Extra Curricular activities are central to the success of the school, and they are promoted through the Principal's Challenge. This unites our House competitions, after school activities and Academy Adventures in one award that students work towards throughout the year. It allows students to stretch themselves and collaborate in a community to which they are 'Proud to belong'.
This year the range of sports activities will be enhanced even further by a new relationship with the Rugby Football Union. We were eligible for a grant from them to support schools rugby. We have some shiny new posts on our sports field to show for it! There are also some excited PE staff looking forward to involving students in rugby, some for the first time. The Rugby World Cup starts in this country in a few days, so the timing is excellent.
Many of the Academy Leadership team have commented this week on the excellent start students have made in the classroom too. For many students the grading in classes has changed, following the government decision to replace A*-C grades with grades 9-1. Students have been introduced to this in classes and assemblies. We will be running sessions for parents as well, so that you can support your child more effectively and understand better how they are progressing. As part of this our first Parent Forum is on 7th October, when we will also be looking at 'Show my Homework', our online platform that enables you to see what homework your child needs to complete.
As we are bigger than ever and we like to be on good terms with members of our community, I'd like to ask for everyone to be aware of their parking in and around school. The start and end of the day is busy; we are lucky to have such a large car park, but please do be aware of the movements of the buses and cars, bikes and pedestrians, so that we can all stay safe.
The next couple of weeks includes a celebratory week of Modern Foreign Languages, House Tug of War, and our Open Evening. Exciting times!