Our chair of trustees Sir Mark Aspinall has been invited to have his photograph taken to be placed in the Victoria Law court in Birmingham. Sir Mark has over 20 years’ experience in Law across banking, financial, media, NHS, Government and FTSE corporate sector and is currently a Judge and a Governor of a local authority Primary School.

We would like to take this opportunity to see your very best photography work and give you the opportunity to have your work hung in the law court for years to come. See below details on how to get involved with our Matrix photography competition.

Submission Criteria. You can submit up to three portrait style images, each image can be of the same or a different subject. Your images should be saved in jpeg format. Images should not be altered or edited, we want to see your original photograph. Cropping is allowed. Images should be sent with your full name, form group, school name and a short write up to explain your style of image. Submit your images to photography@matrixacademytrust.co.uk

Submission Deadline: Sunday 18th February 2024. Speak to your media/creative arts teacher for help and guidance.

What is Portrait Photography? Portrait photography is best defined as a genre of photography that involves capturing the identity, personality, facial expression, soul, emotions, essence, and the overall inherent character of a subject within a photograph.

Prize. The winning submission will be chosen by Sir Mark Aspinall and Mrs Draycott. The winner will receive £150 and the opportunity to take the commissioned image in Victoria Law Court in Birmingham. The winners photograph of Sir Mark Aspinall will be proudly hung in the court. The oldest image currently hanging in the court currently is over 180 year olds. This is a chance to take a photograph that will be seen in court for many years to come.

On Tuesday 12th December, 50 students across the Matrix Schools met at Barr Beacon to find out more about their “Far From Home” Italian adventure as part of the Turing Scheme. The day consisted of meeting their staff, team building activities and learning more about where they are going. This of course would not have been complete without a “surviving Italy” language taster session from a native Italian, as well as tasting some authentic Italian dishes such as ‘Melanzane alla Parmigiana’ ‘Patate, Gorgonzola e Chorizo’ and a choice of ‘Antipasti’ to awaken their taste buds. The day was finished off by writing a Christmas card back to their pen pal in our partner school in Rome, we cannot wait to visit and meet them in person! 

Just prior to the Christmas break our Head students and Sixth form council planned some interactive break time activities, to raise money for Birmingham Mind. Over the course of the week, every student from our sixth form community volunteered their time to help lead and run the events and as a result of everyone’s contributions we raised £96.09 for this fantastic charity which plays a key role in supporting and influencing the wider mental health system across the city. We’re extremely proud of the continued personal development of every sixth form student and their desire to make a difference to their local and wider communities. 

This year has seen the partnership between Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School and Turves Green Boys’ School grow from strength the strength, from the continual development of our cadets to the amazing collaboration between staff to ensure or cadets achieve the absolute best. This year has seen our cadets access almost all the RAF CCF can offer and have taken the absolute full advantage of all opportunities from flying days to parades to RAF engagement evenings with serving members of the RAF.

This year alone our cadets have achieved:

12 promotions from Lance Corporal all the way to Cadet Sergeant

8 Flying Qualifications

10 Leadership Awards

30 D of E Awards

30 Communication Awards

35 First Aid Qualifications

and for the first time ever, a Blue and Bronze award in Music!

Next year, we are going to continue to grow and develop as a contingent to ensure the best experience possible for our cadets both at Dame Elizabeth and Turves Green.

We would like to thank you all for your continued support with the Combined Cadet Force and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Last summer the English Department took part in a national creative writing competition through the Young Writers group. It was based on the theme ‘Unsolved’, with students having to write a 100-word short story in the style of a crime thriller. We had multiple entries across Years 7-10 that were submitted for consideration. This term, we received copies of the book for 28 students, who were chosen to be published from all submissions across the country. We’re immensely proud of them and thought you would be too!

On Monday 4^th December we hosted our annual Mince Pies and Carols event in aid of ‘Save the Children’. Parents and pupils in year 8 enjoyed a cup of tea, a mince pie and a showcase of talent from our choir and other musicians. Thank you to all the year 8 parents that attended; your donations will have made a difference!

On Thursday 23^rd November, some of our talented pupils represented Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School in the Matrix Performing Arts Showcase, held at Turves Green Boys School. Pupils from all schools in the Matrix Academy Trust came together to showcase and support each other in their Dance, Music and Drama performances.

Congratulations to our DEC Dance Team (Alex, Ariella, Valentina, Mia, Radendra, Faith, Imogen, Amelia and Naomi) and DEC Musicians (Mateo, Grade and Freya) on representing Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School with their excellent performances!

‘On Tuesday 14^th November, some if our pupils visited Wednesfield Academy to represent Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School in Matrix Academy Trust Collaboration Video. Prior to their visit, the pupils had learnt a short dance phrase to a section of the song ‘High Hopes’, and whilst visiting the school, the pupils learnt a finale section, alongside pupils from other schools in the trust. This was then filmed and edited together, showcasing their collaboration at the Matrix Academy Trust Day.’ 

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, excellent attendance is one of our top priorities. We are keen to encourage all pupils to take advantage of every teaching and learning opportunity available to them at the school and in order for that to happen it is important they are here.

To continue to promote and reward outstanding attendance, we are running a festive attendance incentive. Between the 6^th and 21^st of December, we would like every pupil to be present at school and pupils will have the chance to win some fantastic prizes if they are. The daily winners will be drawn at random from all the pupils in attendance that day with a prize per year group. Please note, to be eligible for the grand prize on the 21^st of December, pupils must have attended all week. As you know, your child should be in school every day, but every effort should be made to ensure 100% attendance during these 12 days. 

If you have made medical or dental appointments during this period, we kindly ask that you make every effort to rearrange these if possible. If not, please ensure that your child only misses the minimum amount of time and not a whole morning or afternoon.

Our current attendance is 92% and we have further incentives and rewards planned for the remainder of the academic year. We appreciate your continuing support in helping your child achieve excellent attendance.  

“R Prime, the headteacher at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, explains the 6 steps schools can take to help ensure fantastic attendance on Fridays and during final weeks of term.   

After the Covid-19 pandemic, one of our challenges was attendance drop off. We saw a particular drop off both on Fridays, where there is clear evidence of a pattern of higher absence, and towards the end of term especially in the final week.  

Here are 6 actionable steps that we have found to be successful, and that schools and trusts can take to help ensure attendance on Fridays and during final week is fantastic, not flagging. 

Analyse your Friday and Christmas patterns 

We look back to final weeks in previous terms, especially in the Christmas period. It helps to identify which pupils tend to be off in final weeks of term, so that we can target extra support and communications. Following the DfE’s daily attendance data monitoring project can help get on top of your exact numbers. 

Communicate consistently the importance of a strong finish to the whole school  

Make sure you utilise all communication channels to parents and pupils to emphasize that Fridays are a fifth of the learning week. Conversely, half a Friday missed a fortnight is a tenth of the school year. The same holds for the last week – it is 8% of the term’s learning. It’s not just important to consolidate learnings from the week or term, but also for social connection and creating a culture of belonging in school.  

Schedule learning and enrichment strategically 

Demonstrate that Fridays and final weeks matter by treating the time as valuable. Some attendance hub schools schedule their mock exams in the final week of term, for example. Even simply ensuring enrichment is high quality (not just videos) or working extra hard to include more loosely attached children in activities like Christmas plays so they feel valued and engaged. We also find that celebration assemblies in the final week or on the final day provide an opportunity to reflect on the successes of the half term and provide an opportunity for meaningful praise and rewards for pupils.  

Extra consistency and rigour in follow-up   

We have found that prompts and a warm welcome are very important. Practices such as meeting children at the gate and calls to parents need to be implemented as well on Fridays and in the final week of terms as they are on any other day or week.  

You could even increase frequency of follow-up calls and messages during these periods for any unexplained absence. The group of pupils with weak attendance in the final week can be a good starting place for outreach engagement over the holidays and pre-term reminders in January. This is particularly critical where term isn’t starting again till a Tuesday. 

Parental engagement  

We keep engagement with parents as consistent as possible – for example sending weekly reminders to parents about upcoming Friday activities or involving parents in the planning of end-of-term events. Their involvement can help the family feel engaged and valued, and hence improve the pupil’s attendance. Our ‘12 Days of Christmas Attendance’ incentive will include a prize of a Christmas hamper – a treat for the whole family. We also have started effectively reporting absence, which involves describing lessons missed and being clear on what subjects and enrichment and social opportunities the pupils lost out on.  

Targeted reward systems 

Attendance rewards need to be thought about carefully – for example whole year prizes may mean that children who face a long-term period of illness can never benefit. We like the idea of using ‘Friday Stars’, which recognises students with consistent Friday attendance, or providing a special end-of-term celebration for those with good attendance in the final week, giving the awards on the final day of term. Our ‘Halloween treats’ for those with 100% attendance in the week before the October half-term proved popular and saw attendance for the week rise above the national average”

Read the original article HERE