Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the very best of health and looking forward to the start of a new academic year. I thought I would write you a brief update just to signpost a few items ahead of the new term beginning next week.
GCSE and Post 16 results
We have had genuine cause for celebration this summer with our students securing strong results in both Year 11 and Year 13. These days are always a highlight of the school calendar, but this year in particular, the atmosphere was so positive and celebratory – it makes the work we all put in worthwhile to see the joy on their faces as they secure the results they need.
Uniform
You can find our full uniform requirements on our website. Please do use this when making new purchases. Often supermarkets will stock an item that the describe as uniform, but it may not fit our expectations. To avoid any issues with this, we strongly recommend that you use this guide carefully when buying new items.
Year 6 Open Evening
Prospective students are invited to attend our Year 6 Open Evening on 2nd October from 5-7pm. There will be a chance to hear from the Principal, staff and students alongside the opportunity to tour our facilities and see the academy in action.
Reading (NGRT) tests
Year 11 and Year 10 students will complete these assessments on the first day back. There is absolutely nothing to worry about—full support will be provided by their tutors and teaching staff to guide them through the process and help them do their best.
The NGRT is an important assessment that gives us a detailed picture of your child’s reading ability. It helps us understand key areas such as reading comprehension, vocabulary, and overall literacy skills. By identifying both strengths and areas for development, we can better tailor our teaching to support each student’s progress. Your awareness and support of these assessments play a vital role in helping us ensure your child reaches their full potential. Students in the remaining year groups will be assessed in due course.
Year 7 Army Visit
As part of our commitment to fostering teamwork, resilience, and personal development, we are pleased to inform you that the Army will be visiting the school to run a series of team building and employability activities with our new year 7 students.
These sessions will take place on Wednesday 17th September and Thursday 18th September and will offer an excellent opportunity for students to develop leadership skills, cooperation, and confidence in a fun and structured setting. No payment is required for this, and all students will take part in order to make new friends in the year group and participate in this fantastic opportunity. More details will follow via a letter towards the end of next week.
New Information Management System
Over the summer, we have been migrating all of our data from SIMS to a new information management system called Arbor. We expect the change to significantly improve how we share and collect information across the academy and with families. As with all large-scale migrations, there are likely to be some bumps in the road as things roll out in September. I will ask for some patience with this. Whilst a lot of work has been done to foresee potential issues, you often need everything to be working at full capacity to stress test the software. Hopefully, all will go to plan and we will roll out the new parent interface over the course of this term.
Start of term arrangements
Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 will begin on Monday 8th September, followed by Years 8, 9 and 10 who start on the 9th. The day will begin as normal with doors opening at 8.30 and students in form time for 8.40. You can find the letter for families here. Students will use the entrances they have been using over the last few weeks of this term. For parents of new Year 7, it is quite normal for them to be a little anxious in the final few days before they start with us. Please rest assured that the first few days are geared around settling them in and building up their confidence. They will be tired but I’m sure they will have a positive start to the next chapter in their personal development. They will use the same entrance they used during the transition days by the assembly hall.
Final notes
For our staff team, school re-opened this week as we began the year with two days of training. This included some input about Arbor but also a lot of refresher work around our systems and practices. What we do here works well, as such, there are no huge changes in policy or practice this year as we refine and refresh the research-based initiatives we have been adopting over the last few years. There will be some additional evening events for you to engage with our staff teams and support with your child’s progress and development.
Classcharts will remain as the main vehicle for communications throughout the school week with lesson information and announcements being shared there. It is vital that your details are up to date and that you have access to this. Your child should have their own account and should not be accessing your parent account as the permission settings are different.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal