New term, same brilliant attitudes!
During the first weeks of this new term we have found ourselves in awe of the positive attitudes displayed by our year 11 students. Every second counts as we hurtle towards exam season, and I have rarely seen such dedicated and determined students. All of the hard work put in to ensure that students are best placed to meet their potential comes into play now, and we get to enjoy the outcome – well prepared, confident students who are ready to take their next step in education, work or training. I would like to publicly thank each and every member of staff at Queen Elizabeth’s Academy; this has been a true team effort and I honestly believe that nobody could have done more – they have given their all for the benefit of our wonderful students.

The academy was been delighted to have been able to offer safe haven and a fresh start to over 30 year 11 students who needed our help after their school was closed. They have been a huge asset to our academy and we have been proud to have been part of their journey, offering them the stability that they needed at such a critical time.

Setting a great example
Our lower year groups are working extremely hard to live up to the good example set by year 11, and with an increased push on uniform and equipment standards. We thank you for your continued support in ensuring that our students stick to the academy uniform policy. Our students always look very smart and business-like when you see them out and about, and this supports the work we are doing to keep our reputation on an upward trend.

LEARN at the academy
We have implemented a new strategy in lessons which means that students understand the expectations of them. This is helping us to maximise time and energy in lessons to focus solely on the learning, other distractions are minimised.
–          Lean in and Listen
–          Equipment at the ready
–          Annotate and take notes
–          Respond like a scholar
–          Never interrupt

Consultation on the academy day
As you may have seen on Facebook, we are running a consultation on the structure of the academy day. This might be something we look to build up slowly from September, to allow us to put on additional enrichment activities after the academy day. We are also considering splitting lunchtimes to enable us to feed the students in two halves, meaning that students get a more relaxed and less crowded lunchtime experience.  Due to the rate at which we are growing, this is now becoming an important consideration, particularly for our younger students. If you have not yet had your say on this, please visit https://bit.ly/2HUvllU and complete the short questionnaire.

Exciting dates for your diary
As we approach the summer term, we look forward to our very first production in over a decade, our version of Robert Dodsley’s play ‘The King and the Miller’. Taking place on 17-18 May, tickets are now on sale from reception priced at just £1.00 each – please come and support our students who are working so hard to put this production on. We also anticipate a great day out at the beach for year 9 and 10 in July, a fantastic prom experience at Mansfield Town’s stadium and our annual sports day – it’s going to be a busy month!

Transition
In July we are very much looking forward to our transition week, as students who will be joining our year 7 in September spend time at the academy learning the ropes and becoming familiar with Queen Elizabeth’s and our expectations. This is a very important week and we work hard to make it as smooth as possible, to reassure our new students that they are in safe hands.

MyEd – our academy app
If you haven’t yet downloaded MyEd from your app store, this is a great way of finding out key dates, your child’s timetable, their attendance data, and any rewards or sanctions given, as they happen. It has proven to be very useful, and has improved the communication of key information for many parents – I would highly recommend that you use it.

Good luck to our students
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our year 11 and 13 students the very best of luck in their exams. Focus on your revision, and try and fill in gaps in your knowledge – there is plenty of support at the academy, so please speak to staff if you need help on a particular topic or subject. We are very proud of you all and look forward to seeing how well you do this summer.

Once again, I thank you for all that you do to support us in taking our rightful place as the academy of choice in Mansfield.

Miss Brothwell
Principal