End of year update

Dear Parents, Carers & Students,

We are at the end of another fantastic year at Sewell Park Academy! Another year where we have seen the school and the community continue to take pride of place for the young people of Norwich.

We are exceptionally proud of all of our young people and their achievements, but a few highlights over the year include:

• The fantastic trips and visits across a range of curriculum subjects. In Art, Maths, History, Geography and with our Young Carers to name just a few. The list just gets longer every year.

• The amazing production of Mary Poppins! It was the first time in over a decade that we have been able to do a whole school show, and the talent in our students was second to none!

• The consistent perseverance and efforts of our Year 11 students must be emphasised to you. They really were superb role models in how to study and how to effectively prepare for your exams and your future.

• The quality of education provided consistently by our talented staff across the curriculum, matched by the focus and efforts of our students.

Unsurprisingly in my view, our good reputation continues to grow.

It is testament to the consistent efforts of our fabulous staff, talented young people and the consistent support given by parents, carers and the wider community, that Sewell Park Academy was the 5th most oversubscribed and popular school in Norfolk this academic year. This status is bittersweet perhaps- we now have waiting lists to join us, and again this year we had many appeals from prospective students and their families who we were forced to turn away from joining us in Year 7 for this coming September.

Our status as one of the County’s most over-subscribed schools is a huge achievement and demonstrates what can be achieved by all members working collaboratively in the best interests of young people. Our aim is that the positive behaviours that we are instilling in our young people in school has a similarly positive impact on the wider NR3 community.

Moving on to other matters, it is also the time of year when we must say farewell to some staff who are moving on from Sewell Park. These are:

• PC Proctor who is moving on after 5 years as our Safer Schools Police Officer.

• Miss King & Miss Loades (Raising Achievement) who have reached the end of their apprenticeships.

• Mx Muscroft (Examinations Officer) who is making a career change.

• Mr Francis (Year Leader) who is joining the Norfolk Constabulary.

• Miss Escott (Cover Instructor) who is going on to undertake a period of formal teacher training.

• Mr Pegg (Raising Achievement Manager) who has won a scholarship to read for a Master’s degree in Museum Curation.

• Mr Coles (Teacher of Geography) who is moving to the United States of America.

We do of course wish all of them every success in the future, and we are grateful for all of their hard work and the dedication they showed to Sewell Park during their time with us.

Whilst our students are no doubt firmly thinking about their coming summer holidays, I am thinking further ahead to September and the new school year. I draw your attention to some important information below:

Return to school

We start back on the following days:

• Wednesday 3rd September 8:30 am - Years 7 & 11 only. Note that Year 7 students should enter through the front gate, opposite Millcroft, on St Clements Hill.

• Thursday 4th September 8:30 am - All year groups.

For the full term dates, please see the school website and calendar.

We try as much as possible to align with our feeder schools, but as we have around 18, there will unfortunately always be some which do not match.

You will have seen that, due to our longer school week, we have a two week half term in October. Hopefully, this gives an opportunity for some families to take advantage of slightly reduced holiday costs before the main Norfolk half term. There is also substantial evidence from other academy trusts, that this break in the really long Autumn term, helps to reduce absence of both students and staff.

Our school uniform expectations

At Sewell Park Academy, we are very proud of the presentation of our students. Uniform plays an important part in preparing students for future life, and how the requirements of professional dress may be in their future careers and employment. In preparation for when we return for the new school year in September, we would like to remind parents, carers and students about the expectations regarding the school uniform. All the information can be found on the school website using this link - but to summarise, some of the key requirements are:

• All shoes and trainers must be completely black. We have recently seen some trainers with grey sections, reflective stripes and logos with different colours. These will not be acceptable in September.

• Unnatural hair colours, including parts of hair that have been dyed.

• Skirts must be pleated. In terms of skirt length, the skirt’s hem can only be 10cm above the knees as a maximum.

• Only one small nose stud can be worn. Multiple studs, nose rings and other facial piercings are not permitted.

• False or painted nails, long false eyelashes and heavy make up are not allowed, and we do not allow students to attend classroom lessons until they are removed.

• Students may wear a watch on their wrist but bracelets are not permitted.

• Neck chains should not be visible.

Please be aware that some items that can be found in the 'uniform' section of certain clothes shops and supermarkets may not actually be ‘correct’ for Sewell Park. If you are in any doubt then we always advise you to check our uniform code on the school website before deciding on a purchase.

Mobile Phones

While we understand that mobile phones are important to keep students safe whilst travelling to and from school, we believe that during the school day having a ‘no phone’ policy allows students to be young people. They are able to interact with each other whilst having a break from social media, and mix, talk and engage in games and activities.

In pursuit of this goal we would like to remind everyone that if a mobile phone, or other electronic device, is seen during the school day it will be confiscated and given back at the end of the day. If this is repeated, it may be held until a parent or carer is able to collect it.

Finally, I do hope that everyone has had a successful and enjoyable year and is looking forward to a relaxing summer ahead once we have completed the two enrichment days on Monday and Tuesday of next week. I also attach a flyer from Norfolk County Council detailing some local activities available over the summer holiday.

We all look forward to welcoming our new cohort of Year 7 students for the first time in September, and we know that we can rely on our older students to make them feel welcome and safe.

Thank you again, to all members of our community for your continued support both this academic year and into the future.

Best wishes

David Day

Headteacher

Norwich Summer Holiday activities guide 2025_v1.1.pdf

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