Important information on closure
Following the government’s announcement this evening that all English schools are to close from Friday 20th March onwards, Ipswich Academy will be closed to students from Monday 23rd March onwards.
Arrangements are being made to provide free school meals to those students who are eligible, and to open for students who are vulnerable and students of key workers, as defined by government. We will communicate these arrangements as soon as we can.
I will provide you with further information as soon as I can.
Due to staff absences, I am sorry to inform you that from tomorrow, 19th March, the school will be closed to some pupils.
Pupils in years 7 and 11 must attend school as normal, unless they are unwell or self-isolating, in line with government guidance. Normal lunch arrangements will apply.
Pupils in years 8, 9 and 10 should not attend school. If your child is entitled to a free school meal, please contact reception or email info@ipswichacademy.org.uk to let us know whether you wish to collect a packed lunch. We will confirm arrangements for this with you.
If, however, you have a child in years 8 to 10, you need to go to work and you have no alternative, suitable childcare, please do send your child into school, as normal unless they are showing symptoms or are self-isolating. For those children, we will provide childcare – we will keep them safe and entertained and will provide as many learning opportunities as possible. Normal lunch arrangements will apply for those children. If you know you will be sending your child in because you have no alternative, suitable childcare and need to go to work, we would really appreciate it if you would please contact reception or email us to let us know in advance – so that we can make plans.
For children in years 8 to 10 who are not in school, their absence will be ‘authorised’ by the school – we will not take any enforcement action (i.e. fines or court proceedings) in relation to the days when the school is closed to those pupils.
We will be releasing some online work in the next couple of days for students so that they can work from home. In the meantime, they should work on their knowledge organisers. We have hard copies of knowledge organisers which students can pick up from school or they can be accessed from the school website.
We are in the process of confirming arrangements to provide support to families whose children are eligible for free school meals, in the event of a prolonged closure – we will confirm these plans as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support in these challenging times.
Yours faithfully,
Helen Winn
Principal
Year 11 consultation evening
Appointments are available for you to meet with yoru child’s teachers on Thursday 12th March, 4:30 to 7:30pm. On arrival, you will be given your child’s Spring mock results. A timetable for half term intervention, which we would encourage students to attend in preparation for their summer examinations, is attached here.
You are able to book five minute appointment slots for each subject teacher using our electronic booking system. This is accessed from here:
https://parents-booking.co.uk/ipswichacademy
Appointments with each teacher will last for five minutes. In order to login to the system, you will need the following information relating to your child , as held in our database:
- First name
- Surname
- Date of birth
- Register class
You will also need to enter the details we have on record for you. If you have recently changed your title or surname, for example, and not informed us, we will be expecting you to login with the details we have on record. The email address you enter is only used to receive a confirmation of your appointment. If the system gives you an error when you login, it will not be the email address that is the problem.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or experience any problems with using the system, please contact the school and ask to speak with Linda Winstone.
Subject teachers will meet with you and your child on an individual basis to provide clear feedback on your child’s learning. You will also have an opportunity to review your child’s exercise books. As appointments are limited, if you are unable to see all of your child’s teachers then please contact the school via our email address to book a separate appointment at another time.
Your child is required to attend, with yourselves.
Many thanks for your ongoing support.
Year 9 Consultation Evening
Appointments are available for you to meet with your child’s teachers on Thursday 13th February, 4:30 to 7:30pm.
You are able to book five minute appointment slots for each subject teacher using our electronic booking system. This is accessed here:
https://parents-booking.co.uk/ipswichacademy
Appointments with each teacher will last for five minutes. In order to login to the system, you will need the following information relating to your child as held in our database:
- First name
- Surname
- Date of birth
- Register class
You will also need to enter the details we have on record for you. If you have recently changed your title or surname, for example, and not informed us, we will be expecting you to login with the details we have on record. The email address you enter is only used to receive a confirmation of your appointment. If the system gives you an error when you login, it will not be the email address that is the problem.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or experience any problems with using the system, please contact the school and ask to speak with Linda Winstone.
Some subjects may not be available or may be fully booked on the evening, if you would like to discuss your child’s progress in subjects not available please contact the school and we will arrange for the member of staff to call you.
We would like to invite you on the evening to fill out an Ofsted Parent View questionnaire to give your views on the school, this will be available on the night in the Senior Year Study Zone and should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Subject teachers will meet with you and your child on an individual basis to provide clear feedback on your child’s learning. You will also have an opportunity to review your child’s exercise books. As appointments are limited, if you are unable to see all of your child’s teachers then please contact the school via our email address to book a separate appointment at another time.
Following on from the consultation evening, on Thursday 30th April you will be invited to ‘Options Evening’. During the evening you will be able to visit each subject area to help your child decide which subjects they wish to take forward to GCSE.
Your child is required to attend, with yourselves.
Many thanks for your ongoing support.
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.
Year 8 subject consultation meeting
Appointments are available for you to meet with your child’s teachers on Wednesday 18th December 2019, 4:30pm to 7:30pm.
You are able to book five minute appointment slots for each subject teacher using our electronic booking system. The booking system is available here.
Appointments with each teacher will last for five minutes. Booking will be on a first come, first served basis and the booking system is now open. The number of appointments will, initially, be limited to five for each student to ensure that all parents/carers are able to participate. Nearer to the time, if additional appointments are available, we will release these into the booking system and notify you.
In order to login to the system, you will need the following information relating to your child as held in our database:
- First name
- Surname
- Date of birth
- Register class
You will also need to enter the details we have on record for you. If you have recently changed your title or surname, for example, and not informed us, we will be expecting you to login with the details we have on record. The email address you enter is only used to receive a confirmation of your appointment. If the system gives you an error when you login, it will not be the email address that is the problem.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or experience any problems with using the system, please contact the school and ask to speak with Linda Winstone.
Some subjects may not be available or may be fully booked on the evening, if you would like to discuss your child’s progress in subjects not available please contact the school and we will arrange for the member of staff to call you.
We would like to invite you on the evening to fill out an Ofsted Parent View questionnaire to give your views on the school, this will be available on the night in the Senior Year Study Zone and should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Subject teachers will meet with you and your child on an individual basis to provide clear feedback on your child’s learning. You will also have an opportunity to review your child’s exercise books.
Students are required to attend, with their parent/carer.
Many thanks for your ongoing support.
2019 GCSE Certificate Collection
Students who left Ipswich Academy in the summer of 2019 may collect their GCSE Exam Certificates on Monday 2nd December or Thursday 12th December from 4:00pm – 6:00pm.
Students who are unable to collect their certificates may nominate someone to collect them on their behalf by providing a letter giving authorisation to collect. The nominated person must bring a form of identification.
Vacancy: Principal at Ipswich Academy
For more information on this and other positions within Paradigm Trust, please head over to our careers webpage.
Year 11 consultation evening
Appointments are available for you to meet with your child’s teachers on Thursday 28th November, 4:30 to 7:30pm. On arrival, you will be given your child’s Autumn mock results.
You are able to book five minute appointment slots for each subject teacher using our electronic booking system. This is accessed here.
Appointments with each teacher will last for five minutes. In order to login to the system, you will need the following information relating to your child, as held in our database:
- First name
- Surname
- Date of birth
- Register class
You will also need to enter the details we have on record for you. If you have recently changed your title or surname, for example, and not informed us, we will be expecting you to login with the details we have on record. The email address you enter is only used to receive a confirmation of your appointment. If the system gives you an error when you login, it will not be the email address that is the problem.
If you do not have access to the Internet, or experience any problems with using the system, please contact the school and ask to speak with Linda Winstone.
Subject teachers will meet with you and your child on an individual basis to provide clear feedback on your child ’s learning. You will also have an opportunity to review your child ’s exercise books. As appointments are limited, if you are unable to see all of your child ’s teachers then please contact the school via our email address to book a separate appointment at another time.
Your child is required to attend, with yourselves.
Many thanks for your ongoing support.
Year 11 GCSE Progress Evening 6:00pm to 7:30pm Thursday 10th October 2019
Year 11 is now in full flow and the first mocks are fast approaching, taking place from Monday 14th October to Friday 1st November 2019. At Ipswich Academy we want to ensure students have the best possible opportunity to succeed and strongly believe talking face to face with you is the best way to provide this support.
To facilitate this, we are warmly inviting you and your son/daughter to the year 11 progress evening with hot supper from 6:00pm to 7:30pm on Thursday 10th October 2019.
The programme for the evening commences with a welcoming talk from the Principal and I providing you with an overview of what to expect during year 11. The core subject teams will also be presenting information on their subject areas including effective revision techniques, use of the year 11 study area and resources.
We very much look forward to seeing you on Thursday 10th October 2019.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at school.
Yours faithfully
Maled Akhlak
Head of Progress
Year 11 GCSE core subject information evening
5.55pm – arrival and greeting in main hall from:
Mrs Winn – Principal
Mr Akhlak – Head of Progress
6.10pm – supper in the blue area
6.45pm – carousel of presentations from English, mathematics and science
English – grey arena
mathematics – red arena
science – blue arena
6.45pm – presentation 1
7.00pm – presentation 2
7.15pm – presentation 3
Staff from each subject area will also be available in each arena for discussion about your son/daughter’s progress so far.