Last week, pupils in years 11-13 had an assembly which focused on positive mental health during the exam season.

We talked about the importance of revision but how it is as equally important to reflect on whether or not we are practicing self-care at what can be a stressful time.

At Smestow Academy we are encouraging the use of our acronym to “reflect” and our poster is displayed around school for all pupils as a reminder of the importance of positive mental health.

This week our newly appointed Prefects took part in their two-day training programme. Day one consisted of visiting Challenge Academy and Baggeridge County Park where Prefects spent the day on a variety of team building activities. The afternoon saw Prefects, Miss Davey, Mr Craig and Mr Patel take on the high ropes and the ‘plunge’ from the top. All Prefects pushed themselves to their limit, this year seeing some of the boys take to the high ropes not only attached to each other but also blindfolded! A big congratulations for all those selected as Prefects, this year proved really difficult with the high calibre of applicants.

Today we have celebrated St George’s day with a themed menu in our cafe.  Pupils and Staff have been able to choose from a specially curated menu by Mrs Lampitt and the catering team including Yorkshire pudding wraps and Eton mess!

Did you know that England isn’t the only country to celebrate St George?  He is truly an international saint, and we share him with Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Ethiopia and Catalonia – global destinations that some of our own pupils come from!

Our celebration of St George’s Day supports our Smestow values of equality and respect for all and also our fundamental British values of individual liberty, and tolerance and mutual respect of faiths and beliefs.

On Wednesday 17^th April, the Year 10 football team travelled to Wednesfield Academy for their first football fixture of the year. On an evening that was plagued by strong winds, the lads did extremely well to manage the conditions and come away with a 2-2 draw. It was always going to be a game of who can cope with the wind the best and use it to their advantage when with the wind. Smestow managed to do this early on where we took an early lead through YR9 H Davies who used his pace down the left hand side to get onto a great throw ball from K Crosdale, take it round the on rushing goalkeeper and slot it into the bottom corner. By scoring so early it meant the lads took their foot off the gas and did not capitalise on Wednesfield mistakes and the wind being with them, Smestow had lots of the play but didn’t make the possession or territory count and with some good defending from Wednesfield the score remained 1-0 up until half time.

Mr Webb prepped the lads at half time that it was going to be a different half for them and that they are going to have to defend well and keep the ball on the floor. The lads did use this to their advantage and took it on board but some things like strong winds you cannot control. Wednesfield were very direct and got the ball forward early and used the strength of having a pacey powerful striker in their ranks. This was the cause of the first goal where he latched onto a throw ball and slotted it beyond our goalkeeper and the second goal wasn’t much different which found Smestow 2-1 down with not long of the half left to play. Credit to the boys they kept going and trying to play football the right way with getting the ball on the floor and working chances but it just wasn’t happening for them, until the last minute of the game. Some composed play by D Jonkam on the left hand side meant that he realised S Toora down the left knowing he had the pace to get on the end of a through ball and played a fantastic cross into the box which was held up in the wind and there appeared centre back R Roberts to volley in the cross at the back post to spark wild celebrations from the Smestow lads. They did fantastically well to stay in the game and gain a draw from the fixture, with conditions as they were the lads should be proud of how they played and did not stop working for one another.

Big shout out to H Davies and C Omorowa who are both in YR9 and were fantastic on the day, more than held their own. C Omorowa a rock at the back getting man of the match and H Davies grabbing our first goal!

We are excited to launch our brand-new Careers Guidance Pupil Website. 

Pupils need to be prepared for the evolving working world and so, at the heart of our Careers Programme, is a focus on building up essential lifelong employability skills.

Visit our new website to access a wealth of careers guidance, designed to support both pupils and parents.

With our brand-new resources, you can…

• Choose a subject you love and see where it might lead
• Explore your options for when you leave school
• Gain valuable advice on applying to university, apprenticeships and jobs
• Practice your interview skills
• Discover alternative options like gap years or starting your own business

Visit https://matrixcareersguide.co.uk/

On Wednesday 10^th April, 21 selected pupils from year 7-10 participated in a series of professional workshops followed by a live performance of ‘Unboxed’ by the amazing Linden Dance Company. Throughout the day the pupils were able to build knowledge of contemporary and afro-fusion technique and participate in creative tasks looking at themes from the piece ‘Unboxed’. This is the first professional dance company that we have invited to Smestow since the start of Performing Arts in September,  although some pupils were nervous, they were absolutely fantastic! 

This was an intense day of professional training, the pupils completed over 4 hours of dance training!  Despite this day left them feeling inspired to work hard and chase their dreams!

Well done to all dancers!

Pupils involved: 

Z.Sumner

E-M. Fox

H.Harris

S.Banger

A.Matei

N.Joshi

M.Raybourne

S.Ali

M.Shephard

O.Akesuyi

M.Kaseke

T.Wilson-Johnson

P.Jarvis

A.Phelps

B.Harper

M.walker

R.Nedrick

J.Kaur

S.Knight

A.Abdelmotaleb

E.Olawale Lawal 

Seventeen budding young poets from Smestow Academy have been published in an anthology of poetry titled Lest We Forget.

The published collection of poems, which are based on the theme of war and peace, came as a result of a competition for students aged 11 and above. Launched in November 2023, the competition was ran by a company called Young Writers – an organisation which aims to support and encourage young individuals interested in writing.

In November last year, the English department at Smestow Academy invited students from Years 7 to Years 10 to apply, with a tailored lesson alongside Remembrance Day to encourage and inspire creativity. Many students produced outstanding poetry and were rewarded for their efforts with a certificate during assembly.

This month, the anthology Lest We Forget has been published and includes seventeen names from Smestow Academy. We are extremely proud of their talents, and pleased to see their work showcased nationally. Well done to our incredibly talented poets!

As part of our personal development curriculum, it is important that we provide opportunities for our young people to access economic literacy.  Research shows that delivery of financial education means that children and young people are more likely to save money, have a bank account and be confident about money management.  Financial education enhances financial wellbeing and prepares young people to understand and manage their incomes as adults.

We were lucky enough to have representatives from Nationwide Building Society (Finchfield branch) deliver finance workshops to our pupils and provide a real-world context.  The worked with each year group to raise awareness of financial and economic education.

Thank you to Nationwide for providing this fantastic support.

#smestowacademy #successachievedtogether #makeadifferenceeveryday #strivetoimproveandbeyourbest 

Did you know – approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference?

Depending on how our brains work, we think, move, process information and communicate in different ways.  Many people in our community use neurodiversity as an umbrella term to describe alternative thinking styles such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Autism and ADHD.  

Most importantly, neurodiversity is about recognising those who think differently and remembering that we can all benefit from different thinkers!

We will be acknowledging neurodiversty in our assemblies this week and celebrating the diverse range of thinkers that are in the world around us.

Celebrating Neurodiversity week is another example of how pupils demonstrate our Smestow Values, by making a difference every day and equality and respect for all.  It also means that we provide a welcoming and caring environment at our School.

Please use the link below if you would like to find out more and register for the sessions that are being held across the week:

https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/_files/ugd/3559ab_7d3f299e2f364504a2cc5aa620b8e5d1.pdf

Red Nose Day is a fundraising day in support of Comic Relief, which was set up in 1985 in response to the famine in Ethiopia.  It is a major UK charity with a vision of a just world, free from poverty.  Over the last few years, monies raised have helped to support over 3 million people in the UK and around the world.

At Smestow Academy, we have raised money today by donating any spare change that we can give, wearing red socks, designing red noses and (by popular demand!) a samosa sale at breaktime!  The samosas were a sellout and we look forward to seeing how much money we have raised!

Our fundraising event is another way that we demonstrate active citizenship in school as part of our wider personal development programme.  Our pupils have demonstrated our Smestow values by making a difference every day and welcoming and caring environment.