Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you all had an enjoyable and restful summer break. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new members to our Sancho community and welcome back those of you that are returning. I am very excited to start my own journey at LAB – and in Sancho in particular – having joined the school from a previous role as Vice Principal at another academy in Central London.
We have a new Sancho team this year, with myself coming in as Head of College and Mr. Smith stepping up as Deputy Head of Sancho. We are very ably supported by our Student Service Managers: Ms Kerr, who was in Sancho last year; and Ms Coulter, who is also highly experienced. We are supported in Sancho by several of our Directors of Learning: Mr Oelschlägel, Ms Fairs, and Ms Ofori-Boadu.
It has been amazing to get to meet many students so far, and to welcome the new Year 7 cohort into the Academy. Throughout Sancho college the standard of uniform, equipment and engagement in lessons has been excellent. It has been great to see so many students showing that they are proud to be a part of Sancho and demonstrating that we are the politest and hardest-working college in the school. Thank you for supporting this smooth and purposeful start to the year.
Curriculum:
It is, in particular, an important year for our Y11 students. As you can expect, we will be communicating regularly with parents/carers on what support is available and events that will be happening. A vital resource for them, but also all year groups, is our curriculum. This can be found in full from Year 7 to 11 on our website here.
Tutors:
We are lucky enough to welcome some new members of staff to the Sancho College team with some undertaking the role of tutor. I’m pleased to announce our tutors for this academic year are as follows:
- Mr Palmer – Tutor for 7B
- Ms Morris – Tutor for 7E
- Mr Rexhepi – Tutor for 8B
- Ms Kalnins – Tutor for 8E
- Mr Hance – Tutor for 9B
- Ms Evans – Tutor for 9E
- Ms White – Tutor for 10B
- Ms Rendall – Tutor for 10E
- Mr Birchmore – Tutor for 11B
- Mr Walker – Tutor for 11E
The role of our tutors is vital as the member of staff who has contact with your child every day during tutor time, delivering our personal development programme. They are also the first point of contact for parents/carers.
Uniform:
A reminder that, on those days when they are timetabled to have PE, students should come to school wearing their PE kit. On days where your child does not have PE, your child is expected to wear the following as per the guidance available on our website:
- Our navy blue blazer with academy crest;
- Steel grey classic trouser or pleated skirt;
- White button up shirt;
- Leigh Academy Blackheath college or founders tie;
- Plain navy or grey socks;
- Black leather shoes with plain laces (coloured laces are not permitted).
Mobile Phones:
Please also let me take this opportunity to remind you that mobile phones are not permitted to be used on the academy site. If seen, they will be removed, and parents or carers will be called to collect. Should a child need to contact home during the day, they can do so through the main office.
National Online Safety:
As you are aware, Leigh Academy Blackheath is proud to be a digital school and we continue to work hard to ensure our students are being safe and responsible online. At LAB we continuously work with all students to make them aware of the negative effects of poor engagement with social media. This is delivered through our tutor programme, pastoral intervention work and the online safety content of our Computing curriculum. You may find the following resources available on the National Online Safety site useful to also support these conversations at home. All parents are encouraged to sign up to access resources and courses via the following link: https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/leigh-academy-blackheath
I look forward to working in partnership with you over this next productive and exciting year.
Yours sincerely,
Mr J Powell | Vice Principal – Head of Sancho College
Mr J Smith | Assistant Principal – Deputy Head of Sancho College