Blog #1 - 2021/22

Welcome Back!

It seems like we have been waiting such a long time to welcome our students back into school in what, for the moment at least, looks something like normal. We are fully open, all of our subjects are running as expected, all of our sporting facilities are in use, our extra-curricular offer is fully available again and, of course, we have finally been able to open the doors to our new building: see more below.

We are planning, and have planned, for school to be ‘business as usual’, and this is the model we will run on until something changes or we are advised otherwise. Obviously, the welfare of our students and staff remains our number one priority. Unfortunately, Covid ‘isn’t’ a distant memory but mask wearing, whilst being advised by some, is no longer compulsory, at least for the time being. All of us, students and staff, are enjoying a renewed sense of freedom as restrictions have been relaxed and we look forward to a return to what we do best: delivering the best academic, vocational, extra-curricular and pastoral package possible to enable the young people in the Blacon community.

New Building

Well, despite being a full year later than we had initially hoped, once the actual process of building got underway, it was very clear that our superb new facility was going to be ready to move into from the start of the school year in September. There is still some organisation going on in the interior as the team work hard give the building its ‘personality’, but the space is up and running.

As you will be aware, the ground floor is devoted to the delivery of a range of bespoke interventions for those students who benefit most from them. It is a vibrant place and many of Sanctuary team now work from there after relocating from the main building. The additional space allows us to meet the needs of a growing number of students and enables us to adopt an enhanced, individualised approach. There is also a fantastic new dining facility on the ground floor, while the first floor is the new home for the Maths team.

Additional new books for our Library

After sending in a successful bid to ‘Lit in Colour’, the English department have secured some fantastic new resources for our Library. See the letter below:

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for applying to receive our Lit in Colour giveaway of 100 Penguin books by authors of colour for your school.

After careful deliberation, we are delighted to offer your school 100 Penguin books by authors of colour for your students to enjoy, as well as the 30 copies of Sathnam Sanghera’s ‘Empireland’ and accompanying resource pack.

It meant so much to hear about how you will use the books and what it will mean to your students. We genuinely hope this donation will revitalise your school’s library and stir inspiration amongst your students.

Yours faithfully,

Lit in Colour Team 

Uniform

I am conscious that here have been a number of issues relating to uniform during the first few days since students returned but I’m pleased to say that most of these have now been resolved.

During the last year and a half, and with the upheaval caused by Covid, we relaxed our uniform rules in a show of support for the community; we didn’t feel it was fitting for parents and carers to have to go out and buy new school uniforms and shoes at Easter, which is already more than half way through the academic year. However, September saw a return to normal, a new start, and so our usual uniform policy was, and is, appropriate. Smart uniform reinforces another layer of ‘normality’ in the day to day business of the school, it promotes a positive atmosphere and helps to create an effective climate for learning.

Thank you for your continued support and patience with this issue.

Please note, the uniform policy is published under the ‘Parent’ tab on the school website.

Extra-curricular

Please have a look below at some of the extra-curricular activities that have already started this year. We look forward to seeing as many students as possible joining in with a range after school clubs.

A plea for help:

We have a popular Gardening club in school and, if you shop at Morrisons, here’s an easy way that you can help us out:

FREE Gardening Equipment for Schools

For every £10 you spend (in store or online) at Morrisons, you’ll get a Grow Token to help your school get everything they need to get growing.

Download the My Morrisons app* or log into your online account today to start collecting Grow Tokens and choose the school you’d like to donate them to.

Simply scan your digital My Morrisons or physical card in store, or link your My Morrisons card to your online account to get Grow Tokens every time you shop.

PE Clubs

Mrs Beyers’ Clubs

Lunchtimes

And finally…..

We are only at the very beginning of term but we are all hopeful that this year will run in the way that we would expect, and that our students will enjoy the full academic, sporting and extra-curricular offer that they deserve. Once again, Welcome Back!