A pupil at one of Aquila, the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, schools has made an astonishing five years’ progress in his reading in just four months. Luke Rogers, 11, went from reading only 143 words per minute to a fluent 309 words per minute in only 16 weeks after his school, St Clement's Church of England Primary School in Leysdown, adopted a new approach for some pupils. The school experimented with Reading Plus, a programme that encourages healthy competition among pupils and uses AI to improve reading fluency.  The primary school already has a strong emphasis on reading, with a dedicated daily time for pupils to read each day and reading challenges and competitions over the holidays.  Kelly Lockwood, St Clement’s Headteacher, said Luke had “worked his socks off” and was “a model of persistence for his classmates”. She said the 11-year-old, whose favourite author is David Walliams, is “highly motivated, persistent and has an excellent work ethic”. She said the school had found a number of its pupils were highly motivated by the Reading Plus programme “because it seems to provide a different approach to reading, which has helped some of our more reluctant readers, as well as those who were already enjoying a good book”. “Luke really wanted to be top of the leaderboard in reading,” she said. Gemma Rogers, Luke’s mum, said her son now has “much more enthusiasm for reading, especially with the friendly competition between him and his classmates about who can read the most words”. “It has really increased his motivation and his reading ability.  We are very proud of him and his dedication to his reading," she said.

Ofsted inspectors say Kent junior school is 'rapidly improving' A Kent junior school has been judged 'outstanding' for its pupils’ personal development and 'good' in all other areas. Ofsted inspectors visited St Laurence in Thanet Church of England Junior Academy in Ramsgate last month. The school, whose pupils are aged seven to 11, was previously judged 'good' overall in 2018. The inspectors said that since a new leadership team took over, the school has been on a 'rapidly improving trajectory', with 'much achieved in a relatively short period of time'. In their report, which has just been published, the inspectors found the school’s governors and the academy trust that the school is part of - Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust - have played a 'significant [role] in supporting leaders at all levels to improve the school'. “Large-scale changes in the way mathematics is taught and how pupils who struggle to read are supported is proving effective,” the inspectors said. “The significance of this is clear to see … it is impacting positively on the wider curriculum and helping to build the confidence and resilience of pupils, the large majority of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.” The inspectors described pupils’ personal development as “strong”. “This does not happen by happy coincidence,” they said. “Much of this work is based on the reality of pupils’ everyday lives and mitigates the challenges they face outside of school.” The inspectors had some suggestions of how the school could further improve, including by continuing to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve and by continuing to reduce absence rates. Sarah Graham, the school’s Headteacher, said: “St Laurence in Thanet offers a supportive, inclusive, nurturing and inspiring learning environment where children are encouraged through an aspirational and engaging curriculum to develop their knowledge, skills and character. It’s a privilege to work here.” Annie Wiles, Chief Executive Officer of Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, said the school’s improvement was “down to the hard work, enthusiasm and experience of its inspirational team”.

Schools Minister praises two schools in our trust for exceptional results The Schools Minister Damian Hinds has praised two Kent primaries in Aquila, Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust for being in the country’s top 1% for reading, writing and maths. Hinds sent letters of congratulations to Charing Church of England Primary School, which is near Ashford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, in Brookside, for their “very high standards of achievement”. Both schools are part of Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust. Some 16 primary schools across Kent are part of the trust. At Charing, 100% of pupils in Year 6 have reached - or exceeded - expected standards in reading, writing and maths, while 94% have at Temple Ewell. In his letter, Hinds said: “The government wants to ensure that every child has the fluency in reading, writing and mathematics necessary to prepare them for a successful secondary education and beyond, which is why I was delighted to see your results. “Thank you for your work in continuing the drive towards higher academic standards, and congratulations again to you and your staff for your commitment and success.” Annie Wiles, CEO of Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, said: “Our schools provide exceptional learning experiences and we are so proud of Charing and Temple Ewell for this achievement. “Our schools design their coverage of the curriculum to provide challenging and exciting learning experiences in a caring and nurturing environment which is based on our strong Christian values.” Angela Matthews, Headteacher of Temple Ewell, said: “These results have been achieved through a tireless and unwavering focus on ensuring that each and every child receives an outstanding education, and by providing a rich and varied curriculum that enables pupils to progress and achieve their very best, whilst still retaining a thirst for knowledge and an enjoyment and love of learning.” Tom Bird, Charing’s Headteacher, said: “This is testament to the hard work and dedication of our wonderful pupils and our caring and committed staff. “Every child in our school is valued and we have a supportive, nurturing team to make sure that each one of them feels supported and happy at our school.”

Ofsted inspectors have heaped praise on a Kent primary school for being a “caring and kind community” where “pupils greet everyone with a smile”. Inspectors visited St Georges Church of England Primary in Sheerness last month. The school has retained its overall ‘Good’ rating in its latest Ofsted inspection, but it has been upgraded to ‘Outstanding’ for the behaviour and attitudes of its pupils and its leadership and management. Inspectors said the school, which is part of Aquila, the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, was “welcoming and inclusive”. “Pupils are proud ambassadors … and show impeccable manners, politely welcoming all, as they open doors and greet everyone with a smile,” the inspectors said. “They speak with delight and enthusiasm about how much leaders and staff care about them. If they have any worries, help is never far away.” Ofsted praised the curriculum, which they said had been “designed with precise knowledge from early years to Year 6”. “Pupils become confident mathematicians, writers, and scientists as they move through the school,” the inspectors said. They added that the school had taken “robust action” to improve achievements in maths and writing after results were weaker than the national average last year. The inspectors also said the school’s leaders were “inspirational, compassionate and successful, always leading by example”. “They embody the school values every day, showing deep care for pupils, families and staff.” Howard Fisher, St Georges’ Headteacher, said: “We pride ourselves on providing a caring, happy and positive atmosphere for all our children to fulfil their potential and grow in self-confidence and respect for the people and environment around them. “We agree with Ofsted that our pupils greet everyone with a smile - it’s part of what makes working at the school so rewarding.” Annie Wiles, Chief Executive Officer of Aquila, the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, said: “Ofsted has rightly acknowledged that St Georges is a highly successful school and that is down to the hard work, commitment and excellent leadership of the school’s community.” Click here for the OFSTED report.

St Nicholas CE Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status! We are all very proud of the school and the recognition of their achievement. For the full article from the IQM, please follow this link: https://iqmaward.com/news/st-nicholas-ce-primary-achieves-centre-of-excellence/  

KCC and KMFM recently ran their 'Be Bright, Be Seen' campaign for 2023, giving away 25,000 reflective keyrings to Kent schools. We are delighted that 5 of our schools were successful in being randomly chosen to receive some of the reflective keyrings, keeping pupils safer now the days are darker! Well done to: All Souls' Primary School, Archbishops Courtenay School, Kingsnorth Primary School, Reculver Primary School and St Mary of Charity Primary School. We are sure the pupils will be excited to receive their keyrings. For those schools who weren't successful, here are some ways you can help your pupils be seen during the winter months: On dull days: Children should wear bright or fluorescent clothing. High visibility vests/jackets can be bought from a lot of retailers, to be worn over clothing. Use bags/backpacks that are brightly coloured or with high-vis strips. At night: Reflective clothing reflects light from headlights - making children more visible to drivers and cyclists. Reflective armbands, clothes and accessories should be placed on clothing and bags, or over it. Remember that fluorescent/bright clothing doesn't show up in the dark. We hope everyone stays safe this winter!

We are delighted to share with you that All Souls' have been awarded a good Ofsted report following their visit back in September. At Aquila, we are proud of All Souls', its pupils, staff, and school community, who have all worked hard to obtain this rating. All Souls' have shared the following message on their Facebook page: We are all so incredibly proud of our school, its pupils, staff and wider school community. We are OUTSTANDING in Early Years Provision We are GOOD in the Quality of Education We are GOOD in Behaviour and Attitudes We are GOOD in Leadership and Management For a copy of the full report, please visit the school's website here.

A primary school has been rated “good” by education inspectors for the first time in its history. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/primary-school-rated-good-for-first-time-in-its-history-290528/

Consultation dates – 6th March 2025 to 1st April 2025 Dear Parents/Carers, Students, Staff, Governors, and Other Interested Parties Proposal Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust is proposing to extend the age range of Eastchurch CE Primary School from 3-11 to 2-11 years of age. The proposed implementation date, if the proposal is approved, will be 1st September 2025. Background Eastchurch CE Primary currently has the nursery class, Little Owls, which provides places for children aged 3 and 4. Eastchurch CE Primary School is proposing to extend the age range of the school from 3-11 to 2-11 years of age. If approved, the school’s Nursery Class would continue to operate from the purpose-built nursery building and extend into the school building to provide shared access for nursery aged children to the current Reception class outside area.  The children attending the pre-school would be registered on the school roll. Parents would still need to make a separate application to Kent County Council for a place in the Reception Class. Benefits of the proposal The school will be able to build strong partnerships and relationships with parents across Sheppey at the earliest opportunity. This will enable the school to both support the early development of the children and the early identification of needs which is critical to their future successes. Our commitment to the strongest start will also enable a smooth and fluid transition into our school Reception class. The leadership and management of a school must be strong, efficient and effective to enable high quality services to be delivered. As nursery children will be on the school roll, protocols around information sharing will be straightforward. The nursery team will be able to access all the resources and activities that are available through the school, including the expertise of staff and governors to support the operational and managerial aspects of the nursery. Parents will also be able to purchase a school meal for nursery pupils. All 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for the ‘universal’ early years funded childcare (up to 15 hours per week) from the start of the funding period following their third birthday until they start school (usually at statutory school age – the term following their fifth birthday). 3 or 4 year olds of eligible working parents can get an additional 570 hours of funded childcare (up to 30 hours per week) A 2-year-old can receive funded childcare if the parent/carer lives in England and is entitled to qualifying benefits. Parents who wish to pay for childcare will be able to do this via Tax Free Childcare or via MCAS directly to the school. Staff If the proposal is approved, qualified early years staff will be employed directly by the Academy Trust. A school is required to work to the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework that governs the ratios and qualifications of staffing. Process and Decision-making The consultation period will run from 6th March 2025 to 1st April 2025. All responses to this consultation will be carefully considered by the School and the Aquila Trust before any decision is made by the Academy Trust to submit an application to the Department for Education (DfE) to change the age range of the school from 3-11 to 2-11. If a decision is made to proceed with the proposal, following consideration of the consultation responses, an application will be made to the Department for Education (DfE) South East Regions Group. It is the DfE’s South East’s Region Group who will make the final decision on the proposal to extend the Nursery Class at Eastchurch CE Primary School through the changing of the age range of the school from 3-11 to 2-11. The DfE will make this decision after considering responses received to the consultation and the application submitted by the Academy Trust. Please note that consultation responses will also therefore be shared with the DfE South East Regions Group. Capital and planning This proposal will not affect the Published Admission Number (PAN) for the school, nor the capacity for school aged children, and will not put pressure on classroom space for school aged children. Responding to the consultation This consultation will run from 6th March 2025 to 28th March 2025. The Trust welcome responses on this proposal by the closing date of 1st April 2025. There are three ways to respond to this consultation: 1.    Emailing: enquiries@aquilatrust.co.uk   2.    In writing: Eastchurch CE Primary, Warden Road, Eastchurch, ME12 4EJ. 3.    Google form: QR Code/ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOvWTCjajOIalUkXI8KZafZAwfsffMWM5yvpZuRtAJD3nw_g/viewform?usp=header All responses to the consultation will be considered and will be shared with the school’s leadership team, Board of Directors and Trustees. Responses will also be shared with the Department for Education as the decision-maker, but we will not send individual responses to any specific points made. Kind Regards Mrs Sarah Bone Headteacher