End of term and provisional plans for next academic year (Y7-9)
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.
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 from September during a virtual assembly that I will deliver prior to students returning. 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
The Pink Orange – Helping Suffolk this Summer Holiday
Click here for more information about The Pink Orange.
Music Tuition
If you would like to sign your Child(ren) up for Music Tuition please click here to access the Application form.
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.
Ipswich Star feature on secondary schools reopening
The Ipswich Star has written a feature on the secondary schools in Ipswich that are reopening.
The social distancing measures that have been put in place is largely thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our staff here at Ipswich Academy and other schools in the area.
Read more about this here.
Parent Director role
Please click here for more details.
BBC Radio Suffolk interviews our new Principal
BBC Radio Suffolk had the opportunity to speak to our new Principal yesterday. Follow the link below and skip to 01:21:00 to hear the full piece. (Please note you may need to create a BBC account to access the media).
New Principal appointed at Ipswich Academy
Former Olympic Triathlete Abbie Thorrington has been appointed Principal of Ipswich Academy. She is poised to build on the school’s recent successes to ensure its pupils develop through meaningful opportunities to be successful and enjoy all aspects of their lives.
Abbie, who is currently Assistant Principal at Ipswich Academy, will take over in June from current Principal Helen Winn, whose successful leadership led the Paradigm Trust school to achieve its best ever GCSE results in August. Eight years on from the 2012 Olympics, Abbie’s hard work and dedication to teaching has paid off as she secures the top job in the acclaimed Ipswich secondary school.
Bill Holledge, Chief Executive of Paradigm Trust, comments:
“Abbie has been a key part of the leadership team which achieved strong results in summer 2019, as well as having been recognised by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ for leadership and management. She has demonstrated excellence and ambition in her role as Assistant Principal, building a strong rapport with both our pupils and the wider community. We are delighted to give her the opportunity to continue her work as Principal.”
Abbie Thorrington, newly appointed Principal at Ipswich Academy, says:
“I am incredibly honoured to take on the role of Principal at Ipswich Academy. I grew up in Ipswich and have always been a part of its community. Since retiring from athletics I have been able to utilise that experience, including the dedication and resilience developed through training, to support my teaching career here. I have big ambitions for the pupils of Ipswich Academy and, as we enter another Olympic year, will do everything in my power to make all our pupils’ dreams a reality.”
A recent Ofsted report recognised that Ipswich Academy leaders, including Abbie Thorrington, had ‘transformed the culture of the school’ and were ‘building strong and effective partnerships with the community’ ensuring pupils and their families have the best possible experience. The school is currently oversubscribed for places.
BBC Radio Suffolk feature
Our recent achievements were featured on BBC Radio Suffolk