Thank you so much to the parents and carers that attended the PCAB meeting on Thursday 8th December. It was brilliant to be able to share all the wonderful goings-on of the academy with you, and we know it was a really valuable meeting with lots of excellent feedback and points to consider as we work together to move STWA forwards in its journey. All that attended now have an invitation to our Christmas Dinner on Friday, and we look forward to welcoming them into the academy once more. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 1st February 2023.

In order to reflect on the areas of strength and opportunities for development within our school, our Parent & Community Advisory Board (PCAB) meets once a term with members of staff and the Senior Leadership team. 

The PCAB has a dual purpose:

• It allows parents/carers and members of the community to provide feedback to Leaders on current systems, successes, and areas for development.
• It is an opportunity for the Academy to provide updates to our members on the progress we are making and share early thinking about upcoming developments. 

Our first meeting of this school year will be on Thursday 8^th December at STWA 5pm - 6pm. The meeting will primarily focus on the following areas:

• Reading - we will discuss student testing, whole school reading strategies, support available and use of the library.
• Communication - we will discuss the ways we communicate with home, use of Class Charts and praise.
• Support - we are interested in offering free adult literacy classes to parents, carers and the wider community, if there is a desire to access this.

Attendance to the meeting will automatically enter parents and carers into a prize draw, and all attendees will also be invited back the following week as VIP guests to our family dining Christmas meal.

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email to g.harris@stwacademy.com

There is currently a survey for parents and carers to complete to give their view on the school.  It can be accessed and filled in on this link: - https://forms.office.com/r/kECu0SgXL7 

Thank you for your time in helping the school on our improvement journey.

December meeting Minutes 

A look at reading across the Academy: - 

Attendees were pleased to hear about all the work that is going into Reading at STWA.  The way that reading is assessed and taught by all teachers was shared, including how every teacher is a teacher of reading and how reading is embedded into all areas of the curriculum.  The ways in which reading is enriched at STWA were also shared, including the library lessons, reading in tutor time, and the book vending machine being made available in the rewards store.  Parents were also told about the library management system 'Accessit' which they can access at home, and the staff training around reading which will be taking place.

Community Family Learning: - 

Attendees were informed of courses that are on offer through SYMCA and our intention to offer these at STWA.  We are awaiting feedback on being able to offer these.

Communication and Rewards at STWA: - 

Rewards are a vital part of the culture at Sir Thomas Wharton Academy, we believe that students should be rewarded and recognised for their positive behaviour, investment and resilience whilst in the academy. 

Students are rewarded daily, weekly, half termly & termly. Students have the opportunity to earn house points every day: 

Students have had an active part in shaping our rewards system through the use of student voice, and we have incorporated their ideas into our rewards and recognition systems.