My first blog of my favourite term – which begins with a little disruption.
Bank Holidays fall on the next two Mondays, one to mark May Day and the second for His Majesty the King’s Coronation.
Academy students, though not its staff, had last Friday off to mark Eid. It was the first time we were able to combine a teacher training day with the end of Ramadan.
It was an opportunity to have a really good family celebration and I hope our Muslim community enjoyed it.
Tomorrow (Thursday) marks the first of two more days of industrial action by the NEU. The second is next Tuesday.
Relevant communication outlining the impact on the Academy and families has been sent out.
Unions and the Government are working to ensure the action does not affect Year 11’s learning in this crucial period ahead of their GSCEs.
As parents / carers know, those students have not been impacted by the strikes and they will continue to be educated full-time, alongside the additional tutoring that has been put in place.
We are also starting extra Friday afternoon revision sessions to give them the best possible chances of success.
Thank you to parents / carers for working with us in supporting their Year 11 children. They need every single minute available to them – inside and outside of school – to prepare for their exams.
Tomorrow is Options Evening, the most important night of the year for Year 9 and their families.
It is vitally important parents / carers attend with their child and hear a presentation from senior staff explaining the process. This will take place at 4pm and be repeated at 5.15pm.
Choices need to be made about what they would like to study in Years 10 and 11. Those choices have consequences, which is why it’s important all Year 9 students and their families attend.
The evening will run from 4pm to 7pm, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions about the suitability of courses.
A week today (3rd May) is our Year 11 Valediction Evening, a formal ceremony that celebrates achievements based on GCSE exam grades staff predict they will receive in the summer.
For those in Year 11 and their families, please don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate students’ efforts and recognise their achievements ahead of the summer exams. It is also a chance to dress smartly. The evening starts at 6pm.
Congratulations to our Year 10 prefects who heard of their success by letter last week. Thank you to all those who applied for the positions.
It was a wonderful process to go through and great experience.
Their initial application by letter was followed by scenarios on which they were assessed. Those successful went through to the next round.
Their applications were anonymised and a panel of staff read through them before making final judgments. It was an interesting task and what was amazing was how aligned they were in their decisions.
There will be a formal evening in due course when the successful students will receive their badge and tie.
Tomorrow evening, the senior leadership team and me will interview six of those students for the head prefect positions. I’m looking forward to it.
On Friday, 12th May, for the first time, a Combined Cadet Force formation parade will take place between 1.30pm and 3pm.
A significant number of staff from the Ministry of Defence will be in attendance with various equipment and resources.
A first series of promotions and the awarding of berets will take place and it should be a fantastic afternoon.
Letters have been sent out regarding the new biometrics system we are introducing at lunchtimes.
A significant number have given permissions but we still need responses from some parents / carers ahead of it going live next week.
It all adds up to a busy start to the new term.
