Week 9 – Welcome back and mock exams begin

Welcoming our new principal

St Ivo Academy in St Ives will be welcoming a new leader to the school in January 2026. The school has written to parents and carers with news that Ms Pearce, currently at Trumpington Community College, will be joining St Ivo in the new year.

Ms Pearce has been part of the senior leadership team in schools across Cambridgeshire for nearly ten years and brings a wealth of experience to St Ivo. She has been part of the leadership team at Trumpington Community College for the last six years, bringing a strong track record of school improvement, and she has also been a part-time Ofsted inspector. Before her time at Trumpington, Ms Pearce was assistant headteacher and head of sixth form at Parkside Community College, growing the sixth form to record numbers. She has taught religious studies for fifteen years.

Year 11 mocks

We would like to congratulate our year 11 students on their exemplary conduct throughout this week’s mock examinations.  

Their maturity and positive attitude have been praised by staff. It has been particularly impressive to see so many students taking ownership of their revision; over 150 students attended our ‘Just-in-Time’ revision session for English on Tuesday for example, showing strong commitment to their learning.  Well done on the early alarm clocks for an 8am start!

As we head into week two, here’s a reminder of our focus on high-impact revision strategies focusing on active recall:  

Activities like self-quizzing using the knowledge organiser folder, making flashcards and then using the Leitner system to sort your cards are all good bets. All knowledge organisers are available electronically on our website too, and heads of department have set structured revision homework to further support students.

We are incredibly proud of the effort year 11 have shown so far. We look forward to seeing their hard work continue over the coming week. 

Mock exams are an important indicator of progress, allowing us to diagnose any gaps in knowledge or misconceptions that we need to work on. They can also be a stressful time for students so please remember that the mocks are just part of the journey and it is important to build in breaks and self care too.  

Feedback

We would like to apologise for the feedback section not migrating to the new website. This has now been rectified and can be found under ‘about us’. So, if you would like to praise the school/ individual staff, offer suggestions for improvement or raise a concern, this online portal allows you to do it all.

Upcoming Parents’ and Carers’ Evenings

Year 13 Parents’/ Carers’ Evening

We would like to invite Year 13 parents’/ carers’ to meet with subject teachers. This will be a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress in this vital year. 

Meetings will take place online, on Thursday 20 November from 4.00pm to 7.30pm.

Bookings open on Monday 10 November at 6am. To book an appointment, please go to https://stivo.schoolcloud.co.uk and enter the details required. Please note that only priority 1 and 2 contacts with parental responsibility will be able to logon.  If you have any issues booking an appointment please contact the school office. 

Please note that appointments will close on Tuesday 18 November at 8am. 

Year 11 Parents’/ Carers’ Evening

We would like to invite Year 11 parents’/ carers’ to meet with subject teachers. This will be a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress in this vital year. 

Meetings will take place online, on Thursday 4 December from 4.00pm to 7.30pm.

Bookings open on Monday 24 November at 6am. To book an appointment, please go to https://stivo.schoolcloud.co.uk and enter the details required. Please note that only priority 1 and 2 contacts with parental responsibility will be able to logon.  If you have any issues booking an appointment please contact the school office. 

Please note that appointments will close on Tuesday 2 December at 8am. Appointments for science will be available with one teacher who will report on progress across biology, chemistry and physics.

School vaccinations

The School Immunisation Team have completed their visits to the school to offer the flu vaccination. If your child did not receive their vaccination and you would like to book a community clinic appointment, please do so via this link: 

https://bed.schoolvaccination.uk/flu/2025/book

Current clinics are available in Cambridge and Huntingdon, more clinics will be added during November and December.

Booking is essential to be able to attend the clinics.

Upcoming events

We are proud to be hosting Ivolution and a Candlelight Music Concert.

Ivolution tickets went on sale Monday and can be found here: Www.ticketsource.co.uk/stivo 

Ivolution tickets are quickly selling out!

Candlelight concert tickets are coming soon!

Candlelight concert auditions

If you wish to perform an item you must audition it on or before 18 November. 

Choir rehearsals are on Friday lunchtimes. Choir pieces list is displayed in the music department. Instrumental rehearsals start after half term on Tuesday lunchtime.

Sixth form – Wear it Pink!

What a Sixth Form community! 💗
A huge thank you to everyone who wore pink, dressed up, and donated! Your enthusiasm and generosity are what make our Sixth Form so special. This is just another reminder of the incredible support, guidance, and sense of community we share every day.

Donations

We are looking for the following items and if you wish to donate please contact Lauren.tomlinson@astreastivo.org.

• Old newspapers for the art department
• Keyboards or other musical instruments
• Christmas Decorations
• Under desk storage

Student spotlight

Harry competes Nationally where he is in the U14 age category. He has had a very successful season with the major highlights listed below: 

• U14 British Masters Winner played at the Belfry. 
• U14 Winner at the WAGR World Series event in St Andrews, Scotland, playing against competitors from the UK, Europe and America. 
• Faldo Futures Finalist playing at the Belfry. 
• National Tour winner at Headingley GC. 
• Finished the season in the 3rd place on the National Order of Merit. 
• Completed the season with a handicap of 2.8. 

Harry is looking forward to playing in the European Masters and the World Championships for the 3rd time next season. 

How to Enter

Head to the website https://www.creatingnaturescorridors.co.uk/artcompetition

We’d be grateful if you could share this opportunity with your Art Department and students. Full competition details, including the brief and submission guidelines, can be found at 

If you have any questions or would like us to visit your school to talk about the project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for supporting creativity and environmental action!