Dear Parents and Carers,
In the final academic update of the year I only have a couple of areas to cover before we all break for the summer:
Key Stage 3 Certificate Graduation
Students in Year 8 were only our second cohort to graduate formally from the new KS3 3Cert Curriculum and the Graduation was a lovely event to celebrate the success of all students in all subjects. All students received their overall certificate and progress check and 16 students were presented with outstanding achievement awards, one from each subject with one overall performer. We are incredibly proud of the progress all of our Year 8 students have made as the first students to complete the Key Stage 3 Certificate and look forward to seeing them flourish in their GCSE studies.
Summer Learning
In the past, both British and American studies (Barnados and The Institute for Public Policy Research) have shown that students’ learning can go backwards over the long summer holidays. However, this certainly does not have to be the case for Chelsea Academy students.
Of course it is vitally important to relax, spend time with friends and family, and refresh ourselves away from the school environment, but here is my suggested list of things to do that will keep students happy and their brains fresh:
– Go somewhere new in London
– Go somewhere new outside of London
– Learn a new language – the apps Babel or Memrise are great for this
– Practise an instrument or sing
– Go on a summer camp
– Do lots of sport and try out a new activity
– Read
– Write a blog or a poem
– Paint or draw
– Instead of spending hours on video games, spend hours on learning how to code
– Learn a new skill (plastering, sewing, gardening, calligraphy, etc)
– Put something into your local community – do some volunteer work
– For students who joined Chelsea Academy late or who feel that they are behind, do some catch-up work to avoid a feeling of panic in September. SAM Learning gives students access to loads of free resources.
Year 11 and Year 12
Universities are always looking for applicants not only with the right grades, but also with the right life experience, so try to find some additional work experience during the summer holidays. Some of the Year 11 students have already been working in high profile London businesses and companies, and this will make them stand out when it comes to making UCAS applications.
This is my final academic update before leaving Chelsea Academy to start a new life with my family in New Zealand. I would like to say a big thank you to those of you who have read these updates over the past year and I wish you and your children the best of luck, success and happiness for the years to come. Lastly, whatever you all do, we wish you a happy, safe and enriching summer holiday.
Kind regards,
Mr Ainsworth
Acting Vice Principal – Curriculum