LAR Roundup Module 2

What's

Welcome

To Leigh Academy Rainham Roundup!

We are delighted to welcome you to the 'Leigh Academy Rainham Roundup'! This is our unique magazine that is published each module to celebrate all that we achieve in our highly inclusive setting, where tradition and innovation combine to create leaders of tomorrow.

At Leigh Academy Rainham we promote an ethos of uncompromising high aspirations and expectations for every young person in terms of both their academic success and personal growth as caring, respectful global citizens who act with purpose and integrity. Within this magazine we share with you the wonderful ways in which we work towards our values of Dream, Believe, Achieve.

Enjoy!

What's

INSIDE

CONTENTS

04. Principal's Piece

06. Visits to LAR

08. Events at LAR

10. Learning at LAR
MYP
Kingsley
Turing
Angelou

18. Learning at LAR
Theme of the Fortnight and Healthy Minds

20. Learning at LAR
Co-Curriculum Sports

22. Learning at LAR
Co-Curriculum Activities

26. Digital Learning at LAR

28. LEIGH Learners

32. College Community Corner

40. Wellbeing at LAR
Anxiety

42. The Last Word
Christmas Animation

Principal's Piece

Our first winter module at LAR has been a delight with so much on offer for our students to take part in in addition to the high quality learning that continues to take place in lessons. Our students (and staff!) are continuing to grow in confidence with their use of their digital devices, becoming proficient users of their Google tools which is enhancing their learning experiences on a daily basis and when I visit lessons students are modelling exceptional learning behaviours at all times.

Every visitor we welcome through our doors, of which we have had many this module, congratulates us on the additional co-curricular offer that is in place for students. The number of inter-college competitions, clubs and additional opportunities is a unique selling point of the Academy that grows from strength to strength each term as a result of the ongoing commitment from our staff. Students have been organising community shoeboxes, litter picking, tree planting, representing the Academy at Kent sporting events, raising money for charity and of course working hard to prepare for what was a highly successful Winter Wonderland event.

The Co-Curricular offer at the Academy continues to grow from strength to strength with over 100 students accessing co-curricular every evening. In excess of 80% of our students access a club every week, we offered Dungeons and Dragons, German, Film, STEM, Eco, Chess, Art, Photography, Cheerleading, Badminton, Basketball, Dance, Choir, Christmas Decorations, Football and the Christmas Escape Room in Module 2. In our continued attempts to develop this further we are offering a further 5 clubs in Module 3. If your child has yet to access a club please encourage them to join in and further enrich their learning opportunities at LAR.

Receiving letters from parents thanking us for supporting their children in a manner of ways re-affirms our belief that well established systems, routines and high expectations and aspirations provides a consistent framework within which all children can be highly successful. Every child knows what to expect at all times and we continue to be unwavering in our commitment to modelling exceptional manners at all times and expecting all students to abide by our expectations at all times. Students have informed us they value this as it means everyone is supported in a fair, consistent manner that makes them feel safe and valued at all times. I wish all our students and families a safe, healthy Christmas with loved ones and look forward to what module three will bring. ◾

This module we have had visits from:

◾ Simon Beamish, CEO of LAT
◾ HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud
◾ Paul Clarke, Head of Medway School Services
◾ Celia Buxton, Assistant Director of Medway Education and SEND
◾ Frank Green, the Chairman of the LAT
◾ Theresa Davies, the Vice Chair of the LAT
◾ Headteachers from a number of our local primary feeder schools
◾ Rehman Chishti, our MP, to discuss charity and career projects
◾ Members of our Governing body

Visits to

LAR

Simon Beamish

CEO of the Leigh Academies Trust

HRH Prince
Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud

'Leigh Academy Rainham (LAR) is now one of the most popular schools in Medway based on 2022 year 7 parental preferences. On visiting recently, it isn't difficult to see why. Pupils' behaviour is impeccable which means they make rapid progress in lessons. The curriculum is carefully planned and rigorously delivered within the framework of the International Baccalaureate. This ambitious curriculum is normally only available to pupils in grammar schools and top fee-paying schools, but at LAR pupils are getting used to similar expectations. All pupils have their own Chromebook and use this regularly every day to accelerate their learning. Co-curriculum opportunities are abundantly available and are helping to develop pupils' wider cultural capital beyond regular classroom learning. The small school model ensures that every pupil is well known and cared for. Within Leigh Academies Trust we are exceptionally proud of the progress at LAR so far. Our planning for year two is well underway which includes an enhanced leadership team to drive the school forward towards our original high ambitions. I would like to thank Mrs Millward and her highly talented team for all of their hard work.'

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the UK

LAR

CEO of the Leigh Academies Trust

HRH Prince
Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the UK

On Friday the 10th of December we welcomed the Saudi Arabian Prince, HRH Khalid, through our doors. Prince Khalid attended Oxford University and has been living in the UK in his current post for four years. He and his British wife have been raising their children to speak and live both English and Arabic languages and cultures and he has progressive and liberalistic views on how Saudi Arabian culture might grow and change in the future.

HRH spoke to students in the Main Hall for 30 minutes describing the career paths available to students by working in the foreign office. Students learnt about his role as an Ambassador and he spoke about being aspirational and working hard to achieve ones goals. Prince Khalid told students about the geography of his home country and taught them some Arabic. Throughout this interactive talk he took questions from students who asked insightful questions wanting to know more about his country, his experiences and his role. The Ambassador then met with members of the Student Leadership team who told him about our vision and values here and LEIGH learner attributes. This was then followed by a short tour of the Academy.

Next term students will be learning about the Islamic faith in RE and Islamic artwork in Art. In addition, as part of our careers focused Theme of the Fortnight will be watching a video of HRH being interviewed as an Ambassador about Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.

Events at

LAR

DJEMBE DRUM WORKSHOPS

WINTER WONDERLAND

Our first ever Winter Wonderland was a huge success. We hosted nearly 20 students stalls and 20 business stalls from the local community as part of our Christmas Markets. In addition to this Mrs Plant and Miss Ferguson put together a fantastic talent show, 'LAR's Got Talent' in which our students, who have only been with us two terms, bravely performed in front of two large audiences of 200.
The money raised from the students stalls is going to three local charities: Demelza House, Age UK and Medway Street Angels. The money raised from the ticket and raffle sales will be used to purchase additional resources for our students including more books for our library.
Thank you to all those who came and supported this fantastic event!

LAR

DJEMBE DRUM WORKSHOPS

Graham from Medway Music Association came and led on 30 minute Drums workshops for all of our year 7 students on the last two days of term. Students were given the opportunity to play the drums and learn about the different types of beats and rhythms, creating these for themselves with his support. It was a lovely way to enrich the musical experiences our students have in their Global Music lessons with Miss Casey.

WINTER WONDERLAND

Learning

LAR

OUR MYP CURRICULUM

We have introduced the students to the International Baccalaureate (IB), Middle Year Programme (MYP). The students will follow this programme through their time at LAR and into Year 9 where they will produce a community project.The community project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to explore their right and responsibility to implement service as action in the community. The community project gives students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and address those needs through service learning. As a consolidation of learning, the community project engages in a sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community.

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognising their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. As IB learners we strive to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. It would be really useful for the students if you spent some time over Christmas to talk through some of these attributes. Have a fantastic family Christmas.