Dear Parent/Carer
It’s been a long and busy term, and we have so much to celebrate within the Workington Academy community. We continue to have significant sporting successes in a range of sports, with the Year 8 girls winning the U13s Copeland and Allerdale Netball Tournament. The Year 9 boys have become District Football champions and have progressed to the County Cup Final in Rugby League. Alongside our team successes, there have also been a number of individual sporting achievements this term, including Tyler Heskett, who won the Allerdale Schools Cross Country competition.
In October we received confirmation of our GCSE outcomes for the summer of 2023. Our Progress 8 measure was +0.15, the best in the school’s history. We also had the third best results in Cumberland, an achievement we are rightly very proud of. Our Post 16 results continue to improve, with students studying on vocational courses being placed in the top 10% in the country in terms of achievement.
Year 11 and 13 are working hard to prepare for next summer’s examinations. After school tutoring started in early September for Year 11, and so far over 150 students have attended these sessions.
Due to the success of our tutoring programme last year, we have rolled out a similar offer for Year 13 students. Attendance at these after school sessions has been excellent. We have also developed a range of resources to support students in preparing for their exams. Year 11 have received a ‘100 days’ homework timetable that builds their knowledge and exam skills. This programme aims to fully prepare students for next summer’s exams, and is available for parents on the Academy website.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and contribution towards the excellent attendance of the vast majority of our students over the Autumn Term. As a result of our school community’s continued support with attendance, our whole school attendance at Workington Academy remains currently above the national average. We take great pride in ensuring the high attendance of our students, giving them the opportunity to achieve the very best outcomes. I ask for your continued support in ensuring that your child maintains high attendance throughout the Spring Term, to further support their continued progress and achievement of their academic and personal potential.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you all have a restful break and look forward to welcoming students back to the Academy on Wednesday 3 January at 8.30am. Thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Mr Mark Bedford
Headteacher
Year 7
We have had an excellent start to Team Year 7 2023-24 during our first Autumn Term at Workington Academy. Our students have started their secondary school life and built many new friendships, joined many extra-curricular clubs, developed new academic skills and built positive impressions.
We have been so proud of how well our Year 7s have taken on the challenges of our Rewards Scheme this year. We have had multiple “Sevens Stars of the Week”, “Super Sevens”, “Headteacher’s Recognition Awards”, which our students have been lapping up. We have been delighted to see how brightly students can shine. This is due to significant effort, responsibility, resilience and out-of-school-time achievements. In October, we enjoyed our annual team building day at Derwentwater. Students on each day excelled themselves and represented Workington Academy really well.
Our students have also provided a significant contribution to our wider school community and taken part in many events outside the school day. We have had students take part in home-learning club and taking responsibility for their own independent work. Students have joined our Eco Committee, even having a Year 7 become Vice Secretary. In October, many of our students contributed to our Whole School Macmillan Coffee Morning, whether by bringing in cakes they have baked or bought or helping to run the stalls during their own break times. This was a huge success.
In addition to this, we have also had remarkable sporting success throughout the first term. The Year 7 boys had a tight battle in the district cup competition. A very close final game saw the boys finish in a respectable 3rd place. Excellent performances from the goalkeeper, Lucas Metherell, kept Workington in the competition with some superb saves. The Year 7 boys progressed to the second round of the County Cup competition and it was a very tough close game against Caldew School. The game remained 0-0 until the final 10 minutes where Caldew managed to score 3 goals. Excellent performances from the versatile Rhys McVeigh kept the pressure on Caldew.
We have had a brilliant turn out for girls football every Wednesday. The year 7 girls have played in two cup games, beating Keswick and more recently Netherhall. We have some of the most talented girls Mrs Walker Taylor has seen for some time. Year 7 students attended the Allerdale Schools Cross Country. Tyler Heskett was our winner in the Year 7 boys’ race, Halle McDonough came 4th in the girls’ race, along with Macy Eland who came 5th and Elise Taylor 6th.
We have had a huge number of Year 7s taking part in our Performing Arts club this year. As part of this, our students completed a fantastic 24-hour Danceathon to raise funds for improved facilities in the school. This was an amazing team effort from all involved, and a huge success. Many of our students also took part in the Christmas Showcase event in December, which again proved a roaring success. The show ranged from musical pieces to group dance and solo dance performances and also some excellent vocal talent. More recently, our students have also helped spread some festive cheer, singing at the Christmas Lights Switch on and at the Christmas Carol Concert at St John’s Church.
Year 8
Year 8 have had a wonderful term, gaining over 17000 reward point, George Marshall is still fighting for the top spot. They have risen to the challenge of new sets, new groups and new classes across their timetable. The year 8 innovate challenge is well under way, with students designing and creating a prototype for environmental development. Extracurricular activities are well attended and varied, including, Homework Club, Minecraft Club and Workington Academy Radio, to mention but a few. Amy Dixon received the Academy’s very first Community Champion Award and we look forward to seeing what she gets up to over the Christmas holidays. We would like to say a big ‘well done’ to Dylan Humphreys and Joshua Townsend who have started, and run, the year 8 debate club. Keep up the good work, Year 8.
Alongside this, Year 8 continue to do well in sporting achievements, with our girls’ netball team winning the U13s Copeland and Allerdale Tournament. The girls’ football team have made it to the quarter finals of the County Cup. A special mention goes to Luca Roberts, who came 2nd in the Allerdale Cross Country Competition and has qualified for the county team.
Year 9
Year 9 students have settled into the new academic year very well, with some excellent individual achievements along the way. Year 9 have achieved many reward points for their academic progress and effort, responding well to the new reward system. Many of our students have enjoyed working in the Student Council and have been very proactive in offering ideas and driving forward solutions for whole school improvement.
There has been some real success during the Future Pathway program, students really developing their confidence and teamwork skills. The course providers Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and the Child Centered Policing team were very complimentary about the students, and stated they were the best group of students on the program. A large number of our students participated in the CET Innovate competition, with students competing to develop solutions to improve the environment.
The Year 9 students have achieved some excellent sporting performances this term. The boys have become District Football champions and have progressed to the County Cup Final in Rugby League. The Girls have puy in some excellent performances in football and also netball. The girls won the District Netball Final and came a respectable 4th in the county finals.
Year 10
The year 10 students have all made an excellent start to their GCSE courses. They have settled into their subjects and are striving to be the best they can be. With the start of GCSEs, we have also embarked on a study skills programme in form time, whereby students are learning how to revise and to organise their revision and homework. Students are also currently organising their work experience placement, which is to be held on 1st-5th July. We held an assembly last week, introducing the importance and benefits of work experience and some of the great opportunities available to them.
We have had many notable achievements this term, including students winning ‘student of the week’, attendance heroes, sporting and musical accomplishments, which have all been celebrated in assembly and on our social media pages. The Y10 students have shown great resilience in starting their GCSEs, often having to juggle many aspects of school life. The new rewards system has proved successful, with students striving to do well and gain as many reward points as they can. We will have a rewards trip after Christmas for the students to look forward to.
We are very proud of the start the year 10s have made and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you all in the Spring term!
Best Attendance Form – 10BPE
Most Rewards Points Form – 10BPE
Student with the most reward points this half term – Damon Fulton-Dawson
Student with the most reward points overall – Sean Askew
Year 11
This term year 11 have been working hard in preparation for their trial exams, which took place in November. Since then, we have held a mock results day, where all students were given the opportunity to open their results as they would in August. All Year 11 have now been given the opportunity to work on their feedback to help them prepare for the next round of exams in February.
In form time we have been focusing on our wellbeing activities, spending time in particular on the area of gratitude. Students have been practising the art of being thankful for the small things and planning for the future. They have been making journals to record their thoughts and focusing on what makes them happy. This is very important at this time of year. We will now be looking forward to planning ahead for the new term and applying for apprenticeships and sixth form. As part of this, our students are participating in Inspira interviews, which will help all of our students plan for their future destinations.
We are currently busy raising money for local charities and causes as part of the student council initiative. All students are working hard to ensure that this is successful and this links in perfectly with the Year 11 ethos of being kind to each other.
Year 12 and 13
This term, we had many exciting opportunities for students to get involved in very rewarding activities that will enhance their career opportunities after they finish sixth form. It has been another really busy term. We are working hard to enhance our revision and study skills, so that we can achieve the best results possible in the summer. We held successful meetings with families as well as an informative progress evening. External exams start in January for some subjects.
In September, some of our sixth form girls took part in the “Girls in Engineering” event organised by McMenon Engineering Services. They were involved in a variety of activities and learned about the different roles available and the requirements for these. They enjoyed a tour of the workplace and met with key members of staff. It was a valuable opportunity for them and has also helped students confirm their career choices. We had a record number of applicants for this year’s Dream Placement Scheme. The scheme provides high quality work experience in a variety of fields and will run in February half term 2024. The Sellafield Engineering Design Apprenticeship Programme team visited Y13 to outline available opportunities. Students are currently looking at options and applying for places. We also welcomed one of our alumni back, with the team he works with from Sellafield, to talk to year 12 students about his apprenticeship experience. The former student is completing an apprenticeship in Quality Management with BAE systems in Barrow. UCLAN visited the Academy and students took part in workshops to help them decide on their options at university. Students in Year 12 who are part of the Access Project, visited Manchester University and had a valuable experience day, finding out more about university life. Many of our Year 13 students have applied to university and have made successful applications for a wide variety of courses, including Medicine, Midwifery, Biosciences, Conservation and Business Management.
All of Year 13 completed Road Awareness Training led by Green Watch, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. This is a valuable training session that demonstrated the importance of safety, in particular for our new drivers. CPR Training was also delivered to all of Year 12 during a number of workshops over the term. In Enrichment, students in year 12 have been working on the Bright Stars project, working with Ashfield Infants and Nursery School. They created a business model and sold handmade tree decorations, raising £100 for West Cumbria Hospice at Home.
We rounded this term off with “Elf Day”, with sixth form students and staff dressing up as elves. We are raising funds for two charities, West Cumbria Hospice at Home and Meningitis Now, in memory of one of our students who sadly passed away recently.
We understand that Christmas time can be an expensive and difficult time for many. Those families eligible for Free School Meal Holiday Vouchers should have already received these, along with families who have requested Foodbank Vouchers. If you are in need of any additional help and support over this period, including access to food during the Christmas Holiday period, please refer to the following website, which details an array of advice and support information: https://legacy.cumberland.gov.uk/costofliving/ Furthermore, information in specific relation to local foodbanks can be found here: https://www.thefoodbank.org.uk/
