Dear Families

As we complete another successful term at The Wells Academy, I am filled with pride for everything we have accomplished together. This has been a half term full of achievement and improvement across the academy. I hope you enjoy this snapshot of the highlights!

Our Fundamental Ideas Curriculum
This term saw the exciting launch of our Fundamental Ideas Curriculum. Each student received a copy of our Student Book of Fundamental Ideas, written by our staff and available to view on our website. Our expert teachers have worked extremely hard to develop our ambitious curriculum that is based upon the most important ideas within each subject. Look out for the activities and events planned next year and beyond!


Celebrating excellent conduct
One of the standout moments of the term was receiving our Exemplary Leadership Programme plaque, solidifying our status as a national school of best practice in developing behaviour and character. At Wells, we believe education is about building character just as much as it is about learning knowledge. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our students, families and staff!


Reading and the library
Our library continues to be a bustling hub of activity and it’s wonderful to see students making great use of this vibrant space during lunchtimes and after school. Students have been eagerly using their book tokens in our library vending machine and our after school reading clubs are thriving. A special mention goes to two incredible Year 8 students who completed the 8 x 8 Book Challenge in just three weeks! Their enthusiasm for reading makes them brilliant ambassadors for reading at our academy. Well done to all students who have embraced the joy of reading this term!


Family SEND Event
We were delighted to host our Family SEND Event this term, where we welcomed representatives from Nottingham City Council and engaged in meaningful conversations with families. Developing relationships with families of students with SEND is a top priority and events like this ensure that we continue to refine our work to meet the needs of every student. We look forward to more opportunities to collaborate in the future.

Science achievements
Our Science faculty has been a hive of activity this term! Our Science Ambassadors have made remarkable progress in the Ocean Health Challenge organised by University College London.

We are also immensely proud of our Year 7 students, who not only received Science Awards for their achievements but also had their work featured in the Festival of Science magazine! It’s fantastic to see our students representing our academy through their learning.


Year 11 rising to the challenge
Our Year 11 students have truly stepped up this term, engaging fantastically with their mock examinations and the Micro Mastery revision resources created by their teachers. As always, it was great to spend time speaking to families at our Year 11 Parents' Evening where students received a copy of their mock examination results.


Looking ahead, we have a Year 11 Revision Event planned for families on Thursday 16th January 2025. This will be a valuable opportunity to support our students further as they continue to prepare for their summer examinations. Thank you to our families for your continued encouragement - it makes all the difference!

Careers
We continue to build an ambitious careers strategy at The Wells Academy. This term, we were thrilled to welcome 200 Degrees Coffee, a Nottingham-based company, to work with our Year 8 students. Students explored career opportunities, while also connecting science and geography learning to the coffee industry.


Additionally, some of our students had the privilege of visiting the University of Nottingham to learn about STEM careers. It was inspiring to see them engaging so enthusiastically with the sessions.

Attendance improvements
Our students’ attendance continues to go from strength to strength, and we couldn’t achieve this without the incredible support of our families! Compared to last year, attendance has significantly improved and we’re so proud of our students’ resilience and tenacity. All students that achieved 100% attendance over the final few weeks of term were entered into a draw with the lucky winners having their efforts rewarded with a trip to go ice skating at Nottingham Winter Wonderland!


A record number of students won prizes in our termly 'Zero to Hero' challenge, which recognises students that embody our core values of integrity, resilience and ambition. Additionally, a Christmas lunch rewards lunch was organised to celebrate students that have shown consistent or improved effort this term. 


Celebration Day
To mark the final day of term, students were invited to come into school wearing a Christmas jumper or cultural dress to celebrate their cultural heritage. It has been wonderful to see so many students engage so positively with this event and I look forward to similar events in the new year!


Wishing you a wonderful Christmas break
As we head into the festive season, I want to express my thanks to students, families and staff for your continued support. I wish you all a restful break filled with time spent with loved ones. We look forward to welcoming students and staff back to the academy on Monday 6th January, when the gates open at 8.20am (free Breakfast Club available from 8am). As always, we’ll be here to greet our students with a smile and a Happy New Year!

Best wishes

Mr G Coles
Principal