Amazing attendance
Despite a challenging start to the half term with a wave of illness, we have been thrilled to celebrate the resilience of our students. Their commitment to being 'In School, On Time' has resulted in record-breaking attendance figures for the academy! For the first time, we exceeded 95% attendance on one day, with some remarkable achievements in individual year groups, including days when Year 7 and Year 8 surpassed an incredible 98% attendance.

Attendance is our biggest priority this year, and we continue to emphasise our mantra: Attendance is everyone’s business. Thank you to all our families for working with us to ensure that students are 'In School, On Time' every single day. High attendance is the best way to guarantee exceptional progress and we are confident that the better the attendance, the better the outcomes for our students. We are incredibly proud that our attendance is now outperforming most schools across the country - something worth celebrating!


Reading at The Wells Academy
One of our greatest strengths as an academy is the continued development of reading. I was thrilled to hear about the incredible progress being made by students involved in our Lexonic reading intervention programme. This intensive reading programme ensures that students can fully access our curriculum, and in the most recent round, some students have made over six years of progress - an outstanding achievement!

Alongside this, it has been fantastic to see our reading culture continue to grow, with more students stepping up as Reading Ambassadors. These students undergo training to support our library provision and help foster a love of reading throughout the academy.


Celebrating achievement
It has been wonderful to witness the progress taking place in classrooms every day. A particular highlight this half term was seeing students receive badges and certificates in Science, having been nominated by their teachers for outstanding achievement in lessons. Well done to all those recognised - we are incredibly proud of you!


Community litter pick
As we always do at the end of a half term, students took time to give back to our local community as part of the character development aspect of our Personal Development Programme. It is always fantastic to see our students embracing these opportunities.


Fundamental Ideas Challenge
As you are aware, we have launched our Fundamental Ideas Challenge this half term. Our curriculum is built around Fundamental Ideas, the most important concepts in each subject, and we have developed a challenge that allows students to enrich their learning outside of the classroom. It has been fantastic to see so many students showing real ambition and already engaging with the challenge. More information can be found here.

Careers
Careers education remains a key focus for us, helping students consider their future aspirations. This half term, we hosted a fantastic careers event at the academy, where students from all year groups had the opportunity to meet Further and Higher Education providers, as well as local and national employers. It was wonderful to receive such positive feedback from employers, who were impressed with our students’ enthusiasm and engagement.


In addition, a group of Year 11 students visited Oxford University, where they spent time at Magdalen College, gaining insight into life at an elite university before attending a mathematics seminar at the Mathematical Institute.


Another group of Year 10 sports students had the opportunity to visit Loughborough University, renowned worldwide for its outstanding sports facilities. These experiences are invaluable in inspiring our students to aim high and explore their future possibilities.


Year 9 Options Evening
Back at the academy, we were delighted to host our Year 9 Options Evening, where we spoke with many families about the subject choices available for Years 10 and 11. Over the coming weeks, students will be finalising their options, and we encourage them to explore all the possibilities available. The Options Booklet can be found here.

Partnership with The Nottingham Hoods
We have been working hard to expand the wider opportunities available for our students and we are proud to have launched an exciting partnership with Nottingham Hoods Basketball, who have now moved into Mapperley Sports Village.

To start with, we have selected 60 students to train with the Hoods before and after school. Those selected have already been contacted, but there is also a waiting list for others who are interested. It’s important that any student involved in this programme represent the academy positively with excellent attendance, punctuality and conduct.


Supporting Year 11
As always, our focus on supporting Year 11 remains strong as they prepare for their final examinations. We were delighted to welcome so many families to our Year 11 Revision Evening, where teachers worked closely with families, sharing revision tips and resources to help students maximise their progress.


We also launched our Passport to Prom, outlining the criteria students must meet to be eligible to attend. It has been fantastic to see Year 11 engaging with this so positively and I am confident they will continue to rise to the challenge. A key part of this is ensuring students attend their intervention sessions, and it has been wonderful to see them working hard during these sessions. A huge thank you to our staff for going above and beyond in providing these valuable opportunities for success.


Matilda – a spectacular production!
This half term saw our second school production, 'Matilda: The Musical' and it was absolutely brilliant! With double the number of students taking part compared to last year, it was an incredible experience to witness their growth and confidence develop from the opening night to the final performance on the Friday night.

I felt so proud watching our students shine on stage and I know they will cherish these memories for the rest of their lives. I can still remember the school productions I was part of when I was their age! A huge well done to all involved and a special thank you to the staff who worked tirelessly to make it happen.


Looking ahead
Finally, I want to wish everyone a restful and enjoyable break. We look forward to welcoming students back to the academy on Monday 24th February 2025.

A few reminders:

• Breakfast Club is open to all students from 8am
• Our gates open at 8.20am and close at 8.30am
• Students arriving after 8.30am will receive a late detention

As part of our new late detention system, students who arrive before 9am will receive a break time detention, while students arriving after 9am will receive a 30-minute after school detention.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to another successful half term ahead!

Best wishes

Mr G Coles
Principal