Dear Parents & Carers,
I hope you have had a fantastic week.
You will have hopefully received my email regarding our fantastic OFSTED report. The inspection was a very positive experience and we are delighted that the hard work that goes into the school each day is recognised. Thank you again for all of your support, and indeed for the emails of congratulations that we have received since.
The highlight of the week has undoubtedly been our winter showcase, where 60 children put on a spectacular evening of music, dance and drama. We had a large number of attendees to see this great event, and as always we were amazed by the talent we have within this school. We were very much ‘Proud to be Ringmer’ on this evening! For 10% of the school to step up and perform with such quality, we were very proud of our students and thankful for the staff support to set up this event. In particular, I am grateful to Ms Urquhart and Ms Bailey for their dedication. I mentioned on the evening that our vision to develop ‘well rounded’ and ‘confident’ children was very much being upheld by the children who performed.
This Friday sees our Christmas jumper/non-uniform day alongside the charity bake sale. From seeing the children this morning, there has been a fantastic effort with some festive outfits! It is not every day that you see ‘the Grinch’ walking down the corridor, but it is great to see so many students looking forward to the day.
We continue to rebuild our House events, and today is the Basketball ‘Hoop’ challenge. I know a lot of students are looking forward to taking on Mr Madriaga, who used to coach the sport so we have high expectations!
Next week, we look forward to our celebration assemblies where we look to mark as many positive achievements as a community. It has been a great start to the academic year, and we look forward to a positive final week before the break. A reminder that next Friday is a 12.15 finish.
Best wishes, and have a great weekend.
Mr Harvey
Winter Showcase 2024
Christmas Jumper Day
Thanks to all who dressed in their Christmassy outfits today for Christmas Jumper Day, and for supporting the bake sale for Macmillan and St Peter and St James Hospice.
Change News
Our Change Ambassadors met this week and welcomed parent Sophie and governor Jess at our more formal termly meeting. We have been looking at our waste systems and how students and teachers manage the school waste, recycling and using the right bins. This is in definite need of improvement.
We started thinking about our school Eco Code and perhaps how it can tie in with our values. We look forward to sharing these with you in the new year. Thank you to Pearl for making this fabulous poster to help remind students not to litter!
Local news and initiatives - Get Bikery offers Cargo Ebike hire in Lewes -One of the central aims of Get Bikery is to facilitate behaviour change and support community projects and initiatives in a variety of ways; https://getbikery.org
English Department – Anti Bullying Poetry Competition
It is always a great privilege to read some of the amazing creative writing by the students
here at KAR, and these poems written during Anti-Bullying week are just a small sample of
the incredible talent we have here at the school.
The rich understanding of imagery to convey meaning, the use of powerful vocabulary to
impact the reader, and the ability to vary the pace and rhythm of these poems are just some
of the reasons why we, as an English Department, chose these poems to be our TOP 4
across KS3. It was a very difficult decision as there were some incredible poems across the
different year groups, but these few really did show their own individual craft and style.
We’d like to congratulate the following students: Logan Underwood, Aaron Light, Matilda
Riley and Mary Sutton for their brilliant contributions.
Write on,
Mr Maund
Logan - Year 7
In shadows cast where whispers creep,
A heart grows heavy, a silence deep.
A smile masked, a spirit worn,
In cruel games, innocence is torn.
Words like daggers, sharp and cold,
Innocent dreams, they shatter and fold.
A laugh, a jeer, a cruel refrain,
Cutting deeper than any physical pain.
Each scar of torment, unseen but clear,
A journey through darkness, wrapped in fear.
But beneath the tears, a strength will rise,
A voice that breaks through, defying the lies.
Together we stand, a force to be strong,
In kindness and courage, we’ll right the wrong.
For bullying shatters the light in a soul,
Let love and compassion be the ultimate goal.
So let’s lift each other, raise high our aim,
In unity’s warmth, we’ll extinguish the flame.
With every kind word, we rewrite the tale,
Together, in hope, we will always prevail.
Aaron - Year 9
When people enter the gigantic gate of school, do they feel safe? Right?
It’s not all kick and punch. People can. Hurt, mentally destroyed one world with their
superior. Power.
No one should go through the shatter of being shattered. One person shouldn’t tumble the
universe. Crash. Destroyed.
Everyone peers down in disappointment, like a saw thumb. No one to go to. Left alone,
forever.
Bullying is like a dust storm, one tiny speck of dust hits others and another and another
before it’s unstoppable…
Matilda - Year 9
At Least It’s Not Me
At least it’s not me.
The cuts from your words,
from your voice-
leave scars so deep,
they still haunt my memories,
choke my dreams.
Rumours tear through my back,
and I’m left unarmed.
I miss the past,
when I believed in trust.
I regret the present,
And the pain that lingers.
And I fear the future,
Of what ghosts will haunt me.
Predators. Prey.
I was never good enough,
so I became a game—
the thing you and your friends would play.
The tide comes in,
Fierce.
The wind picks up.
The pain sharpens.
But I am always alone.
Always.
Surrounded by faces I used to call friends.
Now just shadows. Memories.
They admired your roses,
but ignored your thorns
that pricked my hands
when they reached for you.
At least it’s not me, they said.
At least it’s not me.
He hates the rain - Mary Sutton - Year 9
In the bleak grey days of rain.
He trudged through the rainy streets.
Weary and worn, he sighed.
His shoes squelched in the puddles.
His heart a silent protest.
He loathed the rain’s relentless march.
In his soggy clothes.
He thought of better days.
Days with sun and laughter.
Days without the cruel downpour.
The rain seemed to mock his weakness.
His loneliness, his despair
EcoLab
The EcoLab club is buzzing with excitement, and we’ve got some wild news to share!
🥳 Mushroom Magic – Our students have successfully grown their very own mushrooms! From their donated kits from https://www.merryhill-mushrooms.co.uk/ Check out the pics below to see these fungi friends in all their glory. 🍄
🐾 Animal Tracking Adventures – Last week’s weather tried to rain on our parade, so our animal tracking tunnels didn’t get the results we hoped for. But fear not - We’ll be back next year with even better, improved versions to discover what furry (and possibly scaly) creatures are visiting our school. Stay tuned for paw-some updates.
🎄 Holiday Fun –The holidays are coming, and EcoLab is in full festive swing. The students are busy crafting their own foraged wreaths, ready to take home and spread some holiday cheer. We’ll finish up next week with our last EcoLab session of 2024, and we can’t wait to share more pictures of these beautiful creations!
👏 Big Cheers to Our EcoLab Superstars – This term has been full of amazing work from our students, and we’re so proud of everything they’ve achieved. We can’t wait to kick off 2025 with even more exciting Eco X Science projects. See you in the new year!
🌍 Stay green, stay curious! The EcoLab team: Miss Dickinson & Mrs Simon-House.
PSHE
Year 7 and 8 have been practising their CPR skills this fortnight in PSHE lessons.
New WhatsApp Announcements Channel
We have set up a Whatsapp community for the purpose of sharing important announcements with our families and community. This channel will be managed by the KAR Marketing Manager and will not allow comments, questions etc. It will simply be a channel for us to communicate important school information in a quick and easy way.
You may choose to sign up for these notifications via this link or by scanning the QR code: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VayioCaFsn0Yyk1hrv3MThank you.
Mrs. Thompson
Marketing Manager
Vacancy
MARKETING, ADMISSIONS AND TRANSITION MANAGER
37 hours per week. Required to start asap
Permanent, TTO + 1 additional week to be worked during the summer closure
Salary – KGA Pay Scale, Band 6, Points 9 to 13
Ie: £27363pa to £31067pa to be pro-rated
We are seeking a dynamic, enthusiastic and motivational individual to undertake the roles and responsibilities of this unique and rarely available position. We are seeking a colleague who will be the face and point of contact at King’s Academy Ringmer in the community, proactively developing the school’s public profile and reputation both in person and through digital marketing communication. This role presents an exciting opportunity for someone to bring their vision to further develop our thriving school community.
The successful applicant will also be responsible for the student recruitment cycle from primary feeder schools as well as in year admissions. You will lead on all aspects of marketing and admissions to meet the schools’ objectives, making sure all functions are performed in a timely, efficient, and effective manner, as well as leading on marketing campaigns, open days and events.
This role is term-time only plus one additional week to be worked during the summer closure.
King's Academy Ringmer is a rural comprehensive with values of kindness, ambition and resilience. We have a strong reputation for our inclusion, pastoral care and a rapidly improving trend of results in terms of student attainment and progress. The Academy is part of King's Group Academies whose mission is to equip all students with the confidence, knowledge, skills and values that will enable them to thrive in the modern world. We anticipate exciting developments ahead working together with students, parents/carers and the wider community to build upon our strengths and make this an outstanding school.
What can we offer you?
- A chance to be at the forefront of educational development.
- An Academy with a positive ethos, motivated students and focus upon learning
- Excellent induction, support and staff development opportunities
- A beautiful, rural environment situated approximately 12 miles from the coastal city of Brighton and Hove
For full details and an application form can be download directly from our website: https://www.kgaringmer.uk/vacancies/support-staff-vacancies or contact Amanda French on either 01273 815460 or amanda.french@kingsacademies.uk quoting job reference P/489. We offer a first class working environment with supportive colleagues and opportunities for career development.
King’s Academy Ringmer is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts within our Multi Academy trust are exempt for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all applicants will be required to declare spent and unspent convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as spent and complete an Enhanced Criminal Records Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Closing date for applications is Friday 3 January 2025 at 8.30am with the interview date on Tuesday 7 January 2025.
We advise applying promptly for this post as we reserve the right to close and interview early if sufficient suitable applications have been received.