The transition year 2008

Over 1100 potential students have expressed an interest in obtaining a place at The Petchey Academy from September 2008. While it is pleasing for us to know that we are popular we also understanding that it will also cause many worries until the places are announced later this year.

For young people (and their parents/carers), transfer from primary to secondary school can be a challenging period in their lives. The Petchey Academy is committed  to ensuring that the transfer process will be as seamless as possible.

During their first year at the Academy, students will be taught for some of the time in ‘HOUSE’ groups, with the exception of when specialist facilities are needed. This will ensure that there is no sudden discontinuity when adapting from the primary to secondary phases of schooling.

Being part of the community

The Academy is striving to become a focal point of the local community by starting to share its resources and facilities with other local schools, businesses and the wider community. Additional services will  in time include study support, adult education, sports and games provision, family learning, cultural activities and ICT training and the provision of appropriate courses for those whose first language is not English.

Service

Within the Academy's specialisms is an underlying philosophy of service: to each other as a school community and to the wider community. Consequently, all of our students will be expected to engage in activities within the community. This will lead to additional qualifications for many students such as the Sports Leadership Award, Red Cross training and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

Applying for a place at The Petchey Academy :
The Petchey Academy will welcome students of all abilities. Like all other public-funded schools in the borough, the school will work within the admissions arrangements operated by The Learning Trust (Local Education Authority) and the 'Pan-London Admissions System. The Academy will consider all applications for places. Where fewer than 180 applicants are received, the Academy will offer places to all those who have applied.

What happens if the school is oversubscribed?
Where the number of applicants is more than 180, potential students will be considered against the criteria below, in the order shown, and after the admission of pupils with statements of Special Educational Needs where The Petchey Academy is named on the statement.

• Children in the public care of the local authority.
• Admission of pupils on the basis of proximity to the school using straight line measurement from the main entrance of the Academy (near the Reception Desk) to the main entrance of the child's home. In the event that it is not possible to distinguish between applicants on the basis of distance lots will be drawn as a final tie breaker.

The banding system

The banding system is not an entrance examination, but a means for ensuring that the Academy accepts children of all abilities. The system will operate as follows:

• Each applicant will be required to take a non-verbal and verbal reasoning test which will place the applicants in a rank order.
• Each applicant will be placed in one of five bands based on their performance in the test. As far as possible each band will contain the same number of applicants so that it represents 20% of the applications. Places will be allocated so that an equivalent number of applicants are admitted from each band. The test is not an entrance exam which students pass or fail. It is a way of ensuring that the school includes children of all abilities.

And finally

The Petchey Academy now has a clear statement about its ability to provide an excellent standard of education. The OFSTED Report of January 2008, provides parents and carers with direct evidence of its current success.

Please be aware: the academy sets extremely high standards of behaviour for students and equally high standards of support from parents and carers.

Attendance at the Petchey Academy is NOT for the 'faint at heart': either parents/carers or students.

We expect our parents/ carers to support us in the difficult challenges we face to ensure that all of our charges leaves us as potentially successful young people who will carry with them the 'mark' of The Petchey Academy long after they have left us.

David T. Daniels

Principal

2nd June 2008

WHAT WE AIM TO PROVIDE:

 In return for your interest in us we offer:

A new and exceptionally well equipped learning environment.

• A Principal with a first rate track record.
• Diversity in which “to be different is normal”. This will underscore all aspects of school life.
• An environment in which high levels of achievement will be pursued relentlessly.
• An Academy which is proud to be a member of the  'family' of schools working in Hackney to provide  non-selective education for learners in the borough.
• An excellent first OFSTED report which indicates that we have no areas for development other than those identified by The Petchey Academy. In other words we know what we are doing!!.

Information/open evenings 2009/10

Please check over the next few months for details concerning information for  potential students for entry September 2009.

A good source of information is 'The Learning Trust' with whom we work very closely.