I am delighted to welcome your child as a new learner in September 2024 at The Link Academy, part of Dudley Academies Trust. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved at The Link Academy so far. Our amazing Ofsted report in 2022 raised us by two grades and rated us as ‘Good’ across the board. Our academy is above the national average for the progress made by learners during their time at school and above average for Dudley. In fact, The Link is the most improved secondary school in the Borough for Progress. Since 2019 when we joined Dudley Academies Trust, The Link has also increased the number of learners passing Maths and English at Grade 5 or above by 9%. When I joined the academy as Principal five years ago, I said that it was a fantastic opportunity to change lives among the young people of Netherton and the surrounding area. Now I can say that we are truly giving our learners the education and opportunities that they deserve. Your child’s move from Year 6 to Year 7 is a very exciting time. However, I recognise that it is a period of great change and that your child may understandably experience some anxiety. I can reassure you that our transition process is highly effective and places all new learners’ wellbeing at the heart of all that we do.

I very much look forward to meeting you and your child in the near future.

I am delighted that your child has been offered a place at one of our secondary academies in September 2024. It is my pleasure to inform you that your child will be gifted a blazer and tie as a way of welcoming them into our Trust. You will receive information about how to obtain these items of uniform in the coming weeks.  

I would like to take this opportunity to share some information about Dudley Academies Trust and the exciting work that we are doing to provide the very best education for all our learners. The vision for our Trust is that our family of schools will be the first choice for young people and parents/carers.  

We have a strong track record of GCSE results. In 2023, our four secondary academies were the top four schools in Dudley for improved progress when compared with 2019 outcomes and all are at or above the national average for this key benchmark. Furthermore, all our schools continue to improve on the gold standard GCSE measure of Grade 5 plus in both English and Mathematics and there is a year-on-year increase in the number of learners achieving the higher grades, 7 to 9. 

Since the Trust became fully operational in September 2018, we have recruited many outstanding leaders, teachers and associate/support staff. We are constantly refining our teaching methods that inspire our learners and encourage them to ‘Dream big’. We also have a highly effective behaviour and relationships behaviour policy that enables our young people to flourish in their lessons. All schools promote a positive climate for learning which is further enhanced by our commitment to providing a high-quality learning environment We have invested over £15 million in school buildings and IT, with more exciting plans for the future. 

I am confident that all our academies will continue to improve at pace, and it is our ambition that all schools should be outstanding. I believe that your child will have every opportunity to thrive with us and to develop as a well-rounded and confident young person. We want your child to ‘Dream big’ and to know that many positive life choices are within their reach. Working with you, we will do everything in our power to make that a reality.  

May I wish your child every success and an enjoyable experience during their secondary school years. I look forward to meeting you in the near future. 

If you require any additional information or have any questions, please contact our Transition Lead, Mr Chater, Assistant Principal via emailing rchater@thelinkacademy.org.uk or telephoning 01384986550. In the meantime, please follow us on our social media platforms, where you will gain a great insight into the life of our learners at The Link Academy.