It is with great excitement that I can share with you the plans for students starting the Academy in September. For our new year 7’s 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.

Arrangements for the first week in September

Monday 2nd September  Staff Training Day, students are not required to attend
Tuesday 3rd SeptemberY7 and Y11 only (all start in tutor room)
Wednesday 4th September  All year groups return (all start in tutor room)

Academy Entrances and Timings

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

Year GroupEntrance
Y7Stonehill Rise
Y8Stonehill Rise
Y9Stonehill Rise
Y10Stonehill Rise
Y11Jossey Lane

The gates will open at 8am every morning and bagels/fruit will be available in the dining room. 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 (New Year 7s)

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.