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Welcome from our Principal, Mr Hacker

Dear parents/carers
We're now just two weeks away from the Christmas break and the academy has been a hive of activity. We've been busy preparing for the annual show, which this year was 'Frozen Jr'. Our pupils have worked so hard, learning their parts, rehearsing relentlessly and delivering some great performances over the last few days. A huge well done to every single one of the cast - we're all really proud of you. I want to thank all the staff, especially the performing arts team, who worked with them all tirelessly and to all of the parents and carers who have supported the children through the process and also helped with set design. You're all amazing!
It's been so good to see all the positive recognition taking place every day and the celebration station on a Friday has continued to gather momentum and is wonderful to see. We are so lucky to work with so many amazing young people who impress us with their work and contribution to our community every single day.
I wanted to say thank you to you all for your continuous generosity, whether it is items for our Holiday Hampers, donations to Save the Children for Christmas Jumper day or donations and baked goods to help us raise money for our chosen charity, Moya Cole Hospice. Your kindness really is appreciated.
The annual Christmas card competition was hotly contested this year. We had so many great designs to choose from and it's been lovely for our lower school pupils to showcase their artistic talents. We had a tough job choosing the winner to go to publication, but our winner - Vianna in Year 9, really deserved to have a design take the top spot, closely followed by two runners up. You can read more about it in this newsletter. Official cards have now been printed with Vianna's design and will be sent to members of the wider community for the Christmas period.
I've previously mentioned Year 11 mock exams and next week, pupils in Year 11 will receive their results as a practice run for receiving their official results next August. It's also a reminder that it's Year 11 Progress Review Evening next Thursday - the 11th.
We're well and truly in the dark days of winter now and I'd really appreciate you reminding your children to be safe when crossing roads and to be aware that when they are wearing dark coats, that drivers may not easily see them. We want them all to stay safe and of course we'll remind them in school too.
Hope you all enjoy this newsletter and I wish you all a good weekend ahead.
Matt Hacker
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Who to contact at Walkden
Please note that Arbor in-app message service does not come to us and will not be monitored or responded to.
Please see the linked document for how to contact us at Co-op Academy Walkden.
Communications
Please note the academy will be closed over the half term break and all emails will be responded to on our return.
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Attendance information
This term we have created and shared with pupils a new graphic for our attendance bands, pupils can see privately what band they currently sit in. This helps pupils and parents to have a clear visual for attendance expectations. This also helps pupils set achievable short term targets to move into a higher band, and helps us to celebrate this when they do.

For more information about the attendance process and expectations, please see below.
To report your child as absent, please use ONE of the available options below.
- You can call our Academy to report absence 0161 8501625 (Option 1).
- You can now use the 'log absence' function on your Arbor app. You can find this by going to Dashboard - Menu (three lines) - Attendance - Log Absence.
Please NO NOT use the in-app message function to report absence, as this will not be recorded.
For any pre-planned absences or appointments, please email our Attendance Team.
walk-attendance@coopacademies.co.uk and include an attached appointment card or letter as evidence of the reason for the planned absence.
Whichever method you choose to use, please do this each day that your child is absent from school before 8.30am.
As a helpful reminder, we wanted to share the below information that is useful to know when it comes to attendance.
The school bell is at 8.25am and students are expected to be in lessons ready to be registered by 8.30am.
Students who arrive late between 8.30am and 8.50am will be given a late mark; however, this does not affect their overall attendance percentage.
Students who arrive after 9am will be given a U code (unauthorised absence) on their register which equates to a half a day of absence, this does affect their overall attendance percentage.
The day is split into two halves with a morning attendance mark and an afternoon attendance mark, students must receive both marks to be registered in school for the full day.
Please note that medical appointments and authorised absences are marked differently and to authorise one of these absences or to make us aware of any exceptional circumstances please email our attendance team with prior notice where possible walk-attendance@coopacademies.co.uk
Thank you as always for your support.
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Parent Pay guidance - Lunch payments
We wanted to share a couple of reminders and options regarding your ParentPay account for breakfast/lunch payments.
If your child purchases meals at Co-op Academy Walkden, please ensure funds are topped up via ParentPay in advance of the week ahead. If a pupils has zero funds, our kitchen staff will ask them to go to Student Services for a note which enables them to get lunch and prompts us to contact you to request payment is made. Ideally we would prefer not to send a pupil away for this note so please ensure funds are topped up, you can ofcourse contact us if you need support with this. ParentPay has the function to set yourself an alert for when funds are getting low, if you would like this reminder please follow the process below
- - Log into your ParentPay Account
- - Click the three lines at the top left of the screen
- - Communications
- - Alert settings
- - Balance alerts
- - Set threshold per student
- - Tick email (email is free to use / text messages can be set up, however there is a charge for this)
- - Save
All students are offered a free bagel with spread during breakfast service, which runs between 8am - 8.25am.
Other breakfast items are also available to purchase during this time as well as during morning break at 10.30am.
Breakfast items range from 29p - 99p per item.
At lunchtime, students can purchase a meal deal which consists of a main meal and a dessert for £2.20
Please see our menus here
We encourage students to bring a refillable bottle as there are water fountains positioned in each zone of the academy. If your child would prefer bottled water, these can be purchased for 85p.
We believe that £5 is the most any student should need to spend on food/drinks throughout the day, which is why all students' daily spend is capped and will not let them spend more than £5 a day at school. If you would like this cap to be increased, then please let us know via this link Any changes can take up to three days to show on the catering system.
If your child is entitled to free school meals, they can have a free bagel at breakfast like all other students and then, when they put their PIN number in at the till for lunch, they can order a main meal and dessert (meal deal).
ParentPay log in details are sent via email to one parent/carer for each child at the beginning of each school year. If you have forgotten your password, you can select 'forgotten password'. If you believe you do not have an account set up for your child or if you have any queries about ParentPay and lunch payments, then please let us know via the same form here.
All students require their catering PIN number at the till when getting breakfast and lunch. If your child is entitled to Free School Meals, they still need to use their PIN number to get the meal.
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What's on at Walkden
| Club/activity |
Where and when |
| Chess |
Every break and lunch outside G9 |
| Homework club |
Every Monday lunchtime with Mrs Davis - D1 |
| Space Club |
Every Tuesday 3-4pm with Dr Gardner - D8 |
| British Sign Language |
Every Tuesday 3-4pm with Mrs sayer - G3 |
| Frozen Jr Rehearsals |
Every Friday lunchtime with Mrs Hughes - E1 |
| Expressive Arts Club |
Every Wednesday 3-4pm with Miss Wharton - Drama Studio |
| Year 11 Revision |
Every day 3-4pm in the library |
See below for all of our extra-curricular clubs
Extra-curricular Timetable
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Pupils with Medical Conditions
If your child has a medical condition that requires any daily or emergency medication, e.g. Inhaler, Epipen, Insulin. Please ensure that your child carries the necessary equipment in their bag and our Student Services Team have a spare to keep in the office at all times. This is extremely important in case of an emergency. If your child is attending a school trip, they cannot go unless they have the necessary medication. If you have any questions, please reach out to us on walkden.info@coopacademies.co.uk
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Festive Week
During the last week of term at Co-op Academy Walkden, there will, of course be a lot of learning, but with a hint of festive cheer thrown in. We are inviting all of our staff and pupils to wear their Christmas jumpers all week from 15th -19th Dec, we are asking for donations on Parent Pay and all proceeds will go to Save the Children. During the week pupils will have a number of activities to participate in. Keep an eye on our socials to see what we have in store.
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Maths Calculators
Year 10 pupils require a calculator for their maths lessons. These can be purchased independently, we also have stock in school for you to buy from us if you prefer. If you would like to buy a calculator, you will see a payment option has been set up on Parent Pay for £6.55, once payment has been received, calculators will be handed out in Maths lessons.
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Staff Charity 12 hour Row
We are holding a Staff 12 hour Rowing Challenge to raise funds for Moya Cole Hospice. Between the hours of 7am and 7pm on Weds 10th Dec staff will be taking it in turns to row for 20 minutes each, pupils will be able to cheer them on as they move from lessons and during break and lunchtime.
Please donate if you are able to, we will be collecting small change on the day from any pupils who would like to bring in cash to support their favourite teachers and we have opened a payment option on Parent Pay for parents/carers to be able to add a donation on their children's behalf. We will be leaving this open until the end of January, so please do not worry if you would like to donate but would rather wait until after Christmas.
Our staff really appreciate your support to help them to get through the challenge and Moya Cole Hospice are incredibly grateful for the funds we hope to raise.
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Frozen Jr
This week we presented three fantastic performances of Frozen Jr. I am sure all of you who bought tickets will agree the show was a huge success with a whole lot of wonderful drama, singing, dancing and humour. Well done to all of our pupils and staff who created such a brilliant show.
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Christmas Card Winner
This year’s Christmas Card competition was incredible. Mrs McGowan presented a large pile of card designs for Mr Hacker and the Senior Leadership Team to choose from. They were all so wonderful, it was a difficult decision to pick our winning card design.
Well done to Vianna in Year 9 for your gingerbread house winning design.
Well done also to Esme in Year 9 and Evaniya in Year 7 for being very close joint second place!
Vianna’s card has been printed and will be sent out to local care homes and primary schools as our Co-op Academy Walkden official Christmas Card!
Thank you to all of our KS3 Art pupils for all entries submitted.
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Term Dates: 2026-2027
You will find our new 2026-2027 term dates below. Please note our INSET Days have had a minor change.
Term Dates 2026-2027
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Holiday Hamper Appeal
We are still collecting for our Holiday Hampers. Pupils have now been told the age range of the family members their PD group is collecting for. If you are able to gift any items from tins of vegetables to Christmas treats and gifts, we and our families in need would be extremely grateful. Please can all items be donated by Monday 8th Dec
Find out how you can help...
As a school, we would like to help as many families in our local community as possible. Last year we were blown away by the generosity and kindness from you as parents/carers and we are reaching out to you again this year for anybody who is in a position to help.
Each PD group will make a hamper filled with essential food items and treats which will be delivered to a family in need.
If you feel that you can help, please send any non-perishable items or treats into school over the next 2 weeks. This can be given to your child's PD tutor.
Please do not include any alcohol or nut produce as we will be unable to put this in our hampers.
We would also love to include some small gifts within the hampers, we will let pupils know as soon as possible what family dynamic and children's age ranges their PD group are creating a hamper for, if you would like to send in an age appropriate toy/game/book etc (all items must be new and in original packaging please)
If you follow our social media pages we will keep you updated with photos of the hampers we are creating. The photo attached shows just a few of last years 103 hampers we created, which were delivered to 58 families in our local community. This year we would love to help even more families.
Thank you as always for your support
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Co-op Local Causes Fund
Walkden has been chosen as 1 of 3 local causes for Co-op Members to support.
We would like your support to build sustainable futures for our pupils and future pupils. Co-op members can vote on their membership app.
The funding will help us to purchase inclusive, modern sports equipment, which will open up opportunities for all young people – especially those who are disadvantaged or have physical disabilities – to participate fully in physical activity.
Every time Co-op Members buy selected Co-op products and services, 1% of what they spend goes towards local community causes, and your votes can help our school receive a larger share!
How to help:
Become a Co-op Member at coop.co.uk/membership
Choose Co-op Academy Walkden - Building Sustainable Futures as your cause in the App
Shop and scan your card!
Thank you for helping us make a difference in our school community.
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Young Musician of the Year
Co-op Academies Trust are hosting another Young Musician of the Year competition which is open to pupils from all Co-op Academies including Walkden.
Stage 1 is for pupils to upload their performance digitally. Further details have been shared with students in their music lessons and around school, as well as details shared on our social media pages.
For more info, pupils can speak to their Music Teachers
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Greater Manchester Police have asked us to share the below message.
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Latest stories |  | 05 Dec 2025 Pupils at Co-op Academy Walkden brought our community together this Festive Period with a spectacular production of Frozen Jr The Musical. |
 | 21 Aug 2025 So, the day has finally arrived for our 2025, Year 11 students to collect their GCSE results. Whatever the results inside the envelope, we hope our students are incredibly proud of themselves for the hard work and determination they have shown during their GCSE Exams.We wish each and ev... | |
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Check out our social media pages for daily updates. |  | This year's Christmas Card competition was incredible, Mrs McGowan presented a large pile of card designs for Mr Hacker and the Senior Leadership Team to choose from. They were all so wonderful, it was a difficult decision to pick our winning card design. Well done to Vianna in Year 9 for your gingerbread house winning design. Well done also to Esme in Year 9 and Evaniya in Year 7 for being very close joint second place! Vianna's card has been printed and will be sent out to local care homes and primary schools as our Co-op Academy Walkden official Christmas Card! Thank you to all of our KS3 Art pupils for all entries submitted. 1 day ago Follow | |
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