Our Ref: 2021/048/AND/SAF
10th December 2021
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we come to the end of this term, I wanted to thank you all for the support you have shown over the past few months. This has been an extremely challenging time for the entire country, and I am very proud of how our wider school community has faced every obstacle in our path, including the recent decision to move to remote learning for years 8 and 9 in the final week of term. These decisions, following consultation with the UKHSA, are never taken lightly but are reflective of the increasingly urgent national response to the pandemic.
However, there is also a great deal for us to celebrate this term. We were all delighted with the glowing report we received from Ofsted following their inspection commending the academy on the improvement seen to date. The inspectors highlighted that Amington is well on the way to being judged a good school, and we look forward to welcoming them back soon to confirm this.
We have further good news when it comes to academy recruitment. I am delighted to announce that in January we will welcome a new Deputy Faculty Leader for Maths, a Lead Practitioner in Science, and a Key Stage Leader in English. These colleagues will add experience and expertise to our already talented staff group and will prove hugely important as we continue to move from strength to strength. We have also appointed four highly experienced Pastoral Leaders as part of our ongoing work to take students’ emotional wellbeing very seriously at the academy. These new additions will enhance our pastoral care to ensure every student feels safe and supported while at school. In addition, our Academy Counsellor has also been working with our students to fill the gap left by the reduction of health and support services in the community. To complement our strong pastoral support, the academy has appointed a Child and Family Support Worker to liaise directly with the wider Amington community as we continue to live with the challenges of the pandemic. If you have any questions about the support we can offer please do contact the academy office or any member of our safeguarding team. Please note that all enquiries will of course be handled with the utmost discretion.
Our arrangements for the end of term on Friday December 17th are as follows:
End of term: Friday 17th December
Year ……..Start of Day ………End of Day
7 …………..08.50 ………………12.10
8 & 9 …….Remote Learning
10 …………08.40 ….. ………..12.25
11 ………….08.40 ……………..12.30
At the start of next term, you will know that we have been asked by the Government to use lateral flow Covid-19 tests for all students on their return. We have communicated with families to request consent for this process recently. To facilitate the testing of all students with consent, and following Government guidelines, we will be implementing a staggered start to the term as follows:
Year 11
Start of Term – Wednesday 5th January 8.40 – 16.00
Year 10
Start of Term – Thursday 6th January 8.40 – 15.00
Year 9
Start of Term – Thursday 6th January 8.40 – 15.00
Year 8
Start of Term – Friday 7th January 8.40 – 15.00
Year 7
Start of Term – Friday 7th January 8.40 – 15.00
It is also advised by Government that all students continue to test at home twice weekly to limit the spread of the virus; testing kits are available from the academy. Please note that in the New Year, all students will begin the academy day at 08.40. Students who have a PE class that day will be required to attend the academy in their full school uniform and change into their PE kit at school, due to the continuing wet weather.
I have been delighted by the success of our Principal’s drop-in sessions which have been very well attended. These offer a great opportunity for me to hear more about all aspects of Amington life and to see how we can improve students’ daily experiences. Please do consider attending these in the New Year if you want to express an opinion on Amington life.
I am also delighted to announce that the Amington Fete will return in the summer! We’ll be announcing more details on this fete soon.
There’s no question that this has been an incredibly exciting term and there is a tremendous amount for us all to look forward to in the New Year. I hope you all have a restful break, and I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Yours sincerely,
Mr A Deen
Principal