Our Year 11 and Year 13 students worked exceptionally hard during their mock exams, including the GCSE oral examinations, all in preparation for the summer exam season beginning in May.

Students in Years 7 to 10 have also shown fantastic commitment during Assessment Week, where they completed assessments on content taught across both Cycles 1 and 2. These assessments allow us to understand what knowledge students have secured in their long‑term memory and how effectively they can retrieve recently taught information. We were delighted to see so many students making excellent use of their Scholar Guides for self‑quizzing and revision.

The new Cycle 3 Scholar Guides have now arrived and will be distributed ahead of the new cycle starting on Monday 23rd March.

Super Teaching Week

As we come to the end of an excellent Cycle 2, we are preparing for Super Teaching Week, which begins on Monday 16th March. This week is a key part of our teaching and learning model. Teachers use the data from assessment week to identify any gaps in understanding or common misconceptions, and they plan lessons that directly address these areas.

Super Teaching Week matters because we believe no child should be left behind. It gives every student, from every background and in every subject, the opportunity to deepen their learning. It also allows staff to improve and refine schemes of learning for future year groups, because we believe that getting better is the exciting part of education.

Parental Communication

This term we have launched a new General Enquiries form, available on the home page of the school website. This updated system helps prevent important emails from being missed or filtered into junk folders, directs queries to the right teams more efficiently, and allows us to track the types of enquiries we receive so we can continue to improve our communication. We aim to respond within two working days.

You can access the General Enquiries form by clicking here

Please note that procedures for reporting absences and emergencies remain the same, with absences recorded through MCAS and urgent matters managed through the main school phone line.

Important Update on Online Safety: TikTok ‘School Wars’ Trend

I want to raised awareness in our community regarding reports of a recent online trend circulating on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, in which young people are encouraged to get involved in “school versus school” violence as a game. Although we have no indication of any involvement from Oxford Spires students, or any Oxford City school, I want to reassure you that we are monitoring the situation closely and working proactively to keep all students safe. This includes working with the police to support an increased staff and police presence in our local parks at the end of the school day.

Recent media coverage has highlighted how these posts divide schools into “red” and “blue” groups and encourage pupils to engage in confrontations, sometimes even suggesting the use of items such as compasses or rulers as improvised weapons. Police and schools nationally have been quick to act, with several social media accounts already removed due to the threatening nature of their content.

The Police have confirmed they are monitoring online spaces closely and working directly with schools to discourage participation and prevent disorder.

Although the trend has mainly affected parts of London and a small number of other regions, schools across the country have been advised to remain vigilant. Reports emphasise that, while some posts may appear spoof-like to young people, the risks are real enough that policing and safeguarding responses have been escalated.

At Oxford Spires, student safety remains our highest priority. We will continue to:

• Monitor any emerging online trends that may affect students.
• Work closely with our safeguarding team and local partners.
• Remind students about safe, responsible use of social media. As a result, all students received a special tutor time session on Friday focused on raising awareness of this current trend.

How you can help:
Please take a moment to talk with your child about their online activity. Many families nationally have been encouraged to check social media use and reinforce messages about staying safe and avoiding harmful online challenges.

We fully appreciate that news of online risks can be unsettling. Please be assured that Oxford Spires remains a safe, supportive community, and we have seen no cause for concern regarding our students. If you have any worries—no matter how small—please get in touch with us.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership in keeping our young people safe.

School Uniform

We would also like to thank families for the noticeable improvements in school uniform over the past few weeks. Your support is appreciated.

Around the World Event & Community Iftar

On Thursday 12^th March, we enjoyed a wonderful Humanitarian Day, which celebrated the many cultures represented within our school community. Students set up stalls offering cultural foods, crafts, music, and activities, and the atrium was filled with colour from traditional outfits, face painting, henna, headwear, flags, and displays.

Students attended assemblies highlighting the importance of humanitarian action and the fundraising work taking place across the school. After the Around the World event, more than 150 students, staff, and family members came together for a community Iftar, marking the breaking of the fast. It was a warm, joyful, sold-out evening with a delicious menu of pakoras, roast chicken, lentil and chicken curry, rice, and a selection of cakes. It was truly a special moment for unity, reflection, and celebration.

Eid Al-Fitr

We understand that the exact date can only be confirmed once the moon has been sighted. To support families, we will authorise one day of absence for students celebrating Eid on either Thursday 19th or Friday 20th March.

We kindly ask parents to complete the online form Click here to let us know which day your child will be absent.

High School Musical

We are thrilled to be approaching the opening night of our school production, High School Musical, which runs from Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th March. Tickets are selling quickly on ParentPay, and after last year’s sell-out performances, we expect another packed theatre. We cannot wait to see our students shine.

Trips and Visits

Our students have taken part in an impressive variety of trips and activities, including the Worldwise Geography Quiz at Magdalen College School, the Inter‑School Debating Competition where our debate club returned as reigning champions, the Elephant Group Spring Conference, and a visit to hear the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. We have also enjoyed events such as the FOSA Roller Disco, Open Doors Karaoke, the National Reading Champions Quiz, Oxford Brookes Engagement Day, and the Sports Leadership Programme.

Upcoming events include the Vietnam trip, Careers Fest, Duke of Edinburgh, Garsington Opera workshops, the FOSA Quiz and Curry Night, and much more.

New OSA Intake September 2026

Early March, we received the list of students offered a place at Oxford Spires Academy for September 2026. We are already looking forward to welcoming the new cohort into the OSA family and meeting them at Transition Day in June 2026.

Dates for your diary

Finally, here are some key upcoming dates for your diary.

• 16^th – 24^th March - Super Teaching Week  
• 16^th – 24^th March - Vietnam Trip
• 18^th March - Careers Fest Years 11 and 13
• 19^th or 20^th March - Eid Al-Fitr
• 23^rd – 25^th March - High School Musical 6.30pm
• 23^rd & 25^th March Year 10 Geography Field Trips – Oxford City
• 26^th March - Year 8 and Year 13 Parents’ Evening 4:00pm to 7:00pm.
• 27^th March – End of term 4 students depart 12:30pm
• 13^th April - Term 5 begins.

Thank you for your support and partnership.