Week 26
We have made it to the end of a busy and successful Spring Term and we are all looking forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation. There has been such a lot to celebrate and I am very proud of the Watling community and all the positive contributions made by students and staff. There are a few things that need some further work though, and so over the Summer Term we will be focusing on sustaining high standards in lessons and around school, particularly regarding punctuality, uniform and showing our values of Respect, Responsibility and Kindness at all times. I ask that you support us by ensuring that your child has the correct uniform for the start of next term. The uniform policy is here for reference and do please get in touch if you have any difficulty with uniform. There will be more information about this after the Easter break.
Thank you for your ongoing support and I wish you a happy Easter break.
So on to this week’s highlights…
Reading at Watling
It has been a fantastic term of reading at Watling! The launch of the Reading Reward Points card has been a big hit with all year groups, with 1,546 stamps earned for completed books and 49 students completing their stamp cards having read 10 books. Well done to everyone who has taken part! The Spring term raffle has been drawn and prize winners will be announced after Easter. This competition will continue in the Summer term so please keep on reading and earning points.
Students can also work towards completing the Six in 2026 challenge to celebrate the National Year of Reading, with the target of reading 6 books and posting a review for each on the Watling book review page: Watling Book Reviews.
Charity Basketball Match
On Tuesday, our Year 11 and 12 teams went head-to-head in a charity basketball showdown to raise money and awareness for Rutherford House’s chosen charity, Mind BLMK. The event was played for a fantastic crowd of students and staff who had bought tickets to watch the event, with all proceeds going to this brilliant cause.
Both teams played with great spirit and intensity. Captains Khabir (Y11) and Mo (Y12) led by example, each scoring 15 points and sinking multiple three‑pointers. A surprise half‑time show from the Head of Year 11 saw Mr Humphris nail a free‑throw to the delight of the crowd. The game stayed close right to the end, with Year 12 taking the win, 41–34. The MVP award went to Mo (Yr12) for his point scoring and leadership.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising the event, with special thanks to Leon from MK Breakers for refereeing, our brilliant players, and the staff and students who attended, supported and donated. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations will support Mind BLMK’s work in the local community. To learn more about their mission, visit their website. Year 12 may have claimed this victory… but who will be next to challenge?
FoWA Quiz & Pizza Night
Students, staff and parents/carers of our Watling community came together on Tuesday evening for the Friends of Watling Academy (FoWA) Quiz & Pizza night. A brilliant night was had by all, and congratulations to the Watling Nerds who took home the quiz trophy!
We are delighted to share that the event raised almost £300 for our school through ticket, raffle and refreshment sales. Thank you to everyone who attended, supported the organisation of the event, and to Fireaway Pizza for providing the delicious food. We’re also grateful to the local businesses who generously donated raffle prizes:
- MKDons
- Ninja Warrior
- Hogshaw Farm
- The Artsthetic studio
- Lidl
- Tesco Fairfields
- Corinne Valor Fitness
- Wellbeing and lifestyle Management
- Henna art by Yasmin
A feedback form has been sent to all attendees and we’d really appreciate your thoughts to help us plan more exciting events in the future.
Immunisation Walk-In Clinics
The BLMK School Aged Immunisation Service are running the following clinics over the Easter holidays for any students in Years 9-12 who have not received their Meningitis ACWY, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) or Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio (DTP) vaccines. Further information on these vaccines and the childhood immunisation schedule can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/…/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have…/
All clinics are walk-in between 10am and 2pm.
- Monday 30th March –
- Great Denham Community Hall, 86-88 Saxon Way, Great Denham, Bedford. MK40 4GP
- Tuesday 31st March –
- Downside Community Centre, Suffolk Road, Dunstable, LU5 4ES
- Wednesday 1st April –
- The Dallow Centre, 234 Dallow Road, Luton LU1 1TB
- Thursday 2nd April –
- Giffard Park Community Centre, Broadway Avenue, Giffard Park, Milton Keynes, MK14 5PY
- Tuesday 7th April –
- Great Denham Community Hall, 86-88 Saxon Way, Great Denham, Bedford MK40 4GP
- Wednesday 8th April –
- Giffard Park Community Centre, Broadway Avenue, Giffard Park, Milton Keynes MK14 5PY
- Thursday 9th April –
- The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, SG18 8JH
- Friday 9th April –
- Bury Park Community Centre, 161-161B Dunstable Road, Luton, LU1 1BW
VEX IQ Robotics World Championship
Congratulations to Atom C (Year 7) and Robin S (Year 8), who, alongside their teammates, triumphed over 60 school teams from across the UK to win the VEX IQ Robotics National Championship in Telford. Their outstanding performance has earned them the honour of representing the UK at the VEX IQ Robotics World Championship in the United States next month. This achievement reflects the remarkable dedication, teamwork, and technical skill that Atom and Robin have consistently shown – we wish them the very best of luck.
V&A Innovate
This term, our DT Club students have been taking part in V&A Innovate, a national design challenge for students in Years 7–9 to develop creative solutions to real-world problems. Working in teams of 4–6, they followed a human‑centred design process and responded to one of three themes, Rest, Join, and Reimagine, each inspired by the V&A collections.
Below are our submissions, which range from a solar‑powered automatic sorting bin and a sensory pod designed to support people in stressful situations, to portable AI augmented‑reality glasses and a sustainable, eco‑friendly outdoor social space. Every project showed thoughtful design, impressive innovation, and a strong awareness of sustainability, inclusion and wellbeing.
Reminders
Year 11 Subject Consultation Evening
Booking for the Year 11 Online Subject Consultation Evening will close at 11:55pm on Wednesday 15th April. With some teachers already fully booked, we recommend booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Mrs Anderson
Headteacher
What’s happening next term?
- Monday 13th April– Week A
- Back to School
- Year 10 & 12 Mock Exams – all week
- Thursday 16th April –
- Year 11 Online Subject Consultation Evening
- Friday 17th April –
- Year 9 DTP Vaccination mop-up
- Year 7 & 8 Progress Review 2 sent home
Sports Fixtures
- Wednesday 15th April –
- Year 7 Netball Cup & Plate Tournaments
