1. On top of the
world thanks to the
International Award
The Academy is delighted
to have received a national
award recognising outstanding
work to bring the world into
the classroom.
The British Council’s International
School Award is a badge of honour
for schools leading the way in
instilling a global dimension into
the learning experience of all
children and young people.
An unforgettable performance
from the Osiligi Maasai Warriors,
Greek language taster sessions,
foreign exchange visits and a life-
changing trip to Kenya are just a small
sample of the inspiring initiatives that
have taken place.
Mrs Gatti, the Academy’s International
Coordinator, said: “It is vital that we
equip our students with the skills they
need to enter what is a global jobs
market such as language skills and an
understanding of different cultures.”
Read more about our students’
adventures and what we have
planned for this year on p6-7.
LEARNING
THROUGH
PLAY
Educational fun
for two-year-olds
BIG
TALENT
Oxford offer
for Ashley Davy
11
A YEAR OF
ADVENTURE
Our Combined
Cadet Force unit’s
first exciting year
STUDENT
LEADERSHIP
Meet our
Head Girl
and Head Boy
NCEA
SPORT
Girls’ rugby
team are
unbeaten
15
IN THIS ISSUE
A Specialist Design and Environment Academy
ISSUE 1
SPRING TERM 2015 NEWS
THE NCEA
Since the Academy was born in 2009,
the percentage of Y11 students gaining
passes in both English and mathematics
has increased by 26%. No other school
in Northumberland can claim that level
of change.
The percentage of A*/A in the Sixth Form
has improved by 32.1% since 2012. No
other school in Northumberland can reflect
on such levels of improvement in that time.
3
8
10
In 2014, 82% of our Y6 pupils achieved
a Level 4 or above in reading, writing and
maths - above the national average of 79%
and an improvement of 23% since 2012.
The Centre, for our children with severe,
profound and multiple learning needs, is
an excellent provision.
100% of children make progress and it is a
positive and vibrant place to be.
This is a great achievement by all concerned
and shows we are continuing on our journey
to excellence. But it would be wrong for us to
paint too glowing a picture of the Academy’s
performance... (continues overleaf)
MOST IMPROVED SCHOOL
IN NORTHUMBERLAND?

2. There remains much to be done if we are
to become the school in which each of
our children and young people is enabled
to be the very best they can be.
Our primary phase is forging ahead and in almost all areas
exceeds the national average. This is good news, because
this will impact on outcomes in the secondary phase in due
course. The Centre is an excellent provision and people are
clamouring to get their children into it. It is now full.
However, Y11 results need to improve more rapidly
and a huge amount of work is being done to achieve just
that. We believe we are on track to produce another year
of improved results and look forward to your support in
that regard.
This newsletter serves to give you a flavour of all
the other things happening across the Academy.
It cannot, within its 16 pages, do justice to all we
have done and achieved, but it should give you
an idea of how much is being done to make the
Academy an exciting place for every child and
young person to be.
2 3
EARLY
YEARS
In an exciting move to expand our Early Years
provision children can now join the Academy
from the age of two.
The addition of the three Early Years Centres at the
William Leech, Thomas Bewick and Robert Stephenson
Campuses mean more eligible families can now access
15 hours of high quality free childcare.
The experienced teachers and support staff have been
working hard to make sure that our classrooms are full of
stimulating resources that will support the children in their
first few years at school and give them the best possible
start to their education.
We offer lots of fun activities that encourage our youngest
children to learn through play and to acquire those
communication skills that are vital to their success.
The latest evidence shows that two-year-olds who access
high quality Early Years provision see real benefits in terms
of early language skills and in their social and emotional
development. Parents can also be confident in the
knowledge that their children are receiving top quality
care from experienced and knowledgeable staff.
Our speech and language therapist (SLT) Mrs Hope works
closely with all the Early Years Centres.
Read more about her work on p14.
120PLACES AVAILABLE
FOR TWO-YEAR-OLDS
across three campuses
in morning and
afternoon sessions
15 HOURS
OF FREE CHILDCARE
AND EARLY LEARNING
are available for eligible two-
year-olds (paid-for places
are also available)
MRS LISHMAN
DIRECTOR OF EARLY YEARS
To find out more or to arrange a visit
contact Mrs Lishman on 01670 816111 (ext 395)
IS NCEA THE
MOST IMPROVED
SCHOOL IN
NORTHUMBERLAND?
Mr Day
Executive Director
(L) Caitlin Banks receives the Duke of Northumberland’s Award for Enterprising Spirit
(R) Ethan Lowes receiving the NCEA Excellence Award from Mr Day
Hundreds of guests gathered in the Atrium of the Josephine
Butler Campus for the annual celebration of our children
and young people’s achievements. This was a bumper year,
with large numbers of our students from all phases receiving
prizes for achievement and effort. His Grace The Duke of
Northumberland and Bishop Frank White, Assistant Bishop
of Newcastle, were guests of honour and presented prizes
to a very smartly turned out group of students.
The Academy was proud to host a major event
to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the
liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Holocaust survivor Zigi Shipper and religious leaders
joined pupils in a candle-lighting ceremony in conjunction
with the Diocese of Newcastle.
The event also officially opened the acclaimed touring
Anne Frank Trust exhibition which was staged at the
Josephine Butler Campus. Pupils were trained to provide
guided tours to visiting schools from across the North East
and members of the community wishing to learn more
about the life of the teenage diarist. Read more about
the event in the next issue of The NCEA News.
KEEPING THE MEMORY ALIVE
LEARNER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
a positive and
encouraging place!
During our last OFSTED,
NCEA was described as
very impressive
things happening
They also noted that they saw

3. 4 5
THE LIFE
OF A
CHAPLAIN
The Music department continues to
go from strength to strength. We have
seen another increase in instrumental
lesson uptake, staff changes and
curriculum developments including
the introduction of A Level Music.
Our ensembles in both secondary
and primary have continued to flourish
and the carol service included debut
performances from the new NCEA
Jazz Band and Chamber Choir.
MUSIC IS
THRIVING
Mr Trueman
Director of Dramatic Arts
The Primary Choir has certainly improved over the past term. Members were auditioned in September and rehearsals have increased in both
challenge and regularity. The Choir comprises children from all five primary campuses and their efforts culminated in the recording session
for our entry into the BBC School Choir of the Year competition – watch this space for the next update!
The Senior Choir, led by their new conductor Mrs Anna Corcoran, now has a membership in excess of 50 students. They performed at the
NCEA Awards Evening and received rave reviews for their rendition of ‘Rather Be.’
Part of my work as chaplain is to lead
Collective Worship or “assembly” with
pupils of all ages and on all campuses.
It is a pleasure and a privilege and usually hugely enjoyable.
I say usually. On Children in Need Friday I was in front of 400
children dressed as Batman, Spider-Man or clad in ‘onesies’.
They were, to say the least, a little excited! I would like to
say the heightened excitement was due to anticipation of my
offering on “Thankfulness” but alas I think that I was pipped
by Pudsey Bear fever
As the Act of Worship was drawing to a close and the children
were filing out singing “Thank you Lord for this New Day”,
it all got too much for one young lad near the front and he
was sick. Fortunately he seemed to take it all in his stride,
quite literally, and carried on walking back to his classroom.
The rest of the class were diverted around his breakfast and
the clear up operation began. While I wondered: “Was it
something I said?”
I have avoided the story of Noah and excessive mentions
of rain since I was warned by a seasoned campaigner of the
school assembly that this can have unfortunate consequences
especially with Reception children.
I took comfort from the Bible where it says:
“Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”
Just as important as not being afraid and discouraged is not
becoming jaded and bored with familiar stories. Not allowing
the extraordinary, extravagant love of God in sending His Son
as our Saviour at Christmas to become just another drab day
with too much to do, too much money spent and too many
relatives you really don’t want to see.
Working in a school keeps things fresh for me. Seeing
youngsters engaging with the Christmas story, in RE, in
Nativity plays and talking about it in the playground or at
lunch, they come to it with fresh minds, youthful enthusiasm
and a delight, awe and wonder. Talking to them, asking and
answering questions and doing some wondering: “I wonder
what it was like, what Mary was feeling, what the shepherds
thought...” makes it all new again.
I saw on a poster for a church near York
Jesus is for life not just for Christmas
Christmas isn’t just for children – it is for EVERYONE
As we begin 2015 may I take this opportunity to wish you
and your family a happy and healthy year.
Sally Milner
Chaplain
Now in its fifth year the Drama
department has seen an exciting rise
in student uptake with students now
working towards Performing Arts
GCSE and AS qualifications.
NOTES FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT
ORCHESTRA
PROJECT
All Y4 pupils across all
campuses are involved
in weekly music making
through the Orchestra Project
Lessons are being offered to pupils in
the trumpet, trombone, violin, cello,
flute and clarinet.
BANDS + CLUBS
l The NCEA Wind Band
l Steel Pan bands
l NCEA Jazz Band
l Chamber Choir
l Guitar Club
l Drumming Club
FEB
15
MAR
19
MAR
25
LOOKING AHEAD
All three choirs will be
performing in the National
Festival of Music for Youth
at the Sage Gateshead
The Academy is
hosting the Wansbeck
Music Festival
The second annual
NCEA Spring Concert
CHOIRS GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
Inspiration
MR
WATERSTON
Head of Drama
Students gained some
fantastic writing tips from
popular children’s author
and winner of the Roald Dahl
Funny Prize, Philip Ardagh.
PHILIP
ARDAGH
Christmas proved the perfect
opportunity for children to
exercise their acting skills
and audiences were treated
to some wonderful nativities
and festive performances
across the primary campuses.
A selection of Key Stage 3 students from the Drama group
performed at the Brinkburn Music Festival. As a result of
their excellent work they have been invited back to perform
on a larger scale in this year’s festival.
The Academy is working with Mortal Fools towards establishing
a new youth theatre group in Ashington. If you didn’t have a
chance to get involved with taster sessions last term speak to
Mrs Gatti or log onto the Facebook page ‘New Northumberland
Youth Theatre’ or email kiz@mortalfools.org.uk
Students of GCSE Expressive Arts have performed hard-hitting
pieces aimed at educating young people about the impact of war
crimes that took place during the Holocaust.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Students following the AS Performing Arts qualification
are currently working on texts written by Willy Russell and
will be showcasing ‘Educating Rita’ and ‘Blood Brothers’.

4. 6 7
After a year of fundraising eight
members of the Sixth Form
travelled to Kenya to take part
in a life-changing project to help
provide a village with clean and
safe drinking water.
Whilst there the group also helped to run a
busy under tree clinic, worked with children
in a Maasai school and experienced the
challenge of life in the bush.
Following their return, the students were
appointed as Ambition Ambassadors and
are now working hard to inspire others to
SIXTH FORM
VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS
IN KENYA AND PERU
From walking five miles with a back-breaking
40kg of firewood or 20 litres of water, to searching
for a missing child in the wilderness and helping
to run a bush clinic, the experiences of a group of
students in Kenya have been life-changing.
“On Monday most of the group took up
the option of an early morning bush walk.
Some decided to have a rare lie-in, while
Rebecca and Mike went for a drive along
the river to see giraffe, zebra, vervet
monkeys, mongooses, wildebeest and
a variety of antelope. We then headed
off to spend the day at the Threads of
Hope Sewing School where we carried
on with the work in the garden and
shop - although we did have some brief
distractions. One of the sewing students
had carried a bundle of firewood for
about five miles and she demonstrated
how to carry 30-40 kg of wood on your
back. Only a few had the courage to try
it out!”
“Another hard day’s digging for half the
group with the other half accompanying
the local nurse to run a bush clinic for a
remote community that hasn’t received
such a clinic for about a year. Over 40
patients were seen and treated with
another 20 having to be turned away
as we ran out of time. It was then on to
Enchorro Naibor where we all met up
again to spend the night on the edge
of the world looking out over Lakes
Natron and Magadi and the mountains
of Shompole and Oldoinyo Sampu.
After watching the sunset and enjoying
dinner round the fire we spent the
night sleeping under the stars before
getting up to see the sun rise again.
Some local kids appeared after breakfast
and we played a game of catch before
heading back to school to carry on with
the digging.”
AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
follow in their footsteps. Their assemblies
have initiated the next volunteering project
to Peru in July 2015 and fundraising is now
in full flow with coffee mornings, special
events and tuck shops arranged.
Rebecca Sanderson said: “After a year of
intense fundraising and an unforgettable
experience in Kenya the project is
something that we will all carry with us. I
also hope to take it forward by developing
links with our school and a Maasai school,
so that we can exchange cultures, develop
their educational facilities and hopefully
initiate trips in the coming years.”
DIARY EXTRACTS
The calm before the storm, members of the
Sixth Form raised £135 for their visit to Peru
by serving refreshments at a recent meeting
of church members from across the Diocese
of Newcastle.
(l-r: Tiegan Hill, Demi Hogg, Shannon Iredale
and Connor Gallon)
“We had an amazing trip to Ashington. Everybody spent so much
time on showing us around, not only the school but the beautiful
and breathtaking area as well, giving us an insight into the lessons
and so much more.
It is more than clear what our relationship is all about. It is about
learning about our two cultures, our everyday life, our traditions,
our languages and getting people from different places together to
establish future connections. We honestly believe that this link will
be of great advantage for both schools, both cities and both areas.”
Alexander Schmidt, Roentgen-Gymnasium
Children at the William Leech Campus took part in their own
exchange which involved producing tree decorations to send to all
the countries in Europe. The result was their own stunning European
Christmas Tree displaying decorations from every country in Europe
which has been a fantastic discussion point for the children.
Thank you to Dr Gaby Wright of Durham University
for visiting our school for a Greek Language taster session
as we celebrated European Language Day in style.
We saw French cuisine in catering lessons and French
equipment lists in Science and the day was brought to a close
with a European concert from our steel band.
We welcomed students and staff from our partner
schools Lycée Edouard Herriot, from Troyes in France
and Roentgen-Gymnasium in Remschied, Germany.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Team Kenya 2014: Paegan Hall, Rebecca
Sanderson, Ashley Davy, David Flynn, Caitlin
Banks, Jamie Pratt, Nathan Whitworth, Jack
McDougall accompanied by Maasai tribesmen and
Mike Kelcey, Northumberland Youth Service
“We were impressed by the school’s buildings and how big it was.
It was very interesting to see how different your lessons are from
ours and you are very lucky to work in such well-equipped
classrooms. We were pleased to attend the party you organized
for us and we had a good time chatting and dancing with some
of you. We would like to thank all the teachers who welcomed us
in their classes, especially the Biology teacher who taught a
whole lesson in French. You did great! Thank you to all the
students who made this possible and to everyone who made us feel
welcome. It was great to meet you all and we hope to see you again.”
Students from Lycée Edouard Herriot
EXPLORE

5. CCF
FACTS
What is the CCF?
The Combined Cadet Force or CCF is a voluntary
organisation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence
and its aim is to enable the development of confidence,
self-reliance, initiative, loyalty and a sense of service to
others. There are around 300 school CCF units in England
of which just 25% are in the state sector.
What do cadets do?
Marching, first aid, field craft, weapon training, map
reading, survival skills, cooking, music
Where do they go?
They can then put these skills into practise, whether it is on
exercise in Otterburn or Cyprus, on expeditions in the Cheviots
or the Alps, or adventure training in Aviemore or Canada.
Why join?
Cadets will be able to qualify for recognition with awards
such as the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet award, rise through the
ranks to recognise their leadership skills and gain qualifications
that will be a useful addition to their CV and UCAS forms.
8 9
What a first year it has
been for our Combined
Cadet Force (CCF) unit –
the first and only school
CCF in Northumberland.
Cadets now train up to five nights a week,
taking part in a wide range of exciting
activities from field craft and weapon
training to sport and music.
In just over a year since the first recruits
turned out for their initial training session,
cadets have met the Queen, marched at
Ashington’s Remembrance Parade, learned
new skills, overcome fears and pushed
themselves to the limit by jumping into
freezing cold lakes, raft-building and
surviving outdoors under the stars.
Executive Director Andrew Day said:
“Launching the CCF programme was about
ambition and aspiration and showing pupils
the opportunities that are open to them.
As well as enabling the our learners to draw
on the military traditions of one of the
country’s most prestigious regiments - The
Coldstream Guards - we hope the CCF will
help to build confidence, self-esteem and
team-working skills.
“The CCF was initially set up for
independent and grammar schools but that
is no longer the case and we are amongst
the first wave of the new expansion
programme into state schools.”
A special mention should be made to Cdt
Sgt Michael Knight who has been appointed
Senior Cadet for 2014 – 2015 and has
won the ‘Nullis Secundus’ Sword and Cdt
Cpl Katie Moffat who has won The High
Sheriff’s ‘Best Cadet’ award for 2013-14.
The next adventure
for the NCEA CCF
This term cadets will be spending
a week in February practising
military skills including blank
firing exercises in Cumbria.
The start of the term saw the
appointment of WO2 Benjamin Butler
as the Contingent’s new School Staff
Instructor (SSI). Sergeant Major Butler
previously served with 7 Para Royal
Horse Artillery for 22 years as well a
tour spent with the Cadet Training
Team in the North East and at the
Newcastle University Officer Training
Corps as an instructor.
MAJOR
EYTON PARKER
To find out more, come
along on a Thursday
at 3.30pm or contact
Major Eyton Parker
In November the cadets were honoured to attend the Ashington
Remembrance Parade where they proudly formed part of the
marching contingent. Two days later we marched on parade at
the Academy’s Remembrance Service and were presented with
the Coldstream Guards Associations branch standard.
In mid-November our cadet musicians went to Edinburgh to join
a concentration of pipers and drummers from Scotland, Northern
Ireland and England. These included Drum Major Thomas Barnes,
signed to local Grade 2 Pipe Band 101 Regt, Royal Artillery - the
highest graded military pipe band.
COMBINED
CADET
FORCE
Awards for
our cadets
Katie Says
I gave a presentation and demonstration of
drumming to a large group of people largely
made up of retired Colonels and Brigadiers.
I was really nervous but I also felt excited
as this was a new venture. My presentation
explained how important the cadets has been
in increasing my confidence and giving me
opportunities as well as expanding my social
life and group of friends.
Cdt LCpl M Knight
– to Cdt Sgt
Cdt LCpl L Brown
– to Cdt LSgt
Cdt LCpl W Pope
– to Cdt LSgt
Cdt LCpl B Wainwright
– to Cdt LSgt
Cdt LCpl N Welch
– to Local Cdt LSgt
Cdt Mack – to Cdt LSgt
Cdt Moffat – to Cdt Cpl
Cdt Stephenson – Cdt Cpl
Cdt Donoghue – Cdt Cpl
PROMOTIONS
COMBINED CADET FORCE IN THE COMMUNITY
New recruits spent their first weekend
away at Albemarle Barracks the home of
39 Regiment, Royal Artillery.The cadets
learned basic field skills on the training
area which included how to cook and look
after themselves as well as basic patrolling
skills.The second day saw the cadets
clambering over the Multiple Launch
Rocket System (tanks) which were being
used by the soldiers for a course.

6. 10 11
The Josephine Butler Primary Campus
welcomed business mentors from the local
community to launch their Enterprise
Week. Each class chose a business name
and designed and made products to sell
at the Christmas Fair. The Fair was a huge
success with all three halls full of eager
shoppers and supporters.
Student Leadership Team
ALANYA
WILSON
HEAD GIRL
DANIEL
HUME
HEAD BOY
My name is Alanya Wilson. I’m in Y11 and I
have been appointed as Head Girl. I have been
an active, vocal and enthusiastic member of the
Academy since it began in 2009 and I plan to
carry on doing so until I leave in July 2016.
In September 2014 a Student Leadership Team was
created, which gave two students from each year group
of the secondary campus a chance to make even more of
a difference to their school. Student Leadership is what we
believe will get our school the “outstanding” Ofsted status
it well and truly deserves and I look forward to working with
students, parents and staff alike to make sure that their
voices are heard within the school environment.
Head Boy Daniel Hume and I, along with the Student
Leadership Team, have some fantastic projects coming up
within the next two academic years. These projects include:
creating a student run newspaper which is published
termly; improving teaching quality and tailoring lessons
to individual student needs; setting up a large diversity of
extra-curricular activities; improving the school building
and many, many more.
I am extremely proud to take on the role of Head Girl
of this exceptional school and I hope to make a real
difference for many years to come.
My name is Daniel Hume and I am proud to
say that I have been selected to be Head Boy
alongside Alanya Wilson as Head Girl.
Being part of the Academy is something that I have always
enjoyed and I already believe that the school, students
and staff are all outstanding, helping me to strengthen my
academic future and broaden my horizons.
Within school I believe that students should have more say
in many of the decisions that are made. I think that with
the collective help of the Student Leadership Team and the
students we really do have an excellent opportunity to better
ourselves and each other, as well as leaving our mark for
those that will attend this excellent school in the future.
I would love to get involved in projects that will make strong
links between the Academy and the community. I also hope
that students are given the chance to experience and study
things in and out of school that will inspire them to better
themselves and to be the very best that they can be.
If anyone has any worries or issues, feel completely free
to approach not only myself or Alanya, but anyone that
is a member of the Student Leadership Team or Young
Ambassador team.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Day and
Mr Blackburn for appointing me to the position of Head
Boy. I hope to make a real impact upon school life and I am
very grateful that I have been given the chance to do so.
A group of students visited London to explore Student Voice initiatives,
visit Westminster Abbey and meet Wansbeck MP, Ian Lavery, in the
House of Commons.
Greenford High School, an outstanding school in Ealing, West London, with a
flourishing Student Voice programme and Junior Leadership Team, hosted the visit.
This was an opportunity for our young people to see first-hand how high expectations
and aspirations can transform a school into a vibrant and exciting community.
Mr Lavery then took the group on a tour of the Houses of Parliament and also
encouraged them to use their voice to develop their dreams and aspirations for
their communities.
Student trip to London
13 Y11 students are all set to visit University of Cambridge
in January to attend ‘The Subject Matters.’ The event is
designed to help students choose A Level options.
NEWS IN BRIEF
30 Y9 students visited Newcastle University in December
to attend ‘Investigate your Future’ event. The day gave
students the opportunity to explore how the options
they choose at GCSE impact on their career pathway.
Y11 students welcomed at St Chad’s College, University
of Durham in November to take part in academic taster
sessions and see what life at Durham is really like.
ASPIRATION
Aspirations Day at the Thomas
Bewick Campus saw visitors from
a vast range of professions speak
to pupils and give them an insight
into the world of work. The range
of professions represented was as
diverse as equine dentistry and
plumbing. Many children came
dressed as the profession that
they would like to be trained in
when they grow up.
Y12 and Y13 Hospitality students worked alongside the
staff at Alnwick Castle to set up and serve at a Christmas
event. This wonderful opportunity enabled the students
to meet the criteria for a distinction task in one of their
BTEC units.
The students managed the bar and served a three course
meal to the 88 guests and were praised for their hard work
and organisation by Martin King, the Food and Beverage
Manager. They have since been invited back to work with
his team later this year.
MR FOX
Careers Advisor
A group of Y10 pupils enjoyed an inspirational visit to
Banks Mining’s Shotton surface mine near Cramlington
to see how a modern surface mine operates.
The trip was designed to provide examples to pupils, all of whom
are members of NCEA Gifted & Talented programme, of the
different types of engineering and mining jobs carried out by
the Banks team at Shotton and to show them the sorts of
career opportunities in this sector that could be locally
available to them when they leave school.
Please join us in congratulating Ashley Davy on receiving
his well-deserved offer to study at Oxford University.

7. LETTER
FROM OUR
GOVERNORS
Dear Parents and Carers
I am enormously proud when I see our students in the
community and at the Academy. Behaviour is good and
our students are helpful, polite and a credit to you and
to the staff.
Thank you for supporting the Academy by making sure
that your child is smartly turned out in uniform and attends
regularly. High levels of attendance are known to contribute
to improved learning and results and being smartly turned out
in full uniform shows that students are ready to work when
they arrive at school.
We, the governors, all share one thing in common: we are
passionate about ensuring that the Academy offers each child
the best educational opportunities to allow them to flourish
and to prepare them for life.
Governors recently decided to appoint a second parent
governor and I would be happy to have an informal
conversation about what is involved with any parent who
might be interested in joining the governing body. In the
meantime, please find a few more details about our roles
below or visit the website: www.ncea.org.uk
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all
a very happy 2015. This is a year of which we as
governors have great expectations!
Mrs Snelling
Chair of Governors
12 13
The generations were brought together when Sixth Form
students hosted an event in honour of the 100th Anniversary of
the First World War for people who use the Wansbeck Voluntary
Service and for members of the Coldstream Guards Association.
The aim of the event was to get everyone together to remember
people who gave their lives for our freedom and bridge the gap
between the young and the old. Guests on the day were treated
to high tea and given a specially designed commemorative cake.
Funds raised were donated to The Royal British Legion.
Y6 at the Grace Darling Campus formed
a fundraising committee with the aim
of raising money for CLIC Sargent,
a children’s cancer charity.
They chose this charity because a young girl, Mary Dafter,
came in to talk to pupils about cancer and how it impacts on
her life. She told the pupils that she spends a lot of time in
the RVI on the children’s cancer ward and this can be very
boring even though they have a play room. Following this,
the children decided their first fundraiser would be to buy
toys for the RVI. They organised a non-uniform day and the
Y6 pupils made and sold cakes to raise money, overall they
raised £323.
There were some tasty treats on display
when The Centre’s secondary students took
part in a celebrity Bake Off to raise money
for Children in Need. Each class chose a
celebrity and a cake. They also came to
school dressed as super heroes and had
a disco in the afternoon.
NCEA in the Community
When the Josephine Butler Primary
Campus discovered that one of the
nursery children had been diagnosed
with Leukaemia everyone wanted to help.
Mollie McInnes in Y6 decided she would
like to have 55cm of her hair cut off to
send to The Little Princess Trust, which
makes wigs for children with cancer. Many
cakes were made and sold and a raffle was
held. In total £825 was raised and divided
between Macmillan Cancer Support, The
Little Princess Trust and The Great North
Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.
Grandparents
welcome
Grandparents attend regular drop
in sessions facilitated by the Learner
Welfare team. Here they are with
some of their wonderful Christmas
crafts. For more details or to get
involved email Sandra Brown
at learner.welfare@ncea.org.uk
or ring 01670 816111.
THE CENTRE SUPPORT
CHILDREN IN NEED
GRACE DARLING STUDENTS
HELP OUT THOSE IN NEED
THANK YOU FOR
HELPING US RAISE
£323
THANK YOU FOR
HELPING US RAISE
£825
Following Harvest
Festival at the
Thomas Bewick
Campus, the
youngest and oldest
children paired up
together to deliver
parcels of food to
the pensioners living
in the purpose built
bungalows in the
surrounding streets.
SIXTH
FORM
BUSINESS
TEAM
Pupils from the James Knott Campus were invited by their
local Co-op to reopen the store after a major refurbishment
in October. The James Knott Choir sang Christmas carols in
Asda and children continue to build links with residents of
Ashington Grange Care Home.
Staff and pupils at the William Leech Campus joined the
popular Carols by Candlelight procession. Over the past
two years this has been a huge success and it is a delight to
see the whole community coming together to walk through
Lynemouth and sing Christmas carols. It was followed by
warm ginger wine and mince pies in the school hall.
What do Governors do?
• Set the vision, ethos and
values of the Academy and
develop the strategies to
deliver them
• Hold the Academy’s
leadership and
management to account
• Ensure the safety and well-
being of the students and staff
• Ensure that the finances
we have available are spent
wisely to provide the best
educational opportunities
for every child.
How do we do this?
• Meet regularly with the
Executive Director and
his executive and senior
leadership teams.
• Ask questions about every
aspect of the Academy
• Review departments and
faculties and visit classrooms
• Ask inspectors to do
independent reviews
• Monitor progress
• Talk to students about
what they think about life
at the Academy
• Attend events and special
occasions in the life of
the Academy
The life of
a Governor

8. 14 15
Y8 boys are thoroughly enjoying a weekly
breakfast sports club on a Tuesday morning,
with excellent numbers in attendance.
The NCEASport team are looking to roll this
out to other Key Stage 3 groups.
SPEECH &
LANGUAGE
Children and young people across
the Academy can now get extra
support with their communication skills
thanks to the appointment of our own
Speech and Language Therapist (SLT).
Up to one in 10 children can have some form
of speech, language and communication needs
(SLCN) but many often go unnoticed.
Kate Hope works alongside the NHS SLTs to ensure that even
more pupils can gain access to therapy sessions, vital for
removing barriers to learning. Along with her team of assistants
she also provides staff with additional training to ensure that
they can support children in their classes with speech, language
and communication needs.
As well as providing sessions and staff training at the three new
Early Years Centres for two-year-olds, she is also working with
parent and toddler groups in the community to help develop
language skills as early as possible.
“If a child can’t speak and express themselves verbally, or
understand spoken instructions they are going to have a lot more
difficulty reading and writing,” explains Mrs Hope, who originally
came to the Academy on secondment from Newcastle University.
“Serious difficulties are often picked up early on, but many
more instances of speech and language delay are not and this
can lead to wider issues with their learning.
“By helping to train staff we can make sure that specialist
teaching methods can be incorporated into daily activities and we
can work alongside the NHS SLTs to provide additional therapy.
“It is a brilliant to see children who at first may find it difficult
to express themselves and be understood grow in confidence.”
NCEA Executive Director Andrew Day said: “We know how
important speech, language and communication skills are.
We are dedicated to supporting all children to develop these
skills and we have got lots of exciting things going on to
make sure that we do this.
“We have ongoing training that is offered to our staff to
help them develop an excellent understanding of speech,
language and communication and how to support children
within the classroom.
“We also work very closely with Newcastle University, which
means we have student SLTs coming in to our campuses regularly.
That means that more children are able to have therapy sessions.”
@NCEA_SLT
FOLLOW MRS HOPE
ON TWITTER
Mrs Hope is also available to offer informal advice to parents and
has a Twitter account (@NCEA_SLT) where she tweets tips and
ideas to support children’s speech and language development.
If you would like more information on speech, language and
communication development, the support that we provide or
you have concerns about your child. Please speak to your child’s
teacher who will give you Mrs Hope’s details. You could always
tweet us or send us a DM on Twitter as well.
Make comments
– it can be tempting
to ask a lot of
questions to get
your child to
talk. This is quite
intimidating for
them. Comment on
what you are doing,
about what they are
doing and they are
more likely to begin
to do the same
and engage you in
conversation.
Follow your
child’s lead
– play with them,
talk about what
they are doing.
They are more likely
to want to carry on
chatting and playing
with you if they
are enjoying it.
Use visual support
– use gestures
and pointing and
pictures to help your
child understand
what you want from
them or what you
are saying.
Get down to
your child’s level
– talk with them
face to face so you
can see each other’s
facial expressions.
Stories are
really important
(and fun) for
children of all ages.
Lots of nursery
rhymes and
singing with
young children
is really helpful.
It tunes them in to the
rhythm of language.
TOP TIPS
The Y8 football team who defeated Richard
Coates, Ponteland 3-2 to reach the quarter
finals of the Northumberland County Cup.
The Y8 Boys’ and Girls’ teams won the
East Northumberland schools volleyball
event. They now go through to the
Northumberland school games finals.
Three of our students performed
exceptionally well in the National Judo
championships in Buckinghamshire:
Alex Brown and Molly Common won
Gold and Adam Douglass a Bronze.
A fantastic achievement!
8 NCEA boys have successfully got through
trials and have been selected to represent
East Northumberland Football Squads:
Jai Chungh, Danny Anderson, Reece Crate,
Aaron Dodds, Drew Eastlake, Sam Shanks,
Regan McCloud and Lewis Sampson.
Well done to the Y7 and Y8 NCEA Girls’
football team, who finished runners-up
in the East Northumberland School
Games Qualifier.
Gym
Olympian
Thank you to Craig Heap (GB Olympic
gymnast and BBC ‘Tumble’ judge) for
his inspirational talk to Y7 pupils.
Every Y7 student was issued a ‘steps
to success’ card and will be setting
personal goals through the ‘steps to
success’ programme.
MR BLIGHT
DIRECTOR OF NCEASPORT
SPORT
SECONDARY
Well done to the Y7/8 girls’ rugby team who performed
fantastically well and demonstrated team work and resilience
of the highest standard to emerge unbeaten at the NRFU
U13 tournament at Morpeth RFC. They got off to a flying
start winning the first two matches convincingly, leaving
them in the final against Chantry Middle School. The game
finished 10-10 resulting in a tie for first position.
Y8 RUGBY
NCEASport sixth form rugby (including
several Y11 players) played against
Bede Academy and put on a great
display, just narrowly losing to more
experienced opposition.
Dozens of boys in Y9 and Y10
descended on Ashington RFC
to play rugby after-school. The
boys received coaching, played
competitive games and enjoyed
food in the clubhouse afterwards.
A TERM OF TRIUMPH
FOR NCEA ATHLETES
A BIG WELL DONE TO...
Sixth Form
Rugby

9. The James Knott Campus Y5 boys
represented NCEA at the Ashington
Area School Games Level 2 football
competition, where NCEA played
games against teams from Ashington
and Amble. The U11 NCEA team are
competing in the East Northumberland
schools FA league.
SPORT
PRIMARY
In September Mr Watson,
the NCEA Rugby coach,
began delivering a unit of ‘tag’
rugby to all Y6 classes.
In the October half-term holiday,
a three day rugby sports camp was
delivered to Y6 and Y7 pupils.
RUGBY
JAMES KNOTT
CAMPUS TEAM
FA
SKILLS
Throughout the academic year 2014-15,
NCEA Primary has linked up with The FA Skills
programme. FA coaches are currently working
with both Y4 classes at Josephine Butler Primary
Campus. In addition to this, an FA community
skills centre has been established at NCEA on
Monday nights. NCEA students can join anytime:
5-6pm: 5-8 years
6-7pm: 8-11 years
www.TheFA.com/tescoskills
Grace Darling
and Josephine
Butler campuses
are to stage
‘Family
Football’ in
January 2015
TRANSITION SPORT FESTIVAL
Our first Y6/7 transition event took place
through a rugby festival.
Over 100 pupils from the Josephine Butler
Primary, James Knott and Thomas Bewick
campuses took part in a series of games.
The event was really well organised by the
NCEASport Sixth Form group as part of
their leadership and coaching programme.
Thomas Bewick Campus
Moorhouse Lane
Ashington
NE63 9LP
Tel: 01670 812 075
Grace Darling Campus
Central Parkway
Newbiggin by the Sea
NE64 6RT
Tel: 01670 812 075
James Knott Campus
Norham Road
Ashington
NE63 0LF
Tel: 01670 813 219
William Leech Campus
Church Square
Lynemouth
Morpeth, NE61 5TR
Tel: 01670 860 267
Josephine Butler Campus
Academy Road
Ashington
NE63 9FZ
Tel: 01670 816 111 www.ncea.org.uk