Ely College is delighted to launch a very special award. The ‘Mark Cooney Community Spirit Award’ is a personal thank you from all of us at the College; year on year it will allow students to celebrate their peers’ important contributions to our local community.  

Earlier this week, members of the college leadership team met with Spotted in Ely’s creator and chief editor, Mark Cooney, to pass on their best wishes for his forthcoming wedding and treatment. The college team surprised Mr Cooney over the video call, informing him of the intention to establish this new award in his honour. It will be awarded each year to students who go the extra mile and do something special for their community, as Mark has done for years. 

Restrictions permitting, we hope to be able to return to Ely Cathedral in the summer to host our annual Presentation Evening. A highlight of our summer term, this fantastic event gives us the opportunity to bring together staff, students and families to celebrate the many wonderful achievements of our students.  

We have seen that the Ely community spirit is stronger than ever this year, and it is this strength that we hope to pass on to Mark as he moves forward with his treatment. 

Executive Principal, Richard Spencer, commented after their online meeting: “Mark Cooney has had such positive effect on our community through his work and management of Spotted in Ely. He has led by example, and this new award will embody the community spirit that he represents. His kindness, talent and enterprising commitment to the city sets a fine example to our young people as they become citizens of Ely.” 

“This is a small way to show our appreciation for the continued supported from the Spotted in Ely team and their commitment to showcasing the positive stories from our college, and those of our wonderful city.” 

Did you see our Festival of Arts Celebration?!? Don't miss it, follow the link here: Go to this sway!

We are so excited to finally share this with you all. As well as our Winter Wonderland winners, we're showcasing all of our festive arts! With our Year 'Bubble' choirs & fabulous performances... students said 'the show must go on'! While we can't come together for our usual Winter Showcase, it is so beautiful to share such warmth & positivity with you all at this festive time of the year.

REMEMBER: Friday (18th) is the end of term and it is Non School Uniform Day.

Regardless of donations we want ALL students to join in (festive jumpers optional), but IF YOU CAN take 5 mins to donate VIA WisePay our House Charities will see the benefits.

No cash donations will be taken in on the day.

Our Winter Wonderland inter-house competition has been going for a number of years now, but we've never had so many AND such high quality entries before! Over 500 students took part, earning their #PLEDGES & showcasing their talent. Here are the winners with their stunning pieces!

From this competition there was an overall winner chosen and a winner from each of the Houses. 6 designs were also chosen to be produced as the official Ely College Christmas cards. Over 50 other entries were awarded “Highly commendable” certificates as the standards were so high making choosing winners very difficult.

Mark Woods, CMAT’s CEO, has been growing his own feral Lockdown beard since 20th March 2020; no shaving, no trimming, no fancy manscaping – just the real deal as it comes.

Initially Mark swore he would not touch his beard until all students were back in school full-time, however, seeing what a natural beauty the said beard has blossomed into, he thought he would give you the choice as to what he does next.

Two campaigns were set-up:

1) Shave (also known as ‘Ban the Beard’): Mark will give his beard a good trim or remove it completely (to the relief of his family!) and at least return to looking as near respectable as he has ever managed.

2) Leave (also known as ‘Santa’): Mark pledges to turn into CMAT’s (or other associated organisations) very own Santa Claus: no shaving until the school breaks up for Christmas, a full white dye-job and some Covid-safe ‘hohohoing’.

The deadline for making your decision was the 30th September. Some terrified staff, parents and friends voiced their concerns about Mark’s lack of grooming and pushed the ‘Ban the Beard’ campaign. Alas, and unfortunately for some, the idea of Santa Claus seemed to be the frontrunner, raising over £1,000 for Sue Ryder, Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Although the initial conditions were that, unless the £5,000 target was hit, Mark would decide on the outcome of his increasingly feral beard, however, Mark and his co-organisers have since decided that he will keep his beard anyway (and much to the annoyance of his family!).

Mark and the team would like to thank everyone for their generous donations in support of such a superb cause as Sue Ryder, a charity with a special place in the hearts of all those at CMAT and their associates’ hearts.

Please continue with your generous donations! All monies raised will support the outstanding work of Sue Ryder, Thorpe Hall Hospice in memory of our dear friend Martin Bacon, who benefited from their care and who always enjoyed a silly plan.

Mark had this this say as the term ended: "As a parent and a trust CEO, I have often been, I imagine, part of a relatively small group of people who have seen this pandemic from both sides. I have been party to the careful, lengthy deliberations of leadership staff about running track and trace within schools and in attempting to find the fine balance between keeping the school open and the children in school, whilst also trying to ensure that transmission is prevented. Staff are regularly having to make difficult decisions about symptoms, tests and self-isolation, whilst also recognising the stresses and strains placed on colleagues. In addition to contacting parents to explain difficult decisions and exploring contacts beyond seating plans, parents are receiving test information outside of school hours with schools responding, putting plans into action and then sharing it with families. School leaders have to go through this routine time and again. And then, from the parents’ perspective, receiving a phone call or letter from the school which impacts upon their own family life and responsibilities. We are also very acutely aware of the strain that has been placed on so many families for a whole variety of reasons.

And all this before we even start to consider the impact on teaching and learning and the expectation to manage students in school and at home within a constantly changing set of circumstances.  

This has been an extraordinary drain on staff in schools and all students within schools. All I will say, is ‘Thank you’ to the staff for all of their commitment, resilience and hard work. And ‘Thank you’ for your ongoing support and patience through this period. I sincerely hope that by the time we reach our next newsletter in the Spring, we will all be feeling that we are starting to make real strides forward in our recovery.

The normal work of trust does carry on, and we want to celebrate the fact that Northstowe Secondary School finally became a full part of the CMAT family in Sept and the Bluecoat School Stamford, should join the trust on 1st January. Our work with The Harbour School and the Greater Peterborough University Technical College is ongoing."

Last week was Gratitude Week at Ely College and Bishop Laney!

It has been a difficult year for everyone and in an effort to lift spirits and promote positivity in college, we thought it would be a lovely idea for us all to say THANK YOU more often and recognise the support we each receive day to day.

Little thank you cards were filled in by all staff and students and as you can see, we now have a huge box of gratitude to share (all covid safe and quarantined)! Thank you for taking part and making Gratitude Week such a success.

Going from strength to strength and following a successful start to the academic year, Bishop Laney was pleased to introduce their new Year 12 students to ‘the crash car’. Working in partnership with Cambs Drive iQ, the bashed up Mini is a regular sight at the local Sixth Form centre, passing on an important message to their young road users and future drivers.

Lessons delivered at Bishop Laney Sixth Form by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership were literally a car crash last week… but no one was hurt, and these potential new drivers got an important lesson in road safety. The ‘Cambs Drive iQ’ programme provides young people with a virtual experience of different driving situations, preparing them to become better and safer drivers once they have passed their test. It improves the skills often neglected by young drivers, such as anticipating danger and risk management.

As part of the PLEDGES+ enrichment provision, Bishop Laney students were asked to complete modules on topics such as distractions, alcohol and drugs, seatbelts and thrill seeking, each taking about fifteen minutes. They were then taken on a tour of the crashed mini where reality hit home for many of them. This unique opportunity is evidence based and real world orientated, and the focus on peer pressure and keeping your friends safe struck a chord:

“I now know how to deal with passengers when I am the designated driver, getting them safely from A to B. The harsh reality is that one in five new drivers has a crash within 12 months of passing their test. I don’t want my friends to be involved in a crash and I know now, how to avoid one myself.” Caleb, 16 and studying Sport Science and Geography at Bishop Laney, commented “We need to look out for each other.”  Even if students were not thinking about learning to drive soon, Cambs Drive iQ gave give them tips which could keep them safe as passengers.

The programme is now being operated in eighteen schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with over 1,500 students signing up to take part.  Bishop Laney is proud to have worked in partnership with Cambs Drive iQ from the beginning, providing its students year after year with an opportunity to be in the driver’s seat of this award-winning programme. Students have access to more than 120 video scenarios filmed on local roads in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Adam Steels, Head of Bishop Laney Sixth Form commented “This platform engages with young people from the start, preparing them for the potential challenges they may face whilst driving. It’s a good way to influence attitudes towards driving in a classroom environment and should arm our young drivers with everything they need to know to stay safe on the roads. This is just one of the life skills we ensure our students leave us with, through our PLEDGES+ programmes.”

If you are a local Year 10 or Year 11 student thinking about your Post-16 destination, you can learn more about the opportunities Bishop Laney Sixth Form has on offer here: www.bishoplaney.org

Not just one… but THREE hard working Franklin House students have become the first this year to achieve their Gold PLEDGES accolades. It has become clear that students have spent their time in national lockdown well, as not only the Gold’s, but also the Bronze and Silver awards have been rolling in!

Kicking the start of term off with a bang, Lucy Francis and Sophie Norman in Year 11 met with our new Principal Mr Warburton to be awarded their Gold pins and certificates. These were the first Gold PLEDGES Mr Warburton would bestow in his new role at Ely College so this was a memorable moment for all.

When asked what the secret to their success was, the girls commented on how, throughout Years 9 and 10, they had both took part in a number of activities that accumulated quickly, leading them to GOLD. These included taking up the roles of Sports Leaders and volunteering at sporting events. This, they discussed, was particularly rewarding at the time, as they both enjoyed the opportunity to encourage younger students at Ely and partnering schools to find their passion in sports and keep up with exercise. Both enjoy dance and had great fun, sharing routines with primary school students as we invited them to collaborate in different sports projects with the college.

Speaking about their achievements, Lucy and Sophie said: “It has been hard work to meet the criteria, but we have really enjoyed the challenge. We were given ownership on so many projects including our recycling project and different House projects we did together when we joined the student council. Working towards our PLEDGES has offered us new experiences we are very proud of and we now look forward to encouraging other students to do the same and keep aiming for Gold.”

Just a few days later, Franklin House hit the mark again as Joseph Chapman was awarded his Gold pin. Joseph is only in Year 9 and has already achieved great things through the PLEDGES system. One of our current Student Ambassadors, he is working on his personal project put forward for consideration by the student council; this year he and a friend are working to revamp our infamous Ely’s Got Talent show AND start to plan for the schools Aquafest boat race entry in July. It is their hope that loads of students will get involved in these events, not only to earn their own PLEDGES but also in the hope that these events will raise money for the RNLI.

After listening to student feedback last year and some time to reflect on the value of PLEDGES, the extracurricular system has recently been updated including how to log PLEDGES through TEAMs and the class notebook. Mr Fisher and Mr Craven have taken the lead on this so if you have any questions please contact them.

Since Ely College joined the CMAT trust, the college has introduced a simple but broad set of PLEDGES that pupils are expected to complete during their time at the school, at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. The fact that some students are completing the set before Year 11 is very impressive. Students gain their PLEDGES through activities and work across seven categories: Participation, Leadership, Environment, Diversity, Giving, Excellence and Service.

We have recently adjusted the PLEDGES poster to include more COVID friendly options, in the hope that student keep going with their PLEDGES through this difficult time and know there are outlets for them to achieve. Well done to all the Bronze and Silver award winners this term, including Freyja Gunn from Turing House here with Mr Burke.

The PLEDGES form part of the school's parallel curriculum – a system that is designed to develop the whole child and complement the academic courses. Similar to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme (also offered at Ely College!), it helps pupils develop character and skills that can be taken into their adult life.

Simon Warburton, Principal at Ely College said “The scheme has really helped drive a wide range of activities and improved relationships. It encourages students to give back to the school and their communities. Through PLEDGES, we can recognise, encourage, and reward those important aspects of personal development and learning that examinations do not. I’d like to congratulate Franklin House and look forward to giving out many more gold awards in the months to come”.