Dear Families

Welcome to our first newsletter of the academic year!

Attendance is everyone’s business!
This year, improving attendance is a significant priority for us and I’m proud to share that we’ve achieved our highest attendance rates since I joined the academy almost two years ago! Thank you for your continued support. Attendance is key to academic success and students’ social development so it’s important we work together to keep the momentum going throughout the year. Please remember, our next break does not begin until Saturday 21^st December and students need to be in school until Friday 20^th December. We have some exciting plans for the final week of term and we don’t want anyone to miss out!

Welcome to our new Year 7s
It has been a joy to see our Year 7 students settle in so quickly. They’ve adapted well to academy life, and it was wonderful meeting so many of our Year 7 families at our Settling In Evening. Your involvement has been essential in supporting their transition, and we look forward to seeing them continue to develop over the academic year.



Wider Opportunities
In addition to all the wonderful things that happen every day in classrooms, it’s been wonderful to see more and more students engaged in wider opportunities after school.

We’re thrilled to have begun rehearsals for our production of ‘Matilda The Musical’ and it’s already shaping up to be a fantastic show. Attending rehearsals on Tuesday evenings is one of my highlights of the week and it’s amazing to see so many students involved both on and off the stage! Performances will run from 12^th - 14^th February 2025, so make sure you save the dates! If our previous production of 'Annie' is anything to go by, this will be a fabulous event!


This term, we launched our academy newspaper, giving students a platform to develop skills in reporting, photography and design. I’m excited to read the first edition, which will feature stories from around the academy and beyond.

We also hosted two poetry competitions, with students across all year groups contributing some fantastic entries. The library has been buzzing during break time, lunchtime and after school and it’s inspiring to see students making such a positive and productive use of our fabulous facilities. A special well done to students that have earned vouchers to use in our book vending machine!



I’m proud to announce that we awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award to our first group of students this term. This is a major accomplishment and I hope to see many more students take part in this enriching programme that builds essential life skills like leadership, teamwork and our core value of resilience.


Representing the academy
Wells students have represented the academy with pride in a range of activities this term. Our sports teams have been particularly busy, with students competing in football and basketball. To foster pride in our academy, we’ve invested in newly designed sports kits for our sports teams and I’m sure this will lead to greater success when competing!


In addition, a group of students visited the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus, where they learnt about agriculture and innovation in farming. We also had three Year 10 students participate in LEAF Education’s National Competition in Food, Farming and Natural Environment. Students delivered an impressive presentation focused on the future of farming and sustainability and linked it to our core values of integrity, resilience and ambition.


Meanwhile, some of our Year 8 girls attended a special Women in STEM event at MediCity in Nottingham, as part of Ada Lovelace Day, exploring career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It was a fantastic experience that highlighted the vital contributions of women in these fields.


I had the pleasure of joining students for our community litter pick, which we do every half-term to give back to our local community. It’s always rewarding to receive positive feedback from local residents about the excellent behaviour and commitment of Wells students.


I also accompanied a group of students to Nottingham Playhouse to watch the musical 'Dear Evan Hansen', as part of our GCSE Drama studies. It was a powerful production and a pleasure to receive wonderful feedback from fellow theatregoers about our students’ outstanding manners and conduct.


Equality assembly
On the final day of term, we held a special Equality Assembly as part of our ongoing Personal Development Programme linked to Fundamental British Values and the Equality Act. Various staff members shared personal reflections on the protected characteristics. What was especially moving was the way the assembly sparked follow-up discussions between students and staff throughout the rest of the day.

Family engagement
In addition to our Year 7 Settling In Evening, it was great to welcome so many prospective families to our recent Open Evening. Your involvement plays a vital role in our students’ success and I look forward to catching up with you all through our Parent Evenings throughout the rest of the academic year. I wrote to you earlier in the term about how we’re keen to appoint Academy Parent Ambassadors. This is an opportunity to represent our families and is open to all. Nominations are still open, so if you’re interested, you can find more information here.

Supporting Year 11
As we approach the next half term, we’re focusing on ensuring our Year 11 students achieve their best outcomes in the upcoming exams. In the lead up to our first round of mock examinations, we’ve launched our Micro Mastery Programme, a detailed week-by-week revision plan, which is available on our website here. Please encourage your child to engage with these materials and stay on track with their studies. Our Year 11 mock examinations start on Monday 18^th November.

We’ve also put in place several interventions to support Year 11 students, including targeted tutoring sessions during tutor time and after-school intervention sessions. In the final week of term, we’ll be holding an Achievement Week, giving students intensive support in key subjects.

To support students’ independent study, we’ve opened a fully resourced study space during lunchtime, where students can access practice papers. Our library is also open every day after school for revision. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Reminders
A quick reminder that the academy reopens on Monday 4^th November. As always, the gates open at 8.20am and close promptly at 8.30am. Students arriving after this time will receive a same-day 30-minute detention. I have to say that students’ punctuality has improved significantly in comparison to last year. Your continued support with this is appreciated.

Our Breakfast Club is open to all students every day from 8am where students can enjoy a free breakfast. Furthermore, we’re relaunching our ‘Grab and Go on the Gate’ initiative so students who arrive on time can grab a piece of fruit or a pastry as they enter the gate in the morning, helping them start their day right!

Thank you once again for your support this term. I wish you all a restful break and look forward to seeing everyone back in November, ready for a successful second half of the term!

Best wishes

Mr G Coles
Principal