SLT Update
With only a week left of term it has been really pleasing that attendance has remained high and has actually risen as the term has gone on. This week Years 9-11 have consistently been above 90%, with Year 11 being particularly pleasing with over 95%, demonstrating our values of ambition and aspiration in showing up for their mock exams every day. I have spoken to the pupils today about how important it is to keep this going in the run up to half term and we appreciate your support in helping your child get in to school everyday. We have welcomed the Local Authority's Inclusion Review team into school this week who have given us some really lovely feedback regarding our inclusive teaching and learning practices and the behaviour within school. The Inclusion team were really impressed by the politeness of our students and the welcome they received from them.
I hope that you have a lovely weekend.
Miss Milligan, Principal
Parent Events
🌐 AI and Your Child: What Parent’s Should Know Artificial Intelligence is shaping the way children learn, play, and interact online. As parents, understanding both the opportunities and the risks is key. Join our FREE webinar “AI: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” to explore: ✅ Positive uses of AI for learning and creativity ⚠️ Risks like chatbots, filtering, and misinformation 💡 Practical tips for family conversations and parental controls 📅 Date: 10th February 🕕 Time: 6:00–7:00 PM 💻 Location: Online 🔗 Register here: https://buytickets.at/staysafepartnership/2024139 There is a poster attached. Malicious Communications Factsheet We’ve recently seen an increase in requests for additional workshops and support focused on malicious communication, particularly linked to how students are using group chats and social media to communicate. To help parents understand the issues and better support their children, we’ve created the attached factsheet, which explains what malicious communication is, how it can affect children, and practical steps families can take to encourage safe and respectful online behaviour For parents wanting more guidance, we’ve also produced a short video explaining malicious communication in greater detail and offering further advice. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akl9CgpP9t8
Student Workshops: 🌐 Safer Internet Day – Special Live AI Event! 🤖✨ Safer Internet Day is right around the corner, and this year’s theme is: “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI” To kickstart the day, we’re hosting a special online event all about Artificial Intelligence — the amazing possibilities, and the things we need to watch out for! Grab your classmates and tune in as our Senior Stay Team , streams directly into your classrooms for an exciting and interactive session. 📺 What to Expect Join us for a 30–45 minute live webinar where we will:
- Explore the brilliance of AI and how it helps us every day
- Look at the not-so-good side of AI and how to avoid common pitfalls
- Share essential tips to make sure we all use AI sensibly, responsibly, and safely
🎯 Who’s It For? This session is designed especially for KS2 and KS3 students. To book your place click the link: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/staysafepartnership/2013073
⭐ Social Media & Account Compromise Workshop – Free! ⭐ Lincolnshire Police’s cyber crime team deliver this free one‑hour workshop to help secondary and college students understand the risks of social media account compromise and how to stay secure online. The session offers practical, up‑to‑date cyber safety advice, including how to keep accounts under your control and prevent them being used for financial or criminal scams. Suitable for classes or full year‑group assemblies, this workshop helps students build strong digital habits and cyber awareness. To Book: Social media and account compromise workshop – Lincolnshire County Council
⭐ Fatal 5 Road Safety Workshop – Free for Year 12 & 13! ⭐ The Fatal 5 Workshop, delivered by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, helps students understand the five key behaviours that cause the most serious road collisions: speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, distraction, drink/drug driving, and careless driving. Through real‑life case studies and interactive discussion, students explore how risky choices impact drivers, passengers and the wider community, and gain the knowledge to make safer decisions on the road. This free one‑hour session is available to all Year 12/13 groups, colleges and universities across Lincolnshire. To Book: Fatal 5 – Lincolnshire County Council
⭐ Pornography Awareness Workshop – Free for KS3! ⭐ Lincolnshire Police deliver this free, 60‑minute workshop to help KS3 students (Years 7–9) understand what pornography is, the laws surrounding it, and what to do if they encounter it. The session addresses issues such as viewing, creating, or sharing sexual content, and gives young people clear guidance on how to seek support. Interactive activities—including a mix‑and‑match card game and true‑or‑false tasks—help students build awareness in a safe, age‑appropriate way. To Book: Pornography for key stage 3 – Lincolnshire County Council
Staff Training: 📣 Free Webinar for Professionals How Professionals Can Support and Work Alongside Parents of Exploited and Missing Children Join Ivison Trust for a free, expert-led webinar designed specifically for professionals working with children, families, and safeguarding partners. This session will explore practical ways to support and collaborate with parents whose children are exploited or missing — helping you enhance your practice, improve communication, and strengthen protective networks.
📅 Dates & Times:
- 13th March 2026 – 1:00pm to 3:00pm -How Professionals Can Support and Work Alongside Parents of Exploited and Missing Children 13/03/2026 | Ivison Trust Database
- 23rd March 2026 – 1:00pm to 3:00pm - How Professionals Can Support and Work Alongside Parents of Exploited and Missing Children- 23/03/2026 | Ivison Trust Database
Scam
Gifted Musical Instrument Scam targetting Lincolnshire School's and Parents: I’m writing to you from the Lincolnshire County Council Community Safety team. We have been made aware of a scam directed at schools and parents. A person emails a school or parent with photos of a Piano (or valuable musical instrument) for sale following a recent bereavement of their husband or wife. They’ll ask for upfront payment for delivery and then never deliver the item. Fake adverts can appear on auction sites, online marketplaces, search engines, in your social media feeds or be directly sent to schools, businesses and individuals. Fraudsters can use AI to create adverts that look genuine, but the aim is to steal money from you or sell you fake or non-existent goods. If you’ve seen something that doesn’t feel right, STOP!
What to do if you’ve already responded to the email Don’t panic! What you do next depends on whether you’ve clicked a link, sent information or made a payment. Take a look at advice on what to do if you’ve been a victim of fraud.
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.
Communication with School
I would like to remind all parents of the expectations when communicating with staff either face to face, over the phone or via email. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the overwhelming number of parents who do communicate with our staff in a friendly and respectful manner. However, unfortunately we have had a small number of individuals who have failed to communicate respectfully. We understand that this can often be due to frustration and wanting the best for your child, however our staff have a right to feel safe and respected.
We do have an expectation that any communication sent into the school will be responded to within 48 hours. It is not always possible for a member of staff to respond sooner than that due to working patterns or other commitments they have during the day. If you do not hear back within the 48 hour framework please do contact us again.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
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 - Charlie S (year 8)for Respect Charlie is an unfailingly polite and respectful young man, taking a genuine interest in other people and how they are feeling. His empathy always shines through. However, I am most impressed by how Charlie's self-respect is a real example to others. He stands up for himself and his friends, his uniform is always neat and immaculate. He is always pushing himself in class and loves learning about new things. He has even started saying hello to me in French so we can practise our language skills at the start of our geography lessons. Thank you for being another ray of Caeli sunshine, Charlie! Terra - Ryan P for Ambition Demonstrating a quiet but consistent approach to his studies. Focusing on doing the right things and achieving the best outcomes for his GCSE. Aqua - Freddie B for Respect Freddie has gone above and beyond to raise funds for a charity, showing respect for selfless acts of good will, he has been a big encourager within the Aqua house to raise awareness on the impact of charity.
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
Assessment Reflection Year 10 sat their assessments this week. Please encourage your child to reflect on their experience. Where did they feel confident and where did they struggle? Do they know why they struggled? Can they think of something they could do to help them feel more confident and prepared? Prompt them to think about how thoroughly they do their homework; how well they pay attention in lessons; how aware they were that the assessments were coming up. Staff will now be working hard to fill the gaps in knowledge identified by the assessment, but they are working on the gaps of up to 30 students. There’s no guarantee what your child needs and what the class needs will be the same so it’s essential that your child is thinking about their own needs and taking steps to fill their own gaps. Flash Cards Flash cards are the best method for learning concrete facts. They’re quick and easy to make, but where students often then struggle is on how to use them. After info-dumping, a few sessions of flash card making can be really helpful. One side of the flashcard should be the thing that you need to learn e.g. a date, a formula, a quote, a vocabulary word. The other side should be a clue to that thing e.g. what happened on that date, the name of the formula, the meaning of the quote, the definition of the word. To use the flashcards, you need to refer back to spaced repetition. The diagram below shows us how we do that:
Essentially you will end up building up five piles of cards. The process goes like this: Day One
- Test yourself on the cards and make two piles. Correctly answered and incorrectly answered.
- Spend some time going back over the cards in the incorrectly answered pile
Day Two
- Test yourself on piles 1 and 2. Create three piles.
- Pile 3 – right both times. Were in the correctly answered pile and were correctly answered again
- Pile 2 – were in the incorrectly answered pile and were now answered correctly
- Pile 1 – were in either the correctly or incorrectly answered pile and were now answered incorrectly.
- Spend time going over pile 1 and pile 2. Prioritise pile 1
From day three you then start to space out your repetition of the piles where you are consistently getting the questions right. So, on day three you will only look at pile 1 and 2 and create a new pile for ones that you get right on this day. Then on day four, you’ll have 4 piles and you’ll look at pile 1, 2 and 4. Then on day five, you’ll have five piles and look at 1, 2, 3. You’ll keep cycling through the ‘correct’ piles at spaced intervals and will focus on the cards in piles 1 and 2 which are the ones you’re getting wrong. Any time you get a card wrong, it works it way back down to the piles you’re looking at more regularly. Flash cards can be used alone or with a partner.
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 9 February 2026 - 12
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning 9 February 2026 - Period 5
Table Talk
Talking With Teens About Ambition—Without Turning It Into a Lecture Few topics feel as loaded as ambition. Parents worry about motivation, direction, and future stability. Teenagers often hear pressure, expectations, or comparisons—even when none are intended. The result? A conversation that never quite gets off the ground. The good news: talking about ambition doesn’t have to mean asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” In fact, the most meaningful conversations often start somewhere else. Start With Curiosity, Not Conclusions Teenagers are still figuring themselves out. Their interests may shift weekly, and that’s normal. Instead of pushing toward a specific goal, try asking open-ended questions: What kinds of things make you feel proud of yourself? When do you feel most energised or focused? What problems in the world bother you the most? These questions explore motivation and values—often the roots of ambition—without demanding a five[1]year plan. Redefine What “Ambition” Means Many teens associate ambition with stress, competition, or burnout. Help broaden the definition. Ambition can mean: Wanting to improve at something you care about Wanting independence or freedom Wanting to make a difference, big or small Let your teen know that ambition isn’t just about titles or salaries—it’s about direction, effort, and personal meaning. Share Your Story (Including the Messy Parts) Teens are surprisingly receptive to honesty. If your own path included detours, doubts, or changes, share them. Talking about uncertainty—rather than presenting a perfectly linear success story—helps teens feel less pressure to “have it all figured out.” You might say: “What I wanted at your age changed a lot. What mattered most was learning what fit me—and what didn’t.” Focus on Skills, Not Just OutcomeS instead of emphasising achievements, talk about skills that support any aspiration: curiosity, resilience, communication, problem-solving. These are things teens can practice now, regardless of where they eventually land. This shifts the conversation from “Where are you going?” to “What are you learning?” Keep the Door Open One meaningful conversation beats ten forced ones. Let your teen know you’re always open to talking— whether they’re excited, confused, or discouraged. Even a short, low-pressure check-in can plant a seed. A simple line like, “Whenever you want to talk about what you’re thinking about for the future, I’m here,” goes a long way. Ambition grows best in an environment of trust, curiosity, and support. When teens feel heard rather than judged, they’re more likely to reflect, explore, and eventually take ownership of their own aspirations—and that’s the goal we’re really aiming for.
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.
House Spelling Bee Returns House Spelling Bee returns to CRA next week where House teams will go head-to-head in a number of ‘buzz in’ and whiteboard rounds, testing both their verbal and written subject specific vocabulary. The competition will take place on the stage in the main hall. House teams require one participant from each year group, plus a member of staff.
CRA House Winter Games The 2026 Winter Olympics kicks off today in Italy which promises to be 2 weeks of exciting action. At CRA house teams are competing in our very own Winter Games with students already going head-to-head in Basketball and Table Tennis so far. Teams will be competing for house points and gold medals throughout each individual event in a bid to cement top spot in the Winter Games Medal Table. 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. Next up is New Age Kurling taking place next week.
House Winter Games – Table Tennis Results House Winter Games Table Tennis took place this week with house teams competing for the latest set of medals and points on offer. The competition got underway with the KS3 competition, producing a number of closely contested matches, with Caeli coming out on top to secure their first Gold Medal of the games. Day two of the competition involved both a KS4 competition and a round robin doubles competition between the CRA Table Tennis Scholars. The level of competition was extremely high producing some exciting matches between all three houses where it was Aqua who prevailed to secure another Gold Medal to their tally. Across the competition Aqua accumulated the highest amount of points to be crowned Winter Games Table Tennis champions, securing 125 house points.
House Winter Games – New Age Kurling Students will have the opportunity to represent their house and try their hand in a new sport next week as house teams battle it out for the latest set of Winter Games medals in New Age Kurling. As seen in the Winter Olympics, New Age Kurling is an adaptation to traditional Curling and can be played indoors. In house teams students will have a set of Kurling Stones which they will slide along the floor with the aim of landing in the target at the other end of the hall. KS3 and KS4 will have individual competitions both taking place Monday and Tuesday lunchtime in the Hall. With two more sets of medals up for grabs next week, who will head into February half term top of the Winter Games Medal Table?
House New Year Cup – COMPLETED! We have surpassed our target of 6,963km and have completed the 2026 House New Year Cup challenge. Over the last 7 days we have received a further 2,000km of entries to complete this year’s challenge. This year’s challenge has seen the CRA Community complete a virtual route from Mexico City to New Jersey via Monterrey (Mexico), Dallas (USA), Houston (USA), Miami (USA) and Atlanta (USA) with a week to spare. The final stop on the virtual tour of the 2026 FIFA World Cup stadiums was the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey (attached). The competition is now closed, and we will not be taking any more entries. Thank you very much to everyone who took part – over the course of the competition we received an incredible 1,056 entries with an overall distance of 7,582km.
Who has done enough to be crowned 2026 House New Year Cup champions? Terra dominated throughout the competition, however their was a late surge from Aqua in the final week. Full results will be revealed on Monday during whole school assembly.
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" • vejaa - "Hands holding lightbox with message Stay Safe on light blue background.,isolated.,Healthcare, social distancing concept.,Top view" • bankrx - "Red color rubber stamp in word aware on white paper background" • 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" • A Stockphoto - "Wood block symbol telephone, address,mail and mobile phone.The concept of communication through technology advancement." • 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" • Tierney - "Goals concept with hand" • 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"