January 2025
Happy New Year, I hope you had a good break and are looking forward to the opportunities that a new year has to bring.
Development Areas for 24/25
One of the key aspects of my role is to identify areas of the Academy where improvements can be made, these are focused around students’ wellbeing, supporting outcomes, personal development, staff needs and the sustainability and long term future of the Academy.
A few years ago, we migrated over to LED lighting, in the summer we installed solar panels, these help support the Academy in the long-term by ensuring that the maximum amount of funding is available for student’s focused activities. This is still a challenge and moving forward each September we will be asking for a voluntary contribution of £10 to our extensive enrichment programme, thank you to the many that contributed to this, if others now would like to please follow the https://app.parentpay.com. It is only through these contributions that we are able to provide some of the fantastic opportunities on enrichment days.
Priorities Spring Term:
The focuses for the spring term will be on supporting our Year 11 in the run up to their exams, ensuring all have good attendance and continuing to provide a wide range of opportunities for students to participate in. Attendance is the first key to success, last year students whose attendance to Erdington was over 90% achieved almost 1 grade higher than similar students nationally. I am proud of what our staff offer students consistently day after day, however if students are not there, they can not benefit. Our character programme that started in May 2024 is showing a good level of engagement and success, in the last week of term rewards assemblies started to give out values and subject colours. These are important aspects of academy life and demonstrate key skills that employers and colleges find desirable, please encourage your children to participate, information is on the website, or you can contact your form tutor for more information.
PTA:
We are fortunate to have a passionate and dedicated Parent Association, (PTA) who work tirelessly to raise funds for the Academy and provide students with opportunities. Many of the students’ events last year were made possible through the dedication of the PTA. They supported the prom and prom outfits for Year 11, supported and ran events and cinema evenings. This term in February we will be having a parents and students bingo evening. Details will follow in the coming weeks. If you would like to become part of the group, please contact reception and ask them to pass your details onto myself and Mrs Wright who will arrange for the PTA team to make contact.
As we return for the start of the Spring term can I remind you of some of our expectations that underpin our learning behaviours.
High Expectations of Uniform
We expect all students to be smart because we are a school with traditional values. The expectation is that all students are in full school uniform every day. This means:
- Plain black shoes are the expectation for all, students not in shoes will be expected to wear the shoes we provide.
- Every student is expected to look after and wear their house tie with pride.
- Girls’ trousers must be in accordance with our policy and skirts an appropriate length.
- Haircuts must NOT be extreme and on the natural spectrum (this is at the Principals discretion).
- One nose stud is permitted, it needs to be a stud only and small, this is again at the Principal’s discretion, and there should be only one stud per ear.
- No hooded sweatshirts, or any other ‘informal’ tops are allowed to be worn.
- No caps or pouches are allowed on site and will be confiscated.
Incorrect uniform will be challenged on arrival at the Academy by senior staff at the gate.
Excellent Learning Habits
We expect all students to be on time every day and for all lessons. We expect students to be fully prepared for and focused on learning every day. This means:
- Items such as energy drinks and fizzy drinks are considered ‘banned items’ and will be confiscated because we are a healthy school.
- Single use plastics are also not appropriate, and we discourage these being in the Academy, we may take these off students.
- Students should arrive at school 5 minutes before the agreed start time. If students are late to school or unreasonably late to a lesson, they will serve a same-day, after school detention.
- A suitable bag (big enough for a PE kit and workbook), pen, pencil, ruler and Ethos card are expected. A rubber and colours as well as a scientific calculator are useful. Equipment and Ethos cards will be checked every day in form time.
- We are a ‘no touching school’, what starts as “fun” horse play can too easily change into somebody getting inadvertently hurt. Boisterous behaviour will not be tolerated and will be sanctioned with a same-day after school detention. We want to ensure our students are safe and there is a calm, purposeful atmosphere so our students are ready for learning.
- Mobile phones should be ‘not seen or heard’ on site. This is the same for headphones. Students may not use their phones until they have left the Academy premises.
- ‘First time, every time’ is our expectation for all students. We thank you for your ongoing support to ensure continued excellent behaviour for learning.
These clear expectations for all are important, they ensure the focus of all is on learning and progress and we ensure a calm orderly learning environment for all to do their best.
We have a range of parental information evenings this term also that will help you in being able to support your child, your Head of Year will be in contact with the dates of these and information will also be on the app.
We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 7th January at our normal start time of 8:40am and making 2025 a fantastic year of success.
Yours sincerely
S. Mallett
Principal
