Page 8 - Autumn 2018 Echo AVE

A Fond Farewell to Alan Knight

On Monday, 12 November Alan Knight, who has been a member of the Governing
Board since 11 December 2003, was formally thanked by the Chair of Governors,
Mr Mike Saltern, for his dedication and commitment to the College. he said, “I
have greatly valued his integrity and commitment to the College and I cannot
fault what Alan has brought to the College.”
As a member of the estates Committee and trustee when Yealmpton joined the Ivybridge Academy trust,
Alan was never afraid to ‘say it as he sees it’, and Mike Saltern said, “I have always depended on his wise
words.”
Alan Knight said that he had always enjoyed the intellectual stimulus of being a governor here and that he
had seen a whole series of changes reflected at both government and school level.
he also complimented the College by stating, “I have never failed to be impressed by the dedication,
enthusiasm and heart-warming approach all staff have towards the College and its students. If I had a
youngster, I would be very happy for them to attend the College.”

Parent Forum SteM event

On 1 November parents and staff from the College met with Charlie Molyneux, the Careers South West ‘Big
Bang Coordinator’ for the region.
the event was organised to raise the profile for SteM (Science, technology, engineering and Mathematics)
with some of our key Parent Voice representatives, and take them through the exciting next steps which will
help to grow this area of College life and benefit our student body and their aspirations for careers in SteM.

6 News head of Department: heather lilley

Students getting their hands dirty

Year 7 students, together with members of the College’s Sustainability Group, have just completed a waste
audit. In one day all the waste produced by the College was collected and weighed. It totalled a staggering
369kg, equivalent to the weight of 5 science teachers per day.
each class of volunteers received a talk on safety and hygiene and armed with gloves, the students got their
hands dirty sifting the waste. the waste collected was separated into various recycling and non-recycling
waste streams such as card, paper, plastic bottles, glass, food etc.
It was estimated that over 70% of the waste could actually be recycled. At present the College recycles only
27% of waste, but with some few small changes the College aims to make sure it plays its part in being
sustainable.
the next challenge is to meet the target of recycling 70% of the College’s waste and ensure the Year 7
students continue to be engaged and pass on their knowledge and new habits of recycling to future students.
Once the process is running successfully at Ivybridge the plan
is to roll out the process across the entire thirteen schools of
the Westcountry Schools trust, to make a positive impact
across the South West.
Mark Bullard, estates Director, said “It was amazing to actually
visualise how much we throw out every day, when you add it
all up it is a lot. We want to see if we can stop throwing so
much away and make sure it doesn’t get into the sea.
the students left the sessions with an increased awareness of
the impact of their lifestyles on the planet and what they can
do to help improve their environment.”

Wellbeing through Support for trainee teachers

“I came to the College with prior knowledge and experience of it, yet the step-up from Teaching Assistant to
Teacher has been a real eye opener. Breaking through a barrier of nerves and trepidation has been a
challenging experience but the support I have received to do it has been second to none. From help with
lesson planning, to talking about a lesson that didn't go to plan, I feel I have someone to talk to at all times.
there is an overriding sense of welcome when I walk through the corridors, both from students and staff. there
is always someone making themselves available to answer any and every question I have.
this is the very beginning of my journey into the career of a teacher, but I can say with wholehearted honesty
that I am glad to have the support of Ivybridge Community College to help me develop. “

Callum Bailey (PgCe teacher trainee)

the College echo - Autumn 2018 - www.ivybridge.devon.sch.uk