Dear Parents, Students and Colleagues
 
I'm sure that many parents must wonder what happens when the staff are involved in INSET days that occur from time to time during the year. The INSET day at the start of this term was filled with a range of training and development sessions associated with many of the activities taking place in the Academy. For the first session of the day we welcomed colleagues from Hampton Academy and a very special guest. What better way to start 2012 than with a famous Olympian presenting a project that is being rolled out in all three Learning School Trust Academies.
 
David Hemery was a gold medalist at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, breaking the world record for the 400 meters hurdles at the same time. He is a quiet, unassuming but immensely impressive person who, despite major learning challenges in his early years (he couldn´t read until he was ten years old!) has gone on to become Dr David Hemery, combining academic excellence with his sporting successes. The programme he is leading, ‘Be The Best YOU Can Be!´ encourages young people to set and work towards achieving their goals, equipping them with the skills and strategies to do so. There is a clear synergy between this approach and our learning model.
 
David was asked by Lord Coe to set up this project as part of the Olympic legacy and we are delighted that it will be accessed by students in Year 8 in the first instance, through the thematic programme, PSHE lessons and PE. Having targeted this year group however, a number of staff have been using some of the coaching methods he introduced with a range of classes this week. If you would like to find out more about this exciting programme there is a website that can be accessed at www.21stcenturylegacy.com.
 
There were many other interesting training sessions throughout the day and I'm looking forward to telling you about the outcomes from these in the weeks to come. I hope you had a good Christmas and I would like to extend best wishes for 2012 from the Academy to all our students, parents and friends.
 
Nick Jones, Principal