For the most recent Year 8 Assessment, one of the writing tasks was to write a short text about sports. Pupils were expected to write about the sports they do, how often they do it, the one(s) they prefer in each season, the sport(s) they would like to do, as well as the one (s) they did recently. 

In these assessments, pupils covered all the bullet points and made a good use of tenses and time phrases. We take pride in the fact that our pupils are upholding one of our School’s values of Striving to Improve and be their Best.  

Congratulations to Carter and Paul in 8x1 for their excellent exam pieces! 

A reminder to our Year 11 pupils that French Easter classes will run on April 2^nd. Pupils made their choices of thematic context for the speaking exam on March 20^th and will be able to focus on these for their revision. The day will cover read aloud practice, role plays and describing pictures. We hope as many pupils as possible can attend.

We are delighted to announce that Smestow Academy has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Progress - Secondary School Award at the prestigious Education Business Awards 2026.

The Education Business Awards recognise the achievements of schools, colleges and universities across the UK that go above and beyond to improve education and enhance the lives of the current and future workforce. Since 2009, the awards have celebrated excellence across more than twenty categories, including Outstanding Progress and Leadership, SEN Best Practice and Provision, ICT Innovation, Procurement, Security, Environmental Practice, Building and Catering.

Smestow Academy was selected by the awards’ research team following careful consideration of a range of factors, including recent achievements, Ofsted reports, positive news coverage, and contributions to the education sector.

Being shortlisted for the Outstanding Progress at Secondary Years Award is a fantastic recognition of the continued commitment of our staff, pupils and wider school community in driving improvement and achieving excellent outcomes.

The awards ceremony will take place on 26 March 2026 at Old Billingsgate in London, where schools from across the country will gather to celebrate educational excellence. This year’s awards will be presented by Matthew Burton, inspirational headteacher and star of Channel 4’s multi-award-winning documentary series Educating Yorkshire.

We are incredibly proud of this recognition and look forward to representing Smestow Academy at the awards ceremony.

We were incredibly proud of our pupils, who demonstrated outstanding commitment and enthusiasm in recent weeks. Alongside their ongoing rehearsals for High School Musical, they showed fantastic dedication, energy, and teamwork as they prepared for what proved to be a brilliant production.

In addition, pupils took part in an exciting two-day intensive workshop with Marcia Edwards, Artistic Director of ME Dance. Marcia was a great inspiration; having trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and worked extensively in the professional industry, our pupils were truly privileged to learn from such an influential figure in the dance world. During the workshop, they worked collaboratively to choreograph an original dance piece exploring the powerful theme of the furnace blast. Their creativity, focus, and willingness to challenge themselves were evident throughout, resulting in a striking and meaningful performance.

We were also delighted that pupils had the opportunity to perform this piece as a curtain-raiser at the premiere of Furnace at the Walsall Arena on Wednesday 18th March. This was a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their hard work and talent on a professional stage, and we could not have been prouder of their achievements.

The lesson focused on developing overall fitness through a whole-body circuit training. Pupils worked in pairs, allowing them to support, motivate and encourage each other. 

During the lesson, pupils rotated through a variety of stations designed to target different muscle groups and improve both cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength.

The circuit included a range of equipment and exercises, ensuring that students experienced a balanced and varied workout. For example, pupils used treadmills to increase their heart rate and build aerobic fitness, while rowing machines helped develop upper-body and core strength as well as endurance.

This morning we were pleased to be able to host an event in school to celebrate both International Women's Day (08/03/26) and Mother's Day (15/03/26). Pupils and their families joined us for refreshments, with a presentation of words written by our young people about their mothers.

It was lovely for our families to be able to spend the quality time together this morning and thank you to everyone who was able to join us.

This week, our Year 7 Personal Development Ambassadors took the donations from Smestow Academy to our House Charity shops.

Our community week activity last half-term asked for donations of goods that could be sold in the charity shops as an alternative to other fundraising events that we have hosted previously.  This is a great example of how our pupils demonstrate the Smestow values of "make a difference everyday".

A huge thank you to everyone who donated and we hope that our house charities can benefit from this as a result.

We are proud to announce the upcoming launch of a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingent at Smestow Academy.

At Smestow, we are committed to providing opportunities for every pupil, ensuring there is something for all interests, talents, and ambitions. The introduction of the CCF will give pupils the chance to develop leadership, teamwork, resilience, and confidence while taking part in unique activities and experiences.

More information will be shared soon, and pupils will shortly be able to sign up to join the cadet force in school.

Watch this space for further details… an exciting new opportunity is on its way!

#SmestowAcademy #OpportunitiesForAll #CCF #CadetForce

On Thursday 5th March, our Year 12 pupils successfully delivered their Health and Social Care event to younger students within the academy. The event focused on Health education, with pupils creating a range of high-quality posters, leaflets and questionnaires to help educate other pupils about healthy choices and food swaps. Year 12's dedicated a significant amount of time and effort in preparing their event, with topics including sugar intake, balanced diets and the Eatwell Guide. Their dedication and preparation showed how they Strive to improve and be their best. Throughout the event, pupils confidently presented their work and engaged with younger students, demonstrating excellent communication skills while raising awareness about the importance of healthy lifestyles. This links to our Smestow values of Making a difference every day by encouraging healthier choices among their peers.

Staff feedback from the event was extremely positive, with teachers praising the high level of effort, creativity and confidence shown by the pupils. The are a  great credit to both the pupils and our school community.

Well done to all involved.

During the first term of this academic year, pupils from across our Trust came together for a special creative project celebrating the theme of community. Hosted at Turves Green Boys’ School, pupils from each of our schools collaborated to design and create a vibrant collection of artwork that reflected what community means to them, their classmates, and their individual school environments.

Working side by side, pupils shared ideas, stories, and artistic styles to produce individual pieces. Following the event, the artwork has now been transformed into signage and distributed to every school within the Trust. This means that each school now proudly displays a piece of the collective mural, ensuring that a small part of every school community is represented across all of our sites.

These displays are now proudly showcased in various locations around each school, celebrating creativity, collaboration, and the shared values that unite our Trust. The project not only produced beautiful artwork but also created lasting connections between pupils and schools, reinforcing the importance of belonging, respect, and community.

We are incredibly proud of all the pupils who took part and the creativity, teamwork, and thought they brought to this project. The pieces stand as a lasting symbol of the spirit of our Trust – many schools, one community.