Smestow YR8 Football tournament perform fantastically well at the trust football tournament. On Friday 8^th May, 9 YR8 boys and 2 YR7s travelling across to Etone to compete at the annual trust football tournament. A special mention must go to Lucas YR7 and Prince YR7 who were playing up a year group on the day and did fantastically well in what was difficult conditions for them but they really stood up to the challenge and let their talent shine through. A massive shoutout to Muhammad YR8 who was named Player of the Tournament by Mr Webb as before the tournament, he volunteered to go in goal for the team and he really was brilliant in every game we played especially the first two games of the group stage where he kept the team in with a shout of getting something from them. He made some fantastic saves and really developed the more and more into the tournament, performing excellently. Like Muhammad, the whole team grew into the tournament and with the final game of the group stage we got a 1-0 win against Bloxwich thanks to a brilliant free kick from Gurjot YR8 that was too powerful for the goalkeeper and then the whole team (subs included) worked really hard to hold onto the win by showing excellent work rate and togetherness.

After the lunch break we played in our final game which was play offs for everyone to see where each team would finish in the final standings. We came up against Dame Elizabeth which was a very competitive game and could have gone either way, our lads really stepped up and played some fantastic football in the right way and working together as a team.

An epic effort from everyone throughout the whole day resulted in us coming 6^th in the tournament. The pupils should be really proud of their efforts and showed themselves and Smestow in an excellent light.

Meet our Tigers Lead - Mr Holmes

I joined Smestow in September 2023 after leaving the school as a pupil at the end of Year 13 six years ago. The thing I enjoy most about working at smestow is being able to see long standing traditions such as fancy dress for children in need still embedded into the culture of the school. I teach PE where I am able to pass on my enthusiasm for sport to our pupils. I am also the pastoral intervention lead where I run our “Tigers” intervention program a which enables our pupils to reach their full potential and contribute to the positive culture that we have at smestow. 

Outside of school, I coach my main sport of cheerleading. As an athlete, I was fortunate enough to attend the world championships on three separate occasions performing at both club and national level. 

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Meet Miss Field - our newly appointed Head of Creative Arts!

Since joining Smestow in September 2023, I have had the privilege of establishing the Performing Arts department at this wonderful school. I teach Dance and Drama across Key Stages 3 and 4 and am proud to serve as Heasd of Creative Arts, overseeing the four creative disciplines of Dance, Drama, Music and Art.

I am deeply passionate about nurturing pupils’ creativity and inspiring a lifelong appreciation for the arts. It is incredibly rewarding to work within such a supportive and welcoming school community, where creativity is encouraged and pupils are given the opportunity to express themselves and grow in confidence.

Outside of school, I enjoy staying active through dance, Pilates and the gym. 

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Meet our Assistant Head of House - Mr Sidhu

I joined Smestow Academy in September 2020 as a trainee teacher on my PGCE placement and have been proud to remain as a full-time member of staff ever since. I teach Mathematics across Key Stages 3 and 4 and also support our pastoral provision as Assistant Head of House, working closely with Heads of House and the attendance team to promote positive behaviour, attendance, and punctuality. 

Smestow is a fantastic school with brilliant pupils and a supportive, dedicated staff team that I am proud to be part of. I am passionate about helping pupils believe in their potential and feel confident about their future, whatever path they choose. 

As a young Panjabi male teacher, I am proud to be a visible role model and strongly believe that representation matters - every pupil deserves to feel seen, supported, and inspired.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and unwinding with films, games and podcasts.

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Meet our Head of 6th form and Assistant Head of Sixth 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

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Congratulations to the Year 11 pupils who completed their speaking examinations last week. Pupils performed well on the examination which is worth 25% of their final grade. Congratulations to some candidates who went above and beyond the have inspired conversations. Pupils commented on how nature was good for your mental health and your soul and there was even a paraphrased quote from Roald Dahl – in French! It was also heartwarming to see Year 11 students helping others in social time. We have never seen so many pupils speaking French together. Thank you to all students who put in 100% effort in lessons and the extra study seminars that took place on Fridays after school! Now the focus is on the listening and reading exams, and the final writing exam which takes place on June 8^th.  

Use these links to help you to prepare for the remaining exams: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zhy647h

https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/resources/free-audio-files-for-grade-9-1-gcse-french?srsltid=AfmBOoqlFbS6jK0uDSiVAhQ9oYVDJQlwZjgud8aSxIVNDZLeHHSdWaWH

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/french-2024.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments

• What's the best day to fry eggs?  Fri-yay!
• Why is the hulk such a good gardener?  Because he has green fingers!
• What is a bunny's favourite type of music? Hip hop!
• What did the melon say when his grass was going brown?  I guess I better water-me-lon! (Mrs Ellison!)
• What do you call cheese that's not yours?  Nacho cheese!
• Why was the snowman in the bucket?  Because it melted!
• Why can't you trust atoms?  Because they make up everything!
• What shoes do ninjas wear?  Sneakers!
• How do skeletons call their friends?  On the telebone!
• What did the egg say to the other egg when it made it laugh?  You are cracking me up!
• Why was the computer cold?  It forgot to close it's windows!
• Why was 6 scared of 7?  Because 7, 8, 9!
• What do you call a car that's named after a body part?  A knee-san (Nissan!)
• What do you call a man with a runner toe?  Roberto
• Where does a pencil go on vacation?  Pennsylvania
• What do you call a fish with no eyes?  Fssshhhh

Knock knock

Who's there?

Boo!

Boo hoo!

No need to cry about it

The Year 9 girls recently took part in a Netball tournament at Etone College, competing against six other schools within the trust. Throughout the event, the team demonstrated great determination and teamwork, playing to the best of their ability in every match.

Each game provided a new challenge, allowing the players to test their skills against a variety of opponents. The team showed resilience and a positive attitude, supporting one another both on and off the court. The trust wide tournament was a fantastic opportunity for the players to enjoy netball and build connections with students from other schools. The team enjoyed the experience, showing excellent sportsmanship and representing the school with pride.

Pupils have continued to work incredibly hard throughout rehearsals, and we are now focusing on the final scenes and songs as we move closer to the refining stage in preparation for show time.

Everyone should feel very proud of their dedication and the progress they have made so far—it’s really beginning to come together!

To celebrate International women's day our Sixth form students and some of our Year 9 girls took part in the House of Lords International Women's day event online. This event allowed them to explore the current laws around women's rights, and also get an insight into the careers open to women within our government.

During the last two weeks of term, we had a very special guest join us in the Academy. To celebrate our pupils amazing attendance the Easter bunny made a surprise appearance to hand out some Easter goodies to pupils who had 100% attendance. On the last day of term, the Easter bunny upped his game and delivered incredible Kinder chocolate hampers during each lunch sitting to one lucky pupil in each year group. Well done to all of our pupils who showed fantastic commitment to their learning!

World Autism Day takes place on 2^nd April and raises awareness of autism, highlighting what can be done to improve the quality of life for autistic people.

Here at Smestow Academy, we will be celebrating World Autism Day on Friday 27^th March and invite all members of our school community to wear blue socks to celebrate the event.  This is part of our active citizenship offer in school and one of the many meaningful opportunities that encourage our pupils to be responsible, respectful citizens who contribute positively to society.

Please join us in wearing your blue socks tomorrow!

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.