ABOUT TWICKENHAM ACADEMY

Goal-oriented education

This means that at the end of your last year, your grades will not come as a surprise, and it is our aim that you meet or exceed the attainment goals we have agreed on. The long-term goals will be broken down into a plan with termly goals and weekly goals, and these are followed up week by week in individual tutorial discussions.

Part of this process also includes finding the learning style that best suits your needs, enabling you to develop learning strategies to meet or exceed your goals. It may be a question of finding out where you learn best, or which study techniques will better help you to understand.

Personal supervision for support and control

Unique opportunities for parents to follow the school work

Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and is allocated to schools to work with students who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

The Pupil Premium is used to provide the multi-agency team based at the Academy and a wide range of targeted interventions to meet the needs of our students. These include summer transition programmes, language and literacy interventions, mentors and specialist staff, including a Social Worker and Family and Community Support Worker.  We also provide intensive support programmes through our dedicated Intervention Centre. More information is available from the Director of Inclusion, Bernadette Dooling.  

Latest Ofsted Visit

Twickenham Academy has now also received its first Ofsted monitoring visit. The visit, carried out in May 2012 by two of Her Majesty´s Inspectors, is a routine visit undertaken at all new Academies in the second year of operation. The visit to Twickenham follows the recent Ofsted visit to LST´s Hampton Academy in March.

Ofsted found that “The academy has successfully raised students´ aspirations through establishing a positive climate for learning and conferring greater responsibility upon students for achieving their goals" and “The academy is transforming the aspirations of most students and is strengthening outcomes."

Twickenham Academy students were praised by Ofsted who said that: “Behaviour is satisfactory and improving", “The majority of students are well motivated and enthusiastic learners" and that “There is a positive ethos for learning across the academy".

The inspectors were positive about the new personalised learning model that Twickenham Academy is introducing saying:
“Target setting is an emerging strength of teaching through the use of the ‘gold, bronze, silver´ standards that relate to National Curriculum levels. Students expressed their enthusiasm for these and especially for the personalised weekly tutorials that enable them to set and review their goals with their Base Group Tutors."
“Students´ learning is greatly enhanced by the on-line portal, as its resources encourage them to work at their own pace and, in so doing, to accelerate their progress. “
“(Students) report that the use of the Electronic Document System (EDS) by teachers and tutors to record students´ achievements and progress across all subjects helps motivate them, especially as the information is shared regularly with their parents and carers."

Inspectors noted the improvements at the Academy since it opened saying
“Students and staff speak positively about the transformation in behaviour since the academy opened".
“Most students´ attitudes to learning now form an emerging strength, rather than being a barrier to achievement".
“Levels of attendance have improved significantly and are now above the national average".

Looking to the future, the report states:
“The impact of the changes brought about in the academy so far demonstrates its good capacity for improvement".  
“The clarity of direction and very good partnership work with parents, carers and external agencies have combined well to shape the ethos of the academy and to ensure that all students have an equal chance to do well."

The role of LST and the collaboration with other LST Academies was seen as a strength:
“The Academy Council and the sponsor representatives are very well informed about the academy´s progress and focus effectively on the priorities of improving teaching, behaviour and achievement. They provide targeted resources, support and challenge."
“The academy benefits from strong partnerships with academies in the Learning Schools Trust and can draw on their experience and expertise".

Nick Jones, Principal of Twickenham Academy said:
“We were really pleased that the inspection team recognised the changes brought about in the Academy and its good capacity to achieve further improvement. They also highlighted the strengths of our new learning model as an LST academy, and that this is transforming the aspirations of student and improving outcomes."

John Baumber for Learning Schools Trust commented:
“This report marks a real step forward for the academy. It represents a lot of hard work from staff and students alike. They are not just content with raising standards but in providing a new dimension in learning and preparing young people for an increasingly challenging and changing world. We will continue to work together to maintain this progress."

Latest Exam Results - August 2012

Behind the overall results are many individual success stories with Vishwas Arora achieving sixteen GCSE grades with ten of these at grade A or A*. Luke Crawford passed sixteen GCSE subjects, also with nine at grade A or A*. Kosta Dunn passed seventeen subjects with eight subjects at A or A*.

You may have picked up that there is considerable concern nationally about the examination results for English. We along with many other schools will be seeking significant remarking and review.  We will keep parents and students informed if there are any developments in this area.

Nick Jones
Principal

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