Dear Parent/Carer,
Following today’s earlier letter from Karen Slater, I am delighted to write my first letter to you as Principal of the Edge Academy. I would first of all like to thank Karen for her sterling work as Interim Principal over the last year and wish her well in the new role that she has been appointed to.
I am immensely proud to have been appointed Principal of The Edge from April 2018- I live locally, was born and bred in Northfield and have a great affinity for the academy having initially joined it as Vice Principal in April 2017. Prior to joining The Edge, I started my career as a French teacher, became a Head of Year and went on to work on senior leadership teams for ten years in three secondary schools in Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands.
At The Edge, our vision is all about “Shaping Futures” and quite simply, we will continue to aim to provide the best education we possibly can so that each and every student who joins us can achieve their potential. As an Alternative Provision academy, we recognise that many of our students join us having had numerous challenges to overcome. Mainstream school is not the right environment for all and we can provide students with the chances to be successful in a different setting with a different curriculum. Although we offer all students the opportunity to secure five Level 2 qualifications, we are equally committed to our enrichment programme, the trips we offer, and the emphasis we place upon employability and vocational learning.
Under my leadership, we will continue to strive to shape the futures of all of our students by:
- teaching engaging lessons and encouraging students to work hard to achieve their potential.
- preparing them effectively for the world of work and higher/further education.
- relentlessly supporting them so that they develop strong self-belief and consistently high expectations of themselves.
- ensuring that they work collaboratively with all students and staff, irrespective of differences with others.
It is a privilege for me to lead a dedicated team of staff and we are keen to develop our links with parents/carers and the wider community. Please feel free to contact me directly via e-mail at [email protected] if I can be of assistance in any way, we aim to communicate regularly with the community through our website, letters, e-mails and our social media platforms at www.twitter.com/edgenorthfield and www.facebook.com/edgeacademynorthfield. We have excellent links with our family of local schools but now work with a variety of schools across the Midlands and would also be delighted to hear from schools, businesses and any other institutions who wish to play a part in supporting our students!
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Wakefield
Principal