Coronavirus update
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Paradigm Trust is monitoring the situation with regards to coronavirus carefully. We are following all relevant government advice. Please click here for further information.
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 |
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
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
The Pink Orange – Helping Suffolk this Summer Holiday
Click here for more information about The Pink Orange.
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
Music Tuition
If you would like to sign your Child(ren) up for Music Tuition please click here to access the Application form.
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