Week 34
As we move into the second half of June, it has been another busy week in school. We have had lots of activities and competitions involving our students and Year 11s have sat another 11 GCSE exams collectively. Next Wednesday sees our final GCSE exam of the summer, which I’m sure the Year 11s are looking forward to. They continue to approach their exams with maturity and resilience and we continue to be incredibly proud of all students during this challenging time.
We have held some specialist sessions for some students during their Wellbeing lessons this week. Year 10 had sessions from Moneywise, supporting students to develop their financial capabilities, whilst Year 8 took part in sessions from MindMatters. Personal Development is an incredibly important part of our curriculum, and we work hard to ensure that students have access to a range of experiences. Our wellbeing curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that we support the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of our students. Thank you to Mr Parks for coordinating these events.
Eco-Committee vegetable planting
Our student Eco-Committee has been hard at work this term, taking meaningful action to boost biodiversity and introduce eco-friendly food initiatives in collaboration with our canteen. Following the pumpkin seeds students planted last term, this week the committee moved onto the next stage in their action plan where students rolled up their sleeves and planted vegetables in our brand-new vegetable planters. They hope to be able to harvest the vegetables for use in school meals.
FOWA Meeting next week
The support of our parents and families is crucial to our success and our PTA, The Friends of Watling Academy (FoWA) play a key role in this. We are particularly grateful for the support of FoWA this term as they have been supporting fundraising for our new buildings. Their next meeting is on Monday 16th June at 6-7pm in the school library. If you are interested in getting involved, or would like more information, please visit their page on our website.
Pride Month
This month, we are observing Pride Month. Historically, being LGBTQ+ was criminalised and individuals faced persecution both in the UK and globally. The Stonewall riots of June 1969 marked a pivotal turn in the gay rights movement, beginning a global push towards the legal and societal acceptance enjoyed today. However, despite legal protections under laws such as the Equality Act 2010, many LGBTQ+ individuals still face significant challenges. In the UK, the first Pride march occurred in London in 1972 and has since become a symbol of defiance against discrimination and a celebration of identity. At Watling Academy, we believe in educating our students about these important historical contexts, ensuring they understand the journey towards equality and the role they can play in building an inclusive society.
Our observance of Pride Month aligns with our commitment under the Equality Act 2010 to promote understanding about LGBTQ+ equality and to actively challenge prejudice. This approach is not only a legal obligation, but is also critical to our ethos as an educational institution that values and respects diversity. Indeed, such educational initiatives are acknowledged as vital indicators of a school’s commitment to comprehensive safeguarding and anti-bullying policies.
At Watling Academy, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying. We believe that celebrating Pride Month is integral to demonstrating our unwavering support for LGBTQ+ youth and reinforcing our commitment to an inclusive educational environment where every student is encouraged to be themselves and to thrive.
Mr Parks has sent home a letter this week with more detail about Pride Month, alongside supporting resources to facilitate discussions at home if you wish. Thank you for your support.
Competition updates
Two of our students competed in the South of England Athletics Championships on Saturday at Crystal Palace stadium. What a fantastic achievement!
Abiola – Year 10 – won the 100m in 11.08 secs now making him the fastest U15 in the South of England.
Aubrey – Year 7 – 3rd in the 100m and the 200m making him the 3rd fastest U12 in the South of England.
Kristiella and Raghav took part in Stage 3 of the Regional Final for the South of England of the Routes into Languages Foreign Language Translation Bee competition on Monday 10th June at the University of Bath:
Students had to correctly translate into Spanish as many of the present tense, immediate future tense and preterite tense sentences as possible in a minute. Whilst they did not win on the day, reaching this stage is a great achievement in itself as they were part of the last 26 out of approximately 3,300 students who started the competition in the south of England.
Sports Results
Year 8 boys football tournament – 1st place
Year 7 boys football tournament – 4th place
Year 9 boys football tournament – 6th place
Junior NBA Finals – Fantastic overall team performances with some really tough games.
Year 7s – Bronze medallist
Year 8s – 4th
Maisam Year 8 – 2nd overall in the Shooting Contest
Our Year 8’s with their certificates
That’s all for this week, I hope you have an enjoyable weekend.
Mrs Fry
Headteacher
What’s happening next week?
- Monday 16th June –
- Year 11 Exams AM: Physics, Combined Science
- Year 11 Exams PM: Music component 3
- Friends of Wating Academy Meeting
- Tuesday 17th June –
- Year 11 Exams AM: Spanish
- Year 11 Exams PM: Food & Nutrition
- Wednesday 18th June –
- Year 11 Exams AM: DT
- Year 11 Exams PM: Further Maths
- Thursday 19th June –
- Summer Arts Showcase
- GCSE Athletics – AWAY
Sports Fixtures –
- Monday 16th June
- Year 9 Football Trials – Invite Only
- Tuesday 17th June
- Year 8 Rounders tournament
- Year 8 Cricket Vs Shenley Brook End AWAY
- Wednesday 18th June
- Federation Cup Boys Relays Qualifier AWAY
