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Welcome to the February 2016 newsletter!
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Welcome to our new newsletter, full of stories, updates and reports from the last half-term at Oasis Academy Enfield.
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I am always exceptionally proud to be principal of this school, even when things are tough.
This has been a very challenging half-term with students in all years very busy. There have been a huge number of intervention classes running after school and masterclasses at the weekend. Students have been in at weekend working on coursework and revision for examinations. As I write this the final set of Pre-Public Examinations (mocks) before the real thing are just one week away.
Against this backdrop of fantastic, hardworking students and dedicated, passionate staff there have sadly been two incidents of appalling behaviour outside of school. Please can I take this opportunity to remind parents and students that we have the very highest expectations of behaviour, within and outside the school. I will treat any incident outside of school which involves our students the same as if it happened in school; if the students are in uniform or in anyway bringing the school into disrepute.
On a much happier note, with just 40 days to the first GCSE examinations I could not be happier with how mature, committed and hardworking Years 11 and 13 are. As they head towards the most important examination of their life, we are all there to support them.
Learning together, sucedding together.
We are very pleased with the feedback this new newsletter has received, but I would like to make sure that every parents gets the chance to read it. Please do encourage your friends and neighbours to read their copy or
sign up via the website, so that we can keep the whole community in touch with the wonderful things happening at your child's school.
Finally, from me, we are looking to hold elections for new Academy Councillors (governors) during March. Being an Academy Councillor is a huge responsibility. It takes time and dedication and in return you get to be a key part in the decision making and supporting structures of the school. Our current Academy Councillors are incredibly hardworking members of the community and local civil society and help to steer the school and support me as Principal. Councillors meet 6-8 times a year. Full details on the Academy Council can be found
by following this link. If you are interested in standing for election, either as a parents representative or community representative then please contact joan.forbes@oasisenfield.org
Thank you.
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Pre-Public Examinations and Half Term Revision Sessions
The third and final set of pre-public examinations will run in the two weeks after the half term holiday.
Students must be on time for every examination and correctly equipped. We treat these like real examinations, they are your last chance to practice before the summer.
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Three of our year 12 sixth form students have been accepted onto the Kings College Realising Opportunities Programme!
John, Mahsa and Abdul went to a Realising Opportunities meeting in January, where they will be introduced to academics who will mentor them for the whole academic year.
"We are very excited that our students have been accepted into this programme this year which helps support and provide fair access to some of the best institutions in the country. Our students benefit greatly from the mentoring and support from Kings College", Ms Sahin, Assistant Principal.
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The Parents' Connection!
We are launching our new App.
A fantastic and simple way to keep in touch, even better than before.
It is free, easy to download and use.
The My Ed app shows you up to date information about all aspects of your child's school life, like attendance, timetable, behaviour, achievements, school messages, important key dates and news.
All of these services are FREE and will save you the cost of letters, text messages or phone calls.
Find our app by entering the school name, Oasis Academy Enfield, or the postcode EN3 7XH.
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Year 13 Applied Scientists first to dissect lambs testicles at school
The year 13 Applied Science BTEC group have been dissecting lambs testicles whilst learning about the production of gamete cells for reproduction. There has not been a request before to CLEAPPS (the national body which oversees science experiments in all schools) to perform this practical, so it is likely we are the first school in the UK to do this. The students were able to research and investigate how to dissect the testicles and then lead their own investigation into finding out the anatomy. We were able to view the tissue where sperm is produced and after taking many slides, we successfully found one sperm cell!
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How could you sum up such
an interesting
lesson? "
This is so cool!",
was the response.
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We are starting a Parents Teacher
Association!
This is an exciting, new opportunity to be involved in the life of Oasis Academy Enfield and your child's education.
We are starting a PTA and are asking parents who are interested to join a small working group that will get the PTA established. This is the first time since it opened in 2007 that this school will have a PTA and it is a landmark moment in the school's history.
The first working group meeting will be at our Parent Coffee Evening on Wednesday 2 Second March at 6pm.
If you have any questions please contact Rachel Musgrave on 01992 655400 or at rachel.musgrave@oasisenfield.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Media students help Sky News to challenge the music video makers!
Our media students were asked by Sky News to help them out as
part
of an
investigation
into the sly promotion of
cigarettes
and alcohol in music videos aimed at teenagers.
Not only did our canny students spot the hidden advertising but also criticised the videos for their objectification of women.
The article appeared on the breakfast news the next day and then on the website at the link below:
Great real life
preparation
for their examinations and
coursework
!
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Medical Activity Day at Kings College University!
In February, Year 11 students visited Kings College University to take part in the Medical Activity Day
Medical students had organised the event in which they spoke about their passion for medicine and enthused year 11 students to pursue a career in science. Year 11 students were given a tour of the campus and first hand experience of being a medical student!
A variety of clinical stations were arranged where students were taught and performed the different skills needed by a Health Care Professional. The skill stations ranged from CPR, suturing, measuring blood pressure, taking blood and key hole surgery. All in all a very engaging day for the students. The knowledge and skills learnt were truly inspiring!
"We cannot wait for Medical students from Kings College University to join us here at OAE for Science week!"
Huge thanks to Ms Sultana and Ms Adam for organising the visit.
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Steve Chalke founded Oasis 30th years ago as a charity helping homeless people in Peckham
Steve Chalke founded Oasis 30th years ago as a charity helping homeless people in Peckham.
In 2004 the charity wanted to do more and applied to be involved in the first wave of academy schools. Ten years ago Steve stood in what was then fields and watched the foundations being laid for what is now Oasis Academy Enfield; the first of the 38 schools which now make up Oasis Community Learning.
Although a regular visitor to the school, his visit today had a particular significance marking this anniversary and the 30th birthday of the charity he established.
Steve gave an assembly to year seven, in which he spoke to them about his personal story and the very special place they have in an organisation which now has 24,000 students across 47 schools in the UK
He visited a number of lessons and then took a question and answer session with the Brilliant Club, our Enfield Youth Parliament representative and our student leadership group. They quizzed him about charitable fundraising, what motivated him ever day and the future of Oasis.
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We are exceptionally proud as a school community to have been able to spend the day with Steve. It is always a pleasure to have him visit the school as he is such an inspiration to young people, a tangible reminder of what can be done with perseverance and belief"
Neil Hassell, Principal
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Our third Oasis Life+ Day does not run away from the Big Conversations facing our modern society
In Oasis Life+ Day 3 and we found out about British Values, health and our Oasis Nine Habits.
Years 12 and 13 discovered the rich diversity and history of Britain including looking at British media, science, sport and challenging themselves as British citizens to see if they could pass the FCO Citizenship Test!
Years 9 and 10 explored the rule of law, democracy, freedom of faith and how we as British citizens challenge discrimination.
Year 8 looked at how our some of our Oasis 9 habits of Patience, Joy, Forgiveness, Honesty, Humility and Compassion can be explored through food, drama, art, music and technology.
Year 7 found out about th
e importance of being healthy and active citizens, looking at their own physical and mental health as well as the challenges of puberty.
Year 11 were, of course, as you might expect 48 days away from their first examination, working in targeted intervention groups in English and science.
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Congratulations to our latest progress
champions!
These brilliantly hardworking students are the latest to be awarded their Progress Champion Badges, in recognition of the fact that during the last module (ten weeks) they have made more progress than anyone else in their year.
Huge congratulations - you can all be very proud - keep it up!
And time to share your report with parents at home!
If your name is not here then take some time to discuss your module two report with your parents:
- Which subjects are you behind in?
- Why is that - are you missing coursework, not doing homework, chatting in the lessons?
- What do you need to do to get caught back up and make better progress?
- Who should you be asking for help?
Discussing your report with loved ones at home is one of the most critical things we can do to support our children. Studies have shown that in families in which there is regular discussion about progress, children do much better in their GCSE and A Level examinations.
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Selling Pancakes to Support the Macmillan Charity
Faith Akarovwe has been selling pancakes in the agora in support of Macmillan Charity.
"The reason why I chose Macmillan is because they support people going through cancer when they are at their most vulnerable from the moment someone is diagnosed and
beyond. They have helped many people fight the battle of cancer from their diagnoses to their treatment and anything they need. My aim is to raise at least £100 to donate to this great charity. I have been selling my pancakes at the price of 50p for one or 3 pancakes for £1.00. I would appreciate any extra donations or support."
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And then go for a very long run
To burn off all of the pancakes he has eaten(!) Mr Hembling is running the London Marathon this year. He will be running the grueling 26 miles to raise money for our partner school in Uganda.
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Understanding the new, fairer, school performance measures.
For the last decade schools have been judged and ranked by the number of students who got 5 A*-C grades including English and mathematics. The government has recognised that this measure is unfair, as their are some selective schools who chose to take the very brightest primary school children and therefore always get 100% and come top of the tables. It made no allowance for how hard someone has worked, or how far they had come in their life journey.
This year, four new performance measures have been introduced, the most important of which is
Progress 8
Progress 8 is calculated by taking your child's mathematics and English grades (and doubling them both as they are such critically important subjects). It then looks at any grades from what are known as EBacc subjects, which includes sciences, geography, history, languages and computing. The best three of these are added to the calculation. Then finally the best three of any other qualifications the child has taken are added; this can include any GCSE, NCFE, ASDAN or BTEC course that we offer here.
These are all then compared to children who left primary school,
with the same reading, writing and mathematics level as your child.
In other words your child is compared only with children 'just like them', so it gives a score of how hard they worked and how much progress they made compared to their peers.
A child who does as well as the average 'child like them' would get a progress 8 score of 0.
So a score of +0.25 would mean that that child has worked harder than 'children like them' and made, on average, a quarter of a grade more in all their subjects. This child would be quite rightly very proud of themselves for working harder than the average student in England.
All of our Year 11 students who get a progress 8 score of greater than 0 will in the summer, not only get their subject grades, but an OAE certificate showing them, future sixth forms or employers that they have worked harder and made more progress than 'the average child like them'.
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Reflections from the Chaplain
This week saw the start of Lent. Those who are fasting as their observance of it (as either a religious and/or cultural decision) are probably beginning to miss the chocolate, cigarettes or social media they have decided to forego.
Fasting, from both food and festivities is a traditional part of Lent. Fasting is common in many religions - for example in festivals such as Ramadan in Islam or Yom Kippur in Judaism, or at specific times of the month in Buddhism and other religions - and careful occasional fasting can bring some health benefits.
The main reason for fasting is rooted in something other than a 'health kick' though...
Lent is all about reflection and preparation - of taking stock and getting ready. So intentionally giving something up is often used as an opportunity to appreciate what we actually have ready access to.
Anyone who has voluntarily slept on the streets to support a charity returns to their warm bed the following night and can't fail to be thankful for clean bedding, a roof over their heads and a nearby bathroom. And in the same way, wilfully sacrificing something that is actually a 'luxury item' but often taken for granted, helps us re-gain a perspective on our position of (relative) privilege and plenty.
Students and staff at the academy and in the wider Oasis Hub have also been encouraged to take up something positive each day. This challenge will hopefully help each of us to not only appreciate what we do have, but also what we are able to do to help others. There is a different challenge for each of the 40 days of lent - all of them little things that cost very little in terms of time or other resources to accomplish, but all of which have benefits that are potentially far reaching.
Examples from the list include things such as: "say sorry to that person you need to", "learn a poem off by heart" and "buy one - get one free, and give the free one away". If you would like to see what the challenges are, please contact me andy.campbell@oasisenfield.org and I will send you a copy of the list.
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Parent Coffee Morning
Every Tuesday from 9.10am-10.10am
We would like to extend to you our invitation for parents to meet at the school, have a cup of coffee and explore ways they can participate in the life of the academy and discuss issues which we can help with to support your child through their education.
As a part of our coffee morning we run a Parent Book Club. If you haven't had the opportunity to attend Parent Book Club, but would like to be involved and read the current book, please contact me - it would be great to see more parents involved in this initiative.
Parent Book Club
As a part of our coffee morning we run a Parent Book Club.
Our next Parent Book Club is on Tuesday 8th March.
If you haven't had the opportunity to attend Parent Book Club, but would like to be involved and read the current book, please contact me, it would be great to see more parents involved in this initiative.
Next Parent Coffee Evening
It is a great opportunity to find out the latest news and ask any questions you might have about the Academy.
The next evening is Wednesday 2 Second March 2016, at 6pm
If you have any questions please contact Rachel Musgrave on 01992 655400 or at rachel.musgrave@oasisenfield.org for more information, or just turn up on a Tuesday Morning for Coffee Morning.
We look forward to seeing you!
"When your child first moves on to secondary school you can feel a bit cut off from their education. At Oasis Academy Enfield the weekly Parent's coffee morning and regular Principal's coffee evening give you a chance to feel part of the school in a very welcoming environment and gives you the opportunity to chat to parents from all year groups about their experiences of the school."
Debbie Rodriguez, Academy Parent.
EnAct Community Annual Awards
The EnAct Community Trustees and Workers Team are proud to present the second community awards evening. We will celebrate the achievements and contributions of those who participate and contribute to the Enfield Lock Community.
Wednesday 24th February 2016
6:30pm - 9:00pm.
Oasis Academy Enfield. Dress code is smart-casual
Guest speakers and a meal are provided. Please contact James.Musgrave@oasisenfield.org or on 07825 087252.
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Stay connected every day:
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There are always mores stories, photos and opportunities on our Facebook page and Twitter sites, like and follow to stay in touch with everything happening at your child's school. |
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You asked, we listened!
You asked to know what your children were spending their money on at break
and lunch.
ParentPay allows you to do just that. Everyone needs to sign up to ParentPay by 1st May 2016 as then the cash reloading machines will be removed from the academy.
You raised concerns about the local buses being full and trains delayed.
We have a had a letter of apology from the train company and a promise from them to improve the service. I am currently in talks with Enfield Council about improving the bus stop on Ordnance Road for the benefit or OAE and POW students.
You asked if we can run Economics as an A Level.
Economic A Level is now on the list. It will run in September.
You wanted to be more involved in the life of the Academy.
We will be launching our new Parent Teacher Association. There will be a working group meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 3rd March - please do join us.
You wanted the module reports to be easier to understand.
We have changed behaviour and homework from numbers to the following statements - Outstanding, Good, Inconsistent and Poor. The report now show the current working grade (i.e. where they are now) and the end of Year 11 predication (i.e. where they will be at the end of Year 11 ifg they continue to work as they are now).
You wanted us to communicate with you quicker and in a more simple way.
Letters are really expensive, often get lost or forgotten, and I would rather be spending the limited money I have on giving your child a great education, so we have launched our new FREE app. Just download it onto your phone from this link
www.myedschoolapp.com
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OAE was praised for it's 'ethos of high expectations' and judged GOOD in all catagories by Ofsted (April 2015)
OAE is very proud to be associated with Humanutopia, The Access Project, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, The Educational Endowment Foundation, PiXL and is a UCAS registered teaching training school.
Oasis Academy Enfield
01992 655 400
admin@oasisenfield.org
Kinetic Crescent, Innova Park, Enfield, EN3 7XH
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