On Tuesday 9th July 2024, the âHouse RAD- Weâre a Knockoutâ event will be taking place in the academy. Students in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be partaking in a series of activities on a rotational basis.
Weâre a Knockout inflatable course
CCF outdoor activity
Rounderâs sports tournament
The nature of these events is practical, therefore, students will need to arrive at the academy wearing their full academy PE kit.
The main event students will be participating in during the day is a âWeâre a Knockoutâ inflatable assault course where we are inviting an external organisation to provide our students with an exciting day of fun. On the consent form is a health and safety declaration that is required for all students to take part.  If students have not had this consent declaration form completed by a parent/carer and the form submitted to the academy, then unfortunately they will not be able to participate in this part of the day. This should be completed by Wednesday 3rd July.
The purpose of this house event is rewarding students that have demonstrated good attitude to
learning from last half term. Students should meet a specific criteria which takes into account;
suspensions, demerits, detentions, attendance and internal isolation. If students have not met this criteria, they will be unable to take part in the âWere a Knockoutâ event and will participate in alternative activities. Students and parents/ carers will be informed if they have not met this criteria and even if consent has previously been given, they will NOT be able to take part.
If you require any further information then please contact; [email protected]
As part of our commitment to provide access to sporting opportunities, The St Lawrence Academy will be holding Sports Day on Monday 24th June. This year, it will take place at Quibell Park Stadium, weather permitting.
All students will be required to be at Quibell Park for the full day. They should arrive from 8.15 am for an 8.25am morning registration. Students in years 8 and 10, should go straight to the centre of the athletics track, students in years 7 and 9 should report to staff on the front field as they arrive at the venue. As students are at Quibell Park all day they will require a packed lunch. A lunch will be provided for students entitled to Free School Meals.
The format of the day will be split into two halves, with Year 8 and 10 students completing their sports day events in the morning and Year 7 and 9 students completing their sports day events in the afternoon. The other half of the day will be spent doing fun activities within house teams. Sports day is due to finish at the usual academy time of 3.45pm, upon completion of all events students will be dismissed from Quibell Park and will need to make their own plans to return home.
All students will be expected to take an active part in what we anticipate to be an enjoyable day to celebrate the sporting abilities of all our students. The students have already been choosing their athletics events, and will be competing as part of the academyâs established House system.
Your child is required to wear the correct St Lawrence Academy PE kit all day, and they are advised to bring their St Lawrence outdoor jackets (or plain black top & tracksuit bottoms) to keep them warm in between events. In addition suitable footwear should be worn for competing in athletics events. Students will also need to bring a bottle of water (and sunscreen/hat in hot weather). When students are not involved, they will be expected to support their fellow peers from the designated areas.
In the unfortunate event that there is unsuitable weather, parents will be informed via email or text before 8am on the day and students will be expected to attend the academy in normal uniform for their usual timetabled lessons. We will then plan for this event to commence on the reserve date of Monday 1st July.
Parents and Carers are welcome to attend Sports Day. Upon arrival all visitors must sign in at the gate entrance and they will be directed to a designated viewing area. Visitors will not be allowed into the students area.
If your child does not follow the academy expectation for Sports Day, they will be sent straight home immediately.
If you have any queries about the arrangements for the day please contact the academy on 01724 842447 or email [email protected] in advance of Monday 24th June 2024.
I trust this letter finds you well. As an Academy, we are constantly looking at ways to ensure we are delivering the best educational experience for our children. As part of this, we have been looking at our lunchtime provision for students. In an attempt to ensure we can run a broader range of extra-curricular activities, whilst also ensuring there is less movement around the Academy during lessons when we operate a multi-break and multi-lunch system, we have decided to move to one breaktime and one lunchtime from September 2024.
We are working very closely with our catering company, Aspens to ensure there is a speedy service at both break and lunchtime, as well as ensuring a broad range of options for our students to eat. We have also created an extra service ‘hatch’ to ensure all children can be served and have appropriate time to eat and then socialise. To support this further, we will also extend the lunch period from 30 to 40 minutes from September 2024. As I am sure you can appreciate, this means we must find an additional 10 minutes in the Academy day, without impacting on the time children are in lessons. With this in mind, we will be moving our start time Monday to Friday to 8.15am from 8.25am. The large majority of our students already arrive at the Academy for 8.15 each day as morning line-ups start from this time. However, the expectation from September 2024 is that all students arrive by 8.15am.
We will write to parents again during July with the new times of the Academy day. However, at this stage we are leaving a two-week window for parents to feedback on this new structure. If you do have any feedback, please email [email protected] by Friday 28th June 2024.
May I also take this opportunity to wish all of our families celebrating Eid this weekend a blessed Eid-al-Adha. As Eid falls on Sunday 16th June 2024, the Academy will be open on Monday 17th June 2024 and all students are expected at the Academy.
As we continue our work around the expectations of our students and the behaviours we expect within the TSLA community, we are keen to ensure that our mobile phone policy is revisited and fully enforced as we end the summer term, and in line with the Department for Education advice released February 2024.
Mobile Phones – what our policy states:
Mobile phones are not permitted in the academy.Â
Should a member of staff see or hear a mobile phone it will be confiscated and taken to a Student Progress Leader or the Inclusion Manager and can be collected at the end of the day. A C1 sanction is issued and a log is added to Arbor by the member of staff, and parents are contacted to inform them of the use during the school day. .Â
Refusal to hand the mobile phone in for safekeeping until the end of the day leads to further behaviour sanctions such as isolation/same day Compass.Â
Should a student use their mobile phone to take images or video while on the academy site this leads to a Senior Leadership Team referral and a possible suspension. Should such images or video be uploaded to social media this could lead to a more significant suspension.Â
Not only is this a part of our approach to having high expectations but our commitment to make every minute of learning count, alongside keeping children safe. We understand that parents may want their child to have a mobile phone with them to and from school, however the expectation is that they are switched off and away throughout the school day and remain in their bags until they are off site. Please encourage your child to bring a bag to school daily to support this, alongside ensuring that they are equipped and ready to learn.
Students have been made aware of these expectations during assemblies this week. Should they need to make any contact home throughout the school day, they can be supported to do so via our student services or pastoral teams. We value the importance of the parent partnership and welcome ongoing liaison with you around your child’s needs and your concerns. Please ensure that you continue to communicate with us so that we can ensure your child’s needs are supported. Â
Once again, we thank you for your ongoing support with our behavioural initiatives, and look forward to updating you further with their future successes.
During Period 4 today, we had an unpleasant incident where a member of the general public arrived at the academy and made verbal threats against a number of staff and a handful of students. The police were subsequently called and the academy was locked down. Thankfully, no staff or students were harmed during the incident and the police were able to intervene appropriately and the police are now dealing with this matter.Â
We appreciate that the incident may have been upsetting for staff and students to witness and we are working with those individuals to ensure they are supported further. If your child was affected by witnessing the events of today’s incident, please contact the academy and we will provide the appropriate support needed for your child.Â
Heartfelt praise has been heaped on The St Lawrence Academy following a statutory inspection.
The school is âcentral to the community it serves,â where students and staff âlive incredibly well together in a harmonious learning environmentâ, says the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schoolsâ report.
Headteacher Matt Hire was âincredibly proudâ of the reportâs findings and felt it an accurate reflection of life at the school, a member of St Lawrence Academies Trust.
âThe report celebrates the diversity across the school and the church values we live and breathe day-to-day,â he said.
âI am particularly proud our vision and ethos are recognised. This is a safe space and the heartbeat of the community, where children and adults of all faiths work together daily.â
A party to celebrate the end of the Eid last week attracted more than 400 students, Muslim and non-Muslim.
âIt echoed what the school is all about, where students support each other and staff go above and beyond to help the children,â said Mr Hire.
âI have only been here two terms and I already feel part of a school community that makes a difference to the lives of young people; the positives highlighted by the report are a result of the of consistent work over a period of time.
âThe SIAMs report highlights this Academy is not just about academic achievement but its reputation built around what it does beyond the classroom.
The Church of England Education Office inspector, Kelly Wall, described the school community as âwonderfully diverseâ, making it welcoming for all.
âLeaders, including governors, describe students and adults as âtreasuresâ,â she reports.
âThis inspires them to find ways to unlock the gifts and talents of each unique individual.
âThe carefully considered values of respect, truth, generosity, forgiveness and justice support the vision to be lived out daily.
âThere is a natural synergy between the visions of the St Lawrence Academies Trust and the school.
âAs a result, they work collaboratively to support students to flourish.â
The curriculum, driven by the Christian vision, provides a well-rounded educational experience, the report says, with students âwell prepared for life beyond schoolâ.
The report goes on: âStudents are encouraged to bring about positive change. They speak enthusiastically about standing up against injustice.
âThey regularly lead litter collections, make donations to the food bank and raise money for the local hospice. As a result, the school really is central to the community it serves.â
Students receive âexceptionalâ pastoral care while wellbeing for all was at the heart of the school.
âThe dedicated nurture provision supports students through challenging times and provides a safe place for them to grow. As a result, lives really are transformed.
âStaff are supported to develop professionally through bespoke development programmes.
âConsequently, staff retention is high. Relationships at all levels are built upon mutual respect.
âStudent peer mentors both model this and support others to achieve it.â
Forgiveness and justice were central to the schoolâs behaviour policy.
âAs a result, adults and students live incredibly well together in a harmonious learning environment,â the report adds.
St Lawrence Academies Trust Chief Executive Officer Mike Adnitt was delighted by the report.
âI am very proud of the report as it reflects the enormous amount of work over a number of years that has gone into making the Academy the heart of the community,â Mr Adnitt said.
âStudents, staff, governors and the wider community should also be proud of their positive contributions that ensure the academy transform lives.â
Headteacher Mr Hire, delighted with the statutory inspection, is joined by Year 10 Peer Mentors (left to right) Rares Garba, Suha Omar, Zainab Zaman, Ruby Pollard and Anoushay Shahzad.
Dear Parents and Carers As you were aware, Mr Hire was appointed as Headteacher for one year and will start his new Headship in Egypt in the summer. Mr Hire will continue his excellent work at the academy until the end of July. I am now delighted to confirm that, following the recent selection process, Michael McCluskie has been appointed to the position of Headteacher at The St Lawrence Academy from September 2024. Mr McCluskie will join us with a strong career in school leadership and Headship. He is delighted to be joining the academy and is very much looking forward to meeting you all and working with you from September. Mr McCluskie will be in contact with you to introduce himself as September approaches. He acknowledges the hard work and progress that the academy has made in the last 12 months and is keen to build on this in the months and years ahead. There is obviously still a huge amount to plan, do and celebrate this current academic year, but please be reassured that the future leadership, vision, values and ethos of the academy is secured. Kind regards
Mr M I Adnitt
Mike Adnitt Chief Executive Officer The St Lawrence Academies Trust
The Awards Evening and Valediction Ceremony for our Year 11 students will take place on Thursday 2nd May 2024 at 6.00pm prompt. On the occasion of the Valedictory Celebration, all Year 11 students are hereby invited to join together to celebrate their five years at The St Lawrence Academy. We know this will be a memorable and enjoyable event which all students are invited to attend. Students who are receiving an award will have the opportunity to invite 2 members of their family to attend this event, a personalised invite to confirm you and your family’s attendance will be sent at a later date. Â
The awards are mainly of an academic nature and are based on the final teacher assessment grades and completed modular examinations as well as the top achiever in each subject being awarded with a subject trophy.
Valediction Trophies presented on the evening will include:
ATL Trophy: Prefectship. This is awarded to students who have demonstrated roles of Leadership.
Headteacherâs Shield. This is given to the student for Leadership and Service, at the Headteacherâs discretion.
Dux Scholar Award. For the student who is overall top achiever based on academic data.
Outstanding Progress Award. For the student who has progressed the most over their 5 years in the academy.
Service Above Self Award. For the student who has made a significant contribution to life in the academy beyond the call of duty.Â
Fortitude & Courage Award. For the student who has overcome obstacles and difficulties to be their best possible self.
Class of 2024 Work Experience Award. For the student who excelled during their work experience placement.
House Core Value Award. For the student who has best represented the values of the academy through the House system
I would like to wish all students the very best in their preparation for their examinations and believe that through hard work and support from parents/carers, all goals will be achieved.
