Sawtry Community College have gained Adobe Status

The Sawtry IT Academy has been granted ADOBE Test Centre status. Staff, students and members of the community can now book times to sit online tests in Adobe Flash, Photoshop or Dreamweaver in the IT Academy next to the Sawtry Public Library. Watch this space for information on the Adobe training courses being offered to the general public in the new year. In the meantime, if you have any queries about using Adobe software or want access to accredited tests in Flash, Photoshop and Dreamweaver just email Pam.Kitchen @sawtrycc.org.uk or telephone 01487 830701.
If you are already a qualified Adobe user and you are interested in becoming an Adobe Trainer on a Wednesday evening 7.00pm to 9.00pm please contact Pam Kitchen for more details.

Vertical Tutoring From September 2009

Over the past few days we have been announcing to students a change to the way we organise registration groups at the college. These changes have been under consideration for some while and will take effect for all students from September. The basic change is that all students will be reorganised into one of 54 mixed age tutor groups, each of which will contain approximately 4 to 5 students from each year group and will be approximately 25 students in total. For management purposes, these 54 tutor groups will be zoned into 6 families, each containing 9 tutor groups.

It must be stressed that this change relates solely to the groups used for registration between 8.55 and 9.15. Teaching groups are not affected in any way by this change. Also, any activities which are currently organised on a “Year” basis such as certain trips or events such as the “Proms” will continue to be organised in this way. Other events based on the new system may be added.

This change to “vertical” tutor groups is not new. There are many schools all over the country who have made this change over the past few years. We have visited a number of these schools, held discussions with staff from them and spoken with students from them who, whilst admitting it sounds strange when first discussed, have been pleasantly surprised when they have settled in to their new tutor groups and strongly expressed the view that they would not want to return to the year based system having experienced the new system. The enthusiasm of these students has been a major factor in persuading us that we should introduce this model.

The key benefits identified by schools that have introduced this system are:

• Improved academic results due to improved academic tutoring linked to smaller and more flexible registration groups
• Reduction in bullying due to improved peer and student mentoring and support
• Improved behaviour across the school
• A greater sense of belonging within a small family of tutor groups

One of the key benefits which has already been identified is increased flexibility to deal with situations where relationships break down. The year based system with a direct link between registration group and teaching group is very inflexible and there is limited opportunity for moving students when relationship problems occur. The new system offers far greater flexibility.

It is also intended that the sixth form students will build on the work they have been doing this year in supporting Year 7 tutor groups on a broader scale to become college leaders. Some may use this as a means to achieve accreditation through the Universities Certificate scheme which carries additional UCAS points.

Another element of flexibility offered by this approach is related to the use of assemblies to reach a range of specific groups of students, such as a year group, family of registration groups or any other grouping. This means that tutors will frequently have quite small numbers of  students in the form room whilst others attend an assembly led by senior staff. This offers excellent opportunities for small group and individual work supporting academic and social targets.

A major advantage of this approach is that every Year 11 and Year 13 student has a tutor/mentor with sufficient resources and time to support them fully throughout the key last months leading up to external examinations. Each tutor will have, for example, no more than five Year 11 students in their group. This means they can work really closely on setting and monitoring targets and supporting the student through the year. This is one of the key features of the vertical system which has, in other schools, led to improved results.

We do appreciate that any change in a school is potentially difficult. In this particular case, a half way house approach where some groups are left out of the new system is not really possible. It would undermine the basic principle of making tutor groups as small as possible and making a  member of staff directly responsible for a smaller number of students in specific key examination years. It would also lead to serious complications to fully introducing the process in the following year.

Over the past few days we have been explaining these changes to students and there is a growing understanding of what is being proposed and a number of myths such as mixed age teaching groups, restricted areas at breaks and lunchtimes and that brothers and sisters would be in the same registration group have been corrected.

This is a significant change. It has been decided upon with the students’ best interests very much at the centre of the thinking. There is strong evidence that it will be effective and that students will take very little time to settle in to it and achieve benefit from it. However, no change has to be permanent and the first few months will be carefully evaluated and students and staff will be fully involved in this process.

Website Launch: Tuesday 15th September 2009 -4pm

Welcome to our new website!  We are proud to be able to give you a first look at the site which is, as you will see, very much in its infancy and under construction.  We have populated information areas so that parents and other visitors to the site can gain an overview of the school and its personnel and can also find out how to contact us.

Over the next three months we shall develop the site into much more than an information base.  It will become the centre for the school online curriculum and a showcase for all that is outstanding at Sawtry Community College, and will give visitors to the site a taste of the atmosphere which makes the school what it is now and what it will be in the future.

The development of the SCC website is just one of the exciting developments taking place at the school, as it strides into a new chapter of success in its history.  We look forward to turning this embryonic site into the public face of a school which is vibrant and dynamic.