Two more days and we will be at the end of another half term.
When we return on Monday, 5th June, it is worth reflecting there will only be seven weeks of education left before we break up.
It is always a fast-paced half term with plenty of events and will disappear all too quickly.
I wanted to highlight a couple of things ahead of the new half term.
Attendance is fundamentally important to a child’s education and their life chances.
It is not just about exams and academic success but being in school helps them develop as people.
I want to thank the majority of parents for their relentless pursuit of ensuring their child attends and is on time.
We are creeping towards 92% attendance for the year, above the national average of 90% and higher than the local and regional averages too.
Persistent absenteeism has reduced from the levels we saw post Covid and is lower than the average locally and nationally.
Families have worked with us to ensure children attend more regularly and more frequently and that has had a positive impact on those individuals.
Students should be in the building before 8.30am and there is a splattering of young people who need to improve their punctuality.
I’d appeal to parents / carers to give them the encouragement and support they need to ensure they are here on time.
After half term, temperatures will continue to rise. If it gets as hot as a year ago, rest assured we will adopt the same pragmatic approach.
We will make decisions and communicate clearly with students and parents as to whether a blazer should be worn in class; if it needs to be brought into school; and whether it is appropriate to wear PE kit rather than full uniform.
The approach worked well last year and the kind feedback was appreciated.
There should be no need to bring in coats, hoodies or jackets after half term but students should be in full uniform until families hear otherwise. They will be the first to know what is happening and when.
Tomorrow (Thursday), a reminder we hold our Community Café and it would be lovely to see relatives who may not have been into the school before. Refreshments will be served and there will be lots of entertainment.
We will finish the week by celebrating the inclusivity and diversity of our Academy. We are proud to have 33 different languages spoken across it.
Students are looking forward to a really well sequenced programme of activities between 9am and 12 noon on Friday, organised by house leader Tom Massey.
Primary pupils will help us celebrate our cultural differences too.
We are at the midpoint of week two of GCSE exams and officials from exam board AQA paid an unannounced visit to assess our arrangements.
Their report was very complimentary about our exam practice and culture plus access arrangements for children completing their GCSEs.
It is much valued by everyone how our students are best prepared for exams and additional stress reduced.
Thank you to exam leader Caroline Sephton and her team for a fantastic representation of how it should be done.
Finally, with the holiday pending, I wanted to relay a conversation with a young person this week.
I asked if they’d seen the sun last weekend.
“I saw a lot of it, sir – through the window,” came the reply.
Please take the opportunity to get away from screens, enjoy fresh air and, hopefully, the sun over half term.
It will do you a world of good – ahead of a busy period before the summer.
