Message from the Executive Principal, Alastair O'Connor
On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team thank you for your support this term. It has been a term of testing with Year 11 mock exams, Year 10 assessments and reading tests for Years 7, 8 and 9. Results of all these will follow in due course.
We have had lots to celebrate as well and I hope you enjoy reading our Easter Newsletter.
On Saturday 22nd March 14 Barnes Wallis netballers went to watch Loughborough Lightning vs London Pulse at the Sir David Wallace Sports Hall at Loughborough University. The game was televised live on BBC! As part of the package for the day, our girls were asked to be the ball crew and match support. It was a fantastic experience and one that everyone enjoyed - especially Miss Wells and Miss Brotherhood who are huge Lightning fans! Both teams played some incredible netball with London Pulse coming out on top.
2025 Paris Football Tour Friday 4th April – Tuesday 8th April 2025
NATIONAL OFFER DAY FOR YEAR 6s
We are delighted to have received so many Year 7 applications for the Autumn Term following the National Offer Day on Monday 3rd March.
All parents have been contacted with a welcome letter and information pack.
Our New Intake Parents Evening will be on Wednesday 2nd July and our Year 6 Induction Days are on Friday 4th July.
We are looking forward to welcoming our new Year 7s and working alongside their parents.
ROAD SAFETY ON BUTTS LANE
We have had several reports from parents and staff of near misses on Butts Lane. The road is very busy with cars at the start and end of the school day with parents dropping off/collecting their children.
Please remind your child to be vigilant when walking to and from school and to use the footpaths and crossings at all times.
If you do drop your child off to school please ensure it is in a safe place. If you are dropping off in the school car park please do so before 8:10 a.m. to allow the school buses to pull in safely.
UK Maths Team Challenge
On Thursday 26th March four shining stars students from Years 8 and 9 represented Barnes Wallis Academy in the UK Maths Team Challenge. The team travelled to the William Farr Academy where they competed against the best young mathematicians of the East Midlands. The level of mathematics was incredibly difficult, yet our team took on the challenge, and finished 8th from 30 schools. A superb achievement and congratulations go to all four team members.
Reading Programme Update
NGRT Reading Assessment for Key Stage 3 students - As part of our reading programme at Barnes Wallis Academy, all Key Stage 3 students will take their second NGRT reading test during the week commencing 3rd March. Specific details regarding your child’s test schedule will be shared via MCAS.
About the NGRT Test - The New Group Reading Test (NGRT) is a standardised, online assessment that measures reading skills against the national average. This adaptive test requires no prior preparation and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The test adjusts in difficulty based on each student’s responses, ensuring a personalised assessment.
Testing will take place during a normal lesson in one of our Learning Resource Centre (LRC), with students supported by their usual class teachers alongside additional staff.
Why this matters - At Barnes Wallis Academy, we are committed to ensuring all learners can fully engage with the curriculum and reach their full potential. Assessing reading ability is a key part of this, as the NGRT provides a clear baseline of each student’s current reading level. This enables us to implement targeted support and challenges where needed.
Supporting reading at home - To help students develop their reading skills, all Key Stage 3 students receive weekly reading homework via Sparx Reader. This involves reading a book online and answering comprehension questions. We encourage students to read for at least 10 minutes daily to build independent reading habits.
Sparx Reader has had an impressive half term again. We have added to our total hours of reading and are now at a staggering:
2,532 hours for the year. That's 1,463 books that have been read. Amazing!
Lots of weekly prizes have been given out for students in Y7-9 who are top of the leaderboard.
To support your child’s reading at home, you might:
- Encourage them to read aloud.
- Discuss main events, characters, emotions and the writer's intentions.
- Help them think critically about the text to prepare for comprehension questions.
Targeted Interventions
To further support students, we offer a range of reading interventions, including: Fresh Start: Read- Write-Inc programme; Word Wasps; 1:1 reading interventions; Small group reading sessions.
Thank you for your continued support in helping our students develop their reading skills.
Congratulations
Following the success of the Trafalgar Fen series of novels, Mr Keeler of the Science department has published the first in a series of books called The Fen Tigers.
The story follows Berty Fen who is evacuated from London during World War 2. Berty moves to the Norfolk Broads where he meets The Fen Tigers, a group of children who are trying to protect the wildlife from unscrupulous thieves.
Mr Keeler has donated two of the books to the school library. The second book in the series will be out soon and all books are available in retailers.
JET Blueskies Teams
Barnes Wallis Academy- JET Blueskies teams have benefitted from an in school 'resilience challenge' workshop with Jess and the RAF volunteers this half term.
Sessions focused on JET core themes - particularly resilience, communication and motivation.
Year 8's were able to utilise teamwork and communication skills to create a brake dancing robot!
After the Easter holidays, Blueskies 1 students will be completing trips to RAF Coningsby and the University of Lincoln. Blueskies 2 students will be facing their fears at RAF Digby and having access to the climbing wall.
JET have also helped support our Year 7 Students this term with their 'Resilience Session 2' and our Year 9/10 Sports Leaders who have spent the day developing their Leadership skills at RAF Cranwell and undertaking 'Officer Selection'. Each student rose to the challenges brilliantly and the RAF staff on base all spoke extremely highly of their efforts, enthusiasm and positive behaviour.
Enrichment
Key stage 3 have enjoyed another term of enrichment activities varying from crochet, to board games, to model making and developing their musical skills either through instrumental activities or as part of our growing school choir.
Year 8 have had a specific focus on Sport for this term in which students have enjoyed rugby and a very popular fitness club run by Mr Hobson.
We have also seen the introduction of a Psychology master class and a well being group which has been a real hit with Key stage 3.
When we return after Easter, enrichment will continue lesson 6 on a Wednesday with Year 9 taking part in sporting activities. We hope that many of these will then go on to represent BWA at the DRET Summer Cup.
Girls Cricket
The Year 7 girls travelled to Bishop Grosseteste University to take part in the cricket development day hosted by Lincolnshire cricket. They spent the morning learning how to play the game and taking part in a variety of practises to develop their skills. In the afternoon they put their new skills to the test and took part in the festival, playing matches against schools from all across the county. The girls showed off their talents and managed to win every game! A fabulous effort from team BWA.
Art
This term we have seen some amazing art work, whether in sketchbooks or individual art pieces. We are so proud of the effort and hard work that has gone into the range of art found in sketchbooks in both key stage 3 and at GCSE level.
Year 7 have created prints investigating the art of William Morris and the natural world. Year 8 have been responding to different painting techniques and the theme of landscape, while Year 9 have been exploring the use of lettering within art. Our GCSE students at Year 10 have created thoughtful responses to the topic of food in art while Year 11 are working hard in preparation for their controlled assessment after the Easter break.
Careers Programme Update
As part of our ongoing careers programme Barnes Wallis Academy is committed in helping our students to make informed decisions at key times in their education. Over the last term we have given our pupils the opportunity to engage with employers, apprenticeship providers as well as areas of public service to provide career and Post 16 advice.
National Careers week saw teachers discuss careers relevant to subject areas as well as reflecting upon their own career journey. We also had employers such as the Department of Work and Pensions and Lincolnshire County Council visit the academy to discuss such topics as the implications of town planning and what is environmental health?
The Bridge
In The Bridge this term we have considered 'Renewal and Hope' through a Scientific lens. We have studied the role of producers, and consumers in different food chains and food webs. We have looked at 'The Circle of Life' in the Lion King film as well as feeding relationships closer to home. We have considered what happens to plants and animals when they die, the role of decomposers and how they then provide nutrients for new life to grow.
We have looked at the decomposition of various organisms and then used this soil to plant new seeds and watch new life grow.
Student have written poems about food webs, decomposition and new life.
We have started a vegetable plot in the school and are looking forward to eating the products!
DRET SECONDARY MUSIC FESTIVAL
On the 6th of March, Barnes Wallis Academy participated in the annual DRET Secondary School Music Festival at Nottingham Albert Hall, where students performed as a choir, band and guitar group. Our choir performed a beautiful variation of "Hold back the river", our band performed the punk rock song "Skater boy" on guitar, bass guitar and drums, and finally our guitarists, who have only been working together for 1 term as part of our guitar project, performed "Wonderwall". Each groups represented the school in a spectacular way, as we received feedback that the choir group scored 92 out of 100, and our instrumental groups scored 84 out of 100. Their dedication and musicality were evident in every note they sang.
The festival also showcased the DRET Orchestra, made up of Secondary School students, conducted by Pete Latanka, a professional jazz musician, composer, and arranger. Pete’s reworking of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus brought a fresh, exciting energy to the piece, and the orchestra’s performance, with the 500 strong choir, was nothing short of spectacular.
Overall, the festival was a fantastic opportunity for students to connect, celebrate their musical achievements, and gain invaluable performance experience. A big thank you to all the performers, teachers, and the DRET Music Team who made the event such a success. We can’t wait to see what next year’s festival will bring!
YEAR 9 PREFERENCE EVENING
On Wednesday 2nd Feb we hosted our Year 9 Preference Evening . Miss Dunsford and Miss Ashfield presented in the Main Hall and explained how the subjects were examined at GCSE and the subject preference process.
Year 9 students have now submitted all their choices and these will be checked over by teachers. Some subjects may not be viable to run if the numbers are low.
Letters will be sent home to parents with final choices after Easter.
“I love being captain of Year 7 Netball team, the training, games and drills work amazingly. Our team is so talented, we all work so hard” Y7 Captain: Francesca
Just like the football Years 7 and 9 started their coastal league fixtures with back-to-back derby games against the Horncastle school. The Year 7’s came out on top winning 6-1 with a dominant performance from all especially, Poppy. The Year 9’s followed suit winning their game 12-2 with a standout performance from Emily. Both sides then faced Qegs Horncastle, the Year 7’s had a closely contested match but unfortunately lost 18-13; but an incredible performance none the less; player of the match went to Francesca. The Year 9’s made it two wins in two after beating Qegs Horncastle 26-9. Arabella being the standout performance in that one; alongside Charlotte who is playing a year up and still putting on dominant performances.
Under 13’s Spring Cup
The Under 13’s hockey side travel down to Nottingham in good spirt after a competitive training session with KEVI. The girls would face 9 DRET academy schools. First up was Havelock; the girls started fantastically with two quick goals from Jennifer and Evie. The girls remained in control of the game for the 15 minute match and Jennifer confirmed the 3 points with another goal in the second half. The girls then went on to continue with very solid defensive displays with all games being low scoring with a 0-0 with TMA. SGS was the next opponent, who are a very well organised side. Charlotte had a 10/10 performance in this match as the girls battled for every ball. BWA came close on the counter with Evie but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. The match ended 0-0, but a very big points for the blues. Caitlin and Emily also impressed at the back allowing the BWA team to stay in the competition. Over all the girls showed great resilience and commitment to themselves, each other and the school. We finished a proud 4th in the plate. Player of the day went to Charlotte for her determination and ability to read defensive situations.
Basketball
This term has seen a huge spike of interest when it comes to basketball; this may be due to earlier in the term we took five students for a basketball development day at Charnwood College in Loughborough. These students were given the opportunity to be trained by some of the most promising basketballers in the nation, who play and train at Charnwood college. The sessions were delivered by Charnwood Riders, who are the development pathway for the Leicester Riders who play in the British Basketball League.
The pupils where then taken to the Mattioli Arena, home of the Leicester Riders. Pupils where given refreshments provided by the Riders as well as the opportunity to view the Riders warming up. The game between the Riders and Surrey 89ers, was amazing; there was very little to separate the sides in the first two quarters with either team taking or retaking the lead. At the end of the first quarter Riley was able to go on to the court to compete in a challenge where a Riders jumper was up for grabs. During the final two quarter the Riders was able to put some daylight between themselves and the visitors. The match ended 91-81 in the Rider’s favour. After the match all attending pupils were able to meet the players and have photographs with the stars.
We would be very grateful if you could support us with any of the following:-
We are always looking for unwanted items of Barnes Wallis uniform to sell in our Pre-Loved Sales which take place throughout the year. If you have any good quality items please could you drop them off to the reception during term time - thank you.
Our Head of Year 11, Mr Keeler is asking if you have any second hand prom dresses or any suits that you can donate to our Year 11s for their prom.
We are in the process of upgrading our Library and sorting through the books into reading ages. We would be very grateful if you have any good quality books you would consider donating to the Library for the students to read. Also if you have any spare time in the mornings (8:35 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.) on either Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and you would like to support with one to one reading with our students, please contact the Academy or email enquiries@barneswallisacademy.co.uk
EASTER SCHOOL
The countdown to exams has begun for our Year 11 students, and we are committed to supporting them every step of the way. Our Year 11 students have been working diligently throughout the year, attending revision sessions and approaching their mock exams with seriousness and focus.
To help them in the final stages of their preparations, some GCSE subjects are offering additional revision and coursework sessions over the Easter holidays.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our fantastic staff for giving up their time to run these valuable sessions. Their dedication will be a huge support to our students as they prepare for their exams.
External Success
We have a wide range of talented pupils, in a range of sports here at BWA. Here are just a few:
Noah is racing to success. Winning both club and national rounds and is an impressive 2-time champion and vice champion at Tattershall.
Swimming is Ellorah's passion. Her dedication to her passion is clear to see when some of her training can start as early as 5am as well as doing these 3 to 4 times a week. Ellorah competes in a range of disciplines from freestyle to the challenging butterfly. By the end of the school year, she aims to improve her 400 IM as well as continue to improve her 200m Butterfly.
Kieran has been fishing for a few years now; but he’s recently left Donnington Anglers due to being reeled in by a new group in the area. Kieran's love of fishing started by accident, he was asked by a close friend to go fishing one day, not knowing what it really entailed. The fishing bug bit and it’s been a passion of his since. He loves spending his time at Westwood lakes, which is where he recorded his personal best catch which was a 12lb carp. His next steps are to become junior champion at his new club
Sophie has been training extremely hard this term at aeriel silks. These sessions are run at Blackfriars in Boston. The skills required to perform such movements are extremely challenging. Sophie has been attending training sessions of this nature for almost a year, which just goes to show her levels of dedication to this discipline.
Dates for the diary
- 22nd April - School opens.
- 24th April Blue Skies 2 Trip
- 30th April - Year 10 Parents' Evening.
- 1st May - Junior Maths Challenge.
- 2nd May - Summer Exams begin.
- 2nd May - U15s Spring Cup Rugby.
- 8th May - U13s Spring Cup Rugby.
- 9th May Jet Blue Skies 2 Trip
- 12th May- Year 10 Mock Starts
- 12th May - Mental Health Awareness Week.
- 12th May - SATs week.
- 21st May - Year 8 Parents' Evening.
- 26th May to 30th May - May Half Term.
Follow us on @Barnes_Wallis_
Safeguarding during the Easter Break
When the Academy is closed there is always someone who can help you.
If you are concerned that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm, you should contact your local authority safeguarding partnership directly.
Please go to our website for the relevant contact information if you have any welfare concerns.
In an emergency, call 999.
For any other queries, please contact us via cip@dret.co.uk.
If you have a general enquiry during the half term break please contact the office on enquiries@barneswallisacademy.co.uk
There is limited access so it may take a few days to respond.