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At The Bridge Academy our ambition is to create an outstanding
learning environment for students, staff and the local community.
Every aspect of the school, from the design of the building to the curriculum and staff, has been carefully considered with this objective in mind. Our staff are first-class professionals and make learning enjoyable and stimulating, ensuring every student achieves their best.
The Bridge Academy teaches a broad and rich curriculum. Music and
Mathematics are the subject specialisms and complement each other.
They create pathways across the curriculum and make connections with a wide range of subjects. Music, complemented by a range of creative and performing arts such as dance and drama, is creating a vibrant and positive school community. The state-of-the-art performance hall in our building on Laburnum Street is at the centre of many school and other performances which excite and enrich the community.
Mathematics is a very important skill for modern life and is a building block for understanding the world, a foundation for higher education and future employ ment. The Bridge Academy strives for continuous improvement in attainmentin Mathematics and to develop students’ interest in and enthusiasm for Mathematics regardless of their abilities. Students are given opportunities to use and apply the Mathematics theylearn through a mathematically rich curriculum which embraces all aspectsof school life. Goodpractice is shared across curriculum areas. Extensive and well-considered use of ICT supports Mathematics learning. The Academy works in partnership with local schools to provide new opportunities for students to engage with Mathematics, such as the borough-wide Mathematics Challenge which, in partnership with Queen Mary, University of London has run for the last two years and involves other secondary schools in Hackney.
Music is an excellent partner with Mathematics and helps to promote self-discipline and self-esteem. All students take Music from their first year at the Academy and learn a musical instrument. The Academy has a series of excellent music rooms with a wide range of instruments and facilities for study and rehearsal. Students are also able to use n ew technologies to compose and perform Music for a wide range of mediums. The Academy stages a regular programme of performances, including performing arts productions, and our students represent the Academy through participation in local, national and international festivals. In summer 2009 the Bridge Academy and UBS Choir participated in the City Sings Event at The Barbican Centre. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to experience performing in a flagship arts venue. The Academy also staged its own production of Bugsy Malone. Close partnerships with leaders in the fields of Mathematics and Music combined with the first-class facilities, such as the Music studio and ICT resources, give the school the opportunity to be a centre of excellence in these subjects.
The Academy provides a secure Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) via the internet which students and parents and carers can access. The VLE assists with learning as it is available to our students whether they are in the Academy or logging on via the internet at home. Unique passwords mean that parents and carers can keep track of their child’s work, see what their child is learning and how they are making progress. Homework assignments will also be available online so that parents and carers can see what is expected of their child. Parents and carers are kept informed of all Academy events and developments through our newsletter and the Academy calendar published on the VLE.
Research has shown that regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in students achieving their full potential at school. Bridge Academy already records attendance figures above the national average; however, we believe we can do even better.
We wish to work in partnership with parents and carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends the academy everyday and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents/carers in resolving any difficulties but we are also committed to improving attendance levels at the academy.
The target attendance figure for all students is a minimum of 98% attendance
Student attendance is monitored on a weekly basis; every student is placed in one of the following groups:
Group 1: No Concern – Green Group
The child attends for 96% - 100% of the time.
A child absent for 1.5 weeks in the year would equal an attendance statistic of 96%
Group 2: Concern – Yellow Group
The child attends for 90% - 95.9% of the time.
A child absent for 3.5 weeks in the year would equal an attendance statistic of 90%
Group 3: Risk of Underachievement – Orange Group
The child attends for 80% - 89.9% of the time.
A child absent for 7.5 weeks in the year would equal an attendance statistic of 80%
Group 4: Severe Risk of Underachievement – Pink Group
The child attends for 60% - 79.9% of the time.
Group 5: Extreme Concern – Red Group
The child attends for 0% - 59.9% of the time.
Students are expected to monitor their weekly attendance and will be familiar with the above statistics represented in our Attendance Diamond. Students recording attendance below 80% will automatically be referred to the Education Welfare Officer for external intervention.
Please talk to your child about their attendance group. Students in the green group will be awarded certificates each half term. At the end of every term, green group names will be entered into an attendance draw; iPods will be awarded as prizes in December.
It is important that parents/carers monitor single day’s absence, as these days soon add up to weeks.
As a parent/carer, there are important steps that you can take to help support our attendance drive:
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Ensure your child comes to the academy every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Lesson 1 begins at 8.30am. Students should be in the building by 8.25. Students arriving after 9.00 will be marked absent and will require an explanatory note or the absence will remain unauthorised.
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If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised. Ultimately the academy is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You will be asked to provide medical certificates if your child has a poor attendance record.
If a student arrives after 8.30 without an explanatory note they will be detained for 30 minutes at the end of the day. Parents/Carers will receive a text informing them of their child’s late arrival and so should expect their child home 30 minutes late that evening.
Click here for: Leave of Absence Form
Click here for: DCSF Information for Parents – Is Your Child Missing Out?
Click here for:
Student Information
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