CCSA Founding Families Update - 14th February 2022
Thank you, from all of us here at CCSA, for all of your hard work and support throughout this half term. Many of you have told me how much progress your children are making in lessons and how aspirational you are for their success across the curriculum. Thank you also for your participation in our recent Parent & Tutor Meetings, where so many of you had the chance to speak about your child’s progress in school.
I know that you will join me in thanking all our hard working teaching and non-teaching staff, who have worked tirelessly this half-term in support of our students, whilst overcoming the difficulties posed by the current Omicron variant of COVID19.
As always I ask that you please take the time over the half-term break to review your child’s commendations and celebrate them at home where possible. Please also take the time to review your child’s profile on our Parent Portal / Arbor App, and reflect on any areas for improvement around our student code of conduct.
Please read this update carefully as it contains useful information about the following:
Attainment-informed groupings from next half term
Safer social media and mobile phone use
Farewell message
I wish you all a very pleasant half term and I look forward to welcoming all our students back to school on Tuesday 1st March.
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Attainment-informed groupings from next half term
From next half term we will be moving to arrangement of attainment-informed grouping for lessons. With an improving knowledge of our students’ attainment, informed by recent assessments and recent standardised testing (in reading, English, mathematics, and science), we aim to maximise their outcomes by ensuring that class content is well-targeted to needs, and that student groups get appropriate support.
Students will be allocated to the following groups for lessons across the Year 7 curriculum, named after the seven wonders of the ancient world:
7 Colossus
7 Gardens
7 Halicarnassus
7 Lighthouse
7 Olympia
7 Pyramid
7 Temple
We will review the allocation of groups at least twice a year to ensure that students are in appropriate groups, with flexible practices that allow students to move between groups where appropriate.
These new groups for lessons will not affect the current allocation of form groups (7ABCDEFG). Although as is the case each half term, there may be a reallocation of students within form groups following any pastoral intervention or response.
Students will be issued individual timetables when they return to school on Tuesday 1st March.
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Safer social media and mobile phone use
As you will be aware all students at CCSA have been taught about safe usage of the internet, social media and online platforms through their first unit of work in computing lessons (collaborating online respectfully). Students are aware of the risks around using online tools and the internet more broadly and understand how to report issues they encounter.
In addition, CCSA will continue to recommunicate this guidance to students, so that they know how best to be safe online. Students are also aware of our Behaviour Policy and Anti-Bullying Policy, which covers our responses to inappropriate use of technology, misuse of social media, and instances of cyber-bullying.
With the half-term break approaching, it’s important to understand that there can be increased access to such services by students during the holidays, thus increasing these risks. As a parent or carer you play a key role in helping your child to stay safe online. The UK Safer Internet Centre have resources and guidance available to support parents around technology and social media.
Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre
Should parents wish to contact the academy to report a concern, they can do so through the school office.
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Farewell to Ms Hudson
Sadly, the CCSA community will be saying goodbye to Ms Hudson at the end of this week. I know that you will all join me in thanking Ms Hudson for all of her hard work in setting up our French curriculum, teaching excellent lessons and supporting 7B as their form tutor. We wish Ms Hudson the very best in her next steps.
Students have been informed this week and any resulting timetable changes will be communicated to students when they return to school on Tuesday 1st March.
