Another great partnership formed this week as we proudly announce our collaboration with ‘Community Footprints’ at Ryecroft Community hub!
The lovely Stacey led an excellent first session yesterday, working with some of our pupils in Beauty Therapy. This bespoke course promotes wellbeing, responsibility, skills and techniques, as well as future aspirations in the beauty industry. The girls cannot wait for next week’s session.
This week Bloxwich Academy is celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week. We are working on this alongside the promotion of keeping safe online. This year’s theme is “My Voice Matters” and we are using this to promote pupils to share their thoughts and feelings and to speak up to be positive and support others. Pupils will be having an assembly and taking part in form time activities to promote this.
This will lead into more work next week on Random Acts of Kindness and the promotion of Anti Bullying and supporting and promoting the wellbeing of ourselves and others. Please keep posted for more information.
As part of this curriculum, we are looking at pupils’ safety online and how they can protect themselves when using social media. On Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th February 2024, pupils experienced a fantastic performance and interactive assembly promoting pupils’ safety online, security settings and the dangers of artificial intelligence and the creation of false online profiles and enhanced characters. They were also educated on the laws surrounding taking inappropriate photographs, sending to others and the distribution without consent.
Consent was a topic covered in the performance and the right of pupils to say no, but also the option to withdraw consent at any time. The final section of the performance focused on algorithms and how social media and the internet focuses on their searches and how this can be a concern where similar images and posts creating an echo chamber where they are at times surrounded by harmful views.
Pupils were given strategies to stay safe and protect themselves online. Pupils were reminded that “We are a Telling School” and to report any concerns or to ask any questions to staff members in school including form tutors, teaching staff, Head of House and Leadership.
CALLING ALL BLOXWICH ACADEMY ALUMNI
If you’re a former student of Bloxwich Academy, we want to hear from you!
Your experiences since leaving could help to motivate and inspire our current students to feel more confident in making decisions about their future. We’d love you to join our Alumni Network and stay connected with the school.
We’ve partnered with the national education charity Future First, who specialise in helping schools like ours to stay connected with their former students.
You can choose how and when you help – perhaps you can act as a career and education role model, provide work experience or become a mentor in person or online.
To sign up, just follow this link and fill in the online form – we promise it will only take a couple of minutes
https://www.futurefirsthub.org.uk/register/bloxwich-academy
We look forward to hearing from you.
We knew this would be a tough game as we faced an unbeaten team in the league and a team we lost 6-0 to away from home.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get off to the best of starts as they scored within 5 seconds of the kick off! They set the ball back and drilled a shot into the top corner of our net, 1-0. This, however, didn’t sway our concentration and determination to give a good account of ourselves. Within 5 minutes we found ourselves level.
An excellent ball out from the back allowed J. Bloomer to attack their left back at pace. He managed to get to the byline and produced a cross that just evaded M. Kaba at the front post. But A. Jones, just like a young Paul Scholes, timed his run to the back post with perfection. He controlled the ball, sat his defender down and rifled the ball past the keeper! 1-1!
The team focused on what had been asked of them tactically and produced some excellent defensive work which frustrated the visitors. C. Hitchcock was outstanding in his individual duels alongside M. Oginni who looked dominant in the air, as well as being composed when driving out from the back with the ball.
We grew into the game and started to create opportunities through some excellent link up play in midfield. With 43 minutes on the clock we won the ball again in midfield. K. Perry slid a ball through to J.Bloomer who was 1v1 with the goalkeeper but the keeper made a fine save to deny us the opportunity to go into the lead.
Half Time – 1-1
The second half saw the visitors come out more aggressively but we continued to match them in all areas of the pitch. They were clearly rattled by our improvement in performance. Again, we created opportunities from long throw ins and corners but just didn’t get the roll of the ball in order to get a clear strike on goal. It was the visitors who scored two goals in quick succession which gave them a little more confidence and control of the game. And, when they scored from a free-kick to make it 4-1, we still didn’t let our heads drop, which was brilliant to see.
Full Time – 4-1
The performance from the team showed how much improvement they have made both individually and collectively. They represented the Academy fantastically well. There were 2 debuts from J. Gyan-Baffour and M.Lloyd who I thought did brilliantly when they came on.
We now have a most valuable player (MVP) not Man of the Match, due to our new recruit in M.Lloyd.
MVP – A.Jones
Goals – A.Jones – 1
Assists – J.Bloomer – 1
Many thanks to the staff and sixth form that came out to support the team this afternoon.
On Tuesday 23rd of January, 50 pupils from the Matrix Academy Trust travelled from Gatwick Airport for a trip to Rome with the Turing Scheme. The Turing Scheme is a government initiative that fully funds a range of international opportunities for young people to go abroad and experience different cultures around the globe. Pupils who participate in this scheme are selected via criteria provided by the Department for Education.
After a smooth journey and arriving at our hostel, we made a swift departure to our first activity. Our group of 55 tackled the metro for the first time and walked our way to “Aroma Ostia” where our host school met us for an Italian cooking masterclass. During this class, our Chef taught us how to make pasta from scratch, along with the art of producing “carbonara” sauce, a dish that was born in Italy.
Throughout the week our mornings consisted of a rotation between groups, some taking themselves back to ancient Rome by visiting the Colosseum, some visited Castel Sant’Angelo which was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum, and some visiting our Italian partner school learning about various aspects of their culture including music, literature, fashion and food. One group even took part in an inclusion workshop raising awareness of disabilities.
After lunch, our pupils came back together and started their week by being trained as true gladiators at the gladiator school. This included a fitness assault course, practicing and testing a variety of fighting techniques before our Empress (Ms Callanan) would decide their fate. Pupils also opened their mind into the “museum of dreamers” experiencing an adult-size ball pit, various illusions and not to mention beating their fears (literally). Our afternoon of imagination delved deeper into Vigamus where pupils were led on journey of time on the evolution of video games. Our sightseeing continued when strolling down the Spanish Steps to the renowned Trevi Fountain before dining in a local restaurant.
Our final few days were spent zipping through the trees of Rome at Eurpark High Ropes. It was incredible to see the number of pupils who overcame their fears and pushed through their limits to reach new heights before we caught the train to the shores of Ostia, where some pupils even dipped their toes in the sea! Mount Vesuvius was our next destination, with a 20 minute hike up to the viewpoint at the top of the volcano and a further 5 minutes to the crater. Pupils were in awe of the beauty of the bay of Naples, before seeing the steam being produced out of the dormant volcano. Having learnt about the history of Vesuvius, our next stop was the Herculaneum, a UNESCO heritage site which was covered in volcanic ash and rediscovered during excavations in the mid 18th century.
We couldn’t have left Rome before visiting the Stadio Olimpico, home to football clubs Roma and Lazio, and currently hosting the six nations! Following this, we took a trip abroad whilst abroad by visiting the Vatican City, the world’s smallest country! This tour included a visit to the Sistine Chapel, famous for papal ceremonies and used by the sacred college of cardinals.
Our week in Italy was spent experiencing various aspects of culture, encountering many new experiences and bringing more of our students together to create stronger connections.
Our pupils share their thoughts:
“The trip to italy was really great. I am very happy to have had the chance to go on a trip like this for free and have made so many friends in the process. I liked the rooms at the hostel, and how stress-free you guys made everything by everything being so organised and how there was a diverse range of things to do. The metro and bus rides were good, and got less busy due to good planning. Some things that we did that I thought I wouldn’t enjoy I turned out liking such as the school visit. The children there were lovely and despite the struggle communicating with some words, it was fun talking to them about what their life is like and comparing ours together. The museum of dreamers was my favourite because it was unlike anything I have ever done before. It was a unique experience which helped me with insight and keeping an open mind. I liked seeing the sights such as the colosseum, the Herculaneum and museums like the Vatican, gaming and the dream one. I liked the Vatican and the castle a lot because it was nice to see religious artefacts and art that I have always wanted to see. Thank you for the opportunity and choosing a great city like Rome.” – Alfie
“This trip to Italy was amazing, I’m so thankful I’ve had the opportunity to go to such a great place and it being free! Thanks to Ms Callanan, Mr Kendall, Mr Aspinall, Ms Thomson, and Ms Thompson. This week has been really fun and I haven’t felt this happy in ages! 10/10″ – Dylan
Today, 210 cadets & staff from our schools visited the National Memorial Arboretum as part of their historical and social enrichment package within the Combined Cadet Force.
Thank fully the weather was clear and all of our cadets enjoyed learning about the various monuments situated around the grounds.
We would like to thank members of the Wales & West CCF Test Team for supporting the visit, and the staff of the National Memorial Arboretum for hosting such a large group of us.
As part of this curriculum, we are looking at pupils’ safety online and how they can protect themselves when using social media. From Monday 5th February, pupils experienced assemblies and completed work during form time to ensure pupils are equipped with the knowledge to keep themselves self and what to do if they are concerned. Pupils were encouraged to see the positive uses of the internet, but also the dangers associated with it including false news, social media and privacy settings and adding unknown individuals to their friends lists. Pupils were given strategies as to how to keep their profiles hidden and where to find the report button on different apps. Pupils have been reminded that “We are a Telling School” and should they have any concerns to report this to any staff member so they can receive the support they require.
Embark on a thrilling journey into the world of STEM with the Engineering Development Trust’s Routes into STEM Virtual Experience 2023/24! Designed exclusively for Year 9 and 10 pupils, this immersive program opens doors to the captivating realms of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics from the comfort of your classroom. Through engaging virtual experiences, students will explore cutting-edge concepts, witness real-world applications, and interact with industry professionals, igniting their passion for STEM disciplines.
Joining Routes into STEM provides students with a unique opportunity to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical insights, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The expertly curated sessions offer a glimpse into the exciting future of STEM careers, inspiring the next generation of innovators and leaders. Don’t miss out on this chance to fuel curiosity, spark creativity, and set the course for a promising future in STEM.
Speak to Mr Lowe for more information.
Thirty-four Non-Commissioned Officers from Barr Beacon School, Bloxwich Academy, Etone College, and Wednesfield Academy attended their Method of Instruction course held at Barr Beacon School over the weekend.
The cadets learnt how to structure and deliver instructional sessions to their fellow cadets using syllabus training subjects as a basis. Each of them then had to plan and deliver two instructional periods which were assessed by the staff during the weekend.
By the end of the weekend all of the cadets had earned the right to wear the coveted yellow lanyard and begin instructing within their contingents. Well done to all of the cadets who attended the course.
Secondary School
Leamore Lane
Bloxwich, Walsall
West Midlands
WS2 7NR
T: 01922 710 257
postbox@bloxwichacademy.co.uk
Secondary SENDCo – Mrs Bensley
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
