It has been quite a week for CCA! We had two very important visitors to the Academy, and both left with extremely positive impressions.The first was Mr Charlie Taylor,  Mr Michael Gove, the Minister for education’s ‘guru’ for discipline and behaviour. He came to see CCA as an example of a successful Academy with high behaviour standards in action. He left after a morning in the Academy very impressed with all he had seen. 

He had an appointment with Mr Gove the next day, where he intended to discuss what he had seen and also relay our concerns about the potential impact that the proposed cuts in education and the supporting agencies, would make to our provision for students. It would be nice to believe that if Mr Gove thinks twice about cutting the budgets, then our students and staff would have played a role in this. The other visitor was an assessor from the highly regarded Investors in People organisation. 

He spent two days looking at the inner workings of the Academy and talking to a huge range of staff to ask them what they thought of the Academy from a personnel point of view. Again, strictly off the record, as the formal report does not come out for three weeks, he left very fulsome in his praise.These two external opinions of the Academy are extremely gratifying and should go towards giving you confidence that we making our best better for our students, however, we are still on a journey of improvement and this is no time to rest on our laurels.

Kind regards

Tracey Hemming

Head Teacher

Clacton Coastal Academy

Year 11 had a very busy week collecting their mock exam results, attending parents evening, having their photographs taken and listening to expert advisers about life in Higher Education. Jordan Blenheim from 11SSM has given his account of this busy week.

“We went into the canteen to get our results, it was a very nerve wracking experience. The room was completely packed and filled with mixed emotions. As I was the last in it took me a good 10 minutes to find my results. I opened them and was surprisingly relieved when I read my results. I found my friends and we compared; their reactions varied, some didn’t get the results they hoped for so they knew that they were going to have to revise harder and others were really pleased with their results.”

Jordan also commented on the college lectures, “I found the lectures about Sixth Form and University very helpful. I am now a lot more knowledgeable and know what to expect”
Ms S Smith & Jordan Blenheim, 11SSM

On Thursday 12th and Friday 13th January 2012 the Drama Department along with dedicated students of year 7 and 8 put on an excellent performance of the musical ‘Annie’. The West Hall was jam packed with audience members who turned up to support the performers. This included family members of the students, friends and teachers of the Academy. Many thanks to all who supported this event.

The performances were a great success which was reflected in some of the comments the Drama department received from members of staff at CCA. All aspects of the performance were commented on from the amazing costumes to the student’s professionalism.

Here are some of the comments that were received:

‘The performance of Annie Junior was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Students sang confidently and had clearly worked very hard on the production with staff-all of who are to be really commended for a lively, energetic and fun production.

All the main parts were very well cast with particularly strong characterisation from Miss Hannigan and the role of Bert Healey stood out for me (especially in contrast to the cameo role of Sandy the dog with a great accompaniment to 'Tomorrow'!). The focus of the students who sustained their roles and entertained us was great to see in such a young cast.

It was also really super to see year 5 and 6 students excited to perform as part of the show and they brought extra sparkle to the musical numbers. I think this will really help them to feel confident when they join us at the Academy and it was great to welcome their staff, parents & carers to the show as well.’

A. Chambers
AVP IAG Clacton Coastal Academy

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the show as it was very slick didn’t have long pauses in-between scenes and songs. The students were confident and professional and they delivered their parts well. I particularly enjoyed ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and the song ‘Tomorrow’. I was very impressed with the students who played the characters Annie, Grace, Oliver Warbucks & Bert Healy. It was great to see the primary students taking part. They were really enthusiastic and added more to listen to and watch in the bigger numbers. My mother and aunt also came with me to watch it and they loved it. They thought the students were well behaved (e.g. no noise behind the stage) and they thought it was nice to see so many students really enjoying themselves. They couldn’t believe that the students were only in year 7 and 8.’
Miss Steele
Look out for student comments next week!

‘The performances of all students was excellent, the talent shone and I got to see my year’s in a different light. All of the students were way above what I expected, but these two students (Dani Adams and Andy Allen) were professionals!
Keep up the excellent work, because whatever it is that you’re doing it’s working! I will definitely make the effort to see future showings. Keep me posted!’
N Froening
Head of Year 8

After such a successful performance I’m sure you will all be waiting to hear what the next Drama Spectacular performance will be! Please watch out around the school to see what the students of CCA will be challenged with next!

Natasha Trzebinski

Dear parents, carers and students

This week I met with the Academy Council to hear their ideas about how to improve the Academy. I was very impressed by the intelligent and carefully considered way that they put forward their views. I was able to say yes immediately to a number of these ideas, including providing more inside space for the students to go at lunchtime.

The relaxation of our uniform policy also came up as an issue, however, our uniform is smart and will remain smart. It is an area where I get many positive and supportive comments from parents, as well as from the majority of students who are proud to wear it. There is a proven link between a smart approach to study and a smart appearance, which we at CCA believe in strongly. 

This includes the wearing of CCA jackets if students wish to wear a jacket inside the Academy buildings and "natural" colour hair.

I do understand the teenage desire to express individualism, but at CCA there are many other ways to do this through independent learning and extra curricular opportunities. Standards of dress and behaviour will remain high at CCA for the ultimate benefit of all students.

Kind regards
Ms Hemming

Last week we were very pleased to host a Reading Challenge competition for four of our feeder primary schools. Teams of six year 5 students from Holland Haven, Great Clacton, Coppins Green and St Clares’ schools took part in an exciting range of activities based on the book ‘The Windvale Sprites’ , written by Mackenzie Crookes.
The first day took place by Video conference link using the Academies and Enterprise Trust’s own Learning Platform and involved the students forming their own film companies, before creating logos and assigning themselves roles.

They then spent the afternoon creating film trailers for a forthcoming film production of the book. During the second day, when all participants were invited over to work with us at CCA, students watched and evaluated each other’s films before finally producing a sales ‘pitch’ where they competed to sell their films to the highest bidder.

Throughout the competition our own year 10 Literacy Leaders from CCA worked closely with the primary students to ensure that they had an enjoyable and extremely productive time. Overall winners were Great Clacton Junior school, who will be presented with an Ipod Touch for their school, along with certificates for all students who took part in the challenge.

Lorna Lafford
Assistant Vice Principal Specialisms, Standards and Effectiveness

GCSE/GCE Examination Schedule January 2012

On Thursday 7th Dec Clacton Coastal Academy in liaison with Colchester Institute Hospitality and Catering Faculty, were delighted to host a formal evening dinner for invited guests, including local politician and leading local professionals from the Hospitality industry. The event was held in the purpose built Bistro within the Tendring Skills Centre- Coast campus.

The three course meal was prepared and served by students who have progressed onto courses with Colchester Institute, many of which are delivered within the Tendring Skills Centre. It was delightful to see that some of the students were ex-Academy students. It was wonderful to see that they had been so successful in developing further their skills and passion for Hospitality and Catering. The quality so the meal and service was outstanding and was a clear indication of the high standard of attainment and training that can be achieved by students who progress onto the courses delivered within the Tendring Skills Centre. Local restaurateurs described the standard of the evening as ‘astonishing’ and immediately made arrangements to recruit apprenticeships from Tendring Skills Centre for placements within their restaurants.

It was fabulous to see the development of such high level Hospitality and Catering skills here in Tendring. The employers clearly recognised the talents and potential of the young chefs and restaurateurs of Tendring. It was a delight to be involved in the event and applaud the professionalism of our colleagues from Colchester Institute.

Ms N McFadden
Assistant Vice Principal, 14-19 Curriculum, Community & Partnerships i/c Tendring Skills Centre

We were absolutely delighted to welcome back nominated students from last year’s Year 11, as well as our retired Vice Principal, Mr Ling- pictured here with Lee Miller, who won an award for his outstanding leadership skills applied through his Travel & Tourism course, for our prestigious annual Awards ceremony.

Once again, this was an ideal opportunity to celebrate and recognise student achievement with parents and representatives from the Governing Body and staff selected to attend commented on the excellent professionalism of the Catering and Hospitality team who served an excellent three-course meal for this important occasion.

Further information about this event will be featured in our special Celebration newsletter which will be issued in the last week of term.

Many thanks to Mrs Wicks and Mrs Young and all involved for making this a special evening.

I have been  impressed, inspired and simply awe-struck by the huge range of top quality events that our students have taken part in this term. There doesn’t seem to be a week that has gone by without a major activity taking place, which our staff seem to organise with incredible professionalism and little fuss. I feel truly privileged to be the head teacher of such a tremendous Academy.

Alongside a wealth of impressive achievements & activities that we look forward to sharing with you in our special edition of the newsletter to be published at the end of this term, you will be aware we have also had an OFSTED Inspection this half term.

We’d like to thank you, parents, carers and students for your support during the Inspection, be it in the form of interviews, feedback from surveys, conversations in lessons or by students being their usual polite and hardworking selves. These all combined to create a highly positive impression with the Inspection Team, which is reflected in the final report.

The overall judgement of satisfactory with good features is a very good result, from where the Academy started under the Leadership of the Executive Stephen Chamberlain. Stephen is quite rightly highly praised for his inspirational leadership in the report, as is the progress made by our students, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Also given ‘good’ judgements were the care, guidance and support given to the students and the Academy’s role in leading cohesion in the community. OFSTED also recognised that with ‘good’ leadership, the Academy has ‘good’ capacity to improve even further in the future.We are already making plans for the Academy’s future development and have put in place strategies to deal with the few areas where we can do better. All in all, the future is looking bright for the Academy and we expect our results this year to be our best ever!     

Thank you for your co-operation, support and your part in the continuing success of the Academy.    

Tracey Hemming

Head Teacher

Please click here to view the 2011 Ofsted report.

Academy Student Reporters, James Smith, Callum Abbott and Savannah Knight have been working with our Learning Technology Team throughout the Year 5 & 6 Taster day to record the events and reactions of our special visitors to the Academy. 

We are delighted to have welcomed over 760 students and staff from our local primary schools to take part in lots of lessons, activities and experiences throughout the day to introduce them to student life at Clacton Coastal Academy and help prepare them for the transition into secondary education. Lessons ranged from Science, Food Technology and PE, to Drama, Mathematics and Competency Curriculum.   

Lots of students have really enjoyed burning magnesium, making lights, trampolining and taking part in a wide variety of activities. They have been supported and guided by our Year 7 and 8 ‘buddies’ who have come in during the non-pupil day especially to help in lessons and around the Academy as student ambassadors. 

We hope that students and staff from our local primary schools have really enjoyed their time at the Academy. 

We are thrilled that so many of the students have responded so positively and had a really good day and we look forward to seeing everyone at our Open Evening to find out more about the Academy and take part in more exciting activities, ask questions and show parents and carers round.

Click here to see more Competency Curriculum challenge activities students enjoyed during our Taster Day.    

Click here to see the winners of The World's Greatest Sandwich Competition during Food Technology on our Taster Day.

Dear Parents, Carers and Students

I am delighted to report that CCA goes from strength to strength with our examinations results continuing to rise and improve year on year, both at GCSE and A level. Once again I congratulate all our students on their examination successes and wish them well as they start their A level and University courses.

We have had a fantastic start to the term at the Clacton Coastal Academy with our new Year 7 students now settled in and for the first time the majority of our students in Years 7-11 are all on the Town Campus. This has meant significant improvement work on the campus has taken place over the summer including a new mezzanine level in the Learning Resource Centre for private study and intervention; additional dining facilities with new systems and menus as well as new play facilities in the west playground. Our new student reception on the west side of the Town Campus is now fully functioning and there are many other small changes that are designed to help all of us to make our best better. Our new safety officer will be ensuring all our students can cross the road safely between lessons as well as maintaining the security of the campus during the day.

I am also delighted to be able to welcome Ms Tracey Hemming to CCA as the new Headteacher. Ms Hemming and I will be sharing the leadership of CCA between us as we continue to ensure that we offer the best education for all our students and their families. Ms Hemming has an excellent track record in education, most recently as the Deputy Headteacher of a school in Hertfordshire which was twice graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. She has also been invited by the National College of School Leadership and the Teaching and Learning Agency to lead projects on teaching and learning. We believe that our shared vision and focus on high standards will ensure that through our joint leadership CCA students will achieve even more in the years ahead.

Ms Hemming will be focusing on the day to day operations at CCA, specifically overseeing the quality of teaching and learning; behaviour and rewards; student development and well being and the development of our curriculum and qualifications. I will be working on the strategic development of the Tendring Skills Centre and apprenticeships, the Tendring Enterprise Studio School and the future of our Coast Campus to ensure that we can continue to offer courses and training at all levels for CCA students and across Tendring. However, I will also continue to work with our students and their families on a day to day basis.

Stephen Chamberlain, Executive Principal

I’d like to say how thrilled I am to be the new Head Teacher at Clacton Coastal Academy. I’ve been given a warm welcome by the staff and students and I have been extremely impressed by both the commitment of the staff and the very positive attitudes and polite behaviour of the students, as parents you must be very proud of them and students you should be proud of yourselves. I have also been struck by the incredible range of resources and opportunities that are on offer to the students at the Academy. The calendar, over the year is packed full of exciting events, all designed to make sure that learning is enjoyed and that students have opportunities to make their best better.

Now is a very exciting time for the Academy, so many improvements have already been made in such a short time and I aim to continue that upward progress at the same rate. The Academy has a very bright future and I am looking forward to being part of it.

As Stephen has mentioned, I have a wide range of experience of schools in Essex and Herfordshire. At one of these, Burnt Mill in Harlow, I worked with Stephen Chamberlain. There, I was extremely impressed by his vision and high standards, I feel privileged to be working with him again. I know that as a team we work together very well and that we both share the same values and passion for the improvement of education and life chances for young people.
I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of the Clacton Coastal Academy Community in the future. My door is always open and my PA Jackie Fowler will be happy to make appointments for you to see me.
My highest priority is to ensure that the education and welfare of the students at Clacton Coastal Academy is of the highest standards. I will be working extremely hard to make sure that this is the case.

Tracey Hemming, Headteacher

‘The executive principal has wasted no time in delivering immediate improvements by sharing his vision for the academy and raising the expectations of students and staff about what young people in Clacton can achieve.’

Ofsted: October 2010

‘The academy’s arrangements for safeguarding fully meet requirements. The Academies Enterprise Trust provides a wealth of good support through extensive networking and sharing of good practice, staff development and training.

Ofsted: October 2010