LAR Virtual Newsletter

01/03/24

LEIGH Learners of the Fortnight

(Most reward points received in the last fortnight)

Angelou - Dylan P - 201 Points

Kingsley - Jayden MBS - 188 Points

Turing - Mia WR - 103 Points

Upcoming Themes of the Fortnight:

‘World Book Week: Books, Books Glorious Books’

Principal's Message

OFSTED

This week we welcomed His Majesty's Inspectors from OFSTED who spent two days in the academy evaluating the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management of the Academy. I would like to warmly thank all the parents who took time to complete the OFSTED questionnaire that was sent out to you on Monday. The overwhelmingly positive response from our parental body and wonderful comments were particularly highlighted by the inspectors in their feedback meetings. We were incredibly proud of your children who were selected to talk in a variety of panels, they were true LEIGH learners and ambassadors for the school on this important visit.

The inspectors enjoyed their visit as there was much to celebrate, in particular the warm relationships between staff and students which showed genuine 'love, care and respect', the behaviours and attitudes of the children and the quality of the personal development programme on offer. The SEND and emotional support for students was also highlighted as a strength across the academy. Leaders at all levels were also commended for their rigour, energy and motivation. We will receive the official report and outcomes from OFSTED in a few weeks and very much look forward to sharing this with you in the near future.

Parent Feedback

'I sense that the children buy into the values that the school stands for and for us our child works very hard to meet or exceed staff expectations. There is clear and consistent message from the school which reinforces the right behaviour.'

'The high standards of each child, both academically and on a emotional development are commendable. My child knows the rules and understands why he must follow them. This has led him to become more self- disciplined and mature as each school year has progressed.'

'Most things! We are proud as parents that our children are fortunate to attend this school, and can see that they are striving to do their best for the students. We also applaud the community project in year 9.'

'My daughter feels safe, knows what is expected of her and feels that she is rewarded for her effort and hard work. The staff are brilliant, always helpful and we feel that they really lead by example.'

'Sending my boys to Leigh has been the making of them to date they are well behaved, self motivated respectful and mature. Mr Smith has always been an encouraging, positive role model for both boys. Expectations for the children are clear and disruptive, bad behaviour isn’t tolerated. Both my children understand what’s expected as the boundaries are very clear. There are always a variety of clubs available for the children to attend.'

Miss Millward

Principal

College Attendance

Angelou - 95.2%

Kingsley - 94.4.%

Turing - 93.4%

College Reward Points

(year to date)

Angelou - 17,255

Kingsley - 15,854

Turing - 18,943

Academy Updates

National Careers

National Careers week begins on Monday 4th March. It marks a recognition of the importance of careers guidance in schools and celebrates the vast opportunities students have to pursue a career they will truly love. As part of this endeavour, LAR teachers will highlight links between the learning taking place in lessons with future careers along with the skills and qualifications required to pursue those careers. All of our students have their own login to Unifrog.org which provides independent impartial careers advice for all age groups. As part of this week, we encourage you to speak with your child about the skills they are learning in school which will evolve into employability skills and discuss the vast array of future careers your child can consider. Further information can be found on the LAR careers webpage and have a look at the National Careers Week website for further information.

International Women's Day Army Event - Year 9 Girls

As part of National Careers Week we are pleased to inform you about a free online webinar for girls who have aspirations to join or just want to hear a little about the army. This event is ideal for female students in Years 9-13, but is open to all students and teachers/careers advisers or parents/carers. This Online Event will be held on International Women’s Day, Tuesday 5th March from 4pm - 5pm.

Bookings can be made by families here https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcuGhrzktG9fsfKv62RRawuY7BqyqqndO#/registration

Module 4: College Competitions

A reminder of the following college competitions happening over the next two Mondays:

Year 8: Basketball -Monday 4th March 2024
Year 9: Dodgeball -Monday 11th March 2024

Meet a Puppy - Confidence Building for Students Fearful of Dogs

We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity aimed at building confidence in our children who may be fearful of dogs, some of whom we have identified since having our dog mentors on site. As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive environment, we are organizing workshops and a special meet and greet session with a new puppy in our academy community. Many children have various fears and anxieties, and one of the most common fears is related to dogs. Dogs are not only beloved companions but also play a key role in our society from service dogs aiding individuals with disabilities to therapy dogs providing comfort in hospitals and schools, dogs contribute significantly to our well-being and quality of life. Therefore, it is essential for our children to feel comfortable and confident around them. We believe that introducing our children to a very small dog in a safe and controlled environment can help alleviate their fears and foster a positive relationship with these wonderful animals. This will not only benefit the puppy's socialisation but will enable students who may be fearful of dogs to gradually meet and build confidence with a very small and friendly labrador.

We understand that some children may still feel apprehensive about interacting with dogs, and we want to assure you that the sessions will be conducted in a safe and controlled environment, with the utmost consideration for the well-being of all our students. We encourage you to discuss this opportunity with your child if you know they are apprehensive about dogs and let us know if they would like to participate. If your child has a severe allergy or fear of dogs, please inform us so that we can make appropriate accommodations. If you would like to help build your child's confidence around dogs and would like them to have opportunities to meet the new puppy, please email info@leighacademyrainham.org.uk to put your child forward.

School Police Officer

We are delighted to share that Kent Police have reinstated a new school police officer scheme led by the Medway Child Centred Policing Team. We will welcome PC Corrin Parker into the academy fortnightly on Tuesdays to spend lunchtimes with students and meet with individuals who may benefit from additional pastoral support. The aim of this programme is to break down barriers and address misconceptions that children may have towards police officers. In addition, Corrin will be able to help the academy respond to contextual safeguarding in the academy and local community, for example providing assemblies or workshops where necessary. We are thrilled Corrin will be joining us in the academy and look forward to her fostering positive relationships with students.

Year 9 Options

A gentle reminder that the week commencing the 11th March is 'Options week' for year 9. Families will be shared the options form on the Friday 15th March, no earlier, so that they can select their preferred options. Please look out for further communication regarding this from Mrs Plant.

World Book Week

Next week is World Book Week! There will be a series of events and activities on throughout the week to celebrate the importance of reading. We look forward to celebrating this wonderful week with our students and, while it is not costume days for students, staff cannot wait to dress up for your children on World Book Day.

Meet a Puppy.

Sporting Fixtures

A slow return after the half term break with just the two fixtures to report on. Year 8 and 9 continued their winning streak with a fantastic victory over Gads Hill school. A 30-0 scoreline reflects the level this team are working at currently, but we also know there is much more to come. Dexter SF with a brace of tries as well as some powerful running from Dom C and Riley J proved too much for the local private school.

The most pleasing element of the game however was at the break down with Harrison M and Harrison G regularly first to the break down, stepping over, supporting their weight and keeping or overturning possession for us.

Man of the match was Ewan G who tackles with absolutely perfect, fearless technique and made 3 try saving tackles for our team.

The weather did not dampen the spirits of top of the league year 9 football team on Thursday. With downpour after downpour the spirits remain high and the demand to play the game clearly evident. With the pitch flooded and the ball barely moving the team somehow managed to zip the ball around with Gilly and Noah running the midfield.

A fantastic 5-0 win makes this team top of the league and looking for back to back league wins. Highlights included Noah G bossing the midfield, Ethan W actually scoring and Ryan G popping up with a goal made the fixture cold, wet but worthwhile one. Special mention to the parents and guardians that showed up to support the boys in the horrendous conditions.

Next week we have the following fixtures:

Year 9 netball vs Gads Hill - Tuesday 5th March

Year ⅞ girls football vs Hoo- Tuesday 5th March

Year 7 boys football vs Thomas Aveling - Tuesday 5th March

Year 8 inter-college basketball- Monday 4th March

SSG rowing event- Thursday 7th March

Office Updates

Brigade- Weekend offer

Brigade are holding a 10% off weekend offer, Valid 2nd-3rd March use the code 'MARCH10' on school uniform orders.

PTA Quiz

Reminder that the PTA Quis evening is the 15th March, please come along for a fun filled evening. Payments for tables is available on ParentPay.

Upcoming Events

PTA Quiz

Please note that the Friday 2nd February date has been postponed, the new date is Friday 15th March.

Mary Poppins Show

Thursday 27th and Friday 28th June 2024 starting at 6:00pm.

Co-Curricular Clubs

Please note that students now have an opportunity to sign up to after school clubs via the SOCs website and view what clubs are available each week. We expect all students to try and attend at least one club. Please do encourage your child to get involved in any of the multitude of clubs available after school Monday to Friday (bar Wednesday).

Please discuss with your child which clubs they would like to attend and support them to do so. Their login details have been sent to their school emails and passwords can be reset via this email too.

The full complement of our clubs offer can be found on our website here.