Dear Leigh Academy Bexley Community,
Welcome to the start of the final module of this academic year. Students have quickly settled back into their learning following the half-term break. There’s lots to look forward to in this module with sports days, Cultural Capital week, our school production and Year 11 Prom to name just a few!
Attendance for Year 11 examinations has been incredible; we are very proud of their dedication and commitment, especially as the weather is due to improve.
Alongside our regular articles this week there is a real focus on the International Baccalaureate Middle Years curriculum currently being studied by our students in Years 7.
As always, if we can support you in any way please contact us via info@labexley.org.uk, where we will make every endeavour to respond within 24 hours.
Best wishes,
Mr John Dixon | Principal, Leigh Academy Bexley
Leigh Academies Trust World Book Day Story Writing Competition
Leigh Academies Trust would like to thank everyone who participated in their World Book Day story writing competition. The quality of the entries received by the Trust was excellent and they deeply appreciated the time, creativity, and hard work that the children dedicated to crafting their stories. They would also like to thank the staff within each academy for their invaluable support and encouragement provided to the participating children. The imaginative narratives and engaging writing styles showcased the talent within our Trust, making the judging process extremely challenging.
We have pleasure in announcing the following winners:
| Jasmia R | KS3 | Winner |
| Barakah H | KS3 | 2nd |
| Donotas K | KS3 | 3rd |
| Oluwajomiloju A | KS3 | Runner-up |
| Leah E | KS4 | Winner |
🌟 Celebrating Academic Success
We are pleased to celebrate and recognise our highest-performing students on the SPARX platform.
These students have demonstrated outstanding dedication, effort, and consistency in their home independent learning, showcasing their commitment to excellence in English, Mathematics and Science.
Congratulations to all of them for their hard work and achievement!
Their perseverance serves as an inspiration to their peers, and we encourage all students to continue engaging with SPARX to support their learning and progress.
English
- Barakah H – Year 7
- Sasmita K – Year 9
- Sophie W – Year 9
- Amber J – Year 7
- Isobella H – Year 8
- Mamadou D – Year 9
- Bayley R – Year 9
- Kleart B – Year 9
- Peighton C – Year 9
- Lacey P – Year 7
Mathematics
- Alexia B – Year 7
- Dollers H – Year 10
- Shumaiza I – Year 8
- Faith E – Year 8
- Marcus T – Year 8
- Malachi S – Year 8
- Scarlett-Rose R – Year 9
- James T – Year 8
- Luka McG – Year 7
- Yoel P – Year 8
Science
- Barakah H – Year 7
- Teddy D – Year 7
- Ruben C – Year 7
- Blessing A – Year 7
- Daniel H – Year 10
- Summer Y – Year 7
- Praise W – Year 7
- Yoel P – Year 8
- Henry J – Year 7
- Omotade B – Year 9
MYP Science Assessment
Last Thursday, Year 7s were outside launching rockets they built this week as part of their MYP Science assessment. Despite the weather, the young scientists gathered amazing results, with one rocket flying as far as 10 meters under the same pressure! Who knows if one of these young scientists may be working for NASA in the future. It was a joy for them to see what they, as a team, had made come to life.
We will share more of our practical MYP learning in future editions of our parent bulletin, so watch this space!
CPD Corner: How we support Teachers
LABex Teaching staff take part in various weekly Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions. We thought it would be good to highlight to our parents, carers and guardians the weekly foci as we continue to commit to supporting our staff to deliver high quality lessons and learning episodes. The aim in this section, therefore, is to share the focus for the week and how we know this will positively impact our students at LABex.
Staff training last week focused on revisiting an important aspect of teaching, how we aim to give ‘Effective Feedback’ to our students. The session revisited the purpose behind our new Feedback Policy and the different methods teachers can use to help ensure that every student receives clear, actionable advice to improve their work. This is outlined in our Focus of the Week section below.
Focus of the Week: New Feedback Policy – The Crib Sheet
During the last module, we launched a new feedback policy called ‘the Crib Sheet’. After every 6 to 8 lessons, students will receive a crib sheet that looks like this:
Why it matters: Regular feedback from the teacher helps students understand what they’re doing well and where they need to improve. It keeps them motivated and supports their progress toward learning goals.
At home tip: Ask your child to explain the purpose of the crib sheet and why they are important.
Student Voice
“Using the crib sheets has helped me know exactly what to revise for each topic – I feel more confident going into tests.”
Year 10 student
“Your lesson really helped prepare me for the exam. I remembered how to use the sources because I remembered how you taught this in our revision lesson. Thank you!”
Year 10 History Student
MYP (Middle Years Programme)
Diving Deep: Unpacking the “Thinker” Learner Profile 🧠🌍
Last module, we introduced the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum we proudly follow as a candidate school. Last week, we put a spotlight on one of the ten crucial Learner Profile attributes: being a Thinker.
At Leigh Academy Bexley, we’re committed to nurturing students who embody the IB Learner Profile. Last week, our focus was squarely on what it means to be a Thinker.
Thinkers are individuals who skillfully employ critical and creative thinking to analyze complex problems and arrive at well-reasoned decisions. Within the MYP, we actively encourage our students to:
- Reflect deeply on their learning journeys.
- Ask insightful questions that push boundaries.
- Explore innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Embracing the role of a Thinker means:
- Approaching problems with a blend of logic and imagination.
- Evaluating diverse perspectives before forming conclusions.
- Making ethical and informed choices.
- Applying thinking skills across all academic subjects.
By developing as Thinkers, our students become more independent, reflective, and prepared to confidently and compassionately navigate our ever-evolving world.
Let’s continue to support our learners as they grow into thoughtful global citizens!
This week, we’ll delve into another fascinating aspect of the MYP Learner Profile.
🚀 Strive Corner: Extending Your Child’s Learning
Each week in Strive Corner, we’ll spotlight either an exceptional piece of student challenge work or a useful tip to support independent thinking and stretch learning further.
This space is designed to celebrate subject passion, curiosity, and learning that goes beyond the core curriculum. Whether it’s showcasing outstanding work or sharing simple strategies, our aim is to provide a glimpse into how students are challenging themselves — and to inspire the same enthusiasm and depth at home.
This week, we’re sharing practical tips to help support independent learning at home:
- Encourage wider reading: Ask your child to read around their subjects – for example, historical fiction for History, or science magazines like BBC Focus.
- Use online platforms: Websites like Seneca, BBC Bitesize, and Tutor2U offer excellent free content to reinforce classroom learning.
- Explore current events: Discuss news stories and help your child make links between real-world issues and school topics.
- Nurture curiosity: When your child asks questions, explore the answers together – or challenge them to research and share what they find.
