Easter Newsletter

Welcome to Redmoor Academy’s Spring Term 2026 Newsletter.

As a very busy Spring Term draws to a close and we look ahead to the clocks going forward, lighter nights and the potential of better weather, it always creates a feeling of positivity and hope. This is so important for humanity and especially so in the modern world. I am always drawn to the words of Michelle Obama on this subject:

This sentiment and belief is incredibly apt for us all but especially relevant to us in education as we plan ahead to the next academic year whilst ensuring the remaining Summer Term is enjoyable, productive, stimulating and supportive for our students. Applications for Year 7 to start in August 2026 continue to be well over 500 and we are honoured to remain the school of choice in this area. Congratulations to the 224 students who were successful in obtaining a place and we can’t wait to get you started. As such, during the last 11 weeks, we have made decisions and plans to create the environment for what should happen at Redmoor going forward. These include:

• The opening our our magnificent new sports Hall to students (more on this later)
• The appointment of Mrs Nichols as our new Head of School to start in the new academic year, reflecting our size increase and changes to our responsibilities.
• The appointment of Mrs Sharpe as Vice Principal to start in September.
• As part of our continued expansion, the recruitment of some incredible new teachers in Science, Maths, Geography, French, Art & Design and Music.

For our Year 11 students, the start of the Summer Term also signals their impending GCSE exams. They have been excellent in preparing for these, sitting mock exams in November and February and attending revision and intervention sessions. The Easter break will see a schedule of additional and free revision classes taking place, and also provides a key period of time for students to independently  revise the huge amount of knowledge they need for each subject they study. Good luck Year 11. We are also preparing for some significant changes to the education system as a whole with the last term seeing a raft of new policies and education bills from the Government. Changes to performance measures, the curriculum we teach and the way students with additional needs are funded and supported have all been outlined. It is very early days in terms of change and we are ensuring we are fully informed before we make decisions on how this affects our school and our students.  One significant change we are planning for now is the decision of the UK Government to implement a nationwide mobile phone ban in all schools. Linked to concerns over access to social media and a potential Under 16 ban as in Australia, schools have been directed to become “phone free” as soon as possible, including at social times. At Redmoor, we have explored this issue regularly and thoroughly over the years and, whilst we recognise the role these devices play in our modern lives, share concerns around the amount of time young people (and adults!) spend on their phones and the harmful effects social media can have. We are working on our procedures to become phone free and will communicate this fully to all parents in the Summer Term, with changes ready to be implemented in the final half term before we finish the academic year, so please wait for these to be communicated before getting in touch. We return on Monday April 13th for a very busy Summer Term, with GCSE exams, welcoming our newest students for Year 6 induction days and of course, Year 10 will have their work experience week and Key Stage 3 their REC week with lots of exciting trips, visits and experiences planned.  We are extremely proud of what we achieve at Redmoor Academy and will continually strive to keep improving to ensure we continually provide an excellent education for our students to provide them with the skills, qualifications and knowledge that will allow them to be successful and happy in all they do.  Have a lovely Easter break with family and friends.

Matt Nicolle - Principal

It Has Been a Busy Term for Sport!

It has been a busy term for sport at Redmoor. In Cross Country, Year 7’s Arron placed 10th and qualified for the National finals on March 21st, while Hannah (Year 10) finished 19th after returning from injury. Year 8 trampolinists Brandan and Amber also impressed at the zonal schools competition, finishing 10th and 19th respectively after moving up in levels and age groups. In the pool, our KS3 team won the Hinckley & Bosworth Schools Swimming Gala, while our Year 7 team secured an impressive second place out of eight schools. On the pitch, the Year 7 football team reached the County Cup semi-finals through hard work and resilience. Finally, the Year 11 football team made history by reaching the National Cup quarter-finals, ranking them among the top eight schools in the country.

March Attendance Challenge

We have again launched the attendance challenge to help students focus on improving their attendance through the month of March and those who are successful will be rewarded with house points. There will also be some additional prize draws after Easter with the lucky winners receiving queue jump passes and “chips for 2” vouchers. Well done to Year 7 who have the highest attendance in school. Keep attending! Attendance matters: Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!

Young Carers

There are estimated to be over one million young carers aged up to 18 in the UK, with many as young as 5 years old. Data from a recent Opinium survey, released today, shows the caring responsibilities taken on by young carers:

• More than one in five (22%) regularly have to get up in the night to help the person they care for;
• One in five (19%) give first aid and have to speak to doctors and other professionals on behalf of those they look after;
• Almost half of young carers (44%), including a third aged 11 or under, have responsibility for giving medicine while one in 10 (12%) help with the family bills and money.

The same research found almost half (44%) of young carers spend as much as 3-4 hours a day on their caring role, severely restricting the time they have for homework. If you think you are a young carer or your child is please contact Mr Kimber. Young carers have all been invited to a google classroom where I am regularly posting things for them and encouraging them to come to me if they have problems. Our Young carers group has met twice and will be doing so again soon at the request of the students.  Remember Young carers if you need anything or want to talk come and see me. The link below is a worth a looking at bas well to see what support you might be able to get. https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/social-care-and-supporting-families/help-for-young-carers/how-to-tell-if-youre-a-young-carer

Mr Kimber

REC Week Update: Excitement is Building!

We are thrilled to share that our first REC week preparation session on Friday, March 13th, was a resounding success! The energy among the students was fantastic, and the excitement for our upcoming adventures in June is officially contagious. To keep this momentum going, please take note of the following key dates and reminders: Residential Parent Information Evening: We will host a session specifically for residential trips on Thursday, May 7th (6-7pm). This is a great opportunity to get all the finer details and ask any questions you may have. Final Student Prep: Our final preparation session for students will take place on the Friday immediately preceding REC week. Payment Schedule: To ensure everything remains on track, please double-check that your REC payments are up to date. The next installment is due March 31st, with the final balance due by April 30th. Thank you for your continued support in making this a memorable experience for our students!

Duke of Edinburgh Update

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program is thriving, with participants showing great dedication during weekly after-school training sessions. Students have already mastered essential survival skills, including first aid, tent pitching, and the safe use of camping stoves, and are currently focusing on route plotting and map-reading. It is also fantastic to see such strong progress across the Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections as many students near completion. To avoid a backlog of administration, participants are reminded to upload evidence to their eDofE profiles regularly and submit Assessor’s Reports upon finishing a section. Detailed guidance and templates are available on the DofE Bronze 2025-2026 Google Classroom. Please note the upcoming key dates: the expedition training day is scheduled for Saturday, May 9th, followed by the assessed expedition from Saturday, June 6th to Sunday, June 7th.

Year 7

We have just held our most recent awards assembly for year 7 to recognise and celebrate all the hard work and dedication that is consistently being shown by the whole year 7 cohort. We have over 100 students who have 0 behaviour points and year 7 have the highest attendance of any year group for the current academic year! Students were placed into draws to win Amazon vouchers, chips for two and the coveted queue jump passes. I am pleased to share that Matilda Bradshaw was this term's winner of the ‘cake of Achievement’ for her continued display of her three R’s as well as her commitment to extracurricular activities. Matilda always tries her best and goes above and beyond in everything she does-Well done Matilda! Time has really flown by and after the Easter break there are only 11 working weeks left of year 7! (excluding REC week and school holidays). It is very important we keep the momentum up, keep improving your ‘three Rs’ of respect, responsibility, and resilience and continue to try your best every day and make every second count Well done year 7 - Mrs Jenkins and Mrs Green are extremely proud of each and every one of you!

Art Bytes Competition - Vote Now!

We are excited to be taking part in Art Bytes, a national art competition celebrating young people’s creativity. Our school has three shortlisted finalists, and we now invite parents and carers to vote for their favourite from our top 3 entries.

The public vote is open from Friday 20th March to Sunday 19th April. Cast your vote here: https://artbytes.co.uk/browse-schools/ The winning artwork from each school will be featured in the Art Bytes Virtual Gallery, and schools with the most votes could receive a Community Engagement Award. Every vote makes a difference—thank you for supporting our young artists!