New Academy Year 2022

I hope that you are enjoying a restful summer break with your loved ones.

It is with great excitement that I can share with you the plans for students starting the Academy in September. I understand that the transition from primary to secondary is a massive step and want to make sure all our phenomenal Year 7 students make the best start with us. The plans outlined below will ensure this is the case.

We have made some exciting changes in the Academy. Our extension to the dining hall is ongoing and we cannot wait to share this new space with your child. There have been major changes in our Reading Hub with hundreds of new books, and new carpets and furniture throughout.

Arrangements for the first week in September

The schedule for students returning is as follows:

  • Monday 5th September                          INSET Day for staff
  • Tuesday 6th September                          Y7 and Y11 return (all start in tutor room)
  • Wednesday 7th September                     All year groups return (all start in tutor room)
  • Thursday 8th September                        All year groups follow their timetable

Academy Entrances and Timings

We will continue to have two entrances into the Academy as per the table below:

Year GroupEntrance
Y7Stonehill Rise
Y8Stonehill Rise
Y9Stonehill Rise
Y10Jossey Lane
Y11Jossey Lane

The gates will open at 8am every morning and bagels/fruit will be available on the blue line. Students will then go to their specific year group door into the Academy building, greeted by their Learning Manager.

The timings for the Academy day are as per the table below:

Enrichment

At Don Valley, we work relentlessly to ensure our students are given the best opportunities to develop lifelong interests and take part in activities that maybe outside their comfort zone, whilst acquiring important social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. Our enrichment timetable will get started as soon as students have signed up for the clubs and activities they would like to join. Some clubs will run on a six-week cycle and others (e.g. sports, music, drama) will run throughout the year. The full timetable will be shared with students in September, and we strongly encourage students to join as many clubs as possible.

Biometrics Thumb Scanning

To purchase food and drink in the dining hall, all students will need to have their thumb scanned in the first week back. Please refer to previous correspondence about consent for taking your child’s thumb scan.

Communication

All further communication from the Academy will be via ‘MCAS’ as we move to become a paperless Academy. Please ensure we have an up-to-date email address for you and download the MCAS app using your mobile phone’s application centre.