Big Speak Week
From Monday 6th July – Friday 10th July MEA Central will hold its annual Big Speak Week, where students will have opportunities to develop their oracy skills across the classroom.
As part of this event, we are excited to welcome Odd Arts into school on Wednesday 8th July. Odd Arts are a theatre company who use the power of theatre to challenge inequities and create opportunities for individuals facing the greatest levels of discrimination and challenge. Their website is here: Home - ARTS
Odd Arts will deliver a session to the boys in every year group exploring male identity and tackling misogyny. The girls will explore similar themes in sessions delivered by our teachers.
Flair Gold Award
We are delighted to share that our school has been awarded the FLAIR Gold Award for our commitment to racial equity and inclusion.
The Gold Award is the highest level of recognition and celebrates schools that have successfully embedded anti-racist practice across all aspects of school life. Following our Silver Award last year, we have continued to develop our work through staff training, student leadership, curriculum development, behaviour systems and ongoing engagement with our school community.
During the assessment, the FLAIR team praised the strength of our systems and processes, recognising that our approach is not based on one-off events or awareness days, but is embedded throughout the everyday life of the school. They were particularly impressed by the way we combine high expectations with education, restorative practice and student voice to create a culture where every member of our community feels valued and respected.
Over the past year, students have contributed through our Community of Belonging group, South Asian Heritage Month celebrations, curriculum activities and opportunities to explore identity, stereotypes, allyship and belonging. Alongside this, our staff have continued to develop their understanding and confidence, ensuring that inclusion remains central to everything we do.
We know that this work is never finished. Achieving Gold is an important milestone, but we remain committed to listening to our students, staff and families as we continue to strengthen our inclusive culture.
We would like to thank our students, staff, governors and families for their ongoing support. This award belongs to our whole school community, whose shared commitment to kindness, respect and belonging has made this achievement possible.
Joy and Belonging Theme Park Trip
A reminder to parents and carers that we are kindly requesting a contribution of £35 towards our Blackpool and Alton Towers trips on Thursday 16 July. These payments can be made via Arbor under the "trips" tab.
These trips are a longstanding highlight of the school calendar and provide students with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate their hard work, make lasting memories with friends and enjoy a rewarding end to the academic year.
As a school, we subsidise a significant proportion of the overall cost to ensure as many students as possible can take part. We would therefore be very grateful for any contributions towards the trip, as this support helps us to continue offering these valuable experiences to students in future years.
Attendance and Safeguarding
Attendance YTD
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Attendance this week |
Attendance YTD |
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Year 7 |
93.3% |
91.9% |
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Year 8 |
94.3% |
92.2% |
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Year 9 |
92.1% |
91.4% |
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Year 10 |
92.9% |
92.6% |
As we approach the end of the academic year, every school day continues to be important. Learning, in-class assessments, enrichment activities and preparation for the next year group all take place right up to the final day of term. Regular attendance helps children maintain their progress, build confidence and enjoy take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
If your child is going to be absent from school, you must ring and inform school before 9.00 am on each day of absence by calling: 0161 499 3736. Select option 1 and leave a voicemail.
This is part of our safeguarding procedure to ensure we know where all our students are if they are not in school. If contact is not received, we will ring home, including emergency contacts. If no contact is made, our school staff may visit you at home to ensure you and your child are well and to discuss reasons for absence. If we have safeguarding concerns and we cannot locate/make contact or obtain a valid reason for absence, we may be required to contact the Police requesting a ‘safe & well check’ – this is to ensure that you and your child are safe. This will only be initiated when and where appropriate.
All students in all year groups are welcome to attend our free Breakfast Club every day from 7.30am. Last entry is at 8.10am. The main school gates open at 8.30am and close at 8.40am. Arrival after 8.40am is considered late to school and an overtime will be given. If a student is repeatedly late, we will contact you and let you know and ask for your support to improve this.
As a school we want to work together to ensure that your children are happy and enjoy coming to school to learn new skills and socialise with their peers.
What school will do to support your child’s attendance:
How can parents support school attendance?
Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school regularly and on time. If your child has unauthorised absences or is repeatedly late to school, this may lead to further action, such as a Penalty Notice or a referral to the Local Authority for consideration of prosecution.
A Penalty Notice is currently £160 per parent, per child. This is reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days of the notice being issued.
Year 9 Weekly update
It's been a busy week for Year 9 and we have now started getting really excited about next year, as we finalise timetables and class groups. We have really high expectations for our cohort and firmly believe they all have a fantastic future ahead of them.
We completed our end of KS3 Benchmark tests in Maths, Science and English this week. It has been a while since our students have done a test in the Sports Hall, where students usually complete their GCSE exams, and they have all completed the tests like a true MEA Central scholar would.
This week we also held our Year 9 Futures event after school on Tuesday; thanks to all those of you that came and discussed your questions and concerns about Year 10. We have made notes of all your KS4 options requests, both raised in person and using our form online, and are now reviewing all. Please bear with us and someone from the team will be in touch to communicate if your request can be fulfilled.
Two more weeks to go!
Have a nice weekend.
Year 9 Team
Mx Umpierrez and Mx Eastwood
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Head of Year Messages |
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Year 7 – Ms. S Bryan/Mrs.K Park
As we approach the end of another successful academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 7 students on the fantastic attitude they have shown towards their learning. Their scholarly habits have been particularly impressive during this week's benchmark assessments, with students demonstrating excellent preparation, resilience, and commitment to their academic progress. It has been wonderful to see the effort and determination they have invested in achieving their very best.
Over the coming weeks, Year 7 students will gradually begin spending their social time in the main courtyard. This is an important milestone in their transition through secondary school and provides an excellent opportunity for them to demonstrate maturity, responsibility, and positive social interactions with older year groups. We are confident that they will continue to uphold the high standards they have shown throughout the year.
We would also like to draw parents' attention to a recent increase in conflicts stemming from social media interactions outside of school. We kindly ask for your support in helping to keep our young people safe online by ensuring that they are not using social media platforms that are not age-appropriate for 11–12-year-olds and by closely monitoring their online activity and interactions. By working together, we can help students build positive relationships and ensure that issues arising online do not impact their wellbeing or experience in school.
Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. We look forward to celebrating the many achievements of our Year 7 students as we head towards the summer break. |
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Year 8 – Ms. C Gates
This week we have been preparing for Big Speak Week, and it is going to be a fantastic week with so many opportunities for students to develop their oracy skills. In assembly and form time, scholars have been reflecting on how they have lived our school values of achievement, participation and citizenship this year, while also practising speaking and listening skills through turn and talk activities. Big Speak Week will celebrate students' voices, confidence and self-belief through a range of exciting enrichment opportunities, including Speakers' Corner and sessions with external visitors. It has been wonderful to see Year 8 embracing these opportunities and preparing to share their ideas with confidence.
As we begin to think about moving on up to Year 9, it is important that scholars continue to finish the year strong. Year 9 brings increased responsibility and new opportunities, so now is the time to continue showing excellent scholarly habits, maintaining high attendance and making the most of every lesson. We also have lots of exciting events to look forward to before the end of term. A reminder that we have the Band B Formby Beach trip, House Track and Field Day, the Joy and Belonging reward trip to Alton Towers, and House Extravaganza still to come. These are fantastic opportunities for students to get involved, build memories, and celebrate a successful year together.
Ms Gates and Mr Chowdhury |
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Year 10 – Mr C Blackburn Dear Parents and Carers, As we move towards the end of the academic year, I would like to congratulate Year 10 on another excellent week. Their resilience, maturity and positive attitude continue to impress us, and they are showing many of the qualities needed to make a successful transition into Year 11. Recently, students attended a College Taster Day at The Manchester College, which provided a valuable insight into life after school and the opportunities available post-16. This was a fantastic experience, allowing students to explore future pathways and begin thinking about the next stage of their educational journey. In addition, students have participated in a range of educational visits. Geography students visited Salford Quays, while History students travelled to Chester, both experiencing engaging and enjoyable opportunities to bring their classroom learning to life. It was wonderful to see students representing MEA Central so positively on these trips. Review Week Next week is Review Week, which is an extremely important opportunity for students to engage with the results of their Progress Exams. Students will review their assessments, celebrate their strengths, and identify areas for development as they begin preparing for Year 11. We encourage all students to take this process seriously, as understanding what to improve is a key step towards future success. Our Continued Focus As we finish the half term, our key priorities remain:
Key Dates 6th–10th July – Review of Progress Test Week Thank you for your continued support. We are incredibly proud of the progress Year 10 have made this year and look forward to helping them finish strongly as they prepare for the exciting challenges of Year 11. Best wishes, |
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