Dear Parent/Carer
As we reach the half term break we wanted to get in touch and update you on what has been a busy and productive start to 2022. A half term which has been packed with events: parents’ evenings, the invaluable Education Evening for Year 11, the return of a fantastic ‘Matilda’ production and of course a real highlight which saw over 1300 students all get the opportunity to escape the local area and engage in some amazing trips to Sheffield, Staffordshire, Tamworth among others. Seeing how much the children benefited from a social experience with their peers and having a go at some new activities was a moment we will never forget.
We are reminded that it is almost 5 years since we were last inspected by Ofsted. That ‘good’ judgement was well deserved and has afforded us so many opportunities as a school to improve further; through attracting high quality staff, securing a sound budget which we have reinvested in the school and through increased recruitment at both Y7 and Y12, in turn enabling us to continue our growth in the coming years. Under UK legislation we are expecting our next inspection imminently, and we assure parents that we are fully prepared and look forward to showcasing how we have continued to improve and grow as a school.
We want to thank you all for your input into the recent parent survey. The uptake was brilliant and has enabled us once again to take pride in how much the community values the work of our amazing staff. We received some incredibly positive comments and I am sure our staff will go into their well-earned break brimming with pride over the praise you gave in droves. As always, we are constantly looking to improve and as such, we would like to draw your attention to a number of key pieces of information that may help you to feel more informed as parents.
Curriculum – We recognise that it is important for you to understand exactly what it is that your child is learning in school. On our school website there are links to the curriculum maps for all of the subjects we offer: Curriculum – Heanor Gate Spencer Academy. Hopefully you can use this to have conversations with your child about their learning. You will also find detailed information about our Personal Development curriculum on the website, however a snapshot is available here: Personal Development Learning Journey.
Extra-curricular – We have an array of different opportunities for students after school. The extracurricular timetable can be found here: Extra-Curricular – Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
Contact with school – A small number of parents also raised concerns about being able to contact school. The most efficient way to do this is by contacting your child’s achievement team. Details of all achievement teams can be found here: Who to Contact? – Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
Given the hugely positive views you all expressed as parents, we thought it would be prudent to signpost you to the National Teacher Awards nominations which close on March 4th 2022. If you and your children feel as though there are individuals who have gone above and beyond, or that have been influential in supporting your child’s learning and development, more information on how you can recognise them can be found here: https://thankateacher.co.uk/the-unsung-hero-award/?utm_source=teachingawards&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=ta2021
Finally, we draw your attention to the next half term; one often seen as the busiest and most crucial in education. Year 11 and Year 13 have their final run into the external examinations due to be sat in May. The pandemic has taken away the opportunity for external examination over recent years and so supporting this year’s cohorts is of paramount importance, particularly if we are going to ensure that our students leave their relevant stage of education with the results they need to compete in the post-pandemic era. As always, every child will continue to be uniquely important, however we ask everyone to appreciate that we must all do our bit to ensure that the students at the end of their educational journeys receive the best climate for success possible.
We hope you and your families have a fun and relaxing break.
Your sincerely
Mr S Huntington and Mr M Jones
Executive Principal and Senior Vice Principal