Lodge Park Academy's Newsletter – Summer Term
Dear Families We pride ourselves at Lodge Park Academy on championing the physical and psychological well-being of every member of our family. Mental Health Awareness week starts on Monday 11th May and we echo its individual target of finding
“your one thing to boost your mental health. Choose one positive action that works for you”.
Awareness is vital, but real change comes when we take action, further supported by our assemblies and tutor group activities. Catherine, Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton) argued that
“We have seen that two heads are better than one when dealing with a mental health problem”.
And what better way to strengthen this process than widen the scale and scope of our discussions and the number of ‘heads’ involved.
Our week is also framed by the International Day of Families on Friday 15th May. The theme of this year’s observance is “Families, Inequalities and Child Well-being”, which underscores how widening inequalities are shaping family life and influencing children’s futures. The importance of wellbeing is a running narrative between the two events and one that the academy wants to share and promote with all of its stakeholders. The American politician and lawyer Brad Henry proposed
“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter”.
The Lodge Park family strives to instil our learners with the same ambition and resolve to scale these lofty peaks. House Tug-of-War continues to unite our students in healthy competition, but there is a new soundtrack to accompany their endeavours. Our House tourney sees the introduction of a Music Quiz to test their craniums, crotchets and choral awareness. So, to appropriate the words of the Bard – and harmonise with our well-being lyrics –
“If music be the food of love, play on”.
Best Wishes,
Lodge Park Academy Leadership Team
Why We Do What We Do
House Assemblies bring a sense of belonging for our students, and our four Houses bring together one community at Lodge Park Academy. This last week during our House assemblies we embedded the following so that all students are on the same page of understanding of Why We Do What We Do .......... This week our assemblies focused on Respect and Resilience.
By focusing on the small details and never letting them slip, we can make sure that big issues do not arise. Sweating the small stuff shows that we care and makes the bigger goals easier to manage. Sometimes people will say – “Don’t sweat the small stuff” – but what they mean is if, for example, someone spills a drink, stubs a toe or gets a flat tyre on their bike they mustn’t let it ruin their whole day. But “sweating the small stuff” such as impeccable uniform, being on time to lessons, and being organised with equipment (LPA6) - this is vital, because it establishes consistency, fosters a respectful learning environment, and prevents minor disruptions from escalating into major behavioural issues. Addressing these details early ensures students maximize lesson time and helps teachers and students alike maintain high standards, creating a stable atmosphere where learning is prioritized.
Broken windows theory proposes that visible signs of disorder, such as graffiti, damage, litter, can create an environment that encourages even more serious crime and antisocial behaviour. In short, if small problems are ignored, bigger ones tend to follow. A broken window acts as a sign that "no one cares," which encourages further neglect. Research, such as studies on graffiti, found that when this is visible, the rate of other anti-social behaviour (like littering) doubled. By fixing small issues, we show pride in our school e.g. shirts tucked in, underlining the date and title in exercise books, top button done up, no coats on indoors, etc
Uniform: brings us together. It’s less about an image to worry about whilst in school Pride: Taking pride in your work makes it easier to revise in 5 years (or 5 weeks!) time. Beautiful facilities: Keeping the toilets clean and damage free is a healthier and more pleasant environment for all.
LPA - Sporting Round Up
Year 8 and 9 - District Athletics
This week saw our over 60 Year 8 & 9 students represent Lodge Park at the District Athletics where they competed against the other secondary schools in Kettering and Corby. Everyone did incredibly well with students finishing in the top 5 in 29 different events.
Special mention goes to the following for winning their respective events:
- Chloe R - High Jump
- Nicolas - Hurdles
- Noah - Discus
- Year 9 Girls - Relay Team
Overall positions for the day:
- Year 8 Girls finished 2nd
- Year 8 Boys finished 6th
- Year 9 Girls finished 4th
- Year 9 Boys finished 3rd
We are incredibly proud of all our students that represented Lodge Park at the Corby Triangle Athletic Stadium.
Year 10 Rounders
On Tuesday our Year 10 girls took part in their first Rounders competition of the year. The girls work well as a team with some great catches coming from Nixie. The girls won both their games against Prince William and CTS.
Litter picking in our local community - Week 2
Another eager group of Year 7 students went out into the local community again this week taking part in our Litter Picking initiative aimed at improving the environment in our local area. This effort is not just about cleaning up our streets and green space - it is about building a stronger, more responsible, and more connected community. Litter has a significant impact on the appearance and health of our neighbourhood. By coming together to address this issue, our students and staff make a visible difference while raising awareness about the importance of caring for their surroundings. Before departing on this initiative we went through our trip rules to ensure we kept safe. This involved our movements together whilst out in the community, wearing their hi-vis jackets, protective gloves and using their litter-picking tool to avoid direct contact with objects and what not to pick up e.g. sharp objects
This initiative provides a valuable opportunity to develop a sense of responsibility and pride in their local area. By actively participating, they will gain a deeper understanding of environmental issues and the role they can play in making positive change. It also encourages teamwork, leadership, and a sense of ownership over these local spaces. Let’s take pride in our community and work together to keep it clean!
DRET Summer Cup 2026
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 Lodge Park 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 coping the link and pasting into your URL on the invite below by 30th June 2026, and completing the form. We hope to see you there.
Attendance Update
We would like to share our weekly Attendance milestones with our parents. Whilst sharing the milestones for House Tutor groups, we are proud to share with you the amazing students who have 100% attendance at the Academy, year to date. It is never too late to improve your child's attendance. If you have any questions regarding your child's attendance, please feel free to contact the Attendance Team at the Academy. attendance@lodgeparkacademy.co.uk
Seneca - Term 5
Once again we have not only maintained our position at the top but smashed our performance. This week has seen a new HIGH in the amount of work that is being undertaken by our students. Thank you to all our students who have made the consistent choice of Seneca for their study - Choice not Chance and Thank you to our tutors whose aspirations for our students is driving this thirst to learn.
Once again we have blown all-comers within the Trust out of the water. Lodge Park sit proudly at the top of the league with DRET, demonstrating that our students are just as hungry to learn, just as willing to put in the hours of independent learning and just as eager to achieve and make progress.
Once again some new names on the boards this week - Seneca Independent learning welcomes all that choose study as a choice. Thank you all very much for supporting your child with their Seneca Independent Learning.
Mr M McGeown - Vice Principal
Literacy Spotlight: DEAR (Drop everything and read)
‘’Each time a child reads can offer small one-percent gains which accumulate slowly over time to establish a wealth of literacy knowledge and skills in the long run.’’ (Quigley, 2026) We believe that reading is not only fundamental to academic success but is also vital for personal development. Research suggests that there is a strong relationship between reading and empathy; reading helps pupils discover and relate to different experiences, viewpoints and lives. To ensure every student can succeed, we gift 20 minutes of curriculum time to pupils each day for independent reading. To create a communal experience of reading, every KS 3 class will take part in DEAR during the same period each day. During DEAR, pupils read a book from the library which they have selected based on their current ZPD level. This means that the text is simultaneously accessible and challenging ensuring that pupils feel successful in their reading. We are inviting pupils to take part in our ‘LPA Readers recommend’ initiative. Pupils can collect a book review template from the library and complete based on their DEAR book (or any other book they feel others might enjoy) Students must have a reading book with them as part of their equipment – these can be collected from the library.
DRET Musician of the Year 2026 Launch
Our annual competition for our young instrumentalists has launched this week, and all our instrumental players are invited to take part! There are 3 categories (foundation, intermediate and advanced) where the focus is how musically students play rather than the technical difficulty alone.
Last year, we very nearly won the highly coveted, title of 'DRET Musician of the Year' with excellent performances from Year 11 alumni Jennie and current Year 12 Richard.
Help is on hand from the music team, including making a good quality recording, and the closing date for entries is 19th June. Please encourage your young musician to get involved, and good luck!
Mrs Olner - Director of Music
Music Clubs
We have two new clubs which will be run by Mrs Della Torre starting this week (w/c4th May): Girls Sing! will take place in G10 on Wednesday morning tutor times and Boys Sing! will take place in G10 on Friday mornings. No need to go to line up as we will register you in G10. As the names suggest, these are specifically girls only and boys only choirs. They are both non-auditioned, lots of fun and singing is good for your health! Please encourage your young person to come along.
Mrs Olner - Director of Music
House Tug of War Champions
House teams went head-to-head in Tug of War at LPA this week in another exciting and competitive House competition. Throughout the week students in years 7 to 10 showcased their strength and power in the battle to be crowned Tug of War champions. The competition was that close it went down to the final day, with Kestrel, Osprey and Goshawk all in with a shot of being crowned champions. It was Red Kite however who had the final say on the final day to win the Year 7 & 8 competition, creating a three-way overall tie across the competition. There was nothing to split Goshawk, Kestrel and Osprey after points were accumulated across the week. We will now go back through all of the results to count individual victories in each match up. The results were as follows: Year 10/ 11 1st - Osprey 2nd - Goshawk 3rd - Kestrel Year 9 1st - Kestrel 2nd - Goshawk 3rd- Osprey 4th - Red Kite Year 7&8 1st - Red Kite 2nd - Kestrel, Osprey and Goshawk
House NOW Music Quiz
The latest Theatre House competition takes place at LPA next week as House teams take each other on in a show of music knowledge - ‘NOW Music Quiz’. Participants will face questions from a range of NOW albums across three rounds; General knowledge, guess the artist & song and complete the lyrics. House teams will consist of one student from each year group, plus a member of staff who will take to the stage in the main hall. House points will be accumulated across each round before revealing the overall winner.
LPA Fantasy Premier League Latest
The Premier League season is quickly approaching the end of the season, with just 3 game weeks remaining. The top 10 is now starting to take shape, however the gap at the top of the table is extremely close with only a few points separating 1st and 2nd place. The Gamesmaker sits in a respectable 5th place trying to limit the number of players finishing in a higher position to avoid issuing too 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!
Lodge Park Academy Sports Newsletter
Please copy the link into your browser and view this terms Lodge Park Academy Sports Newsletter. https://lodgeparkacademy.co.uk/docs/newsletters/sport_newsletters/Term_4_Sports_Newsltter_2025-2026.pdf
LPA Sports Timetable - Term 5
Music Clubs Timetable - Term 5
Enrichment Timetable - Term 5
The academy would like to increase the attendance at the non-Sports Enrichment clubs and we have been listening to Student voice on the clubs they wish to attend. We have introduced an Enrichment Attendance card. When students attend 6 sessions of any Enrichment club and get their card signed by the Enrichment teachers they will hand this card into Student Reception and it will go into a prize draw taking place at the end of each term. We will also count up cards at the end of the term and House points will be rewards (House in 1st place 25 points, in 2nd place 15 points, in 3rd place 10 points, in 4th place 5 points)
Support & Information for Parents
Managing Exam stress
Exam periods can place significant pressure on young people, affecting their confidence, focus and overall well-being. Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide explores realistic and supportive strategies to help manage this pressure. It highlights practical approaches, including: • Organising workload and reducing overwhelm • Using active and creative revision techniques • Creating calm, focused study environments • Using technology, including AI, in a thoughtful way The guide also emphasises the importance of maintaining balance, motivation and positive wellbeing during exam preparation.
Career Days offers a series of online work experience and Career Days designed specifically for students aged 13–18. These live, interactive days give students a chance to: • Learn about a specific career from industry professionals • Understand day-to-day life, entry requirements, and pathways • Complete practical work experience tasks • Ask questions in live Q&A sessions • Receive a personalised certificate for UCAS or CV use . We’ve got a range of upcoming Career Days that might suit different interests — all taking place online and accessible from anywhere:
- Engineering Work Experience & Careers Day – Saturday 9th May 2026
- Business Work Experience & Careers Day – Saturday 16th May 2026
- Performing Arts Work Experience & Careers Day – Sunday 18th October 2026
. Details, dates & registration: Career Days Why this might benefit students: ✔ Career insight - live expert input and real-world context ✔ Work experience evidence for UCAS & applications ✔ Accessible for students anywhere - no travel required ✔ Suitable across Years 9–13
LPA – Helpful contacts
MASH
Safeguarding concerns 0300 303 1965 Report a concern or request support | Northampton Children's Trust
Childline
Telephone Number: 0800 1111 Childline | Childline
Police (non emergency)
Telephone number: 101
Police (emergency)
Telephone Number: 999
NHS
Telephone number: 111
Young Minds
Mental Health Crisis Support Text: YM to 8528
Online Mental Wellbeing Community
Website: www.kooth.com
Youthworks Mental Health Support
www.youthworksnorthamptonshire.org.uk
Online Health Advice
NGAGE
A free and confidential service providing advice, information, education and structured support to young people in relation to drug and alcohol use https://aquarius.org.uk/our-services/young-peoples-services/northampton-yp/
NDAS
NDAS offer refuge, outreach and groupwork programmes to men and women impacted by domestic abuse. We also support children to recover from the trauma of witnessing the abuse. NDAS offer a 24 hour helpline as well as several drop in services throughout the county. https://www.ndas.co/
Housing Support
Free information and advice to anyone who is homeless or worried about becoming homeless https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/housing-options/housing-advice
SWI UNIFORM SUPPLIER
https://www.lodgeparkacademy.co.uk/docs/term_dates/2025_2026_Academic_Calendar_v1.pdf
Lodge Park Academy Closes - Thursday 2nd April 2026
Lodge Park Academy Re-Opens -Monday 20th April 2026
Bank Holiday - Monday 4th May 2026
Lodge Park Academy Closes - Friday 22nd May 2026
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Contact Us
Telephone: 01536 203817
Email:
lpa-enquiries@lodgeparkacademy.co.uk Please be aware this mailbox is monitored by a number of individuals, please do not disclose any confidential information.
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