‘16 before 16′ is our reading competition for all our pupils. It runs until the end of Year 11 or until our pupils have read their 16 books.

The increased difficulty and level of challenge in the new English GCSE means that students need to be fully prepared for what is now expected of them. The ’16 before 16’ initiative is designed to support and aid this preparation. Below is a list of books specially selected by our English Department as the ‘must read’ texts for young individuals. Your child is asked to read them before they finish their studies at Bloxwich Academy. If your child would like to participate in this competition they need to pick up a passbook from their English teacher or from the school library. The passbook is designed to allow them to complete a short review of each book and also to enable you to add your signature to verify that they have completed the text. House points will be awarded after each finished book and a prize and certificate will be issued when the competition has been completed and 16 pages of the passbook have been filled.

Pupils are encouraged to read at their own pace and to then show their English teacher their passbook after they have read each text in order to be awarded house points. Many of the texts are available to be booked out from the school library. There is no requirement for pupils to read the texts in a particular set order.

–Animal Farm by George Orwell

– The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

–The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

–Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

–Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

–A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

–The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

–Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

– I am Malala by Malala Yousafazi

– The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

–Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

–Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

– The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

–To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

–Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

–The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini

A Level Results Day – Thursday 18th August 2022

Results will be available from 8:00am – 10:00am

GCSE Results Day – Thursday 25th August 2022

Year 11 results will be available for collection between 9:00am – 11:00am

On Thursday 30^th June, Bloxwich Academy marked the end of the examination series and Key Stage 4 milestone, with our infamous Year 11 prom. There has never been a year where this has been more deserved than for this year group. Following the pandemic, they have faced considerable challenges to their GCSE studies with disrupted term time, covid testing, social-distancing, home learning and not forgetting the introduction of ‘Teams’ lessons. 

We could not be prouder of this year group and how they have stood up to these challenges head on, with sheer determination not to let it impact on their results. The evening was celebrated at Calderfields Golf Country Club in Walsall, and despite the annual rain on arrival, the party was in full swing with our disco, magician, circus acts and not forgetting the “Dance-Off” between teachers and pupils. 

The evening was a great way to celebrate their hard work over the past 2 years and we hope that when we see them all again in August, they will have made themselves proud and smashed those results. 

Take a look at some of the moments captured on the evening. 

On the 20^th June 2021, forty pupils from the Matrix Academy Trust, travelled from Birmingham for a trip to Frankfurt with the Turing Scheme. The Turing Scheme is a fully funded government initiative that funds a range of international opportunities for young people to go abroad and experience different cultures around the globe. Pupils for this scheme are selected via criteria provided by the Department for Education.

After 15 long hours of travel, we arrived safely in Fulda, a beautiful city one hour North-East of Frankfurt. Upon getting settled at the accommodation the first evening was spent relaxing and preparing for the excitement of the week ahead.

On Monday, the pupils travelled into Fulda for a guided walking tour. With three different tours on offer, each group was able to experience a different aspect of the city and share this over dinner in the evening. Pupils were taken to visit the oldest church in Germany and explore its history, the engineering around it and importance it has on the local community today.

Pupils also had the opportunity to meet German pupils from a local school with a meet and greet arranged in a local park. With a range of activities and games, some familiar and some new it was an opportunity to develop language skills and see how life was different for a pupil in Germany. During the afternoon, we headed to a local school for some German taster lessons and then to a lovely Italian restaurant for dinner, which would go on to become a firm favourite of the group! On Tuesday, pupils returned to the German school to experience a day in the life of a German pupil. Our pupils were fascinated to see how different school was in Germany, with one of the pupils even saying they would not mind going to school in Germany over the UK!

As the next few days followed, we had an action-packed schedule; visiting Point Alpha, a memorial to East German citizens and learned about the shocking history of the East German regime, pupils bravely conquered the high-ropes at an adventure park, which involved a range of obstacles and bridges suspended between trees, we were shown the sights of Frankfurt by a local tour guide, went swimming in an outdoor pool, explored the inside of a model heart at the Museum and visited Fulda’s very own palace!

Friday was a much more sombre day for the group, as we took a coach to Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. Here, we learned about the horrifying actions that took place during the Third Reich and to reflect on what took place. After first watching a film explaining the history of Buchenwald, the pupils were led on an audio tour of the camp itself. This was an incredibly emotional day and all pupils showed the utmost respect while here.

It’s safe to say that everyone had a wonderful time on the trip. Although exhausted, we all returned to England with big smiles and new friends.

Comments from parents:

“We would just like to say a big Thank You to all of the Staff that organised and went on the trip. Without the staff putting in this tremendous effort and taking on so much responsibility many children would not get these experiences.  They have certainly had extra challenges Covid restrictions and birds hitting planes to deal with.“

“I would just like to say a massive thank you for choosing my two sons to go to Germany as part of the Turing scheme. They had a wonderful time and haven’t stopped talking about it since they got back. Highlights for the boys were the high ropes, swimming pool and the heart at the museum. They also enjoyed trying the different foods. It was lovely to hear that they made some friends from different schools and spent this evening chatting on the phone and have even arranged to meet at the weekend. Please pass on my gratitude to the staff involved for organising and looking after the children, it must have been a challenge especially when things didn’t go to plan. Thank you once again for giving them this wonderful opportunity which I am sure they will never forget”.

On Monday 20^th June, 10 students and 2 staff set out for a week’s residential trip to Barcelona. We met the other pupils from the other schools in Matrix Academy Trust at the airport, just before checking in. For some of the pupils, it was their first-time experiencing flying, but all of the pupils fully committed themselves to the experience, a trait which was repeated throughout the week.

When we arrived at Barcelona airport, we met our bus and then went to our home for the week, the Urbany Hostel. After a quick meal at Glories, the local shopping centre, we went to bed to get an early night ready for the busy week ahead.

On the next day, we braved the Barcelona Metro for the first time, which was our main mode of transport for the week. We visited a few different sites around Montjuic, including the Olympic Museum and arena for the 1992 Olympics, and the cable car up to Castell de Montjuic for some impressive views over the city. After this, we got the Port Vell Cable car across to Barceloneta Harbour (Mr Larvan was not a fan of the ride!). We then enjoyed a lovely meal on the harbourside before heading back to recharge ourselves for another busy day.

Day 3 started with a trip to Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC, where we had a tour around their trophy room, stadium and sidelines.  From there, we headed to La Rambla, where the pupils were able to soak up the culture of one of the most famous streets in Europe. That evening, we had a movie night, watching some of the latest film releases (although pupils were pleased to hear the films were in English with Spanish subtitles!). This allowed us to mix up the schools, giving the pupils chance to get to know each other more.

Day 4 was Gaudí Day, exploring two of the most famous works of one of Spain’s most famous architects. First was a tour of the impressive Sagrada Familia, which is still unfinished 140 years after construction started. We were able to see the inside and outside of the church, marvelling at the detailed sculptures on the outside and the sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows on the inside, spreading fantastic colours through the interior. We even took a bit of time to make our own artwork, inspired by the building. We left the Sagrada Familia and after a lot of escalators, steps and hills made it to Parc Guell, where pupils were given time to explore this large fantasy-inspired park, before meeting at El Drac, a larger-than-life mosaic sculpture of a lizard. As we headed home that evening, we started to see the fireworks and bonfires being set up for the evening’s festivities, which took place all over Barcelona, including right outside our hostel, until the early hours of the morning.

After a late night, Friday started with a well-earned lie-in, before a trip to see the Barcelona aquarium and an afternoon spent relaxing on the beach, followed by another delicious meal in the harbourside.

Feeling refreshed, Saturday saw us heading to see some of the wildlife in the Barcelona Zoo, including tigers, rhinos and elephants. After a wild day, we headed back towards La Rambla for a spot of retail therapy, before heading up to see the views of the city from the Palau Nacional.

Sunday was the day that some of us had been looking forward to the most, a trip to Portaventura Theme Park, which is home to over 50 exhilarating rides, including Dragon Khan and Shambhala. After a fantastic day, we returned to Barcelona before a final evening meal together and then a morning flight (and run through the airport!) to head back home.

Every single one of the pupils represented themselves, the school and the Trust extremely well and we were so impressed by their manners, fantastic attitude and willingness to embrace new experiences, whether that was trying new food, travelling abroad or going on cable cars. We hope that we have instilled an interest in travelling and have opened the pupils’ minds to see more of the world.

Comments from parents:

“My son, has just returned from the Turing Tour to Spain and I just wanted to thank the school for this great opportunity. He has come home full of information about the places he has visited, the friends he has made, and it is so evident just how much he has enjoyed it. I also feel it has given him a confidence he did not have before”

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at the Turing Scheme for giving my son an amazing experience and for looking after him so well – you are amazing”