dalp newsletter - Retford Oaks Academy

DALP
Second Edition
DIVERSE ACADEMIES LEARNING PARTNERSHIP (DALP) INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the second issue of our DALP newsletter designed to give parents,
students and schools an update into the Student Engagement events that our DALP
academies have been involved in recently.
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Since our previous newsletter (last Autumn) DALP has grown in size to 6 academies!
We are please to introduce The Holgate Academy and Tuxford Primary Academy
(TPA) – our first primary school! Welcome The Holgate and TPA – it great to have
you on board!
The series of collaborative events have been strategically devised by DALP staff to
enable students and pupils from all DALP academies to benefit from activities and
opportunities that allow them to grow in confidence and meet other students from
different academies. For further information on DALP and what it means for your
academy to be part of DALP please visit the website at www. dalp.org.uk.
EVENTS:- WHAT’S COMING UP?!

The DALP Ethics Conference (4TH July) – For the first time Post 16 students will
come together to show–off their debating skills against other DALP academies

DALP Inset Day (7th July) – A chance for DALP staff to get together, share ideas
and best practice

The DALP GAMES (8th July) – Five academies competing in an athletics
competition! Will National defend their DALP Games title for the third year
running?!
FIVE ACADEMIES – ONE AMAZING SHOW!
For the first time all 6 DALP academies
came together last December to hold the
DALP Creative Arts Festival 2013 at
the Majestic Theatre, Retford.
the show’s theme – ‘Diversity’. For the
two newer DALP members: Tuxford
Primary Academy (TPA) and Holgate
Academy, the show was a fantastic
opportunity to meet students from other
DALP schools and for the younger TPA
pupils to was take part in a production
with older students.
‘Our pupils were in awe of the older
students – it was a marvellous
experience for them.’ TPA Teacher
The cast of over 150 youngsters came
together to perform their interpretation of
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Students from across the academies
performed a diverse range of
performances, from a powerful Steel
Drumming performance, led by Tuxford
‘It was hard work but it all came together
in the end.’ The students all did really
well and I am very proud of them
particularly those that had solo parts’
said Lucy.
Academy, to Cheer-leading by Retford Oaks.
Each academy successfully put their own
unique spin on the diversity theme; with the
majority of the older student performances
being choreographed by the students
themselves. The special finale performance
was a collaborative song ‘Sing’ by Gary
Barlow and was particularly moving for the
audience.
Singing coach, Lucy Reid, orchestrated the
song by visiting each academy and
The event was well supported by the
academies Principals and the students’
Parents and Carers who turned up to watch
the performance. Over £80.00 was raised
through ticket sales for the performance
which was donated to the charity ‘Action for
Children’.
Tuxford Primary Academy Principal Louise
Davidson said that the timing of the event
(just before Christmas) ‘really added to the
enjoyment factor as everyone was in such a
lovely, festive mood’.
rehearsing the song before bringing all the
academies together on the day for the
performance.
Mr Pickering, DALP Executive Principal,
thanked the children and all those involved
for organising the performance. ‘It was even
better than last year!
DALP STUDENTS AND PUPILS MEET ‘THE HOFF!’
Over one hundred DALP students who took
part in the Creative Arts Festival were
rewarded with a trip to the Panto at the
Nottingham Theatre Royal to see David
Hasselhoff play Captain Hook in Disney’s
‘Peter Pan’.
The students/pupils ageing from 7-18
cheered and booed in traditional Panto style
at the actor’s attempts to capture Peter Pan
and escape the dreaded ticking clock of the
dreaded crocodile. Nottingham born Sue
Pollard played the fairy Tinker Bell and the
children roared with laughter at ‘The Hoff’s’
terrible British accent and cringing 1980’s
Knight Rider Jokes. One young pupil said:
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‘Who’s Kit and what’s a Knight Rider!’
special effects.
Tuxford Academy’s very own Frank Nichol
even made it to the stage after he was
dragged up out of the audience to take part
in one of the songs.’
‘It was very funny seeing sir up on the
stage, said a Tuxford boy.’
Besides from the Knight Rider jokes being
lost on most of the children the students
really enjoyed being in the beautiful Theatre
and watching the Panto’s spectacular
Barbara Burton, DALP Student Engagement
Co-ordinator said: ‘The Panto appeals to all
ages and is a well-deserved reward to all
the students who took part in the festival.
The amount of rehearsing through lunchtimes and break meant they all really
deserved a special treat.’
DALP QUIZ CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY 2nd APRIL
Quiz teams from the DALP academies
Retford Oaks Academy, Tuxford Academy,
East Leake Academy, National Academy
and Holgate Academy took part in the
second annual DALP quiz challenge which
was held at Retford Oaks and what a show
they put on again for us.
The format changed this year to a roundrobin which meant all academies would play
each other ten rounds in total. Having been
champions last year East Leake were the
team to beat from the start. Retford Oaks
gave them a good game in the first round
getting off to a good start but East Leake
stormed their way back to win their first
round game 90-55.
Tuxford then played their first round game
and finished with a very impressive score of
100 putting them into the lead. It all came
down to the final game National v East
Leake; Tuxford were sitting pretty with 345
points and East Leake were catching up
fast, last question of the quiz was asked and
the scores were level East Leake 345,
Tuxford 345. Quick fingered National to the
buzzer first meant Scores stayed the same
and Tuxford and East Leake finished with a
draw to share the trophy, National 3rd with
275 points Holgate 4th 245 points and
Retford Oaks a close 5th with 235 points.
Thanks must go to all staff that made the
quiz a huge success in particular Retford
Oaks for hosting it compare/scorer Matt
Liversidge and last but not least question
master Phil Baker.
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Chris Pickering
Chief Executive and Executive Principal of Diverse Academies Learning
Partnership
Message from the Chief Executive—Introducing the DALP Team
DALP has a small but significant team of people who lead on delivery and
development of the services we provide.
As Chief Executive/Executive Principal I have responsibility for leading the operation,
growth and development of DALP. DALP, as an organisation, is responsible for providing
a wide range of services to six academies, as well as providing support and challenge in
respect of their individual strategic development, operation and overall performance.
Dave Vernon, Assistant Principal, at Tuxford leads on the co-ordination of
collaboration and partnership work; an important aspect of DALP’s work which
I shall focus on in the next newsletter.
Jon Fearon is our Director of Finance and Corporate Services. He
is an accountant and works closely with the academies to ensure their
finances are managed appropriately. He also has overall responsibility for the
DALP budget, which is funded from management charges paid by the
academies from additional delegated funding they receive as academies.
Gary Corban is our Human Resources Director. He ensures that all the
academies operate within agreed policy and protocol. He is an expert on
employment law and he advises the academies on all aspects of people
management including recruitment, appraisal, terms and conditions of
employment, disciplinary and grievance procedures and people development.
He works with a team of HR administrators across the group to ensure that HR
provision is of the highest quality locally in each academy.
Alison Elway is company secretary for both the Diverse Academies Trust and
the National C of E Academy Trust. She ensures that both Trusts fully
discharge their legal responsibilities and leads a team of Clerks who support
governance at Trust, DALP and local academy level.
Mick Cobham is our Academy Improvement and Support Manager.
He works closely with the academies to support their improvement agendas.
He also works with me to ensure that the academies are appropriately
challenged and held to account for their performance. We have just appointed
Executive Assistant Principals of English and Maths to provide further support
to the academies in these important areas.
Polly Pearson is my Personal Assistant and she also provides administrative
support to the DALP leadership team.
In future newsletters I will give a further insight into the work of the areas of the
DALP organisation.
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