Heywood Academy Blog - 27.2.26
We’ve had a fabulous start to this short half term, filled with energy, purpose, and a strong sense of community. This week’s assembly focused on the importance of recycling, and we were delighted to welcome Nigel from the local authority, and the recycling superhero Eddie, who worked with our students to deepen their understanding of what items belong in which bins. His visit supports our ongoing journey toward achieving the Eco‑School Award, an exciting initiative we’re undertaking to strengthen our commitment to sustainability and ensure that our school plays its part in creating a greener future for all.
🎉 Happy Birthday, Vincent! 🎉
Today, we’re celebrating Vincent!
🎂
Enjoy your special day, Vincent... here’s to another amazing year ahead! And thank you for the cupcakes!!!
Your friends at Heywood Academy
Ms. Pugh’s weekly update
🌟 Year 8 Weekly Blog 🌟
It’s been another exciting and busy week for Year 8! Here’s a look at what we’ve been learning across our subjects:
✈️ Outdoor Education – Visit to Manchester Airport
This week we visited Manchester Airport as part of our preparation for our upcoming trip to Disneyland Paris! 🎢🏰
We explored how an international airport operates, learned about check-in procedures, security, departures and arrivals, and discussed travel safety. The visit has definitely made everyone even more excited for our big adventure to France! 🇫🇷✨
🌍 Geography – Exploring Our World
In Geography, we’ve been identifying key physical features around the globe. We located major deserts like the Sahara, explored tropical rainforests such as the Amazon, and identified famous mountain ranges including the Himalayas. 🏜️🌳🏔️
Our map skills are improving, and we’re becoming much more confident at recognising different environments and understanding where they are located.
➗ Maths – Two-Step Equations
Maths lessons have been focused on solving two-step equations. 🧠✏️ We’ve been working carefully through problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to find unknown values.
The key has been remembering to work in reverse order – and showing all our steps clearly!
🎨 Art – Picasso-Inspired Abstract Masks
In Art, we’ve continued our abstract art project by designing and creating expressive masks inspired by Pablo Picasso. 🎭🖌️
We’ve explored bold colours, unusual shapes and different perspectives, just like Picasso did in his artwork. The creativity on display has been fantastic!
📸 ICT – Photography and Leading Lines
ICT lessons have marked the start of our photography unit. 📷✨ We’re focusing on the technique of leading lines — using natural or man-made lines to draw the viewer’s eye into the photograph.
We’ve been experimenting around school to capture interesting and creative shots!
📖 English – Jack the Ripper
In English, we’ve started our new topic exploring the mystery of Jack the Ripper. 🕵️♂️🔎
We’re learning about Victorian London, examining historical evidence, and beginning to analyse how writers create tension and atmosphere in non-fiction and narrative writing.
Another fantastic week of learning, creativity and exploration for Year 8! We’re looking forward to what next week brings! 🚀
Ms. Crossley’s weekly update
This term, pupils have been exploring a wide range of texts through their Talk for Writing units. Across all year groups, students are engaging with 19th‑century writing and discussing big themes such as the ethics of reporting crimes, debates around animals in sports, and how past societies treated people who were different.
Our Masked Singer style reading challenge has been a huge hit, and with World Book Day events on the way, there’s lots more to look forward to.
We also want to remind families that reading comes in many forms not just books. Articles, blogs, magazines, audiobooks and reading together at home all count and all help build confidence. As part of the National Year of Reading, every minute logged makes a difference in nurturing enthusiastic, lifelong readers.
Ms. Nicholson’s weekly update
It has been a wonderfully vibrant and productive week across the Creative Arts faculty, with students throwing themselves into hands‑on learning, creative exploration, and skill‑building.
Year 8 Music – Stepping Into the Spotlight
Our Year 8 musicians have begun planning their upcoming musical performances, taking inspiration from The Greatest Showman. Students explored the film’s dynamic characters, musical themes, and emotional storytelling, analysing how performers use voice, movement, and expression to bring roles to life.
They have now selected the characters they’d like to portray and started mapping out their ideas—an exciting early step towards what promises to be a spectacular set of performances.
Year 9 Art – Observational Drawing Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe
In Art, Year 9 students impressed with a cold task that allowed teachers to see their raw artistic ability without guidance.
Working from still-life inspiration rooted in the floral style of Georgia O’Keeffe, students demonstrated strong observational drawing and painting skills.
The quality of work produced from bold compositions to thoughtful shading and detail gives us a fantastic starting point for the learning ahead.
Year 7 Food Technology – Understanding Food Spoilage
Year 7 delved into an essential part of kitchen safety: food spoilage.
Students learned how to spot the signs that food is no longer safe to eat, exploring concepts such as mould growth, texture changes, and the importance of correct storage.
This knowledge not only builds confidence in the kitchen but also supports healthy habits and informed decision-making in everyday life.
Year 8 IT – Exploring the Rules of Photography
Year 8 IT students have embarked on a new and exciting unit all about photography.
This week they explored key Leading Lines, a compositional rule and then began building their own photography portfolios using Pages on their iPads.
This unit blends creativity with digital skills, giving students the chance to develop a personal eye for visual storytelling.
Year 7 Design Technology – Motte and Bailey Masterpieces
Our Year 7 DT teams have been hard at work constructing their motte and bailey castles and they are nearly finished!
Students have shown excellent teamwork, craftsmanship, and perseverance as they’ve shaped, assembled, and refined their models.
The progress is fantastic, and the final results are shaping up to be truly impressive pieces of historical design work.
Mr Lord’s weekly update
Year 7 Our Year 7 students have been bringing their space topic to a close with great enthusiasm. They have completed their own presentations on space, showcasing impressive research and creativity. This week they also explored the phases of the Moon and deepened their understanding of the heliocentric model of the solar system, helping them build a strong foundation in astronomy.
Year 8 In Maths, Year 8 students have been tackling one‑ and two‑step equations. Using an online equation‑balancing generator, they worked through a range of increasingly challenging algebraic problems, developing their confidence and problem‑solving skills.
In Science, students continued their work on the periodic table and explored combustion and oxidation reactions, gaining insight into how different substances interact and change.
Year 9 In Maths, students revisited straight‑line graphs, focusing particularly on calculating gradients, an essential skill for understanding algebraic relationships.
In Science, they have carried on with their major unit on cells, including the fascinating world of stem cells and their unique role in growth, repair, and specialised functions within the body.
