Term 2 – Week 3 Update
Dear Parents/Carers,
We’ve had a really strong start to Term 2 and everyone at the Academy has been really impressed with how well students have embodied our values and the hard work they are putting into progressing through the curriculum.
The purpose of this letter is to provide a brief update on few items:
Wet weather // suitable coat
As you will have seen, the weather is becoming more unpredictable, and the temperature is starting to drop as we head into the winter period. A number of students have come into the Academy this week quite wet due to the weather which has not given them the best start to the day. In addition, as the Academy site has a lot of outdoor transition between lessons it is important that students have a suitable outdoor coat (ideally waterproof) to protect them from the elements. Thank you in advance for your support in this.
Children in Need
Students have been busy fundraising this week to support Children in Need. That came to a conclusion today with a number of students winning the opportunity to gunge me (which as you can imagine, they really enjoyed)! The Friends of Hanham Woods were also on site at break time with a pop-up tuck shop which also contributed to an enjoyable day.
Anti-bullying week
This week has been National Anti-Bullying week. Students have had more education through assemblies this week on anti-bullying and of course this is something we are always working on (not just this week). Students have a number of ways in which they can report bullying and we have emphasised the importance of reporting incidents as soon as possible so that we are able to investigate. There is more information for Parents/Carers from the Anti-Bullying Alliance here: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/parents-and-carers
FIFA World Cup
As you will be aware, the Men’s Football World Cup begins on Sunday 20th November, with the first England match, against Iran, on Monday 21 November. The build-up to this year’s World Cup has highlighted many of the controversies around the choice of hosts Qatar. The international community widely regards Qatar as having a poor record on human rights, particularly around the state’s attitudes to women and the LGBTQ+ community. These attitudes are in conflict with British values and the values at Hanham Woods of inclusivity and high expectations. We will not be watching games during the Academy Day as we do not want to disrupt the curriculum and we expect all students to attend as normal, however we will be taking opportunities during tutor time to explore some of the themes and issues presented by the World Cup.
Uniform
Thank you for your support with uniform, we have seen an improvement since September. Just a reminder that we expect all students (including Year 11) to be in full uniform every day. Here’s a link to our previous communication regarding uniform and the Academy expectations: http://hanhamwoodsacademy.clf.uk/letters/end-of-term-1-start-of-term-2-letter/
In summary the follow items of clothing are not permitted:
- Jeans (defined as having back pockets and jean-like material) or leggings
- Trousers with zip pockets
- Tube skirts/tight stretchy material for skirts – skirts must be to the knee
- Hoodies
- Trainers
I look forward to updating you further on the progress of the Academy across the term 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 O’Callaghan
Principal
