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End of Term 6 Letter

Thursday 21 July 2022

Dear Parents/Carers

As we approach the end of this academic year, I wanted to say a huge thank you on behalf of the Academy for your support, feedback and challenge this year. It has been a purposeful and productive year but not without its challenges. I’m proud of how well students have shown their resilience to overcome the challenges of this academic year.

End of Term 6 Letter

We have made several improvements across the year in relation to our culture, standards and the quality of education (including enrichment), however, we know there is more to do and everyone at the Academy is up to the challenge of continuing to give people the best chance of success in the new academic year.

We have ambitious plans for the next academic year, and we look forward to working with you to ensure students get the best chance of success. We have spent time in term 6 reflecting on our approaches and although we are not planning any wholesale changes, we are looking to further improve our systems and policies, partly down to your feedback.

The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on:

  • How students can keep themselves safe over the summer
  • Start of term arrangements for September 2022
  • Academy Expectations relating to Manners, Uniform, Mobile phones, Equipment, Times of Day

How Students Can Keep Themselves Safe Over the Summer

It’s important that students enjoy their summer holiday, especially after all their hard work during the academic year. In our end of term assemblies, we made students aware of several services (see below) that they can access for further help and support:

Start of Term Arrangements for September 2022

There will be a slight staggered return for students in September to enable us to fully induct our new Year 7 cohort and prepare Year 11 for their upcoming GCSE exams. All students are expected to be in full Academy uniform with a school bag and correct equipment from their first day.

  • Year 7 will start back on Monday 5th September and will need to be at the Academy by 08:30. A packed lunch will be needed for the first two days whilst students are loaded onto our cashless payment system.
  • Year 11 will start back on Monday 5th September with a slightly later start of 09:30.
  • Year 8, 9 and 10 will start back on Tuesday 6th September and need to be at the Academy by 08:30.

Academy Expectations Relating to Manners, Uniform, Mobile phones, Equipment, Times of Day

Manners:

We believe politeness gets you where you want to go in life. We want to continue the great work you have done instilling manners and mutual respect in your children, within the Academy. We expect students to always be polite, courteous, and show mutual respect so that positive relationships between staff and students can be achieved. This makes for a supportive and engaging learning environment where everyone can thrive.

Uniform:

The Academy uniform is an important part of our community and building a sense of belonging. It is one piece in the building blocks of creating a culture of high expectations and high achievement through an inclusive, supportive environment. All students are expected to be in full Academy uniform every day. If a student arrives at the Academy in the incorrect uniform, we will support students in the following ways to meet our expectations:

  • offer uniform items to borrow (if available)
  • ask them to go home and change (in agreement with parents/carers)
  • ask them to work in the Inclusion Area until the correct uniform is delivered to the Academy by parents/carers

A reminder about our uniform expectations can be found  here    

Please note the following items which are not allowed:

  • Jeans (defined as having back pockets and jean-like material) or leggings
  • Trousers with zip pockets
  • Tube skirts/tight stretchy material for skirts
  • Hoodies or zip up hoodies
  • Trainers

Some of these items may be marketed as school items so please check they meet the uniform requirements before you buy.

There will be a two-week grace period in September from Monday 5th September whereby we will be checking all uniform to ensure it meets our policy and supporting students to ensure they are in the correct uniform. From Monday 19th September, sanctions will be applied for incorrect uniform.

Mobile Phones / Headphones:

Mobile phones / headphones are not permitted to be out during the Academy day. If they are seen or heard, they will be confiscated, and students can collect their device from reception at the end of the Academy day. Mobile phones should be switched off and placed in a school bag from the moment a student enters the Academy until the moment they leave. This rule is in place to support student mental health and well-being by reducing screen time. It also reduces distraction in lessons so that teachers and students can focus on learning. If you need to contact your child, please call reception and a message will be passed on. If a student needs to contact home, they can speak to a pastoral leader who will facilitate a call home.

Equipment:

It is important that students are properly equipped every day so that they are ready to learn. All students are required to bring a bag to school. An equipment check will be carried out daily in tutor time to ensure students are ready to learn. Academy equipment requirements can be found here.  Students can purchase a pencil case (containing the correct equipment) from reception for £1. If you need support with equipment, please do get in contact so that we can help.

End of Term 6 Letter

Academy Times of Day from September 2022

End of Term 6 Letter

Thank you for taking the time to read this end of term update. If you have any concerns or queries, please do get in touch either via email: [email protected] or phone: 0117 440 8900.

Everyone at the Academy wishes you a restful summer break. I will

Dream BIG // Work Hard // Be Kind

Mr O’Callaghan |Principal