September 2014
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I have great pleasure in writing to you for the first time as Head of Malcolm Arnold Senior School. I
am immensely proud to have been given the honour of shaping the future of the academy and
having met all the students in assembly and around the academy in the first two weeks, I can
honestly say that I will be working with some outstanding students who have high aspirations for
themselves and their future.
These are exciting times, following the school's best ever A Level (or equivalent) results in 2014,
where over 61% of all grades were A*, A or B, an outstanding achievement. The challenge now is to
ensure that students passing through the academy all develop the learning habits that will not only
enable them to meet and surpass their personal targets, but also furnish them with the skills and
attributes needed to flourish in the adult world of work.
I would like to welcome those parents and carers who have students joining us in year seven and in
higher years. We will be holding a ‘settling in’ evening for those students who are new to the
academy and year twelve students on Thursday 23rd October where parents can meet form tutors.
An invitation letter will be sent out nearer the time.
We have had many causes for celebration this year. We have maintained our high GCSE success rate
in maths with some students gaining extremely high passes. We wish all students who are
embarking on sixth form courses every success and we are delighted they are continuing their
education with us.
As you know, all the students have been given an academy bag, provided for them free of charge by
the David Ross Education Trust. The bag is essentially part of the students’ uniform and must be
used in the academy every day. Please ensure that they also bring pens, pencils and any other
equipment they need. I am delighted that the students all look so smart and ready to learn.
Key stage three students (year seven and year eight) are all taking part in the ‘Enrichment
Programme’ on Wednesday afternoons. Enrichment lasts until 4pm and students will rotate through
various activities throughout the two years. I would like to introduce Mrs Humphries (Key stage
three leader) who has made an outstanding start to her new role on return from maternity leave,
ensuring both year seven and year eight have returned with high expectations regarding standards
and achievement.
As this is my first letter, I thought it useful to share the current leadership team and invite parents to
an informal ‘drop in’ on Wednesday 8th October at 4pm. Each term there will be informal sessions
where you will be able to meet with me and other members of the leadership team, so if you are
unable to make this one there will be more throughout the year, at different times, to cater for
parents who cannot make the earlier start.
Leadership Team
Mr Chris Steed – Head of Malcolm Arnold Senior School
Mrs Kate A’court – Assistant Principal
Ms Helen Field – Assistant Principal
Mr Lee Irwin – Assistant Principal
Mr Paul Lamb – Assistant Principal
Mrs Carol Scrivener Wallace – Assistant Principal
Mr Colin Waite – Assistant Principal
Mr Toby Mullins – Executive Principal, Malcolm Arnold Campus
The focus of the first ‘drop in’ will be our Key stage three offer and will involve a short presentation
from our Key stage three leader, followed by the opportunity for parents to meet with members of
the leadership team, to ask questions. If you would like to attend please email Caroline Cunningham
on c.cunningham@malcolmarnoldacademy.co.uk by Monday 6th October so we can arrange a
suitable sized venue.
We look forward to another busy year at Malcolm Arnold Academy and I do hope to meet you
throughout the year.
Yours sincerely
Mr Chris Steed
Head of Malcolm Arnold Senior School