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Headteacher's pride at once 'inadequate' Wolverhampton school which is now one of city's best

The headteacher of a once "inadequate" Wolverhampton secondary school which is now one of the top performing in the city has spoken of his pride at the turnaround.

Ian Chamberlain took on the role of head at Smestow Academy in Castlecroft in January 2023 when it became part of the Matrix Academy Trust.

The school, previously known as Smestow School, received a stinging Ofsted report in 2022 prior to joining the academy - with inspectors criticising its leadership and safeguarding standards - as well as having a succession of headteachers in a small number of years.

But the picture is now looking a lot rosier for Smestow, as Mr Chamberlain said the once "chaotic" school has made progress.

Mr Chamberlain said: "I just feel really proud, everyone has worked really hard and pulled together, both in our school and the trust - it has been a collective effort.

As part of National Careers Week, Aston University is hosting a Parents and Carers Evening for students in year 9/10 to provide information, advice, and guidance on Higher Education on Thursday 6th March 5pm – 7:30pm. Please note, parents can arrive up 5:50pm (there is an optional campus tour at the start).Parents can book their place via https://forms.office.com/e/AkQXzA48Rx or find out more via their website https://www.aston.ac.uk/sro/parents-and-carers. You are invited to join staff for an evening of discovery to learn more about future education pathways, career opportunities and the skills needed to succeed at GCSEs and beyond. Attendees will learn about the benefits of higher education, including the range of courses on offer and their entry requirements to explore the vast array of career choices available.

Programme Overview

Please note, light refreshments will be provided. Please make Aston University aware on the booking form of any dietary requirements.

We are very grateful to Aston University for inviting our pupils to this fantastic event.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #Careers #AstonUniversity

Today, Sixth Form Health and Social Care students were able to meet with a member of our English department; Miss Wright, who before teaching was a Social Worker. 

Miss Wright discussed the university application process and what her degree was like when studying to become a social worker. She gave an insight into what the job was like and also what skills she has been able to transfer from social work to teaching.

Miss Wright is currently studying for her Masters degree whilst teaching, so she was also able to advise students of this process too.

Our Sixth Formers asked some insightful questions and will be apply to their new knowledge to our forthcoming coursework unit based on meeting individual care needs.

#SmestowAcademy #SuccessAchievedTogether #HealthandSocialCare #Careers 

As part of our careers programme, Year 10 pupils will be invited to take part in mock interviews with local employers. This is organised through our partnership with Carol Codner, our Careers and Enterprise Advisor. 

Activities such as these are great examples of how we support our pupils achieving Gatsby benchmark 5 which is about having positive encounters with employers. The interview will also provide personal guidance for our pupils which targets Gatsby benchmark 8.

This morning, Carol delivered an assembly to year 10 in preparation for their mock interviews. We discussed the importance of organising ourselves effectively for interview, body language and general presentation.

Year 10 will take part in mock interviews in February, so pupils have time to prepare themselves fully for their appointment. 

In this edition of our music newsletter, we celebrate the incredible journeys of our students as they dive into the world of music! From mastering the piano to strumming their first chords on the guitar, each lesson is a stepping stone toward their musical dreams. Join us as we highlight student achievements, share inspiring stories, and provide tips for practice at home. Whether you’re a new musician or a seasoned player, there's something here for everyone to enjoy! Let's make some noise and keep the music alive!🎵✨

Next week at Smestow Academy we are promoting wellbeing, and in order to allow our pupils and staff to take part in a range of new activities to promote good mental health there will be no study seminars taking place after school for year 11. Study seminars will continue as normal, beginning with the options subjects the week commencing 14th October. Please encourage your child next week to take part in one of our extra-curricular activities instead to help support their wellbeing. The full extra-curricular timetable can be found HERE

Science hosted a forensic science workshop for year 5 pupils from Castlecroft Primary. The workshop involved pupils becoming forensic scientists for the day to investigate a crime that was committed.

Pupils conducted different practical activities like chromatography to investigate the colours in ink, they looked at different clothing fibres using magnifying glasses, they matched fingerprints to the suspects and finally had the opportunity to see the great demonstration of flame tests by Mrs Robertson.

 All the pupils showed impeccable behaviour and represented their school really well. 

A big thank you to the Year 5 pupils and staff and a special thank you to the wonderful Mrs Neish and Mrs Robertson for hosting such a great event. 

Last night we hosted our Open Evening and welcomed prospective Year 7 pupils and their families to view our school, and take part in a range of activities. Each of our departments were proud to showcase the best Smestow has to offer, including an evening murder mystery in English, flames, trolls and potions in Science, marvellous magic tricks in Maths, delicious French fancies and in character performances in Humanities. If you didn't get chance to attend our Open Evening, there is still time to book onto our Open mornings that are taking place next week. You can use the following link on the website to book your place: https://smestowacademy.co.uk/open-events-2024/

Check out our board in the dining hall to say what active citizenship opportunities we have coming up this term!