Mascalls Academy Update 

Dear Parents and Carers,

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank those who have offered their well wishes for the start of my journey as Principal of Mascalls Academy.  Having worked within the Academy for many years, I have worked closely alongside many of the families and young people in our community.  Mascalls Academy is a very special place, the academy performs so many vital roles within our community and the lives of our students and families.  We have a fantastic team of teachers and support staff who, day in, day out, work tirelessly to support our young people in being happy and feeling as though they have an exciting future ahead.  

Last week I delivered assemblies to all students and staff on the value of belonging.  In order to enable our young people to thrive and have the best chance of accessing all opportunities the world has to offer, having a sense of belonging is crucial.  I explained what each of us can do each day to ensure that others feel like they belong.  

The first one is quite simple, we smile and engage with one another positively across the academy each and every day.  This is something that the vast majority of our students already do, but seeing an increase in the numbers of smiling teenagers across the academy site throughout the past 2 weeks has been brilliant.  Secondly, we will celebrate one another's achievements, in every lesson teachers will celebrate students progress by awarding Golden Tickets and Achievement points.  Celebration assemblies took place in the first week of the term with many students receiving congratulations from their College teams for their achievements in their subject areas.  KS3 students were awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold awards and KS4 students who were rewarded received either their Full or Half colour awards.  Thirdly I spoke with students in assembly regarding the level of challenge we will provide students throughout their journey with us.  Mascalls Academy staff will challenge students to achieve academic excellence within the classroom and when working independently. We will provide opportunities for them to become critical thinkers and contribute to society in a proactive and positive way in whatever career they choose.

It is an honour to work as part of such a brilliant team, to lead such a fantastic group of young people and to work alongside approximately 2800 parents and carers who all want the best for our young people.  

Many thanks for your continued support and I am excited for the journey ahead

Mrs Brooks 

Congratulations to our Year 11 and 13 students who completed their mock examinations this week.  Our exam invigilators have congratulated them on their mature conduct throughout the examination series and have said they have been the best they have ever worked with!  The last exams to finish this week were the Food and nutrition exams.  Staff flocked to F block once the email was sent to invite them to try the students food and offer feedback!  Above are some of the excellent examples of the dishes that were created.  Congratulations Year 11 and 13, we wish you all the best for the mock results day!

NEU Teacher Strike Action

As you will undoubtedly be aware from the media, the National Education Union (NEU) has announced that its ballot of members has met the threshold required to commence industrial action.  NEU staff will have the option to strike.  The initial date of strike action is on Wednesday 1st February.  We will endeavour to minimise the disruption to our students and are currently finalising our plans for the day.  A letter with full details of our plan will be sent later today.