We hope you all have a lovely Eid with your families and friends! 

As part of ‘The Delius Experience’ programme that’s run here at Co-op Academy Delius, all of our pupils get chances to experience live theatre and a range of performances throughout their journey with us!
Pupils LOVED following Jim Hawkins on his adventure and even joining in with parts of the production! 

After the production of Treasure Island, our pupils in our Astronaut Pathway had a bespoke workshop learning about how the production is put together! 

From moving stage sets, exciting costumes and even sound and lighting - pupils got hands on exploring all that has to happen to make a performance! 

Lots of our pupils have said they now want to be actors or stage managers!!

Thanks to Happy Days Children's Charity for helping us to make this happen for our pupils!

#CRL #CareersEducation

Our theme this year was Bedtime Stories & we had lots of exciting activities to really immerse ourselves. From making sock puppets to designing our own pillowcases for the midday sleepover we had in the hall!

Our tradition of decorating our doors came back too, with all the doors across school turned into our favourite Bedtime Stories! 

It was great to see so many staff and pupils dressed up as their favourite characters or in their PJ's ready to enjoy reading and stories all together!! 

Can you spot your favourite story?

Huge congratulations to our recent badge receivers! 

They loved tasting their pancakes after - it was a very sticky morning! 

Across school, pupils took part in lots of wellbeing-boosting activities, learning about their mental health, and even more importantly, strategies to help them keep up positive mental health! 

From 'open houses' in comets pathway where pupils had the opportunity to visit other classrooms and take part in a range of activities, to 'happy discos' where pupils chose their favourite mood-boosting songs! We took part in lots of our favourite things together, including parachute games, singing & dancing, cooking and relaxing footspas! Some of us even made valentines cards for others to make them happy! 

Classes joined in with activities with friends from different classes, because everything is better together!!! 

Being happy at school is a fundamental here at Co-op Academy Delius, so lots of strategies and learning are weaved through our curriculum too! 

Christmas Crafternoons

These afternoons are an opportunity for families to come into classes for fun Christmas crafts and making lasting memories! 

Families can see their child in class alongside their friends, and learn more about what they get up to in their school day! It was fab having so many parents, siblings and grandparents getting stuck in!

Christmas Shows

Our Upper Primary and BD7 performance of ‘The Fleece Force’ was brilliant! There was lots parts, with everyone working together brilliantly! From Camels riding past, shining angels, shepherds… and not to forget, sheep! 

Our Lower Primary’s performance of ‘Whoopsie-daisy Angel’ was truly magical! For lots of these pupils it was one their first times in a performance so big, and they took it all in their stride! 

Santa Visits

All pupils also got to visit Santa in his grotto and received a present. Pupils loved spending time with Santa, telling him about all kinds of things! Santa came whooshing into BD3 in a snow storm, and arrived at BD7 on his Donkeys! 

Consultation on a proposed expansion of Co-op Academy Delius

Co-op Academy Delius and Co-op Academy Princeville schools submitted a proposal to Bradford Local Authority (LA) in the autumn term with a view to expanding the Published Admissions number (PAN) at Delius using part of Princeville’s building to do so. The LA support the proposal and now we are consulting with stakeholders.

Rationale

This proposal is motivated by the following factors:

1. As a trust, we are keen to work with the local authority to ensure pupils with SEND in Bradford have the best possible education. We understand that the city is facing increasing sufficiency challenges due to the growing number of pupils requiring specialist provision. We would like to be a part of the solution. Although investment will be needed to expand Delius, this will be far more cost effective than sending pupils out of the area. We believe that the expansion of Co-op Academy Delius is the best solution for us as a trust, the local authority and, most importantly, the children of Bradford.

2. Co-op Academy Delius is a high performing school. We were inspected in September 2023 (section 8, ungraded) and the school was judged to remain Good. We are confident that additional pupils would benefit from an excellent offer at Delius.

3. Increasing demand for places at Co-op Academy Delius has led to a high volume of tribunals for school leaders to respond to.Tribunals frequently result in the direction for leaders to take pupils with immediate effect, resulting in Delius having much higher numbers on role than PAN, which, in turn could compromise the educational offer. A planned expansion would provide increased places for pupils in an excellent primary specialist setting.

4. Co-op Academy Princeville once had three forms of entry. When the current school building was built, the number on roll was much bigger than it is now. This means that there is the potential to allocate space within the building to Co-op Academy Delius.

5. Co-op Academy Delius is already co-located on the site of Co-op Academy Princeville, 38 pupils are educated in what was previously a Children’s Centre. Delius already have senior leaders, a site team and administrators on site and are used to working across their BD3 and BD7 sites.

Proposal

It is Co-op Academies Trust’s proposal that for September 2025, due to the reduced roll at Co-op Academy Princeville there is an expansion of Co-op Academy Delius. We propose that, with refurbishment, Co-op Academy Delius would increase the pupil roll by an additional 40 pupils across 5 classrooms with additional space for provision/sensory spaces etc.

The proposal, if it went ahead, would see the Resource Provision currently housed at Co-op Academy Princeville close, to give Co-op Academy Delius room to expand their current provision. Co-op Delius are currently located within the school site of Co-op Academy Princeville and share facilities at the school. The proposal will see the Resourced Provision moved to a neighbouring school Lidget Green. As the local authority, staff and manage this provision, all staff will move over to the Lidget Green School to ensure continuity for the children.

Staggered start

To enable a smooth transition and necessary recruitment, we are proposing a staggered increase of pupil numbers resulting in an additional 40 pupils being on roll by Summer 2026.

A group of pupils from across school gave the audience a glimpse into our weekly ballet lessons, that we do with Martin Howland & Project Resurgence ! 

They did us proud showing off their beautiful technique, stage presence and confidence! The piece was split into 5 sections, Arms, legs, jumps, turns, and moving across the stage - so we could really see what they could do!  

Our Signing Choir also took to the stage to perform ‘Take me Home’ by The Good Citizens, a song well known to Bradford City Fans!  

Bradford City AFC kindly donated us 20 shirts to wear on stage, and they really pulled our performance together - thank you!

We were kindly given tickets by Bradford City AFC for our families to come and watch the game. Bradford City AFC donated 20 shirts for our performance at St George’s Hall! Our signing choir will be singing ‘Take me home’ by The Good Citizens , we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been learning! 

What a day, great memories were made for all, and once again, we came together as a community!

Pupils were captivated by the performance, whilst being transported to India in this adapted version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel. 

We learnt about resilience in difficult circumstances, and having compassion & kindness! Not to forget to believe in ourselves!  

We would like to send a huge thanks to Happy Days Children's Charity who made this opportunity happen!

To kick off, we had lots going on around school: 

  The Sound of Bradford - this was an opportunity to dive into the vibrant sounds from Bradford! From rock and folk, to Bhangra and baseline - pupils made choices, played along and commented on their favourite songs 

 The Opening Ceremony - we recreated the RISE opening ceremony in our Immersive suite, giving our pupils the opportunity to experience what it felt like to be there! 

 Salt Dough Bradford - we unleashed our creativity and brought famous Bradford landmarks to life using salt dough! From the Alhambra Theatre to Salts Mills! 

 Special Assemblies - during our assemblies we learnt about what this all means, what we might see and do, and how we might feel! 

  Community Art - we all worked on small pieces of art, to add together to make a special piece, with everyone taking part! Some of us explored the uses of wool, others looked at Bradford Buildings, and some of us even drew the people who make Bradford! 

 We have developed a plan so that all pupils have the opportunity to learn about, and experience, 5 main Bradford themed topics through the year! (More info to follow soon!) 

 ️ We’re from Bradford and we’re proud! 

Pupils from our Galaxy Pathway and some pupils from our Meteors Pathway loved the performance, which transported us into an old arcade game! 

The video game inspired lighting and music captivated all our pupils, with sensory, hands on aspects to the show too, so everyone could get involved!! 

Thank you so much to Kala Sangam for organising this exciting opportunity for our pupils!

Our Voice, Our Choice! 

Every pupil across school placed their vote for who they’d like to be their pathway Academy Council representative! 

 All of our pupils had the opportunity to put themselves forward as a candidate, after learning about what their duties would include. 

 Votes are being counted today, with our winners being announced on Monday!

Our topics this term are: 

 EYFS - In the Garden: What can you find in a garden in Bradford? 

  Lower Primary - Minibeasts: Which minibeasts live in Bradford? 

  Upper Primary - Habitats: Why do animals like to live in Bradford? 

In the hall we were developing our Drama skills by taking an adventure through the garden! We started off as a small seed, then grew into beautiful flowers using fabric and props. We turned into caterpillars and wriggly worms across the hall floor! 

In our Immersive Suite we joined The Ugly Bug Ball, exploring our dance and movement skills as lots of different minibeasts! 

Our sensory room took us on a journey to China to explore how some people celebrate Chinese New Year. We learnt about traditions such as giving others money in red envelopes and eating tangerines for good luck.

In our classrooms we designed pebbles to create our own Special Garden in school, a collaborative piece representing all of our pupils! 

 Our topics this term are: 

 EYFS - In the Garden: What can you find in a garden in Bradford? 

  Lower Primary - Minibeasts: Which minibeasts live in Bradford? 

  Upper Primary - Habitats: Why do animals like to live in Bradford? 

 Pupils got ‘hands on’ and learnt about Cockroaches, Stick Insects, a Tarantula, a frog, and a super long corn snake called Pumpkin! 

 We found out where these animals live, what they like to eat and how they move!

Our pupils in Lower Primary and Rockets (EYFS) visited Tong Garden Centre to go on a magical Christmas journey! At the end of the journey they met Santa, and could even choose a toy from Santa’s workshop! 

Pupils also loved looking at the Christmas Decorations in the garden centre too, especially the Christmas lights!  

A huge thank you to our academy charity ‘Friends of Delius’ who part funded this exciting opportunity for our pupils!

For lots of our pupils in this performance it was their first time playing a main role on stage - and you really couldn’t tell with how confident and fabulous they all were! 

 We are so proud of you all! ️

We had 2 performances of the play, so every year 6 pupil could have a main part and everyone could really shine! 

The pupils have spent weeks practicing their lines, songs and dances. You could really tell by how fantastic they all were! 

 We’re so proud of you all! ️

These afternoons are an opportunity for families to come into classes for fun Christmas crafts and making lasting memories! 

Families can see their child in class alongside their friends, and learn more about what they get up to in their school day! It was fab having so many parents, siblings and grandparents getting stuck in!

(Loads of photos for you to choose from in events folder but the one of Awstin to be the main one pleaseeeee! Will share with you now) 

Pupils and their families were invited, as well as our staff and their families too! The night was filled with lots of dancing, good food and great company! 

We had a special performance and dance workshop from Punjabi Roots, which got everyone onto their feet, showing off their best Bollywood dance moves. We were also treated to a live performance by Savita of some classic Bollywood songs! 

Although our special evenings such as these are about bringing our community together in an accepting and inclusive environment, we still work towards raising money for our ‘Friends of Delius’ Charity for our pupils too. We are thrilled to announce we raised over £1,000! 

We couldn’t of done this without the amazing support from we receive from our community. We would like to give a huge thank you to; 

My Lahore - who always provide food for our events. Especially Billy/Taimur, we can’t do it without their support! 

Uroojs Salon - Sadia who always supports us with food & hampers 

Atique textiles 

Lahori Catering See you at our next event!

Each half term there is a small group of up to 10 pupils taking part in a weekly lesson with Martin Howland, who is an ex pro dancer and trained at the Royal Ballet School, and Charley Lovett. 

The lessons are adapted to suit each group and individual needs, with pupils from across our academy, with a range of physical needs accessing the lessons! 

We’re working with Project Resurgence to help them develop techniques to help all learners have the ability to access ballet at an appropriate level, and to also give our pupils the exciting opportunity to spark a love for ballet! 

We can’t wait to see how our learners progress over the year with this exciting opportunity! 

 Pupils and staff loved Williams Den, which had something for everyone! From giant sandpits, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, fast zip wires and a maze made from hay bales, to balance beams, water play and even an indoor waterfall!! 

The opportunity to take all of our pupils and staff out at once, to play together and work as a team is always one of our favourite days of the year!

We had brilliant volunteers from NIC Services Group Ltd. bring along 2 irresistible opportunities for us. First they brought along their window cleaning equipment and showed us how to use it, we had shiny windows all round! We had to learn how to use the different equipment, following instructions from an adult!  They also brought their litter picking equipment and we were experimenting using their litter pickers to get litter out of gooey….edible….slime! We also ran our very own ‘Delius Car Wash’, where we used different sponges, sprays and cloths to have shiny clean cars too! Lots of our pupils have been through car washes, but loved getting hands on this time and doing it themselves!  We want to say a huge thank you to those that volunteered at this years World of Work Week, you really are providing irresistible opportunities for our pupils!

In our Science lessons we have been learning all about how our body’s work and during the trip we got to experience lots of different exhibitions to enhance our learning! We explored the digestive system and how our senses work. We even made fake burps and poo in our immersive show!  

We were also able to partake in activities around the World of Work as part of our PSED curriculum, where some of us worked in bank, a supermarket and even under ground as builders! 

Pupils worked really hard to develop their football skills, and participated in drills to learn what it takes to be a good footballer! Their favourite was a drill in which they had to keep a cone on their head whilst dribbling a football, developing their ability to look up whilst dribbling! 

All the pupils had a great time, and loved the opportunity to give football a go at Bradford Power League's accessible pitches! 

Thank you for having us Power League Bradford! (For those who want to continue or start fun football sessions, Power League Bradford hosts SEN sessions every Saturday morning from 9-10am for £3 - just come along and play!)

This afternoon was dedicated to lots of fun activities based around Moving for our Mental Health, as that’s this years theme! 

There was bikes whizzing by, children climbing up our climbing dome & soft play, ball pool fun, and some of our pupils even walked to the local park to get active there! 

Although we had a special day dedicated to Mental Health today, we know that taking care of your mental health needs to happen all the time. That’s why throughout our curriculum, we teach our pupils strategies for positive Wellbeing, and encourage our community to have their wellbeing as a high priority! 

 We held a ceremony in the memorial garden, where we shared poems and readings chosen by the families. Pupils from our Signing Choir welcomed guests into the ceremony by performing ‘This little light of mine’. Abdullah,one of our teaching assistants recited from the Quran. 

To make the event extra special, we were joined by some special guests. Ismail Hussain sang for us and we really enjoyed an upbeat performance by Punjabi Roots, who played a Bhangra version of an Ed Sheeran song. 

Some children visited the ceremony and placed windmills in the ground and also planted some flowers in the memory of the children.  

We finished the ceremony by watching a slideshow of the children, with some of their favourite songs in the background. 

We were very nervous about holding an outside event as it had been an incredibly rainy week, however it stayed dry and the sun even shone for us as we blew bubbles into the sky!  

Whilst the ceremony was taking place, the pupils were having their own memorial celebration in the hall. The performers joined the children which provided the pupils with an opportunity to experience very contrasting live performances which they found highly engaging. 

We had a wonderful and poignant afternoon, where we laughed, cried and danced as we thought about all of the fantastic times that we once shared with our Delius Stars ️