SLT Update
As we reach the end of another half term, and the halfway way point of the academic year it is great to be able to continue to celebrate our students' commitment to their academic success. The Year 11s have continued to work incredibly hard in their mock exams and their attendance over the past fortnight has been fantastic. Caeli 9 continue to have the best tutor group attendance each week, demonstrating their resilience and ambition for their futures. It was also great to celebrate Aqua 7 this week who won Tutor Group of the Week ten weeks in a row. They were rewarded with a film and snacks. I hope that you and your families have a relaxing half term and we look forward to seeing the students back on Monday 23rd February.
I hope that you have a lovely weekend.
Miss Milligan, Principal
Second Hand Uniform Shop
We are still aiming to offer a second hand uniform shop but urgently require donations of any surplus uniform you may have. We thank you for all donations that have already been made but would really appreciate if you could bring in any uniform that no longer fits or is unwanted by your child.
Student Success
Isla W - Caeli 7
Isla is a keen horse rider. Please find below photos of her in action. Well done Isla for taking part in this and completing events.
Poppy C - Year 8
Last weekend Poppy took part in County swim championships. She got 4 personal bests and also swam in the 1500m free style. She got a personal best of 14 seconds in the 1500 and a silver medal which is a great achievement!She was only 3 seconds from gold! She now sits 2nd in the county, 5th in the region and inside the top 45 in the country in this event. Amazing Poppy, you have done so well and CRA are very proud of you!
Year 7
Please find below details of what year 7 have been learning in their core subjects this term.
ENGLISH
This term year 7 have been finishing up their work on The Odyssey and have started on The Knight's Tale. In The Odyssey, they have explored how the text uses the conventions of the quest narrative structure and tested whether the characters conform to our expectations of the genre's archetypes. For The Knight's Tale, students have worked through the context of the text. They have also read and summarised the story in preparation for the deeper study that will follow. Students also continue to work on their creative writing skills weekly as well as their written accuracy.
MATHS
This term year 7 have been looking at algebra, learning how to simplify expressions, substitute into expressions and formulas and how to solve equations. They have also been converting different metric measures and learnt how to tell the time then problem solve with time.
SCIENCE
Our Year 7 students have had a fantastic and busy term exploring some exciting scientific topics! In Physics, students have been learning all about fields and electricity. They’ve investigated how electric charges can create invisible fields, explored how circuits work, and discovered how electricity flows through different components. There were plenty of “lightbulb moments” as students built and tested their own circuits! In Chemistry, we’ve been exploring volume and density. Students carried learnt how to measure the volume of regular and irregular objects, and then used their results to calculate density. It was wonderful to see them applying their maths skills to real scientific problems. We also studied changes of states, looking at how materials move between solid, liquid, and gas. Through experiments and class discussions, students learned about melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation — and how particles behave during these changes. A particularly exciting topic this term has been bioplastics. Students discovered how scientists are developing more sustainable materials and even explored how bioplastics can be made from natural sources. This topic sparked some fantastic discussions about environmental responsibility and the future of materials science. Alongside developing their scientific knowledge, Year 7 have been working hard on improving their scientific writing skills. They are learning how to structure clear explanations, use key scientific vocabulary accurately, present data effectively, and write conclusions like real scientists. The progress in both confidence and clarity has been impressive! We are very proud of the curiosity, enthusiasm, and effort Year 7 have shown this term. We look forward to even more exciting discoveries ahead!
Above and Beyond
Every week a certificate is issued for a deserving student who demonstrates CRA values. Please see below this weeks students and the reason they have been awarded.
Caeli - Elijah K for Aspiration Elijah doesn't always find being in school easy, but this term he has tried fantastically hard to have a fresh start, and this tremendous effort has paid off! With his behaviour points well down on last term, and with a renewed effort with his attendance, Elijah has spent every single minute of this term in his lessons, learning and gaining knowledge. Mrs Miller-Brown and I are so proud of this turnaround. We hope you feel proud too, keep it up, Elijah! Terra - Hollie B for Confidence Excellent display of confidence shown this week in volunteering answers in lessons. Confidence to know when she is correct and able to do things and ask for support when needed. Aqua - Max M for Respect Max is continuously showing how he is growing his character at CRA, showing respect for his studies, his teachers and especially his peers, his impeccable manners make him an above and beyond student.
Sparx Stars
Each week, our students at CRA, complete maths and reading for their homework on Sparx. Some students answer additional questions, further increasing their knowledge. We do this as there are online resources to help and guide students if they are struggling with a question. You might like to ask them to show you what they typically do on a weekly basis.
Our Sparx stars this week are
READER
MATHS
Academic Progress
Mind Maps Mind maps are perfect versions of info dump pages. Instead of doing it from memory, you sit with your notes and use them to create a perfect mind map of all the things you should know about a particular topic. We use mind maps rather than lists because they help us to see how things are connected; encourage you to use colour and images which help your brain remember; chunk the information to make it easier to digest and can be displayed on walls to help jog your memory. Breaking things up is key to revising and so is transforming information. The more your brain has to ‘do’ with the information, the more it will remember. So reading a sentence in a book and then writing a bullet point is ‘doing’ something, but not a lot. Reading a sentence in a book; deciding where it fits on a mind map; choosing an appropriate colour to categorise the information and thinking about whether it needs to be linked with any of the ideas you already have is ‘doing’ an awful lot more.
Times Tables
At the end of all lessons students stand behind their chairs in silence to prepare for themselves for the next lesson. From September, on a weekly rota, Years 7 and 8 will be reciting their timetables to help embed them in their long term memory.
Week beginning 23 February 2026 - 6
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning 23 February 2026 - Period 1
Attendance.
From Monday 3rd November you will be able to see your child's attendance to school on the My Child At School App. We will also be launching a series of new competitions based around attendance to celebrate the resilience, ambition and aspiration many of our students demonstrate by being in every day.
Prizes will include:
- X Box controllers
- Skin care products
- Food items
- Non uniform days
This will be alongside our In it To Win Competition that pupils gain entry to every week that they are in for 100% of the days
You should not go to school with a fever or other high temperature, but you can attend if you have mild symptoms like a runny nose or slight cough, if you feel well enough to go. Although there are no longer specific rules for COVID-19 in schools, you should stay home if you are unwell.
When to stay home
- • High temperature: If you have a fever or a high temperature, you should stay at home.
- • Feeling unwell: If you are generally feeling unwell, it is best to stay home.
When you can go to school
- • Mild symptoms: You can go to school if you only have mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or a slight cough, and you feel well enough to attend.
Why this advice has changed
- • There is a low risk of COVID-19 to children and young people.
- • There are high vaccination rates in the population, which helps to reduce the risk.
At Charles Read Academy we follow the guidance from the NHS and Public Health England on whether your child should be in school.
This covers all the usual childhood illnesses. For more information click on the links below:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19
If your child is absent from school, please ensure you contact school daily either by email/MCAS or by telephoning the attendance line 01476 550333 ext 502. It is vital we are notified everyday of any absence for safeguarding reasons, unless previously authorised. A reason for illness will always be requested, this is to observe attendance patterns and outbreaks of illness amongst students.
Please do not hesitate to contact myself tsandison@charlesreadacademy.co.uk ext 502 to discuss ways to support your child's attendance.
CRA - Lets work together to make every day count!
Leave of absence request
A Principal can only authorise a leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. We will take into account the Government guidance when considering what the exceptional circumstances are- all applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. You may be able to take your child out of school in exceptional circumstances, providing an application is made in advance by the parent/carer, this request complies with Government guidance and the leave is deemed to be ‘exceptional’ by the Principal.
If you take a leave of absence without our permission or if your child fails to return by the agreed date if permission was granted, then this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and noted in your child’s record. You might also be issued with a fixed penalty notice for this absence. If your child has not returned within 10 days of the expected date of return then, after consultation with the Local Authority, we may take your child off our school roll.
As examples, the following reasons are not considered to be exceptional circumstances:
- availability of cheap holidays
- periods overlapping with beginning or end of term
- visits to family
- renewing passports
Requests for leave of absence will only be considered if made in writing. Please ensure you use the leave of absence request form to do this.
To request a leave of absence, please use this form.
House News.
CRA House Winter Games As we reach the halfway point of the CRA Winter Games it is Aqua who narrowly sit top of the medal table going into half term. Houses have been battling it out in Basketball, Table Tennis and Kurling in recent weeks in a bid to secure those Winter Games gold medals. Each gold medal is worth 5 points. Silver medals are worth 3 points and Bronze are worth 2 points. The house with the highest points total at the end of the games will be crowned CRA Winter Games champions. Winter Games returns with three more exciting events after half term, including Indoor Hockey (Uni Hoc), Boccia and Sportshall Athletics. With a brand-new set of medals and points up for grabs after half term the competition is far from over.
House Winter Games – New Age Kurling Results Students tried their hand at a new sport this week as House teams went head-to-head in sperate KS3 and KS4 Kurling competitions. New Age Kurling is an adaptation to traditional Kurling (as seen in the Winter Olympics) and took place in the main hall where players had to slide their stones along the floor with the aim of landing in the target zone. The house with the closest stone to the centre of the target zone after each match were the winners. Following tow days of exciting matches it was Aqua who were crowned overall champions, remaining unbeaten in the KS4 event to claim the Gold Medal. Despite Caeli winning the KS3 competition they had to settle for second place overall followed by Terra in third place.
House Spelling Bee Results Spelling Bee returned to CRA this week as students took to the stage to face a series of tier 2 subject specific vocabulary. Participants represented their house teams in year groups through head-to-head ‘speed rounds’ where they had to ‘buzz in’ for the attempt to answer each spelling. Each year group faced five spellings with points awarded for every correct answer. Within each set of five spellings there was also a ‘golden’ word worth 5 points, adding more incentive but pressure to the participants on stage. Points were accumulated across each round with the house with the highest points total being crowned champions. Congratulations to Caeli who dominated the competition to win by over 10 points. Terra secured second place with a very good performance followed Aqua in third. Well done to everyone who took part in the competition, displaying CRA courage, confidence and resilience.
CRA Term 4 House Competitions We are extremely excited for another action-packed term of House Competitions coming up after half term. The CRA Winter Games continues with another three events including Indoor Hockey, Boccia and Sportshall Athletics, in addition to Photography, NOW Music Quiz and two brand new competitions, Dress to Impress and Just Dance. A further 2000+ house points will be on offer once again and as we approach the Summer term the points could be pivotal in the race for the 2026 CRA House Championship.
Aqua continued their fine form this term to maintain their position at the top of the House Championship as we reach the halfway stage of the academic year. With another three terms of action packed house competitions to come there is still so much to play for and the race is far from over. We look forward to seeing the action unfold after half term!
The Sporting Post.
PE kit reminder - 2025/2026
The standard PE kit is as follows:
- CRA House PE top (compulsory)
- CRA PE shorts or skorts (compulsory)
- CRA PE Hoodie (compulsory)
- Black socks. These can be purchased from any provider.
- PE track pants / leggings / skins - optional - must be plain navy or black. These can be worn under the CRA PE top, shorts or skorts. These items should have no logos/writing/labels. These can be purchased from any provider.
Sports trainers- These can be purchased from any provider. No fashion trainers.
Girls will take part in hockey and boys will take part in rugby during PE lessons. Gumshields and shinpads are recommended for their safety.
Shinpads will also be needed for girls' and boys' football.
Moulded football boots are also recommended as students can wear these on the 3G artificial surface and grass field.
Please can all students be collected from the BACK of the school when being picked up from after school clubs and fixtures.
Term Dates
Please see the latest term dates for 2025-2026
A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here
Credits:
Created with images by sosiukin - "upcoming evente word written on wood block. upcoming evente text on table, concept" • adragan - "Charity.,Glass jar with coins and an inscription charity.,Man holds coin in his hand" • Rynio Productions - "We need you on a bulletin board" • Pavel - "Second hand clothing sign hangs on rack in thrift shop for shoppers in search of affordable items" • kikkerdirk - "well done stamp" • Monkey Business - "Drawn symbols of school subjects on a chalkboard, copy space" • Prostock-studio - "Group of happy teen high school students studying outdoors" • bbbar - "Acronym of AAB for Above and Beyond" • Gerisima - "Christmas star decoration of golden confetti stars against white" • CrazyCloud - "curriculum" • Naypong Studio - "Sports Equipment on white background" • tatomm - "close up of calendar on the yellow table background, planning for business meeting or travel planning concept"