Biggleswade Academy Trust is an independent, state funded Academy providing truly comprehensive education and wrap around care for children aged 2-13.

Based within the facilities of the previous Brigham pre, Southlands lower and Holmemead middle schools the Academy is set across 24 acres and combines the ‘through’ philosophy and ethos of a single school with the facilities, more commonly found within Bedfordshire, of the three tier system.

This allows a ‘schools within schools’ approach to be taken, retaining the smaller school feeling for our younger pupils, whilst granting them access to the kind of facilities only usually accessible within the state system to secondary aged pupils.

This single philosophy has eradicated the Year 4-5 transition point for around half of our traditional middle school cohort and has given us greater capacity to smooth this transition for other children joining

us at this point. In addition, this has also provided us with a greater opportunity to focus on pupils joining us outside of our standard ‘intake’ points, allowing a more personalised integration here too.

In total, Biggleswade Academy provides statutory mainstream education for around 800 pupils as well as giving approximately 140 session places at the Academy pre-school.

The Academy also includes an 8 place provision for pupils with severe Autistic needs and hosts an MLD provision from the town’s special school ‘Ivel Valley’.

We also recognise the difficulties faced by parents in finding child care arrangements that complement excellent school provision and support home school life. We therefore offer high quality care and additional activities from 7.30am - 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. For more details of this additional provision, please go to www.biggleswadeacademy.org.

As Chair of the Board of Directors, it gives me great pleasure to be able to welcome you to our Academy. We take great pride in having created a ‘through’ education model for children aged 2-13, which also supports and dovetails seamlessly with the 3 tier education model in operation elsewhere across our town.

The trust directors are made up of representative parents, staff and wider community members and have a big part to play in driving the further improvement of our Academy. We act as ‘critical friends’ to the Academy Principal and his staff, supporting and challenging their work across our full age-range and wrap around care provision.

In recent years we have seen our standards in KS1 go from being significantly below the National Average to being significantly above in Phonics, Reading, Writing and

Numeracy. In KS2 the same pattern has been followed with Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar, Reading, Writing and Mathematics now being above the National averages. In addition, our attendance rates, which were historically poor, are also now above national expectations and averages, demonstrating that our pupils want to come to school and enjoy being here.

This prospectus will give you but a small flavour of the Academy and our values. However, no matter how much information we place in such a document or on our web-site, it is impossible to fully describe the vibrant environment that is being created across our site. That is why we welcome all parents of present and future children into the Academy to see it at work, which is when it’s at its best. I look forward to meeting you all.

As Principal of Biggleswade Academy Trust, I am delighted to echo Gary’s welcome to you.

Our Academy has evolved and grown rapidly in recent years and, in addition to now enjoying the excellent educational standards at all Key Stages that Gary refers to, our children now enjoy the widest range of extra-curricular activities and events we have ever scheduled. We have an excellent tradition of outstanding creative performances in Music, Dance & Drama, an extremely wide range of sporting activities and a comprehensive programme of day and residential trips within and outside of the UK, available across the Academy.

The Academy Ofsted report in December 2014 cited our pupil’s behaviour and safety as being ‘Outstanding’ saying that pupils ‘…are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern British democratic society

and have a strong sense of belonging’. They also praised our ‘…relentless pursuit of excellence…’ , also grading us as outstanding in this key area.

We remain confident that the best way for children and young people to enjoy and excel in their education is for them to love what they do; to believe in themselves and to expect lots of themselves.

We have unashamedly high expectations of our children, our staff and the manner in which our parents will engage with us to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils. We expect everyone to behave with respect and kindness whilst constantly striving to achieve their best.

I very much hope you will take the time to visit and to see us ‘in action’ and I look forward to welcoming you when you do.

Gary Waghorn, Chair of the Board of Directors

from the Board of Directors

Stephen Phillips, Academy Principal and CEO

from the Principal

Our Key Stage One curriculum builds on our children’s Foundation Stage experience and leads them seamlessly into more focussed Key Stage One approach to learning.

All children have periods of time when they are taught by an adult, but also have closely monitored, self-directed activities set in different areas of the classroom, allowing them to develop their independence.

As the Key Stage progresses, expectations of both exploration and focussed task

areas increases as children develop their preferred methods and styles of learning. In this way Key Stage One acts as an excellent bridge between the Foundation Stage and later years ensuring a solid foundation is laid within a seamless and completely personalised experience.

As a result of the approaches taken and consistently excellent teaching, our children’s progress and attainment throughout KS1 is now confirmed to be significantly above that experienced by pupils nationally.

The Biggleswade Academy Trust Pre-School, Nursery and Reception areas provide a happy, safe and educationally rich learning environment across the Early Years Foundation Stage for children aged 2-5.

Within the Early Years the emphasis is on ensuring that learning is fun. The interesting and stimulating indoor and outdoor spaces are designed to encourage our youngest children to become confident and active learners able to grow to their full potential whilst developing awareness and respect for others.

We believe children learn best when they feel happy, secure and are engaged in active play and first hand experiences. Each day children have access to indoor and outdoor learning environments, helping them to develop their independence and self-confidence within a variety of activities.

Two separate Ofsted inspections of the Academy in 2014 found that ‘Children at pre-school make excellent progress in

their learning and development because of the high quality adult support’ and to sustain this as our children move further up the Academy ‘The leadership of the Early Years is highly effective’ with ‘outstanding teaching in personal, social and emotional development (being) the basis for the excellent behaviour seen in the Early Years’.

A range of purposeful adult and child led activities are always available, meaning that the individual needs and interests of each child can be met by qualified and experienced Early Years Teachers and Practitioners.

Although the Pre-School, Nursery and Reception areas have their own designated secure environments, interaction with older children is encouraged in a safe and progressive way. Planning visits to and by older children and having an active part in Phase and whole Academy activities and events ensures the widest possible range of involvement and opportunity appropriate to the age of our youngest children.

Key Stage TwoOur Key Stage Two curriculum continues the progressive learning journey from Key Stage One, building strongly on the individual and collective foundations already established.

Our broad and balanced curriculum continues the theme of developing confident, independent learners by providing further opportunities for children to transfer and apply their core Literacy and Numeracy skills across the curriculum within a wider variety of areas.

Children benefit from a progressive, 21st Century primary approach, remaining with their Class Teacher for the majority of the school day, whilst experiencing a gradual increase in the use of specialist teachers and facilities as they progress through the Key Stage.

This is a significant additional benefit for children at this age as, on a national level, many pupils would not expect to experience such a wide range of specialist areas, resources and opportunities until they enter Secondary School.

Such early access to quality specialist resources combined with our ‘through

school’ approach to transition allows a more advanced development of pupils’ confidence and specialist skills, well in advance of their entry into Key Stage Three.

In Year 5 we welcome an additional intake of children, joining us from several local lower schools. Our experience of planning and teaching a four year Key Stage Two curriculum, coupled with the forging of extremely close relationships with our partner schools (through B.C.U.S: the Biggleswade Community Union of Schools) ensures pupils ‘hit the ground running’, and experience a smooth transition, whenever they join us.

Year 5 is also the first opportunity pupils have to develop greater independence in their learning through our 1-1 ‘Tablets in Education’ programme. Introduced for the first time in 2014-15 between 50-60% of our pupils in years 5&6 took up the option to engage in this innovative programme, which has further helped us to drive up the level of educational understanding and outcomes and experiences for all our pupils.

Key Stage ThreeOur Key Stage Three pupils are our oldest learners and are therefore expected to model the expected behaviours and outcomes for the rest of the school.

By this point in their education pupils are challenged to learn with even greater independence within a more specialised curriculum, which has an increasing focus on specialist subject areas. The recent introduction of a range of AQA accredited options in specialist areas such as Engineering, Childcare development and Youth Leadership. Greater detail within a wider range of subjects helps to prepare pupils for the move into Year 9 and Upper School with its associated challenge of external national examinations.

As pupils approach the end of their Academy journey there is a strong focus on developing their contributions to wider life, allowing them to ‘give something back’. Such opportunities are plentiful and lie across an extremely wide range of areas.

Whether supporting and mentoring younger children through areas such as our Paired Readers, or taking on positions of responsibility by becoming Young Leaders (Sports Mentors), Big Buddies (Student Counsellors), JANAs (Junior Network Administrators), House Captains or through other such remits, there are many opportunities for pupils to experience real responsibilities where they can make a difference to the quality of life and education for others within our Academy.

The Den – ‘wrap around care’Ensuring pupils have a positive educational experience and are well cared for is not a job that easily begins and ends with the school day.

The Den is a well-established and highly regarded before and after school provision, coupled with a holiday club, that ensures our children, right from Early Years until the end of Key Stage Three, can be well cared for from 7.30am – 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year.

During our December 2014 Ofsted inspection it was found that ‘The arrangements for breakfast club and after school care provide high-quality wraparound care. This is a valuable resource for parents and provides an exceptionally good start to the day for pupils who attend.’ They also noted that ‘All age groups socialise very well together and this significantly contributes to their enjoyment of school life’.

This provision is growing rapidly as our Academy and our town grows and once again the breadth of facilities we are able to offer across the Academy ensures there are a wide variety of opportunities available to pupils.

Coupled with skilled staffing and well-planned activities, this ensures our children can ‘work, rest and play’ within a stimulating, safe and secure environment, which grows with them as they grow through their time at the Academy.

Designed & Produced by FSE Design Tel: 01933 303520 www.fsedesign.co.uk

Email: enquiries@biggleswadeacademy.orgWebsite: www.biggleswadeacademy.org

Pre-School

144a London Road BiggleswadeBedfordshireSG18 8EHTel: 01767 660515

Years R-4

Kitelands Road BiggleswadeBedfordshireSG18 8NX Tel: 01767 660515

Years 5-8

Mead End BiggleswadeBedfordshireSG18 8JUTel: 01767 660515

Thank you to James Keller and Katie Salmon for the photos