# data[].attributes.body
Christmas Card artwork from S3 A&D

# data[].attributes.body
Headteacher’s Message – December 2025

Dear Parents & Carers,

As we reach the end of a long but rewarding term, I want to take a moment to thank all of our families for the support, encouragement and involvement you continue to offer. This time of year provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the months behind us and to look ahead to what’s next.

Over the course of this term our learners have been involved in a wide variety of experiences that go well beyond the core curriculum. Recent highlights include our Christmas Fayre, where learners from across the school — including Art & Design, Young Enterprise and several class groups contributed products, designs and fundraising efforts that helped bring the school community together.

Our Christmas Concert was held last night and was another fantastic showcase of our learner talent. The event was a full house, as always, and it was an absolute pleasure to see such confident and polished performances from individuals and groups across our Performing Arts Faculty, and the wider school. My thanks go to all the learners who performed, the staff who prepared them, and the families who came along to support.

This term has also seen a strong focus on compassion and community. As part of our Cash for Kids charity appeal, our school community donated an incredible 275 gifts, which will help ensure that children and young people across the region have something special to open over the festive season. This generosity reflects the strong values held by our learners and families and we are very grateful for your support.

Clubs and wider-achievement activities have continued to grow across the school, offering learners opportunities to build confidence, friendships and skills. Whether it’s rock bands, netball, language and culture projects, computing, or lunchtime clubs, it’s been great to see so many learners taking part and contributing so positively to school life.

This term has also been particularly busy with a range of new style Reports being issued using Pupil Tracker, which we hope is supporting your understanding of how your learner is progressing in all subjects throughout this session. We have also had the opportunity to invite Parents and Carers into our school for a range of Parent Contact Evenings with practical arrangements being regular reviewed to ensure this is the best possible experience for you. We have also just completed a full diet of National 5 prelim exams. This is a great opportunity for our learners to get the exam experience and to test exactly where they are in their learning at the moment. We believe that this experience will stand learners in good stead as they move into the final exams throughout April and May. Feedback on these exams will be being shared with learners directly from class teachers but will also be shared with you formally via a full report during week of 19th January 2026.

With Term 2 nearing completion we have one eye Term 3 which is our longest and busiest of the session. Throughout Term 3 we will be supporting learners in making decisions about their future, both through school and beyond. This process begins only 2 days into the new term as we welcome all S2 parents/carers into Grove Academy for our S2 into S3&4 Course Choice Information Evening (Thursday 8th January 2026). This process is then replicated for our senior learners later in the month. We also begin a new diet of prelim exams on Monday 12th January with it now being the turn of our Higher and Advanced Higher learners. Further reports will be issued throughout the term to ensure you have as much information as possible to support your learner as they navigate their way their school journey.

Alongside this, we are continuing our consultation on mobile phone use in school, and I want to thank all parents and carers who have contributed their views so far. This is part of our wider focus on wellbeing, readiness to learn and the quality of relationships across the school day.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of our learners, families and staff a very happy and restful Christmas. However you’re spending the break, I hope it brings joy, connection and a well-earned pause. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in January for what promises to be another important and exciting term.

Yours Faithfully,

Tim Woodcock
Head Teacher

# data[].attributes.body
Last session the Grove Academy Teaching & Learning Community (TLC) designed our new Framework for Teaching & Leaning - the Grove Academy Learning Pathway. the Grove TLC worked with learners, staff and parents/carers in our community - as well as looking across Scotland for best practice to design and implement our new Learning Pathway to ensure we are preparing every leaner, in every lesson for a successful future.

Please view the attached video created by our Learner GALP Ambassadors.

# data[].attributes.body
Dundee Science Centre x DJCAD

# data[].attributes.body
Following feedback from our learners, teachers and parents we have launched a new non-digital bullying reporting form. This can be found at all guidance offices and at the main reception. We have also updated our QR codes on our posters, so please don't hesitate to report bullying behaviour in a safe and discrete way.

# data[].attributes.body
A huge thank you to everyone who donated online or brought in a gift. I delivered them to head quarters at Wellgate. We had over 275 gifts donated. This will make a huge difference to so many children and young people's Christmas. Thank you again.

# data[].attributes.body
Computing Dec 25

# data[].attributes.body
Music & Drama Dec 25

# data[].attributes.body
Winner of guess the elf's birthday :

Mr Redford - 18th August

Winner of guess the number of sweets in the jar :

Sam Cattanach in 6O1 with the closest guess of 320 to 325 total

We have raised £560.70 and thank you all for your donations to our Borneo fund!

# data[].attributes.body
YE December 2025

# data[].attributes.body
ML December 2025

# data[].attributes.body
A&D December

# data[].attributes.body
PE Dec 2025

# data[].attributes.body
L-R: Mrs Cunningham (DHT Orchar), Mrs Barbour (DHT Reres), Mr Robertson (DHT Gillies), Mr Woodcock (HT), Mrs Larkworthy (DHT Dawson), Mrs Preston (Business Manager)

# data[].attributes.body
Term 3 – Key Dates

Pupils return – start of Term 3 07/01/2026

S2 Pathways Course Choice Evening 08/01/2026

S4 Course Choice Interview 11/02/2026

H/AH Prelim Exam Diet Begins 12/01/2026

S2 Course Choice Interview 13/01/2026

S4 Report issued w/b 19/01/2026

H/AH Prelim Exam Diet Ends 23/01/2026

S2 Tracking Reports issued w/b 02/02/2026

S4/5 Pathways Course Choice Evening 04/02/2026

Holiday 13/02/2026

Holiday 16/02/2026

In-Service Day (4) – staff only 17/02/2026

S5 Course Choice Interview 23/02/2026

S4 Targetted Evening 23/02/2026

S5/6 Report issued w/b 18/02/2026

S1 Report issued w/b 09/03/2026

S3 Parents' Evening 17/03/2026

Last day of term 02/04/2026

# data[].attributes.body
Planet Youth - Nov 25