Week 2
Welcome to this week’s bulletin. We have had another brilliant week and it has been lovely to see how well students have settled back into school life and the enthusiasm they are showing for their learning. You can read more about some of this week’s highlights below.
Attendance Matters: Every Day Builds Belonging
At our school, every day counts. Regular attendance helps students feel connected to their friends, teachers, and the wider school community. When students attend consistently, they are more likely to feel confident, achieve their potential, and enjoy school.
We know that young people thrive when they feel a sense of belonging. Being present at school each day helps strengthen relationships, build confidence, and create positive routines. If your child is finding attendance difficult for any reason, please remember that support is available. Working together, we can help every young person feel valued, included, and successful.
We’re here to help. If there is anything affecting your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s Tutor, Head of Year, or our Attendance Team. At Watling Academy, we are here to work with you and provide support wherever possible.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Mrs Anderson
Headteacher
School Photos
On Tuesday the photographers were in to take individual school photos for Years 7-12. Thank you for your support in ensuring students were well-presented in correct uniform, and to students for their cooperation. Students who had their photos taken will have received a QR code which can be used to view and order photos directly from the photographers, please allow up to 15 working days for the galleries to go live.
Year 13 students will have their photos taken on Wednesday 14th October, along with a catch-up session for any students in Years 7-12 who missed the first session.
Law Fest Inspires Year 12 Students
On Wednesday, our Year 12 students had the fantastic opportunity to attend Law Fest, gaining valuable insight into the legal profession and the wide range of career pathways available within the sector. Throughout the event, students took part in a panel discussion, interactive breakout sessions and explored a variety of stands where they were able to meet professionals, ask questions and learn more about careers and opportunities within law.
We extend our sincere thanks to The University of Buckingham for organising and hosting such a valuable event, and to all the professionals and organisations who generously gave their time to share their knowledge and experiences. Hearing directly from those working in the legal sector provided students with a much clearer understanding of the different routes into law and the breadth of opportunities available.
Sixth Form Enrichment: Careers Insights with Worktree
As part of our Sixth Form Enrichment Programme, we are proud to be partnered with Worktree to deliver engaging careers sessions that connect students with professionals from a wide range of industries.
This week, two business owners from the Hair & Beauty and Property Investment sectors shared valuable insights into entrepreneurship and the different routes into business. Our students were highly engaged, asking thoughtful questions, with one speaker noting they were among the best he’d been asked!
Thank you to our guest speakers and to Worktree for supporting these meaningful links between education and the world of work. We look forward to introducing students to even more industries throughout the year.
Learning Pathways Evenings
It was fantastic to welcome so many Year 11 families to our Learning Pathways Evening on Thursday. I hope you found it helpful and informative. We will be holding Learning Pathways Evenings for Year 12 next Thursday, followed by Year 10 on 1st October. These events are a key opportunity to share important information for the coming academic year including expectations and curriculum, and we hope to see as many of you there as possible. Students have made a positive start to the year, upholding our values of Respect, Responsibility and Kindness and trying their best in all lessons.
Please be aware that we publish the start times of all talks and events taking place throughout the year and will start promptly. We ask you to arrive in the building at least 10 minutes before the start time of your chosen presentation. Once the presentation has begun, will we not admit any further visitors into the hall. Punctuality is a key part of life at Watling, we reinforce this with our students, and is something that we expect to model in all aspects of school life. If you are running late, you may be able to join the audience for a later presentation if there is one, however this is subject to space being available.
Afterschool clubs begin next week
All extracurricular club spaces have now been confirmed and will begin next week (w/c 21st September) and conclude on 11th December. A reminder that clubs, except for paid clubs, will not operate on the following days during the Autumn Term:
- Thursday 24th September – Year 12 Learning Pathways Evening
- Thursday 1st October – Year 10 Learning Pathways Evening
- Thursday 8th October – Year 6 Open Evening
- Thursday 15th October – Staff training
- Thursday 26th November – Year 13 Subject Consultations
- Thursday 3rd December – Year 12 Open Evening
The Post-It Note Art Show is Back!
There were some fantastic entries last year, and we can’t wait to see the creative submissions this year. See the poster below for full details. Entries are unlimited and can be submitted to your Art teacher in exchange for 1 house point per entry until Wednesday 30th September.
Sports Results
- Year 7 County cup Football Vs Chiltern Hills – WON 8-1
- Year 8 Boys Football Vs Chalfonts –WON 9-0
- Year 11 County Cup Football Vs Burnham Grammar – WON 6-0
What’s happening next week?
- Monday 21st September – Week B
- Year 11 Proof of Progress tests – all week
- Tuesday 22nd September-
- Year 10 Art trip to Tate Modern
- Making Tracks into Construction careers trip
- Wednesday 23rd September –
- Year 10 Art trip to Tate Modern
- Thursday 24th September –
- Year 13 UCAS Discovery Event trip
- Year 12 Learning Pathways Evening
- Friday 25th September –
- Year 7 House Party
Sports Fixtures
- Tuesday 22nd September –
- Year 8 Netball Vs Lord Grey AWAY
