Attention all Year 12 students! Widening Participation Programmes help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress onto University and Apprenticeships after Sixth Form. All the programmes listed below are FREE. There are sometimes small costs for travel but in most cases, all expenses are covered. Should any funding issues arise, please speak to the Sixth Form team. Any of these programmes can be completed alongside your A levels/BTECs without too much impact on your spare time. If you require any more information speak to the Sixth Form team who will be happy to help.

Programmes

In Geography, our Year 10 GSCE pupils have been completing 2D models of the Global Atmospheric Circulation. This enables them to see how air circulates around the Earth and why we have differences in climate. 

Our Year 9 pupils recently played the Indian Game of Life where they were able to understand the life of an Indian migrant, experiencing many opportunities and challenges along the way as they moved from square to square. The game helped pupils to understand the process of rural to urban migration and pupils really enjoyed playing the game!

Thursday 21st November 2024 - 4pm - 7pm

In science club at Smestow, pupils will have the opportunities to take part in fun practicals and various other scientific activities. 

Here are some of the upcoming activities : 

A hygiene and bacterial growth investigation; A STEM investigation to design and build a parachute which will safely deliver an egg; An investigation to determine which type of antacid is the most effective at neutralising hydrochloric (stomach) acid.

By joining Smestow science club, pupils can enhance their scientific knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and cultivate a passion for science.

Come join every Wednesday after school with Mrs Neish and Miss Collett

This week pupils at Smestow Academy continued with a high success rate on Sparx maths. 7G2 were our form of the week with 94% of students completing their homework to 100%. A. Iordache and M. Yasir were chosen by Ms Collett to represent their form.

 7Y2 were our maths class of the week because they had an average XP of 1105Xp per student. This shows a significant commitment to Sparx maths this week. L. Hussein was chosen by Mrs Butler to collect the award on behalf of 7Y2.

Extraordinary work by our pupils in Smestow Academy's art department. We're currently creating nature inspired pieces influenced by the portrait works of Marco Mazzoni and the animal floral hybrids of Veronica Steiner. Whether it's working in graphite and colouring pencil, pen or watercolour, our students our exceptionally talented!

Our assemblies this week have acknowledged the International Day of Peace which takes place annually on 21^st September and started in 1981.  This year is especially poignant as it marks the 25^th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly having adopted the declaration and programme of action on a culture of peace.  The values, as laid out by the UN General Assembly are; respect for life, human rights and fundamental freedoms; the promotion of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation; commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts; and adherence to freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations.

Here at Smestow Academy, one of our Smestow values is to provide and welcoming and caring environment which we think supports this action for a culture of peace.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #InternationalDayofPeace #welcomingandcaringenvironment

A fantastic start to PE here at Smestow Academy with some excellent resilience, perseverance and teamwork shown in all lessons. These 3 values and skills are the focus of our lessons at the start of the academic year with all students having to show these at some stage in their lessons, whether it be working together as a team in the OAA challenges or showing resilience and perseverance when learning a new skill in Volleyball. We have been so impressed with the attitude of all students in PE lessons so far this year.

We have to do a big shoutout to all of the students who have attended clubs whether it be in the morning before school or after school, we have had over 110 different students attend clubs in the first two weeks of them being open to students. We are super proud and happy with this engagement from our students and would love to reach the 200 mark in the next two weeks, after school clubs include Football for both Boys and Girls, Badminton, Cheerleading and Volleyball. A special mention to the new before school club that Mr Holmes runs on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8am where we have had some great engagement from all year groups. They have been involved in some futsal tournaments so far this week where there has been some great skill and effort on show.

Huge well done to all of our students in all lessons and after school clubs, let’s help us reach that mark of 200 different students attending clubs in the next two weeks. #smestowpe

On Monday 16^th September we had the fantastic Autin Dance Theatre in leading a full day professional dance workshop. 24 pupils of our pupils participated, and they all worked extremely hard throughout the day consistently  demonstrating our Smestow values. The workshop day was intense, yet all pupils persevered and continued to demonstrate their amazing talent. The choreography that the pupils worked on during the day will be performed alongside the professionals on Friday 27^th September, which they are all very excited for! 

Schools across Matrix Academy Trust have been recognising the International Day of Democracy (15th September).​

International Day of Democracy began in 1997 and it is based on the principles of equality, liberty, and justice. Democracy is essential for human rights and development.​

Schools will be considering the meaning behind the international day, but also our modern British values – democracy and individual liberty.​

We practise democracy in all of our schools by electing pupils to take on various roles and responsibilities on behalf of their peers including Form Captains, School Council Representatives, Personal Development Ambassadors, Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and Careers Champions.​

We will be celebrating democracy in our schools across the week by voting for our peers and encouraging our pupils to take on these fulfilling roles for the academic year ahead.

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Our assemblies theme this week is International Day of Democracy which was celebrated on 15^th September.  The International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but around the world, there are governments and those wielding power who find many ways to obstruct it.

Here at Smestow Academy, we are celebrating democracy by voting for our pupil leadership roles in school on Friday 20^th September.  We will vote for the members of our form group who we think will support us this academic year.  This could be as a form captain, as an anti-bullying ambassador, as a wellbeing ambassador or as a Careers Champion to name a few.  One of our Smestow Values is equality and respect for all, and we think that by celebrating democracy in our school, we are also able to practice individual liberty - one of our British values too.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #InternationalDayofDemocracy #equalityandrespectforall