The headteacher of The Harbour School has thanked the school’s community for their support as the school reaches the end of its first term as part of Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT).
The Harbour School, in Wilburton, near Ely, caters for a full role of 89 boys with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs from Year 2 to Year 11, under the leadership of Mrs Lise Sugden, who joined the school in September 2019.
Upon joining CMAT in January of this year, the school became the second educational provision to look after pupils with Special Educational Needs, following Martin Bacon Academy, in Northstowe, who joined in 2020.
Headteacher Lise praised the pupils and staff for the way they have reacted to the national lockdown and said the new partnership with CMAT was already realising a range of benefits with lots more positivity to look ahead to.
Lise said: “The impact of joining CMAT could be seen immediately at the start of the term with investment in our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) allowing us to support any remote education we needed to take place during lockdown. We also have plans to help future-proof the school’s infrastructure and facilities including a new school roof.
“We have managed to keep the school open throughout the lockdown, due to the needs of our pupils, and our staff have been integrated into the Trust with introductory meetings with colleagues in CMAT’s other schools. This peer-to-peer learning and sharing of experiences will be a big advantage for our staff.”
CMAT runs 17 schools in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. These include Ely College and Downham Feoffees Primary Academy. Ely College, who joined the Trust in 2016 in Special Measures, was rated as Good with Outstanding Leadership and Management last year, a real source of pride for the local community.
Lise added: “It has been a busy and productive term all round. We had a monitoring visit from Ofsted held remotely which went very well. We have even introduced a new puppy in to the school, with Guss the Cockapoo visiting twice a week. The pupils really love having him here.
“Outside of educational lesson time, the pupils really enjoy getting active and we get them involved in a variety of sports including cycling, canoeing and fishing.”
Lise said: “the school was well supported by the local community, with Cambridge taxi company CamCab donating six laptop computers for the school to use when the country went into lockdown. The school regularly use CamCab to look after pupils who need support travelling from their home to the school site.”
Executive Director of SENDV at CMAT Mary Rayner is herself a former headteacher at The Harbour School.
Press release from Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT)
You must be logged in to post a comment.