Letter to Parents and Carers: September 2026 Welcome Back
Wed 09 Sep 2026
Dear Parents and Carers,
We were delighted to welcome our students back to the academy last week. Staff greeted students with immense pride and it was a pleasure to hear their excited chatter as they settled into new timetables and met their new teachers. We hope your children had a lovely, restful summer and are ready to embrace the new school year. Thank you for your continued support in ensuring students were prepared for their return. Our core focus remains on prioritising teaching, learning, and educating our young people to be responsible citizens.
Maintaining High Standards
We will continue to maintain our high uniform expectations and standards from the start of the year. Essential reminders:
- No jewellery should be worn in the academy.
- Trousers must be plain black and in a tailored formal style; must not be cropped, tight/skinny fit, made of stretch or patterned fabric.
- Trousers should not have decorative buttons, buckles or fashion belts;
- Jeans, flares, cargo or bootlegged trousers, tracksuit bottoms, jeggings or leggings are not acceptable
- Trousers must be worn with plain black socks
- Skirts must always be worn to the knee or just above the knee.
- Planners and necessary equipment are essential to ensure students are ready to learn.
We appreciate your support in ensuring students look smart and are ready to engage in their curricular activities. We meet and greet students at the doors daily to set a positive tone for the day
Attendance and Punctuality
We are proud that attendance in the academy is the best it has been in three years, which has a clear impact on student outcomes, evidenced by the wonderful GCSE results of our Year 11 leavers.
- Our doors open everyday for student arrival at 8:20.
- All students should be present in period 1 by 8:30, ready to learn.
- Please schedule medical appointments, wherever possible, to minimise lost learning time by ensuring students gain their morning mark and return to school as soon as possible.
Key Year Group Focus
This is an extremely important final year for our Y11 students, and it is vital that every member of our school community supports them.
Additionally, our Y9 students are beginning their crucial GCSE journey (KS4). We encourage you to discuss this important stage with your child.
We have also had the pleasure of welcoming our new Year 7 cohort to the academy. We are delighted you selected Shafton for your child’s education and we look forward to the next five years.
Important Information
We encourage you to access key information shared before the summer break on our website.
Finally, please be reminded of our key contact information and our expectation of conduct when visiting or making contact with the academy.
Thank you as always for your support.
Yours faithfully,
Alison McQueen
Principal