CRA Newsletter 18.10.2024 Half Term 1 - October 2024

SLT Update

It has been an extremely busy last week of this half term with many events occurring.

On Monday the school celebrated a highly successful Harvest Festival Service at the church, during which the majority of Year 7 students’ behaviour and engagement was exemplary. Furthermore, the Head Boy and Girl involved in readings were commended on their articulation and presentations. Well done to all of those staff and students involved. But also further thanks to you our parents, for providing a wealth of gifts that will be distributed locally to the needy.

This week has been a busy one for parent evenings with the Year 7 Tutor evening on Tuesday and the Year 11 parents evening on Wednesday. Both were well attended, and it was nice to meet parents in person.

On Wednesday morning we had the first of our contextual sessions for PSHCE lessons. Year 7 and 8 students learnt about Hate Speech, this included a definition of the freedom of speech and the benefits of this for citizens. It also focused on real-world harm caused by online hate speech. The PSHCE focus for Year 9 students was respect and tolerance and students discussed the ways to show respect to ourselves and others with a specific focus on protected characteristics. Years 10 and 11 focus was about attendance policies and why different establishments have these and the importance of adherence to these in a place of work.

Finally, this Thursday over 90 students took part in the annual Winter Shield event. All our competitors did us proud and played to the best of their abilities. This is something that does really strike me about the students in our school, whatever event I have witnessed this half term be it inter house football, or netball games or the Spelling Bee competition that also took place this week, our students rise to that challenge and show they are part of the community of our school. It is evident they are proud of their school and being a member of Charles Read Academy. This is commendable and, In my experience, very rare.

This half term we have said a goodbye to a couple of our colleagues, we wish them every success in the future and the next stage of their life adventure. Finally, I would like to wish all students and families a very happy half term week and hope it is one of rest and relaxation for all.

Mrs Le Caplain - Acting Head of School & Senco

Important dates to remember

  • 18th October - Break up for half term
  • 28th October - All students return for term 2

CRA Character

On Thursday it was World Values Day. Our House assemblies this week focused on the CRA value of Aspiration. Within the assembly the Head of House leads asked the students to consider where they are with their aspirations;

Whether they are:

  • • Setting goals for their future and putting the effort in the present for those goals to be reached or
  • • Setting goals for the future but not putting the effort into reach those goals or
  • • Whether they do not have goals and no effort in the present or
  • • Whether they are working hard in the present but have no goals for the future

Student aspirations were then divided into three types : Personal, Career and School with a clear guide on how to get there:

  • • Set a goal
  • • Break it down into small steps
  • • Seek out help if you need it
  • • Celebrate each time a step is taken
  • • See how far you have come

Aspiration over perspiration

In lessons also our CRA values were linked to subjects and how important the values are. The gratitude tree in reception has also been updated this term with respect value hangers being completed later this week. There will also be postcards sent home to celebrate where a student has gone above and beyond to demonstrate one of our values this term. Well done to any student who receives one of these.

Prep Homework

For all students in Yr7-11 the last day of Autumn Term 1 prep homework is Sunday 20th October. Students will show their tutors their weekend homework on Monday 28th October during roll call. Failure to complete two pieces of homework over the weekend will result in five lunchtime intervention sessions of 20 mins.

For students in Yr 8-10 Autumn Term 2 prep homework will commence on Monday 4th November. This means that students have more time to revise for their KPI assessments taking place Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November.

For students in Yr 11 Autumn Term 2 prep homework will commence on Monday 18th November. This means that students will have more time to revise their mock exams taking place from Monday 4th November.

Mrs Cooper- Assistant Principal

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 - 28th October 2024 - Times table is 7

Accelerated Reading

Week beginning - 28th October 2024 - Period 3

Why we do what we do

Every year at Harvest time we ask students to make a donation for a local Food bank. We ask students to donate items with labels in the colour of their houses. We then take the food and year 7 down to the local church to reflect on how grateful we are for the food we have and think of those who aren't as fortunate.

Table Talk

At CRA we talk a lot about the 7Cs of resilience. Over the next 7 weeks we will write about each element. This week we are talking about contribution.

The 7 Cs of resilience

Originally developed for children and teenagers by US-based paediatrician Kenneth Ginsberg (2014), the 7 Cs of resilience can also be used in an adult context. They are:

  • 1. Competence – knowing how to handle situations effectively.
  • 2. Confidence – knowing you are competent.
  • 3. Connection – having close ties to family, friends and community.
  • 4. Character – having a fundamental sense of right and wrong.
  • 5. Contribution – contributing to your community, which can bring a sense of purpose.
  • 6. Coping – learning to cope with stress.
  • 7. Control – understanding that you can control the outcomes of your decisions.

Reflecting on how developed each of your son/daughter's Cs are can give you and them an insight into where they might need to do work on. For example, they might need to develop better coping strategies, or rebuild important personal connections that have slipped over time.

The Resilience doughnut

Lyn Worsley (2006) has developed a model for personal resilience that illustrates different factors of internal and external support using a clear and colourful image.

This model covers three internal and seven external factors. The internal factors are: I have (resources), I am (self-esteem) and I can (self-efficacy). The external factors focus on support from parents, skills acquired, family networks, education and relationships with teachers, peer friendships, community links and money, i.e. economic stability.

By identifying our strongest positive factors and reconnecting with those in times of crisis, the support and encouragement we receive can help us to be more resilient, providing a sense of purpose to help us recover, sustain and grow through a crisis.

Worsley goes on to suggest that resilient adults will have identified at least three strong factors which they can reconnect with during times of stress or crisis, enabling them to survive and thrive.

Week 6 Contribution – contributing to your community, which can bring a sense of purpose.

Young people want to matter. Ultimately, they want to have a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. When children and adolescents are given an opportunity to make a difference they also gain strong protections for themselves. They learn firsthand of the joy of giving. This means that ultimately when they need to receive from others they can do so without shame. Why? Because they’ll understand that the person supporting them does so out of pleasure not pity. When they contribute to other lives they gain appreciation. Youth surrounded by gratitude rather than condemnation thrive. Plus, they earn an extra set of protective eyes to watch over them.

Thinking Ahead – My Future, My Choice

Each week we will show you examples of the various careers linked to the subject you are studying. This week’s career idea is ‘Jobs related to english'

Mr Rees - Careers' Support

Attendance......

Attendance

As many of you will be aware from publicity in the press, and letters we have sent out previously, the government have significantly toughened the law in relation to school attendance and have now published revised guidance which has become mandatory from September 2024.

From September 2024, schools have to consider a penalty notice if a pupil misses 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. Half of a day (am or pm) is considered as a ‘session’. The threshold of 10 sessions can be met with any combination of unauthorised absence, for example, eight sessions of unauthorised holidays in term time and two sessions for other unauthorised reasons would trigger a penalty notice.

The ten school week period may span different terms or school years, for example: 2 sessions of unauthorised absence in the summer term and a further 8 in the autumn term.

National Framework for Attendance Penalty Notices (fines)

The new penalty notice regulations are:

  • Each parent will be issued a separate penalty notice, for each child who is absent. For example, 2 parents and 3 children, each parent will receive 3 penalty notices for £160 each, with a family total of £960 in fines.
  • The fine amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days, reduced to £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days.
  • The first penalty notice will be considered your first offence.
  • The next time an offence occurs, within 3 years of the date the first penalty notice is issued, the fine amount will be £160 per parent, per child paid within 28 days, with no reduction.
  • The third time an offence occurs this will be presented to Magistrate’s court for prosecution.

Where a child is absent, and it is believed they are absent without valid reason, we will carry out a home visit and see the child on or before the third school day of absence. If the absence meets the thresholds explained above, you will be issued fixed penalty notices as detailed above.

Please review any holiday plans you have for term time this year to ensure you are not issued with a penalty fine or prosecuted in the Magistrates’ court.

The above rules also apply to punctuality as registers must close at the end of our tutor period. Arriving to school after this time will result in an unauthorised absence. To enable our morning registration (AM) to begin promptly, we require all students to be on site for 8.40 a.m. This is the time your child must be in school, ready to be marked into registers (punctuality due to late buses will be coded accordingly). Therefore, we ask that you ensure your child arrives at 8.40 a.m. and they are with their tutor by 8.50 a.m. at the latest.

Your child must register with their tutor and attend P1 to ensure their ‘present’ marks are captured within the AM registration period. Your child must attend afternoon registration and P5 to ensure their ‘present’ marks are captured within the PM registration period. Even if your child is on site they will not be registered unless they are in their tutor room and classrooms and an unauthorised mark will be given. Ten unauthorised sessions in a ten school week period will result in a fixed penalty notice.

Pupils who attend school regularly will achieve higher grades than those pupils who don’t. In the summer of 2024 pupils at Charles Read Academy who had above 90% attendance achieved a grade and a half higher than those who are below this.

If you require any support or advice, please get in touch via email us on enquiries@charlesreadacademy.co.uk

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 kcoleman@charlesreadacademy.co.uk on 01476 550333 ext 515 or 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.

Mrs Coleman - Attendance Manager

Holiday Warning Letter

House News.

Harvest Festival Church Service

On Tuesday this week students in year 7 attended the Harvest Festival church service at St John the Evangelist Church in Corby Glen. Students and staff attend this service every year where we donate our Harvest Festival collections to the local foodbank. We are extremely proud of the CRA community for the ongoing continued support and generosity each year. This year has once again been extremely successful with Aqua, Caeli and Terra contributed a large volume of food items and household products to support those in need in the local community.

As part of the service led by Reverend Buckman, Tudor (Head Boy) and Phoebe (Head Girl) both delivered brilliant readings.

Thank you to all students, staff and wider families who contributed to the collection, your support is greatly appreciated.

House Pumpkin Carving Competition

Spooky season is fast approaching – start planning this years pumpkin carving ideas! Show off your creative skills by bringing in your carved pumpkins on Friday 1st November.

This competition is open to all students, staff and wider family members (mums, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents etc).

Challenge yourself and be creative – We have seen some excellent entries over the last few years and we are looking forward to seeing lots more this year!

Terra Spelling Bee Champions

The final house competition of term took place this week as students and staff took to the stage to take part in Spelling Bee. House teams went head-to-head in a number of ‘buzz in’ and whiteboard rounds testing their verbal and written subject specific vocabulary. The competition was very challenging with participants holding their nerves in front of a live audience. After some tough rounds the points were added up across the competition and it was Terra who came out on top. Caeli finished in 2nd place and Aqua in 3rd place.

The Sporting Post.

PE kit reminder - 2024/2025

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 2024-25

Academic Term Dates 2024-25

A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here