LAR  NEWSLETTER 

21/03/25 , Module 4

This week Mr Silvester was proud to attend the Business Education Awards, as we were shortlisted as finalists for the 'Outstanding progress' schools category. While we did not win, we were delighted to be recognised for all that we have achieved as an academy so far! 

Some of our community members may be aware that there is a planned development for 66 houses next to the academy site. We would like to reassure families that we have been working closely with the housing developers who purchased the land adjacent to the academy to ensure that any disruption to the school day is kept to a minimum while the works continue over a 2 year period. 

The construction work is set to begin on Monday, 24th March, which will result in the temporary closure of one of the footpaths leading into the academy for one week. This footpath is located at the top end of Otterham Quay Lane opposite the vehicle gates.  While a temporary pathway will be made available here for the week, we will be encouraging students to use the main pedestrian gate nearer the railway line. LAR staff will be present as usual, along with the groundworkers, to assist students in using the alternative footpath at the beginning and end of the school day.

In addition the developers have confirmed that they will not be using the access to the field outside our gates after next week, and that the entrance site to the site will be from Moor Street, A2 at the opposite end of the field. Therefore there should be minimal disruption to the running of the academy day. 

In working with the developers we have already discussed potential opportunities for students over the next to years for example site visits and careers talks from the trades involved and we will be able to provide regular updates to our parents regarding the progress of the site. 

Mrs Cramlington

Principal

Medications

If your child requires any medication then it needs to come in it's original box so the instructions are provided. If they are brought into the academy lose then we won't be able to take these in. When bringing these in, they must have your child's name on the label as well as the year and college.

If the medication has expired then please be aware that we will disregard them.

From now on, we will hold stock of painkillers (paracetamol and ibuprofen) so you won't need to bring any in for your child. If your child needs any type of painkiller we will then contact home and ask for your consent to give this to them.

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.

Book Fair

We are hosting a book fair in the LAR library from 21/03 - 03/04. There is an exciting range of books on offer for your children to purchase at a reduced price, including brand new 2025 releases. Payments can be made at the following link: https://bookfairs.scholastic.co.uk/pay. We are also accepting cash if it is the exact amount (unfortunately, we are unable to give change). 

On Thursday 20th March, our Year 10 students had the privilege of hearing from a local barber who has achieved national recognition for his craft! He shared his incredible journey from starting out as a young barber to running a successful business, traveling the world, and cutting the hair of celebrities on film sets!

His key message? Resilience, drive, reliability, and staying open to new opportunities can take you far in any career. 

A huge thank you to this inspiring speaker for showing our students that passion and hard work can lead to extraordinary success!

Introducing the LAR Nature Reserve! 

Since the beginning of this academic year a dedicated group of staff and students have been tirelessly working to secure funding for us to establish our very own nature reserve on the school site as part of our EcoClub. They have since planned and delivered the first stages of our nature reserve in the form of two raised planters so we can later grow our own produce as well as a wildlife pond and dead hedging to encourage wildlife. We have also taken delivery of 60 native hedging plants which are being planted to act as a natural site boundary whilst adding ecological value. There is lots more in the pipeline to enhance the educational value of this site with multiple links into our curriculum so watch out for updates!!!

A big thank you to the following local suppliers who have kindly donated items and for their involvement: 

- ME contractors (https://www.facebook.com/share/1F2anYEPXx/) - for the pergola which is now already home to the students' home made bird boxes and feeders. 

- J&S Tree Care (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ZyyqFX5Ws/) - for the dead hedge supplies making this aspect possible

- Medway fencing (medwayfencing@outlook.com) - Picket gate. 

- RLBeal  - landscaping services to build the pergola and planters and laying the accessible gravel grid path

- Boxley Timber & Fencing Supplies - for the posts to support our picket gate

Thank you also to the people of Rainham and Medway who have given us valuable advice, the garden arch, bug houses and plants!

We are immensely proud of our 15 Performing Arts students who delivered a stunning performance at the prestigious Kenward Will Change Lives Charity Ball on Saturday. The ball raised awareness and funds to support the Kenward Trust who run life saving drug and alcohol intervention and prevention services around Kent.

Mr Clark, Mrs Rowe and Mr Bedford worked tirelessly backstage this weekend and Ms Plant came to watch and shed more than a few tears over how tremendously talented and fearless our students were.  Their rendition of “You will be found” from Dear Evan Hansen was inspirational.

Their talent and professionalism truly shone, representing our academy with distinction and flair. Well done!

Well done to our Year 8's and 10's once again for achieving the highest Sparx Reader in the trust. Keep up the good work!

On Friday, March 14th we were excited to celebrate Pi Day at Leigh Academy Rainham. All students enjoyed Pi related starters in their Maths lessons and engaged in a most intriguing Pi Treasure Hunt. In addition, the Maths teachers all wore Pi themed t-shirts which generated fascinating conversations about the origin and significance of Pi.

The day culminated with the Pi Competition where students from all year groups took part in seeing how many digits of Pi they could remember.

Huge congratulations to all the winners and a special mention to all those who took part in this competition.

Well done! We are all incredibly proud of you!

It's been a great Red Nose Day at LAR.  We raised a total of £130. We  had  red noses, hats, red hair bands and bows, and lots more red accessories. Such a fun day and thank you to everyone who donated!

A massive well done to Olivia and her team. They have been working hard all year to qualify to compete at Crufts. Their flyball team had to win against approximately 20 other teams over the last 12 months.  The competition was tough at Crufts this year, but their team did themselves proud and walked away with fourth place. We are so proud of you all and are amazed with what you've achieved. Well done!

MedwayGo Easter activities are running from Monday 14th April – Thursday 17th April 2025.

Bookings open on Monday 17th March 2025 at 10am. Bookings going forward will be made through a new system called Eequ. Parents/carers can simply follow a link and book activities. Eligibility will be automatically checked and then the booking will be approved or rejected based on the eligibility criteria. Families can soon start to register interest here: https://eequ.org/medwaygo and book from 17th March.

MedwayGo provides holiday activities and food for school aged children. MedwayGo is free for children that are eligible for benefit related free school meals. We can also allow 15% of funding to be used for children classed as vulnerable, for example children with SEND, looked after children and military families. Once the 15% is taken up, bookings will be restricted to those who are eligible for benefit related FSM only. If families are not eligible for free places, they can access paid places. Many providers offer places at a reduced rate, so all children have access to the programme.

Eligible children will be able to book and attend 4 activities across the Easter programme. Whilst enjoying physical and enrichment activities, children will also receive a hot healthy meal. There are a range of activities on offer from sports, theatre workshops, outdoor pursuits, music and more.

Families can start to explore activities on offer from next week and book from Monday 17th March at 10am. More information will be shared on our Facebook page. Families can also find out more about how to make bookings through one of the many articles Eequ have created: https://help.eequ.org/en/articles/221041-how-do-i-make-a-booking.

The MedwayGo team are also holding 2 online Q&A sessions for families to ask questions about the new booking system. These will take place on:

Thursday 6th March 12pm – 1pm  Click here to join on the day: Join the meeting now

Thursday 13th March 7pm – 8pm  Click here to join on the day: Join the meeting now

 Families can also follow our Facebook page for live updates: www.facebook.com/MedwayGoHAF