Academy News Stories

News Posts

Message From the Principal 07.01.2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

With a week left to go before half term, I’d like to share some updates on our progress over the past five weeks.

I’m delighted to inform you that we have successfully recruited a new Math teacher who will be joining us after the Easter holiday. This, along with recent appointments in Food Technology and English, ensures that we have the right staff in place to continue delivering the best education for your children.

After half term, Mrs. Evans will take on the role of Head of Year 8 while Mrs. Broughton begins her maternity leave. Mrs. Evans is excited to work with Year 8 students and their families. As a reminder, your child’s form tutor should be the first point of contact for any concerns.

On Wednesday, we held a BTEC Information Evening for Year 10 parents and students. Mrs. Burrows provided an overview of the updated BTEC qualifications, outlining expectations and key demands. We will share the evening’s resources along with a schedule of key dates and tasks via our school website soon.

On Thursday evening, we held our progress evening for year 9 students. The evening was very busy and it was great to see so many parents talking about their child’s progress whilst also gathering information on options for Key Stage 4. We will be holding a KS4 Options Evening on Thursday 13th March. Further details about this evening will be shared in due course.

You will soon receive an email from Mr. Smart regarding changes aimed at improving punctuality. We have seen an increase in students arriving late, which impacts both attendance and their start to the day. A positive morning routine with peers and form tutors is essential for success. We appreciate your support in ensuring all students arrive at school by 8:25 AM.

This week, Mr. Billam led assemblies on internet safety, focusing on the theme: "Too Good to Be True." He discussed how to spot and avoid online scams, encouraging students to check for red flags, such as:
✔ Verifying email addresses to ensure legitimacy
✔ Avoiding direct bank transfers for payments
✔ Being cautious of offers requiring in-person exchanges instead of secure delivery

It’s crucial that we all remain vigilant online to stay safe.

After half term, we will transition to a new management information system: My Child at School (MCAS). As a result, the Go4Schools app will no longer be in use after next Friday. We will provide further details on how to access MCAS after the break, but please be patient as we implement the new system.

Next week, we’ll be celebrating student achievements with celebration assemblies, attendance reward draws, and a very important cake sale to support Ms. Fitzgerald, who is running the London Marathon!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend - I look forward to seeing the students next week!

Yours sincerely,

Mr J Firth

Principal

Importance of Punctuality and new Late Arrival Procedures

Dear Parent/Carer

Subject: Importance of Punctuality and new Late Arrival Procedures

We are committed to supporting all students in accessing their full education, and punctuality plays a crucial role in this. A consistent routine and a positive start to the day with their tutor significantly impacts a student's learning and overall experience, ensuring they have everything they need to be successful. Our school day begins at 8:30 am and gates close at 8:25 am to allow students time to reach their tutor rooms.

To further emphasise the importance of punctuality, we are implementing the following procedures for late arrivals, effective from Monday 24th February 2025:

Arrival between 8:30 am and 8:50 am: Students will receive a "late to school Non-Negotiable (NN)" and will serve a 10-minute detention the following day.
Arrival after 8:50 am: Students will be required to hand in their mobile phones upon arrival. These can be collected from reflection at 3:10 pm that day.

These changes will be communicated to students in assemblies next week. The attendance team will also reinforce these procedures with students arriving late to school next week.

We believe that consistent punctuality is essential for maximising learning opportunities and setting students up for a successful day. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this message at home.

If you have any questions or require support, please do not hesitate to contact me, your child’s tutor or the Director of Key Stage/Head of Year.

Yours faithfully

Mr R Smart

Assistant Principal

Message From the Principal 31.01.2025

Dear Parent / Carer

I hope you’ve all had a lovely week. It has been wonderful to finally see some sunshine, even with the cold temperatures - it certainly feels like spring is on its way!

This week, we have been busy with recruitment, and I am pleased to share that we have successfully filled all advertised positions so far. Interviews for a maths teacher vacancy will take place next week.

One key appointment I’d like to highlight is our new SEND Coordinator. After a long and successful career, Mrs. Smith will be retiring this summer. We will make sure to send her off in style! To ensure a smooth transition, we have appointed Ms. Leech, who has worked at the academy for several years and is incredibly passionate about her new role. She has already started working closely with Mrs. Smith and the SEND team in preparation for September.

For now, please continue to contact Mrs. Smith for any SEND-related matters, but be aware that Ms. Leech may also be involved in supporting students during this transition.

This week, Mrs. Ogilvie delivered assemblies on LGBT+ History Month, which is celebrated every February. The theme for 2025 is Activism and Social Change, and students learned about key individuals who have campaigned for equal rights.

She also linked this to how our own students have campaigned for change within the school through the newly formed Student Council and Leadership Team - a fantastic example of activism in action!

On Tuesday, TOVE Learning Trust conducted a review of our Sixth Form provision. We received excellent feedback on:

The strong leadership of our Sixth Form team
Our broad and balanced curriculum (in partnership with Huxlow Academy)
The personal development programme, which ensures students leave with the skills and knowledge needed for success

The Student Leadership Team spoke highly of our induction programme and the excellent pastoral support available to them.

Reminder: Sixth Form applications are still open! Please ensure all applications are handed in to form tutors or the Sixth Form office as soon as possible.

On Thursday, our Student Leaders were fantastic ambassadors, organising and leading a Primary School Boccia event in partnership with Northamptonshire Sport. We were proud to welcome students from: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Newton Road, Ruskin Academy, Denfield Park, Great Addington, Ringstead, and Whitefriars.

A huge well done to all participants for demonstrating our Team Rushden Values! We also wish those advancing to the county competition the best of luck.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you next week.

Yours sincerely,

Mr J Firth

Principal