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As we move into the final week of term, I must remind parents of the expectation of attendance in this last week. We expect all of our students to be here every day. Our attendance as a school has improved by over 2% when compared to the same Spring period last year and I’d like to thank parents of students whose strong attendance has led to this. Fewer students are also late to school now when compared to the same period in Spring last year too. We are going to be running our ‘Rewards Raffle’ on Friday to recognise those who have had weeks where they have been here everyday. We look forward to our students receiving some lovely prizes to celebrate this commitment.

We have Elevate Education in to work with Year 11 on Tuesday morning to continue their work to prepare for forthcoming mock exams. It has been lovely to see so many Year 11s wearing their ‘Leavers’ Hoodie’ around the Academy – a timely reminder that time is ticking away for them. Parents can sign up to Elevate’s webinars to help them to support their child in preparation for exams. The sign-up site is here: https://get.elevatecoaching.info/uk/schoolwebinar

During half term, there are a number of FREE activities families can sign their children up for to keep them active. Bring It on Brum have brought these activities together and you can find out more here: https://www.corejewelleryquarter.academy/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/Bring-it-on-Brum-Poster-1.pdf

Our Coffee Mornings are still taking place each Wednesday from 9am -11am. No appointment is necessary and it is an opportunity to get support with anything. We do have a Household Support Fund which can be offered to families who are struggling in these challenging financial times.

It’s Random Acts of Kindness Day on 17th February 2023 and students will be exploring how they can be as kind as possible in their day-to-day interactions. Assemblies will be led by Brianna and Aivah-Mae in Year 11 all this week, also exploring LGBTQ+ History Month.

It as my pleasure to welcome Headteachers from schools in Portsmouth to the Academy last week to explore our thorough strategies when it comes to tackling bullying. Bullying happens at every school – it has how it is dealt with that is the difference and students spoke openly about their experiences to these Headteachers and how JQA has supported them.

It has been brilliant to see students’ engagement with CORE Extra over the course of this half term. The Gardening Club, led by Mrs Gordon, has been brightening up Albion St at the front of the Academy.

It was Apprenticeship Week last week around the country and we marked it by having a range of providers in at lunchtime to talk to students about this route into employment after JQA.

I do need to remind parents about our clear policy when it comes to mobile phones. Our rule is ‘not seen, not heard on site’. The vast majority of students abide by this every day. However, there is a minority of students who unfortunately flout this rule. We operate a policy of confiscation and collection by parents at the Headteacher’s discretion where this rule is flouted and parents affected will receive a letter from our Reception.

We are excited for our first on-site training session for students with elite athletics club Birchfield Harriers on Wednesday after school.

Please keep an eye out for our half-termly newsletter which will be published towards the end of this week. I hope you all have a lovely break. Our Reception is open over the holidays from 9am-3pm on Monday to Friday. Should you require any urgent support, please email [email protected]

Students return to JQA for 8.30 on Monday 27th February 2023 in full school uniform.