Front Page News

Communication between the Academy and home is crucial to students’ successful outcomes – so I am delighted to announce a big step forward in this regard.

Parents / carers will be receiving, over the coming days and weeks, emails with log in details for our new Arbor app.

It will enable a personalised, confidential communication channel between home and the Academy and become our primary direct link with parents / carers.

From it, they can:

• Discover a child’s attendance, including their average attendance and that for the academic year so far;
• Edit and keep up-to-date vital contact details quickly and without needing to call the Academy;
• See a child’s merits and, indeed, any demerits to keep parents / carers informed about their effort and behaviour;
• Access their child’s timetable so they can track any changes to lessons or teachers and help conversations at home about the school day;
• Note any detentions.

In the future, a child’s assessments and grades will be put on Arbor, as will report cards and homework given out.

The app will also be uploaded with key dates, such as parents’ evenings and school trips and details.

It also has a notices section, which will be used for distributing key information, rather like a rolling feed.

The website will remain the number one place to discover how the school runs and operates but Arbor, with its easy access on the move via a smart phone as well as a PC or tablet, will become a child’s confidential, one-stop portal.

It is a brilliant system, with everything at a parents’ / carers’ fingertips, and we are excited to launch the rolling programme to get all parents / carers logged in.

Ahead of being sent the individual details, the app can be downloaded for Apple phones from here  https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/arbor/id1448707412 or androids here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.arboreducation.parentapp&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Next week’s half term and I shall be breathing a sigh of relief.

Since the New Year it has, unquestionably, been the most difficult period of the pandemic for this Academy.

We have seen rising Covid cases and record numbers of children and staff absent.  But we have made it through without closing the school or sending a year group home.

I am proud of that. There are some very different stories around the country.

I know the efforts gone to have been appreciated by the wider community.

I have had conversations with parents / carers grateful the Academy has remained open. They are trusting, supportive and communicate when they need help. Thank you for that.

What I would now like is for staff and children – particularly those in Year 11 who have had three weeks of exams – to have a good break.

Please come back refreshed and ready for the final push of this academic year.

 

 

 

January 2022

 

Dear Parent/Carer 

 

Year 9 Consultation Evening

Wednesday 9th February 2022 – 4.00pm – 6.30 pm

 

On Wednesday 9th February 2022 at 4pm you and your child are invited to our Year 9 Consultation Evening where all subject teachers will be available to meet with you. You will be able to find out how your child is progressing with regards to their current levels of attainment and what will need to be done in order to maximise their potential for achieving success in the future. We would appreciate your support and attendance for the evening as it will give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have with regards to your child’s progress. Please confirm your attendance using the attached link below:  

 

Year 9 Consultation Evening Attendance

 

On arrival you will need to sign in at reception and you should then proceed directly to the classrooms of the subjects studied to meet with your child’s teachers.  There is no individual subject appointment system and you can arrive at a time to suit you between 4.00 pm to 6.30pm.  Prefects will be outside classrooms to organise a reservation list and help to ensure focussed timings of appointments, so that the evening will finish at approximately 7.00 pm.

 

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Yours sincerely 

Mrs J Elston

Achievement Team Leader

 

Mr D Ellerby 

Deputy Headteacher for Learning and Progress

If education was a film, it now feels more Back to the Future than Groundhog Day.

From tomorrow, students and staff will no longer be mandated to wear face coverings in school.

Of course, we have been here before over the last two years but, this time, it does feel as though there won’t be any going back.

It is a future we have all been desperate for.

Unlike the film’s stars Marty McFly and Doc Brown, we have not had a time-travelling DeLorean sports car to get us there.

We have had to be patient, respect the rules, and wait for things to get back to normal.

It has been like Groundhog Day – which starred Bill Murray as a weatherman living the same day over and over again – at times during the past two years.

But we can now move forward and live more normally though, I’m sure, we will be more aware of our surroundings and respectful of people and space.

Some students and staff may still feel more comfortable wearing a face covering in school. If that’s the case, that’s fine.

From Monday, we are returning to the uniform expectations prior to Christmas. Jumpers, hoodies and coats will no longer be worn in lessons.

Our extra curricular clubs also return next week. Please see the school calendar

which has been updated with all the details.

I am delighted to say that, despite what has been going on with Covid rates, five year groups are receiving face-to-face learning around the building.

I’m really proud of that and would like to thank students and staff.

I don’t thank colleagues enough in public. They have been brilliant, riding the wave.

I’m proud that I have not had one challenge to what we have tried to do. They have been united in their determination to be in school and educate our young people.

I am fortunate to lead what I consider to be the best team. They are the reason behind our success, coming together to deliver high quality education and opportunities.

Returning to my Back to the Future theme, we are always encouraging our students to think ahead. To reinforce that, we will be holding our first RAD (Raising Aspirations Day) on 23^rd February.

All our year groups will have different days, some in school some out. They will have in common a focus on the future, looking to widen horizons.

We are planning for National Careers Week, which starts on 7^th March. Please, keep looking at the school calendar.

Finally, well done to Year 11 for a brilliant start to their second prolonged period of exams.

We have incredible numbers coming in at 8am for the revision breakfast club.

They are doing everything they can to give themselves additional advantages to being successful in the months and years ahead.

They are, very much, focused on the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some good news on the COVID restrictions today – face coverings will no longer be required in classrooms from tomorrow (Thursday).

Rules they must be worn in corridors and communal areas will stay in place until next Thursday (27^th).

The change was announced by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.

We await detail on the other restrictions and when we are allowed, for example, to start extra-curricular activities again.

In the meantime, thank you to students, staff and parents / carers for their support, patience, and enthusiasm for what we are doing in difficult circumstances.

We will, of course, communicate further once we know have details of the guidance.

An announcement on this summer’s exams is expected from the Department for Education on 7^th February.

Again, we will let children and parents / carers know as soon as we do.

Year 11s are being readied for GCSEs this summer. Their last set of academic exams start in all subjects from Monday and run through until Friday, 11^th February.

Students are busy revising and I wish them well.

I have been tremendously impressed by Year 11’s response to the school-led tutoring scheme, part of the national effort to help this age group in the pandemic.

We have had 85% attendance at the after-school sessions on a Wednesday. They last 15 weeks and I know the children’s investment in them – supported by parents / carers – will pay dividends.

Various other revision classes are taking place for Year 11s after school. Their final parents / carers evening is on 10^th March.

Year 9 will have its parents / carers consultation evening on 9^th February while, for Year 7, it takes place on 16^th March.

Academy exams will take place for Year 9s in the main hall on week commencing 28^th March.

Dates in the diary are a running theme this week. It is important to look ahead and not go week-to-week.

Students and parents / carers, need to focus on the big picture, with assessments and exams always on the horizon.

One success from the first lockdown was the levels of engagement from students and how much learning was done at home.

They would do well to remember how disciplined they were at home during that period and that will help them going forward.

It has been shown children who do best attend regularly, take on board the teaching and advice and add to it with their learning away from school.

To help parents / carers know how their child is doing in terms of attendance, merits and academic progress, a new communication system with home will be introduced in the next few weeks. More on that in another blog.

 

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