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Dear Parent/Carer

Year 10 Work Experience –  6th – 10th June or 13th – 17th June 2022

Year 10 work experience is a valuable and exciting opportunity for our students at The St Lawrence Academy. This is the perfect time for your child to build confidence and spread their wings by spending time in a placement that best suits their dreams and aspirations.

We would like every student to participate in valuable and meaningful work experience, during the weeks of either 6th – 10th June 2022, or 13th – 17th June 2022. This year our year 10 students will have the opportunity to spend one week in a real work experience placement and one week of work related enrichment opportunities within the academy.

All students will be asked to “self-canvas” and try to source a work placement themselves. They can do this by asking local businesses, family or family friend links that they may be familiar with, or approach businesses and employers further afield beyond Scunthorpe. There are few restrictions as to where students can go and what they can do. 

Students should return their self-canvas forms by Tuesday 1st March 2022, after which the academy will then seek to ensure the placements can go ahead following rigorous health & safety vetting and risk assessing.

Although many of our students choose to remain in, and around the Scunthorpe area, we are very supportive of students venturing outside the area. Should you have family/friends that live further afield that you are happy for your child to stay with while completing their work experience, please make contact with them as we are encouraging students to use this week to its fullest extent. 

I know it seems a long way off but there are numerous administrative tasks that the academy still needs to conduct before their work placement can be confirmed. The most important task is that every work venue is Health and Safety checked prior to the arrival of your child.

Just a few points of logistics. Unfortunately the school is unable to arrange or fund any transport to and from the workplace, but again, the experience is a learning experience, so I encourage students to be/become as independent as possible. Students will be required to dress appropriately for the work situation and participate in this activity as per the normal working hours of the organisation they select, not the academy hours.

The academy does, however, reserve the right not to place a student on work experience whose behaviour, attitude or attendance has been considered to be unsatisfactory during the year. This decision is not taken lightly and parents will be notified before work experience, if this is the case.

During recent years it has become evident that participation in some form of work experience before leaving school is often a prerequisite of many employers and various Foundation & Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Training Programmes. It is also hoped that work experience will encourage independence and increase the self-confidence of the students taking part. 

Please complete the attached Consent form and Data Collection form by Monday 7th February. This is essential for your child to be able to take part in work experience.

Should you wish to discuss anything relating to the work experience, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Mr A Murray
Year 10 Achievement Team Leader

So much has already happened since the start of the year but, this being my first blog since arriving back, I want to wish everybody a happy New Year.

The Christmas holiday is always a chance to reflect on the past 12 months and recharge the batteries.

I have spoken to a vast number of students who have done just that. They have had a nice break and enjoyed spending time with relatives and friends. That has been good to hear.

We had a testing start to the year and I would like to thank parents/carers for their patience last week.

If it is any consolation, I found it as frustrating as they did.

It is so important, before we close the school, we bear in mind how difficult that decision can be for parents/carers. Holidays can be planned for but not unexpected closures.

I send my heartfelt apologies and, again, thank you for your trust, support, and patience.

In all my time at The St Lawrence Academy, the building has not suffered from boiler or heating problems.

It was a shock and a disappointment to be faced with the issue when we returned on the Tuesday.

We were in the hands of others, waiting for parts that would allow heating to be maintained at a satisfactory level for the children.

The issue was exacerbated by the new Government guidelines on ventilation. With windows open, it is even more important to have consistent and reliable heating.

Without it, we felt the environment for our children was not comfortable. We have put in place short and long-term measures to help resolve the issues.

We are looking to 26^th January when the Government has promised a review of the current COVID control measures and restrictions.

But, apart from face coverings in classrooms, I am happy we are running as normal as possible.

Children should not be coming home saying things are different to pre-Christmas.

Classrooms are laid out in the same way, we are not operating bubbles, assemblies are taking place and we are sticking to the usual two breaks and lunches.

We are, like schools elsewhere, coping and doing what we can to maintain a normal education. The timetable our children are receiving is the one they would have expected.

So far – and this can change at any time – we have not faced significant staff absence.

Of the more than 500 lateral flow tests conducted at the start of term, only two children were COVID positive.

I feel this is reflective of the safe climate we have and how responsible people are being.

Hopefully, after the 26^th, we can go back to how we were before the holidays and reinstall extra-curricular activities.

If parents / carers do have any questions, please pick up the phone or drop us an email. Don’t rely on hearsay – we will always give you honest answers.

Thank you again.

7th January 2022

Dear Parent or Carer, 

Re: United Against Bullying programme

The St Lawrence Academy is taking part in the United Against Bullying anti bullying programme provided by the Anti Bullying Alliance (ABA). ABA is part of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and works to reduce bullying in schools.  

In order to make sure that we are doing all we can to prevent and reduce bullying and to improve pupil wellbeing, we want to further investigate the levels of bullying in our academy and to find out more about how our young people feel about school. For this reason, we are inviting pupils at our academy to complete an anonymous survey. We will then ask pupils to complete the questionnaire again at the end of the programme. 

The following information is important since it will explain about the survey and how the information gathered will be used.

Why are we writing to parents/carers?

We are asking for your permission for your child to be invited to complete the pupil questionnaire.  If you are not happy for your child to be invited to complete the questionnaire then please let Mr Oates know by Wednesday 12th January. You can email me at [email protected]

If you give consent for your child to participate, completing the survey is still up to them. Please be reassured that you or your child choosing not to take part in the survey will not disadvantage you or your child in any way. 

Why has my child been asked to take part and what will they do? 

The pupil questionnaire has been specially designed by ABA. It is an online survey which should take about 15 minutes to complete. The answers your child gives to the questionnaire will not be seen by their friends, teachers or you, unless your child chooses an adult to help them complete the questionnaire. 

Are there downsides to taking part?

There are no known risks or disadvantages to taking part. The survey has been very carefully designed so that it will be easy for children to answer. If there are questions they don’t like, they can leave these out. They will also be able to stop answering the survey questions at any time if they wish. Completing the survey should not cause them any distress. However, if they should become upset, academy staff will be on hand to offer support. Information will also be provided about other sources of advice and help, e.g. talking to their family, calling ChildLine and so on. 

What are the possible benefits of taking part? 

Mr Oates will receive an anonymised report of the survey findings for the whole year group that will help them review and support pupil wellbeing. 

Your child’s responses will help shape the approaches we use as an academy when trying to prevent and tackle bullying. For example, it will help us to make sure that the academy’s anti bullying policy covers all the important areas that concern children in our academy.  By asking these questions, pupils will also know we take incidents of bullying seriously as an academy and that we care about our pupils’ wellbeing. 

What will happen with the information that your child gives us? 

All information collected will be kept confidential and will be encrypted and carefully stored on a secure system held by ABA/NCB in accordance with the UK GDPR (Data Protection Act 2018 – “DPA” and EU Directive 2016/680 and Regulation EU/2016/679 – The General Data Protection Regulation “EU GDPR”): 

Neither schools, nor the ABA/NCB will ever have access to pupils’ individual completed questionnaires – only year group or whole year reports which contain anonymous information. 

Schools will not have access to individual completed questionnaires and whole year group reports will be sent back to them anonymously. 

Some of the headline results may be shared with key people, like the school’s senior leadership team, governors and Ofsted. Again, this information is anonymised and it will not be possible to identify any individual pupils. 

What we need parents/carers to do 

We hope that you have found this information useful and that you will be happy for your child to be invited to take part in this survey. If not, please let me know by Wednesday 12th January..

If you are unsure about whether you would like your child to take part and you have some questions about the survey, you are welcome to contact me at the academy.

Yours sincerely, 

Ryan Oates

Anti-Bullying Coordinator

6th January 2022

Dear Parent/Carer

A huge and significant thank you for your patience and understanding these last few days. Without doubt it has been a really testing time for all of us together but as always you have been supportive and encouraging. This is well received.

We have managed to regain some heat throughout the building and despite the temperatures outside plummeting. Whilst the issue is not yet fixed we are comfortable with how we have worked with some contractors in order to ensure the building is warmer and fit for learning.

Therefore the academy will be open tomorrow for ALL students and ALL year groups.

Due to us having engineers on site and currently managing the hot water systems, the kitchen tomorrow will be providing a hot food service during the two break periods. We are therefore encouraging all students who have credit and monies on their accounts to use it during this time.  A reminder that the Year 7 & Year 9 break is at 10.00 – 10.15 and the Year 8, Year 10 & Year 11 break is at 11.00 -11.15.

Over the past two days we have completed nearly 400 lateral flow tests which has been a huge success. Any student who has been unable to get to the Academy and has consented will be able to take a test tomorrow in the final day of testing.

We would also like to inform you that we have changed to a new communication system from January. The telephone number and email address from which you have received this correspondence from us should therefore be stored as our new contact number and email address for future reference, should you wish to reply to us. Please do not share the number as this is unique to each student. Further information regarding our new portal will be shared with you in due course. 

Please try to ensure your child is able to bring a mask with them tomorrow in line with the national guidance released last Sunday.

As mentioned previously I really value your messages of support and look forward to engaging with you over the coming days, weeks and months.

We apologise for the inconvenience

Yours sincerely

Phill Dalowsky

Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer

We are desperately sorry to have to inform you that the works required to fix the boilers, heating and hot water systems have not yet been completed. This was anticipated to be finished today. The delay has been in parts not arriving again.

As a result of this we regret to inform you that the Academy will not be open for learning tomorrow. 

Years 7, 8 and 9 are still welcome to come in for their LFT covid testing tomorrow with the times documented below.

Because students will be travelling to school for the testing, the remote learning and teaching programme for Years 7, 8 & 9 will be on their Google Classrooms. ATL’s will be communicating with students this afternoon to refresh their understanding.

Because Years 10 & 11 have completed their Covid testing in the Academy today they will have live lessons online with teachers tomorrow. ATL’s will be communicating this too.

 7G 8.30am

7R 8.50am

7E 9.10am

7A 9.30am

7T 9.50am

7GREAT 10.10am

8G 10.40am

8R 11am

8E 11.20am

8A 11.40am

8T 12pm

8GREAT 12.20pm

9G 1pm

9R 1.20pm

9E 1.40pm

9A 2pm

9T 2.20pm

Please ensure your child wears a mask to attend. 

If any students from Year 10 and Year 11 did not attend their Lateral Flow Test today they may attend tomorrow between 10.40am – 12.40pm.

I absolutely appreciate this is far from ideal and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this causes you as families. Without doubt at times like these I genuinely value your support, patience and understanding.

We apologise for the inconvenience

Yours sincerely

Phill Dalowsky

Headteacher

Uncertainty has been a constant this last 12 months – so it is fitting my last blog of the year follows a similar theme.

The country is on alert for the latest variant of coronavirus and, given what we have been through, it is understandable people are concerned about its potential impact on education in the New Year.

The fact is, as an Academy, we do not know and will probably find out at the same time as parents, carers, students and the wider public.

It is just the way it has been over the past 20 months or so.

What I can say is that we are planning for different eventualities and will be ready for whatever the future holds.

My hope is that face-to-face teaching continues, and we do not go back to online learning. That would be a retrograde step, given the progress made over the last term.

We have been determined to run the Academy as normal as possible and have been fortunate to have parents’ evenings, an open night, Year 11’s ‘evening of ingredients’, sporting fixtures, reward trips and community events.

Our hope is this will continue in the New Year and I can publish the half term’s events on the school calendar once we return.

Inevitably, senior leaders will spend the holidays with one ear listening out for any potential changes the Government may announce.

If there is anything significant that alters the arrangements in the end of term letter sent out last week, we will communicate with parents / carers as soon as we can.

For those who have not seen that letter – which includes details of a staggered return in January to enable all students to be COVID tested in line with Department for Education guidelines – please read it here or get in touch with the Academy.

What can be said with certainty is that we have two weeks away from the Academy.

I know, for some parents / carers, the hard work will continue over the festive period.

But I do hope families are able to spend some time together, get a rest and recharge the batteries.

It is also the end of the year, a time to reflect but also to think ahead, consider making New Year resolutions or changing the way we do things.

We do need to look forward, not backwards, but I understand this might not be easy and, should anybody need support, let us know.

Whatever you do over the break, I hope students and staff come back refreshed, recharged, and retaining the level of enthusiasm we have seen over the past term.

Please take a pause, look after one another and spend some quality time together.

I wish you all a happy Christmas and a healthy, safe, and peaceful New Year.

Please continue to test regularly over the Christmas period. If you require further LFT testing kits, please call in to reception or your child can collect some from student services.

Please also ensure you have completed the consent form for testing all students when they return on 5th and 6th January. Click here for the Consent form

December 2021

Dear Parent/Carer

As the end of term approaches I would like to thank you for all your support throughout this very busy term; as always, it is greatly appreciated. It has been amazing to meet with people again and host a variety of events, trips and activities for the students and parents/carers including, year 7 settling in evening, children in need dress down day and cycle for pudsey, consultation evenings, the year 11 evening of ingredients. In addition all students who met the rewards criteria were rewarded this term with a trip to the cinema as well as rewards assemblies. 

Please remember that we are here to work in partnership with you to ensure that your child achieves their potential.  We have an ‘open door’ policy and are keen to be available should you need a conversation about any matter concerning your child, so please keep in touch. You can find our key contacts on our website.  

As Christmas approaches each year group will be escorted to St Lawrence’s Church on Church Lane and the students will be dismissed directly from there.  If you would like to attend any of the Carol Services at St Lawrence’s Church with your child’s year group, you would be made very welcome. 

We share as much information as we can on our website www.tsla.co.uk, so please keep checking it.  There is a handy “translate” button at the bottom of each webpage if you need to translate information into a different language.  

Due to the Government advising all schools to undertake lateral flow tests for students upon their return in January, there will therefore be a staggered return as follows:

• Year 10 and 11 at 8.30am on Wednesday 5th January 2022
• Year 7, 8 and 9 at 8.30am on Thursday 6th January 2022

Please complete the consent form to give us your permission for your child to be tested.

From January, we will be looking to increase the number of clubs and activities on offer for students at the end of the academy day and I would urge you to encourage and support your child  to attend these sessions. They will be designed to support students’ learning, as well as to help them to develop their many talents, skills and interests.  The live timetable is available here on the website, and additional information is also available on our house website.

If a student arrives late to the academy (after registration at 8.30am) they will receive a 30 minute detention on the same day. 

As always, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the following:

• Holidays should not be taken during term time and permission will not be given unless there are exceptional circumstances, regardless of levels of attendance
• The appearance of our students and their uniform is important in the academy. Many of our students are a credit to the academy in their appearance and how well they follow our uniform policy. Please ensure you note information in relation to school skirts and coats. 

Dates for you diary for next term :

Community Cafe Events – 3rd February 2022 & 11th May 2022

Year 9 Consultation Evening – 9th February 2022

Half Term – 14th February 2022 – 18th February 2022

Year 7 Consultation Evening – 16th March 2022

Easter holidays – 4th April 2022 – 20th April 2022

Anyone is welcome to attend our Community Cafe Events which are usually for one hour after school once every term.  The events are all about making connections between the academy and the local community and we encourage anyone to pop in and have a chat, have some refreshments and come and see what activities our students have to offer. You are very welcome to bring along relatives or friends with you or they can come on their own – it would be wonderful to see you there. If you are able to attend, please see our website for information prior to the event dates. 

Finally, I would like to wish you all a very happy family time at Christmas and look forward to the students returning on Wednesday 5th January 2022 and Thursday 6th January 2022 by 8.20am, ready to begin at 8.30am. Another new start for us all.  

Yours sincerely

Phill Dalowsky

Head of School

I was blown away by the numbers attending our “evening of ingredients” for Year 11 and our students’ achievements.

93% attended with their parents / carers, demonstrating their level of buy in and commitment.

The building was buzzing and it was wonderful to see and be part of.

Students discovered exam results before talking to staff and a wealth of experts about their future options.

We had some significantly outstanding results at such an early stage of their final year.

Those who had not done as well as they might have hoped had constructive discussions about how we work together to put in the support mechanisms over the weeks and months ahead that will help improve results.

Hopefully, the evening was a positive experience for everybody.

Where there are concerns or anything further to discuss, students and parents know the lines of communication with staff are always open.

We have had a great response to the changes to wearing masks in communal areas and corridors. They are not worn in classrooms. But I encourage you to continue sending masks with children so that they are prepared the moment they enter the building.

While on COVID, I do want to mention we may have to stagger the return of students from the Christmas holiday in January.

This is because the Government has requested students are tested before they return to the classroom.

We cannot complete tests for five year groups on one day. The details will be included in the end of term letter.

It will be out as soon as possible as I’m conscious parents need to know the arrangements.

On the uniform front, students are becoming better at understanding that jumpers, hoodies and coats are not to be worn in the building, apart from at break times.

There are a growing number of students who forget and have lost their tie. Students will not always be able to have a tie leant to them and therefore it is important that they are correctly dressed for every day.

In the New Year, we will be asking students to only go to the toilet during breaks and lunchtime, though understand some will need to be excused.

This will ensure our children are thoroughly engaged in their learning and lessons are disruption free.

We will communicate further in the New Year.

On Friday, it is Christmas jumper day.

For those who wish to make a voluntary contribution, they can do so through their own Parent Pay accounts.

We are raising money for Scunthorpe General Hospital and its accident and emergency department, in part to thank nurses, doctors and support staff for their tremendous efforts over the past 20 months.

On the festive theme, we were delighted to receive communication from the Bishop of Lincoln’s office to reveal the winners of the Christmas card competition.

You may recall we became the first secondary to be invited to design a card sent out to more than 2,000 people, including clergy, community leaders, and schools.

Congratulations to our winner Sophy, from Year 7, whose design was chosen and wins a £50 gift voucher.

Runner up was Lillanni (Year 9) and in third place Martyna (also Year 9), who each received £10.

It is another example of students’ engagement outside the classroom and the Bishop’s office expressed its thanks to all who had participated.

Finally, cinema staff complimented our students after another highly successful rewards trip.

That brings me nicely back to where I started. Well done everybody – let’s keep it going until the end of term.