Students at Ely College embrace exciting opportunities for innovative learning.

This month Ely College has supported learning schemes and workshops in order to teach students essential skills and prepare them for the world of work.

As the new school term begins, Ely College has run some exciting opportunities for students in their Library. As we have done for many years, pupils of the school are being given the opportunity to become Student Librarians whereby they can issue and return books, serve in the school shop, organise the shelves and help their peers.

Students who have embarked on this popular scheme, which has received the highest sign up rate for a long time, are being taught the importance of teamwork and the children are proudly wearing their new librarian badges.

The incredible turn out for the scheme demonstrates the schools on-going pursuit to encourage students to secure their PLEDGES (Participation, Leadership, Excellence, Diversity, Giving, Environmental and Service) both in and out of lessons.

Over the years Student Librarians have gone on to study librarianships, working in the local public library and further afield, including one ex-student that worked at Cambridge University Library.

The LRC will also be running a new reading aloud session. Staff, and hopefully in time community leaders, will give their lunchtime to sit as guest readers and bring classic novels to life. We have begun with 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens.

As well as promoting extra learning in the library, Ely College also encourages STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) events hosted by Smallpeice Trust, an educational charity, at the school.

At a recent STEM event students had to complete the “Smart Building Challenge” in which they had to design and build a system that filters, collects, detects and pumps collected rainwater. This challenge involved using design technology, maths, science and engineering skills in order to stimulate the students learning.

Anne Shaw, Learning Resource Centre Manager, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the turnout for these new schemes. It is a pleasure to see the children thrive and enjoy the sessions, indicating why they have been so popular.

“It is important for the children to learn the essential life skills practiced in the session, which will further their personal development and help them in the working world.”

Earlier this year, the college joined Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT). CMAT has a strong track record in improving achievement and attainment in the region and the Trust is committed to improving the quality of education and life in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Photographer – Tuesday 20th September 2016 

On Tuesday 20th September 2016 we will have a Photographer in school all day working with us on promotional and PR shots.  We will capture images of our facilities, staff and students.  

If, for any reason, your child should not appear in any public materials, please ensure your child is aware so they can make themselves known to Mrs Vella and the Photographer to avoid appearing in any of the photographs.   

Thank you for your support.

Unfortunately, there has been a slight delay in the delivery of student planners. We expect to be able to distribute these on Monday 12 September.

In the meantime, students will all have a paper copy of their timetables that they should keep with them at all times. To avoid confusion, homework will not be issued to Years 7 and 8 this weekend. We apologise for this slight delay to normal service.

Students at Ely College recorded a pleasing set of GCSE results this year with 47 per cent of students achieving at least five A*-C grades including English and Maths. Twenty-one per cent of students also achieved the EBacc qualification.

There were many strong individual performances, including those of Madeleine Rose who achieved 8 A*s and 2 As, Emily McCord who achieved 3 A*s and 7 As and Rosa Kelly who achieved 2 A*s and 8 As.

Evelyn Forde, who stepped down as Principal, said “I am delighted that the strategies we put in place with a real focus on teaching and learning has led to this great set of results for Ely students”. 

Chris Tweedale, CEO of CfBT Schools Trust commented “Ely College has been part of CfBT Schools Trust during the 2015/6 academic year and we would like to congratulate Evelyn and her staff on the improvements made during the year".

On 1 July, Ely College transferred to a new sponsor, Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), who will take over the running of the college from September.

You've heard the news and seen the sample menu but let's take a closer look at the new catering partnerships between Ely College and Pabulum...

 

Students at Ely College are set to enjoy plenty of fresh food and a whole new dining experience when they head back in September, this is thanks to a new deal with education caterer Pabulum. Pabulum is the catering partner for Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), which Ely College joined in July.

Pabulum, which caters for a number of schools in the Cambridgeshire region, is known as a company for its commitment to using fresh food. The caterer is also passionate about the provenance and quality of the ingredients in its meals and has a 19% food spend on organic food. All of the meat used in Pabulum’s school meals is British and meets the Red Tractor Assurance Certification and the Soil Association Food For Life standards. In addition to this, 94% is freshly produced in the College kitchen and 75% of the raw ingredients used are locally sourced from the UK.

The new contract with Ely College will commence in September and will see Pabulum making a significant cash investment into the catering facility at the college. This includes a brand new ‘Food Cube’ for the college’s newly constructed communal area. Pabulum’s ‘Food Cubes’ are state of the art external food outlets and provide an extra destination point from which to serve. This helps to reduce queues in the main restaurant and to meet the increasing needs of students who want a healthy fresh lunch but also want to attend Clubs and other Societies in the break/lunch time period. Pabulum will be rebranding and refurbishing the main restaurant to include a new express lane. In 2017 Pabulum will also launch its successful coffee shop at the college too. Known as ‘I Love Coffee’, it is an offer that is comparable to a high street coffee shop for the 6th Form and features a milder-flavoured coffee that’s popular with young people.

Currently 30% of students at Ely College use the catering facility, come September Pabulum will start working to gradually bring this figure more in line with the 70% uptake figure it has achieved with the other CMAT schools. As part of this mission Pabulum has been spending time listening to staff and students and even forming a student focus group to gather feedback and opinions.

Nelson Williams, Managing Director from Pabulum commented:

"We’re delighted to be working with Ely College, this new contract combines what I see as our two key differentiators, we are a fresh food company without compromise and strong commercial partners. I am particularly delighted that our long term relationship with the CMAT Trust allows us to support them with new additional schools and colleges to provide the students with that all important healthy nutritious meal in an exciting dining environment"

He continued: "The whole team is looking forward to welcoming Ely college’s 1103 students to their new dining experience in September. Here at Pabulum we are committed to working with schools and colleges who share our vision when it comes to food and the health and wellbeing of young people. We want to create a fresh food culture within schools, that’s why all our meals are produced on site, from scratch, using fresh, nutritionally balanced ingredients. This is something we hope will help inspire a lifelong love of fresh food in young people."

Dr Ian McEwan, Chief Operating Officer for CMAT added:

"We look forward to working with Pabulum at Ely College just as we work together across all of our CMAT schools. Diet and eating habits play a key role in the school experience and we’re pleased to be working with a caterer whose visions and values match our own high standards."

Pabulum has a vision to be at the forefront of improving the next generation’s health and wellbeing, with a number of healthy-eating initiatives in place to achieve this. Currently the caterer has pledged to reduce granular white sugar uptake across its entire business by 50%. As part of this pledge, Pabulum’s team of development chefs have worked hard to make use of natural sugars and create a range of reduced sugar recipes.

To find out more about Pabulum’s approach to fresh food and commitment to health and wellbeing, visit www.pabulum-catering.co.uk.