SLT Update
The Christmas break is finally upon us and what a busy week we have had celebrating the end of this term. On Tuesday the different year groups came together to celebrate at their Christmas party and enjoy a Christmas lunch and then on Wednesday the whole school visited the church to partake in a carol service led by Reverend Buckman. Today all pupils, thanks to a generous donation by a parent, have taken part in the Santa Run and as a school we have raised £4500 for the DRET Inspiration Fund. As a school we have now raised over £10,000 which is an amazing achievement for the smallest secondary school in the Trust! Thank you to everyone who has supported this over the years.
Today marks the end of my first whole term as Principal and I would like to thank all of the Charles Read community for making me feel so welcome, it has been a real privilege to be part of this school. It has been a pleasure to get to know the pupils over the last few week and learn about their ambitions and aspirations. I wish you all a very good Christmas and New Year.
Miss Milligan, Principal
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.
Useful links for Parents
Supporting Emotional Wellbeing This time of year can bring excitement, but it can also increase stress, worry, or emotional challenges for some children. To support you, we have gathered a range of resources and tools that may be helpful at home. These include:
📱 Wellbeing Apps for Children and Young People Please find at the bottom of this article a list of recommended emotional wellbeing apps—such as Kooth, Chill Panda, Clear Fear, Finch, Mind Moose, and Lumi Nova—which provide child-friendly, NHS-supported ways to help with:
- Managing worries
- Understanding big feelings
- Building resilience
- Developing calming strategies
These tools can be particularly helpful during school breaks when routines change. Guides to Managing Anxiety We have included a child-friendly guide called "Beating Your Worries", which provides:
- Breathing and relaxation strategies
- Mindfulness activities
- Grounding techniques
- Practical ideas such as worry boxes, glitter jars, and calming toolkits
These can be used at home to support children who may be experiencing anxiety or heightened emotions. Local Support Services We are also sharing information on services available across Lincolnshire, including:
- Healthy Minds Lincolnshire workshops
- CAMHS and Here4You self-referral options
- Young Minds parent advice
- LPFT emotional wellbeing support
- Community support for families experiencing conflict or separation
- Support specifically for RAF families
- Bereavement support charities such as Winston’s Wish, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and the Children’s Bereavement Centre
You will find links to all of these resources on our school website, along with a newly updated Pastoral Support section. Safety and Online Guidance The NSPCC provides helpful information on:
- Leaving children home alone safely
- Keeping children safe online
- Understanding social media and device risks
- Setting parental controls
We encourage all families to take a look at these resources, especially as children may have more screen time during the holidays.
Healthy Minds Lincolnshire Providing support and treatment for children, young people and their families, who are experiencing emotional wellbeing difficulties. Https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/young-people/lincolnshire/young-people/i-need-morehelp/healthy-minds-lincolnshire Place2Be Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools. Https://www.place2be.org.uk/ Mind Providing support for people experiencing, or supporting someone with, a mental health problem. Https://www.mind.org.uk/ Family Lives Providing early intervention and crisis support to families. Https://www.familylives.org.uk/ Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum LPCF is specifically tasked with working alongside the Local Authority and Health to help ensure that the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor meet the needs of children with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs. You will need to register with them for free before being able to access the resources and support. Https://www.lincspcf.org.uk Luminova - digital therapy enabling children to build confidence and manage their worries - luminova.app/lincolnshire
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 - Myah H for Courage Myah joined us in the middle of term one, and she already feels like a member of the CRA family who we have known for the whole five years. She has settled into her classes and school life amazingly well and it has been heart-warming to see her form strong friendships with students and respectful relationships with her teachers so quickly. To move to a new school in Year 11 takes huge amounts of courage. Although I know Myah has put real care and effort in to her move to CRA, she has made it look easy! Have a well-earned Christmas break, Myah. Terra - Lucas B for Confidence Stepped up into the role of house captain and supporting at the Christmas parties this week. Aqua - Summer Arliss for Ambition For always trying your best, being a perfect role model and an exemplary 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
Table Talk
How to manage self-harm in the long term Learn your triggers. You could keep a mood diary or journal to make notes about what happens before, during and after you feel the urge to self-harm. Make a safety plan. This will give you a quick way to remember:
- What to do if you need help
- Warning signs that you might self-harm
- Things you can try to help you feel calmer
Talk to someone. Asking for help can feel scary, but this is often the first step to getting support.If you would prefer to speak to someone you don’t know, you can contact a 24/7 helpline. Details of this are at the end of this article. Seek treatment and support – getting professional support for self-harm might include
- Support from school, college or work. Teachers, nurses, support teams and managers are there to look after you. They might be able to offer support like counselling or help you talk to a trusted adult or doctor.
- Support from your doctor. You can see a doctor alone or ask a trusted adult to help you make an appointment. Doctors might offer therapy, which means exploring how you feel and what you have been through. It is also about understanding your emotions or learning to cope with certain situations.
- Visiting hospital. If we need urgent help, we might go to accident and emergency (A&E) in hospital. A health professional should ask questions about your mental health and tell you what support they can offer. Sone of us need to stay in hospital for treatment.
“Recognising you need help is a massive step”
How to cope with relapse
When we have gone for some time without self-harming, but then started again, we might hear this called ‘relapse’. This is nothing to be ashamed of. We might think of relapse as a chance to learn which ways of coping work for us, and which ones don’t. It might feel like we have to start over, but we can all find ways to cope again. Think back to when you stopped self-harming before. Tyr to remember what helped and didn’t help last time. Is there anything you can do again now? Or anything you can do differently? Tell someone. You might want to tell someone you have talked to before, or someone new. Your doctor might be able to refer you for a different type of support. Try out different tips. We might find coping tips that we used before do not help as much now. Or we might have stopped practising things that helped, and need a reminder. Remember why you want to stop. This can keep you motivated to keep working on stopping self-harm. Your reasons might have changed, and that’s ok too.
Self-harm injuries
If you are worried about an injury or scar, talk to your doctor or ask a trusted adult to help you get medical support. If you cannot see a doctor or nurse right away, call NHS 111 or call 999 if it is an emergency. It is important to look after self-harm injuries so we do not get unwell from them.
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 5 January 2026 - 6
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning 5 January 2026 - Period 5
Moments Matter, Attendance Counts
Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.
As we return to school and move into winter, there is inevitably an increase in illnesses. It can be tricky deciding whether to keep your child off school when they are unwell. There are government guidelines to support you in this decision.
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 Christmas Party 2025
Christmas spirit was very much alive at CRA during the final week of term as the CRA community came together to participate in the annual House Christmas Party and Santa Fun Run. Festive activities began with the eagerly anticipated House Christmas party where over 230 students and staff enjoyed an afternoon of Christmas themed competitions, singing and dancing all whilst indulging in a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. House points were available across the afternoon through a wide range of fun filled competitions as students and staff represented their house teams in Bingo, Christmas Catchphrase, Play Your Cards Right, snowball race, snowball catch, Santa hat relay and dressing Heads of House as snowmen. In the lead up to the event tutor groups worked together to create their very own tutor group Christmas trees. They were challenged to be creative and create a theme that would bring their trees to life. Once again, we were blown away by the effort and creativity each of the tutor groups put into the trees this year as student leaders proudly paraded them on entry to the party. There was a range of brilliant ideas with some linked to our CRA values, careers, character and raising awareness around topics in the real world. Caeli house has dominated this competition in previous years and once again delivered on point this year, in particular Caeli 7 and Caeli 11. Caeli 7 themed their tree to raise awareness around climate crisis, with a focus on Belton Woods initiative to tackle climate crisis – each student created their very own miniature tree decoration which was a lovely touch! Caeli 11 were the overall winners of the competition with their career’s past, present and future tree where each student reflected on their past before sharing their future aspirations – it was great to see how far our students have come over the years. Special mentions to Terra 8 and Aqua 8 for their Character mountain and save the ocean themed trees respectively! Each and every tree once again showcased the amazing community we have at CRA!
Santa Run 2025
On the final day of term, CRA participated in our biggest ever Santa Fun Run. For the very first time every single student and staff participated in the event, thanks to the amazing fundraising efforts of the CRA community who raised a staggering £3,500 (before gift aid) for the DRET Inspiration Fund. The Inspiration Fund each year provides students from across the trust access to a wide range of enrichment opportunities across the year.
The event saw runners, sporting their Santa and Reindeer outfits, complete a 20-minute fun run or walk around our very own Santa Run themed course, on the grounds of CRA. Following the event every participant received a medal before the fastest Santa (student or staff member who completed the most laps of the course within the time limit) and the highest fundraiser were awarded with a plaque for recognition of their fantastic efforts. This year’s highest fundraiser was awarded to Logan (Aqua 9) who raised an amazing £1,000, which allowed the whole CRA community to participate in this year’s event. Since the launch of the Santa Run, as a community CRA have now raised over £10,000 through this event. Despite being the smallest secondary academy in the trust CRA continue to showcase their big community spirit and togetherness. Well done and a massive thank you to everyone who took part or supported this year’s event, we are extremely grateful.
House New Year Cup
We are extremely excited to release details of the 2026 House New Year Cup, starting on January 1st.
Next year the FIFA World Cup takes place in USA, Mexico and Canada and our New Year house challenge is to visit some of the stadiums hosting the competition. Our route will begin in Mexico City, the city which will be hosting the tournaments opening match, before we attempt to reach New Jersey where the final of the World Cup will be held. Along the way we will be visiting some of the other host cities along the east coast, including Monterrey (Mexico), Dallas (USA), Houston (USA), Miami (USA) and Atlanta (USA) – attached is the virtual route. Our challenge is to complete 6, 984km before February half term – we are going to need your help!
Launch Video - https://tinyurl.com/y578nra2
How to get involved – Simply send a screenshot of your daily exercise (walk, jog, run, cycle or row) to housechampionship@charlesreadacademy.co.uk throughout term. You can only send one screenshot per day, but you can submit your distance every single day from January 1st to February half term. This is open to all students, staff and wider families. Here are some examples of what is included – daily dog walks, evening or weekend walks (included the whole family if you go together to double, treble or even quadruple your house contribution), your daily run/jog or cycle and any recorded session in the gym or home on the rowing machine/treadmill etc. Entries must include your name/s and house team, with a screenshot or photo of your completed exercise.
The House with the furthest distance and highest participation will be crowned 2026 House New Year Cup champions – a 500 HOUSE POINT COMPETITION!!
Good Luck
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" • A Stockphoto - "Wood block symbol telephone, address,mail and mobile phone.The concept of communication through technology advancement." • PX Media - "Signpost - customer support - "help", "support", "advice", "guidance", "assistance"." • bbbar - "Acronym of AAB for Above and Beyond" • Gerisima - "Christmas star decoration of golden confetti stars against white" • spass - "Happy family enjoying dinner at home.,Mother, father, daughter, son" • 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"