The Aylesbury Vale Academy - Success Beyond Belief

Absence Contact Number

If your child is going to be absent from school, please text Miss Benyon on 07624811804 or call the direct line on 01296 745730.

Daily School Opening and Bus Information

Information on the daily status of the Academy and the bus service to it, are available on the Bucks County Council page here.

Academy Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

As a member of Aylesbury Vale Academy your child has access to our internet based virtual learning environment where various interactive learning activities and resources are available.

Academy Departments create 'courses' on the VLE to compliment and enforce classroom lessons. The VLE offers a wide variety of tools including quizzes, questionnaires, forums, podcasts, blogs, webpages, workshops. slideshows, wikis etc. to enable teachers to deliver course content. Links to external resources can be created and single or multiple assignments can be submitted online by students depending on course requirements.

The VLE is a fantastic resource which we encourage all students to utilise. It has proved particularly useful during school closures, holidays and throughout exceptionally important periods such as during our Year 11 study leave.

To access the system students must use their Academy (buckgfl.org.uk) email login and password. Course specific queries must be posed to the relevant class/subject teacher.

Click here to access the VLE.

SAM Learning

Aylesbury Vale Academy subscribes to an excellent independent learning resource called "SAM Learning". The essential single objective of SAM Learning is to improve the achievement of your children in their national exams at KS3, GCSE and post 16. Click here for our parents guide or here to have a look at the SAM Learning website.

Student Planner Replacement information

Parents please note that replacement student planners are now available from Mrs Cummings (at Student Reception) at a new price of £5.50.

THINK! strategy for teenage pedestrians

Research has found that teenagers are easily distracted on the roads, especially when they're in small groups of friends. THINK! works to encourage teenage pedestrians to be more aware of traffic and to avoid distracting influences when crossing the road.

Did you know?

The facts

• Young people aged between 11 and 16 are more at risk of being killed or seriously injured as a pedestrian or cyclist in a road accident than other age groups.
• 1,844 12 to 16-year-olds were killed or seriously injured as pedestrians, cyclists and car occupants in 2007.
• Traffic is the biggest cause of accidental death of 12 to 16-year-olds.
• Almost 1 in 5 teenagers report having been involved in a road accident or "near miss" on their way home from school. But only 4 per cent said that road safety was their main concern.

What can you do?

• Teach your children how to be safe on the roads
• Reward safe behaviour
• Point out where you see unsafe behaviour and discuss what could be the consequence

The Academy recently held a Road Safety Awareness Poster Competition. For further information including the winning entries click here.

Learning Gateway Project

In response to a government initiative to help improve parental engagement, Aylesbury Vale Academy will be taking part in the current Local Authority pilot which facilitates secure, online access for parents and carers to view specific school data about their children.

Initially the project will focus on Year 7 students and attendance records. Additional data including behaviour, progress and attainment will become available in the coming months. Other year groups will be invited on completion of this intial 'rollout' and parents will be notified accordingly.

If you have a child in Year 7 and are interested in taking part, please register your interest by emailing gateway@theacademy.me.

Reference 'Learning Gateway' in the subject of the email and provide the following information:

• Your full name
• Your relationship to child(ren).
• Child(rens) full name(s)
• Year group(s)
• Child(ren)'s date of birth

Although the initial project focus is on year 7, will are very interested in hearing from parents with children in other years also, so please use the same email address to lodge your interest.

Once all interest has been lodged, confirmation of interest will be sent, by email, along with information on the 'next steps'.

It is important to note that only individuals who have parental responsibility to the child(ren) will be able to access information online about the child(ren). Information that will be made available securely online is strictly confidential and protected by law under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Key stage 3 - Home Learning

Unless specifically stated by the Curriculum Leader for the individual subject, The Academy will follow the Department for Children, Schools and Families weekly recommended guidelines. They are as follows:

• Years 7 and 8: between 45 and 90 minutes per day during term time.
• Year 9: between 1 and 2 hours per day during term time.

Curriculum Leaders do have the choice in Key Stage 3 to offer an extended project, over a six week period, as an alternative to the weekly guided hours provided that the hours devoted to the project are not less than the recommended hours over the year. Full guidance with regard to the project-based homework can be found here.