News | 14th March 2024

Creative Workshop

Why not join this creative workshop that is happening over Easter (8th-11th April) in Ipswich – the workshops and lunches are free, and travel bursaries are available!

Announcements | 7th March 2024

Relax and Chill Sessions

Murrayside Community Centre is offering a ‘Relax and Chill’ session on Mondays to all students aged 11-17. Why not go along and join in with some of the fun activities available, including sports, cooking and arts and crafts … or you could just chill! Sessions run from 4pm – 6pm.

Announcements | 6th March 2024

Family Awareness Day at University of Suffolk

The University of Suffolk is hosting its next Family Awareness Day on Saturday 18th May. Family Awareness Day is an event open to students in Year 7, 8 or 9 and their families. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about university and to meet with current University of Suffolk students. During the event families will take part in a fun programme of activities and learn more about the benefits of Higher Education and Student Finance. Families must register to attend the event via the ‘Book a place’ link or by scanning the QR code on the attached flyer.

Teaching | 11th January 2024

The benefits of regular attendance

Regular school attendance is a key focus at Ipswich Academy because of the many ways it benefits our students.

One of the advantages of regular school attendance is academic success. Research shows pupils who attend school consistently are more likely to stay on track with their studies, grasp key concepts, and excel in examinations. Consistent attendance allows continuity of learning which is fundamental for academic achievement.

In 2019, 84% of UK pupils in Key Stage 2 who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, while only 40% of pupils who were persistently absent managed to hit their target.

The pattern continues through school. Students who didn’t achieve a grade of 4 to 9 in GCSE maths and English on average had missed 10 more days over the key stage compared to students who achieved grade 9 to 5 in the subject. It’s estimated just 17 missed school days per year will result in a drop in GCSE grade.

School is also crucial for developing social and emotional skills. Regular attendance allows students to form lasting friendships, engage in extracurricular activities, and develop essential interpersonal skills they’ll need in adult life.

Attendance also instils discipline and a sense of responsibility in students, and employers often look for people with these traits who can demonstrate reliability and commitment.

To help children who struggle with attendance effectively, we need a comprehensive whole-school approach that addresses the root causes. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution – we treat each case individually. As a Trust, some of the strategies we use are:

Focusing on Success

If students find lessons unengaging and irrelevant, they’re less likely to attend school, so we teach in a way that results in young people feeling they are doing something worthwhile, but also secure enough that they feel safe. This feeling of achievement then helps them become more engaged in lessons. We continually review what we do to find ways we can refine and improve, then share them across the Trust.

Parental Involvement

Parents have a crucial role in ensuring their child/children attend school regularly. We promote parental involvement through regular communication, parent-teacher meetings, and highlighting the importance of attendance for their child’s future.

 Early Intervention and Support

Identifying attendance issues early on is essential for effective intervention. By establishing a supportive environment where students feel comfortable discussing their challenges we can implement early intervention and prevent prolonged absences. This can be done internally – we have a large pastoral team with extensive experience who work hard to understand the individual circumstances around students’ absences and create plans to overcome the challenges. Or it can be done with the support of external agencies, such as our partnership with Synergy Education and Welfare Services which is building on our existing school attendance process and procedures in school.

Positive Reinforcement

Recognising and rewarding good attendance can motivate students to attend school regularly. This includes attendance awards, certificates, or even small incentives to celebrate students with high or significantly improved attendance. Students with high or improved levels of attendance are recognised through our weekly and end of term celebration assemblies.

By having a range of support strategies available, and taking the time to understand each student’s particular situation, it’s possible to respond effectively and improve attendance. For example, after implementing a Soft Start room for students to come into at the start of the day with a member of the pastoral team, we are now seeing students come into school every day this year who didn’t attend school at all the previous year. This is just one of a number of strategies we use.

Through this work, we can help more students spend more time at school, so they are better educated and better prepared to succeed in their adult lives.

Announcements | 8th December 2023

Exciting Co-Leadership model begins at Ipswich Academy

Abbie Thorrington and Samuel Fox to take joint leadership of Ipswich Academy.

Abbie Thorrington, who has been Principal at Ipswich Academy since 2020, returns this week, after maternity leave, to take joint leadership of the school with Samuel Fox, who has been Interim Principal in Abbie’s absence.

Abbie will be based at Ipswich Academy for four days a week, while Samuel will have one Friday off every two weeks. The working arrangements bear testament to Paradigm Trust’s commitment to providing a family friendly workplace for all staff.

This arrangement adds capacity to the Senior Leadership Team, increasing it to two Principals and three Assistant Principals. This is a more sustainable model of leadership for the school as it shares the load and doubles the experience and capacity to support the rest of the staff.

“I’m looking forward to co-leading with Abbie,” said Samuel. “Abbie and I have worked together for over 10 years, first when she trained as a PE teacher then together as Assistant Principals for around three years before Abbie became Principal, so we know each other’s working practices very well.”

“The Co-Leadership model is an exciting step forward for Ipswich Academy, “ said Abbie “ It strengthens the leadership team and in turn, the teaching staff throughout the school. Samuel and I have already worked in partnership for several years which makes this model even stronger.”

Announcements | 2nd October 2023

Open Evening For Year 6 Pupils

Announcements | 29th September 2023

Non-school shoes day

On 10th October we will be celebrating the life of an amazing teacher and a fantastic friend, Lyndsay Collin, by wearing non-school shoes.

Students are asked to bring an item of tinned food to donate to FIND.

Announcements, News | 21st September 2023

Mild illness and school attendance

News | 20th September 2023

Upcoming Intervention Sessions for Year 11

News, Resources | 14th September 2023

Parent/Carer Information Evening Slides

Last updated September 14, 2023