Principal Newsletter 23-24 Term 6

Dear Families

It’s hard to believe we have already reached the end of term of another academic year. And what a term it has been! Here are some of the highlights…

Year 10 success
The term began with a group of over 40 of our Year 10 students competing in the Royal Society of Biology's Biology Challenge. I was particularly impressed with the number of students that chose to dedicate their free time to this prestigious competition, demonstrating their ambition. Congratulations to those who received bronze, silver and even gold awards! With this level of commitment, I’m confident that it will translate into fantastic outcomes in their GCSEs next year!

All of our Year 10s were fantastic during the mock exam season, with many students attending optional revision sessions. Thank you to our dedicated teaching team for organising and delivering these sessions in their free time.

Our Year 10 Parents' Evening saw amazing engagement and I'd like to thank families for attending. As students move into Year 11, it is important that we continue to work closely, and so I look forward to seeing you at our various events over the next academic year.


Wells’ singers
Another highlight that I was personally involved in was taking a group of our talented singers to perform at a high-profile educational conference at the University of Nottingham. Students had just 2 days of rehearsals before performing in front of 100 education leaders from across the country. Many of the delegates commented on our students’ amazing talent, professionalism and how they represented the academy so superbly.


Sporting success 
As usual, Wells students have excelled in our various sports teams. Alongside the usual sporting competitions, our Year 7s represented the academy at the Nottingham City Athletics Tournament and students across all year groups participated in our Trust Sports Day with real enthusiasm.


Sports Day at Harvey Hadden
One of the best moments of this term was our Sports Day, where we took every student to Harvey Hadden Sports Stadium. The atmosphere was absolutely electric, with students participating in various track and field events with their peers cheering them on. The entire event was fantastic thanks to the careful organisation and planning of our PE team and our students were exceptional, truly embodying each of our core values.


Farm trip
A group of our Year 9s were very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Barnes Dairy Farm, where they learnt about dairy life and sustainable farming. As part of the visit, they enjoyed cheese tasting, butter making and even a tractor ride to see the cows!


Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Our first ever Duke of Edinburgh group completed the Bronze Expedition, walking over 30km and showing incredible resilience and teamwork. I hope to see more and more students sign up to our Duke of Edinburgh programme next academic year as it is such an enriching experience!


Nottingham Justice Centre trip
A group of students visited the Nottingham Justice Centre, where they listened to a talk by our Trustee to Greenwood Academies Trust, Mr Simon Massarella, about the judicial system and observed real court proceedings. It was an eye opening experience, and we look forward to returning next academic year with more students.


Transition Days
Our Year 6 Transition Days were a success once again this year, and it was wonderful to meet our incoming Year 7 cohort. We can’t wait to welcome them back to the academy in September. It was also a great opportunity to meet our new Year 7 families at the ‘Meet the Tutor’ event.

Science Magazine
Our Year 7 Science students have been working hard and were invited to edit and contribute to the Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity magazine.


Community litter pick
As part of our Personal Development Programme, we took a new group of students out into our local community as part of our half termly community litter pick. Students worked exceptionally hard and it was lovely to receive lots of positive feedback and comments from local residents who were really impressed!


Art exhibition
It was a busy term for our Art department! As part of their studies, Year 10 students visited the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, drawing inspiration for their work in Year 11. Meanwhile, we hosted our very own Wells Art Exhibition, with families coming to see the stunning artistic achievements of our students. We eagerly anticipate this becoming a regular event in our academic calendar! 

Celebrating success 
Our final week of term was filled with celebrations in recognition of student achievement. A handful of students in each year group enjoyed a special afternoon tea served by the Senior Leadership Team as part of a draw for excellent conduct and hard work throughout the entire year.


We also brought an ice cream van on site to reward students for meeting each of our 6 Learning Habits during our Zero to Hero competition.


Our inaugural Academy Awards Evening was a resounding success, celebrating students' achievements in various subjects and our core values of integrity, resilience and ambition. We were honoured to host speakers, including our CEO, Wayne Norrie and former student, now Professor of Respiratory Science at the University of Cambridge, Stefan Marciniak. Their inspirational talks about the power of education and achieving our ambitions left a lasting impression on us all. This event was such a fitting end to a brilliant term, and we look forward to making it an annual tradition.


I wish to remind families that we are staggering students’ return to the academy in September. The table below indicates the date and time your child should return:

Hopefully you will have all received a new copy of our updated Family Handbook in the post. This will provide you with detailed information that we hope will support you over the 2024/25 academic year. Please read this carefully as there have been some tweaks and changes.

I’d like to wish students, staff and families a relaxing and happy break and I look forward to welcoming students back in September.

Best wishes

Mr G Coles
Principal