LAR  NEWSLETTER 

02/05/25 , Module 5

It has been a few weeks of incredibly positive celebrations for Leigh Academy Rainham!

We hosted our first Easter Interventions for Year 10 and were thrilled to see so many of our year 10 students attending, with over 80 children in attendance on some days. I am incredibly grateful to our staff who attended the academy during their holidays to provide this additional free intervention offer for our students and was pleased to see so many children taking advantage of this additional offer of support. I look forward to seeing the additional impact this has had for our year 10 students when they celebrate their mock results in June. 

I was also incredibly pleased to hear positive reports of our year 7 students behaving in an exemplary manner when they visited Dover Castle over the last two weeks. The coach driver stated in his 15 years of driving for schools he had never seen such well led and well behaved students from a school, which is wonderful feedback for our fantastic year 7 cohort and their parents should be equally proud! Overall they appeared to have a lovely time at the castle and I thank the History team's time and efforts for planning and coordinating a trip for so many of our students. 

I  was equally proud to attend the Pride of Medway awards at the very end of last module. As a school we were finalists for the Inspiring Schools category and were proud to receive our certificate and award celebrating the hard work of year 9 for their community projects. In addition our LAR Superstar, Bow T in 9A was not only a finalist in the Inspiring Youth category but was the overall winner across Medway! It was a wonderful evening and a thoroughly deserved celebration of her work as a committed and conscientious school librarian who supports and leads other students on a daily basis. Well done Bow!

I am very much looking forward to attending the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards on the 9th of May next week. We received wonderful news that not only did we have 11 teachers nominated, but that Mr Smith and Mr Naidoo have been selected as winners. I know you will share me in thanking them for all the hard work they do for the academy and to support our students and I am thrilled to be able to attend and share this special evening with them. 

Lastly we received an email over the Easter holiday from a team of researchers carrying out an expedition in Antarctica who received flags that LAR students had created and sent to them.  These were submitted by students as part of a Geography competition earlier this year. They were photographed by crew on board The Sir David Attenborough Ship, whose crew contains a range of ecological modellers, biogeochemists, engineers, stewards and drivers. These photos of our flags were taken with Doreen Thomson a steward on board the ship at St Andrew's Bay in South Georgia where there is a huge colony of over 150,000 pairs of King Penguins, making it one of the largest colonies in the world. It is delightful to know that a piece of LAR has made it 8641km to the other side of the world!

I wish you all a lovely, sunny bank holiday, 

Mrs Cramlington

Principal

Brigade

Over the May bank holiday, Brigade are having a discount weekend between Saturday 3rd May – Monday 5th May using the promo code: BANKHOL10. Please note that this can only be used during this time period otherwise this won't work at the checkout. When at the checkout, this will only work if your placing orders via 'Parents Direct'.

Borrowing Uniform

We've had a number of students coming to Student Services asking to borrow a numerous amounts of uniform especially ties. If your child needs to borrow uniform then they must return this back at the end of the same academic day. They will then get issued a detention due to missing uniform however if they fail to do so by the next morning, another detention will be issued due to not returning any item. If you have ordered on either ParentPay or Brigade then you'll need to send this proof to your child's college email in order for this to be noted and a detention not to be sanctioned.

After School Club via MCAS

If your child goes to a club after-school, you should now be able to see this on your MCAS app. As well as ones they're attending, you can see what ones your child has signed up too.

Year 10 Mock Examination Information Evening

Please click here to view the information evening presentation in case you couldn't attend or need to keep any information regarding this.

Year 10 Mock Exams

These exams will be happening between Monday 12th May - Friday 23rd May.

Actions for Year 10 parents:

Please ensure that your children come to school with a plain water bottle, a clear pencil case containing at least 3 black pens, a ruler, a scientific calculator and a plain water bottle with no writing or lettering on it.  Please also ensure that your child arrives at school in good time (no later than 8.25am).  If your child is in receipt of extra time for their examinations, please ensure they bring a packed lunch from 12th May onwards as they will having their break times later than other students.  Should you require a free school meal, please let the exams officer know by emailing info@leighacademyrainham.org.uk.

Actions for Year 7-9 parents:

From 12th May until the end of module 5; if your child has PE or Dance, please ensure that they come to school wearing their PE kit as the changing rooms will not be available during the exam period.

Water Bottles

As the weather is getting warmer, we've noticed the increase in students not bringing a water bottle. Please can we ask that students come to the academy with a water bottle to ensure that they're staying hydrated.

As you may already be aware, the Netflix series Adolescence has been widely discussed over the last few weeks. The show provides a powerful, and at times difficult, look at the digital pressures young people face online and the role parents have to play in their digital wellbeing.

Free Parent Resources

It’s packed with practical advice, conversation starters, and useful insights to help parents navigate the various challenges the series brings to light.

From setting boundaries around screen time to processing upsetting online content, the resources are designed to give parents the tools and knowledge to take the next steps in supporting their child’s digital wellbeing.

How Can Parents Access The Resources?

You can access this by simply clicking this website: https://smoothwall.com/adolescence

Over the past fortnight, our form time theme has been developing responsibility. We’ve discussed why honesty is a cornerstone of everyday life and society, and how it builds trust and strengthens relationships. Students also reflected on the challenges of being honest, considering situations where it might feel difficult to tell the truth and what factors might lead someone to be less than truthful.

Our Key Stage 3 students have explored the British justice system and looked at causes and consequences of crime. This week, with the local elections taking place, Year 10 students have taken a deeper look at the roles of laws and rules, the importance of jury service, and the responsibilities we all share in upholding a just society. They also reflected on what life might look like in a society without rules, sparking thoughtful discussion on fairness and order.

Our flags have been photographed on board The Sir David Attenborough Ship! Many members of the crew on the SDA have been involved in taking photographs for this project. Many are PHD students, however the SDA crew contains a wide range of professions including ecological modellers, biogeochemists, engineers, stewards and divers. Two of our students flags were photographed by Doreen Thomson who is a steward on board the ship! 

The photo was taken at St Andrew's Bay, South Georgia. The penguins are King Penguins, and there is a huge colony of them at St Andrew's Bay with an estimated 150,000 pairs of them making it one of the largest in the world. Well done to our students who submitted their chosen designs.

As part of their community project, a group of enterprising year 9 students recently rolled up their sleeves and took to the kitchen to bake a variety of delicious cakes, all in the name of charity. From chocolate brownies to classic Victoria sponges, the students not only showcased their culinary talents but also their commitment to making a difference. Organising every aspect of the event themselves - from baking to setting up the sale. All proceeds will go toward supporting a local charity. Their hard work, teamwork, and generosity are a true credit to the school community.