Dear GA Families

The first 13 weeks (Unit 1) of term have gone by incredibly quickly.  Students are currently working hard on their end of unit assessments, mocks, as well as showcasing to you their sporting, art and drama skills.

We have listened to feedback from all of our stakeholders and will be making some very small changes to some areas of the school, as well as further developing existing areas.

It is very important that you fully read the following information, there is quite a lot, but we thought it best to place it in one document.

Timings of the day

We are making  changes to the school day to ensure that we maximise progress for our students.

The start and the finish of the day will be the same as it is now with Year 11 finishing at 4.05pm and year groups finishing at 4.05pm on their Elite Sports days.  Our morning reading (Tutor Time Reading Programme) will be extended to 40 minutes to allow our students to encounter many more classic novels as they move through the school and for Year 11 to have an extra Maths or English lesson each day.  Our Lunch break is extended also to increase the amount of time that our students can take part in their chosen enrichment activity, as well as take advantage of the incredible food provided by the dining hall.

We encourage our students to have a book on them at all times so they are able to read when time allows.

Entry and Exit

In order to ensure all year groups have a consistent experience at the start and end of the day, we will now only use the front gates, both in the morning and at the end of the day. This means that Year 7 will now enter via the Painswick Road entrance along with the rest of the school. In the event of congestion, or the need to use a different gate, we will use the Cotteswold Road exit.

GA Prep Sessions

We would like to remind you about our amazing ‘before school’ offering: GA Prep.  Students get a healthy breakfast for free, and have the opportunity to complete homework, use the fitness suite, or take part in sports such as basketball, table tennis & badminton all under teacher supervision.  To join, students must arrive between 7.15am and 7.30am though the front pedestrian gate.  Why not drop your child off on your way into work?

Homework

Students will receive their Unit 2 Knowledge Organisers on the first day of Unit 2.  Their main homework is to self quiz the information from the Knowledge Organisers each evening, since this information is the foundation to success in each of their subjects.

Years 7 & 8 students continue to have Sparx maths, which is set and due each Wednesday at 3pm, meaning students get one week to complete it.

Years 9, 10 & 11 students continue with Hegarty maths. For year 9 this is set a week in advance on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday and again students have one week to complete each task.  For year 10 and 11 this falls on different days; more information to follow in a separate letter.

Year 10 and 11 will also have structured revision set on Seneca Learning for an extra hour each day, and again there is more information to follow on this in a separate letter.

Attending sports fixtures

Parents are encouraged to attend sports fixtures that are occurring here at the Academy.  Letters will be sent home to parents of the team members for each fixture.  We are encouraging all students that represent the school for a particular sport to attend each fixture so that they can either play as part of the team or be part of the reserve team.

Please note that if your child has a detention on the same night as a fixture they will not be able to take part in the fixture and their place will be filled by students who do not have a detention.  We look forward to welcoming you on site to support our teams.

Behaviour and Attendance.

We would like to remind you that the beginning of a new unit is a fresh start for all students.  All students’ negative points reset to zero at the start of the unit, meaning that all students will return with a completely clean slate, building on our culture of recurring forgiveness.  We will continue to hold your children to the highest of expectations because we know that this will be a defining factor in enabling them to climb their own personal mountains to the very best Universities and professions.

We expect all students here, every day.  We expect 100% every day, with no shortcuts.  We will be running Attendance evenings in January for those families who are struggling to maintain excellent attendance.  We will invite families, however if you would like support with your child’s attendance please email Mr Nabarro directly.

Uniform

We have extremely high standards of uniform and presentation at Gloucester Academy. It is important that our children take pride in their appearance when they arrive at school.  Please remember that trousers must be loose fitting, land on the shoe, and tailored.  There are also no hoodies allowed on site at Gloucester Academy.  We strongly recommend that during the winter months all students come to school with a coat.

Reports

You  will receive a report at the end of this unit which will outline your child’s achievement in each subject. The report will also explain which class they will be in as they move forward into Unit 2. On the report you will find  the email addresses of subject leads so that you can discuss your child's progress. In the new year there will be an opportunity for you  and your child/ren to come into the school to celebrate their achievements and discuss the next steps to ensure their ongoing success.

Inset day 4th January 2022

We have an Inset day on the 4th January 2022 where only our Year 11 students will be in school. This Inset day will give us an opportunity to discuss with parents and students of Year 11 individual next steps to ensure the best possible outcomes in the final exams.  This day will also be an opportunity for students to work on their vocational courses to maximise the grades they can achieve. More information on this will be with you in the following weeks

Lateral Flow Testing

Please continue to use the lateral flow tests at least twice per week with your child.

Students will also be informed of their time slot to come into school on the INSET day to take a LFT. This is following more DFE guidance for schools.

Follow NHS guidance and isolate your  child immediately if they test positive.  Please also inform the attendance team at GA immediately.

Yours sincerely

Senior Leadership Team