I watched the footage of Will Smith at the Oscars and thought immediately of the poor example he was setting to young people.
Here was a Hollywood icon using violence to resolve a disagreement.
Smith has, of course, subsequently apologised to comedian Chris Rock for the assault but the damage in terms of the message sent out had already been done.
It is the opposite of what we expect at this Academy, with education, restorative practice and learning from mistakes, key tools when dealing with disagreements.
We are accountable for our actions and take responsibility. It is all part of creating good citizens.
Just because we don’t like a comment, we still need to think about the right and proper way to respond.
It is the same online. We need to consider our digital footprint and what might be read in the present and in the future.
Relationships are the most important thing we try to get right – between pupils, between staff and pupils and between staff.
We encourage conversations and debates but we always have to ask ourselves before we answer, what damage could I do by saying or writing the wrong words?
Will Smith would do well to spend some time at this Academy.
Easter’s a good time for reflection.
As a Church of England school, we recognise it is an important period for Christians. We have had a great week of reflective assemblies around Easter and what it means.
We are also mindful Ramadan begins on Saturday, 2nd April. It is a hugely important event to our Muslim community, who make up a significant proportion of our Academy.
Religion is important to a lot of people in our community. Central to whatever faith we practice are peace and respect.
I hope you enjoy the holidays and please remember we return on Thursday, 21st April.
We face an extremely busy term and I wanted to flag up the key dates:
- Wednesday, 27th April – Options Evening for Year 9
- Thursday, 5th May – Year 11 Valediction
- Wednesday, 11th May – Community Cafe
- Thursday, 12th May – Year 10 Prefect Ceremony
- Wednesday, 18th May – Year 10 Parents’ Evening
- Friday, 24th June – Year 11 Leavers’ Event
- Monday, 27th June – Sports Day, Years 7-10
- Thursday, 30th June – Year 6 Induction Evening
- Monday, 18th, Tuesday 19th, Wednesday 20th July – Years 7/8/9 Celebration Evenings
Friday sees us say farewell to three members of staff.
Senior leader Mrs Newlands-Melvin is taking up a senior deputy position closer to where she lives; English teacher Miss Chajid is moving to Morocco; and PE technician Mr West begins officer training at Sandhurst.
On behalf of the Academy community, I would like to thank them for their efforts and wish them well in their future careers.
On the communications front, the Arbor app has been downloaded by 40% of parents.
There will be a big push next term to have a much higher proportion signed up to what is going to be the best way to check children’s progress and keep in touch with school.
If you are having difficulty setting it up or would like help with it, please don’t hesitate to email [email protected]
The app also celebrates success and rewards – something the Academy in Los Angeles was trying to do on Sunday night.
