Winterbourne International Academy Latest News and Press 

Students Raise Funds for NSPCC

Two team of students from Winterbourne International Academy presented cheques to the NSPCC last week. Read more here.

New Build - Ground-Breaking Ceremony

Winterbourne International Academy has celebrated the start of an ambitious rebuilding scheme with the demolition of its 1950’s main hall. Read More

Students and Staff Celebrate World Book Day - 7th March 2012

Teachers at Winterbourne International Academy have been celebrating World Book Day in style by dressing up as their favourite fictional characters for the day. Read More

 

Focus on teaching helps school thrive

Students celebrate baccalaureate successes

Monday 9th July 2012

STUDENTS in Bristol were planning for a future at university after receiving excellent International Baccalaureate results.

Click here to read the full The Post article.

 

Aspiring medic's grand day out

Monday 11th June 2012

A South Gloucestershire student has been given a prestigious award by St John Ambulance.

Click here to read the full The Post article

 

Higher tuition fees prompt students to look to overseas universities

Tuesday 29th May 2012

Higher university tuition fees in the UK are prompting students to look overseas to continue their studies, according to a South Gloucestershire sixth form.

Click here to read the full The Post article.

 

Contractors appointed for £19m rebuild of Winterbourne International Academy

Friday 18th May

A contractor has been appointed to rebuild Winterbourne International Academy.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

London 2012 Jonathan's Journey film plans

Thursday 17th May

On Thursday 17th May, Jonathan Edwards visited Winterbourne International Academy to interview Year 10 student Jess Hopton who is participating in the Olympic Torch Relay - click on the link below to see what she had to say!

View the film here

 

Winterbourne Academy design aims to inspire its pupils

WEdnesday 16th May

Plans have been unveiled for the £19-million redevelopment of one of the Bristol area's largest schools.

Click here to read the full The Post article

'State' students buck Oxbridge trend

14/02/12 - Two students from The Ridings Federation Winterbourne International Academy, Kevin Schesser and Sasha Ward, who are both studying on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, have been offered places at Oxbridge.

Click here to read the full Bristol Evening Post article

 

Lips are sealed, in a good cause

25/11/11 - Two students at Winterbourne International Academy fell silent to raise money for charity.

Click here to read the full Bristol Evening Post article

 

Academy student, Joseph Weaver, announced as the Winner for a National Young Inventor Competition, winning £30,000

15/11/2011 - Joseph Weaver, aged 16, of Winterbourne International Academy is celebrating coming top of the class after being announced as the winner for a national young inventor competition.

Joseph saw off competition from over 700 entrants to be crowned national winner of The Dream Lab contest with his design for a cuddly car seat accessory called The Snug Hug.

Click here to view the BBC Points West News Bulletin

Click here to read the full Bristol Evening Post article

 

 

Academy student, Jess Hopton, wins Gold and Silver at UK School Games

30/09/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy pupil Jess Hopton has been selected to play badminton for England at under-17 level for the first time after impressing at the UK School Games. 

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

 

Academy's £19.3m overhaul a 'vote of confidence'

27/09/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy is preparing for a £19.3 million redevelopment at a time when many other school revamps across England have been axed.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

GCSE success for Winterbourne International Academy students

25/08/2011 - Students were riding high in Winterbourne after receiving their best ever set of GCSE results.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

Click here to read the full Gazette article 

 

 

 

Federation follows Ofsted praise with exam success

23/08/2011 - The Ridings' Federation of Academies is delighted with the results achieved by the Sixth Form students in its academies at Winterbourne and Yate.

Details of all results can be found in the below article.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

Academy impresses in Ofsted Inspection

18/07/2011 - Inspectors making their first assessment of Winterbourne International Academy said it was making good progress towards raising standards.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

Zumba dancers in the groove for charity

18/07/2011 - Zumba enthusiasts danced until they dropped at Winterbourne International Academy to raise money for Save the Children.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

IB students shine in their results

08/07/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy celebrates its highest ever IBDP pass rate as 100% students pass the International Diploma.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article 

Click here to read the full Gazette article 

 

 

 

Mr Neil Quilter sheds light on 43-year career

08/07/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy Mathematics teacher, Neil Quilter, talks to Evening Post about his long and fascinating career in teaching.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

Rugby star returns to Academy as Guest Speaker

05/07/2011 - England Rugby international, Dave Attwood, attends Year 9 & 10 Presentation Evening as Guest Speaker - 8 years on from when he attended the Academy as a student.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

Top pianist shares key to success

23/06/2011 - World-famous pianist, Allan Schiller, stops by Winterbourne International Academy to deliver a master class to the students.

Click here to read the full Evening Post article

 

 

 

Academy's counting on team to win

17/06/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy students prepare for a tough test as they travel to London to compete in this year's UK Mathematics Trust Team Challenge.

Click here to read the full Bristol Evening Post article

 

 

 

Yate and Winterbourne International Academy join forces at English Schools National Gymnastics Championships

04/06/2011 - Having already won the South West Schools championships, students from The Ridings' Federation of Academies enjoyed more success at the English Schools National Gymnastics Championships held in Stoke-on-Trent.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

 

Badminton star Jess Hopton receives £1,000 from Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative

21/04/2011 - Winterbourne International Academy student sets sights on Olympics.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

 

Business students from Winterbourne International Academy get in the swing of event management

18/04/2011 - Business students are getting into the swing of event management after holding a corporate golf day for charity.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

 

Two Academy Students A Step Closer to becoming Professional Footballers  

Kane Mannings is on trial for Stoke City, while Callum Brown has signed for Cheltenham Town.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

  

High Acclaim for Winterbourne International Academy

Winterbourne International Academy has been named on a list of high achieving Specialist Schools.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

Year 11 Footballers reach the National Semi Final of the ESFA Cup

Students in Year 11 at Winterbourne International Academy rise to victory as they reach the National semi finals

Click here to read more

Click here to read the Bristol Rovers Football Club report on the game

 

 

World Maths Day - 5th March 2010

Students at Winterbourne International Academy tested their mental arithmetic around the globe.

Click here to read the Bristol Evening Post article

  

 

Learning about Kabul's dangers

School Reporters from the UK learned about the harsh realities of daily life in Kabul when they linked up with students in the Afghan capital through a BBC radio studio. 4 March 2010

Click here to read the BBC article

 

 

 

Year 11 Footballers Reach the ESFA Semi-Finals

The Winterboure International Academy Year 11 Football team has made it into the Semi-Finals of the English schools FA Cup.

Click here to read the Evening Post article.  

 

 

State of the Art Sports Hall Opened by Marcus Trescothick

 

24th February 2010 marked the completion of The Winterbourne International Academy Sports Village with the opening of the sports hall being the final piece of the jigsaw.

 

The Academy now boasts outstanding state of the art sports facilities, including a Swimmming Pool, All Weather Pitch and Sports Hall.

 

Marcus Trescothick, England cricketer opened the sports hall.  His connection with the Winterbourne International Academy, and previously The Ridings High School, has always been close owing to his long standing and close friendship with Eddie Gregg, former PE teacher at the Ridings High School, who died of Leukaemia in 2000.  In opening the sports hall, Marcus also commissioned the Eddie Gregg room in his friend’s memory, which will be used for multi-sports activities.

 

Guests at this celebratory event included former teachers, former students, governors, Directors of the Academy Trust and local Councillors.

 

These outstanding sports facilities will not only enhance the curriculum to develop students’ sports skills, but will also be available for community use.

Click here to read the newspaper article

 

 

Bears Help Bristol Ranger Beth on Way to Africa  

Beth Rimmell Thinks of New Ways to Raise £2,500 for trip of a lifetime to Africa.

Click here to read the full Gazette article

 

 

New Academies in Yate and Winterbourne open to students

A NEW era of education has begun in Yate and Winterbourne as two schools reopened as a federated academy. King Edmund Community School, in Sundridge Park, Yate, and The Ridings’ High School, in Winterbourne, have now become the Yate International Academy and the Winterbourne International Academy.

Dr Rob Gibson, chief executive of The Ridings’ Federation of Academies, said: "There is a different atmosphere and it is very exciting. "Everybody is very positive and the students look fantastic. There is a definite buzz at both academies."

Students started in Winterbourne on Friday and in Yate today, wearing smart new uniforms in a marked return to formal school wear. Roger Gilbert, principal of the Yate academy, was joined by the rest of his teaching staff to welcome students this morning. He said: "It has been 1-8 months of planning but the most important day is today when we open for the students. "The staff are very committed to the academy. We had two very strong training days and we feel that the improved GCSE and A-Level results give us a really good starting point in which we can develop into one of the strongest academies in the area."

The school has abandoned year groups and is trialling a Guild system, based upon the competitive Houses in public schools. The federation of academies, the first of its kind in the country, has become independent of South Gloucestershire Council and will answer directly to the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The International Baccalaureate will form a basis for the curriculum at both academies and there will be links with local business leaders and international companies.

The Yate International Academy has adopted a specialism in science and the Winterbourne International Academy is focusing on mathematics and modern foreign languages. Rob Evans, Winterbourne academy principal, said: "The staff, students and the wider community are all delighted with the move to academy status and the benefits it is going to bring in the short term and in the long run." The 40-year-old buildings at the Yate academy will be demolished and rebuilt in 2012 under the Government’s academy programme. All the computers at the Winterbourne academy have already been replaced and a new ICT suite is being built.

Winterbourne student Joe Pavey, 12, said: "It is really good. The change takes a bit of getting used to but it does make a big difference having a new uniform." Fifteen-year-old Lydia Page added: "Attitudes have changed. We feel like we want to work and the new uniform makes us feel smarter."

Ministers officially opened both academies on Monday. Lord Drayson, minister of state for science and innovation, talked to students at the Yate International Academy. He said: "Everything I have been able to do has been because I studied science at school. "This academy is so important because Britain needs more scientists and engineers. "There will be more jobs in the next few years doing some of the most exciting things in the world.

Someone who is 13 or 14 now is going to have the opportunity to be the first astronaut to go to Mars." Kevin Brennan, minister for further education, apprenticeships and skills, held a question and answer session with students at the Winterbourne International Academy.He said: "This is a very new and novel sort of arrangement for schools. We are trying to invest in schools and improve educational outcomes for you."

View story from source