KEVI Newsletter 24th February 2023

Senior Leadership Team Update

In assembly this week we congratulated all those students involved in the Talent Show, whether performing or being an audience member. We were very pleased that students were very supportive of one another and recognised one another’s talents. With this in mind it was lovely to hear of an impromptu sing-a-long in our canteen, Gino’s, yesterday. Students sang a couple of numbers and were accompanied by Mr Lake on ukelele and by a student on guitar. Staff who witnessed it said it was a lovely atmosphere and made their week!

We were pleased to receive our Ofsted Inspection report this week. There is a copy of it on our website. Some of the key highlights were that the inspectors saw disruption-free learning and they commented on the fact that “behaviour is calm and focused”.

Other key highlights recognised in the report include:

• Teachers have “secure” subject knowledge and start each lesson with an opportunity to revisit previous learning so that their pupils are confident in developing their knowledge. This helps pupils build on what they already know. Teachers do well to model tasks, giving pupils insight into new ideas and knowledge, and encouraging pupils to “respond like a scholar”.
• Pupils at the school recall their learning well and are clearly making good progress. Work in their books demonstrates that they are learning well and pupils “take pride in their work”.
• School leaders have done well to prioritise reading at King Edward VI Academy. Pupils read a broad range of fiction. They either read or listen to their teachers read for 20 minutes each day which has had a positive impact on literacy. Staff use “effective strategies” to support those pupils who do need extra help to read more quickly and accurately.
• Staff do well to “quickly identify” those pupils who require additional assistance and then provide “tailored support” so that they can still learn the curriculum.
• At the school, “pupils interact positively with staff” and are attentive to important messages during the daily roll-call. Leaders have put in place effective interventions to improve pupils’ attendance which have clearly paid off. Pupils who require additional support to regulate their behaviour receive this and so are not prevented from continuing to learn.
• The school does well to teach pupils how to “keep themselves safe”. Pupils can talk well about the different faiths and cultures they have studied, while older pupils meet with staff to discuss careers and next steps after they leave school.
• Staff agree that leaders are “considerate of their workload and wellbeing”.
• “Leaders encourage pupils to live out the school values of ‘ambition, aspiration, courage, resilience, honesty and respect”. Pupils understand how these values impact upon their lives and their time at school, and said they enjoy coming to school because they know “they will be able to learn”.
• Because of the high expectations of staff and leaders, pupils enjoy learning in calm and quiet classrooms. Pupils feel safe and are not concerned about bullying. They feel as though they have “opportunities to be successful” at the school.
• The school provides a “wide range of opportunities” for pupils to develop their talents and interests. These range from tabletop role-playing game clubs, sports clubs, charity events and trips outside the school, such as to Lincoln Cathedral, to better develop what they learn in the classroom.

We will continue to reflect on the report and have already started to further improve aspects of our practice.

Year 11 and Year 13 mocks continue next week as well as our programme of Saturday school, period 6 and lunchtime interventions.

We hope you have a good weekend,

Mrs S Jones - Executive Principal

Mr M Wilkinson - Acting Head of School

Why we do what we do -Academy Rationale

Teaching and Learning - Review Learning at the start of a lesson

At KEVI we use a lot of evidence-based research to inform our planning and the way we deliver lessons. An educationalist called Barak Rosenshine has ten principles he recommends for effective teaching. We use his work to guide our delivery in lessons.

Throughout the rest of the year, we will explain the rationale behind each of the principles and how we use them in our lessons.

Principle 3

Ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students

Engaging in effective questioning techniques is one of the most powerful tools a teacher can use to enhance student learning and encourage them to explore a topic in more depth. Questions allow teachers to:

• Establish how well a class is engaging with material
• Determine whether to dedicate more time to explore a topic
• Improve their students’ metacognition (their independent thinking and self-regulation)
• Encourage their students to be inquisitive themselves
• Enhance student learning by requiring them to practice retrieval

We encourage our teachers to use questions such as:

• "What is the main idea of . . . ?"
• "What are the strengths and weaknesses of . . ?"
• "How does this tie in with what we have learnt before?"
• "Which one is the best . . . and why?"
• "Do you agree or disagree with this statement: '. . . ' ?"
• "What do you still not understand about . . . ?"

Year 11 Update

Each student should have a revision timetable and should be completing two hours' independent revision per day. Please remember we have a programme of Period 6 after school lessons to support Year 11 students to prepare for their final examinations.

Saturday School

Here is the link for this week's Saturday School if you haven’t managed to sign up yet. The topic this week is GCSE English Poetry which is perfect preparation for the mock exam.

We are delighted to share with you the schedule for the rest of this term:

• 04/03/2023 - DT and Religious Studies
• 11/03/2023 - English Language and Maths
• 18/03/2023 - Religious Studies
• 25/03/2023 - English Language and Maths
• 01/04/2023 - History and Religious Studies

Thinking Ahead – My Future, My Choice

Attention Year 8 & Year 9!

• What are your future plans & career possibilities?
• What plans to do you have after you have completed your GCSEs?
• Do you plan to go on to further/higher education? If so what courses might you study?
• What career ideas do you have for the future at the moment?

In Years 7, 8 and 9 you will be learning new skills and knowledge that will give you the confidence to help you plan your next steps. This process starts with your careers education in school which will encourage you to think about your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. You will also start to make some important decisions that could influence your future career path as you will be choosing your subjects to study for GCSE. This process will begin for all Year 9 students early this year.

Each week we will show you examples of the various careers linked to the subject you are studying. This week’s career idea is . . .

KEVI Careers Support

Table Talk

“If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all” – Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger was named manager of Arsenal in 1996. His appointment was greeted with little enthusiasm from the English media and his players alike. In 1998, he became the first foreign manager to win a Premier League and FA Cup double. Wenger guided Arsenal to another league and cup double in 2002, and won his third league title in 2004, which earnt distinction as he guided his team to an undefeated domestic league season.

His quote here reflects his belief in himself and how that belief is required to reach your dreams. We want our students to be aspirational and ambitious. To do this they need the self belief demonstrated by Arsene Wenger. Please discuss with your children their ambitions and aspirations and help them to build the self belief they will require to achieve.

Mr A Carrington - Vice Principal

Gino's Update

Price List – February 2023

Breakfast

• Bacon roll 95p
• Sausage bap (Wed only) 95p
• Large bacon roll £1.35
• Fruit – piece or small pot 40p
• Toasted teacake 50p
• Yogurt 45p

Break

• Bacon roll 95p
• Sausage bap 95p
• Large bacon roll £1.35
• Pizza slice 95p
• Toasted sandwich £1.35
• Cheese & ham bagel £1.35
• Toasted crumpet 40p
• Toasted teacake 50p

Break & Lunch

• Salad box £1.80
• Baguettes (small) £1.20
• Baguettes (large) £1.70
• Sandwiches £1.35
• Large roll £1.35
• Small roll 95p
• Tortilla wrap £1.60
• Crusty bread roll 30p
• Fruit – piece or small pot 40p
• Yogurt 45p
• Condiment sachet 10p

Lunch

• Main meal with 2 sides £2.10
• Vegetarian main meal with 2 sides £2.10
• Meal deal (meal, cake/dessert or small drink) £2.40
• Pasta pot £1.65
• Stir fry pots £1.65
• Curry, rice & naan bread pot £2.10
• Panini £1.40
• Pizza 95p
• Jacket potato with filling £1.70
• Cake/Cookie 60p
• Hot pudding 65p

Drinks (Breakfast, Break & Lunch)

• Fruit juice carton 65p
• Flavoured milk carton 65p
• Semi skimmed milk carton 65p
• Radnors fizz bottles 70p
• Large bottles water 80p
• Large bottles flavoured water 90p
• Yazoo milkshake £1.00

Angela Clark - Catering Manageress

Word of the Week

Mockery

Mockery: abstract noun – teasing and belittling language and behaviour towards a person or thing.

Word origin: mocquer (Old French): to deride.

He pretended to walk like the other boy did, copying his movements in a show of mockery. The insulting way that she answered was chosen to be a mockery of her father’s question.

Mock: verb – to behave in a contemptuous, belittling way.

He felt that the words were not simply banter: they had mocked the way he had failed to reach the high level on the computer game.

She felt hurt when they mocked her choice of clothes; their words were more deliberately spiteful than just teasing.

Accelerated Reader

Students continue to quiz using Accelerated Reader and are keen to show their brilliant comprehension and understanding of the books they have read.

Congratulations to Chantel and Freya in Year 7, Chloe, James and Harry in Year 8 and Imogen in Year 9 for perfect 100% scores on their quizzes!

A very special shout out to Shanel in Year 7 who has taken the highest number of tests, passing every one! Well done, Shanel!

Quizzes accurately record the quality of each student’s comprehension of a book they have read and give precise feedback to teachers. Students are able to see their total reading points scored, each book carrying its own value of points, and the total number of words read. Please support your child by reminding them to take a quiz during registration on books which they finish and by asking them how they scored.

The library opening hours are interrupted during the mock exams. The library continues to be open at 8:30am every morning, but students may find the library is being used by examination candidates at break times and during some parts of lunchtimes. Miss Villiers updates a display on the Ecobarn window daily, informing students of the next opening time.

KEVI library books are part of the 180,000 books which have Accelerated Reader quizzes linked to them. Should your child wish to read a book from home, you can check to see if it has an Accelerated Reader quiz linked to it by visiting www.arbookfind.co.uk.

KEVI 20 WC 27th February: Period 1

Ms K Davis - Head of English Department