Eco Club Explores Life Beneath the Surface

17th July 2025Rachael Stokes

Thanks to the hard work put into restoring our pond area this year—and the fantastic support from our wider community—we are now able to use this wonderful space to enhance pupils’ learning experiences.

Today, members of the Eco Club embraced this opportunity with enthusiasm, joining a conservation officer from Smestow Valley for an exciting pond dipping session. The pupils investigated the pond’s inhabitants, using magnification to closely examine a fascinating variety of aquatic life.

Among the discoveries were lesser and greater water boatmen, mayfly nymphs, leeches, midge larvae, water hoglouse, and even several smooth newts!

The group also learned about how aquatic organisms are indicators of water quality. Encouragingly, the findings suggest that our pond is thriving and supports a healthy, balanced ecosystem.

Charity Walk

17th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

St Edmund’s annual charity walk will take place yesterday.  The weather was perfect and the students were amazing. Everyone had lots of fun. Some students jogged the whole distance, many walked and some Eco Club students even collected the litter as they went along.

This year we are raising funds for Father Hudson’s ‘Walk a mile’. More information about the initiative can be found here: Walk A Mile 

There is still time to make charitable donations on Arbor via the School Shop.

 

 

Alton Castle

17th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

Let the fun begin…………..

Programme of Events:

Day 3

 

Day 2

 

 

Day 1

Year 9 Students Conquer the Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition

16th July 2025Mrs D Curtis
Thirty-two adventurous Year 9 students recently rose to the challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, embarking on a two-day, one-night expedition across the beautiful landscape of Cannock Chase.
With rucksacks packed full of everything they needed to be completely self-sufficient, the students set off on their planned route armed with nothing but a map, a compass, and plenty of determination. After six hours of trekking through forests and open terrain, they arrived at the campsite, tired but in great spirits.
Once there, they worked together to pitch their tents and set up their stoves to prepare well-earned evening meals. With full bellies and a sense of achievement, everyone settled down for a well-deserved rest under the stars.
At dawn, the campsite was alive with activity as the students woke at 6am, packed away their gear, and began the second leg of their expedition. Moving with growing confidence and teamwork, they navigated their route more swiftly, completing their adventure by 2pm on Tuesday afternoon.
This was a fantastic effort by every student involved. They showed resilience, independence, and great spirit throughout. A huge well done to all 32 Year 9 students—we are incredibly proud of what you accomplished!

Ride for Joe Fundraiser

16th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

Congratulations to Charlie Beech who completed the 30 mile ‘Ride for Joe’ on Sunday 13th July.

This fundraising event was in memory of Joe Guy who passed away following an accident on his bike.

All funds raised went to West Midlands Air Ambulance.

 

 

Thank You To The Siobhan Dowd Trust

15th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

St Edmund’s Catholic Academy library readers were delighted to be offered a fantastic opportunity, by the Siobhan Dowd Trust, to go on a bookspree at a local bookstore and choose books for reading for pleasure.

The grant was provided to encourage pupils to develop a love of buying books from book sellers and the joy of browsing. Mrs Sarah Smith, Librarian at St Edmund’s said, “Pupils were delighted to be able to select and purchase reading material for their enjoyment.

St Edmund’s has a wonderful reading community which was highlighted in our recent Ofsted. We are thrilled to be selected from so many applicants. 

The Siobhan Dowd Trust works to give young people the opportunity to read and enjoy literature. It is the money earned through royalties and foreign sales of Siobhan’s books that allows the trust to support deserving projects.

 

The Siobhan Dowd Trust Exists To Fund Any Person Or Groups That:

  • Take stories to children and young people without stories;
  • Bring the joy of reading and books to children and young people deprived of access to books and of the opportunity to read;
  • Fund and support disadvantaged young readers where there is no funding or support. In accordance with Siobhan’s wishes, our funding process is very open, flexible, and we hope, simple.

 

Letter from Buckingham Palace

14th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

Incredible news for St Edmund’s Catholic Academy!  

Our Year 9 students received a special letter from Buckingham Palace, personally thanking them for their thoughtful message to the King about environmental concerns!

His Majesty was “immensely touched” by their proactive research and eco-friendly plastic alternative ideas. Let’s celebrate our students’ dedication to protecting our natural world!

 

#StEdmundsAcademy #EnvironmentalAction #RoyalRecognition #ProudSchool.

 

Work Experience Success for Jessica

14th July 2025Mrs D Curtis

Jessica, a Year 10 student at St Edmund’s, completed her work experience placement at Wightwick Hall School 7th – 11th July. She had the opportunity to support students with complex needs and built wonderful relationships with both the students and the staff.

The placement was so succesful, Jessica received a glowing reference from the class teacher highligting her commitment, reliability, creativity and initiative.

This placement demonstrated how important work experience can be to students and the successes they can bring.  Jessica clearly had the opportunity to develop what it would be like to be employed and has shown that working with SEND complex needs students will be a career path to consider beyond St Edmund’s.

Well done Jessica. You truly embraced the work experience opportunity and demonstrated how vaulable they can be.

Thank you to Wightwick Hall School for giving Jessica the opportunity.

 

 

Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Practice Expedition – A Peak District Adventure

11th July 2025Rachael Stokes

Nine determined Sixth Form students recently embarked on a memorable four-day Practice Expedition as part of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, exploring the breathtaking landscapes of the Peak District.

Setting off bright and early at 6:30 am, the group arrived in the picturesque village of Monyash just after 8:30 am. Without delay, the students divided into two teams, shouldered their fully loaded rucksacks, and set off on their pre-planned routes through the hills—carrying everything they would need for the days ahead.

Day 1 saw strong navigation and excellent teamwork as both groups made steady progress through the rugged terrain. Upon reaching their campsite, they prepared a variety of evening meals before settling into their tents, ready for the challenges to come.

Day 2 brought soaring temperatures of up to 30°C, but the students showed outstanding resilience and determination. They returned to camp on time, cooked dinner, and took a well-earned rest in preparation for another demanding day.

On Day 3, the two groups combined to form a single, cohesive team. With roles and responsibilities shared naturally among them, they tackled the iconic Mam Tor climb—rewarded with panoramic views and a strong sense of achievement. The evening was filled with laughter, games, campfires, and toasted marshmallows—until the midges arrived!

Day 4 began with classic Peak District drizzle, but spirits remained high. The group packed up efficiently and completed their final hike, which included a steep ascent of Jacob’s Ladder. By 3:00 pm, they had reached their finish point—tired but immensely proud.

Over the course of the expedition, the students covered more than 60 km on foot, climbed over 600m in elevation, and spent an incredible 32 hours hiking. Their performance was a true testament to their teamwork, perseverance, and adventurous spirit.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Mrs Hobday and Mrs Beech for their guidance and support throughout the journey—making this incredible experience possible.

The team is now fully prepared for their assessed expedition on Monday 7th July. Best of luck—we’re all cheering you on!

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Achievement

11th July 2025Mrs D Curtis
The Duke of Edinburgh programme is a life changing experience for 14-24 year olds.  Those taking part get the chance to develop essential skills for life and work whilst having fun, engaging in new experiences and making new friends. When successfully completed the programme leads to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

 

We are delighted that some of our students completed and passed their gold expedition section this week.  They have climbed over 800m, travelled between 15 -18km per day and all while carrying heavy rucksacks.  They have seen all sorts of weather conditions and survived the plague of midges!!!

 

Mr Deeming, expedition leader said, “I can’t express how unbelievably proud I am of of all the students who have taken part this week and what they have accomplished. I believe this is the first group of students to achieve the  Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at St Edmunds. They have all been so amazing”.