Welcome to Clacton Coastal Academy

Clacton Coastal Academy offers high, quality teaching, a clear sense of purpose and outstanding facilities. As Executive Principal and Headteacher, along with the teachers and other professional staff working in the academy, we are here to offer commitment and support to your child, to open minds and to open doors to new and exciting opportunities for our young people. The Academy does not function in the same way as a traditional school. Our independent status gives us a flexibility that enables us to be innovative and creative in our approaches to organisation, curriculum and teaching. We are at the forefront of curriculum innovation in making a personalised learning journey for your child a reality.

We want our students to be challenged by new and exciting learning experiences and have their personal skills, talents and abilities extended to ensure they achieve their potential. At Clacton Coastal Academy, we strongly believe that this combination is essential in ensuring that all students achieve at the highest level possible and develop a real sense of belief in what they can do.

As an independent school, our expectations are very high — attendance, behaviour, uniform and attitudes to learning are all monitored closely to achieve excellence and we demand the very best from all students in order to make our best better. In return, we aim to offer the highest quality of teaching and learning from very committed and highly skilled staff. The Academy provides a safe, secure and inspiring learning environment — your child will be cared for, their self confidence nurtured and mutual respect developed.

Clacton Coastal Academy is proud to be part of a wider family of Academies within the Academies Enterprise Trust and the opportunities for support, innovation, collaboration, partnership and excellence that ensures we fulfil our duty to inspire young people to make their best better.

We look forward to welcoming you to Clacton Coastal Academy.

Stephen Chamberlain and Tracey Hemming

Executive Principal and Headteacher

The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of sporting, cultural and arts-based activities that make a good contribution to students’ personal development and well-being.

— Ofsted: 2011

Dear CCA Community

I hope that everyone managed to enjoy the bank holiday where sunshine came at last to Clacton. This week we have had much cause for celebration and this has led me to reflect upon how much progress the Academy is making in so many areas of education, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Our sixth form taster day for current year 11 showed our students developing into model citizens and employable young people.

Our students attended the Memorial service at Clacton Sea Front and were told by the British Legion who organised the event, that they were “the perfect pupils!” Our athletics stars, featured on the back page of this issue showed just how much sporting talent there is here and how well it is being coached.

Our year 11 team showed great determination and skill to have won through to the Tendring Tournament final where they will play at Colchester United Football ground next Wednesday at 3:45 –(all supporters welcome!) Our year 11 students showed their conscientious side and worked extremely hard at their Science Day, in preparation for their Summer Exams.

In fact year 11 students and staff will be giving up their Sunday, on 19th May to come in and prepare for their iGCSE English exam on the 20th May as well, ensuring that no opportunity is missed to achieve make their best better.

I am always very proud of what we achieve at CCA, but sometimes I just have to stand back in awe and thank everyone in our Community for their magnificent efforts and achievements.

Thank you
Tracey Hemming

Don’t forget to take a look at our article in Teach Secondary magazine Click Here   (www.teachsecondary.com).
 

Coastal Athletics 2013

The Academy had their first Athletics event of the year at the Colchester Garrison on Thursday 2nd May. The Coastal Athletics tournament involves all 6 schools in the Coastal and Tendring area. Our
students competed in a number of track and field events throughout the day. The students who represented the Academy were fantastic; they supported each other amazingly, even students who they did not know or who were in different year groups; they congratulated each other and celebrated as a team.

This year’s tournament was incredibly successful with 32 medal winners! Each student approached their event with enthusiasm and determination not to leave the event without a medal! Special mention to Hollie Lawrence, who received a gold medal in the High Jump, Silver in Long Jump and a Bronze in the Relay. Year 11 student Kira Fitzpatrick, who was at her final Coastal Athletics won the Javelin for the 5th year in a row, with a personal best of 29.58ms. Year 9 student Dominic Mace ran a fantastic 200m’s where he made up 4 places in the last 50metres to win the race in stunning fashion. The year 7 boys relay team won Gold after running a brilliant race with smooth changes overs.

Miss S. McLaren – Deputy Curriculum Leader PE

Professional Cricketers Visit the Academy

Recently, we as an Academy have signed up to Essex County Cricket Club’s Inspirational Schools Programme. This project is based around the concept of teaching a variety of lessons through a sporting focus to aid the interest and understanding of a variety of students. In order to celebrate the launch of this project, Essex CCC sent down to us 2 professional cricketers, 2 coaches and a media representative.

The launch day took place on Friday 26th April and involved a variety of subjects and more importantly a variety of students. Firstly, the professional players, Sam Arthurton and Nick Browne led an inspirational talk to 16 Gifted and Talented PE students where they spoke about their schooling, aspirations and their influences on route to becoming a professional sports person. This session allowed our students to ask the professionals about their lifestyles, career aims, and even who was the biggest influence in their careers. This session culminated in the professionals leading a coaching master class with our inspired students.

The session after break, took the coaches and professionals to Mrs Neill’s maths lesson where she was leading an investigation into who was Essex’s best batsman. Mrs Neill also got the Essex coaches and players involved in her session as she put them under pressure to remember their times tables and square numbers….I have never seen grown men show so much panic on their faces! This was certainly my highlight of the day and this was echoed by one of the coaches Chris Drummond, when he said “I want to come back to school. I would learn so much more at this school compared to what I did at mine”.

This session was an excellent example of how statistics within sport can be transferred to another curriculum area. The session also broadened the knowledge of several students, some now more familiar that cricket is something other than a green hopping insect. Progress, I’m sure you’ll agree! It was now the media departments turn at working with our Essex stars. 6th formers had been busy preparing interview questions throughout the week leading up to the event and got their chance to unleash some tough and insightful questions towards the players and coaches.

The interview was recorded as if the session was a feature of a programme on Sky Sports and had the intensity of it also. The young professional cricketers left this session a quivering wreck stating that their interview was much harder than interviewing for Essex Cricket TV. Certainly it looks as if CCA are developing our sports presenters of the future.

After refuelling during lunch, the professionals then worked with a group of Year 8 Gifted and Talented cricketers. They coached through a variety of skills and techniques and gave the students an insight into what a cricket coaching session is like for a professional player.

This extended into the after school session where 12 students stayed behind voluntarily to get a higher level of coaching culminating in an indoor match. After a busy day for all involved, Essex CCC left to
travel back to Chelmsford’s county ground, knowing that they had inspired our students and more importantly our students had inspired them. So much so, they want to come back when they next have a break in their fixture list.

My personal thanks go to Ms Neill, Mr Crabbe and Ms Wood for making the day fully cross curricular and more importantly enjoyable for our students.

Mr Smith
Curriculum Leader

CCA & ESSEX CC from Clacton Coastal Academy on Vimeo.

Students talked positively about the changes made since opening as an academy and value the improved guidance and support received from staff. They say it is a safe, enjoyable and healthy place to be.

— Ofsted: 2011