We are delighted that you have been offered a place at Tewkesbury Academy and will be making the big step to join Year 7 in September 2025. Now that the secondary school places are confirmed, we know that families are thinking about the transition to Tewkesbury Academy. It won’t surprise you to hear that we believe you have made a really good choice in sending your child to our school. Relationships are warm and friendly and the breadth of experiences that we can offer is huge.
We believe that every child has the right to have a high-quality transition, and we want to make sure that we know as much about each and every student as possible before they arrive. Over the Summer term, our Transition Coordinator, Mrs Lyndsey Woodward will be contacting the Y6 teacher/s to gather information that will ensure that you are given a supportive and welcoming start to your secondary schooling. Transition talks with key staff visiting children in their primary schools will also take place.
We want to find out more about your child from you too. Please complete the form HERE if you would like to share more information about your child’s interests and anything else that we may need to know from you, such as your child having a significant medical issue. This will help key staff, such as our Safeguarding team and your child’s tutor, to get to know them and be able to support them both academically and emotionally, and you as a family. Please fill this in before 25 June 2025.
The information gathering process is particularly important for those children with additional needs. If your child has additional needs, you will soon be getting to know our Inclusion Team, which is led by Assistant Principal and SENCO Mrs Rachel Hyde. Mrs Hyde is an experienced SENCO and leads a team of equally capable teaching assistants to help meet the needs of all those children with additional needs. Our SEN Transition Coordinator Ms Tracy Merryweather has now met with all primary SENCOs, along with our Designated Safeguarding Lead Mrs Buck, and additional contact visits for relevant children will be arranged at Tewkesbury Academy where appropriate in the summer term.
Our official uniform shop for items of branded uniform is Monkhouse in Cheltenham and School Trends (who are an online only supplier). A price list from Monkhouse is available below.
We recognise the financial burden of uniform purchases which is why we have a well-stocked nearly new uniform facility which is an alternative low-cost option to families. An inventory of nearly new items (which can be purchased now) is available to view in the uniform section of this website. Payments for nearly new items can be made via card payment. There will be a display and sale of nearly new uniform, PE kit and equipment such as stationery and calculators held at the school later in the summer term, in July.
Families who receive Free School Meals can apply for a support voucher provided by Tewkesbury Academy to the value of £50. Further information about this will be sent directly to those families.
Please refer to our school website to view the school uniform policy, PE kit and equipment for September 2025. For those buying skirts, I must stress that the pleated skirt is the only style permitted to be worn.
I would like to invite parents/carers to the following events that will be taking place over the Summer term so that you can get to know your child’s new school, teachers and our expectations.
We are pleased to offer parents/Y6 children the chance to tour the school if you have not already visited previously in the Autumn Term. Tours take place at 10:15am at days to suit you, please allow around 1 and a half hours to look around and will be given by current Year 7 or 8 students. You may be asked to tour with other families. Please contact [email protected] who can make arrangements for you to visit.
A meeting led by Principal, Ms McGillycuddy and Ms de Glanville to share details about the curriculum, tutor system, expectations, opportunities and school uniform. Due to seating capacity, Year 6 pupils do not need to attend – they will receive this information later in the term. Please use the large car park nearest to the motorway and walk over to the Gym. There will be overflow parking in the Central Tennis courts, accessed by the sports centre entrance to the school.
There will be two compulsory settling in days for Year 6 children to help prepare them for their new school adventure. Children will experience two full days at Tewkesbury Academy, attending a mixture of lessons and activities with different teachers for each lesson and moving with the rest of the school on the bell. Primary uniform is to be worn. We recommend that you use these days as an opportunity to get your child used to making their way to and from school independently. Further details about the Big Step Days 1 and 2 and reminders will be sent nearer to the time.
There will be the chance to view and buy items of nearly new uniform and PE kit. We will also be selling ties, filled pencil cases, scientific calculators and art books. A reminder about this event will be sent nearer the time.
Big Step day 3 will be the first day attending as a Year 7 in Tewkesbury uniform! This is a further compulsory day of induction activities for Year 7. In order to help them settle in, Year 7 will be the only children in school and will be supported by staff and Sixth Form prefects. Further details about the Big Step Day 3 will be sent in the summer. All students will then be in school on Thursday 4 September.
Term dates for our Academy can be found on the term dates page, please scroll down to 2025/2026.
In liaison with Year 6 teachers and the Early Help Team, selected children will be invited to attend our free Big Summer of Fun activities which will further support certain children in making their Big Step to secondary school. You will be contacted by the Early Help team if your child is invited to attend these activity days.
Big Step Summer activity days – introduction meeting – Thursday 19 June from 3.30-4.15pm
Along with the Early Help Team, we will be hosting a parent and child welcome session at Tewkesbury Academy in the Sixth Form Centre for certain children who will be asked to attend our summer of fun activity days during the school holidays. You will be contacted if your child is invited to attend this meeting and the activity days.
Big Step Summer activity days – Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 August 2025 10.00-3.00pm
Selected children will be invited to attend two Big Summer of Fun activity days held at Tewkesbury Academy during the summer holidays. The focus is on building confidence and to offer further support with the transition to Tewkesbury Academy and will be free to attend.
Following the information evening, we will continue to share regular updates and information via email. We currently only have the email address of the family member who made your child’s secondary school application to Gloucestershire County Council. If you would like to supply an additional email address to receive communications, please click HERE. If your email address has changed, please also update us using the link.
Later in the summer term we will issue details of how to access our school app called MyChildAtSchool (known as MCAS). You will be required to complete your child’s admission form and update your contact details via the app. Once your child has joined, you can use the app to view their timetable, check homework and behaviour points. Please also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for news stories and lots of useful updates and reminders.
Tewkesbury Academy is a constantly improving school, where we care passionately about the rounded development of your child. We have been part of the Cabot Learning Federation for almost two-years and are at an exciting time on our journey. Our staff are ambitious for your children and will work with you over the next few years to realise your hopes and aspirations for them.
We will do everything we can to ensure that you and your child are given a supportive and welcoming start to your secondary schooling. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Transition Coordinator, Lyndsey Woodward, via [email protected].
