Our personal development curriculum this half term focuses on rights, responsibilities British values. Year 7 are learning about our political system and year 8 are looking at law, crime and our society.

This morning, we were honoured to host our local MP, Warinder Juss.

Warinder spoke with pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 who have an interest in careers in Law and Politics - our pupils asked some very insightful questions including:

• What job is the hardest? Working in law or working in politics?
• Did your family support you in following your dreams?
• Which job have you enjoyed the most?

Warinder was then kind enough to spend some time talking to all of our Year 7 and Year 8 pupils about the political system in our country and what it is like to be an MP for the party that is in power at the moment. Our youngest pupils were keen to ask lots of questions such as:

• Have you passed a law in parliament?
• Have you had to show resilience in your role and how did you do this?
• How often do you see Sir Kier Starmer?

We are really grateful to Warinder for his time this morning and for his support to our personal development curriculum in our school.

Pupils from Smestow Academy recently went on an inspiring trip to Millenium point in Birmingham, immersing themselves in a day dedicated to celebrating STEM. The visit provided a unique opportunity for pupils to experience the exciting world of STEM firsthand, sparking their curiosity and engagement. 

Pupils witnessed captivating demonstrations in the wizard school of stem workshop, visited BCU, where students gained valuable insight into the realm of engineering, computer science and cyber security. Pupils loved the VR headset experience which allowed an immersive experience that showcased the cutting-edge technology used in today's industries. 

Well done to all pupils who demonstrated remarkable engagement and enthusiasm. Their active participation in the workshops and keen interest in the demonstrations highlighted the success of the trip in inspiring the next generation of Scientists and engineers. 

Congratulations to all of the Year 10 pupils who sat their French writing exam last week. We were extremely impressed with the complexity of their language and the effort that had gone into their revision. They really demonstrated our Smestow value of ‘Strive to improve and be your best. Our pupils were also able to explain the importance of mental wellbeing as well as physical health. 

Below are some of the exam essays from J. Pal, R. Finlayson-Palmer and A.Kumar. An impressive end of year writing exam. Bravo! 

Our young scientists rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into geology, geography, food technology and science by building a deliciously accurate model of the Earth’s layers — using Maltesers, melted chocolate, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies! 

Here’s how we turned sweet treats into scientific understanding:

• Maltesers represented the solid inner core, dense and compact.
• Marshmallows stood in for the soft, squishy mantle, showing its semi-solid texture.
• A layer of Rice Krispies and melted chocolate formed the crunchy crust — the thin outer shell we all live on!

This hands-on, edible experiment not only made learning about Earth's internal structure fun and memorable, but it also highlighted the power of cross-curricular learning — blending science, geography, and food tech in a way that truly stuck (and tasted amazing!).

Huge congratulations to our creative educators across year 7 to year 10: T. Blundell, S. Singh, P. Naatey, L. Morton, E. Salami, and A. Kulakuzh — science has never been so sweet! 

Well done to our Sparx Maths competition winners. You have showed that you strive to improve and make a difference everyday with your commitment to Sparx maths.

Year 7 took part in an interactive assembly this morning, hosted by our Careers and Enterprise Advisor Carol Codner. 

The "guess my job" assembly was aimed at challenging stereotypes and getting our pupils thinking about perceptions that we may have about people in specific roles, but also what jobs are available to us in our local area.

We met a range of employers from Wolverhampton including those involved with:

• midwifery
• quality surveyance 
• social work
• operations management 
• entrepreneurship 

Thank you to all our visitors for your support today.

ANNOUNCING OUR FIRST EVER TRUST-WIDE SPORTS DAY 2025!

We are thrilled to announce a landmark moment in our trust’s calendar — the very first Trust-Wide Sports Day, bringing together more than 3,000 pupils from across Matrix schools.

Venue: The iconic Alexander Stadium, Birmingham – home of the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Date: Wednesday, 9th July 2025

This incredible event will be a full day of competition, celebration, and community spirit. As part of our Healthy Competitions Initiative, the day will showcase the power of sport in promoting teamwork, resilience, and ambition. Schools have now completed their in-school heats and successful participants will receive letters to notify them of their involvement as a participant. Additionally, this event provides a unique opportunity for pupils to showcase their talents in front of athletics club scouts, potentially opening doors for future athletic opportunities.

What to Expect:

• 456 student athletes battling it out in a range of exciting track and field events
• Live performances from our talented performing arts pupils to energise the crowd
• A cheering audience of 2,600 spectators from Years 7 and 10, supporting their teams with pride and passion (details will be shared In a letter in the coming weeks)
• A chance to claim the prestigious title of Trust-Wide Sports Champions 2025

Parents and carers of participants are warmly invited to attend and spectate this exciting event! With over 2,000 spectators expected, the day promises an electric atmosphere — and your support will make all the difference to our pupils. A full schedule of events is below so you can plan when to attend to cheer on your child. Spectators will be seated in the East Stand. Tickets are available via Eventbrite at £3 per person. All proceeds will be donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, our Trust charity for the year.

So you can plan when you would like to arrive and watch a particular event - a schedule of events will be confirmed on the trust website HERE closer to the event. Follow us on social media for the latest timings.

Book here: https://bit.ly/matsportsday

This is more than just a sports day — it’s a celebration of talent, teamwork, and trust unity. Whether you’re competing, performing, or cheering from the stands, get ready to be part of something unforgettable.

Let the countdown begin.

Well done to the Year 10 students who have been preparing for their GCSE mock exams which begin next week. Pupils have been revising the three themes covered so far and have been practicing the role plays at a doctor’s surgery, a cinema, in a restaurant and at a leisure centre. Pupils have also been describing photographs and recycling the key phrases that will be the most useful. 

Year 10 French students, please see the link below and check your email for more revision support. 

Merci et bonne chance !                                                

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

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/french-2024.html

Year 5 pupils from Bhylls acre Primary School came on Monday to Smestow academy to experience what it is like to be a forensic scientist investigating a crime that was committed. Pupils took part in the following activities; 

• Chromatography to match inks
• Flame tests 
• Using hand lens to observe hair and clothing fibres

All pupils were well engaged and demonstrated excellent investigative skills to conclude who had done the crime. 

Smestow staff were really impressed with the impeccable behaviour shown by pupils.