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Message From the Principal 13.12.2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

As we come to the end of the penultimate week of term, there continues to be so many great things happening at Rushden Academy.

With regards to the arrangements for the end of term, I would like to confirm the following details for next Friday. There will be some slight alterations to the day to facilitate an early finish. Lunch will be served earlier in the day, from 12:10pm to 12:45pm, before students go to their form groups to register and complete some Christmas activities. School will finish at 1:15pm. Should you have any concerns, or if your child needs to remain in school until 3pm, please do not hesitate to contact the school office so we can make the necessary arrangements to support.

I would like to congratulate all students who have completed their most recent BTEC exam units. This has been a huge piece of work for students in year 11. BTECs operate in a very different way to GCSE subjects, with units being completed over the course of years 10 and 11, which are combined to generate an overall grade. We will be sharing some more information for students and parents in year 10 who are studying BTECs, and we will be looking to invite families into school to give an overview of how BTECs work, and how you can best support your child. We will be in touch about this in the new year.

Our Ethos Team leader, Mr Noblett, led the assemblies this week. The theme was Christmas and Mr Noblett talked to students about how Christmas for some families can be a really exciting and fun time of year, but we must remember that for others, Christmas can be a very difficult and challenging time. We will continue to work within our community and ensure that we can support as many families as possible. Through our recent fundraising in school, we have been able to provide Christmas meals to many families in the community.

On Tuesday, our Library held their annual Christmas Cracker event after school. The students had a fantastic time taking part in a number of Christmas themed competitions and challenges. The highlight for myself was the Christmas themed dingbats which were very challenging!

On Thursday we supported the charity, Save the Children, with their annual Christmas Jumper day. This event was organised by the Sixth Form team, and it was great to see so many students wearing their festive jumpers in support of this great charity, raising several hundred pounds!

On Tuesday this week, a group of students took part in the Sports Hall Athletics District event, which involved 8 other local schools. The boys team did a fantastic job, coming second in the event, earning themselves a silver medal and a place in the county finals. The girls team did a great job in a very tough field, finishing in 6th place. We are proud of all students for showing great determination, resilience and teamwork. 

Our Maths team continues to do a great job with pushing and challenging students through the use of the PiXL Maths app. Students are provided with bespoke homework from their recent assessments allowing them to work on areas they need to develop further and prepare for future assessments. Further details of the PiXL Maths app can be found in the newsletter.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and we look forward to seeing many of you next week at the Panto!

 

Yours sincerely


Mr J Firth
Principal

Report Information

Dear Parent/Carer

Your child's report has now been released on Go4Schools.

We have worked hard this term to introduce a new system of how we communicate progress for students in years 7 to 10. We hope that these reports will be easier to understand, and will provide you with clear information on how well your child is doing. On your child's report you will now see the following information:

An ‘Attitude to Learning’ grade. This explains how your child is conducting themselves in each subject. 

  • Independent Learner - I am motivated and engage with all tasks set in lessons. I complete all work with high levels of care and attention. I always take care when presenting my work, following the guidelines given. I take on board all feedback given to me to further my learning journey. I am determined to succeed and have the resilience to never give up. I always arrive fully prepared for lessons.
  • Compliant Learner - I engage with the majority of tasks set in lessons but could contribute further. I complete most of my work carefully and listen to the guidance given to me. Sometimes my work could be more detailed.  I take pride in my presentation but sometimes need reminders about expectations. I usually take on board feedback to support my learning journey.  I am keen to succeed but could do more to challenge myself.  I usually arrive fully prepared for lessons.
  • Passive Learner - I tend to sit back in lessons whilst others around me contribute to tasks. I attempt the work set but it can lack depth or doesn’t follow the guidance given.  I need reminders about my presentation and organisation.  I often don’t take on board the feedback given to me, which limits my progress.  I may need prompting to focus in lessons and complete tasks to a higher standard.  I sometimes forget the equipment I need for lessons.
  • Reluctant Learner – I appear disengaged in lessons and do not always listen to the teacher or others.  I need prompting to start the work or stay on task.  My attitude to learning doesn’t follow the school’s expectations, which negatively affects my progress and the progress of others.  My work doesn’t follow presentation expectations.  I don’t respond to the feedback given to me.  I rarely have the correct equipment needed.

A ‘Current Performance’ statement. This explains how well your child is doing in each subject. 

  • Exceptional - Your child shows excellent knowledge and a deep understanding of the subject. They consistently apply concepts to solve complex problems and demonstrate advanced skills and independence within their work.
  • Capable - Your child has a strong knowledge and good understanding of the material. They can effectively apply what they’ve learned in familiar situations and demonstrate solid skills with some independence within their work.
  • Developing - Your child shows basic knowledge and is developing their understanding of the subject. With guidance, they can apply concepts to simple tasks and are working on improving their demonstration of skills, whilst needing occasional support.
  • Emerging - Your child has limited knowledge and struggles with understanding key concepts. They often need help to apply what they’ve learned, and require significant support to demonstrate their learning effectively.

An Assessment Percentage. This will provide you with the percentage of correct answers on your child’s assessment. This is only available for subjects whose assessment is able to be quantified in this way.

An average percentage for the cohort. This will provide you with information on how well the students performed on the assessment as a year group. This will enable you to see if your child is performing at, above, or below average when compared to the year group. Again, this is only available for subjects whose assessment is able to be quantified in this way.

We hope that this format for reports provides you with more clarity, and makes it easier to understand how well your child is doing in school. I would be grateful to hear your feedback on this new approach to reporting, both positive and negative, so we can continue to strengthen our partnership. Please get in touch by emailing to share your thoughts on this.

Regards

Rushden Academy

6th Form Application Deadline 30th January 2025

If you would like to apply for Huxlow Academy and Rushden Academy 6th form, please complete the form attached below.

If you have any queries, please contact Mrs A. Owen on  

For further course information, please visit Rushden Academy website 6th form pages via the link at the bottom of this application. 

Thank you for your interest in our Sixth Form.


Deadline for applications January 30th 2025

 

Rushden_Academy_6th_form_Application_Form_2024_-_2025.pdf

Get in Touch

Rushden Academy

  • Hayway,
    Rushden,
    Northamptonshire.
    NN10 6AG

  • 01933 350391

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