Week 4
Welcome to this week’s bulletin. With extracurricular clubs back on and trips or events happening almost every day, the academy has been a hive of activity! The school continues to feel incredibly calm and purposeful, with students consistently demonstrating our values of Respect, Responsibility and Kindness across the school community. We would appreciate your support to keep standards of uniform, attendance and punctuality to school high as we continue through this term.
Before I leave you with this week’s highlight, a quick reminder that next Friday the school will be closed for an INSET day.
Wishing you an enjoyable weekend.
Mrs Anderson
Headteacher
Attendance Matters: Building Positive Routines
Positive attendance is often supported by positive routines. Simple steps such as preparing school equipment the night before, maintaining consistent sleep schedules, and allowing sufficient time for the morning journey can help students arrive ready to learn.
We recognise that family life can be busy and sometimes challenging. Thank you for your continued efforts to prioritise attendance and punctuality. If additional support would be helpful, our pastoral and attendance teams are here to work alongside you.
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.
Year 11 Geography Fieldwork
Year 11 Geography students took part in a fantastic fieldwork experience at Unity Place, investigating the success of its regeneration in preparation for their GCSE exam. Their enquiry focused on key themes such as connectivity, environmental sensitivity, and urban design. Students also compared Unity Place with the redevelopment of the Old Bus Station, deepening their understanding of how sustainability shapes urban change in a dynamic city.
During their visit, students attended talks highlighting the sustainable features of Unity Place. We were incredibly proud to hear that members of the public and staff at Unity Place praised our students for their kindness, politeness, and exemplary behaviour.
This was a brilliant opportunity for our students to apply their classroom learning in a real-world context—and they did so with maturity and enthusiasm. Well done, Year 11!
Year 12 Enrichment: Exploring Business, Technology & AI
As part of their enrichment programme, Year 12 students heard from Iain Row, Founder Software Developer at Fintrano and Managing Director Prominent Media Ltd about his career journey and what it takes to build and grow a business. Students were interested to hear about how technology has evolved over the years and how AI is now being used in business. Iain also spoke passionately about Milton Keynes, its growth, and what it means to build a business that is part of that journey.
Our students were highly engaged, asking lots of questions and came away with a much clearer understanding of what it means to be a business owner, the skills needed to succeed and the different pathways that can lead into technology and business. A huge thank you to Iain for creating such an open and engaging session for our students and to Worktree for creating these opportunities for our students.
Photo Galleries
The professional photo proofs were delivered this week and were distributed to students via their tutors/mentors on Thursday. Photos can be ordered until Monday 12th October for free delivery to the school, after this date, photos will be sent home which will incur a postage and packing charge.
If your child did not have their professional photo taken on 15th September, we have arranged another opportunity on the morning of Wednesday 14th October.
Reminders
Open Evening
We will be holding our open evening on Thursday 8th October for students starting Year 7 in September 2027. If your child has volunteered to help at the event, please ensure you have completed the consent form via ParentMail by 3pm on Monday 5th October.
If you will be attending with a child who is starting secondary school next year, please register your attendance via our website.
What’s happening next week?
- Monday 5th October – Week B
- Year 11 Geography Fieldwork trip
- Fundraising for YoungMinds – all week
- Wednesday 7th October –
- Year 11 Knife crime assembly
- Year 11 Drama trip to MK Theatre
- Thursday 8th October –
- No afterschool clubs or twilight lessons due to open evening
- Year 6 Open Evening – for students starting Year 7 in September 2027
- Friday 9th October –
- INSET Day – school closed to students
Sports Fixtures
- Tuesday 6th October –
- Year 9 Girls Football Vs Denbigh HOME
- Year 10 Girls Footballs Vs Denbigh HOME
- Wednesday 7th October –
- Cross Country Practice at Oakgrove
- Year 7 Boys Football Vs Shenley Brook End AWAY
- Thursday 8th October –
- Year 8 Boys Football Vs Oakgrove AWAY
- Year 10 Boys Football Vs Oakgrove HOME
