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  • KAR Newsletter 07/03/2025

    Published 10/03/25

    Dear parents and carers,

    I hope you have had a good week. 

    This week we celebrated World Book Week with an array of activities. The highlight was World Book Day, and I was delighted to see so much effort in bringing characters to life with some excellent outfits! We gave out a number of golden tickets to students that had gone above and beyond in their hard work, politeness and manners, or simply contributing positively to our community. The atmosphere was fantastic throughout the school, and yet another reminder of why we are 'Proud to be Ringmer'.

    I am pleased to report that once again, applications for our Year 7 cohort have reached record levels for places. This is always a positive representation as to the reputation of the school so we are delighted that there continues to be such positive interest in Ringmer. 

    Next week, our Year 11’s will be having a mock ‘results-giving’ assembly as they now start moving towards their final exams. We are delighted with their progress this year, and they continue to work hard to ensure they fulfil their potential. We have worked hard on ensuring our career provision is developing throughout the school, and it was great to see all of our Year 8 students take part in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career workshops, which we hope will give them some inspiration for the future. There are some further careers resources for all year groups further down in this newsletter.

    Finally, please find a link below for our Spring Survey. As always, your feedback is very important to us and how we move the school forward. We are clear that there is always room for improvement and that the best schools never stand still, so all feedback is welcome, and we do read through every response. 

    https://participate.schoolsurveys.com/Jup4ShigDho7jQyV

    Have a great weekend

    Mr Harvey

    Principal
     

    Art Department - Exciting Art Workshop & Upcoming Display!

    Last week, our students completed their first workshop with myself and Mrs. Colbourne, our Artist in Residence. They have been exploring fluid and gestural landscape art, embracing abstract techniques with enthusiasm.

    Having the opportunity to work alongside Mrs. Colbourne, a professional painter, has been an inspiring experience. She has shared her artistic process and brought in her own work, allowing students to see first-hand what a career in art can look like. This workshop has not only encouraged creativity but also provided valuable insight into the possibilities of professional art careers.

    We’re incredibly proud of the students' openness to this expressive style, and we can’t wait to see what else they create! Their artwork, along with pieces by Mrs. Colbourne, will be displayed in reception to show the school and visitors how proud we are of their work. A final image of their work will be included in our newsletter before we break up for Easter.

    This workshop is just one of many ways we’re helping students explore the world of art beyond the classroom—who knows, we may have some future professional artists in our midst!

    Please keep an eye out for future clubs.

    Ms Hook, Head of Art




     

    Saturday's Groundforce morning has been postponed to a future date, TBC!

     

     

    National Careers Week 

    1. STEM career workshops -year 8

    All of our year 8 students took part in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshop on Thursday 27th February. These workshops were delivered in school by Everfi https://everfiteachers.co.uk/ and sponsored by Gatwick. 


    The workshops focused on STEM careers and real-world learning. All students were given the opportunity to take part in a 50-minute workshop where they used interactive case studies to learn how to do things such as design and manufacture trainers, write algorithms for online streaming and create a new computer game. The students were really engaged in the sessions, and they can continue to access the programme. Once the students have completed the course, they will receive a certificate which can be used in the future on their CV’s. 

    1. National careers week resources 

    To mark National Careers Week, please find the link to The Parent’s Guide to help parents and carers with clear, unbiased advice on post-school options, study and exam revision, and wellbeing. This guide supports young people in talking about their futures.

    https://nationalcareersweek.com/ncw25pg/  

    Find out more at www.nationalcareersweek.com

    1. Prospective Medic Event at Uckfield College on 13 March 2025 from 5pm to 8pm


    Mrs Colbourne Careers Lead 

     

    LOST PROPERTY

    Many coats and water bottles remain unclaimed - see photos.

    We are unable to return found items without names.

    PLEASE NAME ALL SCHOOL ITEMS!

    Note: Reception has very little lost PE kit as this is most likely still in the changing rooms or gym.

     

    ESCC Consultation on the Post-16 Transport Policy Statement for the 2025-26 academic

    The ESCC Post 16 transport policy statement is intended to inform young people in years 11, 12 and 13 and their parents about what transport arrangements and financial support are available to them. We welcome any comments on the draft Transport Policy Statement. 

    All the information can be found on the Council’s consultation hub where comments can be left until 28 March 2025.

    Ringmer's first Repair Cafe

    Ringmer's first Repair Café will be running on the last Saturday in April ie: 26 April 2025 from 10am to 12.30 in the Ringmer Parish Council Offices, Old School Close, Ringmer, BN8 5Ra. In the future on every last weekend of the month IE: 31 May, 28 June. 26 July, 30 August etc. The repair café is a group of volunteers who can fix your broken things to avoid them going in the bin and you having to buy a new one and have a cuppa ☕ and some cake 🥮.

    Ringmer Repair Cafe have asked us to advertise the event and see if any students would be interested in volunteering in the cafe for the session. 

    Voluntary roles such as this provide valuable experience for young people and are excellent for their CV's to demonstrate experience when looking for future employment. Please contact Mrs Colbourne at  ringmerrepaircafe@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer (and if you have anything broken the volunteers may be able to fix it!)

    A GUIDE to the Ringmer Repair Café

    You are invited to bring ONE item that you can carry, in need of repair, for our volunteers to check/repair/provide advice……

    • Electrical objects

    • IT items

    • Clothing (not alterations) and fabric items

    • Broken mechanical objects

    • Ceramic advice

    • Wooden items

    • Gardening tools for sharpening

    NOT……… white goods, microwaves, items completely in pieces!

    The Ringmer Repair Café volunteers do their best to make your items re-usable. This will save you the cost of a new item, and save the planet from the CO2 emissions involved in manufacture, transportation, use of precious resources and waste disposal.

    DONATIONS WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED – CASH or CARD

    There are homemade and Fair-Trade refreshments served while you wait. (Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult please). Parking is available.     ringmerrepaircafe@gmail.com 

     

    Smartphone-Free Schools

    Following our Open Evening in September 2024, Ringmer Parents and Carers Smartphone Free group attended our event to promote smartphone-free schools.  Several prospective parents and carers joined a whatsapp group for people wanting to delay smartphones for their children. The QR code for Parents and Carers Smartphone Free Facebook is as follows: 

    To note:

    • Students do not require a smartphone to attend Kings Academy.

    • There are alternatives to smartphones to keep in contact with your child, including tracking, that negates the risks posed by smartphones.

    • Their child will not be alone in not having a smartphone

    Smartphone Free Childhood charity has now also created "Smartphone Free Schools" (Smartphone Free Schools), a community of educational professionals who are starting to see the benefits of being involved in the conversation and changing policies.

     

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  • KAR Newsletter 28/02/2025

    Published 28/02/25

    Dear Parents and carers, 

     

    I hope you have had a great week and a half-term.

     

    Firstly, a big well done to all the students who went on the ski trip. They represented the school magnificently, and I am delighted to hear of their positive experiences this week. We have received a number of positive communications back regarding our students from all the staff involved on the trip. In addition, a big thank you to the staff for their hard work in ensuring these trips can run smoothly. 

    This week, my assemblies have focussed on the importance of maintaining high standards once they have been achieved. We are under no illusions as a school that we still have a lot to do in order to continue the positive progress being made, and, of course, our students are the most important part of this. I spoke to them about high expectations being a privilege and showing that as educators we care about their future, and that, yes, we are strict because we care. In my 18 years as an educator, I have been lucky to visit over 100 schools, and I tell our children that they should take great pride in how they conduct themselves on a daily basis. We always have room for improvement, of course!

    A big well done to our Year 11 students who have started their GCSE practical cooking exams this week. It has been a great experience doing some of the tastings of their three-course meals this week. I must say that their presentation of each course has been fantastic and there is a huge amount of culinary talent on show!

    A reminder that we are still advertising for a marketing professional, in addition to some other roles listed on our website. We have a communication strategy ready to implement once we appoint, so I apologise again that our feeds are a little quieter than normal.

    We are looking forward to celebrating World Book Day next week on Thursday. This is a non-uniform day where students are encouraged to dress up as characters from their favourite books where possible. I will see if I can dig out the Dumbledore outfit again this year!

    Have a great week

    Best wishes,


    Chris


    Ski Trip

    Well done to all the students who went on the ski trip in the half-term closure.  The ski instructors and ski reps all commented on what great students we have; how good they were at listening and how much progress they made. Well done.  Mr Coulthard

    PE Kit

    We are noticing an increased trend in students not attending lessons with the appropriate kit.  Students are required to have their school Pe kit for all lessons even if they are unable to take part due to injury.

    Can you please ensure that students have the correct kit, including footwear, for all PE lessons, as we are unable to loan many students a PE kit for lessons?  We simply do not have enough spare kit to lend out every lesson.  Thank you, Mr Coulthard 

     

    Change Committee

    Our Change Committee met before half-term to work on our updated Eco Code. This is an important part of our Eco-Schools work. The committee, consisting of our parent and governor volunteers, worked alongside our Change Ambassador students, threading our KAR values together with our environmental stewardship. Please have a look at our Eco Code, which will also be displayed in our school Reception and on our Eco Board.


    Our Eco-Code - At Kings Academy Ringmer 

     

    • We RESPECT the world we live in.

    • We are READY and have FAITH in our ability to make a change.

    • We COMMUNICATE our concerns.

    • We have AMBITION towards our climate goals.

    • We will be RESILIENT when change is not easy.

    • We have the COURAGE to stand up for our beliefs.

    • We are ALTRUISTIC in our actions

    • We show KINDNESS to the environment, wildlife and each other.

    • We are HONEST about our actions.

    • We are CURIOUS about improvements.

    • We are PROUD to be Ringmer where we will lead by example. 

                       

    Produced by our Change Ambassadors

    Developing well-rounded, confident individuals who are world-ready.

     

    Our recent KAR Eco Assembly focused on some of the bigger environmental problems the world is facing and how we can focus together as a school community on smaller actions to create bigger changes. 

    Our focus this term is to use our    Recycling bins and to be mindful about separating our waste whenever possible. 

    We now have two bins alongside each other in the outdoor spaces, so students can separate their waste: dry recycling and general waste. This is legislation that is being enforced for businesses in March and households in the near future. Separating our waste is not only part of our commitment to making positive changes, but we will be charged less for rubbish too. Please support us by thinking about where you should put your rubbish. One wrong thing in the recycling bin will contaminate the whole bin. 

     

    Plumpton College Bake Off is back again for 2025 – Year 9 and 10 students

    VE Day 80th Anniversary Theme

    Email Student Entries here - schoolsliaison@plumpton.ac.uk by Friday 4 April 2025

    Poster from Plumpton College

     

     

    Junior Bake Off – Join the Class of 2025

    To apply, head to applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk.  

    If you cannot apply online and would like an application form posted to you, please email:  applyforjuniorbakeoff@loveproductions.co.uk or call 0207 067 4833 stating your full name, full address (including postcode) and telephone number.

    Applications close on Sunday 23 March 2025



     

    Lewes Football Foundation – for girls in Years 7 to 9

    Lewes Football Foundation have a new initiative as part of the Foundation's Saturday Rooks offer at the 3G.  They want to develop a space for girls in Years 7-9 who would like to try football but don't because of a lack of confidence and who may find playing with other girls who already play too intimidating.

    Lewes Football Foundation is excited to announce a series of introductory taster sessions for girls in Years 7-9 (U12s-U14s) who would love to play football but have never done so before. We're providing a safe, non-judgmental space to have a go and have fun trying.
    Starts Sat 8 March for four weeks. 

    Visit: https://www.lewesfootballfoundation.org/drop-in 
    Click the drop-in register link at the top of the page.

     

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  • KAR Newsletter 14/02/2025

    Published 14/02/25
    Dear parents and carers, I hope you have had a positive week.  Please see below for important information regarding the KGA Trust’s new password policy for students to ensure greater security across our schools. Please note that from
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  • KAR Newsletter 07/02/2025

    Published 07/02/25
    Friday 7 February 2025 Dear parents and carers, I hope you have had a good week. I have been extremely proud of our Year 11's this week as they started their mock exams in preparation for the final GCSE's in summer. They have conduct
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  • KAR Newsletter 24/01/2025

    Published 24/01/25

    Dear parents and carers,

    I hope you have had a positive week.

    On Thursday, I was delighted to present at the East Sussex National as part of the East Sussex Attendance Conference. We were asked to present our recent work within our super curriculum, and how we have made significant gains in our attendance. Our presentation centred on the importance of increasing student belonging within our three-year vision, and ensuring that students increasingly feel a part of our school community. We know we have made positive steps, and the presentation was a chance to show this work to attendees from other local and national schools. While our focus will always be on the students, it is always reaffirming when we are asked to lead these discussions locally. The conference itself was an important reminder as to the work that is going into all schools to ensure that positive school attendance remains the key priority, given the link to students' life chances. The chances of a student gaining five good GCSEs, including English and Maths, deteriorates significantly from 96% to 90% and below. We therefore remain focussed on our goal of ensuring consistently above 96% for our students.

    Assemblies this week have been led by Mr Madriaga and focussed on the importance of positive mental health. A key thread has been our key value of ‘Kindness’. We took time to reaffirm the importance of our words and language to each other. I am especially impressed by the increased numbers of children since I joined who also take the time to say a simple ‘thank you’ to staff after lessons. These are key character traits that we mention consistently and reinforce when we see them.

    As we look forward to the ski trip, we continue to work behind the scenes on furthering our personal development provision and offer. Today I have been discussing some potential new international offers which will give our students fantastic opportunities. I hope to have some exciting news soon. 

    Finally, we have received some small changes to the bus timetables. Please see below for more information.

    Have a great weekend, and thank you for your ongoing support.

    Best wishes,
    Mr Harvey

    Textiles Super Curriculum group

    Mrs R. Hepburn Imber, Design & Technology Teacher, Tutor of 7RHE, Head of House System: "The Textiles Super curriculum group has been busy learning various techniques over the past couple of weeks. Last week they learnt about basket weaving and extending skills to learn more intricate patterns. This week they have been creating their wet felt, which they will decorate with embroidery techniques." 
     

    Bus Timetable Changes

    We have been advised that there will be changes to the 28 Regency bus route to/from Hailsham from Monday 27 January 2025.

    Please see below the changes that will affect the bus to and from school each day. The column in cream is the details for the additional bus service specific to King's Academy Ringmer.

    For the morning journey to school:

    For the return journey home at the end of the school day:

    * = This journey does not serve Ringmer King’s Academy Grounds on non-school days. # = During school holidays this bus calls at the main road bus stop on the Lewes Road B2192.

    Please follow this link to the full 28 PDF timetable with effect from 26 January 2025 - https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/brightonhove/BH/28-timetable-20250126-34ab6c6e.pdf

    InvestIN - Free events for students interested in competitive industries

    Reminder about InvestIN free event series which will be kicking off next month. These events give students the chance to hear directly from industry professionals about what it’s really like to work in some of the world’s most competitive and desirable fields.

    For further information please follow this link to the InvestIN events page - https://trk.send.investin.org/l/01JJ3YYCJW3MYF0DPDNVA1GQHE_1 

    Channel 4's The Dog House is back

    Five Mile Films Ltd are the programme makers of the BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 series, The Dog House, which is about to return for a new series. Described as one of the most heart-warming programmes on TV, they are starting the search again for people who can offer a loving home to a rescue dog and share their reasons for doing so.  They have therefore asked if we can share this information with our parents / carers.

    In the previous series, they found that there were many reasons people might consider bringing a rescue dog into their life; to help combat loneliness, extra company for a child, to encourage getting out more. For children specifically, having a dog in your home has been proven to help with social skills and impulse control, and even improve self-esteem. Dogs are always happy to see you when you get home from school, and their love is unconditional - the ideal confidante and an ever-willing playmate! They would love to highlight some of these benefits and wondered if any members of our school might be interested in applying, or simply find out more with no pressure to take part. 

    Please see above for  their flyer plus this additional information - Could you provide a loving home for a rescue dog? The Channel 4 series, The Dog House is looking for couples, individuals, friends and families who are seriously considering bringing a rescue dog into their lives and are willing to share their reasons for doing so.    

    Please follow this link to apply: 

     The Dog House | Channel 4 or email thedoghouse@fivemilefilms.co.uk 

     

     

    ki

     

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  • KAR Newsletter 17/01/2025

    Published 17/01/25
    Dear parents and carers, I hope you have had a positive week. Assemblies this week have been led by Mr Weir and have focussed on The International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust. This mar
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  • KAR Newsletter 10/01/2025

    Published 10/01/25
    Dear Parents and Carers, A happy new year to you all. It has been wonderful to welcome back our students this week, they have arrived back in positive spirits and we have had a great first week back. We have quickly returned to our routines,
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  • KAR Newsletter 20/12/2024

    Published 20/12/24

    Please enter an introduction for your news story here.

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  • KAR Newsletter 13/12/2024

    Published 13/12/24
    Dear Parents & Carers, I hope you have had a fantastic week. You will have hopefully received my email regarding our fantastic OFSTED report. The inspection was a very positive experience and we are delighted that the hard work that goes in
    Read More
  • KAR Newsletter 05/12/2024

    Published 05/12/24
    Dear Parents and Carers, There has been a fantastic atmosphere in school this week, with students continuing to set a high bar for their learning. This week I held an important meeting with our student leadership team to discuss all the proposals
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  • KAR Newsletter 29/11/2024

    Published 29/11/24
    Year 11 Art & Photography Trip to London This week, our Year 11 students embarked on the much-anticipated annual Art & Photography trip to London. It’s safe to say that this year's group continues to amaze us! They showcased ex
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  • KAR Newsletter 22/11/2024

    Published 20/11/24
    Super Curriculum Update The Super Curriculum groups have been thoroughly enjoying their Wednesday afternoon sessions each week, and have made some fantastic progress on various projects and have learnt lots of new skills.  The STEM grou
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