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. Their resilience through these challenging times has culminated in an excellent set of outcomes, with 22% of students gaining A*- A grades, 44% gaining A*- B grades, and 70% receiving A* - C. 68% of students who applied to university were accepted to their first choice.

Headteacher Martin Brailsford was present to share in the celebrations and said “What has been most pleasing is just how many of our fantastic students have managed to go to their planned destinations. The hard work and dedication of so many has meant students may move towards a bright future of their choosing. From a performance perspective, it is encouraging that so many key measures have shown improvement for us since 2019. Now students should take the time to reflect on the difficult journey they have had getting to this point and just how well they have done over the last few years. We wish all of our students the very best of luck for the future”.

There have been a number of notable successes from students – top performing students at the academy were Amelia Dobson, who achieved an impressive Distinction* (Law), A* (Psychology), and an A (history), Amelia will be going to study Law at the University of Nottingham and Grace Conidi who also achieved an impressive A* (maths), A (biology) and B (chemistry).

The most improved student was Ishana Melia with A (psychology), A (geography) and B (biology). Her superb progress means that she will be now going to study environmental science at the University of Leicester.

Other great individual successes include Daniel Leonhardt, Daniel Gudgeon and Ben Michael who will now go on to study sport and exercise science, mechanical engineering and drama and English respectively.

Kelly Wall, Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for sixth form, said, “I am incredibly proud of all our students and what they have achieved.  They have shown such resilience during the last few years, proving themselves to be hard working, dedicated and valued members of our school community.  I wish them all the best in their future careers”

Ms Cliffman, head of Hucknall Sixth Form Centre, added, "This year’s Year 13 students have contended with two years of adversity and disruption. Their dedication to their studies and in supporting each other as a learning community throughout this time has been incredible and heart-warming.  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 “After the difficulties of the past few years these results are a credit to the determination and resilience of our young people and the dedication of our staff. I hope our students are as proud of themselves and their results as we are. We wish them well with all future endeavours and look forward to hearing about the great things that we know they will achieve”.

In June 2022, National Church of England Academy had a two-day inspection carried out by the Church of England. This is known as a ‘SIAMS’ inspection. Together with an OFSTED inspection, these are the two main inspections our Academy receives.

We are pleased to announce that the overall judgment for our ‘SIAMS’ inspection was ‘Good’.

We have attached a copy of the full report for our community to read. We are already at work making our Academy even stronger. During that inspection it was a typical two-day period and our students were heavily involved throughout the process, working closely with the inspector.

Some of the positive highlights from this report can be seen below.

• The National Church of England Academy has a strong sense of community and togetherness. It is a family, where leaders proudly place the interests of their pupils and the Christian vision at the centre of their work
• Staff, parent and pupil voice is regarded by leaders
• Pupils articulate the vision and are proud of how ARCH values encourage them to strive for academic excellence and live well together in the school community
• Pastoral support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a pocket of excellence. Clearly planned layers of provision are underpinned by the Academy’s Christian values, meaning that staff know pupils very well
• The headteacher and leadership team have a compassion for pupils and adults, along with unrelenting high expectations for the academy
• The vision for pupils to flourish as children of God drives excellent pastoral support for vulnerable pupils and those with SEND
• The academy is seen as a safe space where nurturing helps pupils to develop humility and gain a better understanding of themselves and those around them

Leaders have developed an aspirational curriculum for pupils that deepens their learning and develops their understanding of themselves
• Collective worship is invitational and inspirational
• The academy utilises training and professional development that supports the staff to meet the needs to the pupils
• Senior leaders and governors at the National Church of England Academy have a clear understanding of the Christian vision which shapes their strategic decision making
• Inclusion leaders work with care, compassion and clear expectations
• Staff know their pupils well and vulnerable pupils say they have safe spaces in the academy and trusted adults they can turn to in difficult times
• Pupils access layers of carefully planned provision and personalised strategies
• Pupils engage with deep theological thinking while learning about Christianity and other faiths
• Leaders are supported by a strong and talented Chaplaincy team
• Leaders were creative and committed in their approach to supporting learning and the wider needs of the community during the pandemic

It is always important to celebrate when our Academy receives such a strong inspection report, but we also want to reassure our community that we have already started working on the areas we know we want to improve.

Thank you to everyone associated with our Academy. This inspection report is reflective of a community effort and is something we should all be proud of.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Brailsford
Headteacher

• Branded National C of E Academy uniform (blazers, clip on ties, skirts and trousers)
• Pale blue shirts (long or short sleeves)
• Branded National C of E Academy PE uniform (rugby shirts, jogging bottoms, shorts, polo shirts)
• Shin pads
• GCSE and A Level revision guides (in good condition)

• National C of E Academy main reception - during school hours until the end of term (Tuesday 26^th July)
• John Godber Centre, Ogle Street, Hucknall NG15 7FQ main reception – 8:30 am until 7:00 pm weekdays until Friday 29th July.
• New Rectory, Main Street, Linby NG15 8AE in the marked container in the porch/outside the front door – 8:30 am until 7:00 pm weekdays until Friday 29th July.

• Monday 15^th August 6pm-8pm
• Thursday 25^th August 1pm-3pm

Please see the attached letter with information regarding the predicted warm weather on Friday 17th June 2022.

We are supporting the #SLEEP1000 campaign to supply 1000 sleeping bags and thermal blankets to a team in Krakow who are co-ordinating efforts to accommodate the refugees arriving in their city from the conflict in Ukraine.

The main requirements are sleeping bags and blankets, unused and good quality, for either adults or children.

Other items urgently required are:

• Torches (with batteries or USB rechargeable) - (used or new)
• Medical Dressings & Bandages
• Thermos Flasks (used or new)
• Formula Milk (supplies are short)

We will be collecting from tomorrow, Wednesday 9^th March, until Friday 18^th March. Please leave donations in the marked area outside main reception. Students can leave their donations before school, and our school gates will be open for community drop offs between 9am and 3pm.

Please do not send toys or clothes as these are no longer required. The team in Krakow do not have room to store non-urgent items as they are prioritising using the space to house refugees.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by conflict.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M Brailsford – Headteacher

Mrs K Wall – Assistant Headteacher