On Tuesday 2nd May, 4 more lucky cadets had the opportunity to take part in flying an aircraft as part of their CCF Training. 

Taking place at an RAF base the pupils got the chance to experience what life as a pilot in the RAF might entail as they explored the hangar prior to take off. With them gearing up in full Top Gun gear it was time for the standard safety drill as they prepared for the flights of their lives.

Taking it in turn each cadet had the chance to fly in the two seater plane manned by thier very own seasoned RAF pilot. During the flight they all took control of the plane centre column to get the full flying experience. Following this there was arial acrobatics from loop-de-loop to barrel rolls and even a chance to experience zero gravity, going vertically up and straight back down.

All cadets landed back safely on terra firma with wide grins and exciting stories for their families. We are very proud of our cadets for showing courage and bravery and can’t wait for the next set of cadets to enjoy it.

Matrix’s first ever cross-trust pupil awards event, held at Millennium Point on 20^th April, was a fantastic success.

Pupils were recognised for exemplifying our trust values of creativity, resilience, selflessness, enthusiasm and continuous improvement. There were also awards for exemplary members of our Cadet Forces.

With more than 7000 pupils across our trust schools, it was really difficult to choose the 46 award winners. Those who did receive the awards should feel deservedly proud of their achievement.

The awards-giving was punctuated with several fantastic performances, including DJs from Barr Beacon, a piano virtuoso from Year 4 of Bloxwich Academy and Etone’s ‘Mega Band’. Before the event, we had over an hour of performances from pupils across our trust schools, all of who had been selected to perform after a trust-wide talent competition, which had more than 100 entrants.

The evening started with a video relating the story of our trust up until the end of 2022. Our CEO Ms Draycott then spoke about the two newest schools, Smestow Academy and Wednesfield Academy, who joined the Matrix family this year.

There was also a special video explaining ‘what a makes a Matrix pupil’, starring a teacher from each of our schools.

Here is what some of our parents and carers have said about the event:

“The awards ceremony was fantastic. It was great to see pupils getting their awards and the fantastic performances from across the Matrix Academy Trust schools.”

“It meant so much to see all the pupils being awarded for life skills rather than academic achievement. The head teachers giving a little speech about each pupil was a lovely touch and really personalised it.”

“Thank you for a wonderful evening.  It was very special to see everyone receiving their awards.”

“Thank you for a special evening celebrating the achievements of pupils.  We are especially proud of our daughter!”

“Tonight was simply amazing!” 

Ms Draycott and Director of School Improvement Mr Lowbridge-Ellis introduced each of the awards and our headteachers explained who they had chosen and why. Trustee Sir Mark Aspinall bestowed the awards on the worthy winners.

The Junior Mathematical Challenge is national competition where students have 60-minutes to complete a multiple-choice Challenge that encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. 

The problems on the Junior Mathematical Challenge are designed to make students think.  Most are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience.

Those that do particularly well are then invited to take part in the Junior Olympiad and Junior Kangaroo Maths Challenges.

This year, the competition was on 26^th April 2023, and the school selected thirty Year 7 students and thirty Year 8 students to take part.

The results will not be available for another couple of weeks as they need to be processed by the UKMT, but I think we could still say well done to all of those that took part.

Over the last two weeks our Year 8’s have had the opportunity to visit Bradgate Park in Leicestershire as they take part in fieldwork for Geography.

An important part of the curriculum pupils got the chance to explore the natural landscape and some of the key features of the acres of land left in trust for the people of Leicestershire by the Gray family.

Pupils got the chance to explore Bradgate in all its glory with the chance to check out the visitor centre and even pay a visit to Old John. 

Old John is the highest hill in the park and at the top shares its name with the folly that sits upon it, built in 1784. Known for its mug shape our pupils got the chance to view the whole of the park and the fantastic landscape of Leicestershire.

It was a really wonderful trip and we were once again proud of how our pupils showcased our Etone Values. We can’t wait for more trips as we head into summer term.

On Tuesday the 25th April a group of Etone pupils took part in a special master class at Coventry University.  With the title being: Spies, Sabotage and Assassinations in Sociology., the event was set to be a thrilling epic.

The pupils got a chance to explore the campus of the university as they look to explore their futures beyond school and experience the best out careers curriculum has to offer.

During the actual sessions pupils got a chance to explore what life as a university student would feel like with talks from the Student Union team and Student Help team.

Pupils also got the chance to look at what the world of Sociology has in store for them as the completed activities that looked to challenge them and their skills.

This is the third in a series of visits to the university this year as we strengthen our partnership with Coventry and develop our links. 

A big thank you to Coventry University, we can’t wait to come back.