Month: March 2026
Easter Charity Raffle – Thank You to Our Generous Supporters
29 Mar 2026
We are delighted to share the incredible support our academy has received for this year’s Easter charity raffle in aid of Maggie’s Nottingham, a remarkable organisation providing practical and emotional support to local people affected by cancer.
Thank You to E.ON Energy
A heartfelt thank you to Natasha Warner from the Digital Technology & Change Business Solutions team at E.ON Energy, who has kindly coordinated E.ON’s contribution to our fundraising efforts.
E.ON has generously donated:
- Four tickets to The Big Netball Day Out
- A luxury Hotel Chocolat “Happy Easter” selection box
These fantastic prizes will be included in our Easter raffle during the final week before the holiday, with every penny raised going directly to Maggie’s Nottingham. We are truly grateful for E.ON’s generosity and community spirit.
Thank You to Wrights Roofing
We would also like to extend a big thank you to Wrights Roofing for their generous donation of Easter eggs for our charity raffle.
The company’s support has been coordinated with
Yvonne Monk (Administrator), Adam Hewins (Managing Director), and Jacquie Harvey (General Manager), who have shown wonderful commitment to our school and community.
All donated eggs will be raffled during the last week of March, with 100% of proceeds supporting Maggie’s Nottingham and the families who rely on their services.
Thank You to Keepmoat Homes
A further thank you goes to Laura Grainger, Social Value Manager at Keepmoat Homes Ltd, who has arranged Keepmoat’s generous donation of chocolate Easter eggs for the event.
These items will also form part of our Easter raffle, helping us to raise vital funds for Maggie’s Nottingham. We are extremely grateful for Keepmoat’s continued support and involvement with our academy.
Supporting Maggie’s Nottingham
To learn more about the incredible work Maggie’s does in our community, please visit:
🔗 https://www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-nottingham/
Thank You From All of Us
We are immensely thankful to all our sponsors for helping make this year’s Easter charity event such a success. Your kindness and generosity will make a meaningful difference to many local families.
Year 10 Trip to West Notts College – Get into Construction (Wednesday 25 March 2026)
27 Mar 2026
As part of our SEND enrichment programme, a group of Year 10 students spent the day at West Notts College taking part in the Get into Construction taster event. The visit was designed to give young people a first-hand introduction to the construction industry and the wide range of careers it offers.
Throughout the day, students explored some of the most engaging and in-demand construction trades, taking part in interactive, practical activities that allowed them to experience the work for themselves.
The college campus is a specialist training centre dedicated to preparing students for careers in construction. With industry-standard workshops, hands-on practical spaces, and classrooms located within easy reach of one another, the site provides an ideal learning environment for developing technical skills.
Students were able to experience realistic, workplace-inspired settings, helping them gain confidence, learn new techniques, and understand the pathways available to them—whether progressing directly into employment or continuing their training through further study.
House Attendance Academic Term YTD 2025- 2026
27 Mar 2026
House Points Academic Term 25-26[Sept – March]
27 Mar 2026
Our Most Recent Park Life Newsletter Now Available! Easter 2026
27 Mar 2026
Nottinghamshire Police – Online Security Webinar
20 Mar 2026
Spark a love of STEM! The Big Bang Fair 9th June 2026 – Year 8
18 Mar 2026
A group of Year 8 students will be attending the UK’s biggest STEM celebration for young people. The Big Bang Fair returns to the NEC in Birmingham to inspire and excite young people with careers in science, engineering, and technology. Discover hands-on activities, careers panels, and incredible shows that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Year 11 Exam Timetable
16 Mar 2026
Final Term Arrangements March 2026 – Letter
Year 10 Mocks start 20th April 2026
16 Mar 2026
Park Vale Academy students learn AI skills at university after school clubs
13 Mar 2026
March 2026
Computer Science students from the University of Nottingham have delivered after school clubs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help young people understand and use it more effectively.
School pupils in years 7 to 10 took part in 10 weeks of the ‘Demystifying AI – Clubs’ to enhance their knowledge of AI through fun, interactive problem-solving activities. Their achievements were celebrated at an event held on campus.
The project is part of the University’s widening participation programme to encourage underrepresented groups to engage with higher education and take part in STEM subjects.
The pupils from Park Vale Academy and NUAST attended sessions with undergraduate students and covered a range of topics around AI and included tasks for the pupils.
AI is a fast-moving area of computer science that is part of all our lives – whether we realise it or not. It is also a growth area for jobs and higher education, so we were keen to share our expertise with young people outside of the curriculum to help them understand how AI is developed and used.
Marjahan Begum, Assistant Professor in Computer Science
Marjahan continues: “The University students put together an excellent programme of informative and fun content to engage the pupils and get them thinking about AI and maybe even interest them in exploring the subject further beyond school.”
At the hour-long sessions pupils covered a range of topics including; how to spot AI generated content, how AI is trained using machine learning, the tricks AI uses to get users to do certain things and how patterns are embedded in apps. They also took part in fun activities like creating their own secret ‘cipher’ wheel to demonstrate how messages can be encoded and using Microbits to programme an AI pet.
Undergraduate students – Hana Ahmed-Mahmoud, Minahil Fansur, Eva Regalado, Saphia Ahmed, Abishah Vickneswaran and PhD students Victoria Hann and Mahfuzah Fariha worked together to design the content for the clubs and deliver the sessions.
Minahil Fansur, a year 3 undergraduate student delivered sessions at Park Vale Academy, she said: “Being part of this initiative has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my degree. Designing and delivering these sessions to students helped me think carefully about how to make the ideas accessible and engaging. Watching students who had not originally considered themselves “technical” light up when they grasped a concept or proudly explain their programs reminded me why this kind of outreach matters so much.”
I think the club reached students at the right time in their academic careers, especially since this was the kind of content they wouldn’t have been exposed to in school. What struck me most was how quickly their confidence grew. By the end, many of them believed they could have a career in computing, and that shift in how they see themselves is, to me, the most meaningful outcome possible.
Minahil Fansur, School of Computer Science
During the celebration event pupils visited the University’s Cobot Maker Space where researchers explore human-robot collaboration across a wide range of domains from assistive technologies to manufacturing, to creative performance. The pupils got to see the robots in action and talked to some of the experts.
Scrappy the robot dog showing his skills to school pupils
Pupils will also had the chance to expand their understanding with a debate on the pros and cons of AI with students from Nottingham Girls High School.
The project was funded by EPSRC.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Marjahan Begum on marjahan.begum@nottingham.ac.uk