National Church OF England Academy

Students at the National Church of England Academy in Hucknall, part of the Minster Trust for Education (MITRE), were celebrating this morning as they received their A Level results. The overall performance was positive, with many students achieving personal successes. Their resilience through the challenging times of their secondary education has ultimately led to an outstanding set of results. 17% of students gaining A*- A grades, 40% gaining A*- B grades, and 71% receiving A* - C. 91% of students were accepted to their first choice of University and two students were accepted to Oxbridge Universities.

Headteacher Martin Brailsford was present to share in the celebrations and said “We are incredibly proud of our students' achievements, and it is immensely rewarding to see so many progressing to their chosen destinations and next steps. We extend our best wishes to all of our students as they move forward on their journey”.

There have been a number of notable successes from students – top performing student at the academy were Jacob, who achieved an impressive two A* grades and two A grades (in History, EQP, biology and maths) and will be going to study Law at the University of Oxford and Harry who achieved an impressive four A grades (in chemistry, physics, mathematics and further mathematics) and will be studying Physics at the University of York.

The most improved student was Billy, his superb progress means that he will be now going to study Physiotherapy at the University of Sheffield Hallam.

Other great individual successes include Jasmine and Archie-Roselle who both achieved an A*, two As and a B and will be going to study at the University of Durham (biological science) and the university of Warwick (psychology) respectively. Odetta achieved three grade As and a grade B and will be studying History at the University of Oxford.

Kelly Wall, Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for sixth form, said, “I am immensely proud of all our students and their accomplishments. They are valued members of our school community who have shown remarkable resilience in recent years. I wish them every success in their future careers”.

Ms Cliffman, head of Hucknall Sixth Form Centre, added, " It has been a privilege to witness the growth and dedication of this year’s Year 13 students over the past two years. They have not only invested in their own learning but also supported each other as a close-knit community. Their excellent results are a testament to their talent and hard work, and they are now ready to embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives”.

Mrs Wall added “We are drawing students from across Nottinghamshire due to our high standards of teaching, excellent student outcomes, and diverse range of courses. There is still limited availability for individuals to join us in September, and we hope these results demonstrate how the centre can help all students achieve their aspirations”.

Chair of Governors, Kirsty Cowley commented " I am incredibly proud of our outstanding young people for their remarkable dedication, hard work, and resilience throughout their A-level journey. These results reflect their determination and the steadfast support of our committed teaching staff. As Chair of Governors, I applaud our students for their achievements and eagerly anticipate the positive impact they will make as they embark on the next chapter of their academic and personal lives".

Following an extensive period of review and evaluation, predominantly taking into account logistics for individual academies, travel ramifications for students and the impact on accessibility to post 16 for those students, it is proposed that Hucknall Sixth Form Centre will be phased out over the next two years.

The Holgate Academy and Queen Elizabeth’s Academy, both part of the Diverse Academies Trust, and The National Church of England Academy, part of the Minster Trust for Education, jointly run Hucknall Sixth Form Centre.

It is proposed that, with effect from September 2025, The Holgate Academy and the National Church of England Academy will each offer an 11-18 curriculum – including a comprehensive range of post 16 courses – on site, within their own academies. For the purposes of post 16 study, Queen Elizabeth’s Academy will be included within The Holgate Academy offering.

The transition will be carefully managed by a project board to ensure that the quality of education provided throughout is consistently of the highest standard, and any disruption to students will be kept to an absolute minimum.

We are confident that this move is in the best interests of the partner academies, students and staff, allowing academies more autonomy over timetabling and the structure of their academy day, and enabling students to remain in a familiar environment to pursue post 16 studies with teachers they know, whilst also taking advantage of the enrichment and leadership opportunities available.

Each academy will ensure that the parents and carers of their students are kept fully informed throughout the transition process. In the meantime, you may find the information below useful.

Timeline

• 2023/24 – years 12 and 13 students will complete both years of their post 16 studies at HSFC.

• 2024/25 – year 13 students will finish their studies at HSFC. Year 12 students will complete their first year at HSFC and their final year of studies will be concluded at their home academy in 2025/26.

• 2025/26 – year 13 will return to their base academies to complete their studies and will be joined by a new cohort of year 12 students, who will study all of their post 16 courses at their base academy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is this happening?

We feel that, having closely examined the logistics of running an off-site post 16 centre, it would be more beneficial for our students, academies and staff to gradually return post 16 studies to take place on-site within those academies.

2. What impact will this have on my child who will be starting their post 16 studies in September 2023?

In 2023/24, years 12 and 13 students will complete both years of their post 16 studies at HSFC.

3. What impact will this have on my child who will be starting their post 16 studies in September 2024?

In 2024/25, year 13 students will finish their studies at HSFC. Year 12 students will complete their first year at HSFC and their final year of studies will be concluded at their home academy in 2025/26.

4. What impact will this have on my child who will be starting their post 16 studies in September 2025?

In 2025/26, year 13 will return to their base academies to complete their studies and will be joined by a new cohort of year 12 students, who will study all of their post 16 courses at their base academy.

5. What subjects will my child be able to study post 16?

Each academy reviews its post 16 programme annually. All our academies aim to offer a broad curriculum, including both academic and vocational options, in line with our areas of subject specialism and student interests. You can view the current subjects available at HSFC on the website: www.hsfc-ac.org.uk.

If you have any further questions or queries about this proposed change, please contact us via email at: KBooth@nationalacademy.org.uk

Please click here to book your tickets for the Academic Transition Evening on the 22nd November 2023, 6:30pm-7:30pm.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/academic-transition-evening-tickets-755717991857?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*99udvi*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTg1ODMwNzQyMy4xNjk5Nzk0NDE5*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*MTY5OTc5NDQxOC4xLjAuMTY5OTc5NDQxOC4wLjAuMA..

You may have seen the recent media communications highlighting the concerns over reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC). RAAC roof planks became a common form of construction in the 1960’s as they were cheaper to produce and had good thermal insulation. However, due to the aerated pockets, water can ingress and attack the structural integrity of the plank and cause failure.

Minster Trust for Education (MITRE) instructed specialists to inspect all of our schools. National CofE Academy was inspected in Summer 2022.

We received a report for our school, and this did not highlight any presence of RAAC planks.

We understand that parents may want to understand more about the support to educational settings to manage RAAC safely. You can read more through the article published by the DfE on the Education Hub.

The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

I hope that this offers reassurance.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Brailsford

Headteacher

Students at the National Church of England Academy in Hucknall, part of the Minster Trust for Education (MITRE), were celebrating this morning as they received their A Level results, with a positive overall picture highlighted with individual successes for many students. We must not forget their resilience through the challenging times that took place during their secondary education, it has culminated in an excellent set of outcomes, with 13% of students gaining A*- A grades, 41% gaining A*- B grades, and 76% receiving A* - C. 90% of students were accepted to their first choice of University.

Headteacher Martin Brailsford was present to share in the celebrations and said “We are really pleased with what our students have achieved and to see so many moving to their preferred destinations and next stages is immensely rewarding for everyone involved with National. Best wishes go to all of our students as they continue on their journey.”.

There have been a number of notable successes from students – top performing students at the academy were Dylan Bardell, who achieved an impressive two A* grades and an two A grades (in computing, EQP, physics and maths) and will be going to study Computer Science at the University of Sheffield and Emily Beaumont who achieved an impressive A* and three A grades (in EQP, geography, psychology and RE) and will be studying geography at the University of Sheffield too.

The most improved student was Cassandra Ward, her superb progress means that she will be now going to study Law at the University of Lincoln.

Other great individual successes include Jessica Schofield who achieved three A* grades in Child development, Jessica will be studying primary education at the Nottingham Trent University.

Kelly Wall, Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for sixth form, said, “I am incredibly proud of all our students and what they have achieved. They are valued members of our school community who have displayed great resilience over recent years. I wish them all the best in their future careers”

Ms Cliffman, head of Hucknall Sixth Form Centre, added, ""It has been a privilege to see this year’s Year 13 students continued development and dedication to their studies over the last two years. They have invested in themselves and in supporting each other as a learning community throughout this time. It is testament to these talented students that they have been able to achieve such good grades and will now move on to the next exciting phase in their lives.””

Student numbers at Hucknall Sixth Form Centre are growing year-on-year, with the centre having an excellent reputation in the Hucknall community and beyond. Mrs Wall added “We are attracting students from all over Nottinghamshire because of the high standards of teaching, the quality outcomes for all students and our wide range of courses. There is still some limited availability for individuals to join us from September, and hope that these results show how the centre can enable all students to meet their aspirations.”

Chair of Governors, Kirsty Cowley commented "I am immensely proud of our exceptional young people and their remarkable dedication, hard work, and unwavering resilience throughout their A-level journey. These results are a testament to their determination and the unwavering support of our dedicated teaching staff. As Chair of Governors, I commend our students for their achievements and look forward to witnessing the positive impact they will undoubtedly make as they embark on the next chapter of their academic and personal endeavours."

Contact details:

Alex Hawkins - Deputy Headteacher

01159635667 ext 3021 

ahawkins@nationlacademy.org.uk

Dylan.

Emily