Welcome
End of year update
It’s the end of another year at Co-op Academy Walkden. We’ve had our fair share of challenges along the way, not least the unusual weather conditions of the last few days, but we can reflect back on a really positive year overall. I want to congratulate all of our students on their achievements and I want to thank parents and carers for your continued support.
Start of the new term
A reminder that the start of the new term is Tuesday 6th September for Year 7 only and for all other year groups it is Wednesday 7th September. We look forward to welcoming the whole school back on the 7th and for the first time we will have more than 1500 pupils. The changes we have implemented for September will really help to ensure that we operate smoothly and safely and whilst I know that it will take a little getting used to, the changes will be very positive in the long run. To support this we’ll be spending some time on the first days, familiarising students with the new routines.
Start of the day and new student entrance
With lessons starting at 8.30am each morning from September, good punctuality is crucial. We understand that traffic around the Academy and surrounding area can be a challenge, but ask that you factor this in when planning your child’s morning journey. To assist with this, we run a breakfast club from 8.00am each morning, accessed through the sports entrance.
The timings of the school day are as follows:
8.30am Period 1
9.30am Period 2
10.30am Break
10.50am Period 3
11.50am Period 4
12.50pm Personal Development/Lunch (Split by Key Stage 3/4)
1.50pm Period 5
2.50pm Finish/Enrichment clubs
Student entrances to the academy will be open between 8.20am-8.30am: please ensure that you leave time when dropping off your child for them to walk round to their entrance well before 8.30am. If they only arrive at the gate at 8.30am they will be late. The Year group entrances are:
- Year 7 Discovery Front
- Year 8 Discovery Stairwell
- Year 9 Creative Front
- Year 10 Creative Stairwell
- Year 11 Sports Corridor
Student entrances will close promptly at 8.30am each day. If any students arrive after 8.30am they must sign in at Student Services, accessing the building through the Sports Entrance around the rear of school, not through the main reception. They will also use the Sports Entrance if they need to sign out of school.
Students arriving between 8.30am and 9.00am will be issued a late mark and given a note for their first lesson. Those without evidence of a medical/other appointment may be issued a Community Conduct lunchtime detention.
We will follow Department of Education guidance, closing morning registers at 9.00am. Students arriving after 9.00am without a clearly evidenced explanation will therefore be registered as an unauthorised absence and issued a lunchtime detention: please be aware that repeated occurrences can lead to a penalty notice warning and fine for persistent poor punctuality.
Medical appointments should always be arranged outside of school hours where possible. We ask parents/carers to use Class Charts to inform the Academy of any medical appointments where a student needs to arrive late or leave early. A copy of texts received or appointment cards is needed to confirm their absence and allow authorisation on registers.
Water Safety
I am sure you will be aware of the water safety messages we have been promoting with our students and via our social media feeds. At this time of year, we realise that some young people may be tempted to jump/swim in open water and sadly this has resulted in the tragic loss of a Salford teenager just last weekend in Salford Quays. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and together we must all do what we can to prevent another tragedy.
We delivered assemblies to students last week and on Tuesday afternoon this week, we paused Period 5 for a few moments across the whole school to deliver a strong message to students, with information from the local Fire and Rescue team. I urge you to talk to your child about water safety whether you are staying at home or going away this summer, so that by raising awareness and encouraging young people to act safely we can reduce the chances of tragedies such as this being repeated.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue have a website dedicated to the issue which can be found here:
https://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/your-safety/water-safety/
Thank you in advance for your support with this.
‘Kids Eat Free’ and Food Vouchers – Summer 2022
There are a number of food outlets that will be offering the chance for children to either eat free or for £1 over the summer holidays.
