Dear Parent/Carer,
Attendance = SUCCESS at GCSE
The majority of students have made an incredible start to the term. Punctuality has improved and attendance has been better than the same time-period last year. Both these things will stand students in good stead, as they lay the foundations for learning and achieving excellent results at the end of Y11.
Analysis of Y11 results from summer 2024 confirms what we have always thought. At Erdington Academy, those who attend for at least 90% of the time achieve significantly higher results than those with less than 90% attendance.
Last year, 83% of the Y11 cohort managed to attend for 90%+ during the year. Of these students 80% of them managed to make an additional 3 grades’ progress compared to their peers with less than 90% attendance in school. This is true of all students in this category, regardless of whether they were in receipt of Free School Meals/Pupil Premium or if they had identified SEND needs and it is an even better outcome than the other schools in the Trust.
Our outcomes indicate stronger performance for students at Erdington Academy in comparison to similar schools Nationally too. We are very proud indeed. The progress students make at this school, as highlighted in these results, proves unequivocally, that there is nothing more important than being here in school, on time and in class, learning. Parental support with this is invaluable. Please work with us to ensure that your child/ren are in school every day and are on time. This expectation is one of the building blocks of The Erdington Way.
Aside from attendance, parental support is appreciated in many areas. Attendance at whole school events being one such example. I hope that you will review the dates for these in the calendar each half term and make a note of those which apply to you or your child/ren. We would be delighted to see you! Last week we held our Open Evening for students and families hoping to be able to join us in September 2025. It was a fabulous evening with opportunities for Y6 (and some Y5) students to try a multitude of activities, meet our students, hear their stories and visit our classrooms. We had some lovely feedback, from numerous parents keen to join our learning community:
“I attended the Open Evening last week for Year 6 and I just thought I would say how impressed I was. I have children who have just left and are currently attend Erdington, so I know the school has great strengths. We were taken around by your Head Girl. She was brilliant, polite and knowledgeable about the school and really mature. I was so impressed by her speech and her confidence. I would just like to congratulate her for giving such a good impression of the school and what is possible there!”
New members required to join Erdington Academy PTFA
Another avenue you might be interested in, to support the school and the wider curriculum for your child/ren is the PTFA. Our PTFA meets regularly once a fortnight for an hour or so, to plan and organise events to raise funds for the student body. Previously, funds raised have made a huge difference to the experiences and opportunities we have been able to offer to our cohort. You will be aware that additional funding is always appreciated, particularly in the current climate and the team work hard to ensure that there are always funds available. This budget can help us to run and sustain a number of clubs (covering the cost of materials and tools), it pays for the Prom venue and covers the cost of a multitude of other opportunities.
Like most PTFAs, our funds are raised through the events that we run in school. The PTFA committee are responsible for deciding how our funds are spent. Funds are typically spent on the ‘extras’ that are not provided by the school’s budget, thus making our children’s learning experiences so much more fulfilling and exciting. The staff team represented on the PTFA seek ideas from other staff, including the senior leadership team about how best to spend the money. We also invite regular input from parents too.
If you have enthusiasm, energy and ideas for fundraising or contributing, we would love to hear from you. Every year, as Y11 ‘graduate’ and move on to college, we lose some of our members, who join college associations designed to perform similar functions. Our PTFA always welcomes new members though, to join them in organising events. We understand that everyone has lots of commitments and busy lives so any time you can give, even just an hour for one event, will be very much appreciated. If you are interested in joining the PTFA, or can offer a little of your time, please contact the school reception where we can give you more information enquiry@erdington.fmat.co.uk
Events in the PTFA Calendar for this year include something different each half term:
- October – Cinema Night
- December – Christmas Fayre
- February – Reggae Bongo Bingo
- April – Food Festival
- May – Quiz Night
- June – Summer Fayre
The old adage is very true – ‘many hands make light work’. So, if you are interested in joining the PTFA or are interested in supporting the work they do, sharing ideas or expertise please do get in touch. Our members even get a free T-Shirt!
Yours faithfully,
Mrs K Wright
Vice Principal | Behaviour & Ethos
