We will be celebrating the European Day of Languages at Smestow next week. Did you know that at our school, our students speak an impressive 34 different languages including German, Persian, Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi and Italian? Many of our students sit external languages in their home languages with many achieving grades 7-9. We were delighted with our results in languages this year and we celebrate languages each day here at Smestow! 

The theme for the 2025 European Day of Languages is ‘Languages open hearts and minds’. One of the key things that makes Smestow Academy a ‘welcome and caring environment’ is our appreciation of other languages and cultures. Languages open doors and can help pupils move forwards in their future careers. Knowing different languages also helps pupils to communicate meaningfully. 

The European Day of Languages was established in 2001. It is held on September 26^th each year and from September 22^nd pupils will watch an assembly to inform them of the importance of this event. The aim is to promote linguistic diversity and encourage language learning across Europe. All students will have the opportunity to submit a poster promoting the theme of ‘languages open hearts and minds’ with the chance of winning a prize from the European Centre for Modern Languages. The top 25 entries will also have their artwork displayed there and on the official website! The competition is to raise awareness of how languages united us. More information will be given on this in the assembly.                                                                                                                                                                   If your child can speak an additional language, please make sure that we know so we can help them to achieve success at GCSE and A level! 

This week all pupils in school have been set homework on Sparx maths. Homework tasks are due to be completed every Tuesday by 9PM. This is monitored and rewarded by the maths department weekly. Opportunities are available in school for pupils to access homework support and these include use of the library, KS3 homework club and Sparx maths club. Students are expected to complete homework to 100% every week and seek support from their maths teacher if they feel they cannot achieve this.

Last year pupils at Smestow academy answered over 1,000,000 questions on Sparx maths for the second consecutive year and pupils are challenged to achieve this goal again.

Pupils are celebrated weekly on our school website where further information can also be found https://smestowacademy.co.uk/sparx-maths/

We were lucky enough to be asked to perform at Walsall Maker Fest today. A celebration of a variety of arts from across the Midlands including story-telling, arts and crafts, music and dance.  Two performances from our talented performing arts team were cheered by the crowds.

Rain stopped play for the second performance, but our dancers represented Smestow outstandingly as always.

Thanks to Miss Field for giving our pupils yet another fantastic experience of performing in both a community and professional setting.

Watch this space for footage of our first performance!

#SmestowAcademy #SmestowPerformingArts #WalsallMakerFest #dance 

Last term, we were happy to host a number of visitors to our academy who were completing an internship. Our guests spent three weeks at the school, in lessons and departments to gain an insight into working in a secondary school. 

It was fantastic getting to know them and working alongside them at our school. We wish all of the interns the best of luck and hope to see them again soon.

"My time here has been an amazing learning experience and I’ve gained real insight into what makes a great school and calm, focused, and fun classrooms. Big thanks to all of the staff team and lovely students who made it such an enjoyable experience!"

"I really enjoyed my three-week internship at Smestow Academy. I received such a warm welcome from both staff and students and it gave me a great insight into the world of teaching. I got to observe lessons and by amazing teachers as well as being able to see other aspects of teaching and I learned so much during my time there. I was also  accompanied by my assistance dog Gina and everyone was incredibly respectful of her role, which I really appreciated. She seemed to love her time at Smestow too because she was always in a great mood each morning as we headed in!"

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether 

Smestow Students Celebrate Fantastic GCSE Success

Smestow students are celebrating a wonderful GCSE results day, with the vast majority of pupils delighted to see their hard work rewarded.

A significant number of students achieved the very highest grades — 8s and 9s — across a wide range of subjects, including Art, Biology, Chemistry, Languages and Mathematics. These outstanding achievements are a testament to their dedication and resilience.

Headteacher Mr. Chamberlain said:
“We are incredibly proud of our students’ efforts and commitment. Today has been a truly joyful occasion, filled with smiles and well-deserved success. We are excited to welcome a large number of this cohort back into our thriving Sixth Form, where we know they will continue to excel.”

Smestow is immensely proud to celebrate the exceptional achievements of our Year 13 students, who have achieved a remarkable 98% pass rate this year. We are particularly delighted to report a 0.24 increase in value-added progress compared to 2024, marking the school’s best value-added progress from GCSE in many years.

Headteacher, Mr Chamberlain, commented:

“We are thrilled to share such a special results day with our Year 13 students. The vast majority were absolutely over the moon with their outcomes, and a high proportion secured a place at their first-choice university. It was inspiring to see so many going on to study a wide range of exciting courses. These outstanding results are a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, the commitment of our staff, and the unwavering support of parents. This is truly a whole-community achievement.”

Smestow’s Year 13 cohort leave not only with strong academic results but also with the skills, ambition, and confidence to thrive in the next stage of their journeys — whether in higher education, apprenticeships, or the world of work.

At Smestow, we understand how important your child’s future is, and this is reflected in our Academy vision: "Success Achieved Together." We are committed to helping your child realise their dreams and do everything possible to ensure their success.

We value each student as an individual, working hard to support their academic, personal, and social development. Our aim is to help them grow into kind, thoughtful, and well-rounded individuals who make outstanding contributions to modern British society and are fully prepared for the world of work.

10xy3 have been studying the topic of trigonometry in Maths.  To bring Maths to life we used a clinometer (a device which measures angles of elevation and depression) and a tape measure to try and find the height of the school building.  We did get a variety of answers, most being between 8 and 9 metres, we then discussed the obstacles and reasons for why the results are different, including accuracy of measurements, the height of the person taking the angle measurement and the incline of the ground itself.  It gave the pupils a real insight of how trigonometry could be used in real life applications.

DofE Expeditions 2025. 48 YR9 & 10 pupils have embarked to Cannock Chase over the last week to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition and what fun was had by all. There was huge success throughout the days spent over at Cannock Chase, from navigating their way across the chase to cooking up a storm on the evening for their dinners. With 100% pass rate, it will be something that the pupils will not forget in a hurry and look back at it with great pride and accomplishment. The two different groups were faced with complete different conditions as it was 30 degree heat on one expedition but then strong winds and rain on the other, despite this all of our pupils showed perseverance, togetherness as a team and the willingness to succeed and push through the pain of working for over 10 hours across two days. Many of our pupils shone throughout our time at the chase, with the Smestow value of Success Achieved Together at the full front of everything we did. From navigating as a team across the chase, to putting the tents up when we got to the campsite, cooking their dinners together to even washing up after they had cooked. There was even time to toast some marshmallows and have a game of cards on the evening around the campsite.

All pupils really did withhold this value and many others as they really did themselves and Smestow proud. Well done to all pupils and we look forward to not only next years Bronze expedition, but many of these pupils going on to their Silver Award for DofE which is fantastic for their development and career pathways.

With the summer holidays quickly approaching, we are mindful that some of our pupils might struggle over the break with not having routine or not seeing their peers as often.

There is a new service available in Wolverhampton for young people to access to support their emotional wellbeing - Wysa.  A free, private and non-judgmental space to talk about anything that may be troubling them.  There are a range of self-help exercises such as mindfulness and meditation to therapy tools.  Scan the QR code or use the link to find out more.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #MentalHealthMatters #EmotinalWellbeing