Headteacher's Bulletin

Week 29

1 May 20261 May 2026

We’ve reached the end of another fantastic week at Watling Academy and I continue to be impressed by the efforts and achievements of our students, some of which you will read about below. Whilst we are enjoying the sunny weather today, we will be thinking of our Year 10’s this weekend as they complete their assessed expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award where the weather forecast is looking to be rather wet. However, the group are well prepared and raring to go so we wish them the best of luck and look forward to hearing about their adventures next week. 

Before we move onto this week’s highlights, may I remind you that the academy will be closed on Monday (4^th May) due to the bank holiday. I hope you have an enjoyable long weekend. 

Mrs Anderson
Headteacher 

Year 7 Spanish Spelling Bee Regional Final 

Year 7 students, Eva S, Pranaya P and Aditi P, recently competed in the Routes into Languages Spanish Spelling Bee South-East Regional Final at the University of Southampton, one of the leading universities in the country for language study. To gain their place in the regional final (stage 3) students had already successfully advanced through stage 1, a class competition, and stage 2, a year group competition taking place in our main hall.  

Students worked hard to practise translating and spelling up to 200 words in Spanish as part of their preparation for Stage 3, where they competed against students across the entire south-east region. The students were challenged to correctly translate and spell as many of the 200 words as possible in one minute. More than 3,000 students competed across the south-east, with around forty taking part in the Regional Final. Whilst they didn’t make it to the national final this time, Eva, Pranaya and Aditi did a superb job and should be very proud of their hard work, persistence and determination. Mr Williams, Head of Spanish, has expressed his gratitude for their efforts in preparing for the event, including giving up multiple lunchtimes to practise, and to the students’ parents for giving their time to accompany them to Southampton. Eva, Pranaya and Aditi were an absolute credit to the school and will be well prepared for the Translation Bee next year!  

 UKMT Mathematics Competition Success 

Congratulations to Year 10 and 11 students Noah B, Dennis D, Sakshi L, Abbas Q and Quentin W who recently took part in the UKMT Pink Kangaroo Mathematics Competitions, a set of extremely challenging problem‑solving papers taken by students across the country, and Emran A (Year 11) who competed in the Maclaurin Olympiad.  A special mention to Dennis D who achieved an exceptional score of 89, earning a Gold Award and to Emran A who achieved a Merit. These competitions go well beyond the standard curriculum, and only a small number of students nationally achieve success at this level. All students involved should be incredibly proud of their dedication and effort – well done! 

Year 8 Money Workshops 

Throughout this term, our Year 8 students will be taking part in financial education workshops delivered by The Money Charity aimed at helping students feel confident and engaged with their money. The first session took place this week and focused on helping students understand their relationships with money. Through interactive activities, students explored how our attitudes influence our financial decisions and impact saving, budgeting, and future planning, as well as practical strategies to better manage money and reduce financial stress.

Eco-Committee Members Achieve Parks Trust Secondary Award  

We are delighted to share that our school Eco-Committee members have been awarded the Parks Trust Secondary School Award. This award recognises the fantastic work our students have done to protect and care for our local environment, such as tree planting, wildlife surveys and litter picking, and has contributed greatly towards our aim of maintaining an eco-friendly school and raising awareness of sustainability. Well done to you all and congratulations! 

Year 7 Football League Winners 

Our Year 7 girls football team took on Hazeley Academy in the MK Schools Football final and delivered a brilliant 4–1 victory, crowning them MK Schools League Winners. The girls have shown outstanding teamwork all season and remain unbeaten. A huge well done to the whole squad! 

FoWA Doughnut Sale 

As you will be aware, Friends of Watling Academy (FOWA) are holding their next doughnut sale on Thursday 21^st May to raise funds to support the school and students. Pre-orders are now live on ParentMail for boxes of 12 original glazed doughnuts, until 12pm on Friday 15^th May. Students will also be able to purchase single original glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts for £1.50 cash on the day. Thank you in advance for your support. 

Sports Results

• Year 7 Girls Football MK Schools League Final Vs Hazeley WON 4-1 
• U15 Cricket Cup & League Vs Lord Grey WON by 6 wickets 
• U13 Cricket Vs Shenley Brook End LOST 

What’s happening next week? 

• Monday 4th May – Week B
  • BANK HOLIDAY – SCHOOL CLOSED
• Thursday 7th May –  
  • Year 8 HPV Vaccination mop-up 
  • Year 11 GCSE Exams AM: Turkish 
  • Year 11 GCSE Exams PM: German
• Friday 8th May –
  • Year 12 Scania Careers Trip 
  • Year 11 GCSE Exams AM: Sociology, Sports Studies 
  • Year 11 GCSE Exams PM: Drama

Sports Fixtures

• Tuesday 5th May –
  • Year 11 Boys Football Vs St. Paul’s HOME 
  • Year 7 Cricket Vs Shenley Brook End AWAY
• Wednesday 6th May –
  • English Schools Athletics
• Thursday 7th May –
  • Year 7 Netball Final Vs Oakgrove AWAY