Family Reading Mornings Bring Community Together At Castle Newnham Primary, our new Family Reading Mornings have been a wonderful success. Every Friday morning, parents, grandparents and carers joined their children with a book and a smile. Transforming Reception and Year 1 classrooms into a bustling hub of shared stories and literary adventure. The atmosphere was magical, with soft chatter and rustling pages replacing the usual morning rush. The initiative has strengthened home and school connections and inspired a love of reading across our community. We ended the term with our first Reading Café, where families enjoyed books, biscuits and great conversation. Thanks to the fantastic response, Family Reading Mornings will now be a regular event for Reception to Year 4 - continuing to make our school a place where stories truly come to life. Castle Newnham Celebrates Diversity and Culture On Tuesday 25th June, Castle Newnham Secondary proudly celebrated our inaugural Culture Day – a vibrant celebration of diversity and cultural pride designed and led by our Junior Leadership Team. Pupils across both our junior and senior phases embraced the opportunity to express their heritage through traditional clothing and cultural activities. In the CASTLE NEWNHAM Bedford | Reception - Year 11 Ofsted – Secondary Good (2024) Primary Outstanding (2013) castlenewnham.school secondary phase, students participated in African Kente weaving, samba music workshops, and explorations of Ancient Greek theatre, immersing themselves in both historical and contemporary cultural experiences. It allowed students to connect, share, and celebrate each other’s backgrounds, reinforcing the inclusive and welcoming environment that lies at the heart of our school ethos. Looking ahead to 2026, we are committed to building on this strong foundation by continuing to empower our pupils. This begins with the studentled selection of our Head Boys and Head Girls – a step that reflects our belief in pupil voice and leadership. Ofsted Praises School Etonbury Academy is “a welcoming and nurturing place to learn”, concluded Ofsted inspectors following their visit in April, during which they offered high praise for the school. Inspectors were impressed with all aspects of provision, highlighting how much pupils enjoy attending, as well as the high expectations set by staff, which pupils rise to meet. The report celebrates pupils’ strong sense of belonging to the school community, how they feel safe, cared for, and known as individuals, and the consistently strong outcomes they achieve. Etonbury’s curriculum was commended for its ambition and breadth, along with the school’s extensive and well-planned character development programme. Behaviour was judged to be excellent, attendance is high, and pupils consistently demonstrate kindness and respect towards one another. First Cohort Achieves Outstanding Results and University Success August 2025 marked an historic milestone for Etonbury Academy as we celebrated the achievements of our first-ever cohort of A Level and BTEC Level 3 students. An impressive 96% of students secured places at their first-choice universities. There were some outstanding individual performances, with several students achieving A* and A grades across the ETONBURY ACADEMY board. Heads of department were also celebrating strong subject outcomes, including: • Art – 100% A*–B • Maths – 64% A*–B • Sociology – 50% A*–B • History – 50% A*–B • Health & Social Care – 57% Distinction*–Distinction • Sport – 50% Distinction • Travel & Tourism – 45% Distinction*–Distinction Our students have gone on to study a diverse range of subjects at universities across the UK, including English, Geology, Law, Criminology, Forensic Science, Mathematics, 3D Animation, Accounting, and Psychology. Arlesey & Stotfold Year 5 - 13 Ofsted – Good (2020) etonbury.org.uk 16 17
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