Newsletters

Black History Month

This week our Sixth Formers heard from fellow students about their black heritage and culture in celebration of Black History Month. Black History Month is an annual celebration that recognises the achievements of black people throughout history and black contributions to society.

This year’s theme is 'Standing Firm in Power and Pride' with the message that unity is strength and that there is beauty and power in shared heritage.

While this is a month of celebration our students also spoke about the issues that black cultures are still facing all over the world.

Important information regarding attendance

Please read the following iinformation and important documents below with regard to attendance, including the Guidance for Schools and Academies from Warwickshire Attendance Service at Warwickshire County Council on Term Time Leave of Absence which states: 

“Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance” – Working Together to Improve School Attendance [DfE – August 2024]
All schools can grant a leave of absence when a pupil needs to be absent from school with permission. All schools are expected to restrict leaves of absence to the specific circumstances set out in regulation 11 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024.

The regulations state that a leave of absence may not be given unless it has been requested in advance by a parent with whom the pupil normally lives with (ie. The resident parent) and due to the exceptional circumstances of the request.
The decision whether to grant a leave of absence therefore lies solely with the head teacher and / or designated member of staff at the school and when considering such requests for a leave of absence, the school must act within the law.

If the leave is granted, Head teachers can determine the number of school days a child can be absent for.

If the leave is not granted and should a parent removes their child from school during the period requested without permission and without evidence proving that another lawful reason (such as illness) was the reason for the absence, then the school must record the child’s absences as unauthorised.

Term Time Leave of Absence

Attendance policy extract

Data protection policy extract

European Bake Off 2025

Our European Bake Off 2025 at the start of October was a great success! The quality of the entries this year was, once again, incredibly high and the MFL department would like to thank all the students who participated. There was so much creativity and skill on show - from individual cakes and biscuits from across the world, to themed cakes with fabulous decoration - it was no wonder our Head judge, Miss Holland, found it difficult to pick out just 3 winners. 

Our first prize winner this year was Sophie Thomas with her beautifully decorated flag cake including greetings in different languages - very well done Sophie! Amelia King, Evie Robb and Zoe Challis were awarded 2nd place for their wonderfully French themed cake and Amna Fazil won 3rd place with her outstanding black forest gateau. Very well done to you all!

The following students were Highly Commended for their entries:

• Tilly Bingle for her delicious looking viennese biscuits
• Jathusha Suthaharan for her amazing Austrian butter cream cake
• Zoe Parker for her wonderfully creative croissant cake

The winners were chosen by visitors to the exhibition in Coventry Cathedral over the summer holidays. Sofia said, "I really enjoyed participating in the 'Mother Tongue Other Tongue' poetry competition. It was amazing to be able to express myself through my home language and show others how much it meant to me. I also enjoyed seeing my poem in Coventry Cathedral where it was displayed with all the other finalists".

You can see her poem on the University's website here, alongside all of the other winners:

You can also watch a recording of Sofia reading her poem on our social media.

Jackie Vann
Curriculum Leader, MFL

Tips for Sleep

The Mental Health in Schools Team regularly produces tips for wellness which we share on our website. The latest one looks at tips for helping your child with sleep, with their top tips including establishing a consistent sleep schedule and a calm bedtime routine. In school Yvette Grogan is our Mental Health Lead.

Read their tips here 

Second year of SleepCHAMPzzz study - and a chance to be involved

22 of our year 10 students continue to be involved in the SleepCHAMPZZZ study at Coventry University. Our Autumn cohort have just taken part in monitoring - wearing watches for two weeks to monitor their sleep, wearing a heart monitor overnight, and spending an evening at Coventry University having their melatonin levels monitored. The study will continue in to year 11 for these students, and they continue to be rewarded with vouchers. Further information about this multi centre study is available here.

There is a chance for older students, e.g., sixth formers, staff or alumni to get involved too, in a different capacity. The study team are looking for volunteers who have struggled with their sleep or mental health. You could become a Lived Experience Expert (LEE),  using your personal knowledge and expertise in poor sleep and/or mental health to inform the governance, design and delivery of the SleepCHAMPzzz study. You would offer insights into the practical realities of the methods. For example, the LEEs are currently helping the team to formulate and improve the quality of the study's sleep interview schedule. The LEEs are highly valued members of the research team. They include people with a range of life experiences, work or study roles. They meet once a month for an hour at a lunchtime and members are reimbursed for their time at a rate of £15.00 an hour. For further information, please contact Dr Brown in school, or the research team directly on sleepandwellbeing@coventry.ac.uk.

EDT Placements open for application

Applications are now open for EDT Placements 2026/27 for Year 13 students! EDT’s Placement scheme offers school leavers a free resource when searching for a year-out paid placement and has been helping students for over 38 years.

They help place students into top UK companies and organisations every year as well as SMEs and start up R&D companies, giving students the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge and experience of working in all areas of engineering, science (particularly physics), technology/electronics, business, marketing and finance across the UK.

To find out more, students can:

• Visit their EDT Placements web page and apply (there is no charge)
• They run a range of Open Day Webinars throughout the year to share information about their EDT Placement programme. The next one is: Wednesday 5th November 2025 - 4pm
• Can’t make that date, check future dates for webinars here

Benefits if placed with EDT Placements:

• Industry-led training which will include webinars on project management, presentations skills, leadership and management to name a few, throughout the placement.
• A mentor service is also provided throughout the placement.
• Students' placement work can also be accredited by the Industrial Cadets Platinum Award, of which His Majesty King Charles III is patron.

EDT Placements is open to any student with the Right to Work in the UK, who is seeking:

• A paid placement lasting 12 months.
• A placement is usually taken after the completion of Year 13.

World Karate and Kickboxing Commission championships

Leela Devgun, Year 7, will be competing in the upcoming World Karate and Kickboxing Commission championship in Niagara Falls, USA this October. Leela qualified in first place in the Nationals in March 2025, became the under 12 English and Open Weight Champion and qualified to represent England.

Leela is currently training hard with her local Karate School - G Force Martial Arts and recently also competed in the National Championships Ippon in Doncaster. She won gold in Points Fighting and Tag Team. Congratulations and good luck to Leela!

World Sailing Youth Championships

Jessica Powell, Year 11, will be representing Great Britain at the World Sailing Youth Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, this December. This will be an incredible opportunity for her to compete on the world stage! 16 of the nation’s top young sailors have been selected to represent Great Britain at the prestigious Championships and Jess is one of them. The British Sailing Youth Team will take on the best sailors from around the globe, competing across 11 events in six classes; Jess will compete in the ILCA 6.

The Championships mirror the Olympic format, bringing together the world’s top youth athletes in male, female, and mixed categories for fair, level competition. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has released a press statement celebrating the youth team's achievements, including Jess’s selection and performance. Good luck to Jess!
Photo Credit: James Harle

Elevate are offering a series of free webinars this Autumn term, to help parents best support their child through school. The upcoming webinars are: 

• How You Can Help Improve Your Child's Memory: 18th November, 6.00-7.00pm
• How You Can Build Resilience in Your Child: 2nd December, 6.00-7.00pm 
• How to Help Your Child Alleviate Stress: 16th December, 6.00-7.00pm 

Click here to register for any of these webinars for free

Gwendolyn Brooks
We Real Cool

The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

All things Poetry found at Poetry by Heart

Please find below information that has been passed to us that may be of interest to you and your family.

Warwickshire Family Information Service Newsletter

14th October Edition