Last week we were lucky enough for Saltmine, a local Theatre in Education company perform "Filters" for Year 10 pupils.

The performance highlighted the risks we may face in the ever-changing world of technology and the impact that our actions now, can have on our future. It also looked at peer pressure that we may face whilst online and where to find support if we need it.

The performers then hosted a workshop for Year 10 to explore the themes further and also invited a small number of pupils to give them feedback on the sessions with a view to our pupils thoughts being able to improve the package even further.

A huge thank you to Saltmine for their performance last week and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

We are pleased to have launched culture day today in school!  Culture Day at Smestow Academy is one of the days that we look forward to most in our calendar and applications are now open to participate!  All pupils are welcome to collect an application form at lunchtime.  Pupils are encouraged to write how they celebrate their culture by wearing traditional dress, create a music or dance performance, share traditional music or artwork etc... Deadline for applications is 14^th November.  We look forward to sharing this fantastic day with our pupils.

Every child deserves a great teacher… and that teacher, could be you! 

If you are interested in a career in teaching, why not train to teach here at Smestow Academy and BBSCITT where:  

• 95% of trainees secure a full-time position in a school after completing their training with us. 
• 60% choose to continue their journey with us, working in a school in our partnership. 
• You learn everything you need from a programme which is “extremely well structured and sequenced”, led and delivered by staff with “dedication and expertise” (BBSCITT Ofsted, 2024)
• You are taught by people who are experts in their field at the cutting edge of educational research. 

Find BBSCITT’s courses here: https://tinyurl.com/2tkyvcvk  

Year 9 Football Team show their class in their first fixture of the year. On 16^th October, our Year 9 boys welcomed Wednesfield Academy to Smestow for a football fixtures. The lads have been very committed to training across the last few weeks and were really excited to get their first game of the season underway and what a start they made. Coming out of blocks on fire that in the early stages Wednesfield did not know what to do, first to every ball and passing the ball around the pitch with class and some real tempo. We had two really early goals from Alieu and Rodrique who both finished off some free flowing moves with some tidy finishes. Smestow then began to dominate the ball and really moving Wednesfield around with some tidy passing and moving that led to a few more chances before the third goal came and what a goal it was…. The ball was cleared high into the air by Wednesfield from a cross, with the ball bouncing on the edge of the box captain Josh ran onto it and hit an unstoppable shot with his weak foot that flew into the far corner with any goalkeeper in there it would not have been saved. His performance deserved this reward and it looked like he had killed the game in the first half until Wednesfield determination got themselves back into the game through a penalty and it was game on again. With not long left in the second half, Alieu found himself through on goal again and made no mistake again giving Smestow a 4-1 lead going into the half time break, what a first half of football and the lads were ecstatic with their performance.

The second half was a much closer contest and credit must go to Wednesfield who dug in and really made it difficult for us in the second half, we still played some fantastic football when the game started to open up and could have grabbed a couple more goals. A shoutout must go to Alex as if it wasn’t for some brilliant saves in the second half, it could have been a much closer scoreline. All in all, an outstanding team performance from the lads which is exactly what Mr Webb asked for. They passed the ball with purpose and quality, scoring some brilliant goals in the first half and most importantly enjoyed their football.

Player of the match goes to San who had a real consistent performance at either right back or left back for the team, winning his battles and playing the ball forward at every opportunity to get us back on the attack.

Special thanks goes to all of the students and staff who came out to support the lads, it went a long way to help them with those extra yards they had to put in and finally big well done and thanks to YR12 Sport students Rhys & Kye who did a fantastic job at officiating the game.

Well done all!

Next week (Monday 20th – Thursday 23rd October), we will be running an Attendance Promotion to encourage excellent attendance during the final week of the half term.

Here’s how it will work:

• Pupils who attend all four days will be eligible for a treat.
• Heads of House will distribute the tickets to forms during their form walks on Thursday morning.
• Form tutors will then hand out the tickets to pupils who are present and on time.
• These tickets can be exchanged for a treat in the hall at break time on Thursday.
• Please note: Pupils who arrive late to form (after 9:05) and miss the distribution will not receive a ticket and will miss out on the treat.

Your support is key in promoting this initiative and reinforcing the importance of good attendance, especially in the lead-up to the break.

Thank you for your help in making this a success!

Last week, Smestow Academy invited Wayne from "I Can Save a Life!" to deliver First Aid training as part of our Personal Development programme for our Year 9 and Year 12 pupils.

All attendees were able to spot signs in the event of a medical emergency and administer CPR, meaning that they are now trained in being able to "save a life!"

All participants will also be given a certificate as evidence of their new skills.

Well done to everyone involved and thank you to Wayne for coming to deliver training to us again!

It’s been a very busy time in the MFL Faculty this term. We have welcomed Jeanne Robic as our French assistant. Jeanne will be working with our pupils to improve their listening and speaking skills in French. Jeanne is pictured here helping with the Parisian Café on Open Evening. Also pictured is S Chima and C Bouros from 9x1 who assisted our visitors during the evening. A big thanks to the Year 11 prefects and some Year 12 pupils who also shared their experiences of learning French at Smestow Academy. 

Smestow Academy are celebrating World Mental Health Day this week with assemblies focusing on this years theme of accessing support.  Our mental health team are also offering sessions after-school (Tues-Thurs) giving our pupils time to talk whilst taking part in games, arts and crafts and jewellery making.

We encourage our pupils to access support if they are worried about their own or a friends mental health, by speaking with their Form Tutor or Head of House, member of the Senior Leadership team or any member of our Mental Health Team in School.  You can find other means of support by looking out our personal development page on our website: Personal Development - Smestow Academy

Year 7 students have been working hard on Sparx maths so far this year. We already have an impressive 8 students who have achieved at least level 5 and gained 5000XP.

Well done to the following pupils:

L Kalair

A Mohammed Fowzul

M Hamed

E Heath

K Pearce

M Jabar

O Adeleye

Last week we welcomed back one our alumni, Ella, who shared her journey to become a pharmacist. Ella discussed with pupils the importance of taking opportunities throughout her journey, the emphasis on striving to improve and be your best and finding something you love and want to explore. Thank you, Ella, for taking the time out of your day to deliver these assemblies and inspire pupils.