

Wednesday 12th - Tuesday 18th December

From Wednesday 12th until Tuesday 18th December we will be holding a Half-Price Scholastic Book Fair in the Library during break, lunchtime and after school until 4pm. With a wide range of titles featuring some of the best new books, there's sure to be something for everyone to enjoy. Every book sold will help to get FREE BOOKS for the School Library. There will also be a range of stationery and posters available.

We will be taking cash at the Book Fair. Alternatively you can visit https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/gift-vouchers to find out about Book Fair Gift Vouchers. These offer a 20% discount when you buy online meaning a £12 voucher costs only £10, a £6 voucher costs only £5 and so on. Vouchers can be purchased up until midnight on the last day of the book fair.

Thank you for your support and hope to see you at the fair!.

The Library Team

CHALLENGE DAY

Tuesday 4th December, 8.50am - 2.55pm 

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30- 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Sports Activities (Wear PE kit and tracksuit)

• Year 8 – Normanton Trip / History / Geography

• Year 9 – Key Stage 4 taster day

• Year 10 – Careers

• Year 11 – Money Matters / Prison Life

• Year 12 / 13 – There will be a limited number of lessons running.

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

PARENTAL BULLETIN - OCTOBER HALF TERM 2018

George Spencer Academy has now just about recovered from the cyberattack which froze a huge amount of our data at the end of the previous term, and we are indebted to the efforts of our support staff who have worked long hours restocking our systems and recovering our efficiency and functionality. Parents are thanked for their patience in waiting for progress updates, particularly for the current Year 11. We are now launching 'INSIGHT' (a strand of our PARS database system) which will revolutionise how you access information about your child's progress and arrange appointments for Progress Evenings this year. Access information is being distributed this week.

Our Parents' Forum meets each half term, and you are very welcome to attend in the Conference Centre, and air your views on the main agenda item:

• Wed 7th November 6pm – Quality Assurance of Teaching & Learning at GSA
• Wed 30th January 2019 - TBC

With the weather turning colder, may we remind you that all students in Years 7 – 11 should wear a plain black coat over their blazer (not instead of) during the next few months. Our Uniform Expectations remain as high as always, and please check the Student Planner if in any doubt.

Punctuality has been good in the vast majority of cases all through the first half of the Autumn Term, but a few have started slipping into bad habits as the darker mornings have impacted on 'getting up' times: please ensure as a family that your child leaves the home in plenty of time to get onto GSA site well before 8.45am.

On this note, can we please urge parents to be considerate of other road users when dropping/collecting their child at school. Only vehicles displaying a yellow permit will be allowed in through the school gates, as we endeavour to minimise the number of vehicles in amongst pedestrians. The Tram terminal should be used as the drop/collection point for Lower gate, rather than parents dropping off at the end of Lower drive and blocking access

When we return on Monday 5th November, George spencer Academy will be on its Winter Routine which means that all students are confined to hard surfaces only and should keep off all grass areas. Years 10 and 11 may play ball games in the 'new' Cage, with Years 7, 8 and 9 in the larger 'old' Cage – appropriate coloured bibs must be warn and no spectators should stand in amongst games.

Mock examinations for Year 11 will be taking place during the period from Monday 5th – Tuesday 13th November, and this will impact on Lunch and Break arrangements during that time. We ask that other students are considerate about noise in the vicinity of the School Hall.

Please note that we welcome applications for additional Mid-day Supervisors who can help support the calming influence of GSA having plenty of staff presence during the Lunch break. If you are interested in this role please contact us on info@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk for more details.

Mr A Field

Principal

GRAPHICS HALF TERM SESSIONS

There will be a Graphics session for students on Monday 29^th October from 8.30am - 12.30pm during half term. The session will be based in TE5/TE6.

This will be an opportunity for students to improve their pages 1-6 for Section A & B, and to continue working on their design ideas, whilst accessing additional support and feedback.

If students have incomplete/missing work this is an ideal opportunity for them to catch up.

 Students will not need to wear school uniform. 

INSIGHT

There will be a few changes this year with regards to data and access to information about your child's performance in school.

Over the last two terms we have been trialing the use of a piece of software called 'Insight'. This has been evaluated by members of our Parents' Forum and modified to cater for the suggestions they made before being rolled out to a number of year groups as a method for booking Parents Evenings. Our intention was to start the new school year with access to Insight for all families. Unfortunately, you may be aware, that we fell victim to a cyber-attack in July and, as a result, much of our data and information systems were frozen. We can reassure you that none of our data was lost and the integrity of our systems and security has been evaluated externally by internationally recognised organisations and was declared to be more than adequate for a school of this size.

Click here to continue reading.

Click here for help accessing Insight.

CHALLENGE DAY

Thursday 25th October, 8.50am - 2.55pm

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30- 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Becky Boyle (Science)

• Year 8 – Sports (Sport & Health Studies)

• Year 9 – Sex Ed, Drugs/Health (Social Sciences)

• Year 10 – Romeo & Juliet (English)

• Year 11 – Sixth Form Tasters

• Year 12 & 13 - No Lessons

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

Y11 CORE/ OPTION MOCK EXAM TIMETABLE

5th November - 15th November

All morning examinations to start in registration, student’s line up in the quad at 8.45am.

Afternoon examinations, students should line up in quad 1.15pm (12.50pm on Weds).

EXAM DATES - SUMMER 2019

The Summer 2019 exam season begins on Monday, 13th May 2019 and the last day students will be required to be available for exams will be Wednesday, 26th June 2019.

These dates exclude the practical exams such as speaking tests and Art & Photography which would usually take place in advance of the main exam season.

KOOTH

Kooth is a free counselling support and advice for young people aged 11-15. It can be used as a 'drop in' service or for regular booked sessions with a named counsellor.

It also offers things such as emotional health message forums to discuss emotional health related issues hosted by a qualified counsellor, and an 'Ask Kooth' feature which enables young people to ask questions about anything of concern to them.

• Monday to Friday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Weekends 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• 365 days of the year

CHALLENGE DAY

Thursday 27th September, 8.50am - 2.55pm

Break - 10.00 - 10.20   |   Lunch - 11.30 - 12.20  |  Break - 1.30- 1.45

Students will be taking part in various activities:

• Year 7 – Warwick Castle (Social Sciences) – offsite

• Year 8 – Dragon’s Den (Science)

• Year 9 – Enterprise Day (ICT & Business)

• Year 10 – Creative Writing (English)

• Year 11 – Technology Day & Prison Life (Technology) 

• Year 12 & 13 Tutor Review Day

Please note the earlier finish time of 2.55pm for the Challenge Day. 

GCSE SUCCESS

George Spencer Academy is once again celebrating excellent GCSE outcomes for its students. Building on consistently high level performance over many years, this OFSTED recognised 'Outstanding' school has today celebrated its successes with its 2018 Year 11 cohort, whose overall headline results are in many cases some of the best in the region.

Year on year, students at the school surpass the national expectations and the headline results are improving at a greater than expected rate. The Progress figure for the year group is once again illustrating that GSA students achieve, on average, a third of a GCSE grade better than all students nationally taking the same combinations of subjects, and starting from similar backgrounds. This places George Spencer in the top 20% of schools in the country once again."

" 'Strong' GCSE results (Grades 5 – 9) for both English and maths are once again really pleasing," said Principal, Andrew Field. "Our students and staff work very hard and we have shown that despite the new specifications and the numerical grading systems now implemented across nearly all subjects this year, we are more than capable of giving every child who comes through our doors the opportunity to succeed."

Scott Doyle, Vice Principal, added: "We are, once again, pleased with such excellent results for the school but more so for each of our young people. The increased demands of the new courses has received a deal of media attention this year, as such we are proud that students have taken this in their stride and secured grades that are truly reflective of their potential and set them up for the next stage in their career. As a Teaching School we are privileged to have a climate where all staff and students embrace lifelong learning, resulting in a dedicated, professional staff team and the development of the most talented trainee teachers. This has undoubtedly helped us to stay ahead of the curve and prepare our students fully for the new courses and more challenging examination content."

George Spencer Academy is part of the Spencer Academies Trust, which includes five secondary schools in the region. CEO, Paul West said: ""At Spencer Trust we are delighted to celebrate the continued strong performance of GCSE Students at George Spencer Academy. The school has not only delivered consistently high results in many subjects including English, Maths and Science, credit goes to the school leadership, teaching and support teams and the supportive community of students and parents. Congratulations to all."

"Examination results are not everything at George Spencer", commented Mr Field. "We aim to prepare young people for the fast changing world of work, and give them the breadth of experience for their lives beyond education. That said, we also encourage them to give something back – only two weeks ago, a group of 20 Year 11 students returned from a working expedition to Tanzania. Here they contributed labour to the construction of a rural school for orphans, having raised funds to support this charitable cause, before then adventuring on safari and to the island of Zanzibar. All these experiences make a GSA student a more rounded employee of the future, with world class life skills and aspirations. We welcome positive young people such as these into our Sixth Form to further their education."

POST-16 SUCCESS

Once again, George Spencer Academy Sixth Form students are celebrating great successes on their Post-16 courses...

This morning, George Spencer Academy has been delighted to have so many individual achievements to applaud, and the overall outcome means that for the third year running the Sixth Form has attained the highest of grades for well over half of all entries. A phenomenal third of all grades achieved were A or A* at 32%. The average Points Score per Entry was 36.9 points, equivalent to a grade B.

Andrew Field, Principal, said: "Our staff and students have thoroughly deserved the results which our Year 13 has gained today. With so many courses being examined under new specifications, there was always going to be concerns about accuracy of predictions and so we are delighted that, once again, we have proven that we can prepare our students to have every opportunity to succeed, and that those students have done themselves proud through their hard work and determination!"

Karen Fawcett, Director of Sixth Form, added: We love to see the excitement and sense of accomplishment on the faces of so many of our students who will be able to take up employment, apprenticeships or university under-graduate places, and look forward to seeing them embark on their chosen career routes.

Paul West, CEO of The Spencer Academies Trust shared in the school's celebrations, "The Spencer Academies Trust are delighted for the students here at George Spencer Sixth Form. We're also thrilled that across our family of schools, more sixth form students than ever before have achieved higher grades, opening doors to their futures. This is testament to dedicated staff and hardworking pupils and families committed to education."