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. 

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."

For students in years 7-11 only

One of the reasons you have chosen to send your child to George Spencer Academy is for the high expectations we have of our young people, as well as our academic prowess. The introduction of the blazer six years ago has increased how smart our students look.

It is important that we maintain these high standards and it is only through positive relationships with yourselves that we achieve this. We wanted to make you aware as early as possible to some alterations, as we are mindful that you maybe updating your child's uniform before the end of term.

The changes that will be in place from the beginning of the new academic year in September will be:

• Students are not allowed to wear 'skinny' or 'cropped' trousers,
• Students are no longer allowed to wear the 'Bootleg air Suffolk' trainer style shoe from Clarks, or any other 'trainer' style. All shoes should be formal style shoes.

The planner and uniform guide for the new academic year will be updated to indicate these changes. Students wearing inappropriate uniform in September will be removed from circulation until the situation is resolved.

The high expectation with regard to student's attire will remain in place throughout the year. Please ensure that you child continues to wear the correct uniform for the remainder of the academic year.

Thank you in advance for your support and co-operation.

Mr A Field

Principal

YEAR GCSE SCIENCE & UPCOMING ASSESSMENTS

Many thanks to everyone for all of the positive comments and interest shown in student progress in Science at the recent progress evening. We had some excellent questions about the content studied so far in the GCSE science courses as well as the upcoming end of year assessments.

For Year 10, this will be W/C 9th July 2018 

You will be able to access the specification for GCSE Trilogy (combined) Science here.

For the Separate Science course, you will be able to access the specification for... 

• GCSE Physics here 
• GCSE Chemistry here 
• GCSE Biology here

Topics studied: All year 10 pupils will have completed the following topics (during the course of Year 9 and Year 10)

The Physics equations sheets (GCSE Physics & Combined Science) – all students in combined Science will need to be able to recall 21 Physics equations, and 23 equations on the GCSE Physics course. Please be aware that not all of the equations have been taught to pupils yet – as there are still topics to teachin year 11.

Revision Resources

BBC Bitesize (You need to select either, Biology, Chemistry, Physics for the separate courses, or Combined Science and then AQA for the correct exam board – this can also be downloaded as an app.)

Specimen Papers & Mark Schemes

• Combined Science Trilogy AQA
• GCSE Physics
• GCSE Chemistry
• GCSE Biology

Revision guides can be purchased on Squid portal– they are CGP and can be purchased for Separate Science (all three books) or for combined (one book) – students can collect these from us in the Science office when they have purchased them.

Kerboodle

Al of our GCSE Science textbooks are available on Kerboodle – which all students have now used, a guide for accessing Kerboodle can be found here.

For further enquiries you can also email Miss K. Hancock at khancock@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk or Mr N. Baker (Curriculum Leader for Science) at nbaker@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk

A MESSAGE FROM THE (NEWISH) PRINCIPAL

End of Spring Term 2018

During this Spring Term of 2018 we have experienced some most unorthodox events:

• the closure of the school for two days due to the extreme weather conditions (for only the second time in 15 years) as even George Spencer succumbed to the ‘Beast from the East’, not before stout resistance from our heroic caretaking team
• sporting successes, particularly in Table Tennis and Netball , with national and county finals reached
• a team of sports leaders ‘stepping’ their way up and down Kilimanjaro, and still having the energy to also ‘reach’ Paris!
• two exhilarating overseas school trips, to countries previously not on the GSA ‘empire map’ – Morocco, to conquer the highest peak in North Africa, and to Lithuania to study the geography of one of the Baltic states; as well as our two regular German exchanges taking place
• Lots of other events for students, including STEM Week, Maths Challenges, Valentine’s disco, Fix Up for Year 11, and theatre trips

All the while, we constantly strive to do all that we can to help every student progress and attain to the best of their ability, and we continue to professionally develop our staff through innovative CPD. The efforts and dedication of all our colleagues continues to make GSA.

We will be sorry to see the departure of Mr Paul Hynes (Vice Principal) at Easter, after 7 years as a member of the Core Leadership team of George Spencer. Paul has been our timetabler in recent years, and brought considerable knowledge of curriculum design and assessment to the table in leading many aspects of GSA’s transition during the introduction of new specifications across Key Stages 4 and 5.  He has also taught many subjects, most notably Business Studies, to great effect and has always been most willing to ‘fill the gaps’ in any teaching need – most recently the ECDL qualification last summer. However, we have never actually utilised Paul for his original teaching subject (which can now be revealed as ….Chemistry)!

We wish Paul all the best in his new position as Deputy Principal at Woodbrook Vale School in Loughborough, and appreciate that he will be coming back to GSA twice a week during the next half term in order to fulfill his Year 11 teaching commitment and guide his successor with the new timetable, Mr Allen.

We are also saying goodbye to MsHymke Moens, as she emigrates to the Netherlands with her partner. She has been a fabulous Science teacher in her 3 years here, and even had time to coach some of our Chinese speakers with one of her many languages. She also holds the distinction of being the only GSA member of staff to lift the ‘glitter-ball trophy’ of Strictly Spencer (after fierce competition from Mr Titley) and her grace and poise on the dance floor exemplified her approach to life and teaching in general.

Also leaving us will be Ms Alice Ryrie, our specialist teacher who handles the transition for certain Year 7 students. She is taking up a new post at Longdon park School, Eggington, and we wish them all the very best in their future careers.

It has been a short and intense term at the school, and we now break for Easter before the examination season gets underway. There are lots of Revision Sessions being run in school during the holiday (timetables have been issued to relevant students) and we urge parents to encourage their children to take up all the opportunities for additional support that we offer. In this day and age, qualifications from school are still the ticket to having a range of career options, amid increasing competition in the job market. Whilst we do all that we can to inspire and focus young minds, there are so many distractions in the world today that sometimes it needs all the adults in a young person’s life to be saying the same thing together….the effort you put in today will pay dividends tomorrow!

GSA intends to switch to its ‘Summer Routine’ from the end of April, so after the first two weeks of the new term we will open up the fields for student access at Lunch. This year, public examinations for GCSEs will be sat in the Sports Hall as we have invested in new carpet matting in order to protect the flooring, so this will be a new experience for us all.

Happy Easter, and let’s hope warmer weather beckons.

share your views

Through the Parents' Forum & Parent View

Parents and carers are invited to our Parents' Forum meetings. The meetings takes place at 6pm in the Conference centre. Parents and carers can also give their views of our school at any time of the school year and at the time of a school inspection using an online questionnaire called Parent View. When our school is notified of its next Ofsted inspection, parents will be invited to give their views about the school to inspectors using the Parent View online facility as this has replaced Ofsted's paper questionnaire. Please make sure we have your most up-to-date contact details.

Please register with an email address and a password here . Once your login has been activated, it only takes a few minutes to complete answers to 12 short questions about aspects such as bullying, the quality of teaching, level of homework, etc. Your views are important in helping inspectors make a decision about our school, and to help us know what is going well and what could be improved. If you do not have a computer or an email address or if you would like help to use Parent View, please come into school and ask at reception.

A MESSAGE FROM THE (NEWISH) PRINCIPAL – end of Spring Term 2018

in horrendous conditions, they played some superb football to be crowned county champions. The boys have done tremendously well over the season and really improved having lost their first ever game 4-3. 

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)