26 June 2026
Dear Parent/Carers,
I wanted to write to you with a few updates of things going on around the academy in the final term, with a particular focus on culture and belonging:

World Cup
Sports Day
Community Cup
End of Term Arrangements

World Cup  
The men’s football World Cup is now well underway, and with so many nations represented at this particular World Cup, we know that we have a huge representation of these nations in our student population.

Whilst many of us (and I appreciate, not all of us) may be excited about the prospect of watching these games, we are aware that due to the time difference in North America, the vast majority of these games are later than we would want our students to be going to bed. We want to emphasise the importance of sleep for our young people, particularly the benefits of sleep on positive mental health. As these matches all take place outside of the normal school day, we will not be changing our timetable in any way or watching games in school. We are also aware of the negative impact on our attendance following late night matches.

As part of our belonging strategy and so that we can learn and share some traditions and cultures from each of the nations, our students are competing in a House Cup competition to design their tutor group doors with their allocated nation. We are incredibly excited to see what they will create and will share the results on our social media platforms.

Sports Day  
One of our flagship House events for each year is our Sports Day. This is due to take place on Wednesday the 08 July (weather dependent). This year we are increasing our offer to include as many students as we possibly can, collapsing the entire school day so that everyone can be involved.

This means that students are able to arrive to school in their normal PE kit, with the addition of a House coloured top (Stuart – Blue; Windsor – Yellow; Tudor – Red; Hanover – Purple; York – Green). Following our uniform policy, we must insist that the rest of the PE kit listed in our uniform policy is adhered to. This is particularly significant with regard to shorts, which must be the permitted school shorts with the MWA logo. Students can also wear their MWA leggings or MWA skort.

We will look to contact parents of any student arriving in items not in our uniform policy to send the students home to change or to borrow kit from Student Services.
Student safety remains our key priority on these days, and we know that because the British weather can be changeable, students will need to prepare for all eventualities. We therefore recommend that students bring suncream and sufficient hydration for the day. As in previous years, to foster the sense of belonging to each House, we are inviting students to decorate themselves with face paint and glitter (not supplied), should they wish to during the tutor time on the Wednesday.

Community Cup  
Whilst we know many students will be looking forward to the summer break, we are also aware that for some families the uncertainty of what to put on the table during the holidays can be disconcerting. For the last two years, as part of the Community Cup, we have run a House competition to donate food items to Taunton Food Bank, and we want to continue this tradition this year. If you are able to contribute any of the following items, we would be hugely appreciative.

Pasta Sauces
Tinned Cold Meat
Rice 500g
Tinned Vegetarian Complete Meals
Rice Pudding
UHT Long Life Milk
Tinned Veg
Long Life Fruit Juice

Last Days of Term Arrangements.  
With us due to finish the academic year on Tuesday 21  July, we have an opportunity to celebrate the amazing successes of our students in the last two days. On Monday 20th, students will be invited in their year groups to a celebration assembly in the Tacchi Morris Arts Centre where a variety of awards and certificates will be handed out. Whilst we are not able to accommodate parents into these assemblies, we will post what we can on our social media pages.

The last day of term allows us to come together for a whole school celebration, culminating in the results of the House Cup. As in previous years, we have hired an “inflatable village” for the students of the winning house to access. We will also be rewarding students that have achieved their gold badge for positive points (1250 positive points this year) their own session. Other students will remain with their tutors, who will plan a variety of celebration activities.

The school day will end at 1.30pm for students, with more details to follow about the end of this term and the start of next, in Mrs Jones’ next newsletter.

With thanks for your continued support.

Yours faithfully,
Mr D Lall-Sachdev
Assistant Principal, Behaviour Culture and Ethos