Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we welcomed children and their families to visit Rushden Academy to see what we have to offer our community. The event was very well attended with well over two hundred and fifty families visiting Rushden Academy to see the amazing work that we are doing.

We had a significant number of student helpers, meeting and greeting families, talking passionately about the subjects they were supporting, and also supporting me with the formal introductions to Rushden Academy as part of the Principal’s welcome presentation. I am grateful to all of the students who supported the evening and I would like to thank Saanvi, Harold, Dike and Roxana for their superb presentations to our visitors. We had so many families who commented on how amazing our students are, how helpful they are, and how their child really enjoyed the evening. We also had a number of children who asked if they could start now!

On Tuesday this week we had our annual school photos day. This year we made the change to have photos taken across all year groups. Your child should have taken an A5 card home which includes all the necessary information on how to order your copies of their photo if you wish to purchase these. 

Yesterday we celebrated World Mental Health Day where students were allowed to accessorise their uniform with something yellow to show their support. They were also able to have one of their Rushden STARR criteria for their bronze award signed off. It is great to see so many students engaging with our Rushden STARR initiative, helping to develop our students’ outstanding character. 

Mrs Ogilvie delivered the assembly to students this week on the theme of World Mental Health Awareness Day. Mrs Ogilvie talked to students about how to recognise burnout, and how to avoid this happening. We often see a number of students suffering from burnout as they are not aware of the impact of things such as poor sleep hygiene. Students were introduced to a number of strategies, such as having opportunities to unwind, that will support them. Should they ever feel that they are starting to suffer from burnout, students can talk to their form tutor, director of keystage, or pastoral support assistant for further support and guidance.

We hope that you all have a lovely weekend, and with only nine more days of school before we break up - school is closed to all pupils on Friday 25th October due to a whole school training day - I am sure many of you will be thinking about how to enjoy your time over the half term break.

Your sincerely,

Jonathan Firth

Principal

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been another epic week of success for #TeamRushden this week with so many exciting events and opportunities for our students and community.

Our Social Action Squad have been running a number of events this week, as part of their Social Action Week. I am sure that you have been following the events each day on our social media channels, and seeing the amazing work students have done! 

On Monday, our students supported our whole school reading strategy by listening to students read during form time. They also supported our local community collecting litter, and helped to transform our wellbeing garden at the rear of our pastoral rooms. On Tuesday, students visited local primary schools to support younger students with their reading. In the afternoon, students visited classrooms to share some sweet treats to staff and students. On Wednesday, students organised and delivered a coffee morning for our community. This was an excellent event that was well attended. It is important that we continue to engage with our local community, and welcome you all into our school. Finally, on Thursday, students finished off the garden area, adding in some amazing furniture! It has been a truly amazing week for our Social Action Squad, supporting the school, the wider community and students. Well done, and thank you to everyone that was involved!

Yesterday, we held our annual awards evening. It was an incredible evening where we had the opportunity to celebrate all of our amazing students with their families. It was fantastic to see a packed main hall, and all of the students looking so smart. We are extremely grateful to the Mayor of Rushden, Cllr David Coleman, and the President of the Rotary Club, Rick Nunley for offering their time to present the Mayor’s Shield and Rotary Club Awards.

Assemblies this week were delivered by Mr Smart, focusing on our Social Action Week and what it means to be part of a community. A powerful quote was shared at the end of the assembly by Ronald Reagan, “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone”. Students also received updates on attendance following the first five weeks back to school. It is brilliant to see so many students with attendance above our target of 95% - well done! It is worth noting that there was a huge impact on outcomes for students in year 11 last year whose attendance fell below 90%. Students whose attendance fell below 90% achieved at least a whole grade lower across all of their subjects than their peers across the country with attendance above 90%. Those with attendance above 95% performed on average, half a grade higher in all of their subjects than the national average. Please remember that you can check your child’s attendance in the Go4Schools App, available on both iOS and Android.

Finally, I would just like to remind parents who drop off and collect their students via car in the morning, accessing school via the Hayway entrance, to stop and let students cross the two Zebra crossings we have. In addition, please remember to leave enough space around the roundabout section of the car park for other vehicles to exit safely. We want to ensure that all students are safe when arriving at and leaving school. We are grateful for your support with this matter.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Yours sincerely

Jonathan Firth