Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are having a good half term with your family and I wanted to share with you a range of updates and information.
Year 11
Trial exams start for all Year 11 students on Monday 3 November and run until Friday 14 November. There has been a lot of preparation for these exams in school and students have had significant training on a range of revision strategies. There is a dedicated study room for Year 11 students, which is open every day after school. The numbers using this facility have steadily grown over the last few weeks. Revision guides for all subjects are available to buy through ParentPay, please contact the school if you require support in selecting the correct books. The Year 11 Prom will take place next July at the Whitehaven Golf Club and all families are aware of the strict criteria that must be met for students to attend.
Trusted adults at Workington Academy
The majority of students at the Academy have nominated a trusted adult, this is a member of staff that your child feels comfortable in coming to for help and advice. We have also asked all students to share their interests and hobbies, which we have collated. All school staff can access this and are using it to build their knowledge about students they work with to support them better in all aspects of their school life.
Autumn Term trips
We have had several trips and visits so far this half term, including Derwentwater Day for Year 7, two Geography field trips for Year 11, theatre and art gallery visits alongside the fell walking club and much more. A group of staff and students have just returned from a trip to Rome, by all accounts it was molto bene!
Mobile phone policy
I wrote to you in July to tell you about our new mobile phone policy that came into force from September 2025. This policy states that students using a device in school without permission would have it confiscated until the end of the week. Only a parent or carer could collect the phone before the end of the school day on Friday. Since September, we have seen a significant decrease in mobile phone confiscations and unauthorised use of devices during the school day. All recent studies in this area show that phone use in school has a detrimental effect on learning. I am grateful for your significant support in implementing this policy and I know many of you share my concerns about the negative impact these devices are having on our young people.
Sports update
We continue to perform well in a range of sports across all year groups. Recent highlights include a clean sweep in a locally hosted basketball tournament; in nearly all year groups we were unbeaten. Our Year 9 and Year 10 girls’ football teams are through to the next round of the county cup.
Taking responsibility – being the best you can be!
I want to highlight to you all the responsible and mature actions of two of our Year 11 students, Zach Flitton and Kian Dunston. On their way into school one morning, they came across an Academy student who they could see was starting an epileptic fit. They acted quickly by contacting the emergency services and supporting the student by commandeering a pillow form a nearby residence, staying with the student until the ambulance arrived. Throughout the ordeal they maintained contact with the ambulance service ensuring they were helping the patient appropriately. In an age of continuously negative stories about teenagers, it is uplifting to hear of their bravery and leadership. The headline from the Times and Star sums it up perfectly, ‘Heroic Workington Academy teens help fellow student’.
Y7 Meet the Tutor
The annual Year 7 Meet the Tutor evening has moved from Wednesday 5 November to Monday 3 November. The event starts at 6.00pm and I look forward to welcoming Year 7 parents to school next week.
Attendance and Behaviour Hub School
I am proud to announce that Workington Academy has been appointed as a lead school for the Regional Improvement in Standards and Excellence (RISE) for attendance and behaviour. This important role will require us to work alongside other schools in improving their attendance across all groups of students. You should all have received a separate letter this week regarding the importance of attendance, there are so many statistics on this subject but one really stands out; ‘pupils with attendance rates over 95% are almost twice as likely to achieve a grade 5 in English and maths compared to those attending below 95%’. Good attendance means good grades, please support your child in getting the highest attendance possible.
Upcoming Events
- CET Christmas Card Competition – 17 November to 1 December
- Year 8 (a half) Progress Evening – 19 November
- Year 8 (b half) Progress Evening – 26 November
- Christmas Showcase – 2 December
- Year 13 Progress Evening – 3 December
Finally, I want to thank you all for your continued support. We really want the best for your child and I am proud to serve the community of Workington.
Yours faithfully
Mark Bedford
Headteacher
