Today, 210 cadets & staff from our schools visited the National Memorial Arboretum as part of their historical and social enrichment package within the Combined Cadet Force.
Thank fully the weather was clear and all of our cadets enjoyed learning about the various monuments situated around the grounds.
We would like to thank members of the Wales & West CCF Test Team for supporting the visit, and the staff of the National Memorial Arboretum for hosting such a large group of us.
National Apprenticeship Week 5th -11th February 2023
As part of National Apprenticeship Week next week, we’d like to draw your attention to “The Parent Perspective” which is an exciting podcast series for parents and carers, helping you to support your children with careers advice and guidance. We want to make sure that we are supporting parents to feel informed and confident in providing careers support and guidance.
The podcast offers a fun and informative space for listeners to:
The podcast is a great way to help you and your child make informed decisions on those all important next steps. Find it here https://amazingapprenticeships.com/the-parent-perspective-podcast/.
On Monday 5th February we start our Valentines themed attendance incentive – ‘Love Attendance’ week. During the week we have issued the challenge to all pupils to achieve 100% attendance by attending school, arriving on time, every day.
Recently the Department for Education released the staggering statistic that on average the last week of a half term reduces in attendance by 15%. This is a large portion of the academic year totalling 30 days, equating to 150 lessons. With courses and curriculum content and skill heavy, it is important that pupils understand why attendance matters across the year. Therefore, we encourage our pupils with our incentives and promote the importance of excellent attendance at every point of the year.
As you will be aware, the best way for your child to maximise the opportunities available at school is for them to be present each and every day. By being in school they are exposed to our enriched curriculum that ensures each and every pupil makes progress and prepares them for a successful future.
The incentive will begin on Monday 5th February. This will culminate on the final Friday where those with 100% attendance will receive a Valentines treat and a lucky raffle winner in each year group will receive a pancake stake with toppings of their choice at lunch.
Year 7 pupils have enjoyed a day at Attwell Farm exploring and meeting the animals. As part of their Food Technology course pupils have been able to see first hand the importance of food provenance.
Improving attendance is one of our key priorities and incentives and competitions are just some of the strategies we are using to do so. For each week in a half term that our pupils attend every day, they receive an entry into a half-termly raffle. Recognising 100% attendance across a week, as well as across a whole term or academic year, allows us to reward excellent attendance whilst recognising that sometimes an absence simply cannot be avoided.
The following pupils were the winners for Autumn 2 and won a One4All gift voucher:
Yr 7 – C’jae
Yr 8 – Amelie
Yr 9 – Harvey
Yr 10 – Ezekiel
Yr 11 – Layla
Yr 12&13 – Syed
We would remind parents and carers that each child enrolled at our school is expected to attend every day, on time so that they can achieve their full potential. All medical appointments should be made before or after the school day where possible.
The Early Careers team at Irwin Mitchell is hosting a webinar during National Apprenticeship Week 2024 to provide insights into the legal and non-legal apprenticeships available with us for 2024.
Date: Wednesday 7 February 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
This event is open to students, teachers, parents, and other key influencers. We’ll discuss what an apprenticeship is and what opportunities we have, to help students decide whether an apprenticeship is right for them. We’ll answer questions, provide an insight into our recruitment process, and advice that’ll set students up to succeed. At this event, you will hear directly from our apprenticeship manager, Lorcan Seery, and current apprentices about their experience at Irwin Mitchell.
We would be grateful if you could share this email with your students and colleagues. Attendees can sign up to attend here – Apprenticeships at Irwin Mitchell
Applications for our September 2024 intake open on Monday 5th February. We have the following apprenticeships available:
You can find out more about our apprenticeships here – Apprenticeships, Legal, Business & Accountancy Apprenticeship Jobs | Irwin Mitchell
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) stands as the cornerstone of progress, innovation and problem solving in our modern world. Its importance resonates across various aspects of our lives, driving advancements that shape our future. During STEM club this past term we have focused on extending the problem-solving mindset beyond the classroom. Students have been encouraged to work collaboratively, creating bridges between science, technology, engineering and maths.
In the realm of discovery and curiosity our Science Club has soared to new heights. With each experiment, we’ve started to unravel some of the mysteries of the world, celebrating the triumph of knowledge.
Some of the experiments we have looked at this past term have included; making exploding volcanoes, scribble bots powered by a motor, looking at the best design for a parachute to safely land an egg and even making our own indicator using purple cabbage!
Thank you to everybody that has and continues to attend as we have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the wonders of science together. If you’re interested in attending STEM club then it is held in G2 on a Monday afternoon; we look forward to seeing you!
Do you have a special talent you wish to showcase at our next big live event. You will have the chance to perform on stage Infront of a live audience in Birmingham in a state-of-the-art theatre Millennium Point on Thursday 18th April 2024. Whether it be singing, juggling, stand-up comedy or anything in between, we want to see all your wonderful talents. Unfortunately, we cannot accept Dance entries this year due to the size of the stage.
How to enter:
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!
Woodbrooke Road, Birmingham,
West Midlands B30 1UL
Contact Number: 0121 464 4040
enquiry@decschool.co.uk
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
