Dear parents/carers,
As we approach half term, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful module that we have experienced. Staff and students across the academy have been working hard and recent learning walks have shown excellent classroom environments and students making good progress across the curriculum.
Following the success of the Italy ski-trip in the Easter break, we have seen a number of other extra-curricular activities taking place that have demonstrated the excellent talents and skills of our young people and the dedication and commitment of our staff. This has included the Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition, an informal concert and LAT sporting events. We look forward to the next module, when the good weather and completion of examinations will allow for more trips and experiences to take place. Ms Liasu will be in touch shortly to discuss our upcoming enrichment week that will take place at the end of the year. We also have significant Academy events planned such as our Sports Day, our end of year show, The Wizard of Oz and the celebrations event to reward some of our students who continue to achieve beyond expectations and who have been nominated by their teachers or peers.
In recent weeks, our Year 11 and 13 students have begun their GCSE and post-16 examinations. We have been astounded by the efforts of these young people – many of whom have been arriving at the academy at 7am to begin their revision for the day. Conduct in the exams has been exceptional – with students focused and working throughout. We are also delighted that attendance to all exams has been 100% – showing the commitment that students and parents have had to their futures.
Over the half term break, there will be intervention sessions taking place for these exam groups and we wish them the best of luck in their final exams when they return. We know they will continue to make us, and themselves proud.
Upon our return, we will also see the start of the Year 10 and 12 PPEs (pre-public examinations). We wish these students the best of luck and hope that they are able to demonstrate the knowledge they have.
As we enter the final module of the year – we will continue to uphold the high standards that we expect of students. As an Academy with over 1000 students, it is vital that we maintain an orderly, safe environment. This is especially important given our specific context – having 121 students with a diagnosis of ASD, 118 students with a diagnosis of ADHD and 70 students with an EHCP (more than three times the national average). In order to ensure we are able to teach students effectively and correct poor behaviour, we continue to uphold our behaviour policy including sanctions and rewards. We are fortunate to have a community of parents who choose to work with us to ensure all students and staff can work in a positive environment. Unfortunately, there are a small number of parents who continue to challenge the Academy and its staff, on the basis of just what their child has reported. This takes up vital time that should be spent supporting the students in the academy. We ask that parents continue to work with and support the school in our aims to ensure the best outcomes for your child.
As an example of the above, in the last few weeks, there have been 5 occasions where we have been made aware that students have used their mobile phones to contact parents during the school day. We would like to remind parents that this breaches our mobile phone policy that states that phones should not be used at all during the school day. If students have an urgent reason to need to speak with a carer, they should go to their relevant college admin team. We want to remind parents and students that we will continue to sanction students who use their mobile phone in school, regardless of the reason. These measures are put in place to protect our community. We appreciate your support with this.
We ask that parents take the opportunity over the break to ensure students are prepared with the correct uniform and equipment ready to make them successful. This includes ensuring students do not return with adaptations such as fake nails, piercings or unnatural hair styles.
I wish all students a happy and healthy break with their loved ones and look forward to welcoming them back on 2nd June.
Kind regards
Dr F Donkor | Principal
