22/7/22: End of Term letter
Dear Parents/Carers,
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support this term. We have had a fantastic and busy term of events, trips, extra-curricular and community events and I thank you for supporting us in this. I would also like to thank each of you for making my first year at Grace a truly excellent one. I can honestly say that it has been my absolute pleasure to be the Head here and I hope to continue to build on the rapid improvements we have made.
We are very proud that our students have been excellent ambassadors for the school in all our activities and on all our trips – they really are the embodiment of The Grace Way.
We have also been very proud of how hard our students have worked for their examinations and assessments and we are really proud of their continuing 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 it has been so good to see our students continuing to engage with their education up until the last day. 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. We thank you for your support and look forward to next year.
Pastoral
A reminder to parents that when students return in September 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. It is also worth noting that Smart watches are not permitted as part of both our Uniform Policy and also our electronic device free environment.
Trips and Enrichment week
All our students have had some phenomenal opportunities this half term. We have really enjoyed our trips to Blackpool and we were so proud to see our students demonstrating our Grace Values beyond the school community. Members of the public commented on how polite our students were and the staff expressed how great they were and what a fantastic experience they had with our students. During enrichment week our students also had a range of other exciting opportunities such as taking part in the "Grace British Bake Off", craft making, Coventry orchestra experience, a spoken word workshop plus so much more. We have updated our Twitter with photos from the week – please do have a look at these.
Rewards
Last week, students were rewarded for their efforts across the term in our rewards assemblies. Certificates and prizes were issued to students selected by Tutors, Head of Year, Assistant Principal and the Principal. Students were also issued with subject and maximum attendance awards. We issued even more student leadership ties to those students consistently showing "The Grace Way" and are so proud of students committed to being leaders in both their year group and the Academy.
Transition
Just before the end of term, we held our Year 6 transition day and transition evening for parents which gave the Grace staff an opportunity to meet and get to know our new Year 6 students and parents. We had a fantastic day and really look forward to welcoming the Year 6 students into the Grace family in September. We were really pleased to see how fantastic our current Year 7 students were in supporting and helping the Year 6 students so that they were positive and optimistic about starting in September.
Over the last few weeks we have also been completing the transition for our Year 9 students into Year 10. They have had their options finalised and are looking forward to the transition into Key Stage 4. Mr Bowser and Mr Fawkner will be remaining as Heads of Year with their current year groups for the next academic year.
Parents’ Evenings
We were delighted to return to face to face parents’ evenings this year. It was lovely to see parents and staff having positive conversations about our students’ education and their personalised steps moving forward. In September we will release the parents’ evening dates for the next academic year.
English & Library Update
It has been a busy and exciting term for the English team. We have been redesigning some aspects of our Key Stage 3 curriculum for the new year and choosing current and inspiring texts and authors for our students in Years 7 to 9.
As you have probably seen from social media, our library has had a glorious facelift and is being restocked with many new books - fiction and non-fiction - to reignite our students' love of reading. There are certainly some very happy pupils looking forward to borrowing the Heartstopper series, and books by Malorie Blackman, Stephanie Meyer and Darren Shan. From September, our new reading lessons in the library will have greater focus on reviewing exactly what students are reading, listening to them read and giving them opportunities to quiz on Accelerated Reader. Knowing that reading for 30 to 45 minutes per day (even over the summer holidays!) makes a significant difference to reading ages, we can't wait to hear what books our students have had their noses in over the summer. There are plenty more Reading Leader and Reading Champion badges to give away next year!
Ethos and Wellbeing Update
Mrs Whiles and Mrs Williams had the privilege of visiting the offices of Fiera Real Estate in Central London, where we were given a cheque for over £54,000 – funding that Fiera and other companies have raised for our Academy. We truly are blown away by their generosity both financially and practically this past year; from providing some of our students with an outstanding work experience project, to a refurbishment of our library and wellbeing space by Meggitt Plc. We cannot explain how grateful we are.
We had a fantastic trip to Manchester with some of our Year 10 and Post 16 students where we worked with other schools from the Trust to serve the community. This was done through renovating a house project for a vulnerable family to move into, as well as serving the homeless community a three course banquet meal. It was a fantastic trip, and we are so proud of our students and their willingness shown at all times. We look forward to more social action trips like this in the future.
Some of our reading leaders joined us on a trip to 'The Reading Tree' in Northampton recently, where they were able to choose brand new books to fill our library, ready for our library launch in September. We have truly loved watching our students gain joy for reading and are looking forward to seeing more of this in the new Academic Year.
We are hosting a Summer School during the holidays for our Year 6 students joining us in September. It will be a fantastic week including activities such as a Science Show, Rocket Making, arts and crafts, sports activities led by Sky Blues and lots of other treats and activities.
Safeguarding and Family Support
As a school, the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and members of the school community are most important to us.
As we break for the summer holiday, if you have any immediate concerns for the safety or welfare of a child please contact MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) on: telephone 024 7678 8555
If you need support for yourself over the holiday period, please contact your local family hub:
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/themoatfamilyhub
The Family Hub aims 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
Below are some useful numbers and links for services that can provide support for you and your family:
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/37590/coventry-schools-mental-health-leaflet?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo&fs=e&s=cl
Holiday Clubs in Coventry 2022
With the Summer Holidays fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about Holiday Clubs. Coventry Rocks have gathered up some brilliant holiday clubs in Coventry which offer fun and educational activities for children, whatever the weather!
Holiday Clubs and Activity Camps can of course relieve childcare headaches for parents who have to work. But also all of these clubs have been carefully created with children's development in mind, letting kids come away with new skills learnt in a safe, supportive environment.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with everything going on in Coventry!
https://www.coventryrocks.co.uk/guides/whats-on-guides/holiday-clubs-in-coventry/
Coventry Holiday Activities and Food programme will also be taking bookings for their Summer Fun programme taking place from Tuesday 26 July to Sunday 4 September for eligible children and young people. For more information, please take a look at this link: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/haf
Coventry City Council
Please use the following link to see information of support available for families during the summer:
Coventry City Council has launched a new website to help families understand their rights and entitlements and how help can be accessed. Please use this link: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/cost-living-wellbeing-support.
SEND Support
In September, Coventry Complex Communication Team will be delivering a series of 6 free workshop sessions aimed at parents and carers of children and young people on the Autism spectrum and with complex communication needs.
Each session will be delivered virtually through Microsoft Teams and presented by a specialist practitioner in the field of Autism. Please see this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bks05TWf1X9LA-vmEXlMJyj0fIWoB3zz/edit
Finishing times – Friday 22nd July
On Friday 22nd July there will be a staggered end to the day as follows:
- Years 7, 9 and 12: finish at 12.30pm
- Years 8 and 10: finish at 12.40pm
Any students who are eligible for free school meals will have their allowance made available during morning break time on that day.
Return in September
A reminder that the new term begins at 8.20am on:
- Wednesday 7th September for Years 7 and Sixth Form
- Thursday 8th September for Years 8, 9, 10 and 11
If you have any further questions regarding these arrangements, please contact the Academy office on 02476 589000.
I hope you have a restful summer and look forward to seeing you all in September.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs N Whiles
Principal