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Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope this update finds you and your families well.
Firstly, a huge congratulations to our Year 11 students who have completed their GCSE Spanish speaking and listening exams over the past 2 weeks, the drama, sociology and film studies exams have taken place yesterday and today. Our first whole cohort English exam is on Monday. We are so pleased with how focussed students have been in lessons and in their Pre exam revision lessons (PERLS) and we are fully aware of how much pressure the examination series can place on parents and siblings too so please do reach out to our College pastoral teams if you would like any advice or support. Wishing all the best to our Year 13 students who start their exams next week also, the same message to parents of Year 13s, please reach out to the Marie Curie team if you would like any advice or support for your child. Please also see the additional support events that are being provided by the NHS Emotional support wellbeing team who we work closely with.
I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate the importance of maintaining our high standards of uniform. We expect all students to represent themselves and Mascalls Academy with pride. In particular, I would like to remind you about the expectation regarding skirts. We insist that skirts are worn unrolled whilst students are in the academy building, and your support in having this same discussion at home would be greatly appreciated as we have definitely seen an increase in girls rolling their skirts in the previous week or so. The warmer weather does mean that when in the sun at break and lunchtime we do not always insist upon students wearing their blazers, but only in exceptional heat, all students must bring their blazers with them each day. We will communicate with them when they are not required. The wool jumper is optional but the blazer is not, it is how they are identified as Mascalls Academy students. We really do appreciate your support in ensuring that all students wear their full uniform and are smartly dressed when they arrive at the academy each day.
This week, I attended a productive meeting with the Paddock Wood Business Association, Kent Police, and Mike Martin - MP for Tunbridge Wells to discuss the issue of anti-social behaviour in Paddock Wood and explore how we can collectively work together to support our local community. Local businesses have reported that some of their clientele occasionally feel uncomfortable due to the number of students on Commercial Road at the end of the school day. It's important to note that they did not report any specific incidents involving Mascalls Academy students. In fact, the reported incidents that the Police referenced have involved young people who have travelled into Paddock Wood by train and are not Mascalls Academy students. Despite this, as we move into Module 6, I will be conducting assemblies with all students, alongside representatives from Kent Police, to discuss anti-social behaviour and our expectations regarding student conduct while travelling to and from school. We will also be issuing posters to all local shops to request that any positive or negative behaviour that members of our community see are reported to us so that we can work more collaboratively in ensuring that Mascalls students contribute positively to Paddock Wood and so that we can celebrate examples of excellent behaviour which we know the majority of our students display on a daily basis.
As mentioned earlier, we saw the commencement of the Speaking and Listening examinations for GCSE Spanish, and we also hosted the GCSE PE practise moderations. These important events did necessitate some additional cover lessons across the academy. While we have two dedicated cover supervisors, we have unfortunately experienced some additional staff absence due to illness. To minimise disruption and ensure continuity of learning, our Assistant Principals, Vice Principals, and I have been supporting by hosting what we call 'nightingale' lessons. During these lessons, students access work set by their subject teachers on their Chromebooks. This approach allows us to avoid using external supply agencies whose staff may not be familiar with our academy's behaviour management strategies and ethos.
The examination period is now fully underway, with Drama and Business exams taking place yesterday and today. As a result, there may be occasions when subject teachers are required to deliver pre-exam revision sessions, which may lead to internal cover being arranged for their timetabled lessons. This is a standard occurrence during the exam season each year, and I wanted to ensure you are aware of the reasons behind any instances of cover your child may experience.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring our students uphold our standards and contribute positively to our wider community.
Yours sincerely,
Jo Brooks
Principal - Mascalls Academy
Collaborate Digital
Collaborate Digital
Fantastic news to share! In October students across Key Stage 3 were selected to take part in an online safety workshop. They had some time with an online safety expert and were given time to research how to be safe online, in the afternoon they were then required to record a podcast about the information they found. One of the outstanding podcasts created by our students, Ben, Fletcher, Theo, and Harley, has been selected as a finalist and is now up for a public vote!
The judges were very impressed by the powerful impact of their podcast (https://youtu.be/s4lgB0KoHBc), a true reflection of the insightful work these students put into researching and delivering this important message. A huge well done to Ben, Fletcher, Theo, and Harley!
The online public vote begins next Tuesday, May 13th, and will run for one week. This is our chance to celebrate the achievements of Ben, Fletcher, Theo, and Harley, and the school with the most votes will be awarded a trophy.
The voting will take place on www.collaboratedigital.com, and more information on how to participate will be shared early next week. Every vote counts!
Supporting Young Carers: A Strike for Well-being
Mrs Saxby took a group of our young carers on a well-deserved trip to the local bowling alley. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to relax, have fun, and spend time with others who understand the unique responsibilities they carry outside of school.
Staff were incredibly impressed with how the students conducted themselves throughout the trip. Their kindness, maturity, and team spirit shone through, making it a truly enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
At our school, we recognise that young carers often juggle a great deal beyond the classroom. While academic achievement is always important, so is supporting these remarkable students' emotional and mental well-being. Days like this remind us how vital it is to give them space to unwind, recharge, and enjoy simply being young.
We’re incredibly proud of our young carers and remain committed to supporting both their learning and their lives beyond school.
Duke of Edinburgh Update
Bronze Award
Bronze Award
Last week our first expedition of the year kicked off with the Bronze Students heading out for their Practice.
On Day 1 the groups made great progress , navigating confidently through our route and working really well as a team with support from Staff at E3. Spirits are high despite a few sore feet. The weather was fantastic on that first day with highs of 26, which made for a pleasant day of walking. The decision was made early to have students switch to their smaller rucksacks due to the heat. Students spent Day 1 walking with a member of staff from E3, this meant that each student was able to learn those vital map skills and navigation tools to use on their second day. The feedback from E3 on this day was fantastic and they were incredibly impressed with how respectful, knowledgeable and keen our students were. All students made it safely back to camp and settled in for a session in outdoor cooking and a campfire. We saw a vast array of Dinner choices, some groups opting for the DofE staple of PotNoodles, others venturing into Pesto Pasta & Burgers. Behaviour at the campsite during the evening was exceptional and in the morning the campsite was left as clean as it was when we arrived.
On Day 2, due to the cooler weather each group walked with their larger backpacks (minus some of the heavier items), they were fully independent, meeting staff at assigned checkpoints throughout the day. All groups navigated well and the teamwork and compassion between each group was lovely to see. Whilst we did have some moments of being lost, all were able to find their way back to help and then work out where they had gone wrong. I would like to thank especially E3, Bryn and his team for their hard work, understanding and patience with our students and the Staff from Mascalls who attended as well, Mr Illsley and Pippa the Dog and Mrs Murphy who joined us on Thursday evening after a full day of speaking exams and parents evening.
Silver Award
Silver Award
Running parallel to the hard work the Bronze Students are currently putting into their Award, Silver students are preparing to meet with myself next week and complete their first maps and route cards of this year. Their first Expedition once again takes place in the Ashdown Forest over three days and two nights, this is at the beginning of June with full details being sent out to parents next week. The amount of evidence logged at the moment from these students for each of those individual sections is exceptional. Overall at the moment at Mascalls we are working at a completion rate of over 98% which is fantastic and the dedication of the students who take part is commendable.
Work in the Community
Tomorrow a group of students will join myself in Volunteering time at the VE Day Party in the Park in Paddock Wood, this follows on from other activities such as the recent Soup Lunch at St Andrew's Church and the Paddock Wood Half Marathon a few months ago. Looking ahead to June we are pleased to be involved with the Moonlight Walk for Hospice in the Weald in Sevenoaks and further ahead to the Hospice Run, taking place in Tunbridge Wells in September. Together with a member of our community we met yesterday to discuss how our students can become more involved in local activities and we are advertising for a regular group to join the Paddock Wood Litter Pickers.
This is our busiest time of year for the Duke of Edinburgh and I would like to thank all of the students involved with their efforts and hard work so far along with thanks to the rest of the DofE Staff at Mascalls.
Mr Collis - Duke of Edinburgh Lead
Understanding autism 17.06.2025.pdfUnderstanding Your Amazing Teenage Brain 03.06.2025.pdfDates for the diary:
Dates for the diary:
Wednesday 14th May - Year 13 Celebration Evening 6-8pm
Sunday 18th May - Dance Championship's @ The Stag Theatre Sevenoaks
Thursday 22nd & Friday 23rd May - DofE Bronze Award Assessed
Friday 23rd May - Last Day of Module 5
Monday 2nd June - Students return on a week 2 timetable
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