CRA Newsletter 05.12.25 Half Term 2 - December 2025

SLT Update

With less than three weeks till Christmas, time is really flying by.  We have had lots to celebrate this week with the Year 9s football team winning 7-1 in their midweek fixture and two of our students winning medals at the Rowing Cup.  We are really proud of the aspiration that our students demonstrated in both of these events.  It was also lovely to accompany the Art and Drama trip to London and to take part in a Q&A with the cast of the Back to the Future Musical.  Our students conducted themselves impeccably and asked some great questions.  They received equally great answers, particularly around the resilience needed to be able to reach your dreams.  A message we hope will stay with our students for life.   I hope that you have a good weekend.

Miss Milligan, Principal

London

London Trip Success! Forty-one of our students enjoyed a fantastic trip to London, where they represented the school with outstanding behaviour and enthusiasm throughout the day. The group explored the Natural History Museum, with a select few also visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum to complete an art research task. In the afternoon, students attended Back to the Future: The Musical, which proved to be a highlight of the trip. They were even lucky enough to take part in a special Q&A session with members of the lead cast. Actors including C.J. Borger (Goldie Wilson) who very kindly organised the session for our students as well as the performers playing Doc, Lorraine, Marty, and George shared valuable insights into the life of an actor, offering inspiration and encouragement to our budding creatives. Overall, it was an enriching, enjoyable day that our students won’t soon forget! Miss Parker

SEN Department

Below is details of two upcoming Dyslexia Outreach workshops for parents and carers. The workshops are on-line and free to attend. A diagnosis of dyslexia is not needed to attend these. The Working with Schools to Support Your Child’s Learning in the spring term is open to parents and carers of children in primary, secondary or further education. The Transition Workshop in the summer term is aimed at parents and carers of pupils in Year 6, or Year 5.

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 - Noah H for Respect Noah has only been with us since September but he has been a fabulous addition to Caeli 9. As well as being an exceptionally diligent student, Noah is cheerful, polite and considerate. He is respect personified and although he will be too modest to say so himself, he is a wonderful role model around the academy. Thank you Noah! Terra - Abigail H for Courage For always being the loudest cheerer, keen to volunteer answers and give things a go! Aqua - Aleesha M for Respect For consistently showing respect around the school, respect for herself and her studies, for applying a wonderful attitude and mindset to learning, and also sharing her smile and kindness to all who encounter her.

Table Talk

How to cope with the urge to self-harm What works best will depend on how we are feeling and why we have the urge to self-harm. For this reason, the table on the next page shows tips for coping with different feeling and why we have the urge to self-harm. For this reason, the table below shows tips for coping with different feelings. Some of the tips below might not work for everyone but that’s ok. People should only try what they feel comfortable with.

Delaying self-harm Instead of trying to replace self-harm, you could also try to delay it. This can feel really hard, so try a small amount of time before building up to longer delays. For example, start by trying to wait 30 seconds before self-harming. If you can do this, then try waiting for a couple of minutes, then slowly increasing the time that you wait.

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.

From Monday 3rd November you will be able to see your child's attendance to school on the My Child At School App. We will also be launching a series of new competitions based around attendance to celebrate the resilience, ambition and aspiration many of our students demonstrate by being in every day.

Prizes will include:

• X Box controllers
• Skin care products
• Food items
• Non uniform days

This will be alongside our In it To Win Competition that pupils gain entry to every week that they are in for 100% of the days

You should not go to school with a fever or other high temperature, but you can attend if you have mild symptoms like a runny nose or slight cough, if you feel well enough to go. Although there are no longer specific rules for COVID-19 in schools, you should stay home if you are unwell.

When to stay home

• • High temperature: If you have a fever or a high temperature, you should stay at home.
• • Feeling unwell: If you are generally feeling unwell, it is best to stay home.

When you can go to school

• • Mild symptoms: You can go to school if you only have mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or a slight cough, and you feel well enough to attend.

Why this advice has changed

• • There is a low risk of COVID-19 to children and young people.
• • There are high vaccination rates in the population, which helps to reduce the risk.

At Charles Read Academy we follow the guidance from the NHS and Public Health England on whether your child should be in school.

This covers all the usual childhood illnesses. For more information click on the links below:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_infection_control_in%20schools_poster.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-with-symptoms-of-a-respiratory-infection-including-covid-19

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.

Holiday Warning Letter

The Sporting Post.

End of Year Sports Newsletter

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.