Dear Parent / Carer

It has been a positive, if a little chilly, week at Rushden Academy with lots of great work being undertaken by students across the school.

Mr Noblett, our Ethos leader, led assemblies for all year groups. He spent the first part of the assembly talking about how much can change in ten years, referencing various things that happened 10 years ago in 2014. The Ellen photograph for example 'breaking' twitter for being so popular and how Fortnite, TikTok and Covid did not exist and yet they have played a huge part in society as we know it today. He then challenged students to think 10 years into the future for their own lives and ask themselves the question, 'Where do I see myself in 10 years time?' Finally he encouraged them to not only go and live successful lives, but to live a life that impacts those around you positively.

As part of our personal development agenda, all of Year 8 took part in workshops on harmful sexualised behaviours which were organised by the Grace Foundation. This is an important topic which we have a statutory duty to educate students about and it was great to see all students engaging positively with the content. 

Whilst some examinations have taken place already for Year 11, next week officially marks the start of the exam season. All Year 11 students have been working hard in lessons to complete final preparations and close both skill and knowledge gaps ahead of the final exams. Every second counts in this final run-up and so please ensure that you are doing all that you can to encourage your child to revise at home. To this end, please remind your children that making copious revision notes or reading revision guides is nowhere near as impactful as practising flash cards or completing practice exam questions.

On Friday, we welcomed the town Mayor into school who came to give an award to one of our talented students. Samuel in Year 7 was the recipient after his poster entry for the ‘Don’t Rubbish Rushden’ competition beat all the other entries across the town. The Mayor came into the Year 7 assembly to formally recognise Samuel’s achievement in front of the rest of his year group; well done, Samuel.

In keeping with the theme of success, Mrs Finney took the Year 8 girls’ netball team to play against Manor in the district final. After an incredible performance, the girls emerged victorious beating Manor by 7 goals to 4. This is the first time in over 13 years that a team from Rushden Academy has won the district league and the girls should be incredibly proud of this achievement. A massive well done to Mrs Finney and the team!

Have a pleasant weekend,

Yours sincerely,

Mr B Baines

Principal

Dear Parent / Carer

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye with lots of great things taking place around the school.

Mr Bocking delivered a hugely emotive assembly on the topic of Earth Day to all year groups. The assembly started with the iconic earthrise image which prompted discussions about why the image was so important to history. Mr Bocking then went on to talk about the rapidly increasing population and the impact on the earth’s finite resources and students were encouraged to reflect on the impact that more economically developed countries are having on poorer countries. Prior to the assembly Mr Bocking had placed various pieces of litter in the assembly hall to see if any student would pick it up without being prompted to do so. It was heartwarming to see Osesenaga do just that despite her fellow students all walking past the litter as she picked it all up by herself - a true display of exemplary character from her!

The Social Action Squad have been busy undertaking a range of projects which includes planting five new fruit trees and a large number of deciduous trees at the end of the field which mark the start of a new wild patch. In addition, members of the squad returned to the Serve Day Centre where they talked with a number of residents and played bingo!

A number of Year 11 students undertook the first of their examinations in drama and art this week as we enter the GCSE exam period. We recognise that this is a stressful time for Year 11s and all subject teachers and form tutors are on hand to support them in any way possible whether that be with sourcing additional resources, helping them prioritise revision topics or just talking to them to offer reassurance. Every little bit of revision makes a difference and so you should be seeing your child revising each evening and at weekends to ensure they are in the best possible position to excel in their examinations.  

We welcomed a large number of you into school on Thursday for Year 8 parents’ evening. It was great to see staff updating you on how your children are progressing in all of their subjects as well as offering feedback on what they need to improve. Parents’ evening is a critical evening to ensure that you are best placed to support your child with their schooling and so we will be following up directly with those of you who were unable to attend.

Finally,  Mrs Brainwood took Ben, Elliott, Olivia and Ellie to present to the Rotarian’s about their experience of Prison? Me? No Way! which was funded by the Rotary Club. They presented brilliantly despite the pressures of being on stage and talking into a microphone. Another great endorsement of how amazing the children of Rushden Academy are.

Have a restful weekend,

Yours sincerely,

Mr B Baines

Principal