17/7/24: End of Summer Term letter 2024
Dear Parent/Carer,
End of Summer Term letter 2024
Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support this term. We have had a fantastic and busy term of events, trips, extra-curricular and community events and I thank you for supporting us in this. We are very proud that our students have been excellent ambassadors for the school in all our activities and on all our trips by consistently displaying The Grace Way.
We are impressed by how hard our students worked for their examinations and assessments and we are really proud of their continuing commitment to and embodiment of our core values of Amazing Grace, Intentional Excellence, Mutual Respect, Genuine Integrity and Limitless Potential.
Attendance
Once again, we have celebrated maximum attendance this term and it has been so good to see our students continuing to engage with their education until their very last day. So many of our students have demonstrated Intentional Excellence and have shown that success does not happen by accident but instead through hard work, engagement and determination. We thank you for your support and look forward to next year. A reminder that, due to new government guidance from September, if students arrive to school after 8.50am they will be marked with a U code for the morning. This means they will be marked as being absent for 50% of the day if they arrive late, regardless of the reason given. It is therefore imperative that from September all students are in school on time for line ups at 8.20am.
Pastoral
A reminder to parents that when students return in September they will need to have natural hair colour and braids and no shaved tramlines in their hair or eyebrows. Jewellery is limited to one stud in each ear and a mechanical watch. Students should have natural nails, no false eyelashes and only natural make-up. It is also worth noting that Smart watches are not permitted, as is detailed in our Uniform Policy, and also in respect of promoting our electronic-device-free environment.
Trips and Enrichment week
Go in to any secondary school in the UK in the last few weeks of term and you will see a variation on a (well-rehearsed and well-deserved) theme. Sports day? Check. Trips to suitable tourist attractions? Check. Wacky science experiments and creative projects? Check. So, how about all that, plus whole-year trips to the seaside and an entire week of collapsed curriculum, one that is dedicated to the personal development and cultural capital of all students? Absolutely!
Grace Academy’s busy Enrichment Week kicked off with the first of four days of trips. Years 10 and 12 were taken to Drayton Manor where the rides were absolutely thrilling!
On Tuesday we took our Year 7 students to Blackpool Beach where they were able to experience the full glory of the British seaside; having time to spend their coins in the arcades and being treated to an ice cream before competing with the seagulls over lunch. In the afternoon, the students could dip their toes in the brisk Irish Sea before a big group photo on the steps. A great day was had by all, despite the weather!
On Wednesday our Year 9 students were taken to Bear Grylls Adventure where they were able to challenge themselves to try new experiences including the high ropes and the climbing wall whilst working in teams and also individually.
Finally, on Friday Year 8 were taken to Twycross Zoo, where they could see conservation in action and learn about an abundance of wildlife. Highlights included watching the penguins pose (providing you can mind the smell!), feeding birds in the exotic aviary and trying to spot a beautiful snow leopard through the undergrowth.
Back at the Academy, students were treated to all sorts of enriching activities, coordinated by Miss Harvey and the Ethos team. The jam-packed schedule included visits by theatre groups; workshops; pizza making; Dragon’s Den style activities and even an escape room to crack. As the students said, the week was ‘a nice break from school work’ and ‘lots of fun’.
Our Year 10 students had a Careers Roadshow where external presenters showed them various options they could consider if they did not want to continue their education in our Sixth Form after their GCSEs. The Year 10 students also had a day of interventions around Building Healthy Relationships led by our Ethos team and the Grace Foundation.
No Summer term would be complete without a Sports Day, fuelled by fun, ice-cream and a dash of healthy competition. Scheduled by Mr Jones, students worked in their tutor groups to accumulate as many points as possible in benchball, rounders, football and field athletics, before the whole Academy gathered on the field after lunch for a blast of track athletics where students competed in sprints and relays – a great display of Intentional Excellence!
We also sent some of our students and staff on a residential to Kingswood Outdoor Activity centre in Norfolk where they could try lots of new challenges to build confidence in themselves and trust in others through working together in teams.
And as if all of that wasn’t enough, an excited yet nervous troop of Year 9 students set off on the final stage of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Working in teams ahead of the day each group had planned their routes, devised their meals and shopped for resources. The overnight camping stay came at the end of a tiring walk across the border into Leicestershire and the next day, following a self-cooked breakfast, they trekked back to the Academy. The weather did not manage to dampen their spirits! Alongside the physical and mental resilience of the trek, students going for Bronze are required to undertake three months of volunteering, physical activity and learning a new skill. These students have demonstrated Limitless Potential to the extreme and contributed towards our school and their wider community; they can also be proud of (amongst other things) new sporting skills and languages learned.
All of our students have a lot to be proud of this year, not least their efforts and contributions to a phenomenal Summer term. Being able to round off the year with such a wealth of experiences is a worthy reward. More of the same next year? Of course!
Rewards
This week, students have been rewarded for their efforts across the term in our rewards assemblies. Certificates and prizes have been issued to students selected by Tutors, Heads of Year, Assistant Principals, Vice Principals and the Principal. Students were issued with subject and maximum attendance awards. We issued even more student leadership ties to those students consistently displaying "The Grace Way" and are so proud of students committed to being leaders in both their year group and the Academy.
Transition
Just before the end of term, we held our Year 6 transition day and transition evening for parents which gave the Grace staff an opportunity to meet and get to know our new Year 6 students and parents. We had a fantastic day and really look forward to welcoming the Year 6 students into the Grace family in September.
Over the last few weeks we have also been completing the transition for our Year 9 students into Year 10. They have had their options finalised and are looking forward to the transition into Key Stage 4.
Parents’ Evenings
We were delighted to see so many of you at our parents’ evenings this year and it was lovely to see parents and staff having positive conversations about our students’ education and their personalised steps moving forward. It is really important that parents are able to attend these events so that we can work together to best support our young people.
Ethos and Wellbeing Update
We have been working with a local primary school redeveloping their outside space as part of our social action project. We are very proud of our students’ willingness, enthusiasm and displaying Mutual Respect. We look forward to more social action trips like this in the future.
We are hosting a Summer School during the holidays for our Year 6 students who are joining us in September. It will run from 20th to 23rd August and will be a fantastic week, including activities such as a Science Show, Rocket Making, arts and crafts, sports activities led by Sky Blues and lots of other treats and activities. We know this will help the students feel settled and excited about coming to Grace.
The Grace Foundation is now offering a very successful Parents’ Podcast which is a really helpful forum for guiding our children into adulthood. Please have a look at the link below and I hope many of you will listen to it.
https://www.grace-foundation.org.uk/podcast/
Safeguarding and Family Support
As a school, the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and members of the school community are most important to us.
As we break for the summer holiday, if you have any immediate concerns for the safety or welfare of a child please contact MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) on: telephone 024 7678 8555.
If you need support for yourself over the holiday period, please contact your local family hub:
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/themoatfamilyhub
The Family Hub aims to reach children, young people and families when the need first emerges; and to help and support when it can have the greatest impact.
- Early Help: telephone 0800 8870545 or email earlyhelp@coventry.gov.uk
- Emergency Duty Team: telephone 024 7683 2222 between 5pm – 8.30am and during weekends
Below are some useful numbers and links for services that can provide support for you and your family:
https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/37590/coventry-schools-mental-health-leaflet?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo&fs=e&s=cl
Holiday Clubs in Coventry 2024
With the Summer Holidays fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about Holiday Clubs. Coventry Rocks have gathered up some brilliant holiday clubs in Coventry which offer fun and educational activities for children, whatever the weather!
Holiday Clubs and Activity Camps can of course relieve childcare headaches for parents who have to work. But also all of these clubs have been carefully created with children's development in mind, letting kids come away with new skills learnt in a safe, supportive environment.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with everything going on in Coventry!
https://www.coventryrocks.co.uk/guides/whats-on-guides/holiday-clubs-in-coventry/
Coventry Holiday Activities and Food programme will also be taking bookings for their Summer Fun programme taking place during the summer holidays for eligible children and young people. For more information, please take a look at this link: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/haf
Coventry City Council
Should you encounter difficulties or hardship during the school holidays, Coventry City Council has a website to help families understand their rights and entitlements and how help can be accessed. Please use this link: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/cost-living-wellbeing-support .
Finishing times – Friday 19th July
On Friday 19th July there will be a staggered end to the day as follows:
- Years 7, 9 and 12: finish at 12.15pm
- Years 8 and 10: finish at 12.25pm
Any students who are eligible for free school meals will have their allowance made available during morning breaktime on that day and a hot meal will be served.
Return in September
A reminder that the new term begins as follows:
- Year 7 - 8.20am on Tuesday 3rd September
- Year 12 - 10.15am on Tuesday 3rd September
- Years 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 - 8.20am on Wednesday 4th September
If you have any further questions regarding these arrangements, please contact the Academy office on 02476 589000.
I hope you have a restful summer and look forward to seeing you all in September.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs N Whiles
Principal