Headteacher's Message

Headteacher’s Message In spite of the flu bug and snow which, at times, seemed to be intent on causing us all maximum difficulty, this past term has seen much success for our students and we are very proud of all their achievements. We have a full programme of exam preparation and revision for Year 11 students in the second week of the holidays. Please see the timetable overleaf for further details. Students have been given guidance about which sessions they should attend. Over the past few weeks I have given out many Headteacher’s Merits to reward the excellent work completed by our students. It is a privilege to see students progress due to their hard work and commitment to their studies. We welcome communication from parents/carers regarding your children’s successes outside school. Please email [email protected] with details and indicate if you and your child would be happy to have their success and achievements mentioned in a future newsletter. Can I take this opportunity to thank the members of the PTFA who not only provide our parents/carers, staff and students with a warm welcome and refreshments at all school events and Parents’ Evenings, but also help to raise much-needed extra funds which are used to purchase resources and subsidise school trips and activities. Your efforts are much appreciated. Could I please draw your attention to our uniform rules which are included overleaf, particularly those concerning jewellery and piercings. It is vital that students only get piercings when there is enough time for the hole to heal sufficiently to allow the studs or rings to be removed. We are very grateful for the support of parents/ carers in this matter. As is often the case at the end of term some staff will be leaving us: Mrs Elaine Tarbuck will be retiring at the end of this term after a long career, ten years of which have been spent at Wardle Academy. Mrs Tarbuck joined us as our Head of Science and then became our Professional Mentor, working with all the new and recently qualified staff at the school. Sadly, Mrs Tarbuck has endured a period of serious illness over the past year but, I’m pleased to say, she is now looking forward to a happy retirement. Also leaving us is our Head of Year 7, Mrs Raynes, who has played a key role in helping our students make a successful transition from primary to secondary school. Mrs Raynes, who has been with us for nearly ten years, is now moving to take up a new role for Positive Steps. I would like to thank both Mrs Tarbuck and Mrs Raynes for all that they have done for the students of Wardle Academy and wish them all the very best as they start a new chapter in their lives. I wish you all a very happy Easter and look forward to seeing all our students when they return to school on Monday 16th April at 8.40 a.m. Mrs C. Fisher Wardle Academy Headteacher

Governor’s Update

As we are sure you are aware, after an OFSTED visit in December 2017, Wardle Academy was graded as ‘Good’. In order to gain this rating a lot had happened at Wardle in the 21 months since the previous Ofsted inspection in 2016. Bringing about such positive changes in a short period of time is down to hard work from all the staff at Wardle and especially Mrs Fisher whose determination to improve standards for all her pupils was apparent from the first day she took over as headteacher. Mrs Fisher, her leadership team and all staff have worked tirelessly bringing about changes that have resulted in a positive impact on your child’s learning environment. As a governing body we are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication all staff have shown at Wardle. Obtaining an OFSTED rating of ‘Good’ hasn’t been an easy process, there are not many schools that can improve so quickly. We know Mrs Fisher and her team have only had the best interests of the pupils at heart and this has helped them to implement changes at speed. As a governing body we have been involved in some very difficult decisions but we are all determined to make Wardle Academy the best school it can possibly be and with your help as parents/carers we know that, together, we can achieve this. Receiving an OFSTED rating of ‘Good’ at Wardle Academy is a fantastic achievement that everyone involved can be proud of. As governors we have worked with Mrs Fisher and the staff at Wardle Academy since September 2016; we see their daily determination to offer the best education for all pupils. Well done to everyone involved and thank you for all your hard work.

Year 11 Mock Exams

At the beginning of March our Year 11 students took their final set of mock exams before the summer exams under difficult circumstances as they were unable to use the sports hall. The students were amazing! They showed great resilience in having to take their exams in classrooms and we are looking forward to seeing their results and helping them to identify areas of revision to prepare themselves for their final exams which begin on Monday 14th May 2018. Students will not have a formal mock assembly for this set of exams; they will be provided with their results from the class teachers as part of the mock debrief lessons. As always, if you would like any help or support in getting your child ready for the exams please look through the information on the website or contact Mrs Adrio ([email protected]) who will be happy to help.

End of Year Examinations (Year 7 - 10) Unfortunately, due to the delays in the refurbishment of the swimming pool and old sports hall we are unable to hold the end of year exams on the dates which have been previously advertised on the website or at the welcome evening at the beginning of the year. Further information on any assessments that your child will be undertaking towards the end of this academic year will be sent out in the coming weeks. If you require any further information please feel free to get in touch with Mrs Holden for KS3 (Years 7-9) or for KS4 Mrs Adrio (Year 10 and 11).

Ramadhan and Exams

Ramadhan will coincide with exams until 2019/2020. Ramadhan can bring many benefits to individuals and communities, although it can cause potential hardship through hunger and thirst, which can impact on well-being and cognitive performance. In 2018 Ramadhan starts around Tuesday 15th May and ends around Friday 8th June. Grades attained at GCSE are critical to further education and career prospects. You will need to seriously and thoughtfully take your future and studies into account, alongside your previous experience of Ramadhan when deciding how you will observe Ramadhan this year. Remember: Islam does not require you to put your future in jeopardy. Some Muslim jurists allow students who are experiencing hardship to break their fast during Ramadhan (and make up the days later), if it affects their ability to revise and study for important exams. Please remember that it is important to make the right decision when fasting, ensuring that you have taken all this information into account; it is still possible to fast during exams and many students do, although, if you are unable to do so for any reason, this is also understandable and we are here to support you in any way you need.

NUHOPE and PRIDE

This September will see all year groups using the NUHOPE and PRIDE strategies. Before the final stage of the roll out, we would like to work with all our stakeholders to review the success and challenges of the strategies. It is nearly two years since the successful launch of the NUHOPE and PRIDE strategies to our current Year 9 students. The NUHOPE and PRIDE strategies have played a significant part in enabling us to move the academy forward, and have been highly commended in our recent OFSTED inspection. The purpose of the review is to identify the successes and challenges of the strategies, and give the academy feedback on how we can improve on our current practice. We believe that it is essential to involve all of our stakeholders in this process, as this will support us in making the academy a better place for all students. A letter will be sent home after Easter detailing information to be shared at the parent forum and to enable us to gauge numbers however, we wished to give prior notice of the date. The parental review session will take place on Tuesday 25th April 2018 5-6pm in the school hall. If the date is not convenient, and it is more convenient for you to send in your comments via email, these would also be welcomed. Please email your comments to: [email protected].

Uniform and Jewellery Policy Uniform is compulsory for all students at all times. Please find below photographs of how our school uniform should be worn. For information about our Uniform Policy please click here. Students should wear: - Standard green blazer with the academy logo. - Plain white shirt. - School tie (green with yellow design). - Black skirt with the academy logo. - Plain black trousers (boys), plain black trousers with the academy logo (girls). - Plain black tights, plain black or white socks. - Black jumper with the academy logo (optional). - A plain black hijab can be worn, with a plain black cotton cap beaneath. Jewellery is limited to a watch and one small stud earring worn in each ear (the lobe only, no other part of the ear). Health and safety requirements mean that other items of jewellery are NOT allowed. Students will be asked to remove unauthorised jewellery when necessary. We do not allow any rings, studs or other jewellery to be worn in facial piercings, e.g. in lips, nose or eyebrows. Make up is not acceptable. If worn, students will be asked to remove it. We do not allow nail varnish, false nails or nail extensions. Fake eyelashes and eyelash extensions are also unacceptable.

All students must wear plain black, leather or imitation leather shoes. Backless shoes, open-toe sandals, boots or fabric shoes are not acceptable. Shoes should not have metal decoration, labels or colours embroidery or coloured laces. No trainer style footwear is acceptable.

All students will be expected to change into their PE kit even though they may not be taking part in the lesson. The PE department have a clean kit facility for anyone who has forgotten their kit. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in sanctions.

The Music Department Each issue of the newsletter will focus on a specific subject and what that subject is about. This issue is about Music. The Music department has had a busy term both within the curriculum music provision and the extracurricular provision. Year 7 pupils have been composing music that reflects ‘The Blitz’ and developing their understanding of the elements of music. Year 8 have been developing their improvisation skills and studying jazz music and Year 9 have been developing their song-writing skills. It is a busy time for Year 11 as they are recording their solo and ensemble performances, as well as finalising their compositions. Year 10 will complete mock performances in the summer term. The department has also introduced two new groups this term - STOMP and Ukulele club and is also planning to introduce a keyboard club next term. The Youth Band have a busy few weeks ahead, as they prepare to compete at the National Youth Brass Band championships and the European Brass Band championships in Utrecht.

Junior Blast Concert Wardle’s Junior Blast took part in a charity concert at St Ann’s Church, Manchester on Saturday 10th March 2018 and helped to raise £1,500 for Help for Heroes. The head of brass, woodwind and percussion Simone Rebello, who is an acclaimed percussion soloist, introduced the concert, which featured an all-star brass band, soloist Owen Farr, and a conductor that delivered spellbinding performances of a range of different and contrasting repertoire. The concert featured songs including Old Hundredth, ‘Finale’ from The Little Russian, Napoli, ‘Finale’ from Haydn’s Cello Concerto, Just As I Am, Concert Overture and Blitz. Wardle Junior Blast played excellently and the audience praised the band for their performance. The concert was organised by an ex-student of Wardle Academy, Matthew Rigg, as part of his final year at the Royal Northern College of Music in a project to show his organisational skills. Wardle’s Junior Blast is made up of students from several primary schools in Rochdale, who rehearse each week at Wardle Academy. These young students are a credit to the Rochdale community and set a wonderful example for all students.

Band of The King’s Division On Thursday 15th March 2018 The Band of the Kings Division came into school and held several band workshops for some of our music students. Our students were divided into several small groups throughout the day to practise on their chosen instrument with one member of The Band of the Kings Division before all coming together at the end of the day to play the song together. The workshop was a great chance for our students to learn something new but also for them to show off their musical talents. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the workshops and hope to have this opportunity again.

GM Bee Ball On Friday 23rd March 2018 Wardle Academy’s Youth Band played at the GM Bee Glitz and Glamour Ball. The event took place at the Emirates Old Trafford and was in aid of those affected by the tragic events at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. On the 22nd May 2017 detectives from GMP’s Major Incident Team attended Manchester Arena to respond to the bombing. Due to the impact of the incident the same team of detectives decided to organise a benefit ball. The night was a success and raised a lot of money to help the survivors and their families to continue with their daily lives and our youth band was invited to play at the event and was the opening act. Our band were very privileged to play at such a prestige event. Well done to all of our students and thank you to our Music staff for helping make the arrangements and conducting the performance at the event.

Music for Youth On Saturday 24th March 2018 our Music department held the Music for Youth event at school. The event lasted all day and featured seventeen different bands from the Rochdale Borough including High School and Primary School bands. We had five of our bands playing; Wardle Academy School Band, Wardle Academy Guitar Group, Wardle Academy Folk group, Wardle Academy Show Band and Wardle Junior Band. We had excellent attendance to the event and had some great feedback. Thank you to everyone who attended, helped and participated in the event.

Wardle’s Sporting Triumphs

This term we have had several sporting triumphs. Year 10 students David, Lewis and Travis continue to progress in Rugby. On Sunday 11th March 2018 David, Lewis and Travis represented Lancashire Under 15’s 1st team against Yorkshire. They were selected from a very large competitive field of Under 15’s and are a credit to their rugby clubs and to school. We are very proud of our students for getting this far and representing the county. Well done to Year 8 student Joshua who has been selected to attend England’s under 15’s Lacrosse Academy Pathway Programme at the end of March. We wish him every success in his time at the Lacrosse Academy. Our final sporting triumph is from our Year 7 - 10 Netball teams, who on the 17th March 2018 took part in the PGL Netball Tour 2018. The tournament lasts for two days. On day one our teams defence worked particularly well to turn over the ball and ensure they maintained possession throughout the games. They ended day one in a very dominant position. Years 8, 9 and 10 were in 1st place and year 7 were sat in 3rd place. Unfortunately due to bad weather conditions day two of the tournament was cancelled. Although our students were dispapointed that they could not bring back another round of trophies, all of our students did extremely well.

Year 11 GCSE PE

We welcomed GCSE PE guest speaker Kirk Bizley to our school on Thursday 22nd March 2018. Kirk delivered a 3 hour seminar to our GCSE pupils on exam preparation and offered crucial guidance and advice on their upcoming theory exams in PE. With this year seeing the first exams through the change in specification Kirk helped pupils understand the key differences with regards to the new course and how to prepare for both paper one and paper two. Kirk’s session was interactive and pupils had to engage in a number of practical experiments. Having the expertise and experience of someone like Kirk - who for 25 years worked as the chief examiner for Edexcel allowed our pupils to gain an insight into what to expect from this year’s papers’ and further prepared our pupils!

Wardle Book Day 2018 Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions we had to postpone World Book Day on Thursday 1st March 2018. We decided to rebrand the day as ‘Wardle Book Day’ which took place on Wednesday 14th March 2018. We were extremely pleased that many of our KS3 students came in costumes and celebrated the day. The library held a costume parade at break time for students to show off their costumes and all received a sweet treat for taking part.

Accelerated Reading We are very passionate about our students reading as much as they can. Well done to Year 8 student Aleef, who for the second year running has become our first Accelerated Reading Millionaire. Since September, he has read 1,136,677 words! Aleef told us that his favourite book this year has been the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. Well done Aleef. You are a reading champion!

Duke of Edinburgh Awards Congratulations to all of our students who attended the Duke of Edinburgh Award presentation evening on Wednesday 21st March 2018. We had over twenty students receiving their bronze and silver awards over several year groups. We know how hard our students work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award and they would not be able to achieve these awards without all the time, effort and dedication that members of our staff put in. We look forward to next year and celebrating our students achieving their gold awards.

Year 11 Easter School During the Easter half-term we will be holding Easter school sessions for our Year 11 students. Easter school will run from Monday 9th April 2018 until Friday 13th April 2018. Below is the Easter school timetable with all the dates and times of each session. Alternatively you can access the timetable by clicking here.

Important Notices Year 11 Prom 2018: The “Learn to Earn” initiative is still open to allow students the opportunity to earn the

right to attend the Prom on Friday 29th June 2018 at the Riverside Hotel, Whitworth. Students have each been issued with a prom card in which they must meet a set of criteria to earn the right to attend. The criteria which has been set this year is: - Have an attendance figure above 96% from the date of issue to leaving. - Attend at least 45 hours after school clubs or revision sessions. - Have less than 20 minutes late to lessons from the date of issue to leaving. - Have less than 10 SIMS behaviour incidents from the date of issue to leaving. Please note, if students misbehave in a certain subject during the week they will be informed that they cannot attend a revision club that week for this subject. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact school.

Trespassing: We are extremely concerned that a very small number of students have broken the law by

trespassing on Wardle Academy grounds at times when the academy is not open. Apart from the fact that these students are breaking the law, we are also very concerned about their safety. Can we ask that all parents/carers ensure that their children do not enter Wardle Academy grounds when we are closed.

Swimming Pool and Car Park Update: We are delighted to inform you that work commenced on our swimming pool on Monday 4th December 2017. The swimming pool car park will be out of bounds for a possible 12 weeks. We will keep you posted on progress, however this is an exciting time for the Trust and I am sure you will all be as pleased as we are that work on the site has commenced and it won’t be long before the pool is back in use. Attendance Reminders: A reminder that familes should avoid booking holidays during term time and the

headteacher will not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Family holidays do not qualify as exceptional circumstances. Students that are planning on being absent from school for anything other than medical/dental appointments, need to collect an Absence Request Form from Reception and submit it at least two weeks before the absence. In the case of an unplanned absence such as illness, parents/carers must contact the school by telephone on the first day of absence, before 9:30am. A phone call is needed for each day of absence.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder Information: As part of our continuing cycle of reviewing school support

for all students, we are offering a series of information sharing sessions for students with additional needs next term. The format of the meetings will be supportive, informal discussions aimed at evaluating our current practice and what works well currently, identifying strengths and working together to develop ideas that would offer more support for our students and families where needed. We also intend to have the local appropriate agencies and external support groups represented, who also offer advice and can give details of their services. We are starting these sessions with a review of our Autistic Spectrum Condition classroom support / pastoral support. The date is to be confirmed and we will send out details via the SEND Team.

Turning Circle Closing Times: The turning circle is closed during the following times; 8:30 - 8:45am and

2:35 - 3:00pm to ensure safety for our students allowing them to have a safe entry and exit in and out of school. The only vehicles allowed in the turning circle during these times are vehicles for our SEN students for transport purposes. It is important that we respect our community by parking considerately and where the safety of our students is not compromised. It is also vital that we allow for emergency services access, and therefore please also be mindful regarding the entry to the hospital grounds.

Key Dates for April - July 2018 Monday 16th April 2018 - 8:40am - Start of Term. Thursday 3rd May 2018 - Year 10 Parents’ Evening. Tuesday 8th May 2018 - SLT Drop-in Session. Friday 25th May 2018 - 2:45pm - School breaks for May half-term. Monday 4th June 2018 - 8:40am - Start of Term. Thursday 14th June 2018 - Year 6 Drop-in Session. Thursday 21st June 2018 - Year 8 Parents’ Evening. Tuesday 26th June 2018 - SLT Drop-in Session. Tuesday 26th June 2018 - Welcome to Year 11 Evening. Friday 29th June 2018 - 7:00pm - 11:00pm - Year 11 Prom. Monday 2nd July 2018 - Year 6 Welcome Evening. (TBC) Week Commencing 2nd July 2018 - End of Year Variety Performances. Friday 6th July 2018 - PE Rewards Evening. Tuesday 10th July 2018 - Year 9/10 Rewards Evening. Thursday 12th July 2018 - Year 7/9 Rewards Evening. Friday 20th July 2018 - School breaks for the Summer Holidays.