Year 13 Results Day | Thursday 13^th August

The staff at Bloxwich Academy are looking forward to seeing you on Year 13 Results Day.

Please read the information below carefully so that you understand what you will need to do to collect your results.

• Results will be distributed from the Main Hall. You will enter the school via the entrance to the main reception.
• The academy will be open for you to collect your results between 8.45am and 12.00pm
• There will be a one-way system in place as you collect your results. There will be other safety measures in place too, for example, we will provide hand sanitiser as you enter.
• You are each permitted to bring one adult along with you to collect your results. Please do not bring more than this so that we can maintain social distancing. You are of course welcome to collect your results on your own.
• If you would rather your results be sent to you electronically, please email hbrockless@bloxwichacademy.co.uk to let us know. Your results will then be sent to your school email address on Results Day.
• If you are feeling unwell, displaying symptoms of Covid-19 or are self-isolating, you should not attend Results Day. In this event, please inform us so that we can send your results to you.
• If you ask a parent, guardian or another responsible adult to collect your results for you, they must bring a note that is signed by you that gives your consent. We cannot release the results otherwise.

Year 11 Results Day | Thursday 20^th August

The staff at Bloxwich Academy are looking forward to seeing pupils on Year 11 Results Day.

Please read the information below regarding the process of collecting results.

• Results will be distributed from the Main Hall. Pupils will enter the Academy via the entrance to the main reception on Leamore Lane.
• All pupils will be allocated a timeslot for when they can collect their results. These timeslots will be communicated via text message. If you have changed contact details during lockdown, please provide an update by contacting us.
• There will be a one-way system in place as pupils collect their results. There will be other safety measures in place too, for example, we will provide hand sanitiser upon entry.
• Pupils are permitted to have one adult accompanying them whilst collecting result.
• If pupils would prefer their results electronically, please email hbrockless@bloxwichacademy.co.uk to confirm this process. Results will then be sent to pupil school email addresses on Results Day.
• If you are feeling unwell, displaying symptoms of Covid-19 or are self-isolating, you should not attend Results Day. In this event, please inform us so we can arrange for the results to be sent.
• Pupils wishing either a parent, guardian or another responsible adult to collect their results must bring a note that is signed by the pupil that gives consent. We cannot release the results otherwise.

How did we decide on grades?

All schools across the country have followed the process laid out by the government for awarding Centre Assessment Grades. This process is explained in this video created by Ofqual, the organisation which regulates exams:

We are very confident we have assessed you with a high degree of accuracy. We undertook a lengthy, rigorous process with every Year 11 teacher participating in a series of meetings. Every grade was decided by whole teams, not individual teachers.

During these grading meetings, we used all available forms of evidence for every single grade, including mock exams, classwork, homework, coursework, prior attainment (how you had performed in previous years) as well as current effort. All grade decisions were rooted in evidence to eliminate any potential bias.

Over a period of several weeks, every grade was discussed multiple times, as part of a rigorous quality assurance process. Only when we were confident that we had graded everyone accurately did we send the grades to the exam boards.

Very important: the grades we submitted for you will not necessarily be the grades you receive on results day. That is because the exam board’s job is to make sure that the grades this year are consistent with those awarded to other pupils in previous years. That means there should be broadly the same proportion of pupils achieving the same grade in each subject as there were in previous years.

For instance, in 2019, 67% of pupils across the country achieved GCSE Grade 4 in English. This year, roughly the same proportion of pupils across the country will achieve GCSE Grade 4 in English, even if schools submitted lots more Grade 4s.

Similarly, around 76% of A level grades are grade C every year. Therefore, roughly the same proportion will be a grade C this year, whatever schools submitted.

It is being widely reported that the grades submitted by schools across the country are significantly higher than in previous years:

https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-teacher-assessed-grades-higher-grades-2019

This will mean that some grades will change. “Insiders” say this could affect around 40% of grades.

https://www.tes.com/news/exclusive-warning-40-gcse-grades-may-change

Here is a video from Ofqual with more details about how they are making grades consistent with previous years:

Tuesday 14 July from 10am to 4pm

Big Bang Digital 2020 – science, engineering and Covid-19 is a free online event for young people 11+ to attend short, inspiring sessions looking at all aspects of STEM in a pandemic.

It’s the perfect opportunity for students to see STEM careers in action, hear inspiring stories from incredible people (including a Nobel Prize winner), ask questions in live Q&A sessions, add their voice to online polls and complete activities throughout the day. 

Big Bang Digital can be included as part of home learning or streamed in school and is a secure environment with safeguarding measures in place. 

Line-up at a glance:

• TV & Radio Science Presenter, Podcaster & YouTuber Greg Foot will be hosting live
• Meet NHS frontline staff, join the race to find a vaccine and ask the experts your coronavirus questions.
• Hear from people designing PPE, ventilators and a social distancing lanyard
• Find out how the NHS Nightingale hospitals were built so quickly
• Meet the teams keeping things moving, water in the taps and food in the shops
• Explore lockdown cyber security and staying safe online
• Pay tribute to key workers with a rainbow science show with Gastronaut Stefan Gates

To check out the full programme visit: www.digitalbigbang.co.uk

Unfortunately due to the current circumstances, we couldn’t hold our annual Year 11 celebration assembly where we share memories and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our Year 11 cohort.

Staff at Bloxwich Academy, however, did not want to miss out on the opportunity to send well wishes and act a little silly on video. We hope you enjoy your Year 11 celebration video. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual Teams assembly this afternoon.

We have been asking staff and parents to email in excellent examples of home learning produced by our pupils during the lockdown period (homelearning@bloxwichacdemy.co.uk). 

Here is a collection of some of these outstanding pieces of work. 

Can you find your work in the gallery?

Starting Monday 23rd March Joe Wicks The Body Coach is going to be hosting a free workout aimed at kids LIVE on his YouTube channel.

With the schools closed and with us all spending more time at home, it’s more important than ever that we keep moving and stay healthy and positive. Exercise is an amazing tool to help us feel happier, more energised, and more optimistic.

The workouts will be fun and suitable for all ages and even adults can get involved.  You don’t need any equipment, just tune in on YouTube at 9am each morning for a 30-minute, fun workout. 

A group of some of our Year 9 high flying Arts students has the opportunity to experience workshops as part of Artsmark in conjunction with the Walsall Arts for All programme.

Pupils took part in many workshops, a tour of some galleries and some other activities linked to the Walsall Arts for All programme. This was a valuable experience and opportunity to learn from professional artists to help develop their artistic skills.

All students involved were fantastic and a real credit to the school. Students really enjoyed the experience and were so enthusiastic. They asked many questions throughout and really enjoyed all the activities.

To celebrate World Book Day this year we had a very special visit from author Stuart Hill, famous for the Icemark Chronicles (children’s version of Games of Thrones). Stuart joined us to work with a number of our Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils. Together they were able to look at numerous passages to consider how an author crafts stories before attempting to create their own ghost stories. 

We are looking forward to reading these entries in our very own department competition. Well done to everyone involved, you were a credit to the school. A big thank you to Stuart for taking the time to visit us.

A big thank you to everyone who took part in World Book Day through fancy dress and book sharing activities. We had some wonderful costumes!