Sport has always played a big part in the life of our Academy ā and it has dominated the calendar over the last few days.
It is National School Sports Week, organised by the Youth Sport Trust, and something we have been proud to participate in since 2004, when we were part of the Specialist Sports College Network.
While the network is no more, we formed some big partnerships with national organisations which remain today and we have stayed true to sport.
Quibell Park hosted our annual sports day on Monday. We had a great day, aided by the weather which was not too hot or cold.
Excellent attendance and levels of participation showed how comfortable the students were performing in front of such large numbers of people.
I understand that, sometimes, young people are a little reticent on such a big stage but ours went that extra mile.
They demonstrated terrific camaraderie, encouraged their peers to do their best and generated a positive atmosphere.
It was a well-structured and competitive event and I would like to congratulate winners Ruby House who triumphed in three of the four year group competitions in Years 7, 8 and 9. Emerald pipped them in Year 10 but that left Ruby overall winners.
The day kick-started a great week of sport, with a variety of activities on offer.
They have included boxing taster sessions, a Year 9 silent disco, Scunthorpe Alphas American football team players coaching Year 9 boys, trips to a gymnastics club and the Pods and a primary schools leadership festival on Friday, in which our students will help coach younger pupils.
Finally, also on Friday, former Scunthorpe United manager and player Neil Cox, also an ex student, is coming in for a question and answer session.
It has all added up to a great week and Iād like to say a big thank you to Lindsay Shutes and her PE team for organising it.
To see more pictures and details, please go to @tsla_pe_sport)
We are looking forward to the Year 11 leavers event on Friday as they look ahead to the next step in their young lives.
Unfortunately, the unexpected prospect of further strike action by the NEU has returned. Members will take action on Wednesday, 5th July, and Friday, 7th.
We are looking at how that will impact on the academy and we have not made any formal decisions yet. We will be notifying parents in the coming days what it may mean to their child.
Today, there is a great event at the Baths Hall promoting careers for women in engineering. All our Year 8 girls will be attending.
They will have a chance to consider potential career choices ahead of selecting their GCSE options next year.
Finally, I end on a sombre note. Our thoughts are with the family of a former student who lost their life over the weekend. While they attended in the early 2000s, several people have mentioned the tragedy. It is always a reflective moment when we lose someone connected with our community and we send our condolences.
