Dear parents and carers,
As the Christmas holidays begin in the schools and settings across The Canterbury Academy Trust, I write to you so I can share our termly Pillars of Excellence Newsletter, and highlight some of the key developments across our Trust, as this calendar year draws to a close.
Over the last eight weeks, the Trust has been visited by Ofsted three times for planned and routine inspections. Both of our City View Pre-Schools and Nurseries have been inspected and then, last week, so was The Canterbury Primary School. We were delighted to receive a thoroughly deserved ‘good’ judgement in all areas for our City View setting based, here, on campus next to our primary school. You can view the report, should you wish, by following this link; https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50197758
I think the report summarises the setting perfectly when it opens with;
“Children and babies thrive in this caring nursery. They quickly settle as they arrive and are greeted by the enthusiastic and nurturing staff. Children’s emotional wellbeing is supported through effective transition procedures and the positive relationships that they form with staff.”
This is testament, of course, to the outstanding leadership of our expert Early Years team and the excellent relationships they enjoy with you, our Trust community of parents. The report for our City View setting at Wincheap Primary School is in its final stages of quality assurance at Ofsted, and we shall look forward to sharing this with you as soon as we are able.
The Canterbury Primary School received a two day inspection on the 7th and 8th December. Although the report is in its very early days of drafting, again, we will share it with you as soon as it is ready; this will not be until nearer the end of January. In the meantime, though, I would like to thank all of the parents who took the time to complete the Ofsted Parentview feedback for the inspection team. Through this, and through conversations with families at the school gate, the inspection team were able to get a tangible sense of how we work together across our Trust, and exactly how committed you are as a community to seeing us provide the best possible educational opportunities for your children, our students.
I remain incredibly grateful to all of our City View and Canterbury Primary School colleagues for their commitment to our ethos; their passion; their dedication; and all of the support they proudly offer our young people and their families. I hope that, once the reports are published, the philosophy that we all believe in as a Trust community of students, families and staff, will shine through brightly.
With our Pillars of Excellence Newsletter, yet again, I remain in awe of the achievements of our young people across the Trust; always inspired by the way they grasp every opportunity they are offered. As you flick through the newsletter you will be able to read some of the highlights through our pillars in Sport, Performing Arts, Practical Learning and Enterprise Education; all underpinned, of course, by Academic Excellence.
So much has happened since I last wrote at the end of term 1, but I think, as is always the case at this time of year, our recent Trust Christmas Cabaret embodied everything which our community believes in. Every year I talk to students, families and friends afterwards and we always say the same thing to each other; “How has what we’ve just seen been actually as good, if not better, than last year?!” Well, somehow, through the hard work (and crazy ideas!) from our Performing Arts Team and the brilliance of our students, we just keep doing it, and that is what makes me and all of my Trust colleagues so unbelievably proud. Our students’ willingness to be the best that they can be; their commitment to our ‘team;’ their belief in themselves and their friends; the support they offer each other; and overall, the way they collectively recognise and celebrate each and every one of their individually unique gifts, talents and skills. I hope the experience will help them forge memories and confidence that they will carry with them forever.
It is always the feeling of sheer joy and happiness that I feel at Cabaret which we all love; and the fact that we can experience that together, alongside our parents, families, friends and colleagues from across our entire Trust makes it even more special.
As we move into the Christmas break, our Youth, Community and Extended Services Team will continue to offer opportunities throughout the holiday across both the Canterbury and Ashford Districts. Please do visit our social media pages for more information and contact details should you be interested. These can be found on:
Facebook https://en-gb.facebook.com/TheCanterburyAcademy
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_canterbury_academy_trust
Twitter https://twitter.com/CantAcadTrust
Heads of School from across the Trust have already written to you regarding the timings for the start of term 3 in January, and we shall look forward to seeing all of our students back at school for their usual start time on Tuesday, 3rd January 2023.
It only remains for me, on behalf of all my colleagues across the Trust, to wish you all a very safe, healthy, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
My best regards,
Jon Watson
Executive Principal
