Headteacher's Bulletin

Week 29

2 May 20252 May 2025

What a wonderful week of weather we’ve had! It’s been lovely to see the students enjoying the good weather at break and lunch throughout the week – let’s hope it continues and we have a warm summer ahead of us. As we enter the summer, I’d like to encourage students to bring full water bottles to school, which they can refill at our fountains between lessons and at social times. Whilst it has been a little warmer in the Academy over the last few days, we do still have high expectations of uniform standards – please remind students that they should have their shirts tucked in and ensure that they look smart, wearing our uniform with pride.   

As our first ever cohort of students, our current Year 11s will always be a special part of our school history. Yesterday we held our Year 11 celebration assembly where we looked back on their time at Watling, from Year 7s on the top floor of Fairfields Primary school, to now sitting their GCSE exams. Together we celebrated the highlights and achievements of students over the last five years. I was delighted to welcome Mr Bacon to say his farewell to our Year 11s, as the founding Headteacher of Watling I know he is incredibly proud of the students and the young people that they have become. He was joined by Mrs Barford, Mr Gibbs, Mr Cassidy and Miss Scarr, alongside the Year 11 Tutor team – all of whom have played a significant role in the development of our school community. Year 11s now begin their exam season, with revision sessions taking place throughout the week to ensure students are fully prepared for the next few months. I wish you all the best of luck in your upcoming exams, we are so proud of you! 

Our Year 11 Artists have now finished their final pieces for their GCSEs – well done to them all for passing this significant milestone. We are incredibly lucky to have a brilliant Art department and such talented students. The exam season is now in full swing here at Watling with the final week of Year 10 mocks, GCSE MFL speaking exams, and the first written GCSE exam paper for Travel and Tourism this week. Our students have shown an exemplary attitude towards their mock exams during the last two weeks and I have been impressed by their determination and resilience in an examination situation. This is essential practice for their GCSE exams, which will come around much quicker than we think! Thank you to families for supporting us and our students during this time, and to our wider school community who have been mindful of the exams taking place this week.  

With our summer term sports fixtures now underway, we had some last Spring term finals to play this week. The Year 7 and Year 9 girls football teams took the titles in their league finals with an impressive 8-0 and 8-2 victory respectively, and the Year 8 team reached second place in their final – fantastic results, congratulations! Thank you to all students who are continuing to represent the school in our fixtures and maintain our excellent reputation for sport across Milton Keynes.

The school aged immunisation service visited on Tuesday to offer the HPV vaccine to eligible Year 8 students. The nurses complimented our students on their conduct which enabled the session to run smoothly and keep to the allotted time. We will be offering a second session for anyone who missed out this time, details will be sent via ParentMail once the date has been finalised. 

A gentle reminder to Year 10 parents/carers, if you haven’t already booked in for subject consultations please do so soon as slots are filling up. The subject consultations are held online on 8^th May (10M) and 15^th May (10K) and bookings will close at midnight on Wednesday 7^th May. Please see the letter on ParentMail for details on how to book. These evenings are a key opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, performance and any areas for improvement, so teachers can work together with you to ensure your child achieves their full potential. 

Thank you to all those who attended our Friends of Watling Academy (FoWA) meeting on Monday. The support of our parents and families is crucial to our success, and we really do appreciate the time that is volunteered by members of FoWA and our Governors. This week, FoWA were discussing some exciting plans to support fundraising for our Sixth Form centre – to enable our students to have their input in designing a fantastic space. If you are interested in getting involved with FoWA, or would like more information, please visit their page on our website. 

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend and don’t forget school will be closed on Monday for the bank holiday. 

Mrs Fry

Headteacher

What’s happening next week? 

• Monday 5^th May – 
  • Bank holiday – school closed 
• Thursday 8^th May –
  • Year 10M Subject Consultation evening (online)
• Friday 9th May
  • Eco committee vegetable planting trip

Sports Fixtures –

• Tuesday 6^th May 
  • Year 8 Cricket Vs Radcliffe AWAY 
  • U15 Cricket Vs St Pauls HOME 
• Wednesday 7^th May 
  • ESAA Athletics Competition AWAY 
  • Year 8 Rounders Vs Stantonbury HOME 
  • Year 8 Tennis tournament 
• Friday 9th May 
  • School Games – Dodgeball AWAY