Highlight of the week! 

Composition Workshop with Music and Oxford University 

We were delighted to welcome Oxford University Music Faculty to Oxford Spires to lead a Composition Workshop with our Year 9, Year 10, and Year 12 musicians. The workshop leaders were incredibly impressed with our students’ responses to the challenging composition briefs, which involved using graphic scores, images, and Haiku poetry as stimuli to create new music. Our students used a vast variety of instruments: including electric guitars, flutes, muted trumpets, violas, keyboards, software, and percussion, producing highly original music. Works included a minimalist score and two hauntingly beautiful compositions, one of which will be performed at the Year 9 Options Evening. We look forward to continuing our work with Oxford University Music next Monday and in partnerships in the future. We are so proud of our talented musicians.

The restorative approach at Oxford Spires Academy 

At Oxford Spires we are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and positive learning environment for all students. To achieve this, we take a restorative approach to incidents that occur during the school day, ensuring students have the opportunity to reflect on their actions and rebuild relationships in a supportive manner.

Students are required to attend a restorative detention if they have been removed from a lesson, or they have refused to follow a member of staff's reasonable request (persistent defiance). Our restorative detentions are led by our Pastoral Support team and attended by our teachers who have logged the incident so that they can support the student to discuss the incident that took place during the day. This detention lasts between 10 – 20 minutes. 

If a student fails to attend a restorative detention twice in one week, they will be issued a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) 2-hour detention. This process ensures that students take responsibility for their actions and work towards maintaining positive relationships in the classroom. 

Our Commitment to Fairness and Support 

We understand that situations may arise where a student needs additional support or flexibility. Our approach is always to offer students a second chance by rescheduling and supporting restorative conversations or late detentions when a student requests a change for a valid reason. However, we will not make exceptions for SLT detentions, which take place on Tuesdays. 

This detention provides a crucial opportunity for students to meet with senior members of staff, reflect on their behaviour, and take accountability for their actions. Failure to attend this detention will result in a direction to work offsite or a fixed term suspension being issued. 

If we direct a student to work off site, this will be with one of our local partner secondary schools. We will make the necessary arrangements for the student to work at alternative location with educational materials and support to ensure they make maximum use of the experience. Further details will always be communicated in advance with details of location and timing.

Parental & Carer Support & Expectations 

We expect all parents and carers to support our behaviour systems, reinforcing the importance of responsibility and respect for school expectations. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent your child from attending an SLT detention, we will try to accommodate where possible. However, this will require advance notice in the format of a meeting to discuss the request. 

By working together, we can ensure that our students develop the personal responsibility and resilience needed for their success. Thank you for your ongoing support in maintaining high standards and a positive school environment. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office. 

Celebrating Cara Y12 – Oxfordshire Junior Concerto Competition Finalist! 

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our Year 12 student Cara, who has secured a place as a finalist in the prestigious Oxfordshire Junior Concerto Competition, organised by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Oxfordshire County Music Service. 

Cara was selected as one of only three finalists following a rigorous audition process and a competitive semi-final round in December. This is a remarkable achievement, and we are thrilled to see her talent and dedication recognised at such a high level. 

The competition final will take place this Saturday. Cara and the other finalists will perform a concerto movement, accompanied by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra, in front of an esteemed adjudication panel and a live audience. 

Congratulations, Cara! We are so proud of you and wish you the very best for the final! 

Save the dates:  

1^st March 3:00-5:00pm FOSA Roller Disco – More information to follow. 

18^{th -} 20^th March 2025 – The Addams Family school production, Tickets on sale soon! 

Key dates  

• Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February school holidays 

• Monday 24^th February First day of term 4 

• Friday 14^th March Inset day, school closed to students. 

 Please visit our parental calendar click here