Preparing For Year 7
Welcome to Great Academy Ashton
Great Academy Ashton is a school filled with over 1300 inspirational and ambitious young people and I am proud to serve them with over 200 highly talented, highly dedicated, expert staff.
As Academy Principal I am proud to have such a supportive, expert and engaged staff team and I hope that you will be equally inspired by our learning community. Our school, and the schools within our trust, are truly great schools where our values lie at the heart of everything we do.
Our vision is simple and clear; to improve the life chances of our young people by ensuring they achieve the best outcomes and are fully supported to realise their potential. We are committed to providing rich, high-quality experiences that enable all students to participate meaningfully in the life of the academy and contribute positively to the wider community
Great Academy Ashton is a large 11 – 16 school that serves the communities in and around Ashton-under-Lyne and the surrounding areas of Tameside, Oldham and Manchester. Our school is the beating heart of our community, and we pride ourselves in our vision as a school which serves our community and works in partnership as part of a community based, values focussed, cross phased multi-academy trust.
We have 1350 students in Years 7 to 11 and offer a full academically inclusive curriculum with exceptionally high expectations over the knowledge, the skills and the experiences all of our students will gain during their time with us. We strive to deliver the best results with our enthusiastic and talented team of staff who see it as their job to help every one of our students to achieve their individual potential. We have a wide and engaging curriculum with English, mathematics, science, humanities and modern foreign languages at its core. Alongside, personal values education, performing arts, expressive arts and physical education and community programmes, we also develop our students’ wider personal and leadership skills and help to equip them for a successful future in our changing world
We have an exceptional £43 million building and as you would expect, we are able to offer one of the most stimulating learning environments in the Northwest of England, with cutting edge facilities in each department. Outstanding sports, art, drama and music facilities are available to all students and are regularly used by our community too. GAA prepares students for their futures by educating minds and developing character.
Our students strive to exhibit our values every day, GREAT values. We teach our students to be: Genuine, Respectful, strive for excellence, Achievement focused and work Together. We are very proud of all of them, and proud to be part of the Ashton and Tameside communities. We are proud of the high academic and vocational standards our students achieve, but equally proud of the way in which they grow up to be responsible, hardworking and healthy adults who contribute fully to their community. I hope our website gives you a taste of our vibrant and successful learning community.
Please do not hesitate to contact us in school if you need more information or perhaps consider following us on social media.
Matthew Little
Principal
QUICK LINKS
STUDENT SUPPORT
Our wide ranging support networks are available to
students throughout their five-year journey
at the school.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We work closely with primary schools and the Year 6 teachers to collect all key information and data to ensure a smooth transition into Year 7 at Great Academy Ashton. Primary colleagues and school staff have positive relationships and both parties work collaboratively to meet pupil needs.
We work hard to ensure each individual has a settled and positive start to their journey at Great Academy Ashton. If your child has a special educational need that you would like to discuss further, please feel free school on 0161 241 9555 to contact Mrs Casey (SENCO) or Mrs Heavey (Assistant SENCO), or alternatively email on Kathleen.Casey@gaa.org.uk.
We collect information from your primary school and ask them to recommend learning partners. These are peers that work well together to bring out the best in each other. All form groups are created as mixed gender, mixed race and mixed ability. We do not take requests to be with friends as this is a great opportunity to meet new people, and as a school we have found this to be a very successful approach. If your child is coming from a school where they are the only pupil, we would place them in a tutor group where there are others’ in the same situation so that they can support each other.
Every family is offered a ‘family interview’ with the team so that we can really get to know your child before they start at Great Academy Ashton. There is a family learning day and two induction days whereby your child is invited to experience the academy. Finally, there is a Welcome Evening where learners and parents have the opportunity to come into school to meet their child’s form tutor, try on and purchase uniform, familiarise themselves with the facilities and ask any questions that they may have.
Your child will be able to enter through the main gate at the front of school. There will be plenty of lovely staff and helpers to show your child where to go and lots of signs to make sure your child gets the right place. Your child will be directed into the ‘street’ (our main dining area) where they will see signs for their form directing them to the auditorium. They will have a year 7 assembly in the auditorium.
Everyone is really friendly and helpful so don’t worry. We will help your child get to the right place. Your child will be the only year group in the Academy so there will be plenty of help and reassurance throughout the day.
Should your child feel unwell during a lesson then he/she must speak to their classroom teacher, who will deal with the situation and depending on the severity of the illness send them to the year manager situated in the homebase office. If they are unwell at breaktime and lunchtime your child should go straight to the year manager.
Moving to secondary school can be a daunting time for both children and their parents. One of the key ways to prepare your child for transition is to develop their independence skills. This includes encouraging them to gather and pack their own equipment ready for school or other activities, managing time and money, looking after their belongings and development of strategies to use if something goes wrong.
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