Welcome from the Headteacher
Alconbury Weald Church Academy is going to be a remarkable school and I am delighted to have the privilege of being its first headteacher and having the chance to work with you over the coming months to create the school that the town deserves.
Academic success is going to at the heart of what we do, both in terms of the qualifications children achieve by the end of school and their understanding of the wonderful world in which we live. There has been a tendency in our education system to narrow opportunities for students too early, but my view is that, whatever they go on to do in the future, children should read great literature, study beautiful works of art and have the knowledge they need to understand the complex world in which they live. Our curriculum will be designed to achieve this.
I also know that parents and children want opportunities that go beyond the curriculum, something that has been close to my heart throughout my twenty years as a teacher. Our arts and sports offer will make the most of the fantastic facilities that are currently being built, and you will find a flavour in this mini prospectus of what we intend to offer. Suffice it to say that I am a strong advocate of music in schools, I have recently completed a leadership programme with the Royal Ballet and Opera, and I am a qualified Mountain Leader with years of experience in outdoor education, so you can probably get a sense of the kinds of things I want us to offer!
Having spent my career working in schools, I am also very aware of the need to get the ‘basics’ right. We shall be looking closely at how we do food in the school with an emphasis on sitting down and eating together rather than munching from a polystyrene tub while on the move. You can be assured of a calm and purposeful school which celebrates kindness and respect, building on values we would celebrate as a Christian-ethos school.
I very much look forward to getting to know you over the coming months, and to welcoming your child into our school in September 2027.
Michael Fordham
Headteacher