Week 10
It’s been another busy week at Watling Academy, and a very wet and windy day today. This week, I’d like to address our collective role in the local community, ensuring that we all display and uphold our school values both within and outside school.
On a positive note, the vast majority of our students continue to represent Watling Academy exceptionally well in the community. Our Year 12 students, for example, have earned the privilege of leaving the school site between lessons as a result of their excellent first progress reports. However, there have been isolated incidents where behaviour has fallen short of expectations, causing distress to members of the public. This is not acceptable. We ask families to support us in reinforcing the message that all students must act as positive citizens at all times, reflecting the values of our school wherever they go.
We often receive complaints from parents and members of the local community regarding the standard of driving in the car park and on roads around the school. This morning, I observed dangerous and impatient behaviour, including vehicles using the bus lane to cut through traffic. Such actions are unacceptable and place our students at serious risk and as a community, we cannot tolerate any behaviour that compromises their safety. These actions are contrary to our core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness. Please plan your journey carefully, allow extra time, and prioritise the wellbeing of our young people at all times.
We have recently seen a number of students arriving to school by e-scooter. May I remind you that the use of privately owned e-scooters is illegal on public roads, pavements and cycle lanes. If individuals are riding a privately owned e-scooter in public they are committing road traffic offences, which could result in significant penalties. E-Scooters can pose significant safety risks; they reach high speeds and there have been reports of incidents which have led to serious injuries. The only e-scooters which can be lawfully used in public are those which are part of an approved local authority scheme. The operators have their own policies and generally restrict usage to over 18, but legally you need to be old enough to hold a current driving licence to use the scooters; this includes provisional licences from the age of 16.
Our Year 11 students have completed their mock exams and we hope they feel as proud of themselves as we do of them. They have shown strength and resilience to combat their nerves and have dealt with the process with maturity. Mock examinations enable our students to feel as confident as possible in their final GCSE exams in the summer and we will continue to work with them to achieve their full potential. We want to thank our students and their families for their support and hard work during this time and we look forward to congratulating them on their results in due course.
Anti-bullying week kicked off with Odd Socks day which saw students donning their brightest and most mis-matched socks on Monday to raise awareness of the importance of respect, responsibility, kindness, and celebrating differences. During the week, students took part in activities promoting positive friendships and reminding everyone that bullying is never acceptable. Bullying affects everyone, not just the bullies and the victims and each member of the Watling community has the right to feel safe and secure at school. That’s why, as a community, we all share the responsibility for helping to prevent bullying.
Following the successful harvest of pumpkins grown by our Eco-Committee earlier in the year, we were excited to host a pumpkin carving competition for Year 7. Susannah, Rory, Laura, Savannah, Zehra, Daniel, Saniya and Thomas, each carved their own unique designs to be put before the judges, who were impressed with students’ creativity and enthusiasm. Congratulations to Saniya S and Thomas K who were announced the winners!
We are delighted to invite parents of Year 11 students to our Sixth Form open evening on Thursday 4th December from 5pm to 7:30pm. You will have the opportunity to explore our brand-new Sixth Form centre and speak to staff and students. In addition, Mrs Harris, Deputy Headteacher – Post-16, will be delivering presentations throughout the evening at 5:15pm, 6pm, 6:45pm, where you will learn more about our broad and balanced Post-16 curriculum and discover what makes Watling Sixth Form special. Please register your interest via our website. We look forward to welcoming you.
That’s all for this week, wishing you a lovely weekend.
Mrs Fry
Headteacher
Reminders
Academic Mentoring Afternoon
Booking for the Academic Mentoring Afternoon on Thursday 20th November will close at 12pm on Tuesday 18th November.
School Photos
School photos ordered before the deadline have now been delivered to school and were handed to students in tutorial this week. Any photos ordered after the deadline will be delivered to your chosen address.
Flu vaccination mop-up session
The mop-up session for flu vaccinations will now take place on Tuesday 2nd December.
Sports Results –
- Year 8 Boys Football Vs Oakgrove LOST
- Year 10 Boys County Cup Football Vs Great Marlow WON 8-0
- Year 10 Boys Football Vs Oakgrove DRAW 2-2
- Year 8 Girls Football Vs Ousedale WON 5-0
What’s happening next week?
- Monday 17th November – Week A
- Tuesday 18th November –
- Booking closes at 12pm for Academic Mentoring Afternoon
- Thursday 20th November –
- Academic Mentoring Afternoon
- School closes at 12:35pm
Sports Fixtures
- Monday 17th November –
- Year 7, U14 & U16 Boys Badminton Vs Glebe Farm HOME
- Year 11 County Cup Football Vs St Michael’s Catholic School HOME
- Tuesday 18th November –
- Year 10 Girls 5-a-side Football at Walton High AWAY
- Year 9 Boys Football Vs Stantonbury AWAY
- Year 7 Basketball Vs Kents Hill Park HOME
- Year 11 Basketball Vs Kents Hill Park HOME
- Wednesday 19th November –
- Year 11 Girls Football Vs Shenley Brook End HOME
- Cross Country at Campbell Park
