News, Press and PR

During the Easter holidays, students at The Bourne Academy attended a three-day Careers Residential hosted by Goldman Sachs and education charity Teach First aimed at improving their careers knowledge and skills needed to take advantage of future opportunities after school.

At their offices in the City of London, Goldman Sachs hosted 100 pupils from ten schools serving disadvantaged communities across the country; all these schools work closely with Teach First – the education charity helping schools facing the biggest challenges to tackle educational inequality. The Residential was organised by Goldman Sachs as part of their ongoing commitment to improving social mobility with young people given careers support they would otherwise struggle to access.

Students spent the week learning about careers in the City, boosting their employability skills, and networking with employees from organisations such as The Economist and Financial Times, as well as Goldman Sachs itself. Research has demonstrated the importance of engaging with businesses for young people – FACT: just four meaningful interactions with an employer reduces a child’s chances of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) after school by 86%.[1]

Isabella Tapping of The Bourne Academy was also recognised during the week by Goldman Sachs employees, winning the Communication Champion Award in the closing ceremony of the Residential.

Students from The Bourne Academy were also recognised during the week for their communication skills, being awarded the winning prize by a panel of judges for the debate exercise, having been commended for their passionate and persuasive arguments.

The Residential is an important part of The Bourne Academy’s careers education programme, ensuring it’s studenst have the same opportunities to succeed after school as wealthier pupils. A survey of pupils in attendance found 88% believed they were better equipped for their future careers and 72% felt their understanding of careers available in the City had increased.

Principal at The Bourne Academy, Mr Mark Avoth:

“We were absolutely thrilled to be selected for this opportunity with Goldman Sachs and Teach First. Many of our students have never had the opportunity to travel to London before, and this was an unforgettable trip for them.

As a school we’re committed to providing a quality careers education for our pupils, and opportunities like this are vital for inspiring our young people about what their future pathway could look like. Our students have come away feeling that they can achieve anything they set their mind to.”

Russell Hobby, CEO of Teach First:

“The future world of work can be daunting for many young people but, for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the barriers to a successful career can feel insurmountable. We’re working with partner businesses and schools serving disadvantaged communities to give more young people the chance to unlock their full potential after school. We’re so grateful to our long-standing partner Goldman Sachs for hosting a varied and inspirational schedule of events at the Residential, giving pupils from ten Teach First partner schools an inside look into the sector – inspiring them about what they could go on to achieve and giving them the skills and knowledge that they need to turn those inspirations into reality. I was honoured to join the closing ceremony and hear directly from the pupils who had clearly gained so much from the experience. We’re proud to work with businesses like Goldman Sachs to have an impact where it’s needed most.”

Janine Glasenberg, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs:

“As a proud and long standing partner of Teach First, Goldman Sachs were delighted to work with Teach First to deliver the Goldman Sachs Careers Residential.  As a firm, we are incredibly focused on upskilling, inspiring and informing the next generation of talent. We strongly believe that talent and determination should determine one’s future, not the circumstances we are born into. Unfortunately, we know this is not always the case. We recognise that not all students have equal access to education, development opportunities, networks or resources, and this can often have significant impact on their future. We want to level the playing field here - our focus is developing all individual talent, no matter their background.

“The Teach First Residential was a uniquely designed a three day careers residential with the aim of inspiring and upskilling students from lower socio-economic backgrounds across the UK, who may not typically have access to these opportunities or a broader network.   We worked closely with Teach First over 18 months to design and deliver content that showcased the variety of career opportunities in the city, whilst building students confidence and skills.

“The energy from both the students and teachers throughout the Residential was infectious and there was a real buzz in our London office. The students truly gave it their all and we are so incredibly proud of every participant who pushed themselves outside their comfort zones, learnt a new skill and had some fun along the way!”

Year 10 Bourne Academy student, Zara Sosic was recently elected as the UK BCP Youth Parliament representative for 2022 and will be running in office for two years. Zara was elected with a staggering 6563 votes, setting a local record for Youth Parliament elections and taking 25% of all voting codes issued.

During her journey Zara will be conversing with the other elected students to discuss important issues and make an impact in the local community and attending a weekend residential with members of the UKYP. She will also get the grand opportunity to visit the House of Commons strengthening the relationship with the younger generation.

 Bourne Academy staff member Tracy White supporting Zara on her political journey

exclaimed ‘The Academy is so proud of Zara for this massive achievement she is a prime example of the hard work and determination we nurture at the Academy; I look forward to mentoring her throughout these two memorable years.’

Recently, local Bournemouth MP Conor Burns and Becky Mcdade from BCP Council joined us at the Academy to Zara to congratulate her on her success and discuss her important ideas.

The Bourne Academy looks forward to watching Zara flourish in parliament and will continue to support her on her triumphant journey.

The Bourne Academy’s student Megan Bushnell has been appointed the role of Head Cadet for Dorset’s first Police Cadet group. Through a tough appointment process Megan was selected to create positive change in the community and lead the young cadets into success.

Inspector Alyssa Forrest shares her thoughts on this fantastic opportunity, saying: “This is a great opportunity and achievement for Cadet Megan, she should be very proud”. Since being appointed, Megan has represented the Dorset Police Cadets at a law service in Dorchester organised by the High Sheriff. Also, Megan proudly stood alongside the Police Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable at the Remembrance Day service in Bournemouth, paying their respects for the fallen troops.

We are very proud to have so much incredibly diverse talent at the Academy and we look forward to seeing what is in store for Megan and her fellow cadets as she upholds good citizenship and inflicts positive change into the local community.

Dorset’s first Volunteer Police Cadet Unit was set up at The Bourne Academy by Dorset Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Dorset in the summer of 2019.

The Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme is designed to build bridges between young people, the community and the police. The VPC scheme is about taking a mixture of young people aged 13-18 and helping them make a difference for themselves and their community.

Cadets learn about the law, police procedures and specialist police units, and they develop some of the skills that police officers need such as communication, interpersonal skills and team working. They are also taught about community issues and local policing priorities.

Dorset Police have two Cadet units which are based in Bournemouth and we are very proud of the young people who are committed to serving their community through volunteering their time and who act as fantastic ambassadors for Dorset Police.

The Bourne Academy’s Girls Active Leader Squad (GALS) has been shortlisted for a national award, called ‘Girls Active and YST Young Changemaker Awards 2021’, by The Youth Sport Trust.

As a result of the short-listing, a film crew from The Youth Sport Trust visited the Academy to capture the GALS in action, participating in a range of skilful activities encouraging confidence and building teamwork.

As part of the Academy’s ACE enrichment clubs (extra-curricular clubs), the GALS programme strives to encourage and empathise the importance of physical activity for inspired like-minded girls.  The students are proving to be excellent role models for school sport and around the Academy as a whole.

Emma Timlett, Teacher of PE and Outdoor Education at The Bourne Academy states ‘We are thrilled every week to see more girls participating in our ACE club, actively engaged in sport, beaming with confidence. The comments we have received further encourage and emphasise the importance of physical activity which our GALS have embraced. We look forward to hearing the results of the award but already feel accomplished in our progress and look forward to welcoming even more girls into our ACE and other opportunities.’

The Academy’s enrichment programme aims to stimulate and encourage independent thinking and creativity. For more information regarding the Ace clubs currently on offer see the Academy website for details: https://www.thebourneacademy.com/

Follow @TBAsport to view what the P.E department has to offer.

 

        

 

Drama and music students at The Bourne Academy have put on wonderful open-air performances to celebrate the end of term – these comprised Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and an upbeat music recital.

A brave cohort of musicians played and sang in the sunny open air, and, as daylight faded and stage lighting shone, a determined group of students from Year 12 performed the play on the Academy’s outdoor education site to a small, covid safe audience who seated amongst the wild grass. The location, usually used for orienteering, bushcraft, ambush and assault course training, provided a beautiful backdrop of trees which were lit up with stage lighting and fairy lights; the performances was magical.

The exceptional achievements of The Bourne Academy were celebrated nationally recently, as they were awarded the prestigious Pearson BTEC ‘School of the Year’ award for 2021. With specialisms in Engineering & Design, the School of the Year 2021 encourages creativity across all aspects of learning - and the pandemic hasn’t stopped that creativity from flourishing. This dedicated teaching team and learners streamed six lockdown concerts as well as a two-hour Performing Arts Awards evening, a Christmas concert and a live drama performance in 2020 to give students the opportunities to perform in a meaningful way to an audience.

The Outdoor Education site, along with all The Bourne Academy’s facilities, are available to hire for community lettings, for more information please email lettings@thebourneacademy.com

The Bourne Academy is pleased to become a ‘Bike It’ School, working with the BCP Council’s appointed Sustrans Bike It Plus Officer to promote active and sustainable travel. Through this partnership, BCP Council and Sustrans has created a customized schedule to meet the requirements of the Academy and achieve the best outcome for the students.

The Academy has only been working together with Sustrans ‘Bike It’ Officer, Amanda Shorey, for a short time, but they have already achieved so much. The Bourne Academy has taken part in the Sustrans ‘Big Pedal,’ monitoring the active journeys to and from the Academy. The school has promoted an active-travel virtual assembly which encouraged safe cycling, bike safety checks, how to correctly fit a cycle helmet and demonstrated the range of bike lanes in the vicinity of the Academy, showcasing cycle journeys as aspirational and achievable.

There has also been an incredibly successful Dr Bike session, where bikes belonging to students and staff were triaged, safety checked were possible fixed on-site by trained mechanics. The positive impact this has on our community is significant and much appreciated, the uptake of the session was so good that the Dr Bike team will be returning to the Academy later in the summer term. The Academy has also received a donation of cycle helmets which has benefited Pupil Premium students and the PE Department.

Anna Harpham-Gist, TED Teacher says ‘At The Bourne Academy we are keen to promote active travel within our community, and the opportunity to work with a BCP Sustrans Bike It Officer was one we could not turn down. Our relationship with Amanda is blossoming and we are grateful for the opportunities she has been able to offer us to date. We look forward to continuing to work with Sustrans and BCP.  

The Academy has been promoting sustainable travel, particularly cycling to school over recent years. The uptake of students cycling to school has increased so much that the Academy needed to invest in an additional bike shed in 2019 to house the students’ bikes while they are in school.