SLT Update
Exams for Year 11 have begun in earnest this week and it has been great to see the resilience they are showing in coping with the exam nerves. Many of the staff have commented on the ambition and aspiration they are showing. All of us at CRA wish them the best of luck for the coming weeks. Have a lovely weekend
Miss Milligan, Principal
My Child At School App (MCAS)
Please find below instructions to set up the MCAS app if you do not already have it. If it asks for a school ID code then use 11582.
Steps to Setup the MCAS Parent App:
- Download: Search for "MyChildAtSchool" in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and install.
- Registration/Sign Up: Upon launching, select the "Sign Up" option, enter the school's postcode or School ID, and select the school from the list.
- Verify Credentials: Enter your email address that is registered with your child’s school. You will receive a one-time passcode to verify your account.
- Set PIN: Create a 5-digit PIN for quick access, and set up biometrics (fingerprint/face ID) if prompted.
- Login: For future access, use your email and password, the magic link, or the PIN.
Bromcom – Documentation Centre +3 Key Considerations:
- School Registration: The school must have linked your email to the student's records, and "Self Sign Up" must be enabled by them.
- Notifications: Ensure you allow Push Notifications when prompted during installation to receive updates.
- Multiple Children: The app supports multiple children from the same school under one account.
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 - Alfie F for Respect Alfie is such a ray of sunshine! He is an unstintingly cheerful presence around school and always puts a spring in my step. He is incredibly polite and respectful with teachers, but also has conversations with us that are so warm and engaging that you cannot help but be cheered up by them. His jokes are getting better, and Alfie has learned how and when to crack them. Mrs Miller-Brown might have said 'Finney, not funny' back in Year 7, but I can definitely say now, 'Finney, you are funny!'. Terra - Ryan P for Aspiration He always works so diligently and is a model student in the fact that he will proactively seek feedback to make his work better even when it is already at a very high standard. His thorough and mature approach to his enterprise assignment has absolutely bowled me over. A perfect example of a student who seeks feedback for improvement and not someone who simply sits and waits for the answer. Aqua - Zack T for Resilience Every single day Zack makes the right choices and has done for the last 5 years. He’s a model student and a role model to the younger years.
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 11 May 2026 - 9
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning 11 May 2026 - Period 4
Voluntary Police Cadets
The Volunteer Police Cadets is a nationally recognised, police uniformed youth group, open to teenagers from all backgrounds aged between 13 and 18. It aims to promote a practical understanding of policing, to encourage the spirit of adventure and good citizenship and to inspire young people to participate positively in their communities. In Lincolnshire our cadets are supported by police officers, police staff, and adult volunteers who give their time to share their knowledge and expertise of policing and their local communities. Cadet sessions are run every Wednesday evening during school term times at the following police stations across Lincolnshire: Lincoln, Boston, Bourne, Spalding, Grantham and Skegness. Please find enclosed a leaflet to promote our upcoming recruitment campaign which opens April 1st and closes on May 13th, 2026.
Attendance.
Celebrating Good Attendance Attendance figures being communicated through weekly whole school assemblies. Competitions between tutor groups and between houses to have the best attendance through our Houseopoly game Tutor attendance weekly competition in which groups are awarded cards to place on their challenge board. Each completed board results in a prize. By awarding certificates to individual children who have 100% for each term. Individual attendance challenge cards which result in rewards when targets have been met. A Year 11 Buddy system which rewards students who reach their targets with their buddy. By awarding academy certificates to individual children who get 100% attendance for the whole academic year (September to July). Celebrating and rewarding the success of those who have gained the most improved attendance throughout the academic year. Regular communication through MCAS congratulating parents and students on their individual and/or form group attendance success.
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
CRA Baller League Launch
We are excited to have launched our very own version of ‘Baller League’ at CRA, with students representing their very own teams in weekly fixtures. Over 70 students across each year group have signed up to new lunchtime initiative which started this week. Players were assigned teams, before creating their very own team names and logos which they will represent over the next seven weeks in a league competition. The competition is a 3 v 3 format providing students with more opportunity to play competitive football. Team managers will be allocated their fixtures each week with players ready to play on time. 3 points are awarded for each win, with 1 point for a draw. The team with the highest points total at the end of the season will be crowned CRA Ballers League Champions. The competition is split into two separate competitions with year 7 & 8 students competing in one league and year 9 to 11 students competing in another league. The first round of fixtures took place on Thursday and Friday this week, with ‘Scottys United’ topping the league table at the end of the first week. Keep an eye out for the next update when all clubs will have played at least one fixture.
House Rocket League This years gaming competition got underway this week, with house teams going head-to-head in a Rocket League competition on the big screen in the main hall. Each tutor group selected two players to team up as a duo before battling it out for the 250 house points. Terra got off to a flying start, winning the year 7 competition before Caeli dominated the year 8 and year 9 competitions to take the overall lead. The year 10s will complete the competition towards the end of this term, with a full set of results to follow!
House Rounders Competition House competitions continue next week, with the first sporting competition of the summer term. This competition is open to students in years 7 to 10. The competition will take on Wednesday 13th May and Students require trainers to take part.
CRA Fantasy Premier League Latest The Premier League season is quickly approaching the end of the season, with just 3 game weeks remaining. Terra are currently out in front and sit in both 1st and 2nd place in the league table which could secure some incredibly valuable points in their attempt climb the house championship leaderboard. The Gamesmaker sits 9th place trying to limit the number of players finishing in a higher position to avoid issuing to many bonus house points at the end of the season. A number of managers still have those all important game chips to use, which could make all the difference in the coming weeks. Good luck to all players!
External Sports Coaches
We wanted to share a quick overview of the external coaches who support our PE and enrichment programme here at Charles Read Academy. Louis Bland – Louis is the Head Coach for Grantham Town Football and holds a UEFA B qualification. He joins us most Thursdays to deliver small group sessions, as well as lunchtime and after-school football clubs for our students. We are very fortunate to have Louis working with us, so please do say hello if you see him around school. Olly Tyndall – Olly has been part of Charles Read for some time and leads our Table Tennis Scholar Programme. He coaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays and also supports additional sessions when scholars have upcoming competitions. Olly is a UKCC Level 2 coach, an England coach, and the lead coach at the Grantham College Table Tennis Academy. He plays a key role in the success of our table tennis provision and is always happy to chat (especially about football!). We are incredibly lucky to have such experienced and dedicated coaches supporting our students and helping to enhance our sporting provision.
The Sporting Post.
We are delighted to invite you to the biggest sporting event of the year, the DRET Summer Cup! This year, our annual event will take place on Wednesday 1st July and brings our 11 secondary and 25 primary academies together to compete across 7 sports, and 9 competitions, with the aim to be crowned champions!
We’ll be joined by an incredible line-up of elite athletes, making this a truly unmissable event. It promises to be a spectacular celebration of sporting excellence across the Trust, and we’d love you to be part of it by coming along to support the Charles Read Academy team on the day. Refreshments can be purchased in the leisure centre cafeteria, with other light refreshments available. This year the Tennis will be off site, at the fantastic venue of Grantham Tennis Centre, Gonerby Road, NG31 8HU between 11:30 – 14:30. To enable us to reserve car parking and speed up registration on the day, please RSVP by pressing ctrl, and clicking on this invite by 30th June 2026, and completing the form. We hope to see you there.
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 below latest term dates.
A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here
Credits:
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