To celebrate & support The FA Girls' Football Week, we are delighted to open up our current Girls Technical Centres for FREE on Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November 2017.

The sessions take place at the following venues:

Ely College, Downham Road, Ely CB6 2SH 

Thursdays

5pm – 6pm - U7 – U9
6pm – 7pm - U10– U14

North Cambridge Academy, Arbury Road, Cambridge, CB4 2JF

Fridays

5pm – 6pm - U6 – U9
6pm – 7pm - U10– U14

If you have a current female footballer that would like to attend the session, then drop us a line and we will book you in!

Contact our Customer Engagement Officer Matt at matt.clements@canaries.co.uk

Supporting Girls Football throughout Cambridgeshire.

Please find attached the provision for Year 11 sessions running in College. These take place both at lunchtime and after school (Session 6). Most of them are open to all, but some are targeted. If you are unsure, please email your child’s subject teacher directly. Many are revision sessions for the mocks that begin on 20 November, but some are also catch-up sessions and others are for coursework. We hope that you will encourage your child to attend these sessions – Thanks, Rachael Mustill

Ely College today secured the best GCSE results in its history and a dramatic improvement on recent years, with 64% of students securing the top grades 4-9 in both English and mathematics - a 14 per cent point rise from last year, and a 29 per cent point rise on 2015.

Further success included 60 per cent of students achieving at least five A*-C grades, including a score of 4 or above in English and maths - a 12 per cent increase on 2016.

In English, 78 per cent of students achieved a grade of 4 or above, marking a 15 per cent increase on 2016 results. Furthermore, in maths 69 per cent of students achieved grades of 9-4 - a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.

Richard Spencer, Principal of Ely College, commented: “I’d like to congratulate all of our students and their families on these excellent results for Ely College. We are very proud of what Year 11 have achieved.

“The significant improvements secured today are the result of a great deal of hard work from our students and my wonderful staff.

“Ely College is once again a school of which the community can be proud, and we are determined to build further on this success in the years to come.

“At the start of the year, I challenged the whole school community to look for an additional 10 per cent in all that we do. For us to have exceeded that in terms of results in our first year is fantastic.

“I wish all of our students every success as they move onto further education, and am excited to be welcoming many of them back to our own Bishop Laney Sixth Form.”

Last week, Bishop Laney Sixth Form, a new collaboration between Ely College and Soham Village College, received an excellent set of post-16 course results with 89 per cent of students securing outcomes at either merit or distinction level in vocational courses. The pass rate for the A Level entries was 87 per cent.

New scoring system

This system has been introduced for English literature, English language and mathematics GCSEs. The new scoring system grades student’s results on a 1-9 scale, with 9 being the best grade. This system aims to allow for more differentiation between student’s results with 4 being a standard pass and 5 a stronger pass. Similarly, an 8 or 9 score is the equivalent to an A*, but the new system provides distinction between students who would achieve a lower A* to those achieving a higher A*.  This provides 4-9 as being comparable to A*-C. Additionally, the new English and maths GCSEs implemented this year are more rigorous with one final exam at the end of Year 11, rather than spread across the two years.

The grading system has only been rolled out with English and maths for the 2017 results. In 2018, another 20 subjects will be graded at levels 1-9 with the aim that by 2019 a majority of subjects will be under this new system.

In July 2016, Ely College joined the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT). A year on, the College has had its best year yet and in March was labelled as “moving strongly in the right direction” by the Regional Schools Commissioner’s Office.

The College transferred from its previous sponsor, CfBT Education Trust, in July 2016. The planned transfer was the result of discussions with the Department for Education to secure more local support for Ely College, with the aim of moving the school more quickly towards becoming ‘Good’ and beyond. 
Among the changes that have been made at the College this year were the introduction of four, student-named, houses, which operate as small communities within the larger school, providing close support to families and monitoring students’ welfare and progress. The College also introduced a smart new uniform and has ensured high standards of behaviour. 

Significant investment has been made by the Trust to improve many areas of the school building and a PLEDGES rewards scheme has been introduced to encourage students to develop character, take responsibility and gain new experiences as a preparation for life. These initiatives are featured in all CMAT schools and have a track record of improving standards and behaviour. 

The Trust, which was founded by the governors of Swavesey Village College – a school regarded as being outstanding in all respects, has a history of delivering rapid improvements in standards and achievement. Nene Park Academy, North Cambridge Academy, Stamford Welland Academy and Sawtry Village Academy have all seen their KS4 results and Ofsted grade improve since joining the Trust.  

Principal, Richard Spencer, said: “It has been a fantastic year for Ely College and I am so proud of everything that we have achieved since we joined the CMAT family. We are thrilled to be welcoming a higher number of students into Year 7 in September and we are delighted that a significant number of Ely parents are once again putting their trust in the school. 

“There have been plenty of individual moments of success throughout the year which have shown the benefits of the work we have been doing. In April, we hosted a very positive monitoring inspection by the Department for Education, who concluded that the College was ‘moving strongly in the right direction’. We are hoping to see these improvements convert into improved exam results over the next few years.

“I am also very excited to be launching our new sixth form this year in partnership with Soham Village College. Bishop Laney Sixth Form will officially open in September 2017 and will start by offering professional courses, broadening out to run a suite of A Level qualifications from 2018.” 

In a letter to parents Richard Spencer outlined what he considered to be the top ten successes of the past year under the sponsorship of CMAT: 

1.    Raised standards. A new framework of teaching values and expectations called ‘Ely Expects’ has been designed and implemented by staff to raise the levels of challenge and standards of teaching in the classroom.

2.    Raised expectations. We introduced a smart new uniform and have enforced high standards of behaviour. Students have developed and implemented a rigorous ‘anti-bullying’ pledge, and are working closely together in supportive, mixed-aged tutor groups.

3.    A complete house system. Ely College is now organised into four, student-named, houses. Etheldreda, Franklin, Scott and Turing houses operate as small communities within the larger school, providing close support to families and monitoring students’ welfare and progress.

4.    Refurbished buildings. Significant investment has been made to improve many areas of the school. The oldest building, the Bedford block, will undergo a complete refurbishment over the summer. New classrooms, toilets and outdoor areas have been added, and movement around the site has been improved.

5.    A new sixth form for the Ely area. In partnership with Soham Village College, Bishop Laney Sixth Form will officially open in September 2017. Based at Ely College, Bishop Laney will start by offering professional courses, broadening out to run a suite of A Levels from 2018.

6.    Communicating clearly. Parents and friends of Ely College are now able to follow and celebrate the work of the students through our regularly updated social media feeds, re-designed website and regular informative newsletters. Every half-term the Principal hosts ‘Parents In The Loop’ open forum-meetings to update parents and hear their views.

7.    Extending learning through PLEDGES. Our PLEDGES rewards scheme encourages students to develop character, take responsibility and gain new experiences as a preparation for life. All students accrue PLEDGE points by engaging in activities outside of the classroom that support participation, leadership, the environment, diversity, giving, excellence and service.

8.    Opening our doors. Ely College is working with an enterprise advisor and business mentors to build ever-closer links with local businesses. We host regular enterprise events to promote and connect students to the world of work. Our adult and community education offer continues to grow, and we have expanded the range of groups and societies using our facilities.

9.    Academic tutoring for success. Smaller tutor groups have allowed for regular academic mentoring meetings for all students. A wide range of revision and catch-up sessions, along with a significant ‘Year 11 Matters’ programme of support and guidance has helped prepare the students for exam success this year.

10.    Gaining recognition, gathering momentum. We are thrilled to be welcoming a higher number of students into Year 7 in September, despite a reduced catchment area. Significant numbers of Ely parents are once again putting their trust in the school. In April we hosted a very positive monitoring inspection by the Department for Education, who concluded that the College was ‘moving strongly in the right direction’.

In March, an inspector from the Department for Education visited the College to monitor progress since joining CMAT. Its report praised the role of CMAT in the transformation that has taken place and said that “the Trust has played a key role in bringing about the improvements” and that “its local knowledge and presence have been much valued”. 

The report particularly commended the level of collaboration between the College and other local schools in the Trust and said that the collaboration “has raised staff expectations about what is possible and contributed to better practice and a climate of improvement”.

Mark Woods, Chief Executive of Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust, said: “Ely College has really benefited from the close relationship it has with other schools in the CMAT family. The transfer has meant that Ely has had much needed support on its doorstep, and has benefited from tailored, local expertise.

“CMAT is a growing Trust and we were recently ranked as the fifth highest performing multi-academy trust in the country for its performance in the Key Stage 4 league tables. As we grow in the region we are able to share best practice and offer more support to our schools.”

It was recently announced that CMAT will also be sponsoring Downham Feoffees Primary School, which is just a 5-minute drive from the College. The Trust was also asked to sponsor new free schools being built in the area including a secondary school in Corby and a secondary school and special school in Northstowe. 

For more information please visit: www.elycollege.com. 

 

Some great photos from our first year with CMAT!

Ely College students, parents and staff assembled in Ely Cathedral last week for the College’s annual Presentation Evening.

Over a hundred awards were handed out, many of which were presented by the newly elected Mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, James Palmer. The awards celebrated both the students’ academic and extra-curricular achievements.

Richard Spencer, principal of Ely College, said: “The Presentation Evening is one of the most important dates in the College’s calendar. Tonight was my first time as principal and I was left with an immense feeling of pride in all that our students have achieved this year.

“I would like to thank the Dean and Chapter for allowing us to hold the event in such inspiring and beautiful surroundings. I am also very grateful to the new Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, for coming along to the evening.  We look forward to working with him closely in the coming years, especially given his belief in the importance of education.”

The audience of students, parents and staff were also treated to performances by The Ely Jazz Band. Prizes given out during the course of the evening were funded by sponsorship from local businesses, including City of Ely Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Needham’s Foundation, PS Financials, Cambridge Building Society, Greys of Ely, N & C Glass, Ken Booth, Lucas Construction and Simply Education.

Ely College joined the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) in July 2016 and since then have gone from strength to strength. A report from the Regional Schools Commissioner’s Office in March said the college was “moving strongly in the right direction.”

Ely College students celebrated their final PLEDGES and Futures Day of the year in style this week with over thirty external speakers and providers addressing students throughout the day.

The day, which was the final of four PLEDGES and Futures days, focused on democracy and personal finance. A host of local speakers were in attendance including recently re-elected Member of Parliament for South East Cambridgeshire, Lucy Frazer, who held a question time session with students.

Principal of Ely College, Richard Spencer, said: “Over thirty people from a wide variety of local businesses and charities volunteered their time to help the students today, so firstly we would like to thank all of them for giving up their time and committing to the young people in their area.

“PLEDGES and Futures Days are so important because they play a vital part in helping our students to develop key skills and knowledge that will benefit them throughout their lives and prepare them for life outside of the classroom. We are delighted with how the students have embraced them this year and we look forward to running them again next year.”

Year 10 student, Ben Gray, said: “It has been a really interesting day and we have learnt a lot. My year group were visited by Metro Bank and Lloyds Bank. They really seemed to want to help us to understand more about personal finances and to help us not to get into financial difficulty.  It was great to gain detailed insights you would not normally get in lessons and especially to understand the next steps in our lives, such as mortgages and personal finances for university. Seeing how student loans work was great.”

Other activities taking place throughout the day included students interviewing visitors from a wide range of workplaces, taking part in a Dragon’s Den style activity and taking part workshops on personal branding and managing personal finances.

PLEDGES were introduced at the College in October and are a vital part of the changes that Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust bring to all schools in their family. Similar to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, PLEDGES help students develop character and responsibility that can be taken into their adult life. They encourage students to get involved with the wider experiences the College has to offer them.