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
Updated: Appeals procedure for summer 2020 exams
Due to recent changes around GCSE grades for the academic year 19/20, we have adapted our process with regard to results and appeals. You can view this document here or by going to the our policies page on the Paradigm Trust website.
Please note that the appeals process has been written with the information that we currently have and it could be subject to change if the Government makes further changes.
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 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
A new chapter at Ipswich Academy
We are excited at the start of this week to welcome Abbie Thorrington into her new role as Principal. The Ipswich Star have published a feature about this which you can read by clicking the link below.
Leavers’ Hoodies 2020
Following on from Mrs Winn’s assembly on Monday 11 May, I am writing to let you know that you can now purchase a hoodie for the 2020 leavers using our online ordering system. The design of the hoodie was chosen by members of the year 11 prom committee and there is a large variety of colours for students to choose from – please see the order form. On the front of the hoodie will be the embroidered school logo and on the back, all the students’ names within the “20”. Individual names can be added on the reverse also but it can only be the forename or surname – no nicknames.
The cost of the hoodie is £20 plus an extra £4 if the individual name is required. Please complete the online order form stating the required colour and size and whether or not the name is required on the reverse. To access the online order form you will need to follow this link; https://tinyurl.com/IAHoodies2020. Details of how to pay for the hoodie are on the form. The completed form and payment must be submitted to the school by Friday 29 May so that we can have the hoodies ready before the end of the summer term. Orders placed after this date will not be honoured.
If you have any queries, please contact the school via telephone or email and ask for Linda Winstone in the first instance.
Yours faithfully,
Mal Akhlak
Head of Progress
Letters to students
Please find attached letters to stduents from Helen Winn, please click on the year to see the letters:
Parent Director role
Please click here for more details.