Principal Newsletter 23-24 Term 3
Dear Families
As we reach the end of another term, below is a round up of just some of the wonderful things that have taken place across the academy.
School production
I must begin this newsletter by sharing the resounding success of our inaugural school production of ‘Annie’. Witnessing the standing ovation each night was truly incredible and I feel such pride for the students and staff who made this milestone possible.
In the programme I wrote: ‘At Wells, we hold firm to the conviction that the performing arts are a vital component of a well-rounded curriculum, and it is with great pleasure that we have reintroduced subjects such as drama and music to the timetable. Our core values are integrity, resilience and ambition and it has been inspiring to see our students embodying these values throughout the process. They have shown discipline and commitment, turning up to every rehearsal and working incredibly hard – all the qualities we expect of students at Wells.’
School productions like these are invaluable for strengthening the culture of the academy. I am confident that this production marks the beginning of a new tradition at The Wells Academy and I eagerly anticipate more such events in our calendar throughout the year.
Cambridge professor visit
This term also brought a special visit from Professor Stefan Marciniak, a former student of the academy, when it was known as Elliott Durham, now a distinguished Professor of Respiratory Science at the University of Cambridge. His inspirational talk to our Year 10 GCSE Separate Science students was a rare opportunity for them to learn from someone at the pinnacle of their field. We take pride in nurturing the aspirations of all our students, and hearing from someone like Stefan was a privilege.
Year 11 Revision Evening
I want to highlight the tremendous success of our Year 11 Revision Evening which took place towards the start of the term. The evening provided students and families the opportunity to speak to teachers of every course to gain top tips about revision. Thank you so much to our Year 11 families who attended this event. It was great to see so many of you. Collaborating closely with you, our students’ families, is essential to help them achieve academic success. It was a privilege to witness so many positive interactions.
Year 11 revision
Our renewed Year 11 intervention programme is in full swing, which includes bespoke intervention packages tailored for each student. Remarkably, our students have demonstrated outstanding commitment to independent revision, especially in their core subjects of maths, English and science. Students have been working on an app called Tassomai for science and English and Sparx for maths. Amazingly, the engagement in revision has been so high that The Wells Academy is in the top 3% of schools nationally for engagement on revision in science. We applaud students’ dedication and look forward to continuing this journey, providing ongoing support through intervention sessions led by our dedicated staff after school.
Ideagen Partnership
This term we have continued to strengthen our partnership with Nottingham tech firm, Ideagen. We are supporting a number of our Year 11 students who aspire to pursue apprenticeships within Ideagen. As part of this, we welcomed colleagues from Ideagen and Greenwood Academies Trust in for the day to support students in preparation for their applications.
Inspirational lessons
Moving beyond Year 11, our students across the academy continue to excel in lessons. There is nothing I enjoy more than walking the corridors of the academy, witnessing students engaged in the learning as they are being taught by their expert teachers. It has been wonderful to see students enjoying their food lessons, having recently reintroduced the subject to the curriculum. It's great to see students creating ever ambitious culinary creations!
Basketball competition
Students are continuing to develop their sporting skills both in lessons and in extra curricular sessions. This term I would like to recognise our Year 9 basketball players. Despite not winning, they demonstrated such resilience during a tournament with their peers from across Greenwood Academies Trust.
Options Evening
Our recent Year 9 Options Evening witnessed a record turnout, offering families the opportunity to connect with their child's teachers and discuss progress and future goals. This evening included the official launch of our new progress trackers. Following your feedback, we have developed a simple progress tracker to provide families with a deeper understanding of students' attitudes and progress in each of their subjects. All students will receive progress trackers within the coming months.
Student collection arrangements
Finally, please remember that we have made a change to student collection arrangements. Starting from Monday 19th February 2024, families collecting students by car are kindly requested to use Mapperley Sports Village rather than the top of the drive to enhance the safety of our students. Further details can be found on the letter I previously shared here.
We look forward to welcoming students back to the academy on Monday 19th February 2024 at 8.20am. Please remember that students arriving after 8.30am are considered late. I will be sending a letter out about punctuality and attendance later on this week.
In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful week ahead and thank you for your continued support.
Best wishes
Mr G Coles
Principal
