Principal's Update

We have now finished the Lateral Flow Testing in school. It went very well with students being very mature and sensible about the whole process. The small team of volunteers, taken from amongst our staff, have been excellent. They have reassured students and staff and carried out the tests in accordance with the NHS guidelines. Students are now asked to self-test at home. Please see the information later in the newsletter.

This week students have had the opportunity to win a chocolate hamper if they take part in our Table Talk competition. Students have to discuss the quotation below with their family and then send a picture and a short paragraph/sentence and /or voice recording about what they discussed/thought.

Please send your entries to: housechampionship@charlesreadacademy.co.uk

This is a great opportunity to involve all the family in a house competition and to reflect on which values are important to you as a family and as individuals.

Six of our GCSE Music students took part in a composition workshop last Friday. Our students wrote miniatures for violin, clarinet, bassoon and horn. Professional musicians from the Berkley Ensemble played their pieces and discussed successes and gave advice for improvements. All our students did well and were surprised how great their pieces sounded! The students have revised and extended their compositions this week and are submitting them for a DRET competition on Monday. Each composition will be workshopped with the students present (via Zoom) and then recorded professionally in each session. The production team will then collate all the performances to form one composition concert, which will be sent to students and parents. The Berkeley Ensemble will choose their top 5 or 6 compositions to feature in our Trust-wide Music Festival Concert broadcast on YouTube on the 25th March.

I hope you have a good weekend,

Mrs Jones - Principal

Lateral Flow Testing

In school Lateral Flow tests (for Covid) are now all complete. Since January we have completed over 1250 tests on students and staff (60% of them being done in March alone) and I'm pleased to report we have had no positive results. This is testament to everyone adhering to our strict protocols in place in respect of hygiene and following the one way systems. To all the students that have taken part in the testing process...thankyou for being so resilient.

I cannot praise my testing team highly enough for their work over this period. All the tests have been conducted swiftly and with empathy, to ensure students feel reassured and safe, whilst not impact on lesson time during a period where students need to get back to the classroom.

Home Testing

Now we have completed 3 "in school" tests, students are asked to self test at home twice per week. Test kits can be collected from school, however we appreciate some parents cannot get to Corby Glen easily. Therefore, to ensure home testing can begin next week, and unless we have received explicit instructions from parents and carers not to, we have issued test kits to all students today.

We would like students to perform tests on a Sunday and Wednesday evening, reporting the results to both the NHS and also CRA - see the letter below for further details

Did you know that parents and support bubbles of school children can now get rapid Covid-19 tests twice a week. Order yours now here.

Further guidance from the Government and Department of Education in respect of home testing can be found below:

A copy of the risk assessment and privacy policy relating to Lateral Flow Testing can be found on the CRA website.

Mr Linforth - Academy Operations Manager

Device Return

Now that all year groups have returned to school, we need to ensure all devices that were loaned out during lockdown are returned. The Reception team will be in touch over the coming days to make arrangements for the device returns.

Students should return the devices directly back to Reception where safe return will be signed off on the loan form, before handing to the IT team.

Do not hand the device to anyone other than Reception staff as this could lead to you being charged for its loss or replacement.

If you are concerned about your child not being able to transport the device safely to us, please make arrangements with us to return the device in person yourself.

Until we have received the devices back in working order, you will be remain liable as per the loan agreement.

Mr Linforth - Academy Operations Manager

LCC Transport Applications for current year 6 students

If you have current year 6 children moving to secondary school in September, then please review this letter from LCC regarding application for school transport.

If your child is starting primary school or transferring to secondary school in September 2021 they may be eligible for school transport. If you think your child is eligible please apply for transport as soon as you have your offer of a school place.

Applications can be made online at the website below or a telephone application can be made by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 01522 782020. For more information about the home to school transport policy and online applications please go to the LCC website. Queries can be emailed to schooltransportapplications@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Thinking Ahead – My Future, My Choice

Attention Year 8 & Year 9!

• What are your future plans & career possibilities?
• What plans to do you have after you have completed your GCSEs?
• Do you plan to go on to further/higher education? If so what courses might you study?
• What career ideas do you have for the future at the moment?

In year 7, 8 and 9 you will be learning new skills and knowledge that will give you the confidence to help you plan your next steps. This process starts with your careers education in school which will encourage you to think about your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. You will also start to make some important decisions that could influence your future career path as you will be choosing your subjects to study for GCSE. This process will begin for all Year 9 students early next year.

Each week we will show you examples of the various careers linked to the subject you are studying. This week’s career idea is ‘Jobs related to Travel and Tourism’.

Mr Drumm - Assistant Principal

Library News

We have been busy in the library getting the KS3 reading books changed after lockdown, and of course talking to the students about what they have been reading. Lily, our Yr7 Million Words Reader, told me today just how close she is to becoming our first Two Million Words Reader – and then promptly took Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(257,045 words) off the shelf to borrow! We have some really keen readers – but is there anybody in the school who can catch her now?

We have added more books to the library this week, making a total of more than 500 new AR books added since September! The once sparsely populated shelves are now almost full, and there really is something for everyone to read.

We now have a rota and a list of librarians on the library door – but if you can’t get to the library in your allotted time, let me know and I will try to help! You can return library books by leaving them on the library desk, with a tutor (if you ask them very nicely) and in exceptional circumstances I have even been known to collect and deliver from a class!

Your reviews, recommendations and requests are always welcome. We are a reading school, and we always love to know what you have been reading.

Mrs Spilberg - TA and Librarian

House News

House ‘Red Nose Day’ Competition

Today is RED NOSE DAY where many individuals and organisations up and down the country are raising money for Comic Relief. At Charles Read Academy, through the house system, we are extremely passionate about supporting charities and the local community. This year the House system has already seen CRA provide support for the local foodbanks by providing over 126 meals through our Harvest Festival House Competition.

This week students have been trying to raise money for Comic Relief, through Grantham Sainsburys, by completing a sponsored walk, run or cycle linking to the House Lockdown Cup. There is still plenty of time to enter, with the competition deadline on Friday 21st March.

It would be fantastic to see lots of take part and support a great cause. This is how you enter:

• Linking to the House Lockdown Cup you are required to raise sponsorship money from family and/or friends to complete a walk, jog or cycle.
• The money you raise must be submitted via the following Just Giving Page
• Exercise must be recorded using a suitable (free) app, such as Strava and emailed to housechampionship@charlesreadacademy.co.uk
• To complete your submission a ‘Photo’ of you carrying out your exercise must be emailed to housechampionship@charlesreadacademy.co.uk
• The best photo will win a Easter Hamper.
• Every person who raises £5 or more will earn 5 house points

We look forward to seeing entries and donations this weekend, Thank you in advance for your fantastic support.

House Netball Competition (NEXT WEEK)

Next Week, Monday 22nd to Friday 26th March, students across all year groups at CRA will be going head to head in House Netball. Over 100 students will be representing their house teams in a battle for the lion share of 250 house points, which could see a big change in the overall leader board. Action shots from the competition will be uploaded on the House Championships social media platforms; Twitter and Instagram - @CRA_HouseChamp throughout the week!

Mr Webb - Games Master

Science Department

As a school we are continuing in our efforts to ensure all students are engaging with Tassomai, as a department it plays a key role in supporting learning. Other departments have seen the benefit of this and have began using it themselves. We are excited to see what impact using Tassomai will have on our learners, other schools such as The Stonehenge School in Wiltshire have seen spectacular impact on grades, and have been able to go a long way to closing the attainment gap. The deputy headteacher has this to say:

“We introduced Tassomai with a goal to improve our science results from the lowest 20% in the country to being at the national average - in fact we are now in the top 20% in the country!”

Please remember it is not too late to sign up for parental reports

Miss Robinson - Science Teacher

Word of the Week

Ject: Cast, throw - (Greek word root)

Interject say (something) abruptly, especially as an aside or interruption.

Trajectory the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces

Deject make sad or dispirited; depress.

Year 11 Focus

As we get to the end of the term, it is great to see how focused year 11 are. It is important to share how we are going to complete a teacher assessed grades, and all departments have decided this information so the individual plans can be shared with students. We are going to complete at least 2 pieces of evidence before Easter in all departments to add to the portfolio of evidence.

We will continue teaching and revising content (although we will not introduce any new content now) and continue to collect evidence until we perform unseen assessments in May which will be the final pieces used for this evidence.

Teachers, SLT and Trust Leads will moderate these pieces of evidence and use them to create the Teacher Assessed Grade, which is an evidence based grade of what level the student currently is.

It is important that students achieve a good balance of relaxation and revision over the Easter holiday. Staff will inform students about key topics they need to revise to support their portfolio of evidence, for their teacher assessed grades.

Mr Young - Raising Standards Lead

The Sporting Post

PE Kit Expectations

Whilst many students have purchased the new PE kit and they do look incredibly smart there are a number of students who are wearing their own clothes to PE lessons. This is not permitted within the school rules, much like not having your CRA 6 this results in a sanction, in this case a pastoral detention.

Pupils should have the following kit as compulsory items (as per the uniform policy on the website):

• CRA PE Shorts
• CRA PE Socks
• CRA House PE top
• CRA House Hoodie
• Trainers/Astroturf trainers or moulded football boots
• Shin pads/gum shield - as required

Pupils can also use the following additional items:

• CRA PE Track pants
• CRA PE Leggings
• Plain black skins/leggings are allowed to be worn, but must be under navy shorts.
• No logos/writing/labels

Pupils are NOT allowed to wear their own coats/tracksuit bottoms for PE lessons and must purchase the CRA branded hoodie if they wish to wear something over their House PE Top.

Pupils in receipt of free school meals are entitled to support with the purchasing of PE kit should finances be an issue, please contact the school regarding this. Please find the link below to the ordering portal.

I would ask that all pupils are in correct PE kit from this term onwards.

Mr Lovatt - Head of Performance Faculty