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End of Year letter - 22/07/2022
Dear Parents, Carers and Students,
As we finish the academic year, the first full one in school in the last three, there is so much for our students and our community to be proud of at Sewell Park.
We have had a return of a variety of different trips and visits this academic year finishing with our SMSC enrichment days with students taking part in a wide variety of activities from Bollywood dancing to Sports activities including Paddleboarding, plus visits to Duxford and Paris. It has been superb to see the return of these events, alongside events for STEM and Pride week, culminating with the Lord Mayor of Norwich opening our Pride march and who will be visiting us again in September to see the work and development occurring at our school.
This year, we have also had an inspection of the school by Ofsted and the first ever “Good” rating. It is a very exciting time for all members of Sewell Park and our local community as we move from strength to strength. Our students and families can rightly be proud to attend SPA and know that the education here, on all levels, is amongst, if not the best in Norwich. We look forward to detailing the next stages of our development with you in September.
One aspect at the end of an academic year is to thank and say farewell to those staff who leave us. Mrs Proctor, Teacher of Technology, will be leaving us after 6 years. I know the students are grateful for her enthusiasm and energy in inspiring them in the subject over that time, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours. As a school, SPA is continuing to grow and as such we will be welcoming a number of new staff in September. Within the teaching staff we have - Mrs Holmes (Head of Science), Mr Playford (Teacher of History), Miss Bew (Second in charge of English), Miss Quince (Teacher of English) and Mr Lee (Teacher of Science). In support staff roles we also have joining us - Ms Gyarmati-Nagy (Exams Officer), Mr Clemesha (Raising Achievement Apprentice) and Ms Evans (Year Leader)
Don’t forget there are many activities taking place over the summer holidays. Please see our earlier email titled ‘Big Norfolk Holiday Fun’ for details - many activities are free!
Return to school - September 2022
Students returning to the school in September should enter through the designated gate for their year group on return (map attached). We will be operating a staggered start for year groups in September to return back into our routines and ensure Year 7 can settle in well. Therefore start dates are as follows:
Tuesday 6th September - Year 7, Year 8 & Year 11 - 8.40 am
Thursday 8th September - Year 9 & Year 10 - 8.40 am
Work for Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th for Years 9 and 10 will be uploaded on Google classroom. They will also catch up on the learning through the Period 6 sessions over the academic year.
Period 6
Period 6 (3.05 to 4.05 pm on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) is a statutory part of the Sewell Park Academy day for Years 10 and 11 and has played a pivotal role in supporting our older students in their studies and examination outcomes. This has been agreed with the Department of Education, Governors and Trustees a number of years ago. These are not optional sessions and are a legal part of the students' attendance at SPA. Due to COVID, this was paused for two days a week for Year 10 students, however this will return from September 2022.
Year 10 and 11 students will have Period 6 lessons (until 4.05 pm) on a Monday and Thursday, which will be a selection of curriculum timetable, ‘study’ sessions and intervention support. Wednesday will be designated as ‘home study’ and students will leave the site at 3.05 pm. However, for students where further support is identified, or where Revision and Review is not being completed, it may be compulsory that they remain in school. If this is required, parents and carers will be informed in advance.
Consultation on the length of the school day
The government has stated an ambition for the minimum length of a school week to be 32.5 hours for all students. Currently, for Years 7, 8 and 9, the school week is 25 minutes short of this figure. In September, we will be writing to you all regarding a consultation to lengthen the school day by 5 minutes from September 2023 outlining different models and to seek your opinions on the matter.
I hope that you and your families enjoy a safe and relaxing summer together. Our students have worked exceptionally well this year and demonstrated the values we have at Sewell Park. We look forward to welcoming them back in September as we continue to grow as a community.
Best wishes,
David Day
Headteacher