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Welcome from our Principal, Mr Hacker

Dear parents and carers
We are now breaking up for the May half term and I hope all our families are able to enjoy the predicted warmer weather. When we return for the final half term on the 1st June, we will monitor in-school temperatures as always and if it's unreasonably warm, we will allow pupils to wear the official PE uniform, which will be communicated on a needs basis.
At this early stage, I want to let you know about a change in our approach to mobile phones which will be taking place from September. Further to the government drive on phone-free schools, we will be going completely phone free during the school day, utilising the secure pouches that you may have heard some other schools have implemented. There is a heavy investment in both the pouches and infrastructure to make this effective and we will be communicating separately with further details, after the half term. We will also be offering a parents' information evening for you to find out more. Please watch out for a letter about this in the first weeks back, but it is fair to say that there are a wide range of potential benefits for our young people, by taking these steps.
Next term is an important one for us in that we have the second phase of the GCSE examinations and we start the extensive transition period for Year 6 pupils starting with us in September. We are really pleased to see that we are oversubscribed again for Year 7 and look forward to welcoming a full cohort to the Walkden community next Year.
We're really proud of all that our pupils have achieved this term and it's a joy to be able to celebrate this on a daily basis. It's certainly meant that our social media feeds are full of recognition for our pupils and if you don't already follow us, please give us a like on our social media pages below.
Wishing you all a lovely half term.
Matt Hacker
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Check out our social media pages for daily updates. | |
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Who to contact at Walkden
Please see the linked document for who to contact at Co-op Academy Walkden.
Communications
Please note the academy will be closed over the Easter break and all emails will be responded to on our return.
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Attendance information
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 |
| Expressive Arts Club |
Every Wednesday 3-4pm with Miss Wharton - Drama Studio |
| Year 11 Revision |
Every day 3-4pm (check specific subject timetables) |
| Coming soon |
Every Tuesday and Weds lunchtime - Multi-Use |
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See below for all of our extra-curricular clubs
Extra-curricular Timetable
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Carpark Access
This is a reminder that parents and carers should not use the school car park or driveway to drop off or pick up their child. The barrier is open for staff, taxis and specific pupils who have pre-arranged permission to use this area. Please respectfully use nearby streets and ask your child to walk to a safe place to meet you.
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30 Days Wild
We are excited to announce that Co-op Academy Walkden is proudly participating in the 30 Days Wild challenge this year! This is our third year running this wonderful event in support of the Wildlife Trust, designed to inspire everyone to connect with nature throughout June.
30 Days Wild is a free, month-long challenge where you can enjoy fun activities and ideas for embracing the great outdoors. By signing up, you’ll receive some fantastic free goodies to help you on your wild adventure!
If you’d like your child to join in and support wildlife while having a great time, please sign up using the link below:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild
Sign Up for 30 Days Wild!
We can't wait to see how everyone engages with nature during this exciting month!
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Student Services Request
If your child has an inhaler that they carry with them, please can you add a sticker with their name or initials on. Sadly we have multiple inhalers handed in daily where they have been dropped or fallen out of pockets and it is difficult to find their owner with no name. If you do not have a sticker, you can write their initials on the canister itself.
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Half Term - Year 11 Revision Support
As our Year 11 pupils move into the second half of their GCSE exams after half term, we want to provide the support they need to keep their momentum. To help them stay focused while finding a healthy balance, the Academy will be open for revision sessions during the half-term break.
The Library will be available as a dedicated quiet space for independent revision on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.
In addition to independent study, we are hosting subject-specific workshops led by our teaching staff. These sessions are open to all Year 11 pupils and can be found in the table below.
Pupils should arrive and sign in at Reception before their session begins. Our goal is to help students stay sharp for the final stretch of exams while ensuring they take the necessary time to rest and recharge.
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Half Term GCSE Revision – Open to all Year 11
| Day |
Subject |
Room |
Time |
| Tues 26 May |
History |
G5 & G7 |
9.30 - 11.30 |
| Weds 27 May |
French |
G9 |
9.30 - 11.30 |
| Weds 27 May |
Spanish |
G10 |
9.30 - 11.30 |
| Weds 27 May |
Music |
E1 |
9.30 - 11.30 |
| Thurs 28 May |
Combined Science |
G7 & G8 |
9.30 - 11.30 |
| Thurs 28 May |
Separate Physics |
G7 & G8 |
12.00 - 14.00 |
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Salford Police Appeal
Please see below appeal from Salford Police GMP.
Good afternoon residents of Worsley, Walkden and Little Hulton
APPEAL TO PARENTS & GUARDIANS 
We are increasingly seizing illegally modified electric bikes capable of speeds far beyond the legal limit of 15.5mph.
Some of these bikes have been recorded travelling at speeds exceeding 70mph — with some capable of over 80mph.
These are NOT legal e-bikes often being ridden by children and teenagers with no licence, no insurance, no training, and no protective equipment.
Many parents may believe they are buying a harmless electric pedal cycle, when in reality some of these modified machines can accelerate faster than a moped or motorcycle.
Ask yourself: Would you buy your teenager a high-powered sports motorbike and allow them onto the roads wearing shorts, trainers and no helmet?
Because that is effectively the level of danger involved.
At these speeds, a collision is likely to result in catastrophic or fatal injuries — not only to the rider, but also to pedestrians and other road users. The last thing we want to do is knock on your door to tell you your child has been seriously injured or worse.
Parents and guardians:
Please check what your child is riding.
Please understand the true capability of these machines.
Please do not assume they are legal simply because they have pedals.
Riders found using illegally modified bikes can face:
• Seizure of the vehicle
• Points on future driving licences
• Prosecution for no insurance or licence offences
• Serious criminal consequences if involved in a collision
We want to prevent tragedy before it happens.
Talk to your children. Know what they are riding. Help keep our children and communities safe.
Thank you. Worsley Neighbourhood Team.
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Charity Fundraising
As you know, our academy has been raising funds for Moya Cole Hospice throughout this year with many charity events. Our own Mrs Faulkner is also running the Manchester Half Marathon this month, all of the funds raised will be added to our total raised for Moya Cole at the end of the year.
If you would like to support Mrs Faulkner and add to our overall total for the brilliant Moya Cole Hospice, please take a look at her Just Giving page below.
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Year 11 Parent Pay
Please be aware that any funds remaining on Year 11 pupils parent pay accounts after they leave the academy can only be refunded to your account if they exceed £5. Please be mindful of this when topping up over the coming weeks, encourage your child to spend the full amount or ask them to leave atleast £5 so that a refund can be made. Any pupils with younger siblings attending Walkden can request for any amount to be transferred to them, please email walkde.info@coopacademies.co.uk if you would like to arrange this.
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Walkden Wire
Some of our Year 7 pupils have been working hard to create a news page, with photos and details about what is going on in and around our academy. You can take a look at their news page at the link below.
Walkden Wire
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Kids Guinness World Record
See link below from Official Guinness World Records with details on how children can apply to break a world record.
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Latest stories |
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01 May 2026
Read our Being Walkden Newsletter here
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30 Apr 2026
This is our pupil lead Walkden Wire page, dedicated to connecting the community with our academy.
Here you will find our Co-op Values in action!
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11 Mar 2026
Please see below letter from Mr Hacker regarding punctuality.
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