Huggle Pets HQ visit! Over the last three weeks we have supported some of our pupils with visits to Huggle Pets HQ in Wolverhampton to take part in Animal Assisted Wellbeing Workshops. The Pupil Services Team selected groups of pupils to take part in interactions with a range of small animals, delivered by the Wellbeing Team. They explored the themes of self-awareness, empowerment, understanding anxiety, confidence, resilience and self-care methods. Pupils loved meeting Murphy the therapy dog and interacting with many other animals. They took a lot of knowledge and strategies away from the sessions, and most importantly had a wonderful and memorable experience.

We want to extend a huge congratulations to R. Sofonias in year 9 for achieving a Commendation for Graphic Design from the MiSAC Annual UK competition for her amazing poster on fungi. To put that in context, out of 454 submissions from across the UK, only 2 students were granted this commendation. A fantastic effort, well done!

Our Year 7 football team took on Barr Beacon in a fiercely contested friendly. Both teams started well and battled for control of the game. Barr Beacon eventually got the breakthrough just before half time and went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Bloxwich had a couple of goals ruled out for offside before Barr Beacon extended their lead with some individual quality. Bloxwich did eventually get some reward for their efforts with a consolation goal before the end, leaving the final score 5-1 to Barr Beacon. The lads were a credit to the school with their efforts and attitude and will learn a lot ahead of their next game!

The auditorium at Millennium Point was once again filled with excitement and pride as the third annual Matrix Pupil Awards Ceremony took place. Now a firmly established tradition, the event recognised outstanding academic achievements across all our schools while celebrating the unique talents and character of each of our pupils.

The evening was opened by CEO Lynsey Draycott, with Headteachers from across the trust taking to the stage to present awards to their proud pupils. Among the honours were five standout titles: Most Creative, Most Resilient, Most Selfless, Continuous Improver, and Most Enthusiastic — each highlighting the remarkable qualities shown by pupils throughout the year.

The ceremony also featured captivating performances from pupils who triumphed in our trust-wide talent competition. Their musical skills added an unforgettable touch to the evening and demonstrated the breadth of talent within our schools.

Special recognition was also given to pupils involved in our Combined Cadet Force and those who successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, celebrating their commitment, resilience, and leadership beyond the classroom.

The awards were presented by our Chair of Trustees, Sir Mark Aspinall. A big thank you to our special guest Beth who gave some very inspiring words.

A heartfelt thank you and congratulations to all of our award winners, performers, dedicated staff, trustees, parents and carers who made the evening such a success. A highlight video will be posted shortly.

A massive thank you to everyone who helped make our Community Champions' first cake sale such a success! We sold out in just 10 minutes and raised £85 which is amazing!

A special shout-out to the pupils who helped organise this event:

• T Taylor
• L Capalbo
• F Benton
• A Eggington
• C Williams
• M Killgallon

And a big thank you to J Fellows – her brother baked some delicious brownies and cookies that sold out in no time!

Keep an eye out for our next event, which will involve both staff and pupils. We can't wait to see you there!

Selected Year 8 and 9 pupils from Bloxwich Academy had an exciting opportunity to take part in the West Midlands Police Engagement Day on Friday 9th May. Pupils were able to circulate each station and learn about the roles available in the police force as well as community engagement teams. Pupils were able to ask questions relating to career options and see a great showcase of the range of services available with West Midlands Police. Pupils were able to delve into a world of forensics, armed responses, ambulance and air ambulance services, riot protection, bleep tests and fire crews. The day concluded with an excellent showcase of the role of the Police Dogs and the training that goes into protecting communities. Thank you to West Midlands Police for the invitation and the opportunity for an inciteful day. #Westmidlandspolice

17 pupils had a fantastic time today learning about degree apprenticeships in health and care, provided by the University of Wolverhampton. They got to learn about the different courses available, the facilities provided, and they got a taste of what doing a degree apprenticeship would be like. They also learned how to save someone’s life if they are experiencing anaphylaxis, and how to administer chest compressions correctly.  Many of the pupils have now said they are much more likely to do a degree apprenticeship in the future!

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible success of our very first Trust-wide Spelling Bee – a vibrant event that brought together pupils from all our schools, in a showcase of linguistic talent, nerves of steel, and community spirit.

Over 40 brilliant spellers from Key Stages 2 and 3 took to the stage, each tackling an impressive word list of more than 150 challenging entries. From phosphorescent to megalomaniac, cantankerous, chihuahua, frittata, and hieroglyphics, the competition tested not only vocabulary but also memory, focus, and composure under pressure.

The atmosphere was electric, with supporters gripped from start to finish, watching each round unfold on the edge of their seats. In an extraordinary finish, two winners were crowned – a testament to just how high the standard was. Huge congratulations to our co-champions: one from Etone College and the other from Bloxwich Academy Primary.

Both of them had to complete the tie breaker, spelling as accurately as possible a fearsome word which they had not been told in advance: ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM. Both of them spelled it correctly!

This inaugural event marks the beginning of what we expect to become a favourite in the Matrix events calendar. A huge thank you to all the pupils, staff and supporters who made this possible. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Spelling Bee!

Well done to all 35 of our Telford pupils who have received over 250 positive class charts points and have been awarded with their bronze badges and certificates. We have also had 16 of our Telford pupils who have now received over 500 positive points and have been awarded with their silver badges and certificates. Next stop, their gold badges! We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication these pupils have had in upholding our school values to receive these positive points.

We have also had 29 pupils who have received subject awards, you will see them displaying their badges on their blazers with pride! 16 of our Telford pupils have had 100% attendance this academic year, we are so proud of your dedication and commitment to attending school each day. A big shout out to 7T1 for having the best attendance in the school and the highest number of positives on class charts across Telford.

Our house champions this term are:

A Harrison 7T1

C Jones 9T1

L James 10T1

We hope you enjoy spending your vouchers!

All schools across our Trust have been working collaboratively to recognise and celebrate key dates in the PSHE calendar. These are in addition to other events that will also be taking place in our individual schools. We are very proud to share our Matrix Academy Trust Personal Development Calendar which gives details of the events where our schools have come together to produce a wide range of activities for our pupils. These events will be recognised through a combination of assemblies and form time activities as well as their importance being widely publicised through our social media platforms and in schools through displays, posters and TV screens. For some events, there will be additional activities planned such as competitions to engage our learners in the real meaning of these days.

There is a wide range of days recognised to acknowledge different faiths and groups as well as promote very important themes such as equality, diversity, wellbeing and British Values. This project epitomises the real spirit of collaboration in our school as well as our commitment to ensuring that our pupils have the knowledge and skills to not only keep themselves safe but be ready and able to make a valuable contribution to society.