This Week in the Academy - 4th July 2025

Welcome to the academies weekly newsletter, rounding up the events of the past week and keeping you informed of coming events and information to support you and your daughter in school and beyond.

This week we:

• Visit the girls on the trips and events from this week, we’ve been to London and France, held our Year 6 and 12 Induction days and held our Summer Showcase,
• Place a focus on Being Open Minded,
• We look at the Apple iPads and
• update the School calendar.

We hope you enjoy reading this weeks news.

A fantastic week of inductions at King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy with our new Year 7 students enjoying a fun filled day of activities. Year 12’s today having taster sessions of the courses on offer for them in September. Our student leaders did us proud showing them that ‘our girls can and our girls will’. We look forward to them joining our fantastic school community.

Well done to all the girl’s that took part in the Summer Showcase on 29th June 2025. Wether you performed during the day or in the evening show all acts were absolutely amazing and we are proud of you all!

Bonjour from France! The students attended a bread-making workshop before savouring a fresh pain au chocolat in one of the oldest bakeries in the north of France🇫🇷 #frenchtrip2025 #KEVIHWGA

The YPP trip to the London Houses of Parliament took place on Tuesday 17th June, we wanted to raise students awareness of Government and Democracy within the UK. They had the opportunity to tour the houses of Parliament. Our YPP delegates had fun and made happy memories touring the capital and enjoyed seeing famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and The London Eye. We also enjoyed a picnic in Westminster opposite Big ben during a heatwave.

📸 We received an incredible number of entries for our Summer Photography Competition – showcasing the students outstanding creativity and photography skills! Well done to all participants for supporting your house and getting one step closer to winning the house cup. The brief was to capture the beauty of summer and take a stunning photograph of a sunset or any other beautiful scenery. #photography #ourgirlscan #ourgirlswill #kevihwga

We would like to let you, your parents/carers and students know that Bike Right are providing FREE cycle sessions in the School Summer holidays all funded by Birmingham council.

Click here to book your child’s place today!

Absence disrupts the education of the individual pupil and the whole class. Are you aware those children who do not attend regularly:

• do not achieve well in exams
• find it difficult to maintain friendships
• are more likely to become involved in crime
• miss out on opportunities in further education and the world of work?

Please be advised that term-time holidays are very unlikely to be approved. If families ignore this the absence will be unauthorised and you will be at risk of receiving a £160 Fixed Penalty Notice per parent on your return.

Last term, 36 parents have received Penalty Notices for taking students on unauthorised leave in term time.

Please note that, Birmingham City Council strongly discourages pupil leave of absence during term time. The expectation is that such leave would only be authorised in the most exceptional circumstance.

Please ensure that leave is taken in the school holidays only.

Frequent absence can add up to a considerable amount of lost learning and can seriously disadvantage your child in adult life.

• 5 minutes late every day means around 3 ½ days of education are missed
• a score of 90% in a test would be a good result but 90% attendance means that a child
• will have missed around 100 lessons over a school year.

The majority of our students are on time to school every day. Thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring that your daughter attends school on time every day. Lesson 1 begins promptly at 8:45am, which means that your daughter needs to be in her seat waiting for the register to be taken by 08:40am.

Students who are late, without a valid reason, will sit in a 30 minute after school detention on the same day.

The only method for reporting your child’s absence is now through the Arbor Parent Portal App.

Using the Arbor Parent Portal App is quick and easy, and it is now our preferred way for parents to communicate absence reasons to the school.

For step-by-step instructions on how to report an absence, please visit our online guide.

Benefits of the Arbor Parent Portal App:

• Update student/parent details
• Top up dinner money
• Sign up for trips and clubs
• Check your child’s attendance
• Access school reports
• and now reporting absences

Additionally, our new school app, KEVI Handsworth Wood Girls (via Reach More
Parents), will be our primary platform for sharing school-related updates and information.

Please note that the absence reporting feature will no longer be available on other
platforms, and we will no longer monitor absences reported via Studybugs, even if you still have access to it.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Welcome to all of our new and existing students. Thank you to all who continue to support your daughter attending school every day and arriving on time. We have seen a dramatic improvement in morning punctuality, and attendance overall is way above the National average for Secondary schools. In fact, at the end of the Spring Term 2024 we were recognised as being in the top 25% of all FFT secondary schools for secondary attendance.

Please take some time to view the letters pertaining to Attendance and Punctuality at King Edward’s VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy that were sent to you by email in September 2024. If you didn’t get the email, then we have attached the letters here too.

• 8th July 2025 -End of Year Reward Trip (KS3)
• 10th July 2025 – End of Year Reward Trip (KS5)

Summer Term 2025

• Term Starts: Monday 28 April 2025
• Half-term: Monday 26 May 2025 to Friday 30 May 2025
• Term ends: Monday 21 July 2025

Remaining INSET Days

• Monday 21 July 2025

• 8th July 25 End of Year Reward Trip (KS3)
• 10th July 25 End of Year Reward Trip (KS5)

We are thrilled to announce that HWGA has achieved the prestigious Wellbeing Award! This incredible achievement highlights our commitment to ensuring that the wellbeing of both staff and students remains at the heart of everything we do.

We want to remind families that we offer a range of in-house support for students, so if you feel your child needs someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we are here to help.

Additionally, families should know that period products are provided free of charge at the academy. We are dedicated to ensuring our girls feel seen, valued, and confident, with no shame in asking for what they need.

We are proud of the way our students support one another, and we celebrate the
uniqueness and superpowers each girl brings to our school community.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

We know how challenging it can be to balance all the demands parents and carers have to cope with. That’s why NSPCC have put together some tips to help. All children need boundaries and discipline, and this guide helps you develop what works for you and your child.

If your family is in need of any support for any of the following issues –

• money advice,
• special educational needs,
• disability,
• food,
• housing,
• parenting groups,
• relationships,
• sexual health & family planning,
• under 5’s support,
• bereavement,
• mental health,
• leisure activities,
• physical health
• & much more.

Please see download the family action leaflet here.

Our Healthy Lifestyle Checklist:

• Exercise – 60 minutes a day
• Hydration – Drink 2 litres of water a day
• Nutrition – Eat a balanced Diet
• Sleep – 8-10 hours a night

Please find a range of helpful medical factsheets put together by the School’s First Aid Medical Lead.

If you would like to see these factsheets in an alternative language, please get in touch.

We use the High Performance Learning philosophy and framework in our school. This means that we believe that all the students can be high performers, and we teach with these expectations in mind.

Using the research-based High Performance Learning approach helps us to systematically build the cognitive competencies that lead a young person to thrive in school and in later life.

We embed the HPL philosophy throughout our school. We never tell our students they cannot achieve; it is just they are not doing it yet but with practice and persevere it will happen.

You can support your child with developing the High Performance Learning skills at home.

There are 30 skills which are broken down into the two categories of Advanced Cognitive Performance Characteristics (ACPs) and Values, Attitudes and Attributes (VAAs). These help students how to think, and how to behave.

HWGA will be sharing a some HPL key competencies (VAAS & ACPs) strategies with you weekly.

Using the HPL framework at home will help you to enhance your child’s academic
achievement and personal development.

Home Challenge:

• Quiz your child on the ACPs and VAAs. How may of each can they remember?
• Ask them to quiz you? Can you beat your child?
• Select 3 VAAs and ACPs at random. Can your child tell you what they mean?

Not there yet? Repeat the challenge – can you both beat your previous attempt?

✓ Model being open-minded yourself.

✓ Encourage your child to try new activities and experiences, giving them opportunities to broaden their interests and develop their talents.

✓ You could encourage them to debate things that they dislike. By providing alternative views or suggestions they are exposed to different views that can make them think about the opinions of others.

✓ Watch programmes together which articulate responses to different questions e.g. The Big Questions on BBC1.

✓ Choose current news issues to debate and discuss. Make this into an activity where you make a point, and they must provide a counter argument and vice versa.

QUESTIONS:

• Do you have a concern that a student is being physically, sexually or emotionally abused or neglected?
• Has a child/young person made a disclosure to you?
• Are you concerned that a student could be living in a private fostering arrangement?

REMEMBER:

• Please do not ask the student leading questions
• You must report concerns relating to FGM,CSE, FM, HBV and Prevent
• Do not ask children to remove items of clothing and do not ask them to write anything down or sign anything you have written
• Allegations against staff MUST be referred directly to the Headteacher (or to the Chair of Governors if about the Head)

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Safeguarding Team will gather all of the information, link with multiple agencies and the decision will be made whether a referral to Children’s Services or an Early Help Assessment (or other action) needs to be made. Any information the Safeguarding Team are able to share with you will be shared. If you have any questions or a ‘gut feeling’, then please do not hesitate to seek advice and support from the Safeguarding Team.

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about: Apple iPads

Tablets have transformed the way children learn and play, but are they always a safe choice? 📱🤔 This #WakeUpWednesday guide focuses on the ever-popular iPad and how to use it responsibly with younger users. We explore key concerns such as exposure to harmful content 🚫, data collection by apps 📊 and the possibility of screen addiction. 🕒

This guide also offers practical advice on using Apple’s own tools to limit screen time, filter content and prevent unwanted purchases. 💳🙅‍♂️ With expert insights and clear recommendations, it’s essential reading for parents and educators keen to make iPad use safer and smarter. 🛡️👩‍👧‍👦

• All students must wear jumpers.
• Skirts if worn should be black and pleated.
• Hoodies are not permitted in school.
• The school uniform consists of a jumper, a white revere blouse, and a black skirt or trousers.

Students are not permitted to wear trainers unless medically required to do so School shoes should be below the ankle.

Boots should only be worn in severe weather (snow).

Jackets/coats should be plain and Hoodies should not be worn in school.

• No nail polish/ false nails
• Make-up if worn should be natural looking
• False eyelashes are not permitted in schoo
• Pins are not allowed to be used for headscarves. Please use a safer style fastening to secure headscarves.

Jewellery:

• One stud in each ear
• One small nose stud – not a ring
• No rings,
• No bracelets – unless for religious purposes
• No necklaces.

We collect preloved but good quality uniform throughout the year. If you would like to donate preloved items, please bring them to the School reception.

if you would like to receive preloved items for your child, please contact the pastoral team at pastoralteam@hwga.org.uk

We are now using the Free School Meals Eligibility Checking Service in School. If you think that your child may be entitled to Free School Meals, please complete a ‘New Application’ on the following link: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/birmingham

Just registering your child for Free School Meals means that the School gets extra funding – register now to make sure we don’t miss out!

Get notifications on your phone by using the King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls App available in your phones app store to download today.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn

Visiting our website, you will find the news feed on the homepage with quick links to our most up to date news and information.