---

Rationale

At Mayflower, we set out to plot the progressive range of deliberate actions that the Academy takes to improve life chances and facilitate learning throughout its community. The ‘Waves of Engagement’ are a holistic measure that goes beyond the ordinary goal of most schools…improving pupil outcomes.

The waves offer a form of moral compass by which the Academy can add value, measure its effectiveness and wider impact. The outcomes of these measures can then be used to address needs as well as target resources that unlock talents and interests.

The Waves of Engagement demonstrate that the Academy promotes learning as a life-long inclusive process, which thrives most when viewed as a partnership between staff, parents, carers, pupils, cross-industry partners and expert agencies.

Each partner is viewed as having an equal weight in how they influence and enable learning for pupils and their families. At Mayflower, each wave requires considerable attention both within its longer-term operational plans as well as daily and deliberate actions. All partners are encouraged to 100% sign up, as well as step up, to improving the life chances of pupils and their families.

The Academy aims to link with cross-industry partners to attract: 1) energy 2) interest 3) income into its community, which in turn generates increased access to, 1) time 2) space 3) resources 4) expertise for learning to thrive and empower others.

Mayflower Community Academy views the fundamental ‘Waves of Engagement’ as:

 

---

Extended Opportunities @ MCA

---

Enrichment Trips (Waves 3, 4 & 5)

At Mayflower, we are constantly considering how we can bring our Curriculum to life, enriching the knowledge learnt in the classroom with purposeful experiences that will bring meaning and wonder to all our pupils. It is our mission to enhance and expand the Curriculum beyond the school gates, encouraging pupils to explore the world around them and make links in their learning. These experiences may explore places in our local area such as: Plymouth Hoe, Central Park, Mount Edgecombe, Ham Woods, Wembury Beach, Plymouth Council Chambers, Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth Theatre Royal and The STEM centre; or may take our pupils further afield to places such as Cornwall, London and Bristol. Our ambition doesn’t stop there, with leaders securing wider links in 2023 to really put Mayflower on the map.

Expert Visitors (Waves 3, 4 & 5)

During our termly Curriculum planning, subject leaders work alongside teachers to identify and source experts who can model and enhance the quality of that unit of work. These experts may act as a stimulus, a facilitator, a quality assurer or an external assessor of the final outcomes. We have been fortunate enough to work with some extremely influential people in their field, who have added enormous worth to the learning at hand: both with aspiration and skill development.

Linking with experts who can take pupils beyond the Primary Curriculum develops a plethora of pupil attributes. Pupils build wider perspective of what life in work and industry looks and feels like, they develop a sense of maturity and responsibility, develop purposeful routines and begin to view themselves as lifelong learners who have something special to offer beyond Primary itself.

“Working with Professor Burghes opened my eyes to what I could achieve. Taking the SKE Cross Phase Maths Programme was daunting, but I have learned so much about what I can achieve with the right tuition”

Year 6 Pupil

OAA Programme (Waves 3, 4 & 5)

As part of our PE planning at Mayflower, we aim to ensure that all pupils in Key Stage 2 receive a robust and progressive outdoor and adventurous activity programme, enabling them to develop a broader range of physical activity skill, both individually and as part of a team. Across the Key Stage, these experiences will cover both land-based activities and water-based activities, including: bikeability, orienteering, tree-surfing, scooting and skating sessions, sailing, swimming and kayaking (to name a few).

Academic Tuition (Waves 2, 3, 4 & 5)

At Mayflower, we pride ourselves on offering our pupils more. Whether it’s a short-term learning ‘boost’, or an extended, more steady approach, we strive to offer our pupils the opportunity to extend their learning day or week. Every day, pupils from across the Academy are offered free Maths, Reading and Phonics tuition, delivered by our teachers, subject specialists and HLTAs.

We also offer a free Saturday School (#supersaturdaysMCA), where a free breakfast is provided, then followed by Reading and Maths tuition which is delivered in a fun and relaxed way. In order to target the body as well as the mind, we end the morning with an energetic sporting session. This programme is predominantly offered to Year 5 & 6, but we also host free Phonics booster sessions to Year 1 & 2, as well as Argyle football coaching to all Year groups.

This year, our tuition has been supplemented by the National Tutoring Programme which has taken place after-school each day.

Academic Tuition 'beyond the norm' (Waves 3, 4 and 5)

Holiday Clubs (Waves 1, 2 & 3)

As part of our holistic pledge to our community, we not only extend the learning day, but also the learning week, and even the term. During the school holidays, Mayflower partner up with Proactive Sports to provide a free childcare programme consisting of a range of sporting activities, as well as practical and creative educational sessions. These clubs are predominantly aimed to support families on Free School Meals and involve activities such as: cooking, scientific experiments, graffiti art, parkour, golf, music taster sessions, music tuition, street games, archery and much more.

Extracurricular Clubs (Waves 1, 2 & 3)

Mayflower offer an extensive range of extra-curricular clubs, open to all pupils across the Academy. These clubs are run by a combination of Mayflower staff and outsourced qualified coaches, providing a breadth to the high-quality tuition. Our choice of clubs are purposeful, fun and engaging and are selected on the basis of diversity and demand - we strive to give our pupils what they want! Our clubs are an extension of our learning day: developing teamwork and overcoming personal challenges, whilst supporting our pupils’ wellbeing and mental health. Extra-curricular clubs include: Cricket, Football, Gymnastics, Choir, French, Art, Maths, Phonics, Little Troopers, Netball, Taekwondo, The Rock Project, Dodgeball, Rugby (the list goes on…)

Community Empowerment (Waves 1 & 5)

Community engagement is a key focus at Mayflower; creating purposeful opportunities to share in learning and gain parent feedback is an integral part of our service. We aim to reach further by enabling our community to develop their own talents and interests – raising aspirations and empowering them to achieve more alongside us.

As part of this provision, we facilitate parent CPD workshops, coffee mornings, share and care feedback sessions, academic qualification courses and community groups, with a new Family Support Advisor role dedicated to further expanding these proactive initiatives.

“I now know how to help my daughter at home with their learning. The online workshop about behaviour and creating learning spaces at home was one of the things that made the biggest difference to both me and my daughter during lockdown. I also met new families from Mayflower and we shared how we helped learning go beyond the school day”

Parent of KS2 pupil.

 

 

---