End of Term Letter
Wednesday, 18th December 2024
Dear Parent/Carer,
End of Term Letter
Please be advised that our last day of this term is Friday 20th December. For the last day students are expected to wear full school uniform. Lessons will be as normal for the first three periods of the day, including breaktime, and students will be dismissed from school by 12.20pm.
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support this term. We have had such a fantastic term of events, trips, extra-curricular and community events and I thank you for supporting us in this. The students have been exceptional this term with assessments and mocks and we are really proud of their commitment to our core values of Amazing Grace, Intentional Excellence, Mutual Respect, Genuine Integrity and Limitless Potential.
Attendance
Once again, we have celebrated maximum attendance this term and despite all the winter illnesses going around it has been so good to see our students continuing to engage with their education. So many of our students have demonstrated Intentional Excellence and have shown that success does not happen by accident but instead through hard work, engagement and determination. Well done to all of those students who received these awards! We are already starting to plan enrichment week and have plenty of exciting trips on offer for students who have positive behaviour and attendance throughout the year.
Uniform and Equipment
A reminder to parents that when students return in January they will need to have natural hair colour and braids. Jewellery is limited to one stud in each ear and a mechanical watch. Students should have natural nails, no false eyelashes and only natural make-up. In addition, each student will need to have their Grace Five with them: a school bag, planner, pencil case, reading book and water bottle.
End of term rewards
Last Friday, we celebrated Christmas as a whole school and were so pleased to see so many students wearing their Christmas jumpers whilst they enjoyed their Christmas lunch and time spent as a form with their tutor. Through the wearing of Christmas jumpers, we also managed to raise a substantial sum of money for Save the Children. This week, all students will be rewarded for their efforts across the term in our rewards assemblies. The following certificates and awards will be issued: Tutor, Head of Year, Assistant Principal, Principal, subject and maximum attendance. We will also issue more student leadership ties to
those students consistently showing "The Grace Way".
Ethos update
The Ethos team have been working tirelessly this term to provide students with an outstanding range of experiences, culminating in the Christmas Fayre last Friday: it was a fantastic evening enjoyed by lots of our students, their families and the community. This term we welcomed our new Youth Worker, Hannah, and she’s really enjoyed getting to know students and beginning interventions with them. Students have been taking part in a range of activities this term which look to support those who are less fortunate, including; Operation Christmas Child, the Shoe Box Appeal, and Harvest Festival for the Foodbank. The Remembrance Service was a particular highlight for lots of our students, alongside some other Ethos trips, such as the Mental Health Awareness trip to watch Evan Hansen and the Years 8 to 10 Female Empowerment workshop. We are really looking forward to the events planned for next term.
Key Stage 3 Update
Year 7 has impressed us with how well they have settled in at Grace and it’s lovely to see them so engaged in their learning when walking around the Academy. Years 7, 8 and 9 all completed their first Assessments this term and have really demonstrated their Intentional Excellence by listening to feedback from their teachers and revising their Powerful Knowledge. It’s also been great to see so many students taking part in extracurricular activities, from Hairspray rehearsals to Languages Club, Film Club to taking part in one of our
sports team - they’ve made new friendships and learned new skills.
In addition, each year group has taken part in different Ethos activities this term. A variety of girls have been part of “Tech She Can”, which are sessions aimed at closing the gap for girls in managerial roles in the technology industry. Year 7 took part in the Values Day, where they learned about each of our five Grace Values with our external guests alongside a session which was planned and delivered by some of our Sixth Form students. Year 7 also took part in our Mental Health and Be Confident workshops, whereas Year 8 took part in Anti-Bullying workshops alongside their Values Day. Year 9 enjoyed the Black History Month workshops and will be taking part in the Do Good workshops when they return in January.
Key Stage 4 Update
This was a particularly busy term for our Year 11 students which culminated in their mock examinations. The Year 11 students worked incredibly hard for these mocks and our ‘Period 6’ after-school interventions were very well supported. Earlier in the term, Year 11 took part in the Building Healthy Relationships days and it was great to see them engage in this so well. Year 11 and Year 10 have also both been taking part in careers talks, which aim to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be aspirational and successful in their future plans. Year 10 have also settled into their GCSEs well and completed their first GCSE-style exams and it’s been great to see them starting to hone some revision skills and acting on teacher feedback to promote their progress. They have been applying for work experience placements which will be in June, with students having secured placements in schools, global companies and even Canary Wharf.
Sixth Form Update
It has been an incredibly busy term in Sixth Form with students focusing on their workload and ensuring they are managing their extra-curricular activities. This past half term has seen students, both in Year 12 and 13, revising for their AP1 assessments. Year 12 sat these assessments in classrooms whilst Year 13 conducted their mock examinations in the sports hall. Students have been working hard and this has been acknowledged by teachers and parents. Over the course of this term, 30 brand new laptops have been purchased which allows students to independently learn during study periods.
Our partnership with Coventry Building Society and the Career Ready programme is well underway, with Career Ready students recently completing a workplace visit to the offices of Segro in London at the start of December. Additionally, Year 13 students have been continuing their work on their UCAS applications and next steps to help prepare for life after Grace Academy. Recently, students studying law have visited the Warwick Justice Centre in which students had the opportunity to look around the court, spoke with a range of legal professionals regarding their jobs and saw real life cases taking place. Additionally, students have attended booster sessions for their upcoming Business and Health and Social Care examinations. Finally, good luck to students who have been preparing for their external examinations which take place in January 2025.
Safeguarding and Family Support
As a school, the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and members of the school community is most important to us.
As we break for the Christmas holiday, if you have any immediate concerns for the safety or welfare of a child please contact MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) on 024 7678 8555.
If you need support for yourself over the holiday period, please contact your local family hub: The Moat Family Hub at https://www.coventry.gov.uk/themoatfamilyhub. Family Hub aim to reach children, young people and families when the need first emerges; and to help and support when we can have the greatest impact.
• Early Help: telephone 0800 8870545 or email earlyhelp@coventry.gov.uk
• Emergency Duty Team: telephone 024 7683 2222 between 5pm–8.30am and during weekends
• Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH): telephone 024 7678 8555
Finally, Coventry Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme are running a range of activities over the holidays. If you would like to find out more about free school holiday clubs, experiences and food this Christmas school holidays for children eligible for free school meals, please take a look at the following link: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/haf. Different activities are taking place across Coventry throughout the
school Christmas holidays.
Have you heard about the Too Good To Go app? https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/consumer This is a partnership between local food venues and the charity to stop unsold food being wasted. Each day you are able to search for unsold food in your local area which you can then collect at a significant discount.
Arrangements for January
We will be open to students again from Tuesday 7th January 2025 at the normal time. Please note the Academy office will be closed during the Christmas break.
We hope you enjoy the festive season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs N Whiles
Executive Principal