19th September 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
Striving for Excellence in Attendance and Punctuality – Working Together
At Erdington Academy, this week’s core value is Excellence. Our commitment to excellence underpins everything we do. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve incredible things, and we provide the environment, support, and opportunities that enable them to thrive academically, socially, and as individuals.
Each year, based on the successes of the previous year, we continue to raise expectations, aspirations and standards across the school; we are reminded that excellence is not achieved in isolation. Excellence is a shared journey—one that involves students, staff, and families working together with common purpose.
One of the most powerful contributors to student success is strong attendance and punctuality. When students attend school regularly and arrive on time, they are better placed to engage in learning, build positive relationships, and make consistent progress. Every lesson matters and every moment counts.
As always, we ask for your continued support in ensuring that your child attends school every day, arrives promptly, and is equipped and ready to learn. Absences—even occasional ones—can disrupt the learning journey and make it more difficult for those who were absent to keep up with their peers, who were in class. Similarly, arriving late can affect not only your child’s learning but also the learning of others, through lesson interruptions, creating a dis-jointed experience.
By working together, we can create a culture of excellence where high expectations are met with high levels of support. Your role in reinforcing the importance of attendance and punctuality at home is invaluable, and we thank you for your partnership in helping your child succeed. If you have any concerns or need support with attendance, please do not hesitate to contact our pastoral team. Your child’s HoY or AHoY are here to help and will support you in any way they can.
Last year, attendance and punctuality at Erdington Academy was above National data. We know from experience that this fact alone ensures that students who are here more than 90% of the time make an additional +3 GCSE grades’ progress compared to their peers who had more significant absence. Attendance of 95% is equal to 10 days of school absence, which is quite substantial in itself; no student should be absent more than this over the course of a normal academic year without medical evidence, which you will now be asked to supply for absences which are causing concern.
Free School Meals – support and assistance
Apply for free school meals: search result – GOV.UK
Please see above the hyperlink to apply for free school meals. It also includes the criteria list for those who should be encouraged to apply. If you think you might be eligible or you know that you meet the criteria and have never applied before, the process is really very simple. If you need to apply for more than one child, you can save the form after the application for the first child is completed, rather than begin all over again. Staff in reception will be able to support you with any difficulties you may have.
Successful applications for free school meals are important. They ensure that children receive a healthy, balanced meal daily, which supports their overall health and well-being; it also helps improve their focus and academic attainment. Schools receive additional funding for those in their cohort who are eligible
for Free School meals. These funds are applied across the curriculum to ensure that children benefit from opportunities and experiences that they might not have access to. Which further benefits their educational journey.
Let us continue to work together to ensure that every student at Erdington Academy is given the best possible chance to excel.
We are proud of the vibrant and supportive community that surrounds our students. As part of our ongoing commitment to enriching their educational experiences, we are inviting parents and carers to join our Parent, Teacher & Friends Association (PTFA). The PTFA plays a vital role in raising funds that directly benefit our students—whether it’s supporting extracurricular activities, enhancing learning resources, or helping to create new opportunities that inspire and empower them.
We would love for you to be part of this effort. Whether you can offer time, ideas, skills, or simply enthusiasm, your involvement will make a real difference. Joining the PTFA is also a great way to connect with other parents whilst contributing to the life of the school in a meaningful way.
If you’re interested in getting involved or would like to learn more, please contact us at enquiry@erdington.fmat.co.uk or make a note in your diary to come along to our first PTFA meeting for 2025-2026, in school, on Tuesday 7th October at 6.00pm. Together, we can make sure that every student has access to the opportunities they deserve.
And finally, in the spirit of working together for the benefit of our students, we’re excited to introduce a new and fun way to support our school to raise funds — the 200 Club!
The 200 Club is a simple lottery-style fundraiser where parents, carers, and friends of the school can buy a number (1-200) for just £2 per month. Each month, we will hold a draw with cash prizes for the lucky winners. The remainder of the money will go directly to support school projects, resources, out of hours learning and enrichment activities for our children.
Here’s how it works:
- Each number costs £2 per month.
- You’ll be entered into a monthly draw with three cash prizes.
- The more people who join, the bigger the prizes on offer — and the more we will raise for the school!
- Draws will take place on the second Friday of each month October to
July.
- Winners will be notified by email, and the winning numbers will be
announced in the school letter the following week.
How to Join: Keep your eyes peeled for an update next week, with more information linked to joining in. We hope you’ll consider joining the 200 Club — it’s a great way to support the school whilst also having a bit of fun!
Next week’s core value is Tradition. Mrs Boreland will be in touch with you to encourage you to engage regularly with your child’s learning and progress. Our whole-school assessment week is on the horizon: WB 3rd November 2025. It is important that your child starts their revision at home early and that you are able to help and support them with strategies for information recall.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs K Wright
Vice Principal| Behaviour & Ethos
