Dear Parent & Carers,
Re: Mandela College welcome letter
As Head of Mandela College, I would like to welcome our students back to The Leigh Academy after the summer holidays. I do hope that you have all enjoyed a restful summer break. I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Mr. Bradley as Assistant Head of Mandela College.
Our year 7s have made a fantastic start to their secondary school journey; they have taken Responsibility, shown Resilience, and demonstrated Respect over the past few days as they navigate their way around our building and meet lots of new people. We are extremely proud of the GCSE exam successes, including some of our previous Year 10 students completing exams early in their home languages. It has also been wonderful to see so many Mandela students join our new Attenborough College cohort, as they return to The Leigh for their Post 16 studies. Below you will find some reminders and important information for this academic year:
Tutors
We are lucky enough to welcome some new members of staff to the Mandela tutor team. I’m pleased to announce our tutors for this academic year are:
| Year Group | Tutor Group | Tutor |
| Year 7 | MD01 | Mrs. J Evans & Mr. C Morriss |
| Year 7 | MD02 | Mrs. J Chow |
| Year 7 | MD03 | Ms. S Grindley |
| Year 8 | MD04 | Miss D Van Leeuwen |
| Year 8 | MD05 | Mr. A Matthews |
| Year 9 | MD06 | Mr. M Hayre |
| Year 9 | MD07 | Mr. T Lecky & Ms. S McCabe-Knowles |
| Year 10 | MD08 | Ms. J Amrat |
| Year 10 | MD09 | Miss J Ritson |
| Year 11 | MD10 | Mr. E McGarvey |
| Year 11 | MD11 | Ms. D Grozdanic |
The role of our tutors is vital in being the member of staff who has contact with your child every day during tutor time, delivering our tutor time programme and being the first point of contact for many of our young people and parents.
Uniform
Please click here for our academy uniform list.
Mobile Phones
Please also let us take this opportunity to remind you that mobile phones are not permitted to be used on the academy site. This includes contacting parents and carers throughout the day. If seen, they will be removed, students will receive a sanction, and parents or carers will be called to collect if students are repeat offenders. Should a child need to contact home during the day, they can do so through the Mandela college team.
Attendance and punctuality
Mandela College ended last academic year with overall attendance above national and local figures. This is a phenomenal achievement and is a testament to the resilience and commitment of our Mandela students. It is important that students arrive at school on time so that they are ready to line up in our college areas at 8:20 am.
Chromebooks & our digital strategy
Over the past few years, digital technologies have served an increasingly important role in your child’s education. In addition, our academy digital strategy, with every child being loaned a Chromebook for use at home and at the academy throughout their time with us, means that blended learning is a core part of your child’s education and therefore we want to ensure that all parents and carers have the most important information to hand. The Chromebook is a compulsory piece of equipment and must be charged and brought into the academy every day. If you have any questions about the Chromebooks or your child’s access to their Google Classrooms, please contact your son/daughter’s form tutor or college team via the established communication paths.
Our primary focus is that your child feels happy and well-supported in the first few days of term. Rest assured, your child’s teachers, tutor, and indeed all of the college staff will be there to support them every step of the way so that they can enjoy their high-quality lessons at The Leigh Academy.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to give a warm welcome to new students in Years 8 to 10 to the Mandela family. I would also like to give a special mention to Mrs Taylor, our Student Services Manager, and Mrs Tuck, our college Admin for their ongoing support.
If you wish to contact the Mandela team, please contact the college admin office on 01322 620 511 and you will be put in touch with the relevant person.
We are all really looking forward to a productive and exciting year ahead.
Yours Faithfully
Sarah Forde | Head of Mandela College
