29 April 2024
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome back to term 5; the start of the summer term. This is a very busy term, with the start of the final examinations for our Year 11 students, and the final workshops and performances for our VI formers in The SPACE. Everyone in the Monkton Wood community wishes them all the best; although, they don’t need luck as they have worked hard and are well prepared!
In this letter:
Improvements on the school site
Staff update
Term dates for next year
Uniform for the summer terms
Parent forum
Upcoming events
Taunton Knife Angel
Improvements on the school site
We have several key projects underway to improve the standard of our school premises and buildings. You are aware that the designs are ready to replace our ATP, and we hope to confirm the start date for this work in the coming weeks. We have also received agreement in principle from the DFE for £2.5 million of funding to upgrade and address some building conditions issues that were identified when we transferred from the local authority into the Cabot Learning Federation. This funding will address many crucial matters such as heating, flooring and windows. The students will be especially pleased to hear that the condition of student toilets is also on the list. Finally, Somerset Council have just this week signed off the approval for funding a new dining facility for our school. We already have meetings lined up to look at the proposed location and design of this canteen. We are very pleased that some long-overdue upgrade projects will now be able to get underway.
You may have noticed that our car park has been re-painted over the Easter break. If you come into the car park to collect or drop-off your child, please do observe the hatchings for the bus stops and the no-parking areas. Our driveway is a shared space with cyclists, pedestrians, cars and coaches all using it at the same time, and the safety of our students is our absolute priority. There is no waiting in these hatched areas. Please park your car in a designated parking bay, and if there are none available, please exit the car park and try again a little later. Your co-operation is appreciated.
Staff update
We are pleased to welcome a number of new staff to Monkton Wood Academy. Ms Catchpool is the new pastoral year leader for Year 9, replacing Ms Jones who left at Christmas. Ms McDermott has joined us as another deputy head of Maths (alongside Mr Holmes). Ms Bird joins the English teaching team, and Mr Collinge has joined us as a teacher of PSHE. Ms Brown is joining the learning support team as a teaching assistant.
We also have some staff who have changed roles. Ms Cunnane, who was our LEO leader, is now in the role of deputy SENCO, alongside Ms Adams. Mr James and Ms Speller started with us as teaching assistants and have moved into the role of cover supervisors. Ms Pegg is a teacher in our VI form, The SPACE, and has started in the role of Assistant Course Director.
Finally, we have appointed some new staff members who will start a little later this term. Ms Daw is joining our raising standards team, following the departure of Mr Sussex. Ms Heather is starting as a teacher of computer science. Both colleagues will begin at or just before the half-term break.
Term dates for next year
The term dates for the academic year 2024-25 are now on our school website. The first day back in September for students will be Wednesday 04 September 2024. We will confirm the particular arrangements for each year group later on in the summer term. Please do use these published dates when planning family holidays, as we do not authorise holiday taken in term time.
Uniform in the summer term
Despite the cold and wet weather lately, we live in hope of warmers days ahead. I would like to remind families of our expectations for uniform during the summer terms. A white short-sleeved shirt, tie and trousers or school shorts are the coolest option for summer uniform. If your child tends to feel the cold, please do ensure that they always have their school jumper with them, as hoodies or other warmer top layers are not allowed. Shorts must be school shorts, and not sports-shorts or PE kit. In the event of an extreme weather warning for heat, we will write again to families with the measures in place to keep the children as comfortable as possible.
We understand that our school ties are temporarily out of stock at Taunton Uniform, so if your child needs a new tie, please visit Jual in North Petherton for now.
Parent forum
Our next parent forum is scheduled for Thursday 16 May, at 5.00pm. We would like to hear from parents on the subject of reporting arrangements and parents’ evenings. Ahead of this, we have a survey on the subject, which will give us a good starting point for discussions at the forum. Whether you are able to attend or not, you are welcome to give your views on the format and timing of parents’ evenings here.
Last term’s parent forum was on the subject of extra-curricular activities. You can read the feedback from the parents that attended, and give your own views, on this survey.
Upcoming events
This term’s FNN (federation network night) is on Wednesday 08 May. We will close at 2.30pm as usual. If you would prefer your child to remain in school until the usual finish time of 3.30pm, but you have not requested a place for previous FNN evenings, please call in and speak to the attendance team to put your child’s name down.
Next week is work experience for Year 10. We wish them the best of luck in their placements. Communications about the details for this event have gone directly to year 10 parents.
The last day of this term is Friday 24 May 2024. School will close at the usual time of 3.30pm.
Knife Angel
Today, Ms Smith held an assembly for our whole school on the subject of knife crime. This is in response to some high-profile cases in the media of stabbings involving children recently, and increasing concerns amongst young people nationally about the dangers of knives and sharps. The St Giles Trust is a charity that works with children at risk of criminal exploitation and is running an online workshop for parents on the subject on Wednesday 08 May. If you would like to know more about this work, please follow this link.
Thank you for reading this bumper-edition newsletter. We thank you for your continuing support.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs H Jones
Principal
