Celebration of Success 

 

Welcome back to the second half of the autumn term.  As we proceed towards Christmas, let us take a moment to look back on the celebrations at the end of last half term at our annual Celebration of Success event.

Once again, students were recognised for their achievements in different subjects, with a number also receiving special awards.  This year saw the inauguration of the new award ‘The Chair of Governors Progress Award’.  This important award for the academy highlights the journey that every child is on from the moment they join us to the moment they leave and cements our proud to belong ethos. 

The evening was interspersed with brilliant performances of music, drama and languages, and a talk from our Guest Speaker, Gilly Wiscarson. 

Well done to all the winners and performers involved. 

 

 

Iceland Trip

 

43 students and 7 staff braved the cold of Iceland during the half term break to learn about volcanoes and earthquakes.

 

Students visited Skogafoss, Gullfoss, Seljlandsfoss and Hjalparfoss waterfalls, Eyjafjallajokull volcano (the one that erupted in 2010) and visitor centre and the Hekla Volcano.  In addition they experienced the Geysirs and walked down the deep cracks of Thingvellir National Park, where the ground is being pulled apart by two tectonic plates.  As a treat they spent an evening in the Blue Lagoon and, to complete a superb trip, they were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights too.

 

 

House Music 

 

The House Music Competition took place on 10 November, and once again the audience were thrilled by the wealth of talent on display.  All of the performers were outstanding and the judges were put through their paces making the tough decision as to the ultimate winners.  The results were:

• Best Instrumentalist: Hannah Mokhtari, Year 7
• Best KS3 Soloist: Christian Gbadamosi-Harper, Year 8
• Best KS4 Soloist: Alana Nkadi, Year 11
• Best Composer: Mitchell Winn, Year 8
• Best House Band: Edison
• Overall House Winner: Edison

A special thank you to our G&T band, who worked tirelessly to support all of the acts.  Thanks also to our GCSE and A Level students who coached the House Band category.

 

 

U13 Girls Football

  

Well done to the U13 Girls football team who played very well in our County Cup quarter final and won 6 – 1.  Their victory means we are through to the County Cup semi-final which is a home draw. 

 

‘How to ….’

 

Following our Proud to Belong forum, on Tuesday 15 November, we held another of our highly successful ‘How to…’ evenings. This event focused on the importance of spelling, punctuation and grammar in the new GCSE exams. Our Head of English, Miss Burke, explained how parents could support their children so that, together, we can help our students achieve the best possible outcomes.

 

Our next ‘How to…’ evening is scheduled for 23 January 2017 and will focus on how to support your child in Maths. We look forward to seeing you there. 


Thank you for supporting our Christmas Fair on Saturday 26 November.  Lots of money was raised for the academy charity the New Hope Trust.

 

 

 

Upcoming events for your diary:

• Mock Exams for Years 11, 12, 13: 12 to 16 December
• Sixth Form Targeted Intervention Evening: 13 December
• Year 9 Parents Evening: 15 December
• Christmas Carol Concert: 19 December (change to previously published date)