Our Year 7 and 8 Girls attended a dodgeball tournament with other schools in the city this week. They showed great determination to win 2 games and draw against some tough opposition after a couple of early losses. Our pupils showed great integrity and honesty by playing to the rules and being respectful to other schools. Please congratulate the following pupils if you see them: 

S Christie

I Kumari

S Al Anzi

Y Ali

S Banger

L Robinson

K Bowers

A Samuels

R Poole

Smestow Academy's advent calendar of kindness is back for 2024!  As part of our demonstration of active citizenship in school, we have an advent calendar of kindness to promote our welcoming and caring environment.  Pupils are able to access the calendar on our TV screens and on posters around our school building.  It also gives a chance to explore our mental health top tips and connect with others.  Examples of our acts of kindness include: hold the door open for others, help to make dinner, send a nice text message to a family member and donate an item of tinned goods to a food bank.

We have boxes in school for pupils to make their donations of tinned goods if they are able and our personal development ambassadors will deliver these to The Well which is a foodbank in Wolverhampton that supports the whole city before we break for the holidays.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #AdventCalendarofKindness #PersonalDevelopment #ActiveCitizenship #WelcomingandCaring #Connect #TheWellWolverhampton

Last week, Year 9 and 6^th Form pupils undertook basic first aid training and defibrillator use with Wayne from "I can save a life!".

Wayne showed pupils how to perform basic CPR and discussed what scenarios we might find ourselves in when we have to use this life skills.

Our first aid training is a key part of our personal development programme and here at Smestow Academy, we are committed to ensuring that we equip our pupils with the knowledge to become well-rounded young people who can make outstanding contributions to British society - being able to save a life would definitely be one of those contributions!

Well done to everyone involved and a huge thank you to Wayne for battling the snow to get to us!

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #FirstAid #ICanSaveALife 

Staff at Smestow Academy have had the first of two CPD sessions this evening in support of our pursuit of the "Attachment Aware & Trauma Informed Schools Award" led by Dr Laura Kirven.

Our session this evening has looked at brain development, case studies of young people who have suffered significant trauma, triggers and two models - the window of tolerance and the self-determination theory.

Our staff are eager to be able to support all our pupils here at Smestow Academy and tonight's CPD will certainly help us when in the classroom and around school site.

Last night, we held our sixth form open evening in our newly refurbished sixth form area. 

There was a lovely buzz about the event, with pupils from Smestow Academy and beyond in attendance. Prospective students heard a talk from Mr Chamberlain (Headteacher) and Mrs Bryant (Assistant Headteacher & Head of 6th Form) and also had the opportunity to speak with staff delivering A-Level and Level 3 BTEC courses. We were also very proud to launch the Smestow Football Academy at the event and host a stand from the School Centred Teacher Training programme.

You can see a selection of our stalls here.

8X2 have started the half term in an impressive manner in both Tag Rugy and their Team Building lessons. Pupils have developed excellent tactical awareness and incorporated the team work skills developed through their Team Building lessons into their Tag Rugby work. Today, pupils have been challenged to showcase their leadership skills of creativity, planning, and communication to design and deliver fitness sessions to their peers using limited resources and space. Mr Craig was hugely impressed by the inclusion of wall sits, adapted agility testing, and speed bounce jumping into these circuits. Within the sessions, pupils provided precise and specific teaching points as well as excellent demonstrations to display their effective communication skills.

A class of year 5 pupils from Uplands Primary School had the brilliant opportunity to come to Smestow academy to experience what it is like to be a forensic scientist investigating a crime that was committed.  All pupils were well engaged and demonstrated excellent investigative skills to conclude who had done the crime. 

Mrs Neish and Mrs Robertson were really impressed with the teamwork and practicals skills shown by the pupils.

A big well done to all pupils who showed impeccable behaviour throughout the forensic workshop and a big thank you to staff from Uplands Primary School for supporting.

We look forward to welcoming more pupils from Uplands Primary School.  

If you are a local primary school and would like your pupils in year 5 to experience a hands-on forensic science workshop, please get in touch !

#successachievedtogether #futurescientists #STEM #⚛🔍🔬🔭

Last week, a group of Year 11 pupils went to Newhampton Arts Centre to visit a Careers Pop-Up Event ran by the WMVRP and Changemakers group at Wolverhampton City Council.  Pupils got to meet staff from West Midlands Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Fire Service, as well as representatives from The Army, Wolverhampton College, Connexions and Changemakers.  

As part of the session, pupils were encouraged to engage in reflective activities for their next steps, and experience how technology is impacting on our day-to-day lives - you can see our pupils on a driving simulator and virtual reality headsets.  B Al Abdullah also got interviewed by an ex BBC journalist who was reporting on the event!

A great morning was had by all with great contacts made with regards to our options after GCSEs.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #Careers #PersonalDevelopment

International Men's Day is celebrated each year to recognise men and boys in our community in all their diversity.

Here at Smestow Academy, we are commemorating this day by celebrating male role models within the Literacy world throughout the week. Mrs Birtwhistle, our Librarian has a fantastic display of books in our Library and pupils in school will see familiar faces promoting reading too.

We would also like to take the opportunity to recognise the importance of positive mental health in the male members of our school. 

We are continually looking at ways we can promote positive mental health and some daily strategies that we can use to self-manage.  Our staff have also had a positive message to support our pupils by talking to trusted adults around them if they are worried about their own mental health, or that of a friend.  You can watch our video below.

Here at Smestow Academy, we also promote top tips for our mental health.  They are: 

• Be Active
• Connect
• Give
• Keep Learning
• Take Notice

We have also had different examples each day this week as to how we can achieve these.

#smestowacademy #successachievedtogether #internationalmensday #lovereading #equalityandrespectforall  #itsoktonotbeok 

Staff and pupils have taken part in a variety of fundraising activities today all to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Children in Need supports young people and their families across the UK who aren't as fortunate as ourselves.

We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our pupils and their fundraising today. They have donated money for activities in basketball and penalty shootouts, a samosa sale, carnival games and a pudsey photo booth!

Smestow staff have not gone unnoticed with their amazing efforts in fancy dress! Check out our photo gallery to see who you can "spot" (get the pudsey reference?!?)

Well done to everyone involved, we are so proud of you!