Protect your child from measles. Book an appointment at an MMR catch-up clinic this March.

Measles isn’t just a harmless childhood disease and can lead to serious illness, but it is preventable through two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Following a rise in cases in England, the NHS are urging parents and carers to make sure their children are up to date with their MMR vaccinations. Catch-up clinics are available to school-aged children, and teens up to 19, in Chatham on Saturday 23 March. 

To book an appointment phone the school-aged Immunisation Service on 0300 123 5205 or email via kchft.cyp-immunisationteam@nhs.net. If you’re not sure whether your child is up to date with their MMR jabs, look in your child’s red book, or check with your GP, who can also offer MMR catch-up appointments.

As always the Strood Academy Safeguarding team are here to help.  Please get in touch with us by using the below contact details:

Designated Safeguard Lead = Ms Lindsay

Deputy Safeguard Lead = Ms Barlow 

College  Safeguarding Officers and Contacts:

Victory = Mrs Hurley-Sherwood victory@stroodacademy.org

Hercules = Mrs Brice hercules@stroodacademy.org

Trafalgar = Mrs  Phillips trafalgar@stroodacademy.org

Please note, Strood Academy has a Safeguarding email which is operating both during and outside of school hours- safeguarding@stroodacademy.org. Please reach out to us if there is anything we can do to support.

This week, Strood Academy welcomed a special guest from the STEM Tutoring Foundation, Jaspal Singh, who brought a dynamic energy to our Computer Science curriculum! 

Jaspal worked closely with Year 11 students in small groups during intervention sessions, igniting curiosity and engagement. Students eagerly participated, asking insightful questions and immersing themselves in the interactive sessions showing their inquisitiveness. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Jaspal and the STEM Tutoring Foundation team for the invaluable contribution. Jaspal's passion and expertise have truly enriched our students' learning experiences.

“Everything is important - success is in the detail” 

• The module 4 mock series has been extremely successful and we are very proud of our year 11 students and their conduct and behaviour in the main hall. We look forward to informing students of their results during the ‘Year 11 and Year 13 Mock results afternoon’ on Wednesday 20th March. We also welcome you to attend this event from 2.15pm to 3.30pm on this date to be with your child when they open their mock results envelope as well as a number of other talks led by Mr Fatania surrounding the year 11 strategy, and an introduction to 6th form. We look forward to sharing their success with you at this event

• The module 4 mock series has been extremely successful and we are very proud of our year 13 students and their conduct in their mock exams. We look forward to informing students of their results during the ‘ Year 13 Mock results afternoon’ on Wednesday 20th March, an event that you are encouraged to attend. We look forward to sharing their success with you at this event. 

• Your child’s attendance every day is crucial to their success in their final exams. The Department for Education suggests that if attendance falls below 96%, attainment is negatively affected. Even for high-achieving students poor attendance has a significant negative impact on their grades. It has been shown that missing just 17 days of school in Year 13 reduces final A level grades by one grade across all subjects. This could easily be sufficient to prevent a student from getting an apprenticeship and into the university or career of their choice.

• The average Strood Academy year 13 attendance is 93.7%. During the module 4 mock series this increased to 94.7% and we would like to continue this high level of attendance post mock exams. You can access your child’s up to date attendance figure on MCAS. Please discuss with your child their current attendance figure and how you can work together that this figure is as high as physically possible. 

We thank you for your support in ensuring that your child’s attendance is as important to you as it is to us. 

• Attached is the KS5 dress code for your information, as well as Expectations which have been shared with year 12 and 13 students

• Early Finish Fridays: any 6th form students who achieve 100% attendance for the week have the opportunity of leaving during lunchtimes on Friday. Ms Stubbs will be liaising with eligible students. Please refer to the letter shared this week for further information on this.

• Years 12 and 13 have subject-specific study periods built into their timetables, roomed into the study area. This area is now being supervised as a quiet study area to enable students to continue with their set subject work. We hope students find this useful.