Term 1 – Week 1

Dear Parents/Carers,

Everyone at the Academy is saddened by the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II yesterday. While the news will affect us all differently, for the vast majority of us, she has been a constant in the fabric of our Country throughout our entire lifetimes and we will now be processing this important change, in both its social and its historical contexts.

We all recognise the Queen’s long life of service as our Head of State, her dedication to duty, and the way in which she led by example. Our community will have recent fond memories of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year.

I delivered an assembly this morning to all students and reassured them that as a community we would stand together and support each other. If your child requires any additional support during this time please encourage them to speak with their Tutor or Year Team.

As an Academy we will look to celebrate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and offer a lasting tribute at the Academy. We will also take time to teach students more about the historical importance of this moment, why some people are clearly feeling sad, and how to behave sensitively towards others.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how well the students have returned to the Academy and what a positive culture we are creating through our shared mission and values. Students across all year groups have made a great start to lessons, are showing lots of mutual respect and ambition to be successful. Many colleagues have commented to me on how polite and respectful students have been this week, which is great validation of our values Dream BIG, Work Hard, Be Kind.

I look forward to updating you further on the progress of the Academy across the year and everyone at the Academy is looking forward to seeing all students bright and early on Monday morning for another enjoyable week of learning.

Dream BIG // Work Hard // Be Kind

Mr S O’Callaghan

Principal