Lodge Park Academy's Newsletter – Spring Term, Week 6
Dear Families, Hopefully – if you are reading this – we have survived the chaotic rise and fall of Macbeth in our Hall (with a live theatre performance for our Year 11 learners on Friday 13th) and the natural order has been restored. The protagonist’s “vaulting ambition” leads him to “o’erleap” and tragically plummet to his ignoble end. This cautionary Jacobean tale raises an intriguing challenge for our students, raising their ambitions but educating them in the focus and industry necessary to achieve such aspirations. We use our lessons and extra-curricular endeavours to “spur” our learners on but guide them in safely traversing the obstacles before them. Wednesdays Career’s Drop-Down Day, for example, provided a series of interactive activities, input from business specialists and further-education routes for all our Lodge Park family. Understanding the landscape ahead is a crucial part of preparing students for their next steps. Our Year 9 learners are starting their Options process, which will define which GCSE subjects they will study and - in many cases - the disciplines they might follow beyond our academy and Sixth Form. Our Year 10 students are finishing their KPI2 assessments, which will help inform the extent and style of our support and interventions. Our Year 11 academics are continuing in their own KPI2 labours, toiling away in their final preparatory mock examinations before their final GCSE tests. Thank you for all your efforts in ensuring that our ambitions for your child are not flawed but solid, not fanciful but scaffolded, not fantastic but palpable in their success. To continue with our equine theme, in the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the Year of the Horse, or Fire Horse to be exact. This Tuesday (17th February) is the Chinese Lunar New Year. To stretch Shakespeare’s extended metaphor a little: Our ambitious educational intent was further spurred on by a lively and competitive Spelling Bee, with Goshawk and Kestrel sharing the vowels, consonants and honours between them. The ability to perform in a public space and in front of your peers is no mean feat; congratulations to all our entrants for making this event such a success. 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 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........
How can you protect your health and well-being? Physical Well-being
- Active Lifestyle: Incorporate daily movement like walking, cycling, or dancing to improve cardiovascular health and mood.
- Balanced Diet: Consume nutrient-dense foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, while limiting saturated fats and added sugars.
- Sleep Hygiene: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, aiming for 7-9 hours minimum to allow for physical and mental restoration.
Mental and Emotional Well-being
- Social Connection: Build strong relationships and spend time with friends and family to support mental health.
- Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness, meditation, or gratitude to reduce stress and improve emotional regulation.
- Continuous Learning: Engage in new hobbies or skills to boost self-esteem and confidence.
- Giving: Support others, volunteer, or practice kindness to create a positive environment.
- Work-Life Balance: Set boundaries to prioritize rest and avoid burnout.
Environment and Daily Habits
- Hydration: Drink enough water daily.
- Hygiene: Maintain good personal hygiene.
- Digital Detox: Limit screen time to reduce anxiety and stress.
- Safety: If necessary seek support when feeling overwhelmed.
What is the 90 second rule and why do we have it? Enter in silence, stand behind your chair in silence, bags and coats away under the desk, when asked to sit, sit in your allocated seat, LPA 6 on the desk, tracking the teacher ready to learn. It ensures we are able to start lessons promptly without distraction to ensure we maximise teaching and learning time.
LPA Success in Girls Football
What an incredible day our LPA girls teams had at the DRET Girls Football Cup, held at the YMCA Newark, on Tuesday 10th February. Ten schools from across the Trust came together and delivered an amazing display of talent, teamwork, and determination. Across the day, our girls scored an impressive 45 goals, showing skill and spirit in every match! Congratulations to our Under 15's Team, who competed against other teams in the Trust to take first place in the Medal Competition.
In addition, congratulations to our Under 13's Team, who competed against other teams in the Trust to take third place in the Cup Competition.
A huge well done to our sixth form referees for their help across the day.
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
Valentines Poem Competition
This term, our library has hosted a poetry writing competition. Students were asked to write poems related to the theme of ‘Valentines Day.’ We were so impressed by the quality of writing displayed by pupils in their entries. Please see across for the winning poem, and below for some of our other wonderful entries. In true Valentines tradition, they remain anonymous ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Seneca - Spring Term Week 5
We have again had a fantastic week of independent learning with our Year 11 and Year 10 students using Seneca to support their KPI/ Mock preparations and, with luck, outcomes. Congratulations to all Seneca students for their hard work this week. Your hard work has paid off and we have overcome Charnwood College to be top of the Trust for the first time this Year!!
Thanks to all for supporting our students to aim high.
Mr McGeown - Vice Principal, Quality of Education
Career Drop Down Day – Inspiring Futures
On Wednesday 11th February, we held our annual Career Drop Down Day. Students across all Year groups took part in a range of activities and talks designed to develop their skills, broaden their knowledge, and deepen their understanding of the world of work. Year 7 participated in an exciting Professionals Day from 11am through to the end of the day at 3:10pm. Twelve professionals from a wide range of career backgrounds joined us for the event. In their form groups, students were introduced to each visitor by name only and, using their questioning and critical thinking skills, worked together to determine each professional’s career. To add to the excitement, the challenge was run as a House competition, and the forms approached it with impressive enthusiasm and competitiveness. The day concluded with a lively Big Reveal Assembly, where Year 7 students were formally introduced to each professional and discovered the careers they represented. Visitors shared insights into their roles, including what their jobs involve, as well as the skills and qualifications required to succeed in their fields. Congratulations to 7LK and 7LG, who were joint winners of the competition. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the professionals who generously gave their time to support this event and inspire our students.
Each week our students at LPA complete Maths questions for their homework on Sparx. Some students answers additional questions, further increasing their mathematical knowledge. The Maths team would like to celebrate these students and recognise their dedicated work.
We have also included a parent/carer link to 'A Parent's guide to Sparx Maths', which may answer some questions that you might have about how to help your child if they need it. Help is just a click away - https://sparxmaths.com/parents/
Mrs S Irons - Director of Maths
LPA House Championship 2025/2026
As we reach the halfway point of the LPA Winter Games it is Kestrel who sit top of the medal table going into half term. Houses have been battling it out in Basketball, Table Tennis and Kurling in recent weeks in a bid to secure those Winter Games gold medals. Each gold medal is worth 5 points. Silver medals are worth 3 points and Bronze are worth 2 points. The house with the highest points total at the end of the games will be crowned LPA Winter Games champions. Winter Games returns with three more exciting events after half term, including Indoor Hockey, Boccia and Sportshall Athletics. With a brand-new set of medals and points up for grabs after half term, the competition is far from over.
House Winter Games – Table Tennis Results
Congratulations to Kestrel house who narrowly beat Osprey to be crowned Winter Games Table Tennis champions. Kestrel went into the final round of matches (KS3 matches) in a very strong position following previous victories in the KS4 boys and All Girls competitions, however the KS3 boys had to fight hard to pick up enough points to claim overall victory. Osprey dominated the KS3 competition picking up 9 victories across the event, shooting them up the standings to narrowly miss out by just one point in the overall Table Tennis standings - A great effort from all. Goshawk dropped down to third place following Ospreys final day performance to secure a bronze medal. Red Kite settled for fourth place despite some good individual performances across the competition themselves.
House Winter Games – New Age Kurling
Students tried their hand at a new sport this week as House teams went head-to-head in Kurling. New Age Kurling is an adaptation to traditional Curling (as seen in the Winter Olympics) and took place in the gym where players had to slide their stones along the floor with the aim of landing in the target zone. The House with the closest stone to the centre of the target zone after each match were the winners.
Following some exciting matches, it was Kestrel and Goshawk who claimed a Gold Medal each as Kestrel were champions of the KS3 competition and Goshawk won the KS4 event. Red Kite managed to pick up a silver medal to continue their good form in the Winter Games with Osprey picking up a Bronze in the KS4 competition. Points accumulated across the event were calculated and Kestrel secured the most points to be crowned overall Kurling champions.
House Spelling Bee Results
Spelling Bee returned to LPA this week as students took to the stage to face a series of tier 2 subject specific vocabulary. Participants represented their House teams in year groups through head-to-head ‘speed rounds’ where they had to ‘ring in’ for the attempt to answer each spelling. Each year group faced five spellings with points awarded for each correct answer. Within each set of five spellings there was also a ‘golden’ word worth 5 points, adding more incentive and pressure to the participants on stage. Points were accumulated across each round with the House with the highest points total being crowned champions. Congratulations to both Kestrel and Goshawk who both scored 23 points to tie the competition and split the House Points (75 points each). Osprey claimed third place with 15 points followed by last years spelling Bee champions Red Kite who finished fourth. Well done to everyone who took part in the competition, displaying LPA courage, confidence and resilience.
LPA Term 4 House Competitions
We are extremely excited for another action-packed term of House Competitions coming up after half term. The LPA Winter Games continues with another three events, in addition to Photography, Next Level Chef and the return of Just Dance. Over 2000 House points will be on offer once again and as we approach the Summer term the points could be pivotal in the race for the 2026 LPA House Championship. It has been an action packed Term with Goshawk clinging on to their position at the top, following a large points haul for Kestrel this term who have now ramped up the pressure in the race for this year’s LPA House Championship. With so many more competitions to come after half term its far too close to call and we are excited to see how the totaliser unfolds over the coming weeks.
LPA Sports Timetable - Term 3
Enrichment Timetable - Term 3
The academy would like to increase the attendance at the non-Sports Enrichment clubs and listen to Student voice on the clubs they wish to attend. Therefore, we will shortly be including some additional clubs and also introducing a Non sports Enrichment attendance card. When students attend 5 sessions of any non-Sports club and get their card signed by the Enrichment teacher they will hand this into Student Reception and they will go into a prize draw taking place at the end of term. We will also count up cards at the end of term and House points will be rewards (House in 1st place 25 points, 2nd place 15 points, 3rd place 10 points, 4th place 5 points)
Support & Information for Parents
Feeling a sense of belonging plays a vital role in children’s wellbeing, confidence and gives them the ability to thrive, both academically and emotionally. This weeks #WakeUpWednesday guide explores why belonging matters and how small, everyday interactions can make a meaningful difference in helping children feel accepted and included.
Recently rising in popularity among children and young people, Wizz is a social networking app that allows users to chat live with people from around the world. In similar fashion to a dating app, it facilitates conversations with people that users would not ordinary meet – but of course, making connections to individuals online bring its own self-evident potential safety issues. While Wizz makes use of face recognition technology to assesses users’ age and group them by age group – but the software is far from perfect and is no guarantee that some individuals won’t attempt to exploit the app for sinister purposes. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide examines Wizz in detail, identifying pitfalls that parents and carers should be aware of. In the guide you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as catfishing, explicit content and “sextortion”, and examines how trusted adults can take young people to avoid these possible threats.
Community Events & Half Term
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 - Friday 13th February 2026
Lodge Park Academy Re-Opens -Monday 23rd February 2026
Lodge Park Academy Closes - Thursday 2nd April 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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