Year 11 pupils gear up to kickstart their career…

Out of a whopping 50 talented applicants, eight finalists have emerged for the coveted work experience placement at KPMG. These pupils are about to embark on a journey that could shape their futures.

Here’s what’s in store for them:

-Two groups of four pupils will face the challenge of presenting their skills and abilities to the judging panel.

-Each finalist will undergo an individual interview to showcase their potential.

These interviews are arranged annually, providing an excellent opportunity for our school’s bright minds to shine.

The values of respect, community, tenacity, and aspiration were at the core of the selection process. These qualities shone through in their cover letters and CVs, setting them apart from the competition.

The success stories from this programme are truly inspiring:

Myiah Kang, who was shortlisted in the first cohort, couldn’t attend the work experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this opportunity gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams. She now works at KPMG Business Services in Birmingham, proving that perseverance pays off!

Jessica Johnson, an alumna, credits this experience for helping her with university applications and as a crucial topic to discuss in her university interview at Oxford. She now studies Philosophy, Politics, and Law at Warwick, showcasing the incredible impact of this programme on pupils’ academic journeys.

Mrs R Cowley, Head of English and facilitator of this work experience placement, said: ‘We have been running this programme with KPMG for five years now and the talent we see each year only grows. Every pupil who has been shortlisted today are at the precipice of a fantastic opportunity and as a school we are so proud of the hard work they have put in to get this far. We are delighted to announce that KPMG were so impressed by our pupils that they decided to offer not one but three of our pupils to take part in their work experience opportunity! Congratulations to Jessica, Archie and Jake!’

This is a fantastic chance for our pupils to gain valuable insights, build essential skills, and lay the foundation for a bright future. Let’s cheer them on and celebrate their achievements as they take the next step toward success!

#KPMGWorkExperience #respectthectaway #community #tenacity #aspiration

Our first ‘Thankful Thursday’ of the year!

It’s that time of the week again, where we take a moment to appreciate the incredible pupils who make our school community so special. This week, we’re excited to introduce you to some outstanding young individuals who truly embody our school values of respect, community, tenacity, and aspiration.

This week, pupils have been nominated for their hard work in completing reading challenges, making great progress and improving attitudes and for being a great role model to younger pupils. Their commitment to work and to school life as a whole is truly inspiring. Congratulations to Harrison, Harry, Ollie and Will for their nominations!

Mrs C Cain, Assistant Headteacher, met with Harrison today to discuss his achievement and said: “These young individuals remind us of the incredible potential within our school community. I am thankful to be able to speak to Harrison today and congratulate him on achieving the ‘Word Millionaire’ challenge. Harrison told me that he earned this award by passing Accelerated Reader quizzes on books which contain a total of over one million words. What a fantastic achievement, well done Harrison!”

#thankfulthursday #respectthectaway #community #tenacity #aspiration

SAVE THE DATE!

We will be hosting our Year 7 Open Evening for parents, carers and prospective pupils on 28 September 2023 from 6pm. All visitors will be able to take a tour (approximately 90 minutes) of the school to meet our wonderful staff and pupils who will be showcasing all that our school has to offer. A presentation will take place in our main hall where senior leaders will also be available to speak with families and answer any questions.

Open mornings will also be made available for families to book and visit during the school day. Please keep an eye on our school website, Facebook and Twitter pages where further information will be released in due course.

We look forward to seeing you here!  

Welcome Back!

We are looking forward to welcoming pupils back to school on Wednesday 6 September 2023!

Pupils should enter via the main pedestrian gates located at the front of school or via the rear gate located off Lulworth Road. The start times for pupils are as follow:

Year 7             – 8:30am

Year 8/9         – 9am

Year 10/11     – 9:30am

Year 12           – 8.30am

Year 13           – 10.00am

Staff are looking forward to greeting Year 7 pupils for the first time and will be available to support pupils as they start their transition to Chase Terrace Academy. Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 pupils should make their way to form classrooms. Year 12 and 13 pupils should go to Sixth Form Centre. 

We recommend arriving on foot as no access will be available to the school’s car park following review of the school’s workplace transport risk assessment. As a result, a barrier has been installed and access to the car park and parking will only be permitted to visitors with a pre-arranged appointment. Please do not turn right as you enter the car park. All visitors with a pre-arranged appointment should approach the barrier and use the intercom system to liaise with reception staff. The one-way system now operates in the opposite direction and we ask all visitors to observe the safety signs.

As part of our continual efforts to maintain a safe and aspirational learning environment, pupils will also see a noticeable difference inside the school when they return in September, following our investment in a large refurbishment programme this Summer.

Our main school building has benefitted from new flooring in corridors and bespoke artwork has been displayed to represent our broad curriculum offer and promote our school values ‘Respect the CTA Way: Community, Tenacity and Aspiration’.

The Science department has seen further renovation following on from the installation of upgraded heating, lighting and new flooring over the Easter break. We have now decorated the Science corridor, three classrooms and invested in new blinds and furniture where needed. We would like to thank our Site Team and Science teachers who have worked tremendously hard over the Summer break to complete this project.

Did you know that our Sixth Form Centre was fully renovated internally during Summer 2022? We have now started a full ‘exterior envelope wrap’ to replace the windows, exterior cladding and roof to complete the entire renovation of our Post-16 building. We would like to thank JTMAT for their support in funding this project and look forward to seeing the end results in October 2023!

We have exciting news to share with you soon about changes to our catering provision and improvements to our serving outlets following consultation with our Pupil Leadership Team. Please continue to follow Facebook, Twitter and our school website for more updates.

See you in September! #respecttheCTAway #community #tenacity #aspiration

CTA Soars in Exam Success

We would like to pass on our congratulations to our superstar Year 11 pupils who have collected their GCSE grades today. They have been a tremendous year group who have shown superb levels of commitment and focus throughout their time with us. They have grown into remarkable representatives of our school as well asd the community as a whole and we are immensely proud of their achievements. Despite all of the news about lower grades in the national press today, our pupils have performed exceptionally and we are as excited as they are about the fantastic opportunities that these grades have opened up for them in their future studies.

We are especially pleased that so many of our Year 11 pupils are continuing to study with us in the Sixth Form, however, we wish all of our pupils the very best with their future studies, whatever they are going on to. 

Whilst we are celebrating all of our pupils’ achievements, special recognition goes to Ashley D, who achieved 5 grade 9s, 3 grade 8s and 1 grade 7; Rhianna H, who achieved 3 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s and 2 grade 7s and Alex M, who achieved 3 grade 9s, 2 grade 8s and 4 grade 7s.

On behalf of our pupils, we would like to extend a huge thank you to our staff who have supported them in reaching their aspirations.

Headteacher, Ms N Mason, said: ‘We are so very proud of this group of pupils as they have worked with such tenacity for these grades and have set a phenomenal example to other pupils in the school. We can’t wait to see lots of them back in the Sixth Form to continue their studies with us and I would like to wish every single one of them the very best with their future studies and employment’.

Sixth Form pupils at CTA celebrate A-Level results and…

We would like to congratulate our Year 13 pupils on some fantastic A-Level and BTEC results this year. As a year group, they have been superb ambassadors for our school, JTMAT and the wider community. The results they have achieved today are a testament to their hard work and commitment.

Our pupils have worked hard to secure places at top universities, sought-after places on apprenticeships and a number have also secured employment. We are immensely proud of the achievements of each and every one of our pupils. However, special congratulations go to Amelia Campion and Louis Jones, who achieved A*, A*, A, as well as Ophelia Hawkley and Danny Douglas who achieved A*, A, A.

Amelia Campion, who has secured a place at The University of Manchester to study Geography, said, “I am over the moon! I could not have done it without the teachers. I am excited to start my new chapter which is the next step in pursuing a career in climate change or disaster management.”

This cohort of pupils were studying for their GCSEs at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic; this, combined with the information in the national media regarding the significant ‘drop’ in A-Level grades expected this year, make the achievements of these pupils even more impressive.

We would like to give a huge thank you on behalf of the pupils, to our staff, who have worked with and supported pupils during their time with us. It’s certainly been a team effort!

Mr R Giles, Head of Sixth Form said, “This group of pupils have been a joy to work with and the tenacity and commitment that they have shown to their studies has set a very high standard for future cohorts. I am really pleased that so many are going onto such fantastic post-18 opportunities and I hope that they all keep in touch’.

We wish all of our pupils well in the next phase of their education, or as they enter employment, and look forward to welcoming them back to inspire future generations of sixth formers.

We have ended the term on a high!

Our rewards event was held last week, provided a platform to recognise pupils who have excelled academically, demonstrated determination and perseverance, exhibited respect, kindness and our school’s values.    

Miss S Lindsey and Miss H Pickerill, organisers of the event expressed their gratitude to pupils Lilly Mae H, Evie M and Michael C for hosting the evening and presenting awards for each subject area, following nominations from teaching staff. The Headteacher Award was presented to pupils who have demonstrated all of our school values and made outstanding contributions to our school and the wider community.   

Ms N Mason, Headteacher, said “It was an honour to see pupils step forward to receive their well-deserved awards and see their smiles! It was truly heart-warming to feel the support and encouragement from pupils’ peers and families.”

Employers support Year 12 pupils to gain valuable work…

Our incredible Year 12 pupils have been out on work experience in a variety of placements gaining a valuable insight into life after Chase Terrace Academy!

The range of placements this year has been truly vast, and we would like to take this opportunity to not only thank our tenacious pupils for their efforts in securing these sought-after placements, but also to the range of employers for giving up their time to accommodate our pupils – including KPMG Birmingham, HSBC Birmingham, UAV Engines, the West Midland Ambulance Service, Lloyd Morgan Group, Taylor Wimpey, Burntwood Town Council, Keely Solicitors and National Memorial Arboretum to name but a few.

Mr Lloyd, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, said “This opportunity has not only given our pupils a long-term goal to aspire to as they enter Year 13 in September, but also a first-hand taste of what real work is like in their chosen career paths, before they commit to a university or apprenticeship course next year.”

Pupils have commented on how placements have allowed them to build up a network of contacts for future life and employment, but also add to their portfolio of experience in their CVs for the future. Well done Year 12!

Annabel’s Story

On Feb 7^th 2022 my world fell apart. A sore knee that I thought was just growing pains, or a football injury, turned out to be osteosarcoma, a very rare bone cancer that only affects 30 children a year in the UK. Within a month I was in Birmingham Children’s hospital fighting for my life. After 16 months of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and scans, I am finally cancer free. I had 8 Infusions of Cisplatin, 6 infusions of Doxorubicin, 14 infusions of Methotrexate, 48 infusions of Mifamurtide, 8 General Anaesthetics, 1 nuclear bone scan, 2 lung surgeries, 2 subsequent collapsed lungs, 1 bout of sepsis, 2 central lines, 8 blood transfusions, 3 platelet transfusions, 7 MRIs, 13 X-Rays, 8 CT scans, 3 heart scans and 1 leg amputation.

It was a lot. But I got through it, mostly due to the amazing support system I had around me. Family, friends, school and community. I remember coming back to CTA, after missing a whole year, with the shortest buzzcut hair style, still very wobbly on my new leg, and people smiled at me and said kind things like: “Your hair really suits you.” Or: “You’re walking so well on your leg.” Or: “Your leg looks the same, just a different colour.” Whether or not it was true didn’t matter, it boosted me and my confidence so much. A smile, hug and warm words really can fix the most broken of person. I’ve learnt that when you have kindness and love you really can overcome anything.

The kindness everyone showed me at CTA with last year’s fundraiser meant I could get the world’s best prosthetic leg. The Genium X3. It’s seen me ski again, cycle again, swim at waterparks with slides, and this summer I’m going to re-learn to surf.

Not only that, but I now represent England at Women’s amputee football and we’re heading over to the USA next year for the first female amputee World Cup!

I attended a European traning camp in Poland and was paired with Marcin Oleksy, the winner of FIFAs best goal of 2022.

I also got signed to Zebedee talent, the worlds leading inclusive talent agency and have done some epic modelling shoots for various brands and performed on stage with Sam Ryder at the Eurovision Final in Liverpool.

My life is very different now in many different ways, but it’s my life and I’m going to live it to the fullest.

I just want to say thank you to everyone at CTA for making me feel like I still belong, even though a major part of me is now missing. I lost a year of my life. I lost my leg. But I didn’t lose my gratitude or positivity, or desire to inspire. Now I’m Head Student I’ll try and show everyone that anything is possible, because it is.