Parent Updates

This week saw the launch of the Ark Boulton Character Passport. Pupils in each Year Group will have the opportunity to complete character-building activities in increasing levels of complexity and challenge. Over the academic year, pupils will achieve rewards and certification, while building on the values and virtues – the Character traits – that are integral to the Boulton community.

Details of your child’s Character journey can be found in their Pupil Handbook. Please read on for important updates for the coming weeks. 

Mr Cole, Principal

We are hosting an Open Evening on Thursday 24th September from 4.00pm for parents / carers of prospective Ark Boulton pupils.

We are also hosting Open Mornings on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th September at 9.00am, by appointment only. 

Please click here to book your place. 

On Monday 21st September, our Community Clinic will focus on Online Safety and Mobile Phones. 

Community Clinics are held every Monday from 9.30 – 10.30am. Each week has a different focus and all parents / carers are welcome to come along. If you are planning to join us, please sign in at Reception at 9.30am. 

Pupils in Years 7 – 10 should bring headphones to school with them each day next week as they will be needed in their Personal Development lessons. Thank you for your support. 

Our Enrichment programme for 2026-2027 begins on Monday 21st September. 

We want to encourage all parents and carers to support their children to attend at least one lunchtime or after school enrichment activity during the week. 

To attend an after-school club, a consent form will need to be signed by parents / carers. Consent forms can be collected by pupils from their form tutor, Mr Ahad or Mr Nore, and once returned, pupils can begin attending their chosen enrichment activities.

Click here for our full Enrichment timetable.

To help us to prepare the school for Open Evening, pupils in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be dismissed from school from 12.30pm on Thursday 24th September. All pupils in Years 7 – 10 will be offsite by 12.45pm, unless they have received a detention. 

On Thursday 24th September, detentions will begin at 12.45pm. You will be notified by message if your child has been issued a detention, as per the usual process. Detentions will run as follows:

• C2: 30 minutes (12.45pm – 1.15pm)
• C3: 60 minutes (12.45pm – 1.45pm)
• C4: 80 minutes (12.45pm – 2.05pm) 

Year 11 pupils are expected to remain in school for all lessons, including Period 7, on this date. 

We take the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils seriously and I am therefore pleased to confirm that our Place2Be colleagues will continue to support our pupils throughout 2026-2027. 

Place2Be is a national charity that supports schools to improve the confidence and wellbeing of children and young people by providing emotional and therapeutic support to pupils, their families and staff. ‘Place2Talk’ is a service is open to all Ark Boulton Academy pupils, who can make an appointment to spend 15 minutes with a trained counsellor, either by themselves or with a friend.

For more information about Place2Be and Place2Talk, please read the Place2Be letter. 

This term, pupils in Key Stage 3 are studying a range of ambitious literary texts. As part of their English studies, students will encounter challenging ideas and themes which allow them to explore different periods, perspectives and experiences.

For more information, please read the KS3 English Letter. 

Two years ago, Ark Boulton was invited to take part in a project led by the Observatory for Mathematical Education, who are researching maths education in secondary schools. The project continues this year with our Year 9 pupils. Taking part involves pupils completing a survey during one of their Maths lessons and will not have a detrimental impact on their studies.

Please read the Year 9 Maths in Schools letter and Information Sheet for more details, including what information will be shared with the Observatory and how to withdraw your child from the project if preferred. 

This week our Year 10 students took part in the Launch of the Ahead Partnership Careers programme. Students met with professionals from industry and took part in a Q&A panel, to help them to think about their own careers and future destinations. Some of our Year 11 students who took part in the programme last year then shared their experiences of the programme with the group. 

The Year 10 cohort will next take part in a Careers Speed Networking Event on Monday 12th October, where they will meet industry professionals from top firms across Birmingham. After this event, students will be able to apply for the Bootcamp: 30 spaces are available for a bespoke academic pathway supporting students with university visits and work experience.

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Ahead Partnership Team with Mr Nore, Assistant Principal (Personal Development)

• Community Clinic is on Monday 21st September at 9.30am. This week’s focus is Online Safety and Mobile Phones. 
• We are hosting an Open Evening on Thursday 24th September from 4pm. Pupils in Years 7 – 10 will be dismissed from school at 12.30pm, unless they have a detention. 
• Year 11 Information Evening is on Thursday 1st October 2026 

Please click here to see our full Calendar, and here for Term Dates, including next year’s.