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As we reach the halfway point of the term, it's the perfect moment to reflect on how our community has embraced and embodied our CARE Values – Community, Ambition, Respect, and Excellence – in meaningful and inspiring ways. 
Community: Connecting Beyond the Classroom – Our Student Voice team took a bold step into civic engagement by meeting with Sarah Coombes, the local MP for West Bromwich. This exciting opportunity allowed students to share their perspectives, ask thoughtful questions, and learn more about how local government works. It was a proud moment that highlighted the power of student voice and the importance of active citizenship. 
Ambition: Celebrating Student Drive and Determination – This half term, we proudly hosted our CARE Awards, recognising students who have shown outstanding ambition across a wide range of subject areas. From science to the arts, sports to humanities, these students have demonstrated a commitment to pushing boundaries, setting goals, and striving for personal bests. Their achievements remind us that ambition is not just about dreaming big; it's about taking action to make those dreams a reality. 
Respect: Uplifting Each Other – On Hello Yellow Day, students came together to support mental health awareness with compassion and creativity. From wearing yellow to writing heartfelt positive affirmations, our community showed that respect means lifting each other up and creating a culture of kindness and understanding. 
Excellence: Supporting Year 7 Success – Transitioning to secondary school can be a big leap, and our Year 7 students have been supported every step of the way through high-participation group sessions. These sessions have fostered confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging, setting the foundation for excellence in both academic and personal growth. Big Smiles on our First Flash Reward Trip!As part of our CARE Values launch, we are elevating rewards to celebrate students who consistently go above and beyond. Across the year, we will spring a series of flash events to recognise excellence when we see it. The first of these took place on Monday and recognised our highest net Q-Point achievers in each Year Group (Q-Points minus any negative behaviour points). 
We had an amazing day at Alton Towers Resort; even the rain held off so as not to spoil our fun! There'll be plenty of other flash reward events cropping up over the year to reward a range of things we think are worth celebrating! Want to be invited? All you need to do is embody Community, Ambition, Respect, and Excellence! Year 8 Girls Shine at the West Bromwich Albion Utilita CupThe Year 8 girls travelled to the West Bromwich Albion Dome to participate in the WBA Girls' Utilita Cup. They played nine games against numerous teams in the West Midlands. They played extremely well together and showed exceptional teamwork and a great level of skill and ability during all games. 
Although they didn't win the tournament overall, it is clear to see how much progress they have made as players and as a team since Year 7. We are immensely proud of their hard work and dedication and look forward to the many upcoming games this year. – Mrs M Schwald-Samuel 
Can an all-loving, all-powerful God coexist with evil?In GCSE Religious Studies, we've been exploring God's qualities omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and eternal and what they mean for real-world questions. Students debated whether the presence of evil challenges belief in an all-powerful, all-loving God, and examined different responses, Why not ask your child how they would explain the 'problem of evil' to someone new to Religious Studies? 
Many times we recognise the world to hold much evil. This evil can be both natural and moral. Natural evil tends to refer to tsunamis, earthquakes; whereas moral evil tends to be evil caused by humans. This consists of murder, stealing and so on. Do you feel the evil around our world suggests God is not omnipotent, omnibenevolent, or do you feel the evil is there for a test, or an outcome of our free will? 
The students were encouraged to debate and discuss in pairs their views regarding the inconsistent triad. This concept suggests that if God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent then why does evil exist? The concept tends to be used by those who do no believe in God. Do you feel this is a strong or weak concept; can you explain your answer like our Religious Studies students can? – Miss Mahey 
From Flowcharts to Film: Computing in ActionYear 12 Physical Computing. This week, A-Level Computer Science students faced a robotics challenge: to program a figure-of-eight course around obstacles, as they needed to calculate speed, curve rate and distance, and to test their resilience through rounds of testing. They then programmed the robot using a language they had never used before. This seemingly easy objective was harder than they expected, with lots of tweaks before success was achieved. 
GCSE Computer Science. Mock revision is in full swing and this week students were exploring their logic and problem-solving skills in graphical format using flowcharts. For this exercise, it is important to use the correct symbols and to create an algorithm that is effective and efficient (using the minimum number of instructions to achieve a successful solution). Every student demonstrated a commendable level of proficiency in this topic. 
Year 11 Creative iMedia is a very busy group: as well as being in the midst of their mock revision, they are also well into producing their second piece of coursework. For this, they have to design, create/edit assets and create a final multimedia product (including animations, images, video and text). All students have now completed their detailed designs for the final product and have started the process of collecting components they need to create the assets for their final product. – Mrs Y Smith 
Empowered Ambassadors Return Energised by Anti-Bullying TrainingBefore the half-term break, our team of anti-bullying ambassadors attended a training event in Wolverhampton through the Princess Diana Anti-Bullying Award. They listened to engaging presentations and took part in activities all based around the theme of anti-bullying. 
The ambassadors learnt many new facts and skills, including the different types of bullying, the correct terminology to use, and how they can help tackle bullying issues. 
They also learnt about the different badges that they can earn through the Award, focusing on different areas of bullying. They were shown lots of creative ideas about what other schools have done to earn these badges and this has inspired their own thoughts and ideas. 
This year, our ambassadors are proudly targeting the 'Inclusion' badge, starting with November assemblies on disabilities. They will then focus on raising awareness of other protected characteristics over the coming months including events focused on cultures and Pride Month. They all really enjoyed the day and received certificates as well as the prestigious Diana badge that they can wear with pride. – Miss B Smith 
Year 7 Confidence Workshops with Gemma HuntThe Ethos team invited the TV presenter Gemma Hunt to visit Q3 Academy Great Barr to run a workshop for Year 7 on the theme of building confidence. The workshop included students rewriting negative narratives and thinking more positively. 
Students had the opportunity to use new skills and share ideas with their peers. Gemma encouraged them to use verbal and non-verbal skills to become more confident in their everyday lives. – Miss Anderson 
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