There is a genuine sense and purpose to make Andover schools an

Welcome to the second edition of the Andover Edge which

celebrates the exceptional teaching experienced every day

in our schools here in the heart of Andover. Enjoy reading

and be inspired by the stories of success and achievement

happening in classrooms across our town.

Issue 2 – September 2016

There is a genuine sense and purpose to make Andover schools an excellent choice for every child.

Page 1

As parents or carers you expect a

first-class education for your child.

You expect the school of your choice

to have a strong headteacher who is

the driving force behind ever improving

standards, delivering student success

and achievement. No doubt, more

importantly, is for your child to

feel safe, be happy and enjoy these

fundamental formative years.

All of our schools are different, each

with their own individual personality

and culture. These subtle nuances give

families choice and the opportunity

to find the right school for their child.

What we need and have are schools

committed to delivering outstanding

teaching and learning designed to

challenge and inspire students to do the

very best they can with higher ambitions

for their future success.

Ofsted has acknowledged our schools’

leaders are ambitious for their school’s

success, creating strong, aspirational

cultures with high expectations of

students and staff. The best schools

create a happy, safe supportive

environment for children, laying the

foundations for fulfilment in adulthood

and we have all this and more here in

Andover. From our primary schools

through to the town’s further education

college, there is a genuine sense and

purpose to make Andover’s schools an

excellent choice for every child.

‘Able’ Year 4 pupils, those predicted to

excel at their end of Year 6 assessment

tests, were given a taste of secondary

school life and put through their paces

at a recent ‘challenge day’.

Mathematical mysteries

in the Crystal Maze

Medieval Knights and Queen Countemup

welcomed Andover’s young maths

whizzes to Winton Academy for a Crystal

Maze mathematical mystery where

students worked their way through four

eras in the Chinese, Indian, Greek and

Egyptian zones. In each zone these

talented students completed puzzles and

logic based games. They built shapes

out of plasticine and straws, created a

three metre tall pyramid out of modelling

balloons and went on treasure hunts

across ancient Greece. As the students

successfully completed their conundrums

they were awarded the highly-prized and

much coveted ‘crystals.’

for punctuation. With strategy and team

work the young adventurers raided the

facts and punctuation collected by

other crews.

After a morning of successful plunder,

battles and hoarding full stops and semi-

colons the crews embarked on producing

a piece of creative writing and an

information poster. The tricky part was

only using the punctuation collected and

using each one only once – something

of a punctuation conundrum for the

young pirates. Dilemmas and decisions

about when a comma could be replaced

by something else and how to combine

sentences together. Who knew

grammar could be

such fun?

All things

scientific was

order of the day at John

Hanson where the able Year 4s

became expert scientists: As biologist’s

they improved their observation skills

using microscopy on cells and living

organisms. As chemists they investigated

chemical reactions and the difference

between exothermic (transfer of energy

to the surroundings) and endothermic

reactions (taking in energy from the

surroundings) and as physicist were able

to apply their knowledge of electricity

to independently build electrical circuits.

The day was a huge success with students

getting a taste of the secondary school

life which awaits them.

Middle leaders sit at heart

of school improvement

It’s widely acknowledged that the key

to improving student achievement is to

improve the quality of teaching inside

each school. It’s the middle leaders, ‘the

engine room of every school’

(heads of year, leaders of curriculum),

who are at the heart of the action and

the driving force behind improving the

standards of teaching and learning in

Andover’s schools.

Harrow Way, John Hanson, Winton

Academy and Test Valley have joined

forces to create the Andover Area Middle

The role of middle managers is crucial to the steady and sustained improvement of schools.

The headteachers and senior managers provide the vision but middle managers effect the long-

term changes, which will raise standards and improve the quality of education.

Ofsted.

Leader Development Programme

(AAMLDP) for these key teachers who

implement school strategy into

outstanding classroom practice, lead

their teams, manage logistics, support

staff, develop teaching, learning and

assessment, manage behaviour and teach

their own lessons too! The work that they

do in their departments and year groups

is essential in ensuring that students

make progress, are safe and happy.

Over the last nine months delegates

from our schools met every month to

learn from experienced middle and

senior leaders, sharing good practice

and discussing any issues they have

faced. The programme provides a real

balance between ‘management’ issues

– analysing and using data analysis to

identify student underperformance and

‘leadership’ issues - creating a vision for

a team and managing performance.

‘Caroline Lowing from Harrow Way

comments: “All colleagues agree that

the AAMLDP has been a real success.

This bespoke programme, tailored to

the Andover area schools, using our

own experts, has been a winner and

we’ve already seen a number of

delegates on the programme receive

promotions for September. We are

now planning for next year!”

Shiver me timbers

but don’t plunder

the punctuation

‘Able’ Year 4 pupils put to

the test by secondary schools

Across town at Harrow Way the Year

4s became crews of pirate ships sailing

the Caribbean, searching for historical

evidence about piracy and on the hunt

The science of science

Page 2

HOME GROWN TALENT

Paul Roberts

Former Harrow Way student Paul Roberts

is the first to admit that without the

support of the staff at Harrow Way

school he would not be where he is today.

In 1997, Paul’s final year at school, he

came out as gay in what he describes

as: “A very positive environment with

support from staff which was fantastic”.

Paul believes it is this support which

has led him to where he is now as

Chief Executive Officer for the LGBT

(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and

Transgender) Consortium, an umbrella

body for LGBT organisations across the

UK. Paul was recently awarded an OBE

by The Prince of Wales for his work

with the LGBT communities.

He said: “If it hadn’t been for the support

I received from the staff and teachers at

Harrow Way when I came out I wouldn’t

have the confidence I have now to give

speeches, meet government officials

and talk to royalty”.

Paul also studied Performing Arts at

Andover College before progressing

on to a specialist arts degree at

Dartington College of Arts.

Twelve months ago the Anton

Andover Alliance (AAA) was accredited

as the first teaching school alliance in

the town, a forum for our local schools

to come together to share best practice.

One vital area of responsibility that

the AAA take very seriously is their

active engagement with Initial Teacher

Training which has recently been

taken to a new level, following Anton’s

accreditation as a SCITT (School

Centred Initial Teacher Training).

Headteacher Tom Donohoe explains:

“As one of only 120 SCITTs across the

entire country we are in a tiny minority

of schools that can actually award

Qualified Teacher Status to graduate

trainees. This is something that only

universities have been able to do in the

Anton Junior School accredited

to award Qualified Teacher

Status to graduate trainees

past and we are very

excited about being able to

shape the curriculum content

that trainee teachers receive

at the very start of their career”.

SCITTs are networks of schools that

have been approved to run school-

centred courses providing practical,

hands-on teacher training, delivered

by experienced, practising teachers

based in their own school or a school

in their network.

The AAA will be training a cohort

of 30 teachers in September making

them the biggest SCITT in Hampshire.

The Big Write

at John Hanson

John Hanson’s innovative tutor time

literacy programme, covering The Big

Read, The Big Spell, The Big Talk and

The Big Picture culminated this summer

with The Big Write. All Year 7 to 10

students created a short but creative

extended written piece which fitted

into one of three categories: Short

Story, Biographical and Scientific.

The programme has been designed

to enhance a range of literacy skills

in an engaging and supportive

manner, allowing for literacy to

be fully embedded across the

John Hanson curriculum.

This is also an important aspect of

the school’s community outreach

programme involving local businesses

and organisations who both awarded

prizes and judged the work.

Verity Woodward from Maidman’s

Marquees, judge of the short stories

category said: ‘It was so refreshing to

read such imaginative stories which

were so cleverly crafted. A great deal of

thought and work had clearly gone into

each and every entry”.

Laura Valjak, from Barclays’ Corporate

Communications team, said: ‘I am

delighted to have supported The Big

Write, which is a fantastic opportunity

for students to share their creative skills

and feel a real sense of pride in what

they can achieve”.

Press Association

Page 3 Page 3

In March this year the government laid out their vision and plans in a White Paper called ‘Educational

Excellence Everywhere’. Our secondary headteachers Ian Coombs (John Hanson), Michael Serridge

(Harrow Way) and Nathan Thomas (Winton Academy) take questions on how the schools in Andover

are also working towards this vision of excellence.

‘Educational Excellence

Everywhere’ depends on great

teachers – how do you ensure you

recruit and retain the very best?

Michael Serridge: No school and no

education system can be better than

its teachers and no single education

reform is more important than fostering

and supporting a high quality teaching

profession. It is essential that we

continue in the Andover schools to

recruit, train, develop and retain excellent

teachers. The management, training,

retention, development and pay of

existing teachers are now rightly the

responsibility of headteachers, free from

unnecessary bureaucratic interference

and central prescription.

High quality teacher training

is key to keeping standards in

the classroom high – what training

and improvement initiatives have

you introduced this year?

Nathan Thomas: What we want is an

outstanding Andover education system

and we aim to provide an outstanding

education for all local children. This

year we have introduced an excellent

middle leadership programme with the

three Andover schools and Test Valley

in Stockbridge. This has been led by the

assistant headteachers from the four

schools providing high quality training

for aspirant middle leaders. This type of

initiative gives opportunities for aspiring

leaders to shine and also creates the

leaders of the future.

Academics aside the

government would like to

see character and resilience instilled

in every child – what measures have

you introduced in your schools

to achieve this?

Ian Coombs: There are some common

characteristics of resilient people.

They keep themselves healthy and we

promote good health, good eating and

exercise throughout the school. We also

promote positive thinking, as a positive

thinker will be more resilient than a

negative thinker. There is also evidence

that resilient people are ones who know

how to give and receive kindness, so we

seek to develop opportunities for young

people to demonstrate a caring attitude

towards one another with little acts

of kindness.

In the last Parliament the

government introduced a new,

more ambitious national curriculum

and reformed qualifications and

assessment standards. What

difference have these changes

made to your classrooms?

Nathan Thomas: The new curriculum

and assessment regimes provide

challenges and also opportunities.

Ultimately they do not change our

priority which is to ensure there is good

teaching and learning in every classroom

every day. The amount of engaging

and inspiring teaching has increased

enormously and I am inspired on a daily

basis by what I see in classrooms at

Winton Academy.

It is important for schools

to unlock the potential of

every child. How do you ensure your

brightest are stretched appropriately

and your less able are supported

sufficiently?

Michael Serridge: We will ensure

we stretch our lowest-attaining and

most academically able pupils by

increasing the focus on, and

supporting approaches aimed

at, boosting their attainment.

At Harrow Way, we are

committed to providing an

excellent education and the

highest expectations for all.

We believe strongly in the

importance of high quality

teaching and learning as the

first priority for achieving

this goal. Quality teaching

first – providing an excellent

education and the highest

expectations for all every day.

Headteacher Q&A

These are ambitious targets

the Government has set out –

can your school deliver?

Ian Coombs: Taking a phrase from

President Obama – yes we can! The ‘we’

is important because I firmly believe that

our ability to deliver on these key issues

is about having a clear focus within the

school through strong leadership, but

also working proactively as a team of

educators across Andover.

As secondary schools we build on the

great work of our primary colleagues who

are doing an excellent job in preparing

the young people for secondary

education. We work effectively together

as secondary schools to build support for

all our young people then we continue

to work with post-16 providers like

Andover College and others further

afield to ensure that successful 16 year

olds have the best post-16 provision,

be that A Levels, Apprenticeships or

vocational courses.

Andover’s young people will be successful

because of the effective partnership

working of Andover’s schools and

colleges. Long may it continue.

Page 4

Andy Heyes, School Improvement Manager (Education and Inclusion) –

Test Valley, Hampshire County Council, discusses how well our schools are doing.

The achievement of students in the area at 11 and 16 years of age, and the outcomes of Ofsted inspections,

indicate that it is a system that is performing very well and continually improving.

In 2015, 78% of Year 6 pupils (505 pupils out of a total cohort of 646), in twenty-three primary/junior schools in the Andover area,

attained Level 4B+ in reading, writing and mathematics combined, a key indicator for pupil achievement at the end of Key Stage 2.

This figure compares extremely favourably nationally (69%), across Hampshire (73%) and across the Test Valley (74%). Andover

students achieve well at the end of their time at primary school and the overwhelming majority, four out of every five pupils,

is well-prepared and ready for the demands and challenges of secondary school.

69%

73% 74%

78%

Andover

Nationally Hampshire Test Valley

Interestingly, for the young people who

joined one of the three Andover

secondary schools at age 11 (in 2010)

and remained in those schools for the

entire five years - 65% attained 5 A*-C

GCSEs (including English and

mathematics), 8% above the national

average. 71% attained A*-C in English

(5% above the national average) and

77% attained A*-C in mathematics

(12% above the national average).

At the time of writing, 89% of the 37

educational settings in the Andover area

Andover

Nationally Hampshire

Test Valley

57%

60%

61%

At the end of Key Stage 4 in 2015, 61% of Year 11 students in the three Andover secondary schools, attained 5 A*-C GCSEs

(including English and mathematics). Again this compares favourably nationally, across Hampshire and across the Test Valley.

2015 Year 11 students achieving 5 A*–C GCSEs including English and maths

There is no question that the schools in the Andover area are in good shape primarily because they are

extremely well-led by exceptionally talented and effective headteachers, senior leaders and governors.

serving 4-16 year olds were judged to be

good or outstanding in their last Ofsted

inspection. This compares favourably with

the 86% of schools nationally, and across

Hampshire, that are good or better. This is

testimony to the quality of educational

provision across the Andover area and is a

key indicator that the ethos and culture of

learning in the schools is positive.

I have the privilege of working closely

with all the Andover schools and the

system as a whole has continued to

improve over the past twelve months

despite the significant challenges and

new ways of working that schools have

had to deal with.

The system will only get stronger as

school-led improvements, such as the

Anton Andover Teaching Alliance, and

partnership working with the local

authority, strengthens still further.

It is, unquestionably, a good time to

be a parent living in the Andover area!

61%

Andover schools are performing

extremely well – it’s official!

The Andover education system (Andover town and the surrounding countryside)

for children and young people aged 4-16 years of age is in excellent shape.

Page 5

2015 Year 6 pupils attaining Level 4B+ in reading, writing and mathematics combined

The BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee’s

Josh Barnett credits his time at both

Portway and Harrow Way with life-long

friendships, undiminished by distance.

At Winton good literacy skills are the

key to unlocking the curriculum for all

learners, therefore this year the school

has extended their day by 20 minutes

to add a daily reading session.

All students are either ‘free readers’

and bring in the book they are currently

reading from home or are ‘accelerated

readers’ who read targeted books as

part of Winton’s reading scheme so the

school can support them and accelerate

their progress. Some students have one

to one reading sessions with staff in this

time and some are supported by older

students in reading clubs. It’s not just

students reading, but staff too as the

entire academy stops after lunch for

this calm and purposeful start to

the afternoon.

Literacy is the key at

Winton Academy

HOME GROWN TALENT

Josh Barnett

While studying at Cardiff Metropolitan

University Josh first stumbled across

a sewing machine and with the help

of YouTube videos taught himself to

sew. This led to Josh creating a men’s

fashion label and appearing on this

year’s hit television show the BBC’s

Great British Sewing Bee. Josh was the

last man standing, reaching week four

of the competition.

Commenting on the benefit and value

of an Andover based education Josh

said: “It’s about being able to manage

and create your own friendship groups

which are not diluted with people living

in different towns. The relationships you

make at school stick with you forever -

all my closest friends are from Andover

and whenever I come home I always

see people I know as it’s a small,

tight-knit community”.

Year 7 and 8 students are able to access

books through their iPads (which are

provided by the Academy) and then

take the accelerated reader test to

see how well they have comprehended

the literature.

The scheme has been a great success

and had a large impact on improving

the reading ages of all students at

the Academy.

A dedicated reading

session for 20 minutes

each day has been welcomed

by students and is improving

literacy levels across

the Academy.

Ofsted January 16.

Earlier this year a group of John Hanson

students collaborated together to

create a fantastic collection of high-

quality news reports and interviews

as part of the 10th annual BBC News

School Report Day. These talented

young students also successfully

conducted interviews with a range

of highly-respected members of

the Andover community.

During the day PE Teacher, Mr White,

was interviewed about John Hanson’s

Sports Relief events, while Phil Potts

of Tidworth Freeride kindly visited the

school to help write an article about

encouraging young people to get

outside and be active.

Later in the day there were visits by

Pat Salmon of the National Citizenship

Service and Catering Supervisor,

Ann Welbourne, was interviewed about

healthy eating in school and a number

of exciting dining events. The student

reporters also had the pleasure of being

accompanied by the former Mayor of

Test Valley, Councillor Iris Andersen, to

discuss her plans for the future

of Test Valley.

Students had a great time practising

their journalistic skills from script

writing and questioning to recording

and editing broadcasts. Mr Adams

– Assistant Headteacher said: “Our

participation in the BBC News School

Day Report could not have happened

without our special guests, who we

thank for giving their time so generously

to support our students”.

The interviews are available on the

school website (follow the BBC School

Report link www.jhanson.hants.sch.uk/

about-us/bbc-school-report-2016.

John Hanson

take part in

BBC News School

Report Day

BBC/Love Productions/Charlotte Medlicott

Page 6

Year Six pupils graduate!

The ninth annual Andover Junior Graduation ceremony took place

at The Lights prior to the summer holidays in July.

Andover Junior Graduation congratulates Year Six students as

they move from primary or junior school to secondary school and

encourages them and their parents or carers to consider higher

education in future years. Approximately 480 students attended the

event in traditional gowns and mortar boards. Mayor of Test Valley,

Councillor Karen Hamilton, welcomed all the pupils before they

received a certificate from the University of Winchester and had

a photo taken with their head teacher.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Carr, said: “The Andover Junior

Graduation is always an inspiring occasion which gives the children

and their parents and teachers an opportunity to look back on what

they have achieved during their time at school. It’s also a perfect

chance to look to the future and start to introduce the children to

the options that will be available to them in the coming years.”

Test Valley Borough Council funds and organises the event

with the support of the University of Winchester.

Page 7

HOME GROWN TALENT

Charlie Stradling

Winton Community Academy has

an excellent reputation for producing

outstanding opportunities for students

in the Performing Arts.

Charlie Stradling was first spotted in Year 8

as having potential in the arts. Having won

a Hampshire dance bursary while at school

Charlie went onto the Hampshire Centre

HOME GROWN TALENT

Alex Dockree

Thirteen years ago

Alex Dockree was a Year 6 pupil

at Anton Junior School. Clearly his

teachers at Anton, and subsequently at

Winton, inspired him because if you fast

forward time Alex is now a classteacher

at Anton Junior himself.

On completion of his degree at University

in Cardiff Alex was employed by Anton

as a teaching assistant for a year and

was supported by the school in his

application for a place on School Direct

(SD), the government’s work-based route

into teaching for graduates to gain QTS

(Qualified Teaching Status) alongside

a PGCE (Postgraduate Teaching

Certificate). Alex excelled in his SD year

and having achieved an outstanding

grade Anton didn’t hesitate to employ

him as a Newly Qualified Teacher the

following year.

Following a superb start to Alex’s

teaching career Anton is optimistic

that, in time, they can support him in

achieving his long-term ambition of

becoming a headteacher in a school

within the Anton Andover Alliance.

It would be fantastic if Alex could

become the first person that our

Teaching School Alliance has supported

in a journey from pupil, to student, to

teacher, to headteacher all within

schools in the town.

Nelson Mandela’s niece, Pumeza

Mandela visits Harrow Way

Winton Academy’s

Spark FM

Winton has its very own radio station,

broadcasting over the internet 24/7,

365 days a year. The station which

is run by students during the day is a

mixture of educational broadcasts,

topical subjects, the news, interviews,

non-stop music sessions and much

more. Spark FM aims to develop

students’ oral skills and their confidence

through the medium of radio.

“These are exciting times at Winton

for our students as we push for

excellence in all areas of the Academy,

the radio is just one aspect of this

drive that is nurturing our students’

The niece of Nelson Mandela, hero of

the apartheid struggle and South Africa’s

first democratically elected president,

put Harrow Way on the international

map following her visit to the school.

Harrow Way was one of only six schools

in the county to host Pumeza Mandela,

Education Manager for the Nelson

Mandela Museum, who had travelled

from South Africa to be a keynote

speaker at Hampshire County Council’s

Rights Respecting Education Conference.

Harrow Way’s Year 10 Unicef Peer

Educators were joined by students from

Portway Junior and Andover C of E school

to learn about Pumeza’s work and discuss

children’s rights all over the world.

Mr Serridge, Harrow Way Headteacher

said: “It was an incredible honour to be

the only school in Andover chosen to host

Pumeza Mandela. We are very proud

of our status as a Unicef Level 2 Rights

Respecting School and the influence

this has in developing our students into

responsible and conscientious citizens

for the future”.

In preparation for Pumeza’s visit,

students learned about the United

Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child and the impact of Apartheid on

the lives of people in South Africa and

around the globe.

creativity

and confidences” said

Sean Flavell, Assistant Headteacher

and station manager.

Currently the station is looking for

community groups who would perhaps

like to take up an evening slot.

If you are interested contact

sflavell@wintoncommunityacademy.org

for Advanced Training (CAT) scheme for

talented dancers, achieving distinctions in his

Performing Arts qualifications. He went on to

successfully audition for Italia Conti Academy

for Theatre Arts in London, one of the most

prestigious musical theatre schools in the

world. Here Charlie is in the third year of

a diploma course.

Since leaving Winton, Charlie has worked

with a number of top class performers and

bands including Russell Brand, the band

“The Vamps” on the Ant and Dec Saturday

Night Takeaway and has also been in a

number of adverts for ITV.

Page 8

was produced by the Andover Area

Partnership for Learning and supported

by Test Valley Borough Council and

Bulpitt Print Ltd.

Paul chose a career in coaching and

advising, working for the past three

years as the assistant soccer coach for

the women’s team at Midland, while

also earning his Master of Education

(M.Ed). Earlier this year Paul also

accepted the role as Director of Coaching

at Blair FC in conjunction with his role

at Midland University.

American university soccer coach Paul

Cox says he enjoyed some of the best

days of his life at John Hanson. Paul

captained the school’s football team

from Year 7 to 11 leading them to four

district schools titles. It was during this

time at secondary school that the seed

was planted about playing football and

studying in the United States.

Following A Levels and with a National

Certificate in Sport Paul received a

scholarship offer from Midland University

in Nebraska. Here he captained the team

for three years, was nominated for the

team of the year selection for three years

and in 2012 graduated with a Bachelor

of Science in Business Administration,

Management and Marketing.

HOME GROWN TALENT

Paul Cox

RBC 6 Harrow Way School A3.indd 1

02/06/2016 10:40

Helen has always lived in Andover,

studying at Balksbury Infants and

Juniors then on to John Hanson where

she first realised her love of the arts.

It was at Andover College her path

to footwear design began.

In her final year at the University

of Northampton, studying Fashion,

Footwear and Accessories Helen

won the inaugural prize in the

Worshipful Company of Cordwainers

Footwear Student of the Year Award.

While at the Royal College of Art (RCA)

in London, studying a Master’s Degree

in Menswear Footwear, Helen created

her current collection ‘Our Public Youth’

which has just won the Accessories

award at International Talent Support

(ITS), a global competition that

supports new designers from fashion,

art, jewellery and accessories.

Helen is now starting her new job as

design assistant for Adidas Originals

Footwear. She says: “If someone had

told me ten years ago when I was

choosing my GCSEs where I would

be now I wouldn’t have believed them.

I am so grateful to everyone I have

met and have been taught by, who

has encouraged me along the way”.

HOME GROWN TALENT

Helen Kirkum

Page 9

This summer Coca Cola European

Partners launched a series of bus

stop advertisements across Andover

showcasing Harrow Way’s winning

anti-litter campaign for their annual

enterprise competition the

Real Business Challenge.

After winning the South East regional

final of the competition, the Harrow Way

students went on to the grand final of

the challenge held in London where they

presented their campaign ideas to a host

of MPs at a Parliamentary reception at

the House of Commons. These poster

designs were subsequently installed

for two weeks at a number of bus stops

in Andover.

A very proud headteacher Mr Serridge

said: “The team did incredibly well

to reach the final from an original

870 schools (88,900 students) nationally

Coca Cola showcases Harrow Way’s

winning anti-litter campaign

who entered the

competition.

The process has

seen them all

develop many

key business and

creative skills

as well as

learning to work

effectively as

a team, utilising each individual’s

strengths to create a great awareness

campaign which obviously impressed

the judges”.

Now in its twelfth year, the Real Business

Challenge is designed to inspire and

educate young people, helping them

gain the skills they need to have a

competitive edge in the job market.