South Axholme Academy - Newsletter

Summer Term, July 2023

Principal's Update

Well, another exciting year at South Axholme Academy draws to a close and what a year it has been.

I am so excited to see how action packed the newsletter is regarding the experiences within and beyond the classroom. I feel truly privileged to lead such an amazing group of staff and students, and I was delighted in January, when Ofsted recognised the efforts of staff and students in our excellent inspection report. They deserve the recognition for their hard work and efforts.

The academy continues to be a hive of excitement with students engaging in their learning, deepening their knowledge and applying their skills to a variety of subjects.

Our students never cease to amaze me with their positive outlook on life and true South Axholme Mindset of 'resilience'.

Finally, at this time of the year we always say goodbye to colleagues who are off to live the next chapter of their life or career, which in turn provides new opportunities for our new staff joining us in September. I wish them well in the future.

Have a restful break and enjoy the summer, hopefully the rain will stop.

Scott Barlow

Principal of South Axholme Academy  

In May, Mr Barlow launched the Year 10 application process for the Senior Student Leadership Team positions and prefects, for the academic year 2023 - 2024.  

Students were shortlisted from their written applications to take them through to the next part of the process, which was to prepare and deliver a virtual Teams presentation to the whole academy.  From these presentations, students and staff voted for the candidates they would like to be a part of the Senior Student Leadership Team.  The next stage of the process was an interview with the Principal - Mr Barlow, CEO - Mrs Sprack and the Chair of Governors - Mr Wilks.  A rigorous process to say the least! 

We were delighted with everyone who applied and got through each round.  The students who shone through, and were appointed for 2023 - 2024 were Isobel McFadden, Ryan Brocklesby, Amelia Wilkinson and Molly White.

The Senior Leadership Team take part in presentations and help out at numerous parents' evenings and events at South Axholme. 

We also rely on our prefects who were appointed for the upcoming academic year at the same time - prefects play an important part in the day to day running of the academy, by helping others to maintain behaviour standards and through supervision around the site - a great responsibility to add to their CV! 

Photos: Senior Student Leadership Team and the Prefect Team 2023 - 2024

On Thursday 13 July, we celebrated a special group of young people and their achievements across  subject  areas.

These students have shown an outstanding attitude to learning, going above and beyond in their dedication towards their studies over the course of the academic year.

Many of the winners were repeat winners from previous years, and we were able to congratulate them on their approach to their work at the academy once again.

For our Year 7 students and new winners, we hope that they enjoyed the evening where we were able to celebrate their magnificent achievement.

We would also like to thank parents/carers for their support this year.

Working as a positive  partnership ensures that your child receives the very best opportunities and chance of success!

Photos: Students following the Awards Evening with their medals and certificates

Visit to Gainsborough Old Hall

On 25 April 2023, 65 Year 7 students visited Gainsborough Old Hall for the day where they explored the 500 year old hall and grounds.

They took a guided tour to discover what life was like during the Tudor era for both rich and poor people.

Students said their favourite part of the hall was the kitchen; which is one of the best surviving medieval kitchens in the country. Here they learnt how feasts were prepared and that only men were allowed in the kitchen at the time!

The students had a fantastic day and developed their knowledge of Britain in the 1500s to support their History work in school.  

Mrs Dewsnap - History Teacher

Low Mill - Year 9

During the second half of the summer term, students in Year 9 visited Low Mill in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. 

This trip has always been an exceptionally popular out of bounds visit - which is a great way to help children grow their natural curiosity, improve their physical and mental health and build their confidence.  

As well as the daily housekeeping chores, which included washing up and sweeping, students were able to select activities that they wanted to do, ranging from; abseiling, canoeing, kayaking, caving and gorge walking.  Students also took part in a campfire and the obligatory game of rounders and country walk.

Photos: - Low Mill Activities

EPA - London Visit

Our annual residential trip to London took place on 12 July 2023. 

This trip was a fantastic opportunity for students to see our capital city. 

The itinerary included taking part in an acting workshop, a backstage tour of the Royal Albert Hall, visits to Leicester Square, Covent Garden a shopping visit to Westfield shopping centre and an evening meal at Pizza Hut. 

Of course what trip to London would be complete without visiting the West End?

Our students watched performances of, 'The Play That Goes Wrong' at The Duchess Theatre and 'Mamma Mia' at the Novello Theatre. 

Photos: London Theatre Visit

The lower school sports day took place on 29 June 2023, and the upper school sports day on 22 June 2023.

Following the outcome of the events on these days, students who performed significantly well are invited to the District Athletics Championships in Scunthorpe, which took place this year on 4 July 2023. There were some amazing performances and South Axholme Academy finished in second place overall!

A massive well done to the students who took part!

Positioning of the Sports Day Events: -

1st Place - Herewood were the overall winners

2nd Place - Wesley

3rd Place - Garrett and Newton

In other news, Year 8 had fantastic football success this term, when they won the 'Plate Football Award' in June.

Photos: - The Year 8 football team holding the Plate, following their successful win

Athletics team at Scunthorpe event

Sports Leaders

Throughout the academic year, Miss Harrison arranges various sporting opportunities for the children at our feeder primary schools.  These events range from sporting activities such as football coaching, multi-skills, netball coaching and tournament, wake and shake, and rounders. 

There is also the annual fun run, which is held at South Axholme Academy, and a swimming gala that takes place at the Pods. 

Miss Harrison could not do all of this without the support of our wonderful Sports Leaders.  Thank you to you all for your commitment and help.

Photos: Sports Leaders and children from Haxey Primary school taking part in a rounders session

South Axholme Academy Mindset Day 3 and 4 - Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 July 2023

SAX Mindset days play a key part in the personal development of Ready, Resilient and Responsible students.  Throughout the academic year the days include spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development, understanding of fundamental British values, age-appropriate sex and relationship education alongside coverage of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

The last Mindset Days of the academic year were held on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 July 2023 

A very ambitious timetable of activities took place over the course of the days including trips to: -

Bowling, Virtual Work Experience, Upcycling and Sustainability, Stadium Tour of a Professional Football Club, Forensic Scientist Day, International Bomber Command Visit, County Cricket Game, Community Warriors, International Culture Day, Student Helpers, Turbary Visit, The Deep, The Story of Chocolate, Lincoln Castle and a Coastal Visit.

Duke of Edinburgh Award - Bronze Award

A life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers.

The D of E award is many things to many people, supporting generations to successfully navigate adult life.

Thanks to Mr Barnes, Assistant Principal and Mr Dwyer, PE Teacher who have given up their time on Thursdays after school since September, a group of Year 10 students have been able to participate in the Bronze Award at South Axholme Academy.

Our students have been extremely busy and have been involved in helping the community/environment, developing their fitness, developing new skills, as well as planning, training for and completing their expedition!

Any young person can do their D of E award– regardless of ability, gender, background or location. Achieving an award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

Through a D of E programme young people have fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs, university and job applications. 

Participants have shown excellent SAX mindset throughout, particularly Resilience, by carrying around 20kg of equipment across some of the biggest hills in the Peak District, as part of their required expedition element.

All students have been determined and committed to the award throughout, with many of them achieving the Bronze award  this summer term.  Students had to complete a walk (totalling 17km over the 2 day period) and camp out, which they did at Newfold Farm Campsite in Castleton, Peak District.

Photos of: Campsite, walk and practice walks.  Also activities of Thursday DofE sessions at the academy.

Cinderella

Just before Easter, the Drama Club put on its production of Cinderella.

Evie Fairbank was the lead and thirty other Year 7 students took to the stage to perform.

This was no ordinary version though; the piece was based on the Revolting Rhyme! We had a bonkers Prince who chopped off heads and it ended with Cinders marrying a Jam Maker and living happily ever after, without a palace or a prince!

Aladdin

Our second whole school production of the academic year was Aladdin!

Rehearsals started back in September alongside SIX, and show week began on Monday 19 June with a performance to Year 7. This was our final dress rehearsal and technical run through.

Year 7 were a very receptive and patient audience, giving us some great feedback ready for the first show, which took place on Wednesday evening.

There were stand-out performances from our leads; 

Emily Green was dazzling as our loveable rogue and hero, Aladdin.

Poppy Brook wowed as Jasmine, our sassy yet sweet princess.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house as they sang 'A Whole New World' to us from the magic carpet.

Our trusty sidekicks to the couple took human form in our performance; Riley Douglas was Abu and Robyn Letherland was Raya.

Lucie Webster-Henwood struck fear into all as our evil villain Jafar.

The comedy value came mostly from Thomas Harris, the Genie, and Finn Robertson, Eago.

Ash Scott-Webster overruled all over Agrabah as the Sultan.

We also had our travelling family as narrators (Harry Jackson, Evie Fairbank, Sofia Peck, Eleanor Roley & Olivia Yuen) and a large ensemble who took on several roles throughout; they have certainly learned what it takes to put on a show of this standard and have done a fine job!

As this was such a huge commitment that took a great deal of the cast's time outside of lessons, we have made all students involved Drama Ambassadors! 

Auditions for the next whole school production will take place in September!

'Team EPA' - Mrs Brook, Subject Leader EPA

Photos: Aladdin Production and Cast

Miss Jacklin, Assoiciate Assistant Principal works tirelessly at the academy to ensure that tall year groups are provided with a rich curriculum around careers, SRE and to have a Form Tutor Programme, enriching the education and lives of the students at South Axholme Acadmey.  As such, Miss Jacklin was nominated as a Careers Champion in the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.  She attended an awards event on Friday July 2023, where her efforts were recognised.

Thank you Miss Jacklin! 

Year 10 Visits 

In order for our Year 10 students to make informed choices about their next steps in education, they have visited the following  local colleges this term.

New College, Doncaster

John Leggott College

North Lindsey College 

Students will be required to complete their applications for their college choice in the autumn term.  

To help them in this important decision, all students have completed careers appointments and will have an opportunity to have another appointment again in the autumn term.

Photos: Students taking part in practical subjects at New College

Leavers 2023

A fantastic year group - we are sorry to see you go, but we wish you well in your future endeavours. 

Just a reminder of some key information: -

• Year 11 students will be able to collect their results on Thursday 24 August 2023 from the academy between 9.00am and 11.00am.
• Results can NOT be given over the telephone to anyone under any circumstances. Students should collect their own results in person.

• If students are unable to collect their own results in person,they must email the Examinations Officer at

datateam@southaxholme-iet.co.uk

 from their school email account by midday on Monday 14 August 2023, with their name, contact number and the name of the family member who they wish to nominate.  In addition, on Results day, the nominated person must bring photographic proof of their identity, in the form of a driving licence or passport.

• The results belong to the student and to protect their confidentiality, we will be unable to release results without such consent and evidence.

• Any results not collected for Year 11 will be emailed to the students' school email address after 1pm on Thursday 24 August 2023.

Our Year 11 students have shown hard work and a mature attitude throughout the examination period, and we wish them all the very best of luck for their examination resul.

Presentation Evening

We will be holding our annual Presentation Evening on Wednesday 15 November 2023 at 7.00pm.

Certificates usually arrive by the end of November. They are available for collection at the Presentation Evening or from 16 November 2023 onwards. An invite and details of the date of Presentation Evening for 2023 will be in the envelope that your examination results are contained in. You will be given ALL of your certificates gained for qualifications taken at South Axholme Academy.

If you are unable to come to the Presentation Evening and wish to collect your certificates from 16 November you may do so in person during school hours. You should bring I.D with you and you will be asked to sign to prove you have collected them.

Certificates will NOT be issued to any person other than the named student unless that person has a signed, written authorisation from you to collect certificates on your behalf. They must also bring their own I.D with them and sign the collection register.

Once issued, certificates cannot be replaced by the academy if lost or damaged and duplicates are rarely issued by examination boards. It is very expensive and time-consuming to obtain a ‘certifying statement of results’ and you can only obtain them by contacting the exam boards directly.

IT IS VITAL THAT YOU COLLECT YOUR CERTIFICATES.

The academy is obliged to hold certificates for a minimum of 12 months. It is your responsibility to ensure these are collected and kept safe. You will need to provide certificates to colleges, training providers and employers as proof of your qualifications.

N.B. THE AVERAGE COST TO REPLACE A CERTIFICATE IS £45

Mrs L Bullars - Vice Principal

Photo: Year 11 Leavers 2023  - Prom

Hello Year 7 September 2023

We hope that our new students who are coming to us in September 2023 enjoyed their 2 day transition visit with us - and parents took back with them an understanding of expectations at the academy.

By now, you should have received all information about how you should order your uniform, an Arbor welcome email - we urge parents/carers to update their contact details (and a minimum of 2 emergency contacts is vital).  You should also have given consent for GDPR, biometric finger printing etc.  In addition, we ask you to consent to whether your child can have their photograph taken, for use on our various platforms.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the academy.  We will monitor emails throughout the duration of the holidays, however, please be aware that staff are not monitoring emails daily - therefore it is expected that you may not receive a response straight away.

We look forward to welcoming your child in September. 

Saffron Broxham, Year 9

It is great to hear that Saffy has been retained by Doncaster Rovers Belles, and she will be playing for both the Belles Academy and ETC - Emerging Talent Centre (as and when required for the ETC as she is an Academy player first and foremost).

Most recently, Saffy has played at St George's Park, which is the 'Belles grassroots'  in Sheffield, the home of England Football.

Again a fantastic achievement!

Photo: Saffron Broxham

Holly Bytheway, Year 8

Holly Bytheway has also been resigned by Doncaster Rovers Belles in the U14 ETC and U14 Academy. 

She has also recently played for Doncaster School Girls, scoring against Hull, and  she has played against Leeds Utd. 

As you can see Holly is featured below in her Doncaster Rovers playing kit.

Holly's family are keen to promote this elite level of sports achievement, and we are all very proud.  Well done Holly.

Photo: Holly Bytheway

Tilly White, Year 8

Tilly is part of RLC Rockets Doncaster Allstars Cheerleading Squad, she is in three different teams.

This year they have won multiple first places, are division winners and grand champions (the highest score of the entire competition).

Three teams have won bids to the all-star cheerleading world champions in April 2024 in the USA and one team has won silver at National level for their division. 

Tilly's training is relentless, showing that it does pay off for her club.

Photos: Tilly performing at a competition 2023

Libby Steele, Year 11

Well done to Libby who will represent England Tough Rugby at the Atlantic Youth Club in July 2023 - Congratulations!

Photo: A proud Libby with her rugby shirt

Oscar Niland, Year 8 (Oh my Oscar, you just keep giving...)

Oscar Niland supported the charity 'Jen's Special Place'.  This is  a charity that aims to support children in expressing their grief and exploring their feelings in a safe and empathic environment to improve overall health and well-being. Their mission is to alleviate feelings of loneliness through social interaction with other bereaved children.

Oscar raised the money by walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks, which included - Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.  A total of 24.5 miles!

Photo: Oscar Niland 

South Axholme Equestrian Team - follow on from Epworth Equestrian Horse Trials

In the last edition of the newsletter, we were delighted to introduce the South Axholme Equestrian team which consisted of eight competitive members riding for our academy.  They are: -

• Lexi Adlington and her horse Lightning
• Madeline Jones and her horse Windyridge Fudge
• Ruby Dover and her horse Rolean Lad
• Lara Collinson and her horse Clonberne Paddy
• April Stothard and her horse Rushmoor Leafy Screen
• Magenta Device and her horse Lyndell Rubix Cube
• Imogen Durdy and her horse Waterside Prince the Second
• Alisha Hemming and her horse Dylan

Six of our members competed at Epworth Equestrian trials and all qualified for the prestigious horse show at Hickstead in May, which is known as the home of British show jumping.  This achievement also crowned the team as County Champions!

The girls did compete at the National Championships, finishing 6th place.

Well done girls!

If you are interested in joining the Equestrian Team please contact them on southaxholmeequestrian@gmail.com

Photos: The team at the National Championships receiving their rosettes

Holiday Fun - Free Swimming Sessions

We would like to share with you the following - around North Lincolnshire the council are offering free swimming sessions.  

See below for further details of which local swimming pools can be accessed this summer.

Home Learning - Satchel One

At South Axholme Academy, home learning is an essential part of school life as it supports the curriculum, subject interests and develops core skills such as organisation and independent learning.  

Research from the Education Endowment Foundation shows that ‘the impact of homework on learning is consistently positive leading to on average five months’ additional progress.’ 

To help support students, all home learning at South Axholme is set on a platform called Satchel One.  We have been using this platform for a year, and it is proving to be very successful, allowing parents/carers to keep track of their child's homework.  As we embrace an increasingly digital approach to work, this provides an up-to-date way of working for all of our community.

Please encourage your child to download the Satchel One app onto their devices.  Students can also access Satchel One via any computer if they are unable to download the app.  

If you have not yet got your parent information to enable you to access Satchel One to support your child at home, please contact the academy.

We thank parents and students for their cooperation.

Mrs Bullars - Vice Principal

As we endeavour to improve the way we communicate with parents, should you need to contact the SEND Team, please note that there is a separate email address where you can contact Mrs Marsh, Assistant Principal and SENDCo and Mrs Ellis, Administration Support, SEND

Please email: SEND@southaxholme-iet.co.uk

Mrs Marsh - Assistant Principal and SENDCo

The SEND Team 

Online Library

We have relaunched the SAX online library. This is something that all students can access for FREE.

Students just need to download the app or go onto a computer and use their school login and password details.

For further details please use this link to the  On Line Library Presentation

Happy reading!

Mrs Bullars - Vice Principal

Our sports teams are very active at the academy and our PE staff continue to attend many sports and team games after school throughout the year competing against other schools.

Follow us on facebook and Instagram for the most up to date results.

Mr Spouncer, Subject Leader - PE

(Photos:  SAX Sports Teams)

Join Mrs Marsh and fellow students on Friday lunchtime for Pride Society. 

"We are all different and that's beautiful"

As the academic year ends, we have been reflecting on all the changes that have happened in the kitchen and all that has been achieved. 

As you may be aware IET decided to take catering in house and with that came great responsibility and pride felt by myself and the whole team. We wanted to make sure we got it right and be sure we could bring the best offer for our students both financially and nutritiously, something I feel we have achieved.

We have been able to secure contacts with local suppliers keeping our carbon footprint low, we have worked closely with Veg Plate a company that looks at introducing plant free dishes that are now enjoyed weekly by the students and have gained  a bronze award to recognise this on our menu.  We have also worked with Veg Power who supplied us with seeds and plants which has enabled us to start growing some of our own produce, albeit on a small scale for now, but we are hoping to expand over the years.

We have seen some staff changes too, the main one being the appointment of Scott, our highly trained chef.  With his wealth of knowledge in school catering and trained eyes he has bought so many fresh, new, exciting, and tasty meals to lunchtimes, seeing an increase in sales on our hot counter.  With his help and support the team have really embraced making grab and go concept from fresh, such as pizza dough and bread meaning we are able to keep more control over ingredients and additives in the dishes we have on offer.

Another high for us this year was being shortlisted for the Public Sectors Catering Awards in London.  Unfortunately, we didn’t win this time, but just to be recognised and shortlisted for such a prestigious award showed me how far we have come as a team and how much potential we have to grow -I have no doubt that award will be ours next year.

We continue to support the community with links to Feeding Gainsborough and the surrounding area, and we hope to be able to work with more projects like this in the future.  We also managed to achieve 5 stars in a recent Environmental Health Officer (EHO) inspection.

It really has been quite a steep learning curve this year, I feel our confidence has grown, and we have worked as a team to achieve everything we set out to do and more.  We are currently working on next year’s menu -  I can guarantee there will be plenty of healthy, tasty, and exciting new dishes coming that will be loved by students and staff.

Thank you so much for all your support and I hope you and your family have a lovely holiday.  The catering team and I look forward to welcoming you back in September.

Kelly Rose

IET Catering Operation Manager

Arbor

We now have 80% of our parents/carers registered with the Arbor App. 

Don't miss out! 

If you have not activated your account, please contact the academy and we will send you the information that you will need to register.

This is an excellent way to view your child's dashboard which includes attendance data and achievements.

In addition, you can update your personal information without needing to contact the academy.  Please see the link below to access your account.

https://login.arbor.sc/