CRA Newsletter 15.11.2024 Half Term 2- November 2024

SLT Update

On Monday 11th, we held a wonderfully thought provoking assembly for Remembrance; Mr Simmons spoke about his experience working in the forces, Mrs Sharp and Miss Horseman led a wonderful rendition of Dona nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace) and the Reverand spoke about the message of peace. After the assembly we all walked as a school in silence to the war memorial in Corby Glen, where a trumpeter performed The Last Post, CRA Head Girl, Pheobe and Head Boy, Tudor lay the poppy wreath and we conducted a 2 minute silence to show our respect before returning to CRA in silence. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining, as were our students who conducted themselves showing all of our CRA values.

Miss King, Head of School

Prep Homework

As on Monday 4th November students in years 7-10 commenced with Autumn Term 2 prep homework. There are 7 pieces to be completed each week and these tasks should take a student approximately 30-40 minutes to complete.

Year 11 will commence with Autumn Term 2 prep homework after the mock exams.

All knowledge organisers and task sheets which students are required to use can be found on our school website under the Academy Information heading.

Two failed attempts at prep homework in one week will result in five 20 minute lunchtime interventions. All pieces completed will result in 5 house points for that individual student contributing towards their tutor group and house total.

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 - 18 November 2024 - Times table is 11

Accelerated Reading

Week beginning - 18 November 2024 - Period 1

Table Talk

Talking to Girls and boys...) about their periods

Some parents find it difficult to discuss this topic with their daughter. Boys also need to know about periods. Please find some guidance below from the NHS website.

Most girls start their periods when they're about 12, but they can start as early as 8, so it's important to talk to girls from an early age to make sure they're prepared.

Respond to questions or opportunities as they arise and do not be embarrassed. Periods are natural.

Talking about periods

Try to talk about periods as an ongoing process rather than a formal sit-down talk.

You can use TV ads for tampons, or buying period products at the supermarket, for example, to start the conversation about periods. Or simply ask your daughter what she already knows and go from there.

Use clear language, like "vagina". Emphasise that periods are completely normal and natural – they're part of growing up.

Boys also need to learn about periods. Talk to them in the same way as girls about the practicalities, mood changes that can come with periods, and the biological reason behind periods. It will keep them informed, as well as help them to understand about periods.

When a girl starts her periods it's a sign that her body is now able to have a baby. It's important that she also knows about getting pregnant and contraception.

The questions girls ask about periods

Here are some of the questions that you, as a parent, might get asked by girls about periods, with suggestions on how to answer them:

• How will I know when my periods are going to start?

Signs that your period is on its way are if you've grown underarm and pubic hair. Typically, you'll start your periods about 2 years after your breasts start growing. The average girl will get her first period around 12 years old, but it varies from person to person.

• Why have my periods not started yet?

Your periods will start when your body is ready. This is usually between age 8 and 17, or 2 years after your first signs of puberty.

Possible reasons for delayed periods include being underweight, doing lots of exercise (including dance, gymnastics and athletics), stress and a hormone imbalance.

See a GP if your periods have not started by age 15 (or 13 if you do not have any other signs of puberty). Your GP may suggest a blood test to check your hormone levels.

You may be referred to a specialist (usually a gynaecologist – a specialist in women's health) to find out what's causing your delayed periods and discuss any treatments that might help.

• How do I get ready for my first period?

Talk to your parent or another adult you trust about what you can expect before it actually happens.

It's a good idea to start carrying pads or tampons around with you in advance.

If you find yourself at school without a pad or tampon, ask a teacher or the school nurse for some.

• How long will my first period last?

Your first period might not last very long, as it can take your body some months to get into a regular pattern. As a general rule, once they're settled, you'll have a period every 23 to 35 days and it will last 2 to 7 days.

• How much blood will I lose?

It might seem a lot, but it's only about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons). It's not a sudden gush – you'll just see a reddish-brown stain on your pants or on your sheets when you wake up in the morning.

• What if period blood leaks through my clothes?

There are ways of covering up stains until you're able to change your clothes, such as tying a sweatshirt around your waist. Keep a spare pair of pants and tights at school or in your bag.

• Should I use pads, tampons, menstrual cups or period underwear?

This is up to you. Tampons, menstrual cups, disposable or reusable pads (towels) and period underwear are safe and suitable if you've just started your period. You might want to use pads for your very first period as tampons and cups can take some getting used to. It might be worth experimenting until you find the product that suits you best.

• Can a tampon get lost inside me?

No, it can't. When you insert a tampon, it stays in your vagina. All tampons come with a string at one end that is designed to stay outside your body. You can remove the tampon at any time using this string.

• What if I forget to remove my tampon?

If you forget to remove your tampon, it can turn sideways or become compressed at the top of your vagina. This can make it difficult for you to pull it out. If you think you've left a tampon in and you can't get it out, go to your GP or nearest sexual health clinic. They can remove it for you.

Further reading for girls

• "Susan's Growing Up" is a picture book about periods that has been specially developed for people with learning disabilities. It's from the Books Beyond Words series from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

• "The Period Book: Everything You Don't Want to Ask (But Need to Know)" by Karen Gravelle, and published by Piatkus, is a well-known book for any girl approaching puberty. It explains what to expect and how to cope with periods.

Attendance......

Attendance – Term 2, Week 3.

Year 10 have ended the week in first place for overall attendance, well done year 10. Year 7 finish in 5th place.

The boys have had a great start to the year in 1st place beating the girls by 3.8%.

Caeli have finished first with the highest overall attendance this week, beating Terra by 0.4%, well-done Caeli! Special mention for Caeli 9 who have achieved 100%, excellent effort.

Whilst there has been a large increase of absences due to tummy upset, headaches and sore throats, please remind students the importance of hand washing and the following precautions as we are now spending more time indoors in smaller spaces with winter illnesses.

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

Table Tennis

Diego and Ryan claim titles at Grantham 4*

Last weekend Diego won the U15 band 2 event at the Grantham 4*, Ryan followed this up having some excellent performances winning the U15 boys main event.

Well done to both boys.

Prithvi was named as player of the weekend for showing some great performances as well as brilliant sportsmanship.

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