Message from the Executive Principal, Alastair O'Connor
The start of 2025 has been very busy and once again we have so much to celebrate with you. I hope you take the opportunity to read this newsletter celebrating the many achievements from across this half term.
On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team, have a relaxing half term break.
Paris Residential
This February 81 pupils and 10 staff set off on a 4 day adventure to Paris. BWA stayed at PGL Chateau de Grande Romaine and the first day explored Paris. Students Climbed the mammoth number of steps up the Eiffel Tower along with the steps to the Sacre Coeur.
We enjoyed a relaxing boat trip down the river Siene looking at some of the landmarks from the water and still had time to explore one of Paris’ Artist quarters.
Day 2 saw 91 very excited people set of to Disney land for the day where pupils enjoyed the rides, shows, parades, shops and finally the firework spectacular.
A great weekend had by all and Mr Wilkinson is already busy planning next years trip!
Romeo and Juliet
Several Year 8 and Year 9 students were lucky enough to have the opportunity to experience 'Romeo and Juliet' at Blackfriars Theatre on the 31st of January. Students were inspired by the theatre company who created a modern twist to the Shakespearean play.
Some of the students were lucky to be selected as part of the performance whereby a handful of year 9 girls were asked to dance, recite and perform several of the classic scenes.
Due to amazing engagement and superb behaviour 'Box Clever' encouraged us to book another one of their performances. This trip definitely ignited their passion for the play whereby enthusiasm and engagement within their English lessons have both continued to improve.
A Christmas Carol
'This half-term has also seen Year 9 to 11 pupils enjoy a live, in-school performance of 'A Christmas Carol' from the Quantum Theatre Company.
A truly amazing adaptation of Dickens' classic novella, and key GCSE text. Barnes Wallis Students were brilliantly behaved, enthusiastic and enjoyed every minute. A great opportunity enjoyed by all! Well done team BWA!
ST GEORGE Vs BWA
January saw our year 9 and 10 football teams visit St Georges secondary school in Ruskington. The year 9’s kicked off proceedings on the 20th with a 5-0 win; goals coming from, J. Brett and a hattrick from 'hero' E. Shaw. The year 10’s then took to the pitch on the 26th. Their match was a closely contested affair, which saw them come out on top as 2-1 winners: Goals coming from A. Eadsforth and B. Rodgers.
KEVI Vs BWA
January also saw our year 8 and 10 sides travel to KEVI in Spilsby. This was a 5 aside friendly for both year groups, unfortunately our year 8 side lost their match but gave everything until the final whistle. While our year 10’s came back victorious in a high scoring thriller. We are extremely proud of students and staff who participated in the fixture.
'FUTSAL' SUCCESS
Football successes. Year Seven and Nine football students came second in our Super Zone futsal tournament at Skegness. Well done BWA.
So far this term the pupils in years 7,8, and 9 have been participating in the football and rugby inter-house cup. The girls have been learning about various invasion games this term which in turn lead to the girl’s inter-house football cup. There has been some amazing skills, determination and sportsmanship on display through out all fixtures between the four houses.
The boys this term have been exploring rugby so far this term; during PE lessons they’ve been able to work on individual and team skills cumulating in the inter-house cup. A huge congratulations to all those who took part in the competition.
BWA V KEVI
Just before half term years 7 and 8, faced KEVI for a friendly match. Year 8’s started proceedings; KEVI looked a class side keeping possession well, but our girls where equally as good breaking up play. At the start of the second quarter BWA started the stronger of the two sides keeping possession and moving the ball with purpose. In the third quarter the year 8’s started to put pressure on KEVI with scoring 5 in the third quarter. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be our night as KEVI became very clinical in the last quarter; the year 8 match finished 9-16 to KEVI. S Simons and C King on the score sheet for BWA.
The year 7 game was a close affair; F Holmes dictated the court with great vision and pinpoint passes. In the second quarter the year 7’s scored their first of the night, thanks to S Dale. The third quarter neither team gave up meaning it all came down to the final quarter; in which E Stanton scored the year 7’s second of the night. The girls showed great determination and desire throughout and they should be very proud of themselves. The match finished 2-6 to KEVI.
Players of the match as voted by the opposition. Year 7- P Bontoft, Year 8 Sophie Simons.
February saw our under 13 and 15s girls travel to Newark to participate in the annual DRET girls football cup. The girls from both year groups faced extremely tough opponents in their groups. All who participated in the event showed true character in every minute of every match, but unfortunately luck wasn’t on their side. Barnes Wallis Academy had some outstanding performers during the event, M Thompson securing player of the day for the under 13’s and T Ray and M Martin for the under 15’s. A huge congratulations to A Hodgkinson and L Burns for scoring their first ever goals in the competition.
County Success
Earlier this term saw Barnes Wallis’s very own, A Eadsforth compete in the Lincolnshire Cross country Championships after he came in the top ten for his age category whilst racing in Louth in December. Since then, he has completed in the second round of the championships, hosted at Burrell house. Where he represented the region of Coastal and Wolds. A Eadsforth finished in a respectable 45th place out of over 100 participating in the event. A Eadsforth races again in March where he will represent the county. We wish him all the best going forwards.
BWA Under 15’s hit SGS for 100+ In the later stages of this term. The boys started fast, going 20-0 up in the early stages thanks to deep, driving runs from B Rodgers, and S Stedman. J Reed made it 25-0, with a powerhouse run from deep inside his own half. BWA continued to score try after try until the half time whistle; the first half finished 60-15. BWA continued to punish SGS until the final whistle. BWA seemed extremely solid in defence thanks to big tackles from L Ward and J Reed; L Woodhouse-Holland offered sparked attacks with his burst of electric pace. The match finished 110-35 to BWA; a truly outstanding performance from all those involved.
SEND Update
In the SEND department we continue to develop our intervention offer. This term the team have received training on Sensory Circuits.
We have started to roll this out for students and we have had some very positive student voice around this; students completing this are learning strategies to support self regulation. We were fortunate to be able to share our experience and success with other SEND departments in the Trust and other schools are now looking to replicate this practice.
At our last parent/ carer coffee morning it was suggested we put a session on to support parents / carers with understanding ADHD. We therefore invite parents 24th March 10:30am for this, and we are pleased that Anne Young from Family Action will joining us and signposting parents to the ADHD toolkit and the support it contains.
In addition we have our second round of SEND review meetings coming up next term and ask that you keep an eye out on mcas to arrange a time week commencing 31st March. We look forward to seeing you.
Art
This term we have been impressed with art homework from our key stage 3 pupils. Pupils were given a number of weeks to prepare an art work based upon a specific theme. Year 7 looked at the natural world , creating an art study based upon nature and animals.
Year 8 have been exploring the British landscape and were asked to create a response to a landscape of their choice, while year 9 have been investigating the theme of Art and Text, and were asked to redesign a cover of a book they know well.
Visit to the Albert Hall January 2025
In January, musicians from the National Youth Orchestra shared their passion for orchestral music at a concert for DRET Secondary school students at the Albert Hall in Nottingham. 50 Barnes Wallis students attended the concert and enjoyed the chance to be close to the action and to hear from individual instrumentalists talking about and demonstrating their instruments. 'I think seeing people my age do that is so inspiring and it makes me feel that anyone can play a musical instrument' (DRET student). It was a fantastic experience, which I'm sure, will lead to many students picking up orchestral instruments.
Singsation
It was wonderful to have the Barnes Wallis choir perform in front of 6 local primary schools in the Tattershall area on the 5th of February. Students performed at part of the Lincolnshire music services 'Singsation' programme and were just brilliant. We are so proud of our school choir and musicians.
We are delighted that out Choir is growing each week as well at our instrumental lessons. If you are interested in either, or want to join one of our many extra curricular activities please contact Mr Lane our music teacher.
Curriculum and Timetable Update
We are progressing with our plans to update the curriculum and timetable in preparation for the next academic year. These changes will include moving to a 30-period week, with lessons lasting 50 minutes and six lessons each day. This new structure will enable us to enhance our core provision at Key Stage 4, improving outcomes in English, maths and science while expanding opportunities for students to study separate sciences. The length of the school day, break and lunch will stay the same.
At Key Stage 3, we remain committed to offering a broad and balanced curriculum. We will continue our enrichment programme, ensuring students have the chance to explore a variety of activities and subjects beyond the standard curriculum, broadening their horizons and sparking new interests.
The final version of the proposed curriculum is still being carefully refined to ensure it supports both academic excellence and the holistic development of our students. We will share the new curriculum plan with parents and carers shortly.
We are confident that these curriculum and timetable updates will provide our students with the tools they need for greater success while nurturing their interests and aspirations.
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Year Nine, Ten and Eleven students have also had the opportunity to visit two of our local care homes Toray Pines and Bramalls to complete the community part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. A big well done for all their efforts and a big thank you to Mrs Girling and Heather McNeil for supervising these students.
MATHS CHALLENGE AND STEM
UK Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
On Wednesday 29th January, 63 students took part in the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge set by the UK Mathematics Trust.
The challenge takes 60 minutes and is made up of 25 multiple choice questions. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency to make students think. It is a big accomplishment to take part in the challenge and we are proud of all the students who took part.
We now have the results of the challenge with one student achieving gold, three achieved silver and 14 achieved bronze. 29% of the cohort achieving an award, out strongest results ever.
Special mentions to E Knowles best in year 9, C Mcclelland best in Year 10 and J Moffat best in school.
The next challenge with be for Years 7 and 8. This will take place on 1st May 2025.
STEM
Eleven of our best science year 8's participated in IET STEM challenge at Skegness Grammar School on the 11th February and were engineers for the day. Working in teams to design, build prototypes and present their ideas to the room. Whilst BWA did not win this year we were extremely proud of the brilliance and hopeful they will look at taking singles sciences into their GCSE's
Reading Programme
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 computer suites, 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. Positive impact of this:
1,972 hours of careful reading have taken place in just over 4 months.
1,112 books have been read on Sparx Reader in just over 4 months.
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 in School - 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.
If you are interested in supporting students with reading during tutor time, please contact the school.
Thank you for your continued support in helping our students develop their reading skills.
MENTAL HEALTH
Emotional regulation is crucial for leading a balanced and fulfilling life. It not only impacts our internal state but also how we relate to the world around us. Please see the information below to help at home.
Miss Calvert is always on hand for the students during the school day to have a chat.
Young Minds - Parents helpline Amazing support and advice for parents for Mental Health, Self Harm Etc
Mock Exams
After half term students in Year 11 will be sitting mock exams in the Main Hall
We would like to remind all students of the importance of bringing the correct equipment to each exam. This ensures they are fully prepared and able to perform their best.
Students must bring the following items to every exam:
- A clear, plain pencil case
- Two black pens
- Two pencils
- A 30 cm ruler
- A calculator they are familiar with using
- A protractor
- For some exams a highlighter may be useful
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.
We currently have a large amount of lost property which consists of clothing, shoes, water bottles and other items students have left behind. We will be displaying all the items in the foyer on Thursday 27th February. Parents are invited along to claim any items from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on that day.
If you have any second hand prom dresses or any suits that you can donate to our Year 11s for their prom which is taking place in June - thank you.
Dates for the diary
- 17th February to 21st February - Half Term Break.
- 24th February to 14th March - Year 11 Mock Exams
- 26th February - ASC (Governors) Meeting.
- 27th February - Lost Property displayed in foyer.
- 3rd March - National Offer Day for Year 6s.
- 6th March - Secondary Music Festival.
Follow us on @barneswallisacademy
Safeguarding during the Half Term 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.