Three Rivers Academy

September 2019

Three Rivers Academy Open Evening – 26th September 6pm to 8pm

info@threerivers.thpt.org.uk
www.threeriversacademy.org

 

July 2019

Dominic Raab, MP tackles hot topics at Three Rivers Academy

On Friday 19 July, the MP for Esher and Walton, visited Three Rivers Academy in Hersham to congratulate the school on their well-deserved recent Ofsted ‘Good’ judgement before facing a broad student panel to tackle some challenging questions about the issues facing young people today.

Students from Year 7 to Sixth Form gathered in the school’s impressive library for a question and answer session with Mr Raab.

Hot topics for discussion were the importance of democracy, the accessibility of politics, growing mental health awareness in schools and knife crime.

Dominic Raab said “I was delighted to visit Three Rivers Academy and talk with a brilliant Headteacher and fantastic students. With the new Ofsted rating and extra investment in the expanded school facilities, this terrific school is on the up.”

Mr Raab talked about his aspirations for schools within his constituency, how a key driver for education is providing motivation to learn both within and beyond the classroom.

He shared his own journey into politics from an international legal career and gave the students an insight into the role of an MP.

Anne Louise Payne, Headteacher said “Our recent ‘Good’ Ofsted recognised the high expectations we have for our students at Three Rivers. The discussions here today proved that their curious minds are well equipped for life beyond school. We extend our thanks to Dominic Raab for taking time out to visit us today’

The full Ofsted report can be view at https://www.threeriversacademy.org/Ofsted/ and parents are welcome to visit the school by contacting the school office on 01932 242994

June 2019

Three Rivers Academy gets recognition for its amazing journey of school improvement

The staff and students of Three Rivers Academy are on top of the world celebrating their latest Ofsted inspection having been judged a ‘Good’ school in all areas.

The inspection was the first opportunity for Ofsted to recognise the rapid improvements the school has made since joining The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) in September 2016 and the result is an amazing achievement for the school, as well as the wider community.

Headteacher, Anne-Louise Payne said “The report is testament to the hard work, passion and commitment of all our stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to ‘bring out the best’ in our students.

We are extremely thankful to all parents and carers who have continued to demonstrate their support and commitment to our school”

The report highlights the many key strengths of the school, most notably that “ Pupils, staff and governors agree that there has been an extremely positive change in the culture and ethos of the school” it goes on to state that ‘Leaders have successfully created an ethos of ambition and high expectations’ where ‘Pupils demonstrate eagerness to learn and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve”

The report commends that ‘The provision for the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development lies at the heart of the school’s ethos.

It praised teachers who ‘have strong subject knowledge and use it effectively to plan lessons and meet the needs of learners’

With a new state of the art school building, short listed for the World Architecture Awards 2018, it was crucial for Three Rivers Academy to show that they are not just a pretty face.

“We moved into our new school building just over a year ago but the foundations for our journey of school improvement started back in 2016. We will continue to go from strength to strength as we work in partnership with THPT and our community” said Mrs Payne

The sixth form, with its own dedicated area of the school and onsite provision of elite sporting academies in both football and basketball, has also been given a seal of approval. Ofsted says it ‘provides an inclusive and aspirational education’ and ‘teachers have excellent subject knowledge which they use to inject high levels of challenge into lessons.

They facilitate rich discussions which broaden and deepen students’ knowledge, skills and understanding beyond the examination requirements’

Mrs Payne commented “Inspection day felt like any other day at school except I could feel the excitement of the staff and students wanting to show their best and how far we have come together. I couldn’t have felt prouder of them all”

The full Ofsted report can be view at https://www.threeriversacademy.org/Ofsted/ and parents are welcome to visit the school by contacting the school office on 01932 242994

 

April 2019

Three Rivers Academy – One year on…

One year on from moving into our fabulous new building we thought it would be timely to reflect on our journey to date.  Three Rivers Academy remains committed to ‘bringing out the best’ in our students so they are happy and successful and to maximising their life-chances.

Since joining The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016 Three Rivers Academy has benefited from a wealth of expertise and additional support to help the school achieve this aim.

Some of the key achievements to date include:

• Improved public examination results with students working towards aspirational targets
• Increased numbers on roll (both main school and Sixth Form)
• Improved attendance to be in line with national average
• New building with outstanding specialist facilities (February 2018)
• Increased community engagement through our growing lettings programme
• Recruitment and retention rates of specialist staff including ‘in shortage’ areas
• 100% of staff agree that they are proud to be a member of staff at the school and that the school is well led and managed
• Students feel safe and respected in the school (Student voice – Autumn 2018)
• 96% of parents agree that their child is happy in school (Academic year 2017/18)
• 94% of parents agree that their child is well taught (Academic year 2017/18)

Our current school improvement plan key priorities are helping us to embed further so many of the positive changes we have seen so far:

School Priorities 2018-2019

Demonstrate outstanding leadership through:

• Raising expectations and outcomes for all
• Supporting disadvantaged students
• Celebrating the school community

Ensuring outstanding teaching, learning & assessment through:

• Maximising learning opportunities
• Stretch and challenge
• Student ownership of learning

Support outstanding personal development, behaviour & welfare through:

• Promoting wellbeing
• Improving attendance and punctuality
• Maximising wider curriculum and enrichment opportunities

We welcome feedback from all members of our school community and invite you to share with us via feedback@threerivers.tht.org.uk

Please also visit our website www.threeriversacademy.org.uk for further information

 

November 2018

Three Rivers Academy commemorates the centenary marking the end of The First World War.

History is an extremely popular subject at Three Rivers Academy and we felt it was extremely important for the whole school to do something special to commemorate the centenary of the ending of the First World War.

Throughout the week, all students attended a special commemoration assembly led by Mr Detnon, Head of History. On Friday 9th November all classes from year 7 – to year 13 looked at the life of one soldier from the Walton and Hersham area who fought and died during the conflict.

Each class investigated the life of this solider and created a suitable and fitting memorial commemorating their sacrifice through a piece of artwork, a poem or other creative means.

This conflict touched the lives of every community in our country and we felt that students would benefit from understanding the links from the National history to their local history so that their cultural understanding of this conflict would be more complex and develop their empathy for the past.

In addition to Sixth Formers selling traditional ‘poppies’, the school also raised money for the Royal British Legion by allowing students to wear their own clothes in place of their uniform at the end of the week in exchange for £1 donation.

To see the very latest news of all that is taking place at Three Rivers Academy, you can visit the website at www.threeriversacademy.org and follow them on Twitter @3RiversSurrey

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Three Rivers Academy – A Parents View

Whilst we have been extremely impressed with the new school and its truly amazing facilities we thought it would be good to ask a few local parents for their view of the school…

“As a parent of two children currently at Three Rivers Academy we love the new building and all the amazing facilities it offers.

However the biggest change is what is happening inside the school.

My children and I have noticed a huge change since HPT took over the school.

Teachers are now giving clearer instructions of what the children aims and objections are for each lessons and this in turn is communicated to parents via an internal system FROG so that as a parent we can check on our children’s progress.

As a parent I was worried about the issues of behaviour of others during school time as this was noted in the last Ofsted report (when the school was RES) however this has changed and the leadership team have worked very hard with their staff, pupils and parents to communicate to the pupils what is expected of them and the consequences of misbehaving is very clear to all parties.

We have some amazing teachers who for my children have gone above and beyond to assist them in their daily life at school.

All of them are are working really hard to challenge pupils and work with those that are struggling. There are more homework clubs in school time and after school to support individuals of all abilities if the pupil wants to learn of course!!

My two are very sport orientated and they are loving the new gym, sports hall and outside sporting areas.

Our theatre productions have always been amazing but the new school offers opportunities for all the arts.

I know results of a school are important and I’m hoping like many others that when we have our first Ofsted report it will prove to the rest of the community what many of us parents and pupils already know about the school.

Lisa Bainbridge”

“What an asset Three Rivers Academy is to my children and to the whole community. 

Rydens Enterprise School was first choice for both my boys due to its location and they wanted to be with their friends. 

Okay, the stats weren’t great and the school was run down but, as a family, we felt it was the right place to send our boys … we just had a good feel about school. 

We made the right choice. 

The teachers work tirelessly towards giving the children a great education, some working over and above what is required as they are passionate about their jobs. 

The new facilities are amazing and it gives the children a fabulous school to study in and be proud of. 

The state-of-the art sporting facilities are excellent and my youngest was so proud to be the first class to ever have their PE lesson on the new astroturf.  

The extra revision lessons being provided to our GCSE students are plentiful and they are encouraged to attend as many as they can to help them reach their potential. 

If you have discounted Three Rivers Academy due to the old “bad reputation” … think again. 

Go around, see for yourself and I am sure you will come to the same conclusion as me. 

I am very proud to have two of my children attend Three Rivers Academy.

Ruth Heather”

“I have two children who attend the Three Rivers Academy and I am delighted to say they are thriving there.

The transition of the school to become part of the Howard Partnership Trust has been very positive one and the move into the new state of the art building has been very well managed by the dedicated staff there.

The new School building is a dynamic space with excellent facilities which will no doubt enhance the students learning.

I am very excited for the future of Three Rivers for the students, teachers and the wider community.

Nina Harris, parent of year 7 & year 10 students.

“My daughter is in Year 10 at Three Rivers Academy and the new school building has made such a difference to her school life, the new facilities are fantastic, in particular the dance studio and the sports hall. 

The new environment has most definitely inspired the students to look after and be proud of their school.   

The new building has also boosted teaching moral within the school community and teachers are also very proud to work at this state of the art school.

Anita Aston“

“As a parent of 2 children who attend Three Rivers Academy I am very excited for the staff and children who are lucky enough to attend the school and for the future prospects.

My son has just completed his GCSE’s and I could not fault the teaching staff for all the support that they have shown him, from after/ before school , weekend and half term revision sessions , literature, work shops and the endless individual support.

When talking to the staff at the school and to my children about school, it is clear that Three Rivers has a passionate team of teachers, who want to inspire and teach our children.

What else as a parent do we want to see??

I have experienced first hand that the teaching staff, as well as the children, love their new school; feel inspired and are benefiting from the incredible facilities.

I am proud to be a Three Rivers Parent.

I thank the staff for their dedication , encouragement, fun  and support they give to our children.

They deserve the new building, I have been impressed by the Howard Effingham Trust too, and can see changes happening for the better.

I wish the people who are quick to dismiss and slate this school would actually take the time to visit and listen to pupils and parents who are involved in the school and not go by history and hearsay.

They have proven things can change !!!

Michelle Janes”

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July 2018

You may have seen that very recently Three Rivers Academy held the official opening ceremony of their amazing new school.

As a community we should all be so proud to have such impressive, state of the art facilities available to local children right on our doorstep.

But don’t just take our word for it!

We asked some local parents of Three Rivers students to give us their view of the school.

You can read what the parents have to say as well as all about the official opening right here!

Three Rivers reach for the stars

On Tuesday 26 June, staff and pupils from Three Rivers Academy welcomed Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, MBE to officially open the superb new school building which was completed in February this year.

Staff and pupils welcomed 80 guests, including Mayor Shweta Kapadia from Elmbridge, former headteachers, local Councillors and friends and charities that support the school.

Everyone was invited for a pupil led tour of the school building, with its fantastic array of facilities from state of the art science rooms, interactive classrooms, creative and sporting facilities.

Pupils have been reflecting on the impact that the building has had on their learning;

‘Our school is a great learning environment because it now has such modern facilities. We find it much more inspiring and easier to learn here, in a place where we feel comfortable and supported by all the new facilities’

And another pupil said ‘ The school is so inclusive now, with large open social spaces and facilities such as the lifts to make it accessible to everyone’

Anne Louise Payne, Head of School said:

‘Today provided the opportunity for the whole school, and wider community, to celebrate what has truly been a team effort in creating this fantastic learning environment where our students will continue to thrive for many years to come.

I am pleased that so many of our students played key roles today with musical performances, acting as tour guides, preparing lunch for our guests and of course in lessons.

Our students were, as always, our best ambassadors’.

Each tour finished in the school hall where Dr Aderin-Pocock delivered an engaging and inspirational talk, encouraging all students to reach for the stars in terms of their learning and life goals.

The talk was broadcast live throughout the whole school utilising the latest technology installed in the school.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock enjoyed her time at the school, which included a tour where she met with pupils and took part in a science lesson.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock said:

“Participating in the Three Rivers Opening was a real joy, as was meeting the children and sharing their excitement. The fantastic facilities and wonderful teachers are a real credit to the School”.

Ian Wilson, chair of Trustees, commented:

‘It was a great pleasure to have this opportunity to thank all those who have made this wonderful building possible, and to share with community leaders and other friends the inspiring atmosphere of learning which this has helped to create’.

The new school building has been entered for several building awards and is the only UK school to have made the shortlist for the final of the World Architecture Festival Awards for the completed schools category.

The school is waiting to hear the outcome of this award and other nominations later in the year.

Three Rivers Academy became part of The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016 and has made rapid progress in increasing better outcomes for all its students.

There is a commitment of every THPT school in ‘bringing out the best’ in young people of all abilities and aptitudes, so increasing their life chances.

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March 2018

Three Rivers Academy opens its doors to its new school building

Three Rivers Academy in Hersham opened the doors of the new state of the art school building to staff and students last week amongst a hub of excitement.

The high-quality, spacious accommodation, including the amazing sport, drama, dance and music facilities, will inspire 21st century learning and allow students to continue to perform at the highest level.

The classrooms, which lead from a central mall and are colour coded to faculty areas, are large with high ceilings and panoramic views across either the playing fields or front of the school.

Many are dual aspect with large viewing panes to the central mall showcasing the learning.

The Learning Resource Centre provides a welcoming space for the main school and a separate mezzanine floor for sixth form students to study.

Excellent quality hot and cold food is available to all students in a contemporary style café area with seating stretching down the mall.

One student commented “The school facilities are now 100% better”, with another stating “This feels like a university, even better than what I was expecting.”

Many of the new sports, drama and music facilities will be available for local community groups to hire outside of school hours.

Your club can register their interest by visiting the school website at Three Rivers Academy.

To see the very latest news of all that is taking place at Three Rivers Academy, you can visit the website at www.threeriversacademy.org and follow them on twitter @3RiversSurrey.

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A new chapter for Three Rivers Academy

As half term approaches the frenetic activity at Three Rivers Academy reaches a climax as the doors of the old school building close for the final time. During half term a variety of contractors will finally move the huge amount of equipment, books and resources to the amazing new school building. Imagine moving a normal home and all its belongings. Times this by three hundred and you get a sense of the scale of this activity!

In the new building the central mall, with its contemporary colours, leads into the wonderful new sports hall. The high ceilings and sheer size make you gaze in amazement as you enter the space.

The main sports area is the size of six badminton courts and has a sprung floor and markings to enable a variety of sports, from basketball, netball, badminton, cricket and football to be played.

The ceiling height allows for sports which require height to be executed with ease, for example badminton and trampolining.

Leading from the main sports arena is the dance studio with its beautiful flooring and a wall of mirrors and barre for dancers to learn and reflect their moves.

The school will also benefit from a state-of-the-art gym, which, with the help of the active PTA, will have equipment to enhance sporting fitness and endurance.

Other areas for creative learning include a large drama space which can be divided into two, music rooms and a recording studio.

Mark Vowles, Assistant Headteacher comments:

‘We are incredibly lucky to have such a vast sports hall. This is unusual for most new school builds and allows us to provide a fantastic match play basketball court for use by our basketball academy.

Teamed with the full size 3G artificial pitch used by the school’s football academy, it makes Three Rivers Academy a great place to go to school and stay on and study into the Sixth Form.

The flexibility in the drama and activity studios is also a huge bonus as opening up the dividing walls creates some impressive performance spaces. The new build will provide excellent provision for the curriculum and also for extra-curricular activities’.

To complement the fabulous new indoor facilities, the school has an external multi-use games area (MUGA) to enable sporting activities to take place all year round.

A large part of the traditional sports playing fields have been retained which will continue to provide much enjoyment for students.

Many of the new sports, drama and music facilities will be available for local community groups to hire outside of school hours.

Your club can register their interest by visiting the school website at Three Rivers Academy.

To see the very latest news of all that is taking place at Three Rivers Academy, you can visit the website at  www.threeriversacademy.org and follow them on twitter @3RiversSurrey

Three Rivers Academy became part of The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016 and has made rapid progress in increasing better outcomes for all its students.

There is a commitment of every THPT school in ‘bringing out the best’ in young people of all abilities and aptitudes, so increasing their life chances.

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Excitement builds for Three Rivers Academy Students – 1st February

Excitement is building as students and staff at Three Rivers Academy count down the days to moving into their new school.

They have watched patiently over the last 18 months as the artist’s impression turns into a reality.

The new school building for Three Rivers Academy is hugely impressive and stands majestically as a focal point in the local community.

The striking colours on the external façade are impressive and this theme continues inside through corridors and faculty areas including contemporary colour coded lockers for all students.

The old school was built in the 1950s and a mixture of architectural buildings were added over the next five decades including some that were designated as ‘temporary’.

The new school contains everything for 21st century learning in one building with facilities to enable students to flourish, feel proud and use as a springboard to their future careers in a fast moving global economy.

The contemporary design has a central mall acting as the main artery of the building which will promote the feeling of community. There is also plenty of room to display the amazing artwork that students produce allowing creativity to be shared. Classrooms are light and airy providing the space for students to excel and teachers to teach inspirational lessons.

At the end of the mall you reach the sporting facilities.

The amazing sports hall is the size of six badminton courts and will certainly inspire students to be active by allowing a variety of sports to be delivered with quality.

The dance studio, complete with barre and mirrors will enable dancers to learn and perfect their moves and the gym provides another dimension to fitness.

These are but a few of the wonderful new spaces that students will enjoy when they move into the building on 26th February.

Anne Louise Payne, Head of School comments:

“This has been an exceptionally busy half term at Three Rivers Academy since our return from the Christmas holidays. As I type I am surrounded by packing crates as we prepare for the next very exciting chapter for the school as we move into our fantastic new build.”

Mark Vowles, Assistant Headteacher, comments:

“Everyone has worked incredibly hard in providing our students with a fantastic new school with superb facilities. It has been a huge team effort between the school and the construction company and we are almost there now! Staff and students are really eager to move in and it will be an exciting new chapter for the school. I am personally looking forward to providing students with a building they can be proud of.”

To see the very latest news of all that is taking place at Three Rivers Academy, you can visit the website at www.threeriversacademy.org and follow them on twitter @3RiversSurrey

Three Rivers Academy became part of The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016 and has made rapid progress in increasing better outcomes for all its students. There is a commitment of every THPT school in ‘bringing out the best’ in young people of all abilities and aptitudes, so increasing their life chances.

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The Countdown is on at Three Rivers Academy – 25th January

Staff and students are counting down the days until they move into the new school building on 26th February 2018.

Excitement has been growing as the school and local community have been able to witness the building progress through the autumn term and the reality that very soon young people in the local community will be able to continue their education in a 21st century environment.

The new school will be housed in one building and provide state-of-the-art facilities for students and wonderful opportunities for the wider community by being able to hire and use the amazing sporting facilities.

The school has worked with bus and other local companies to ensure a smooth transition on the first day in the new school building and every student will be given a tour by their form tutor and attend a welcome assembly.

The school has an active PTA who are hosting a farewell to the old school site on Friday 2nd February.

Three Rivers Academy became part of The Howard Partnership Trust in September 2016 and has made rapid progress in increasing better outcomes for all its students.

There is a commitment of every THPT school in ‘bringing out the best’ in young people of all abilities and aptitudes, so increasing their life chances.

To see the very latest news of all that is taking place at Three Rivers Academy, you can visit the website at www.threeriversacademy.org and follow them on twitter @3RiversSurrey

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Santa’s Christmas Three Rivers Sleigh for the Festival of Light

The students at Three Rivers Academy were set the challenge of building a sleigh and like Santa they delivered!

Many congratulations to our Year 7 students who worked tirelessly alongside Mr Powell and Mr Rossi to design and make Santa’s Sleigh. We were set the challenge by The Heart to build a sleigh for the Festival of Light so children could have a “Selfie with Santa”.

They completed the task in style, exceeding all expectations! For all their hard work and perseverance William, Bilkaira, Eddie and Maddoc were asked to start the countdown to switch on the Heart’s Christmas lights, alongside the Major and Father Christmas.

The students also said that they were proud to be part of the team building of the sleigh for The Heart and for their families and friends to see.

Three Rivers Academy would like to thank one of our local design companies, Screen Image, for their generous donation of Graphic Materials to our school. We are able to use the materials in the Design and Technology and Art Departments and the students are already enjoying using the materials for their projects.

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