SLT Update
We are fast hurtling towards the end of term and all the fun of Christmas at Charles Read Academy and it has been another busy week in school. On Wednesday we welcomed a number of external visits for our first character day of the year and you can read more about this later in the newsletter. It was pleasing that so many of the visitors praised our students for their impeccable behaviour and the aspiration and ambition that they demonstrated throughout the day. For those parents new to Charles Read this year, Christmas is full of opportunities for students to have fun, participate in house competitions and demonstrate our values. The festivities begin on Tuesday with the annual Santa Run and the Christmas parties where pupils will be able to come together as a tutor group to enjoy a Christmas lunch and take part in lots of fun games. Then on Wednesday we will be attending a carol service at St John's church in the village. We will end the term with our rewards' assembly on Friday which will be wonderful occasion when we get to celebrate lots of different achievements from across the academic year so far. Have a wonderful weekend.
Miss Milligan, Principal
Communication with School
I would like to remind all parents of the expectations when communicating with staff either face to face, over the phone or via email. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the overwhelming number of parents who do communicate with our staff in a friendly and respectful manner. However, unfortunately we have had a small number of individuals who have failed to communicate respectfully. We understand that this can often be due to frustration and wanting the best for your child, however our staff have a right to feel safe and respected.
We do have an expectation that any communication sent into the school will be responded to within 48 hours. It is not always possible for a member of staff to respond sooner than that due to working patterns or other commitments they have during the day. If you do not hear back within the 48 hour framework please do contact us again.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Why the Last Week Before Christmas Still Matters
As the festive lights go up and the holidays are nearly upon us, it can be tempting to think the final week of term doesn’t really count. After all, Christmas songs, House parties, and holiday excitement can make it feel more like a countdown than a school week. But in reality, these last few days before the break are incredibly important. 1. Consolidating Learning Before the Break Teachers often use the final week to wrap up topics, review key concepts, and help students finish the term with confidence. Coming to school means your child won’t miss important explanations or revision that will make next term’s lessons much easier. 2. A Chance to Boost Your Grades Many subjects include end-of-term assessments, project deadlines, or practical tasks in the final week. Being present ensures your child will get credit for their effort and don’t fall behind while their classmates move ahead. 3. Building Strong Habits Good attendance isn’t just a rule—it’s a life skill. Showing up, even when it’s tempting not to, builds resilience, responsibility, and a routine that helps your child succeed both in and out of school. Employers and colleges notice strong attendance records, and every day counts. 4. Enjoying the Best Parts of School Life Yes, the last week is fun—but that’s part of why it matters! Whole school celebrations help strengthen friendships and make school a more positive place. These shared experiences are often the memories students cherish most. 5. Starting the Holiday Stress-Free Missing school can mean returning in January feeling behind on work or out of the loop. Attending the final week means your child heads into the holidays fully caught up, prepared, and able to relax without academic worries. The last week before Christmas isn’t a throwaway—it’s a blend of valuable learning, community spirit, and well-earned fun. By attending, your child will give themself the best start to the new year and finish the term feeling proud of their commitment.
Useful links for Parents
Supporting Emotional Wellbeing This time of year can bring excitement, but it can also increase stress, worry, or emotional challenges for some children. To support you, we have gathered a range of resources and tools that may be helpful at home. These include:
📱 Wellbeing Apps for Children and Young People Please find at the bottom of this article a list of recommended emotional wellbeing apps—such as Kooth, Chill Panda, Clear Fear, Finch, Mind Moose, and Lumi Nova—which provide child-friendly, NHS-supported ways to help with:
- Managing worries
- Understanding big feelings
- Building resilience
- Developing calming strategies
These tools can be particularly helpful during school breaks when routines change. Guides to Managing Anxiety We have included a child-friendly guide called "Beating Your Worries", which provides:
- Breathing and relaxation strategies
- Mindfulness activities
- Grounding techniques
- Practical ideas such as worry boxes, glitter jars, and calming toolkits
These can be used at home to support children who may be experiencing anxiety or heightened emotions. Local Support Services We are also sharing information on services available across Lincolnshire, including:
- Healthy Minds Lincolnshire workshops
- CAMHS and Here4You self-referral options
- Young Minds parent advice
- LPFT emotional wellbeing support
- Community support for families experiencing conflict or separation
- Support specifically for RAF families
- Bereavement support charities such as Winston’s Wish, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and the Children’s Bereavement Centre
You will find links to all of these resources on our school website, along with a newly updated Pastoral Support section. Safety and Online Guidance The NSPCC provides helpful information on:
- Leaving children home alone safely
- Keeping children safe online
- Understanding social media and device risks
- Setting parental controls
We encourage all families to take a look at these resources, especially as children may have more screen time during the holidays.
Healthy Minds Lincolnshire Providing support and treatment for children, young people and their families, who are experiencing emotional wellbeing difficulties. Https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/young-people/lincolnshire/young-people/i-need-morehelp/healthy-minds-lincolnshire Place2Be Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity working with pupils, families and staff in UK schools. Https://www.place2be.org.uk/ Mind Providing support for people experiencing, or supporting someone with, a mental health problem. Https://www.mind.org.uk/ Family Lives Providing early intervention and crisis support to families. Https://www.familylives.org.uk/ Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum LPCF is specifically tasked with working alongside the Local Authority and Health to help ensure that the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor meet the needs of children with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs. You will need to register with them for free before being able to access the resources and support. Https://www.lincspcf.org.uk Luminova - digital therapy enabling children to build confidence and manage their worries - luminova.app/lincolnshire
Character Day
Wednesday saw our first Character Day of the academy year, where all students spent a day off their usual timetable and experiencing a range of PSHCE activities. Year 7 and 8 engaged in a Stay Safe day led by experts from Lincolnshire County Council focusing on topics such as healthy relationships, online safety and road safety. Year 9 investigated careers skills related to core subjects, while Year 10 and 11 heard about a range of Next Steps options, including apprenticeships and college routes. Year 10 also took part in an intensive three our workplace and communication skills workshop run by the Talent Foundry. It was a wonderful day where students had lots of opportunities to demonstrate their developing good characters.
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 - Ollie-Lee A for Confidence Ollie-Lee showed inspirational levels of maturity last week helping Miss Brealey with a challenging situation, demonstrating authority and confidence, and stepping up when these actions were needed. Thank you Ollie, and well done! Terra - Morgan E for Ambition Top positive points for Terra with over 500 positive points in the first term. Always keen to offer answers and help others. Aqua - Bailee F for Ambition For sharing his passion for business and enterprise on character day, he not only presented himself with ambition but also represented the school positively. His character building to excel in his learning shines
Sparx Stars
Each week, our students at CRA, complete maths and reading for their homework on Sparx. Some students answer additional questions, further increasing their knowledge. We do this as there are online resources to help and guide students if they are struggling with a question. You might like to ask them to show you what they typically do on a weekly basis.
Our Sparx stars this week are
MATHS
READER
Table Talk
How to manage self-harm in the long term Learn your triggers. You could keep a mood diary or journal to make notes about what happens before, during and after you feel the urge to self-harm. Make a safety plan. This will give you a quick way to remember:
- What to do if you need help
- Warning signs that you might self-harm
- Things you can try to help you feel calmer
Talk to someone. Asking for help can feel scary, but this is often the first step to getting support.If you would prefer to speak to someone you don’t know, you can contact a 24/7 helpline. Details of this are at the end of this article. Seek treatment and support – getting professional support for self-harm might include
- Support from school, college or work. Teachers, nurses, support teams and managers are there to look after you. They might be able to offer support like counselling or help you talk to a trusted adult or doctor.
- Support from your doctor. You can see a doctor alone or ask a trusted adult to help you make an appointment. Doctors might offer therapy, which means exploring how you feel and what you have been through. It is also about understanding your emotions or learning to cope with certain situations.
- Visiting hospital. If we need urgent help, we might go to accident and emergency (A&E) in hospital. A health professional should ask questions about your mental health and tell you what support they can offer. Sone of us need to stay in hospital for treatment.
“Recognising you need help is a massive step”
How to cope with relapse
When we have gone for some time without self-harming, but then started again, we might hear this called ‘relapse’. This is nothing to be ashamed of. We might think of relapse as a chance to learn which ways of coping work for us, and which ones don’t. It might feel like we have to start over, but we can all find ways to cope again. Think back to when you stopped self-harming before. Tyr to remember what helped and didn’t help last time. Is there anything you can do again now? Or anything you can do differently? Tell someone. You might want to tell someone you have talked to before, or someone new. Your doctor might be able to refer you for a different type of support. Try out different tips. We might find coping tips that we used before do not help as much now. Or we might have stopped practising things that helped, and need a reminder. Remember why you want to stop. This can keep you motivated to keep working on stopping self-harm. Your reasons might have changed, and that’s ok too.
Self-harm injuries
If you are worried about an injury or scar, talk to your doctor or ask a trusted adult to help you get medical support. If you cannot see a doctor or nurse right away, call NHS 111 or call 999 if it is an emergency. It is important to look after self-harm injuries so we do not get unwell from them.
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 15 December 2025 - 6
Accelerated Reading
Week beginning 15 December 2025 - Period 4
Moments Matter, Attendance Counts
Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.
As we return to school and move into winter, there is inevitably an increase in illnesses. It can be tricky deciding whether to keep your child off school when they are unwell. There are government guidelines to support you in this decision.
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.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.
House News.
House Dodgeball – Results
The Penultimate house competition of the calendar year took place this week as Aqua, Caeli and Terra went head-to-head in Dodgeball. The competition was extremely competitive as Aqua raced into the lead following victory in the year 7 competition. Caeli quickly bounced back with back-to-back wins in the year 8 and year 9 competitions to take the lead going into the final day. With the competition finely in the balance it was down to the year 10 and 11 teams on the final day to determine this year’s house dodgeball champions. Following some closely contested matches it was Aqua who managed to clinch victory on the final day, to equal Caeli’s total of two year group victories across the week. Because of a tie, Aqua and Caeli both have to wait patiently for the overall results. Each match will be counted back to determine the house with the most accumulated individual match wins across the week. Full results to follow in Mondays assembly.
Santa Run 2025 – Tuesday 16th December
It is going to be a busy day of festive activities at CRA on Tuesday, starting with the annual Santa Run taking place during Period 1. All students are required to bring in their PE kit and trainers. Students who wish to wear a Christmas Jumper or festive outfit (Grinch, elf etc) can do so for the run. Only Christmas Jumpers can be worn after the event, throughout the day. We are incredibly proud to have raised just under £3,500 this year, our record ever year! We would like to say a massive thank you to our amazing CRA Community who continue to support events like this every year. We are all extremely grateful for your gratitude and generosity! Students and staff will complete a 20 minute fun run or walk around our very own festive route of the academy grounds!
House Christmas Tree Competition
Tutor groups have only a few days remaining to complete their Christmas Trees, ahead of the House Christmas party on Tuesday 16th December. Tutor Groups have been tasked to work together to be as creative as possible and decorate their own trees, which will be presented at the party. House points will be awarded for the top 3 trees, plus bonus points for creativity!
House Christmas Jumper Competition
Not only is Tuesday 16th December the House Christmas Party, it is also Christmas Jumper day at CRA. House points are on offer for the top 3 best jumpers (one from each house) that will be judged throughout the day. Bonus points will also be awarded to the best House coloured jumpers. Please note that Christmas Jumpers can be worn in place of blazers. Students are more than welcome to wear their Christmas Jumpers during Santa Run.
House Christmas Quiz – TV & Films
This terms house quiz is Christmas themed. Open to all staff, students and families can you find and name the Christmas TV and Films hidden in the picture? To enter all you have to do is complete the online answer form (sent out on MCAS, student emails and posted on social media) by 8pm on Thursday 18th December. House Points will be awarded to the participant with the most correct answers and the house with the highest participation.
The Sporting Post.
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 latest term dates for 2025-2026
A list of diary events can also be found on the CRA Website by clicking here
Credits:
Created with images by sosiukin - "upcoming evente word written on wood block. upcoming evente text on table, concept" • A Stockphoto - "Wood block symbol telephone, address,mail and mobile phone.The concept of communication through technology advancement." • DailyStock - "Chalkboard with the words Why It Matters written in white chalk blackboard writing isolated on a transparent background" • PX Media - "Signpost - customer support - "help", "support", "advice", "guidance", "assistance"." • PX Media - "Success, growth, career, development signpost" • bbbar - "Acronym of AAB for Above and Beyond" • InfiniteFlow - "Aerial view of a diverse team of professionals discussing key concepts of achievement and success during a meeting.,Focus on collaboration and motivation in business.,Amity" • Gerisima - "Christmas star decoration of golden confetti stars against white" • spass - "Happy family enjoying dinner at home.,Mother, father, daughter, son" • Naypong Studio - "Sports Equipment on white background" • tatomm - "close up of calendar on the yellow table background, planning for business meeting or travel planning concept"