The Quest Academy presented its thirdmusical production at the start ofFebruary, which was a spectacularsuccess. The show’ s Director, Mr GavinKensit, writes…

“All I was focused on was producing aproduct worthy of public consumption!The only way for this to happen was tomake sure that the right people wereinvolved. I was blessed this year withexpert guidance and help from Abby,Alysia, Holly, Felix and Al. These shows donot exist without the likes of you. Whenyou add to this the ever dependabledream duo of Blake and Josh then, all of asudden, the show becomes moreexciting! So that leads me onto the cast.For a start those that were still in it at theend deserve huge praise, as many did notlast the course! Six months is a long timeto commit to something and the fact thatthis cast did so proves they have manyadmirable qualities, not least of allendurance, perseverance and grit.

The cast and crew had to endure monthsof constant feedback and highexpectations. The wonderful thing is theylearned to accept the high standards;taking any criticism as a signpost toimprove their end product.

Each year, I go through a range ofemotions as we move ever forwards toshow time. I am left now with aresounding sense of pride in the youngpeople that were involved in this showand will be in future performances I amsure.

So I hope those of you who attended anyof the performances had a lovely time andwere genuinely entertained by ourfantastic students at The Quest Academy.”

N E w S l E T T E R

V o l u M E 8

i S S u E 3

S P R i N g ‘ 1 8

Quest News

� Principal's Message� School Production

Page 1

Quest News

� Educational Awards� Visits

Page 2-3

Quest News

� SMSC Focus

Page 4-5

Quest News

� Academy News

Page 6

The Quest Academy • Farnborough Avenue • South Croydon • CR2 8HD 020 8657 8935www.thequestacademy.org.uk

High School Musical

It’s now just over 7 years since the QuestAcademy opened and we’ve achieved agreat deal together in that time.

We’ve secured excellent results at GCSEand A level with positive progress figuresat every level. We’ve been recognised as aLeading Edge school and received anEducational Outcomes Award for being inthe top 20% of schools for progressnationally. More details about these areavailable on our website.

We’ve also achieved Ofsted recognition forbeing ‘Good’ in all respects and opened asixth form that now has 150 students on24 A level and BTEC courses. We’veachieved CPLD Gold for the quality of ourstaff training and a variety of subjectquality marks including Music. We nowhave a thriving Duke of Edinburgh Awardscheme (as our own accredited centre)and a growing Combined Cadet Force.

Thank you for your support as we havedeveloped the high quality educationyour children deserve.

As we continue to move forward we willbe joining the Collegiate Trust which inSeptember 2018 will educate over 4000children and have over 300 staff. It’s anexciting time and I know they will help usensure that the Quest Academy becomestruly outstanding in the years to come.

Happy Easter.

Mr. A. Crofts

Principal’sMessage

Page 02 Volume 8 issue 3

QUEST NEWS

Visit to Tower of London

Where would you find Little Miss Neat having aconversation with Hermione Granger and the Lady ofShallot? The Quest Academy World Book Day dress up,of course!

Staff were encouraged to come as their favouriteliterary characters and invite students to discuss theirsthroughout the day. The students were fully engagedwith it; learning about new books, new characters andeven the artistic merits of their teachers.

See who you can spot in the pictures… who wouldyour favourite character be?

M Cotton

On Monday, the 6th Form English studentsattended an informative and eye opening series oflectures on A Doll’s House, one of their core texts. Itgave students an in depth look at what life was likeat university: a range of lecturing styles from theerudite to the zany; hand cramp from scribbling somany notes and the dulcet tones of snoringstudents at the back (none of ours, of course!)

The students all found it incredibly useful and weare sure will help them excel in their exams.

World Book DayDrama students from Years 8 & 9performed at the Croydon YouthTheatre (CYTO) on Tuesday20th March following 5 weeks ofrehearsals. The students created adevised piece around the word"community".

This project was organised by theEastside Educational Trust.  The castdid themselves and the Quest proudwith a skilful performanceconsidering the short time they had.

The minibus trip further added to the entertainment and all in all thestudents benefited hugely from this experience.

During the Spring Term AcademyDay trip, students from Years 7-10had the opportunity of exploringthe Tower of London. 

The students got to explore thesights of several beheadings, seethe armour and the dragon in theWhite Tower and express theirfascination with England’storturous past! 

After playing ‘spot the raven’ andtrying to protect our lunch from the persistent pigeons, the studentswere taken around the Crown Jewels and learnt about the process ofcoronating a new Monarch. 

After having decided which crown was their favourite and the onethey would wear if they were to become the next King or Queen, itwas time to go home, but not before a quick visit to the shop!

E Thomas

“A Doll’s House” Lectures

Croydon Youth Theatre

The Quest Academy has received an SSAT Educational Outcomes awardputting it in the top 20% of schools nationally for progress in the 2017 endof Year 11 examinations.

The award is offered to high performing state-funded schools, based on ananalysis tool that combines Department for Education and Ofsted sourcesas well as students' best 8 average point scores.

The award will be presented to the Academy at a celebration event duringthe Summer Term.

The Quest Academy is now eligible to join SSAT's Leading Edge, thenational network exclusively available to high-performing schools and anational recognition of the hard work of everybody at the Academy.

Educational Outcome Awards

On Friday 2nd February, 20 Queststudents along with Mrs Burr and MissThomas, had the good fortune to spendthe afternoon at the Royal Opera Houseto watch The Royal Ballet perform MariusPetipa’s ballet ‘Giselle’.

Surrounded by the beauty of the RoyalOpera House, our students got toexperience this beautiful classical ballet andappreciate the costumes, techniques and

scenery involved in creating this After theinitial ‘wow’ factor of the main auditorium(and the necessary photos being takenagainst the backdrop of the main stage),our students quickly began to read thesynopsis of Giselle so that they wouldunderstand the dancers’ interpretation ofthe story through dance. The arrival of theconductor meant that the time for readingwas over and our students made theschool proud with their attentiveness andexemplary behaviour and respect given tothe dancers throughout the first act.

At the interval, students were keen togive their opinions and express theirappreciation and wonder at how thedancers were able to create the strongemotions and story without using wordsor song. The second half of the ballet washighly anticipated, particularly whenstudents found out that it would takeplace in the spirit world.

Act II did not disappoint and thecostumes were even more beautiful thanin the first.

Unfortunately the end of the ballet cameall too soon and it was time to go home.Students left the Royal Opera House,smiling, talking about the ballet and keento see another; a very successful trip!

E Thomas

Volume 8 issue 3 Page 03

QUEST NEWS

Visit to see "Giselle" ballet

Messrs Crofts,Smith andJeffrey set offwith thirty keenstudents toLondon for afantastic

production of the Lion King.

Making the most of our time in Londonwe headed first to M&M world which isthe largest candy store in the UK - I'msure you can imagine how that wentdown! From there we took a short walk toCovent Garden where students exploredthe many shops and eateries in smallgroups.

After lunch another short walk to theLyceum Theatre where our seats in rowsC & D of the stalls were some of the bestin the house! A magical andunforgettable performance ensuedwhich was loved by everyone. Mypersonal favourite was Rafiki: what anamazing voice!

We returned by train to schoolat 7pm exhausted but having had abrilliant day! 

A Crofts

Lion King

On Thursday15th Marchthe Year 11GCSE Dramaclass,alongside ahandful oftalented Year 9GCSE Dramastudentstravelled tothe DonmarWarehouse toa watch amatinee showof the play,“The YorkRealist”.

Written in 2001, the play explores a love story between two men that come fromdifferent parts of the country and what this means to them. The play is set in the1960s and it was a gripping, powerful and naturalistic performance which thestudents adored.  

They were also lucky enough to have a two hour workshop the week before andthen have a Q&A session with the actors after the show.

This will be the play the Year 11s will write about for their exam, so fingers crossedthis amazing play will steer them to success!

G Kensit

Donmar Warehouse Production

Page 04 Volume 8 issue 3

QUEST NEWS

The National CollaborativeOutreach Programme aims tosupport the mostdisadvantaged young people inEngland to progress into highereducation (HE). 

The programme aims to supportthe Government’s goals to:

� double the proportion of young people fromdisadvantaged backgrounds in higher education(HE) by 2020

� increase by 20 per cent the number of students inHE from ethnic minority groups

� address the under-representation of young menfrom disadvantaged backgrounds in HE

Quest students from Key Stage 4 have been selectedand invited to events at London South Bank andKingston University, the lead Higher EducationInstitution for the NCOP in London, where they metstudent ambassadors to find out information specificto academic courses and more generally aboutUniversity life.

As part of the programme, Sixth Form students will beattending a biomedical science day at RoehamptonUniversity in May.

Helping a

generation of

young people

to give their

time and talent

to improve their

community.

This year, Year 8have been givenan opportunityto raiseawareness forthe different

social issues that have an effect on all of them asyoung people living in Croydon.

Each class has chosen a charity to support andhave been raising awareness by designing postersand leaflets; they have also been selling cakes anddoing sponsored silences in order to raise moneyto give to their charities.

All of their efforts will be recognised at the final,where one class will win £1,000 for their charity.

NCOP Event at Kingston University

PiXL Edge provides aframework to enable studentsto develop and capture theattitudes, attributes and skillswhich are so important for employment and life beyond school. More than700 schools, including The Quest Academy, are members of the scheme.

The programme, which is for students from aged 4 to 18, encouragesprogression through three levels of achievement (Apprentice, Graduate,Master) in five essential skills attributes: leadership, organisation, resilience,initiative and communication. These attributes were chosen in consultationwith employers and industry leaders, such as CBI, who identified the skills andattitudes that employers look for.

Students at The Quest Academy have undertaken a series of tasks andactivities (both curricular and extra-curricular), devised by PiXL to help themdevelop these important life attributes through a process of target setting

and self-reflection. By doing so,they enhance their skills ascandidates for Higher Educationand, ultimately, employment.

Our aim is that all students fromYears 9 and 10 will have completedthe apprentice award by the end ofthis academic year.

First Give

PiXL Edge

Quest student, Millie-May Welch nominated herself tostand for Young Mayor of Croydon in elections that tookplace across the Borough on 13th March.

Millie-May wrote a manifesto with a focus on “Activities forYoung People” in order to provide opportunities,particularly for those who are disadvantaged, to expand their experiences and to“help the younger generation feel more comfortable in their own Borough”.

Congratulations Millie-May for making a stand and putting yourself forward forYoung Mayor.

Over 12,500 votes were cast in the Young Mayorelection, and over five schools had an 80% voterturnout. The hashtag #CroydonYoungMayor wasalso trending locally on Twitter throughout theday of the election.

Young Mayor of Croydon

On Monday 12th March, sixty Year 3 & 4 Courtwood Primary school pupilsattended The Quest Academy to have a Drama workshop led by Mr Kensit.

They were able to explore friendships and responded verbally to somehigh level questioning.

After rehearsing in groups, they all had an opportunity to perform on thestage and were able to listen to and respond to feedback.

The Courtwood teachers, at the end, commented on how excellent theirbehaviour was. This is a clear indicator of their engagement andenjoyment.

Courtwood Primary Pupils Visit Quest

On 5th February, 25 Year 10students were selected to takepart in a workshop to improvetheir public speaking skillssponsored by the JackPetchey Foundation. All of the students learnt how to composea speech and deliver it effectively, drawing on body language,rhetorical devices and audience engagement. At the end ofthe day, six students were selected to give their speechesduring an assembly so their peers could choose who wouldrepresent The Quest Academy at the Regional Finals in March.

There was a clear winner in both the eyes of the students andthe staff and so this is how Nathanael Russel found himself atThe Archbishop Lanfranc Academy on the evening of 20thMarch. The competition was fierce, and all the speakers werevery talented, but Nathanael’s speech on ‘The ForgottenHuman Beings’ wowed the judges, the audience and the Mayorof Croydon so much so that he was awarded 3rd place in all ofCroydon, securing our spot in the top three schools for thesecond year in a row!

Congratulations Nathanael, you have made all of us proud andinspired younger students to follow in your footsteps!

Volume 8 issue 3 Page 05

QUEST NEWS

Jack Petchey –“Speak Out”Challenge

The Quest Academy is planningto celebrate Black HistoryMonth in October 2018. We arekeen to hear from people inour community who feel theymay be able to contribute toour students’ awareness ofblack culture.

Please contact the Academy Reception if you would like to beinvolved.

Black History Month

The Year 12 PairedReading Scheme hasbeen running successfullyfor its second year. Theacademy works inpartnership with GilbertScott Primary School tohelp young studentsbuild their confidence inreading. The programmehas gone from strengthto strength. This term,more students than ever before have been working withtheir reading mentee from Gilbert Scott Primary school, tohelp them read through their favourite books, increasingtheir engagement with literacy and building a positive andtrusting relationship between mentor and mentee.

Students from Quest are paired with a student from GilbertScott (ranging from Year 2 to Year 5) at the start of the schoolyear and work with them closely on a one-to-one basis.

The members of staff that supervise the sessions at GilbertScott have said the Quest students have helpedtremendously and have an excellent rapport with theirmentees. The experience has had a very positive effect onthe Gilbert Scott students and they look forward to theirsession every week. Students at Quest have said that theytoo enjoy reading with their mentees and it has beenwonderful to see improvements in their reading levels and tosee their confidence grow as a result.

Moreover, we have also launched the programme for the firsttime with our Year 10 students working with a number ofYear 7s during Monday’s Enrichment period. They haveserved as fantastic role models, helping our new students tosettle in, familiarise themselves with the Academy, and makenew friends in different year groups.

Many of our Year 10 students will be able to use theexperience as part of achieving their PiXL Edge or Duke ofEdinburgh’s Award schemes, something we are proud to giveevery KS4 student the opportunity to partake in.

Paired Reading Programe

In March, the Year 7students were visited byambassadors of GideonsInternational. At the close

of the visit, each student received a copy of the NewTestament.

The students learned about the work of the Gideons through apresentation delivered by two guest speakers who shared theirexperiences and explained how the free gift that the studentsreceived supported them overcome many challenges.

They spoke about the purpose of the Bible and how it couldsupport students when they face their own obstacles.  

Gideons visit

As part of National Careers Week, this year The QuestAcademy hosted its first ever careers fair. All students had theopportunity to attend.

We were supported by Aim Higher, Goldsmiths University,Kingston University, Sublime Science, Kingsmead EquestrianCentre, JACE training and DeVere.

The fair had a 94% success rate with students rating it as apositive experience.

Careers Fair

Page 06 Volume 8 issue 3

QUEST NEWS

From dressing up in a range ofarmy uniforms to learningabout the army’s participationin a range of conflicts, newrecruits from Years 7 and 9enjoyed lots of newexperiences during their visitto The National Army Museumin Chelsea.

Some students enjoyedlearning about the rifles usedin different areas of combat,whilst others enjoyed seeingwhat it is like in a real tank.Others explored the history ofjournalism related to war.

Our students broadened their horizons and explored many fascinatingaspects of warfare at this wonderful museum.

L Mcleod

Visit to The National Army Museum

Summer Term 2018Monday 16th April 2018 - Friday 20th July 2018Monday 16th April - INSET Day - closed to Years 7-10. Year 11and 6th form students to be in schoolMonday 7th May – Bank Holiday – Academy closed to studentsHalf Term – Monday 28th May – Sunday 3rd JuneSummer Holiday – Begins 2:00pm Friday 20th July 2018

Parents’ EveningYear 11 – Thursday 26th April 4.00pm – 7.00pmYear 8 – Thursday 3rd May 4.00pm – 7.00pmYear 9 – Thursday 10th May 4.00pm – 7.00pm

Other EventsNew Year 7 (Sept 2018) Parents Meeting – 18th April 5.30pmYear 7 Residential trip to Grosvenor Hall 25th – 27th AprilYear 8 Options Evening – Wednesday 6th June 4.00pm – 7.00pmYear 10 Ensemble Performances Thursday 21st June 5.00pm – 6.30pmSports Day - Thursday 5th JulyNew Year 7 Induction Day – Friday 6th July

ACADEMY AT WORK TOURSMonday 23rd April, 11amMonday 21st May, 11amMonday 18th June, 11am

Important dates for your diary

On Wednesday 21stMarch a group of strongYear 10 GCSE Dramastudents were able to goto the Old Vic to watchthe play Fanny &Alexander. This waspreceded by a 2-hourworkshop (led by the Old Vic) on the Monday. Itwas the longest play the group had ever seen(three and a half hours) yet their focus andbehaviour were exemplary, far outweighing that ofthe other schools in the theatre.

The play dealt with serious issues of loss and deathover the course of three acts, with Act 2 beingparticularly powerful. It was a wonderful examplefor the students to see and will aid them in theirquest to gain the highest marks possible comeYear 11. The group will be going back to the OldVic in May to watch Mood Music.

Theatre Trip to Old Vic

British Science Week, run by the British Science Associationis a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineeringand maths and spans across the UK for people of all ages.British Science Week provides a platform to stimulate andsupport the general public to participate in STEM eventsand activities.

At the Quest Academy, we celebrated British Science Weekby themed assemblies on Science and looking at what

science can do for us and how it impacts all our lives.Students were all encouraged to enter a competition on thetheme of exploration and discovery. Entries are needed byThursday 29th March to Miss Melling.

Posters must include the following information (entrantdetails can be on the back of the poster): � entrant name (all names if a team) and entrant age (all

ages if a team)� age category (of the oldest team member)� school/youth group name and address

Prizes will be awarded to the best entry and totwo runners up. The winners will receive aselection of exciting STEM related hands-onactivities and books that may include “AugmentifyIt” augmented reality playing cards, experimentsfrom John Adams or amazing Spy Kits fromProject Mc2.

Good luck everyone with your entries!

British Science Week