Transition

Principal’s welcome  

 

A very warm welcome to Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst. We are a large academy serving a large community of students in year seven to year thirteen and it is my privilege to introduce myself as the new Principal. 

I joined Tudor Grange Academies Trust in 2015 as College Leader at Tudor Grange Academy Redditch. Since then, I have worked across multiple Tudor Grange sites in a school improvement guise. The Trust, as at September 2021, is a Trust of twelve schools: five secondary, one all through academy and five primary academies. The core vision of the Trust is to develop a Multi Academy Trust of four self-sufficient geographical hubs: Solihull, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the East Midlands. 

I have been working with, and at Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst, since 2017 as part of the senior team here and have led, alongside the whole staff body the school improvement journey. My intention is to offer long-term commitment to a community that deserves the best for its young people. This school is special, and it is my intention, and the intention of the senior team and governors to hold high expectations of all learners by creating a culture of inquisitive and spirited learning coupled with high-quality, extra-curricular and in-school experiences that go beyond the classroom. We want learners at Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst, to leave with, not only the qualifications they require to make their own choices, but also, as happy, and articulate young people with life- long memories. Young people who have developed skills and responsible attributes that will allow them to be successful happy adults. 

Our school is staffed by a team of fantastic teachers and support staff, who are committed to learning and ensuring the very best opportunities for our students. I hope the website gives you some idea about our community and the opportunities we have to offer. 

Nicola Crehan​ 
Principal 

There are 2 transition days planned (Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th July 2022) for students from Year 6 who have been allocated a place at the Academy in September 2022.  Students will spend the days getting to know their way around the building, meeting staff, and attend sample lessons. A Letter with full details will be sent to parents in mid-June 2022.

There will be a New Year 7 Parents Evening on Wednesday, 15th June 2022 (Times TBC) at the Academy. This will provide you with an opportunity to find out and meet your son/daughter’s new college leadership team, attend the Head teachers briefing and visit an array of information stalls to help provide you with everything you will need to know about the academy. Any specific concerns or information you require can be obtained/given on this evening.

A Meet The Tutor Evening is also planned for early on in the first half term so you can meet their new form tutor and discuss their start at the academy.

Our transition team works closely with your child’s primary schools in preparation for their move to secondary school. Members of our team, including SEND and Welfare staff, will visit Year 6 students in their schools to gather information and to get to know the students.  We will also speak to their class teacher and any other relevant key adults that may be working closely with them.

Mrs Brocklebank, our SENCO, and her team will liaise with your child’s current school to ensure that we have all the information needed for a smooth transition.  She will meet the students and their teachers to ensure that students are provided with the right level of support when they attend the Academy.   Please contact Mrs Brocklebank (mwheeldon@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk) if you feel you need to make an appointment to see her or a member of the team to discuss this further.

An additional Transition Evening is also planned for more vulnerable students.  The aim of this is to meet with their new key staff and to view and discuss the additional support and guidance they can access.  A letter will be sent at a later time to confirm the time and date of this for those identified students.

You will receive an induction pack in April/May which includes all the information we need (i.e. current address, contact details and medical notes etc) before your child starts at the Academy, as well as useful information for you about uniform, how the academy is organised and the values we hold dear. You will also receive Newsletters in July and August with updates to keep you updated for the new term.

You will be asked to complete a form in your induction pack which will provide us with the information we need.   A full time First Aider is based in the medical room throughout the school day where medication can be stored and administered. Our Lead First Aider, Miss Jessica Hines, will contact you prior to September if there are any medical concerns.  Her email address for any correspondence is  jhines@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk

Uniform is available to purchase from our supplier at PB Sports.  PB sports are conveniently located only 500m from the school and have an online shop available also.

A link to our uniform page and detailed guide is here. You will also receive this guide in your induction pack.

This will be Wednesday 7th September 2022.  Year 7 students will start at 8:25am and will meet their new form tutor.  This will enable year 7 students to have a calm and structured start to the new term. During the morning pastoral slot they will also spend time with their tutor group, receive their timetables and be given planners.

On the first day of school your child will be given a personal printed timetable and planner. Your child will need to check their timetable each evening and pack their bag ready for the next day. All students are issued with their own personal organiser at the beginning of each term for this purpose. It has a number of functions.

• A personal diary for daily work
• A place to record work to complete at home
• A communication medium between parent and teacher

The following items are to be brought into the academy each day. Equipment checks will be conducted at the beginning of each day, in registration time, to ensure the student has the right equipment to access learning tasks in lessons.

• 2 Pens (Black)
• 2 Pencils
• Pencil Sharpener
• Eraser
• Ruler (minimum 15cm)
• Glue Stick
• Green Pen (For making improvements to work)
• Colouring Pencils
• Highlighter
• Maths Calculator (Casio fx-83GT plus)
• Named Pencil Case
• Reading Book
• ID Card

Please note that for safety reasons liquid ink erasers, such as Tippex, are not allowed.

Mobile phones should, under no circumstances, be brought into and used in the Academy.

If a mobile phone is seen it will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day.  If it is confiscated a second time, we will ask that a parent or carer come to the Academy to collect it at a convenient time. Contact between parents and students and vice versa can always be made through the College Admin Office.

The Academy has a restaurant which is open from 8.00am until 2.00 p.m.  Break time for all year groups is 11:00– 11:20am and lunch for Year 7 students is 12:25 to 12:55pm.  A range of sandwiches, wraps, fruit, salads, snacks (not including sweets) as well as a choice of hot meals is available. Payment can be made via ParentPay. Some students bring packed lunches.  You can view a sample of menus and learn more about the internet payment system via https://www.kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk/parents/catering/

If you require any further information about transition and starting the academy please see a list of the key people below. We look forward to meeting and getting to know you through the transition process and hope your son/daughter thoroughly enjoys their time with us over the next 7 years!

Key People

Transition Leader	Mr Lee Parfitt	lparfitt@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk
Admission queries	Miss Natalie Grady	ngrady@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk
SENCo	Mrs Marie Brocklebank	mwheeldon@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk
Lead First Aider (Medical)	Miss Jessica Hines	jhines@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk
School Admin Office	0121 329 8300	office@kingshurst.tgacademy.org.uk