Update from Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
As mentioned in my introduction letter last week, I am writing to update you on some key strategic changes to improve the provision and offer at E-ACT Parkwood Academy.
Firstly, the academy will now close for the summer (to all students) on Friday the 19th of July 2024. This is to ensure essential training takes place for all staff before we return in September and to reward the students with a well-deserved rest, in line with other schools across the Sheffield local authority.
Secondly, the dates students will return to the academy in September are as follows:
• Wednesday 4th September for Year 7 ONLY
• Thursday 5th September for Years 8-11
All other INSET days for next academic year can be found on our website.
New Ties
I’m excited to announce all students will receive a FREE clip-on tie when they return next academic year. This not only creates a sense of belonging and teamwork, but it also supports staff and the wider community to identify students when and where needed. Clip-on ties will relieve the daily hassle for students and create a sense of PRIDE and consistency in how they present.
This is an Example – ties will be allocated to specific year groups in September
Change To School Day
To support all members of our family we have made the decision to alter the school day by 10 minutes. This means all students will be expected at E-ACT Parkwood Academy between the hours of 8:30am and 3:00pm. This is a change to the end of the school day from 3:10pm to 3:00pm. Changes will come into effect from Wednesday 4th September 2024.
This change still ensures that we meet the Department of Education’s expectation of a 32.5-hour school week. All students will still receive five 1 hour lessons a day, as well as their enrichment time in the morning of 30 minutes. We have added 5 minutes to their break time (now 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes) and lunch time remains 30 minutes.
We believe that these changes will be beneficial to the school community and will have a positive effect on your child’s education. This allows us to prioritise our extra-curricular and cultural capital offer (each day from 3:00pm until 4:00pm). It will also facilitate the transition home during our winter months and/or support those who pick up siblings.
The changes to the school day were overwhelmingly favoured by students in a recent survey and staff feedback was also positive. However, I appreciate that these minor changes may still raise some questions. For this reason, I warmly invite you to share any feedback that you have by sending it to info@parkwoodacademy.org.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Joel Hinchliffe
Headteacher