It’s been a bumper month for CLF academies in the November edition of the Voices newspapers, nine separate articles! King’s Oak golfer made the front page of the Kingswood Voice, CLF involvement in the reimagine national project and fundraising for Macmillan and much, much more. See below to find out more details.

The World Reimagined is a ground-breaking, mass participation art education project to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact. Two Cabot Learning Federation academies are taking part in the project, Bristol Brunel Academy and Summerhill Academy.

Year 11 student, Ashley Millington, from King’s Oak Academy has been selected to play for the under 16 England Golf Team.

Macmillan’s Coffee Morning is an annual event dedicated to bringing people together over a cuppa to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. People all over the UK host their own coffee event and donations raised on the day are made to Macmillan. At two academies within the Cabot Learning Federation coffee mornings were held on Friday 29^th September to raise money for this very worthy cause

Begbrook Primary Academy has invested in hundreds of books  for pupils to borrow and read, with their families. Please read the article below to find out more.

Minerva Primary Academy has set up a group called Equality, Diversity, and inclusion ambassadors for pupils to work with staff on planning assemblies and an international day to celebrate different cultures, and much more.

Staff and students at Bristol Brunel Academy dressed in yellow to raise vital funds for Hello Yellow. Staged on World Mental Health Day, Hello Yellow support young people with mental health issues and is run by the charity Young Minds

Streets outside Minerva Primary Academy are cleared everyday at pick-up and drop-off times, the aim of this is to make school journeys safer and healthier for all.

King’s Oak Academy have had a great start to start to the school year with lots of footballing success sporting their brand-new kits sponsored by local companies SJC Building Services and Clifton Surveys with both companies being ran by local people and having strong links to King’s Oak.

Staff and students at Bristol Brunel Academy dressed in yellow to raise vital funds for

Hello Yellow. Staged on World Mental Health Day, Hello Yellow support young people with mental health issues and is run by the charity Young Minds.

Young Minds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health.

They want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

Students and staff raised around £300.00 for this worthy cause by wearing shoes or trainers of their choice, they paid £1 each to do this.

Off The Record a local charity that supports young children with their mental health, visited the academy at lunchtime and had a stall where all students could go and discuss issues around mental health.

At tutor time they had a pop-up session where students could talk about anxiety and nervousness and found out where they could get support.

Tom Leahy, Associate Assistant Principal said, “The purpose of the day was to encourage students to discuss young people’s mental health and ensure they know what support is out there. The more we talk about this and get young people to open up, the more we can help. Although Hello Yellow is one day, we will revisit the issue regularly at Bristol Brunel Academy with students and staff.”

Year 11 student, Ashley Millington, from King’s Oak Academy has been selected to play for the under 16 England Golf Team.

Ashley got into the England team by sending his scorecards from all competitions to the EGA (European Golf Association) where players are ranked. Ashley is ranked 9^th in the under 16 age group in the country, so he received a call to join the team. He played his first tournament in Italy where the England team came 9^th out of 20 teams.

Ashley who plays his golf at The Players Golf Club, Codrington, was inspired by his father at the age of five to take up the sport. His notable wins to date have been the Avon schools’ event at Bristol and Clifton golf club. And as part of a men’s team, he also won the South Western Counties Championship.

Ashley said, “It meant a lot to me to get into the England team after all the hard work I have put in, it was nice to see that this work paid off. I would also like to thank my family for all their support throughout my golfing career to date.”

Alex Heath, Head of Year 11 said, “We at King’s Oak are all very proud of Ash’s accomplishments and wish him continued success in his golfing future. We look forward to seeing how he progresses.”

                                                             Bristol Brunel Academy            Summerhill Academy

The World Reimagined is a ground-breaking, mass participation art education project to transform how we understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact.

Created with artists, teachers and educationalists, The World Reimagined Learning Programme is an experiential and transformative journey that empowers students, teachers and school communities to create a future for racial justice.

Two Cabot Learning Federation academies are taking part in the project, Bristol Brunel Academy and Summerhill Academy.

At Bristol Brunel Academy, the design is centred around the theme of Mother Africa. Each portrait represents a small visual glimpse of the African journey. The first depicts its rich, cultural heritage prior to the transatlantic slave trade and leads on to the journey during which so many Africans suffered. The story unfolds into a world reimagined where there is racial justice and differences are unifying rather than divisive.

Within the design, the African and British flowers symbolise hope and understanding and the artwork is underpinned by a calm but often turbulent sea and a vibrant sky that contains a new constellation. The stars follow the path of the transatlantic slave trade triangle to recognise the suffering, impact and legacy of slavery.

Rachel Taylor-Evans, Curriculum Leader for Art at BBA, said: “Students really embraced this project, and a lot of thought and passion went into the design. I feel it is important to bring issues that are happening around the world into the classroom so we can educate and debate with our students the importance of these matters.”

 At Summerhill Academy they followed the theme of ‘Threads of Africa weaving around the world’. The children designed and painted the Summerhill globe with words and fabric patterns inspired by the colours and proverbs relating to traditional fabrics.

One of the children who took part, Ahmed aged 10, said: “I am really proud to be able to show off some of our history and culture to other children in school and in Bristol.”

Chris Barrett, Principal at SA, said: “Summerhill Academy prides itself on the way it embraces its community’s heritage and traditions and weaves them into its Personal Development curriculum, something which OFSTED rated as ‘Outstanding’ in a visit earlier this year.”

The globes also featured as part of our CLF Arts Festival in July and were hugely admired by students, teachers, families, and members of the community.

On Thursday, August 25, hundreds of Cabot Learning Federation Year 11 students at schools across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, celebrated exceptional 2022 GCSE results.

Steve Taylor, CEO of Cabot Learning Federation, said: “There is a strong mood of celebration across the Cabot Learning Federation. After two and a half years of disrupted external examinations and high uncertainty, under the stewardship of our dedicated team, our students have shown remarkable resilience and are being rewarded with some very positive results. They have secured excellent destinations and I sincerely hope they can now move on into the next stage of their learning journey, confident in the knowledge that there will be few barriers they won’t be able to overcome in their bight futures. Well done to all.”

Here are our 2022 GCSE results from across Cabot Learning Federation:

Broadoak Academy

At Broadoak Academy we are delighted to announce that students have achieved very strong exam results as our improvement journey continues. 61% percent of our students achieved grades 9-4 in English and Maths, and 40% of our students achieved grades 9-5 in English and Maths, a significant increase from 2019.

This is down to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our wonderful students, as well as the unwavering support of our parents/carers, and the formidable work of our staff in doing everything they can to support our students to these outcomes. A huge thank you to everyone – our hard work, our togetherness and community spirit are bearing fruit!

Danny McGilloway, Principal of Broadoak Academy, said: “I could not be prouder of the way in which our students have conducted themselves throughout the whole examination season. Our results today are the end product of two years of challenging times, but five years of hard work and dedication. Our young people truly are amazing, and I take my hat off to them, to their families for their ongoing support, and to our staff for their endless endeavours to support our young people to achieve the best they can, setting them up for the next stage of their journeys. This truly is a wonderful community to be part of and today we can share and celebrate success across our community.”

We are proud of all our students; however, these particular students deserve a special mention due to their exceptional outcomes:

Hans Price Academy

Tony Searle, Principal at Hans Price Academy, said: “The students and staff at Hans Price Academy have worked phenomenally hard during the past two years.

“This cohort of students have always engaged fully with their learning during lockdown and taken advantage of the additional sessions on offer at the Academy, before school, during holidays and in the lead up to the exams.

“Whilst battling to ensure they achieved their potential, they managed to remain fantastic role-models for the rest of our academy community, setting a very high standard of behaviour, effort and engagement in all aspects of academy life.

“I am extremely grateful to all staff at the academy, who have been tenacious in supporting students to achieve their best and have access to fantastic pastoral care alongside a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities.”

City Academy Bristol

City Academy Bristol are pleased to announce that we have achieved excellent GCSE results as our improvement journey continues. Students and staff have worked extremely hard throughout the pandemic and as we have returned to schools to achieve a set of results that we are all proud of.

Ben Tucker, Principal, said: “I am incredibly excited by this set of results and what it means for our students, their families and our community. It has been a pleasure to see the students open their results knowing that they have achieved what they need for the next steps in their lives. I would like to thank all the students, staff and their families for their commitment and determination and congratulate them for their excellent results.”

Hanham Woods Academy

Hanham Woods has been on an improving journey since 2017 as the Academy continually strives to provide a world class education for the students and the community it serves. Today the

Academy is celebrating excellent exam results, with 65% of students achieving 9-4 in English and Maths (an increase of 19% from 2019) and 47% of students achieving 9-5 in English and Maths (an increase of 17% from 2019). Students have also enjoyed success across a broad range of subjects such as Computing, History, PE, Drama and Sociology.

Steve O’Callaghan, Principal, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the students and their families who have worked incredibly hard in order to achieve these results. The Academy is celebrating excellent results and this is a testament to the ambition, hard work and kindness of Academy staff, councillors and the local community. It’s a privilege to work and serve this community and today we celebrate the resilience and hard work of our remarkable students as they take the next steps in their lives. We wish all our departing students the very best success for the future and hope they continue to Dream BIG, Work Hard and Be Kind.”

We are proud of all our students; however, these students deserve a special mention due to their exceptional outcomes:

Bristol Futures Academy (BFA) at Snowdon Village

It has been an incredibly difficult time for the Snowdon Village students receiving their results today. We all know how much the pandemic has disrupted education but this hasn’t stopped our children showing extreme resilience and perseverance with their learning. Staff have been working hard with the students, families and post-16 providers to ensure every child has a positive destination. We are delighted to announce that 100% of children have got a post-16 placement in September.

Alex Davies, Principal of Snowdon Village, said: “I am incredibly proud of the students who will be collecting their exam results today. Many of the children we work with have been out of education for many months – sometimes years – and seeing the progress they have made both academically and emotionally is truly inspiring. Every child is leaving SV with a qualification and 100% of our children have secured a positive destination at Post-16. The journey our children have been on is incredible and I am proud of each and every one of them. I would also like to pay testament to the hard work of the staff who have supported the children to make such good progress during their short time with us at Snowdon Village. The staff have worked tirelessly during a very difficult period in education and should feel proud of what they have helped the children to achieve.”

Students who have notable academic achievements include Riyan and Corey, who celebrated strong passes in English and maths, Tyreke, Tyronne and Devonte who achieved well in Science, Art and maths respectively, and Hasan who made exceptional progress in English and maths.

As an inclusive provision, working with young people who change school during their Key Stage 4 experience, we are particularly proud of the progress each of them has made in their time at Snowdon Village. There is a great deal to celebrate today.

John Cabot Academy

JCA has achieved outstanding exam results. We aspire for our students to thrive academically, flourish and grow as young people. Despite all the Covid disruption, our students have risen to that challenge with 83% achieving a grade 9-4 in English and Maths (up 14% from 2019) and 61% of students achieving a grade 9-5 (up 18% from 2019).

Kate Willis, Principal, said: “Today is a day to share the excitement and joy of our students here at JCA. We prioritise the wellbeing of students and are proud of the resilience and commitment they have shown in their GCSEs. They have risen to the unique challenge of Covid to their immense credit. However, they could not have done it without support and so today we also celebrate and thank parents and staff for their incredible efforts. We wish our students the very best today and in their next steps.”

Worthy of special mention at JCA are:

Bristol Brunel Academy

BBA students have achieved excellent exam results, as the academy continues its journey towards excellence. BBA have 8 years of consistent improvement across our exam outcomes with 67% of students achieving 9-4 in English and Maths (up 10% from 2019) and 48% of students achieving 9-5 in English and Maths (up 15% from 2019). Students have enjoyed considerable success across the exceptionally broad range of subjects offered at BBA in particular History, Technology, Business, Art and English have all performed well.

Principal Jon Jones said: “We would like to congratulate all our students for their examination results. This is a team effort, we know how hard everyone has worked to achieve these results, from our teachers and staff to our parents and carers in support of our fabulous students. We feel so proud of our class of 2022, the first cohort back to complete full exams following the pandemic. This cohort of students exemplify ‘The Brunel Way’ and have shown how, through hard work and dedication, they can achieve exceptional things. We look forward to welcoming many of our students back to our CLF Post 16 provision.”

We are delighted for all our students and would like to highlight a selection to celebrate:

A huge well done to everyone, and the best of luck for the future.

Bristol Metropolitan Academy

Bristol Metropolitan Academy students have been rightly celebrating their outstanding achievements this morning. For the first time since Summer 2019 we have seen a “normal” GCSE results day following what has, of course, been an anything but normal 3 years. Year 11 students collecting their GCSE results today have not had an uninterrupted school year since they were in Year 8. They have had to constantly adapt and react to the changing world around them and the challenges created in the wider world as well as in their schooling. Despite all of these challenges the students, supported by their families and teachers, opened their results and started the next phase of their educational journey.

The academy is celebrating excellent exam results, with over 80% of students achieving a pass grade in both English and Maths.

Cameron Shaw, Principal of Bristol Met, described the atmosphere on site this morning as overwhelmingly positive, which is testament to this cohort of student’s attitude throughout the pandemic.

He said: “I am of course delighted with the results of the academy; they are testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment of our students, their families and, of course, the staff in the academy. I wish every one of our outgoing Year 11 the best of luck with the next stage of their education.”

Worthy of special mention at BMA are:

King’s Oak Academy

The staff and academy councillors of King’s Oak congratulate our Year 11 students who today received their GCSE and BTEC results. Their excellent grades are the result of hard work and commitment across the five years of their secondary education. Like all schools, our Year 11 cohort experienced disruption to their learning throughout their GCSE course at King’s Oak; to their credit, and with the support of their parents and carers, friends and the staff at King’s Oak they have taken the challenges that resulted from the pandemic in their stride and showed great tenacity and resilience to ensure that they achieved their full potential in each programme of study. We wish all of our students the best for the future and look forward to hearing of their successes as they move into Post 16 learning.

Katherine Ogden, Principal, said: “This is an important day in our community and we are all very proud of all of our Year 11 students who have much to celebrate and be happy about. Our primary focus now is to work with each family to make sure that their child is securely on a Post 16 course that will help them make their next step in life. We know that both the CLF P16 and our local colleges will be very lucky to work with them next year.”

Worthy of special mention at KOA are:

Digitech Studio School

Digitech Studio School Bristol is pleased to report a set of excellent achievements by its students in their GCSEs and vocational qualifications this summer. This year 11 cohort have overcome many challenges, successfully navigating the first exam series since 2019 with maturity. All students should be immensely proud of what they have achieved.

Chris Ballard, the school’s interim principal, said: “We want to congratulate all of our year 11 students and are extremely proud of all their work, achievements and outcomes especially after such a difficult and disrupted two years. The students have shown passion, commitment and resilience in their studies throughout their time here at Digitech and it has been great to see lots of smiling faces this morning as students secure the grades that they worked so hard for. Worthy of special mention are Kai Hayton and Oriana Bury; both achieving a particularly impressive array of qualifications. Thank you to all staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure all students are able to progress onto their next steps, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”