Letter from Suffolk Police
Dear Parents/Carers,
You will no doubt be aware of the Kesgrave shooting incident that took place earlier this morning (Monday 7 September) in Friends Walk.
We can understand such an incident will have caused concern in the community at Kesgrave High School but to offer you reassurance a teenager has been arrested. This is being treated as an isolated incident by the police and they do not believe that there is a wider threat to the school or local community.
Students and staff are safe in school and will remain in school as expected until the end of the school day. In order to provide reassurance to the school community there will be a police presence as students leave school today and over the next few days.
The victim, a 15-year-old boy, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to
Addenbrooke’s Hospital where he is receiving urgent medical attention.
We are aware of some footage/imagery circulating on social media of this morning’s incident at #Kesgrave. We’d ask that circulation of such pictures and videos of the incident does not take place. Help us keep you safe. Thank you.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Jones said: “Following this serious incident our priority is to keep everyone safe.”
“We have now made an arrest as part of the investigation and are working with our partners and our schools to ensure that everyone feels safe when they are collecting their children from school this afternoon.
Please be aware that more of our officers will be on patrol and to provide
reassurance in the area.”
Friends Walk and Through Jollys remain completely closed off at present and there is a partial closure on Ropes Drive.
Remember, if you as a parent/carer dropping of your child this morning saw any suspicious activity or has information about the incident please contact the Contact and Control Room, quoting reference CAD 58 of 7 September.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their online form: www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Suffok Police
September letter
02 September 2020
Dear students, parents and carers,
With a matter of hours to go until we welcome students back to school, I felt it important to communicate with you one final time before Ipswich Academy reopens.
As I have noted in my previous correspondence, the detailed Board Approved arrangements for Paradigm Schools (Approved arrangements) can be found by clicking this link. The assemblies from last week are available to watch online if you missed them. For year 7, please see the transition website and Google classrooms for year 8, 9, 10 and 11. Please also click on this link for the supporting letter which accompanied the assemblies.
I would like to update you on cashless catering and S-Quid accounts. Tomorrow students will receive their own electronic card, which will be personalised to their online account. Due to a technical delay in sending the link out to our new year 7’s, I will ensure students wishing to purchase a meal will not go without during Thursday and Friday to allow for any issues to be resolved. Unfortunately these cards do not come with personalised names inscribed on them. If a student misplaces their card and we are unable to find it, we will be asking for a small contribution for replacement cards to help replace some of the cost associated with a new one.
As previously communicated, students will be able to purchase water from the canteen. We do however encourage students to bring their own refillable water bottle to fill at the taps around school. Water fountains will be out of action. Without a water bottle, they will not be able to use the water points.
All staff have been on site at Ipswich Academy training and preparing for student arrival over the last two days. It has been incredible to have everyone under one roof (yet socially distancing), we are all very much looking forward to welcoming students back tomorrow morning.
Thank you once again for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
September 2020 letter
Dear parent/carer,
I hope that everyone has had a good summer break.
We are really looking forward to welcoming back all of our students on Thursday 3 September. I would like to extend a special welcome to our new year 7 students and parents/carers. I am sure that they will settle into Ipswich Academy life very quickly!
Following on from my letter on 9 July, text message detailing the detailed Board Approved arrangements for Paradigm Schools (Approved arrangements) and assembly shared with you earlier today, I have detailed the latest information before we welcome back students. For those of you who have not watched the assemblies, I have outlined below some key points:
- All students, staff, parents/carers and any visitors are not to enter Ipswich Academy if they are displaying any symptoms of Coronavirus, have tested positive in the last seven days or are living with someone in their household who is isolating.
- We will be staggering the start and end of the school day. Year 10 and 11 students start at 08.45 and finish at 15.00. Year 7, 8 and 9 students start at 09.00 and finish at 15.15. Students will enter through specific doors, staff will be on hand to supervise students.
- If your child is not attending school because they are unwell (Covid related or not), please ensure you contact the school to make us aware. We will continue to follow up any non attendance or contact to school on a daily basis.
- If your child is presenting with Covid related symptoms during the school day, they are to inform a member of staff. We have specific rooms in the school to manage such situations, we will make contact with home for you to come and collect your child. There is further information within our Board Approved arrangements which outlines how we would respond to suspected or confirmed cases and engage with the NHS Test and Trace process.
- We will permit those staff and pupils who wish to wear a face covering to do so. Since recording my assembly the Government has changed their guidance for face marks, advising that “secondary pupils will have to wear masks in school corridors in local lockdown areas of England”. If therefore Ipswich goes into a local local, face marks will be mandatory. Until this time, they are optional. If guidance was to change, we will be reviewing immediately. Please click on this link for further details.
- Students will work within year group bubbles, with the exception of PE, music, art and computer science, students will be in set areas of the school.
- Within each classroom, students will be facing the front. There will be a lidded bin, hand sanitiser dispenser, anti-bacterial spray and blue roll in every classroom. We have a rigorous cleaning schedule in place.
- As part of our uniform and equipment policy; students will be expected to bring their own pen, pencil, rubber, ruler, pencil sharpener, red pen and glue stick. Any other essential items will be provided to students, if this involves sharing across bubbles then sufficient cleaning will take place.
- Behaviour procedures have been adjusted, detentions will only take place after school. We will be sharing with all students on their first day the new arrangements, we will however still be adopting a C1-C3 system. We will continue with our normal methods of communication if your child was to receive a consequence throughout the day. Please contact the school if you would like to see the arrangements in more detail.
- If you need to speak with a member of staff, contact via email or telephone is likely to be most efficient, at this time. If parents/carers need to speak to a member of school staff in person, they should approach the school reception – following good social distancing practice and displayed signage – and a member of staff will speak to the parent/carer as soon as possible.
- Lockers will be out of use for the start of term whilst we redistribute them to the areas of the school that students will be in.
- We will only be serving hot food and snacks for students at lunch time, the cashless system will continue to be used. If you need any support with setting up your S-Quid account then please contact us.
Please click on the link here to find an updated map of Ipswich Academy with entry/exit areas and classrooms, toilet and social time areas for specific bubbles.
The information will be shared again with students on Thursday 3 September.
I would also like to congratulate last year’s year 11 on their professionalism and maturity shown throughout the GCSE process, as I am sure you are all aware this has been an incredibly challenging and unnerving time for them with all the uncertainty. We wish them all the very best in whatever they decide to do.
Our students’ attitude to learning is incredibly positive and the many visitors that we have to the school often comment on the school being ‘inspiring’. The last twenty weeks have been unprecedented times for us all, the team at Ipswich Academy are very much looking forward to welcoming students back and working with you this year towards your child’s ongoing success. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will always get back to you.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Yours faithfully
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
Face mask information
Dear Parent/Carer
As you may be aware, late Tuesday night the government changed their advice surrounding the wearing of face masks in school. Previously they had said that the wearing of masks should not be necessary in any school. This has now been updated and the Department for Education has stated;
“Nationwide, while the Government is not recommending face coverings are necessary, schools will have the discretion to require face coverings in communal areas if they believe it is right in their particular circumstances.
In addition, the government will advise additional measures are taken in areas where the transmission of the virus is high. In these areas, defined as areas of national government intervention as listed on gov.uk, the government’s guidance will state that face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils in secondary schools when moving around the school, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. It will not be necessary to wear face coverings in the classroom, where protective measures already mean the risks are lower, and where they can inhibit learning.”
Our local area has an incredibly low rate of COVID 19 infection and transmission and as a school we have taken a number of precautions to minimise any risk, as outlined in previous correspondence to you and available on the website. Therefore, in line with the above government guidance, we will not be making the wearing of masks mandatory in any area of the school.
However, I absolutely recognise that some students will feel more comfortable wearing a face mask in the corridors and/or in the classroom and I am very happy for them to do so. Please note that masks must be plain in appearance, no logos or motifs, and must be worn appropriately and sensibly. Any student intentionally misusing a mask will be required to take it off.
I will of course review this decision in light of any updated government guidance and any changes in the local situation.
Yours sincerely
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
GCSE Results update – 18th August
Dear year 11 student,
GCSE Results update
Following on from the Department of Education announcement yesterday evening, I can confirm that your GCSE results that you receive on Thursday 20th will be based on your Centre Assessed Grades (CAG). The Department for Education also added that further results which have been moderated by Ofqual, the exams regulator will be released next week. Whichever of the two grades is higher will be your official GCSE grade for that subject.
Once we have further clarification from the Department of Education and Ofqual around specifics, I will communicate this with you.
I understand that due to the fast paced nature of the news around GCSE results, it may be confusing. If you do have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Adequate staff will also be available on Thursday to support you and answer any questions.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday 20 August.
Yours faithfully
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
End of term and provisional plans for next academic year (Y10)
Dear students, parents and carers
Following on from my letter on 9 July and the whole school assembly today, I would like to detail the latest information before we break up for summer.
We are proceeding with our plan and will open on Thursday 3 September, as previously announced. We are still awaiting confirmation from our Directors as to whether our local plans have been approved. We have proposed in line with Government guidance recommendations for a staggered start and finish time for the day. This would mean year 10 and 11 students start at 08.45 and finish at 15.00. Year 7, 8 and 9 students start at 09.00 and finish at 15.15. Once these have been passed I will communicate with you via text message and the documents will be posted on our website. In late August I will be hosting a virtual assembly to go through the plans in detail prior to students returning in September.
All year groups will be able to continue to access the work set on Google classrooms, each department has also set summer tasks which I would encourage students to complete. In addition, teachers from various subjects will be offering 1:1 virtual tutorials which will focus on any misconceptions students may have had from completing the work over the past weeks. Students will be able to sign up for these sessions, but spaces will be limited. I have attached on a separate page, the planned sessions each week. If you would like to book then please call the school reception or email info@ipswichacademy.org .
I am excited to announce that we will be launching a student ‘House System’ in September. All staff and students will be assigned to one of three houses, devised from our Trust’s values. The House System will celebrate student success in all aspects of school life as well as promoting opportunities for leadership, competition between houses and community involvement. I look forward to sharing this further in September.
Due to the changes that we are proposing to the set up of the school in line with Government guidance, students may not have the same base group tutor as they had last year. We will try to avoid changes where possible, however there will be some. I will be able to share base group tutors during a virtual assembly that I will deliver prior to students returning in late August. Lockers will also be out of use for the start of term whilst we redistribute them to the areas of the school that students will be in. If students have any belongings they wish to collect from their lockers prior to September, please contact the school via telephone or email to arrange a visit. We will be continuing with cashless catering from September, if you need any support setting up a sQuidpay account, please contact the school reception.
The last three months have been unprecedented times for us all, the team at Ipswich Academy are very much looking forward to working with you all next year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will always get back to you.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Yours faithfully
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
1:1 Virtual Tutorials
- These sessions are being put on to help you with any work you are stuck on or found difficult whilst the school was closed.
- Book your session through info@ipswichacademy.org or by calling reception.
- Make sure you say what it is that you would like to talk to a teacher about eg. the poem Remains for English / fractions for maths.
- You will be sent a link to the Google Meet before your session to your school email.
- If you cannot attend, please contact reception and let them know.
- Sessions will run each week during the summer break on the following days:
| Tuesdays | Wednesdays | Thursdays | Fridays | |
| 10:00 | Business | English | Maths | iMedia |
| 11:00 | Computer Science | Geography | Health and Fitness | History |
RSE letter
Dear parent/carer,
The Paradigm Trust Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) engagement process is now complete.
The results of the engagement process are now on the Paradigm Trust website and can be accessed via your school website or at https://paradigmtrust.org/rshe-engagement-results/
The publication of the results documents follows an almost year long process including open information meetings in all Paradigm schools, meetings with Academy Councils across the Trust and a month long survey period.
There are 3 main documents:
- An executive summary of the engagement process and findings (8 pages)
- A full summary and analysis of results (17 pages)
- An appendix containing all written responses to the survey, where the survey question allowed for this. (58 pages)
The survey documents have been read and discussed by the board who have agreed that teaching in line with the new requirements can begin in September 2020. As the main engagement process was completed before school COVID closure, we have no need to take up the government’s offer delaying the introduction of the new requirements.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Yours faithfully
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
End of year 11 letter
Dear year 11 students,
The last four months have been unprecedented times for us all. I would firstly like to congratulate you all on your hard work, dedication and levels of maturity shown throughout these uncertain times.
Following previous announcements, your GCSE results will be available for you to collect on Thursday 20 August. Our plan is for students to come and collect their results in person; however if Thursday 20 August arrives and you have coronavirus symptoms or have been advised to stay at home please do not come into school. Please call the school and we will arrange for the results to be delivered. If you are picking up your results in person, you will need to abide by social distancing and handwashing expectations. Parents/carers will have to wait outside, only students are allowed inside the school building to collect their results.
The below table outlines the times where you can come and collect your results. Please ensure you come at your allotted time, if you miss your time slot, please ensure you come after 12.00pm or call Ipswich Academy reception to arrange a convenient time to collect them.
| Time | Area | Base group |
| 9.00 | SYSZ | 11-1 |
| 9.15 | Blue | 11-2 |
| 10.00 | SYSZ | 11-3 |
| 10.15 | Blue | 11-4 |
| 11.00 | SYSZ | 11-5 |
| 11.15 | Blue | 11-6 |
| 12.00 | SYSZ | Catch up opportunity if you miss your slot |
Throughout the day, support and guidance will be available on site for students from staff and our careers advisor.
Thank you to everyone who has returned their loaned devices and resources, we still have a few outstanding. Please could you ensure you return them to Ipswich Academy reception.
The team at Ipswich Academy would like to wish you all the very best in your future endeavours and we look forward to seeing you on results day.
Take care and stay safe.
Yours faithfully,
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
End of term letter
Dear students, parents and carers
The last three months have been unprecedented times for us all. I would firstly like to congratulate students for their hard work and persistence with their remote learning. Rest assured that the hard work that you have put in will have a real impact when you return to school .
Secondly, I would like to thank parents and carers for their continued support throughout the school closure. We have worked hard to maintain contact with you on a weekly basis and have appreciated your positivity, input and feedback.
Looking forward to September, we are currently anticipating that we will open full-time for all students on Thursday 3 September, following the most recent announcement from the Government on 2 July 2020. We are currently working hard behind the scenes to ensure that our risk assessment and plans for re-opening are in place. Once these plans have gone through the consultation process with staff and agreed by Directors, I will share them with you all.
Although we will plan to open on Thursday 3 September at this stage, this could be subject to change. As we have been throughout this pandemic, we are bound by guidance from the Government. We do not expect to receive full confirmation from the Government as to whether schools can re-open and which measures need to be in place before mid to late August. Once we have the information, I will communicate with you again. With this in mind, please be aware that it may be necessary to delay reopening until Monday 7 September, depending on what the Government announces to ensure the required measures are in place.
We have had some questions regarding school uniforms in September. Students will be expected to follow the school uniform policy; however, I have made a provisional change for blazers, these will be optional until 31 October. After this time, blazers will be compulsory and students will be expected to wear them at all times.
Lastly, if you have a Chromebook and you are no longer using it, please return it to Ipswich Academy throughout the summer holiday or in September.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Yours faithfully
A Thorrington
Abbie Thorrington
Principal
Face to face meetings
Dear parents/carers and student,
I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all students on their dedication in completing the work packs and online work since the school closures were announced, and a big thank you to parents and carers for their continued support during very difficult times.
Following confirmation from the government that schools are able to invite students in other year groups to a face-to-face meeting before the end of this term, I am pleased to announce that Ipswich Academy will be offering this opportunity to all year 7, 8 and 9 students. Students will have the opportunity to book and speak with their base group tutor virtually over Google hangouts, or face to face in school, between the 6th and 10th July. Students attending school will be expected to abide by the social distancing measures currently in place at Ipswich Academy. Students opting for a virtual face to face meeting will be sent an invite to their school email account once they have signed up. Please click here to book an appointment; you will need to submit student name, date of birth and base group. If you do not have access to the internet or need support with booking, please contact the school reception.
Although we are not able to extend our current in school provision for year 7, 8 and 9 students due to government guidance, we feel that a face to face meeting would be of benefit prior to the expected full-time return to school for all students in September. Students will have the opportunity to speak with their base group tutor around the work they are completing at home and wellbeing. Students will also be made aware of the summer tasks that we are preparing for them.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support throughout these last few months. Hopefully I will see some of you over the coming weeks, but if I don’t, I look forward to seeing you in September.
Yours faithfully,
Abbie Thorrington
Principal