SLT Update
This week Mrs Burrell spoke to our students in whole school assembly about mental health and how ensuring we remain active both physically and mentally can support our good mental health. Mr Webb then spoke about the preparations for Summer Cup which will soon be here next term. We also have an Opera trip at the start of next term to London. Our CRA diet is so enriching for our students, and we ask you to encourage your child to get involved in as many opportunities as possible. On Thursday we had a PSHCE drop down day for KS3, where Wayne Stevenson ran sessions for all years on RSE. The day was a real success and ended with Wayne also delivering CPD to our staff, to ensure we deliver the best tutor led PSHCE sessions to support your child(ren).
Miss King, Head of School
Teen Support
We wanted to share some information with you as what seems to be a new trend on TikTok.
The trend is to take large amounts of anti histamine tablets which causes severe drowsiness. Young people take them as they consider it makes them 'chilled'.
Overdoses can occur by taking as little as three or more tablets and can be made worse by mixing brands
There can be some severe side effects including:
- uncontrollable sneezing
- Raspatory problems
- increased heart rate
- blurred vision
- nausea
- vomiting
- confusion
- loss of balance
More serious complications include hallucinations, seizures and coma.
Character
This week Years 7,8,9 had their RSE session with Stevenson Training. All students involved approached the topics discussed with sensitivity and respect. Mr Stevenson was very impressed with all of our students, emailing to say 'All the year groups were brilliant. Very enthusiastic about RSE. There was great support from staff throughout the day.'
Year 11
PROM
PROM will be held on the 27th June 2025 from 6.45pm-10.30pm at the Academy. A letter has been sent to all year 11 parents via MCAS today.
Revision
Please follow this link to a revision letter from Miss Brealey to support our year 11 students.
Maths Department
Each week, our students at CRA, complete maths questions for their homework on Sparx. Some students answer additional questions, further increasing their mathematical 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.
This weeks Sparx Stars are
- Eliza I - Year 8
- Tiana B - Year 10
- Alfie C - Year 7
Why We Do What We Do
At CRA we poverty proof our equipment list. Some schools will require you to bring in items such as whiteboards and whiteboard pens, highlighters and coloured pencils etc… At CRA we just list six items: 2 black pens, 1 pencil, a ruler, a rubber and a purple pen.
The importance of the ruler!
To finish off this mini-series about the CRA 6, our poverty proofed equipment list, a simple justification for the ruler. In last week’s newsletter we explained we needed the pencil and a rubber for drawing diagrams and often the diagrams will be graphs or designs that need neat straight lines and the ruler is necessary for those. In addition to this we talk to the students about making their books Revision Ready. That includes setting out the work clearly and neatly, with headings and sub-heading with those all underlined so that when the student comes to revise they clearly know which section of information relates to what.
When we revise from a neat book our mind can feel more tidy and less cognitively overloaded, and anything that helps us read
Table Talk
As we hit the exam season and the tests for KS3 and Year 10 mocks please take some time this week to discuss the benefits of revision.
We’ve all been there, rushing to finish an essay, a project, or prep for an exam, hitting “submit” or walking away the moment we’re done. But here’s a secret that top performers in every field swear by:
revision is where real progress happens.
Whether you’re a student, a writer, or just trying to improve your knowledge, taking the time to revise transforms your learning.Here’s how:
- 1. Deepens Understanding When you revise, you're not just repeating—you’re refining. Revisiting material helps you connect ideas, spot gaps in knowledge, and reinforce what you know, turning surface-level learning into long-term mastery.
- 2. Sharpens Critical Thinking Revision encourages reflection. You begin to ask better questions: Is this argument clear? Is this evidence strong? Can I explain this in my own words? It’s a process that naturally strengthens analysis and reasoning skills.
- 3. Reduces Mistakes Proofreading and re-checking calculations or concepts helps catch errors you didn’t notice the first time. It’s not about perfection—it’s about clarity and accuracy.
- 4. Builds Confidence Nothing beats the confidence of being well-prepared. When you’ve gone over material multiple times, you’re less likely to panic in exams or presentations. Revision gives you a solid foundation to perform at your best.
- 5. Improves Memory Retention The more often you return to information, especially using active recall or spaced repetition, the more likely it is to stick. Revision reinforces memory by anchoring knowledge in different contexts and formats.
Tip of the Week: Make revision a habit don't wait for the night before a test. Set a regular revision schedule, break topics into chunks, and try using flashcards, mind maps, or practice questions. Small, consistent reviews beat last-minute cramming every time.
Revision isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential. It turns effort into excellence, confusion into clarity, and stress into self-assurance.
Please take time to talk to your children and encourage them to revise
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 - 19 May 25 - Times table is 6
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning - 19 May 2025 - Period 1
Attendance.
Please may we remind you that absences for increment weather will not be authorised, unless the school is closed.
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 Gladiators
We are extremely excited for House Gladiators next week at CRA, as students and staff represent their house in a number of ‘Gladiator’ style events. As seen on TV, students and staff will go head to head in Duel, Powerball and the Gauntlet Run. There is plenty of opportunity to represent your house in this competition, with students participating in all three events. Register your interest with heads of house and tutors as soon as possible to avoid missing out. The staff line up for the competition will be revealed in assembly on Monday.
Terra NOW Music Quiz Champions
Congratulations to Terra who won the House NOW Music Quiz on Wednesday. Teams of five (years 7 to 10 plus a member of staff) represented their respective house teams across three rounds on the main stage. Participants were quizzed on their musical General knowledge, artist & song knowledge and ability to complete the lyrics. The competition consisted of 30 questions with competition points accumulated across each round, for each correct answer. Terra accumulated the highest points total across the three rounds by a distance to secure victory and earn 125 house points. Well done to everyone who took part.
House Photography Results.
We are pleased to announce the winner of the House Photography competition (House Elements). Participants were challenged to capture as many of the house (Aqua, Caeli & Terra) elements (water, weather and landscape) within their photos before submitting a maximum of 5 entries. With over 150 entries, the standard was high making judging extremely difficult. Congratulations to Skye S (Aqua) who was selected as this years champion, following a round of judging by head of school Miss King. Photos were judged anomalously. Well done to Cali (Aqua) and Alfie (Terra) who were awarded 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Kaelen (Calei) also received bonus points for his excellent entry.
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
A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here
Credits:
Created with images by Michael Möller - " 9. July 2025" • pngking - "A close-up view of oval-shaped white tablets scattered from a dark bottle onto a shiny black surface, emphasizing issues." • Color Pixel Lana - "Fundraising event banner held by volunteers, daytime setting" • Philip - "Class of 2025, word lettering script banner. Congrats Graduation lettering with academic cap. Template for design party high school or college, graduate invitations." • patpitchaya - "Mathematics" • Uuganbayar - "Wooden blocks with words 'Are you ready?'." • Artur - "Handwriting text writing Let S Is Talk. Conceptual photo suggesting in the beginning of a conversation on the topic Stationary placed next to a cup of black coffee above the wooden table" • 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"