Our students are joining young writers across the country as we shine a spotlight on creativity, self-expression, and the power of poetry. 

We are delighted to welcome poet Ayan Aden, who will be leading an inspiring poetry workshop with our Year 7 and Year 8 pupils this week. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their voices, experiment with language, and learn from a talented contemporary poet. 

Throughout the week, our pupils will be exploring poetry in new and exciting ways, taking part in creative activities, and sharing their own original work.

Stay tuned for highlights and student showcases as we celebrate the imagination and talent within our school community!
#YoungPoetLaureate #SmestowAcademy #AyanAden #StudentVoice #CreativeWriting #PoetryWeek

With FREE events across Wolverhampton over the weekend there is lots to do!

Especially exciting is ‘A morning with Onjali Q. Raúf – Stories That Change the World!’  On Saturday 7th February at Wolverhampton Central Library. Onjali Q. Raúf is the Author of ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ one of our 16 before 16 reading challenge books, this has been a very popular book in school and would be a fantastic opportunity for pupils to attend, full of heart warming stories and the real life global issues behind them.

This is a FREE event, but book early to guarantee your place!

A Morning with Onjali Q. Raúf – Stories That Change the World!

To find out about other Wolverhampton Literature Events for children and adults

Wolverhampton Literature Festival

#WolverhamptonLiteratureFestival

3 of our Year 12 students visited Auschwitz-Birkenau last week.  You can read about the visit from one of our students below:

The trip to Auschwitz was a very eye-opening experience. Although we only went for a day, with no chance to rest, it was a very heavy-hearted experience. When we arrived at the airport in Poland, we went to the first Auschwitz camp, which consisted of buildings where the prisoners had lived. The buildings all looked identical. Inside these buildings, a range of things was displayed. When you enter one of the rooms, you see that, as it is now a museum, all the items are preserved. There was one room full of hair. When the victims arrived at the camp, their hair was shaved off, initially the men, and then the women too. The amount of hair there was truly shocking. There were also many pots and pans belonging to the victims kept in these buildings. This showed how the victims brought personal items with them, not knowing what was waiting for them. There were more sections containing items such as bags, clothes and shoes. They also showed us the uniform everyone had to wear. In Auschwitz, all victims’ names were replaced with numbers, which completely dehumanised them. The Nazis’ aim was to make these victims unidentifiable and identical, so every single person faced the same awful fate in that concentration camp.

In the second Auschwitz camp, we were shown the toilets. They had rows of bowl-shaped holes in the floor inside a barn-like building. This meant everyone had to relieve themselves in the same place, with no privacy at all. It was really shocking to see. What also struck us was how extremely cold the place was. Even with our layers on and knowing we had a warm place to return to after the visit, we could not imagine how it must have been for the prisoners. With only one thin layer of clothing in autumn, it is impossible to imagine how much worse it would have been in winter, with even colder weather.

Overall, this was a completely eye-opening experience. Seeing it in real life cannot compare to how we are taught about it in class. The severity of what the victims went through is truly shocking. There are absolutely no words to describe how terrible it was, especially when I have never experienced anything like it. We can only imagine how they must have felt and what they endured.

Meet our Head of 6th form and Assistant Head of 6th form - Mrs Bryant and Mr Davies! 

Name: Mrs Bryant

Role: Assistant Head (Exams, Data, Assessment & Careers) and Head of Sixth Form

I joined Smestow in April 2024 and have loved being part of such a dedicated and vibrant school community. Alongside my leadership role, I teach A Level Biology as well as Science across Key Stages 3 and 4. I’ve been teaching for nine years and supporting students both academically and pastorally continues to be the most rewarding part of my career. I am incredibly excited to keep watching the Sixth Form grow and to help our students achieve their aspirations.

Fun fact: I’m a huge dog lover and share my home with two giant Newfoundland's and one very cheeky Labrador!

Name: Mr Davies

Role: Science Teacher and Assistant Head of Sixth Form 

I joined Smestow in September 2016 as a PE teacher and began teaching Science in 2017. I have loved how Smestow Academy has grown into a positive and successful community where pupils are well mannered and make good progress. I teach A Level Biology as well as Triple Biology to KS4 and Science to KS3 pupils. My additional responsibility in school is Assistant Head of Sixth Form where I support students in making the right choices in their next steps as well as ensure they make progress in Level 3 studies.

In my Spare Time I enjoy:  Watching football (I am a big football fan), listening to music and going on long walks with my family

Staff and pupils at Smestow have been fundraising for Children in Need. Staff fancy dress, pudsey Photo Booth, guess how many sweets in the jar and a staff leg wax have all been raising monies for such a worthwhile cause.

Thanks to everyone for taking part.

We have recently contacted National Express to discuss lengthening the 751 bus route to help transport our pupils in the Goldthorn Hill and Parkfields area by continuing the route onto Bilston.  We are pleased to share that this request was supported and appreciate National Express's support with delivering this!  Please see attached route.

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On Friday, 7th November 2025, all schools across our Trust came together to mark Remembrance Day — a time to honour and reflect on the courage and sacrifice of those who have served, and continue to serve, in our armed forces.

The event was led by the Cadet Forces from each school, who played a central role in the commemorations, including readings, the laying of wreaths, and leading the Trust-wide act of remembrance. Their pride, discipline, and respect set the tone for a moving and meaningful occasion.

At 11:00am, pupils, staff, and guests across the Trust joined together in the Two Minutes' Silence, uniting as one community to remember those who gave their lives in service of others.

We are incredibly proud of the way our schools came together — standing side by side to honour the past, reflect on the present, and look with hope towards the future. A huge thank you to Etone College for hosting the event and to Elmwood School for joining us for their first trust wide event.

"We will remember them."

We are pleased to announce that we have 3 Year 12 students who have completed their orientation this afternoon for the "Lessons from Auschwitz Project" ahead of their visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau next week.

Students attended a seminar at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham, taking part in workshops to understand what life was like for Jewish people prior to and during the war, and also listening to Annick Lever BEM, a Holocaust survivor.

Keep an eye out for posts next week of our travels to Poland and follow our experience.

Well done to the Year 11 students who performed brilliantly on their speaking mocks at the end of last half-term. This useful guide will help with pronunciation of the tricky words than can appear on the read-aloud task. Pupils this week have been working on their read-aloud skills and have been completing their personalised feedback tasks which will move their learning forwards.  They will now work with Mademoiselle Robic, our French assistant, to improve their pronunciation. The most difficult words to pronounce from the read aloud tasks are listed below – can you pronounce them accurately? 

l'athlétisme 

huit 

heures 

loisirs 

les effets spéciaux 

The link below will help with pronunciation. 

Only 40% of children in the UK say that they have had financial education in School.  As part of our personal development offer, we are pleased to say that every pupil in School receives economic literacy. 

To enhance this offer further, we were pleased to welcome back members of staff from Nationwide who delivered financial literacy lessons to our Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils in the interactive theatre yesterday. 

Pupils discussed what financial literacy is, how to manage their money, and what digital risks are and how to avoid these. 

The aim of the programme is to encourage young people to use the tools available to them to develop good money habits that they can then take into adulthood.  Data suggests that those pupils who have had access to education about finance whilst at school are more likely to have a bank account, save regularly and be confident about managing their money. 

A huge thank you to Nationwide for supporting us with our personal development offer.