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With the main summer exam season commencing tomorrow, we wish all our students the very best of luck. We're proud of the effort, determination, and resilience they are showing – their hard work and preparation have brought them this far, and now it's time to show the world what they can do! 
Students have already completed lots of amazing work towards their qualifications, including their Non-Exam Assessments (NEAs), practical exams in food, drama, and PE, last week's art & design exams, GCSE English spoken language, A-Level science practical endorsements, and the French speaking exams which are ongoing this week. GCSE English: Year 11 Rising to the ChallengeOur Year 11 students have been working exceptionally hard in their English lessons as they prepare for their upcoming GCSE exams. The classroom has been a hive of activity, with students fully engaged and focused on their studies. 
Teachers have been tailoring lessons to meet the specific needs of each class, ensuring that every student receives the support and guidance they need. This personalised approach is helping to build confidence and boost performance. 
Recent lessons have included a mix of independent work, group discussions, and targeted revision activities. Students have shown great determination and enthusiasm, making the most of every opportunity to improve their skills. 
We are proud to showcase some fantastic examples of student work, which highlight the progress being made. These pieces reflect both the creativity and analytical skills our students are developing. 
With the first English exam scheduled for 12th May, the countdown is on. We wish all our Year 11 students the very best as they continue their preparations. Your hard work will pay off! – Miss Russell 
A Cross-Channel ConnectionEvery year, we welcome students and teachers from Saint Jacques de Compostelle, which is a collège based in Poitiers, west of France. It was lovely to meet them again for a cultural visit last term. The students were able to join a variety of lessons and participate in activities with our students. 
Our students enjoyed using their French with their peers from across the Channel! They discussed their life differences and similarities, as well as their studies and future aspirations. They were curious and asked each other interesting questions in both French and English. 
Our visitors were also able to go to other departments and see what we do and how we do things here. At the end of their visit, their staff and students were so positive and grateful to have been welcomed in a British Academy. It is only 'au revoir'! – Mr Savadogo 
Year 9 Students Step Up to RS Challenges!In Religious Studies, we believe it's crucial for students to regularly recap and recall information, and we use a variety of engaging methods to do this. Creating mind maps is an excellent way to retain information in a more concise and quick way. 
At GCSE level, RS requires analysing various views and the use of in-depth, critical writing. For such reasons, knowledge of key skills such as contrasting arguments and a justified conclusion is necessary. We believe in teaching students these skills earlier on, so they are ready to tackle the various subjects that require them. 
Planning and modelling are essential tools that help students craft detailed, thoughtful paragraphs. We aim to provide students with as much support as possible so they are confident when it comes to constructing contrasting views with evidence and detailed explanations. 
Here you can see Miss Mahey helping students form a plan, using class ideas, for one of the paragraphs, so that students are guided on how to do the second by themselves! 
To bring some fun and assess if students are confident with the unit, we finished off with a True or False quiz. The quiz required students to stand up if they felt the statement was true and sit down if it was false! – Miss Mahey 
Get Creative at Craft Club!Over the last half term, the Craft Club has grown and the Ethos Team provide various activities for students. If you enjoy being creative, come and join us in the Ethos Room on Thursdays from 3:15pm. – Ms Anderson 
Unforgettable Night Out for Our Performing Arts LegendsOur wonderful performers, who have made a sustained contribution to the varied extra-curricular Drama and Music activities across the year, were invited to Birmingham for an evening of shopping, eating, and to see the musical sensation that is &Juliet! at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre. 
Students had free time to shop and eat (for those who managed to tear themselves away from the glistening lights of HMV) in the Bull Ring and Grand Central with their fellow performers before making their way to the theatre. 
Created by the Emmy-winning writer from Schitt's Creek, this hilarious musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks, what would happen next if Juliet didn't end it all over Romeo? Juliet's new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Britney Spears' Baby One More Time, Katy Perry's Roar, and others such as Since U Been Gone, It's My Life, I Want It That Way, and Can't Stop the Feeling! Feet were certainly tapping along! 
Our Performing Arts Legends had an amazing time and were fantastic ambassadors of the Academy, demonstrating the standards of behaviour and theatre etiquette that we would expect of such superstars! "It was weird... weird in a good way", said Rianna; "It was great to see amazing singers with a live band", said Jude; "I liked that they were so radical!", said Ameera; and "The live music used techniques like we use in Func Band", said Ned. Stan added, "I was literally on the edge of my seat. It was so empowering to see women take control of the narrative. I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation. I cried!". Other comments made were "De Bois Band is BACK!", "It was so funny and entertaining. Juliet, you go girl!", and "I want to go back to watch it again tonight, it was so good!". – Mr Price Upcoming Events
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