Welcome Back – Module 3

Dear Parents/Carers,

We hope that you had a restful and enjoyable Christmas break. We are delighted by the way students have returned to the school in a calm and purposeful manner.

This letter sets out a range of updates with regards to teaching and learning, standards, information with regards to extra curricular activities.

Knowledge Organisers/Homework

The knowledge organisers for Module 3 can be found on this link. Please ensure that your son/daughter is reviewing their Knowledge Organiser for each subject as this is their homework for the module. These are used as a basis for the ‘do it now’ activity at the start of every lesson, which helps your son’s/daughter’s knowledge to improve over time.

Punctuality

Part of our role at the academy is to prepare students for their futures and help them get into the right habits, including the importance of punctuality. The students first lesson starts at 8.40am every day, therefore students should arrive at their class in plenty of time for the start of the lesson, ideally no later than 8.30am.

Standards & Uniform

Please find below a table as a polite reminder of the standard required for both uniform and equipment at the academy.

• Coats/Jackets – should be plain with NO writing or commercial logos. Denim or leather coats are not permitted. Students should bring a coat during Modules 2-4. Students are also welcome to bring a plain umbrella if rain is forecast during the school day.
• Jewellery – Students are NOT allowed to wear jewellery. Rings are dangerous for many activities and therefore unsuitable for the academy. Necklaces and bracelets are similarly unsuitable; however, an exception may be made for religious bangles. One pair of small stud earrings may be worn, one in each ear. No facial jewellery or piercings are permitted. Students will be asked to remove the items and they will be confiscated for parents/carers to collect and a log on Bromcom.
• Watches may be worn and handed to a teacher during certain activities such as PE. The Academy is not responsible for the loss or damage to any jewellery.
• Nails – fake nails of any kind, including tips are not permitted. Nail varnish is not suitable and not permitted. Students will be required to remove nail varnish or lose all social time if wearing fake nails.
• Make-up – fake tan, fake eyelashes, lipstick, mascara and excessive make-up is not suitable for the Academy. Students in Year 7 and 8 are not allowed to wear make-up of any kind. Students in Year 9-11 may wear subtle, natural make-up. Students wearing excessive make-up will be required to remove it.
• Hair – Extreme hair colours are not permitted and hair must be one tone and a natural colour. Unusual hairstyles, including tram lines are not permitted.
• Trainers – are not permitted. Smart, formal, plain shoes only. Students who do not have the correct footwear will lose their social time.

The Academy has the final decision on uniform. Students who do not comply with the above standards & uniform will be sanctioned accordingly. This could be losing all social time or isolation for standards that are not addressed (such as false eyelashes or incorrect footwear).

Equipment

Extra-Curricular Clubs and Activities

A full range of extra-curricular activities are available, please encourage your son/daughter to take part in some of the activities on offer. Please click on this link for more information.

Leigh Academies Trust Parents’ Survey

On Monday 23 January all parents/carers will receive a Leigh Academies Trust questionnaire to ascertain your views on the provision at the academy. We highly value the extensive support and partnership with parents/carers and would like to take this opportunity to highlight some key initiatives and support mechanisms for your consideration.

We are very proud of what Wilmington Academy has achieved over the past year, with excellent examination results at both GCSE and Post 16. Our high standards and the quality of our educational provision was recognised in our Ofsted Inspection in February 2022 when they found that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that ‘the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now’. Our curriculum is of a high standard and was described by Ofsted as a ‘ well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum ensures that pupils develop a deep understanding of a wide range of subjects’ which is testament to both the students and the staff.

The academy has a range of wellbeing services to support your child’s happiness and safety as acknowledged by the academy receiving the National Wellbeing Award. The award recognises the high level of support provided by our team, including our Wellbeing Manager, Student Services Managers, SEND and our Safeguarding Teams. This is supplemented by our wider pastoral teams with an Assistant Principal or Head of Year leading every year group.

One of the key developments we have instituted over the last year is the continued development of our co-curricular programme, with an extensive programme of trips and after-school clubs and activities for our students to attend. In recognition of our extensive offer we were awarded the full International Schools Award in 2022 by the British Council and we are very proud of this achievement.

Should you have any queries in relation to this communication, in the first instance please contact the relevant college office (see contact details further below).

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M Gore
Principal

Apollo College – apollo-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
Minerva College – minerva-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
Jupiter College – jupiter-admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
Olympus College/Post-16 – post16@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk