Read our latest academy newsletter

by Alan Brooks  on March 7, 2014  in  Academy News

I hope you have all had a good start to the year, and that the spring term is going well. This is a vital time for Year 6s (as I’m sure you’ve been told many times!) and we wish them all the best for the months ahead.

National offer day is now upon us, and I sincerely hope that all parents and students can be happy with their offers, and that any disappointments are kept to a minimum. We received a high number of applications for Year 7 this September. This shows how many of you believe in the opportunity this new academy represents, and how, with our facilities, our partnerships and our commitment to the very best teaching, we can build something truly exceptional at KAA. It was wonderful to meet so many parents in the autumn term – your passion and enthusiasm for the new academy has helped to inspire my team and me during this set-up year.

I’m conscious that, as a new school, some parents who are offered places may have questions for me after they receive their letter. If you need more information that what’s on our website and in our prospectus, please contact my assistant Melanie.Rieder@aldridgefoundation.com and she can schedule a call or meeting for us. However, if your query is a general one re the application process, please go direct to the admissions team at RBKC or your home LA. The appeal form and guidance has been placed on the RBKC website: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/educationandlearning/schools/schooladmissions/appeals.aspx

Recruitment

The staff team at KAA is growing fast – you can see the full list of teachers we’ve appointed so far here. I’ve been very pleased with the level of interest so far and the quality of the appointments we’ve been able to make. We are still in recruitment mode – this flyer details all the roles we are currently advertising for. All posts are also listed on our recruitment page – the list does change so if you are interested please check regularly. If you can’t see your subject listed, I always welcome expressions of interest from anyone who has a strong record as a teacher – just email an up to date CV to Melanie.

Building update

The academy continues to be on track for completion on August 8th this year. As these pictures show, it is really starting to take shape. Every time I visit I’m tremendously excited at the beautiful learning environment we are going to offer KAA students. I’m sure they will all understand how lucky they are – students up and down the country do not have access to this level of facilities, and my staff and I will expect the students to treat them impeccably when they join us in September. You can read more here.

A reminder that you can follow the progress of the construction live at this link: http://rbkc.regenology.co.uk/#linkLive

Uniform

Our (very smart) new uniform is nearly finalised. As you may already know, the final design is a grey blazer, maroon jumper, white shirt or blouse and dark grey trousers. Striped tie (in house colours). Girls will be able to wear a pleated skirt or trousers. The pictures below help give you an idea of what it looks like (though they don’t do it full justice!)

A detailed price list will be available shortly on our website, but as a marker we can say now that the academy blazer will cost £30 and that the full uniform ‘pack’ which includes: 1 X Blazer; 1 x Tie; 1 x Jumper; 2 x Shirts; 1 x Trouser / Skirt; 5 x Socks / Tights will be £85 for boys and £90 for girls (note: pack doesn’t include PE kit which will be additional cost).

Just a note on cost: I have met personally with numerous suppliers and I can say now, with as much confidence as possible at this stage, that this uniform represents value for money. It is significantly less than the other quotes we received but, crucially, it is still high quality clothing that will last (as long as they look after it!). If anyone wants to talk to me more about the uniform please do get in touch.

Please note the uniform still needs to final approval from the Governing Body so may change slightly in design (but not cost). You can read more here.

With best wishes,

David Benson