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      <title>Orion Spires News</title>
      <description>News from the Orion Spires website</description>
      <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk</link>
      <language>en-gb</language>
      <copyright>Copyright: (C) Orion Spires 2026</copyright>
      <lastBuildDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:15:29 GMT</lastBuildDate>
      <item>
        <title>#Team23 Awards and Certificate Evening</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Wednesday 17 January 2024 we welcomed back to the Academy all of our Year 11 students who completed their education with us last year. This event enabled them to catch up with each other and compare what they have been doing for the past few months, catch up with their old teachers and collect the GCSE certificates that they hade worked so hard to achieve.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Team23-Awards-and-Certificate-Evening</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/#23.1_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Transition Evening</title>
        <description><![CDATA[/i/video/Year_7_Transition_Evening_2023.mp4]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Transition-Evening</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/TE3_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <item>
        <title>Kent Schools Media Challenge - Finalists</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Congratulations to Isaac Griffiths, Dylan Patel, Chloe Crowhurst, Cody Arnold, Ava Forbister and Billy Hayes whose podcast about online harm has been selected as a finalist for the Kent Schools Media Challenge. Use this link to listen to the podcast: https://youtu.be/rZLHEASmER8 Now it&amp;rsquo;s time to vote! The online public vote begins at 7am this Wednesday 14th June. The winning school will be the one with the most votes when the poll closes a week later at 5pm on Tuesday 20th June. Voting takes place at www.collaboratedigital.com/vote]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Kent-Schools-Media-Challenge-Finalists</link>
        <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Donate a Book at Christmas</title>
        <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Donate-a-Book-at-Christmas</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/Donate_a_Book_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Christmas Concert</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Thursday 15 December 2022 (7-9pm)]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Christmas-Concert</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/Xmas_Concert_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>GCSE Results 2022</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Students at Spires Academy have been collecting their GCSE and BTEC results today (Thursday 25 August). This is the first full programme of examinations since 2019.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/GCSE-Results-2022</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/Joshua_Thomas_-_Nathan_Weatherstone_-_Antony_Elgar_-_Frankie_Dunn_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Demonstrating Care Values for Health &amp; Social Care</title>
        <description><![CDATA[&amp;ldquo;As part of their BTEC course, Year 10 Health and Social Care students organised arts and crafts activities for Year 7 students from St Nicholas School, Canterbury. As part of their Assignment, students demonstrated the core care values in health and social care, including effective communication, showing respect, preserving dignity and empowering and promoting independence. It was an enjoyable event for all concerned!&amp;rdquo;]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Demonstrating-Care-Values-for-Health-Social-Care</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/2St_Nich_2_thumb.JPG" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Silver at the World Team Cup</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Ruben Harris has just helped the Great Britain Junior Team to win the silver medal at the World Team Cup. This is equivalent to the Davis Cup in wheelchair tennis.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Silver-at-the-World-Team-Cup</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/World_Team_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>England Trials for Grace</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Good luck to Grace for her England Football trials tomorrow (Saturday 7 May 2022) in Guildford.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/England-Trials-for-Grace</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/GL_thumb.png" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Great Great Grandson of Charles Dickens Meets the Drood Dudes.</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Gerald Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, paid a visit to Spires Academy to meet with the Drood Dudes. The Drood Dudes are members of the Spires Dickens Society ranging from years 8-11, and they have been tasked with writing the end of The Mystery of Edwin Drood &amp;ndash; the last book that Charles Dickens wrote but never finished before he died. We meet once a week during a Thursday lunchtime, and the students work together on creating a Victorian-style plot that will unveil the mystery of Edwin Drood. So far, their submitted work has been impressive &amp;ndash; you can read a small extract from it on Gerald&amp;rsquo;s blog, in which he comments on his visit to Spires Academy.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Great-Great-Grandson-of-Charles-Dickens-Meets-the-</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/IMG_4705_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Year 10 meet Gerald Dickens</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Year 10 students are studying Charles Dicken&amp;rsquo;s A Christmas Carol for their English Literature GCSE, and to aid their understanding of the plot, characters and context, Gerald Dickens provided the students with a dramatic performance of the novella. Gerald&amp;rsquo;s theatrical work follows in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather, Charles Dickens, who increased his fortune and popularity by performing dramatic readings of his work. Gerald spared some time at the end of his performance for a Q&amp;amp;A session with the students.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-10-meet-Gerald-Dickens</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/GD1_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Year 10 Sports Leaders at the School Games Inclusion Event</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Natalie Harris from Kent Sport contacted Mr Thornton after our Year 10 students had supported at this years event to say, &quot;... what a pleasure it was working alongside Spires Academy leaders yesterday.&quot;]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-10-Sports-Leaders-at-the-School-Games-Inclusi</link>
        <pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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        <title>Year 11 Exam Success Evening</title>
        <description><![CDATA[On Thursday 10 March 2022 we held our first Exams Success Evening for Year 11 families.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-11-Exam-Success-Evening</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/ES9_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Gymnastics Academy Success</title>
        <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Gymnastics-Academy-Success</link>
        <media:content url="https://www.orionspires.org.uk/i/photos/Gymnastics2_thumb.jpg" medium="image">
        <pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
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        <title>Year 8-11 Reading Tests</title>
        <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-8-11-Reading-Tests</link>
        <pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Year 11 Exam Results!</title>
        <description><![CDATA[Congratulations to all our students who collected their exam results today! We are so proud of each and everyone of them and excited about their futures. Your dedication, commitment and determination paid off resulting in some outstanding results.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-11-Exam-Results</link>
        <pubDate>Thu, 12 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Social Care students took part in live Teams interviews.</title>
        <description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, Year 10 Health and Social Care students took part in live Teams interviews with two specialist Health Care workers.  This was as part of their study of care services that support adults and children with specific needs. ]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Social-Care-students-took-part-in-live-Teams-inter</link>
        <pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Year 11 TAG Briefing</title>
        <description><![CDATA[As promised here is the Year 11 TAG briefing recording from earlier this week. I have also included the link to all the Joint Council of Qualifications documents you may wish to see including the Student and Parent summer 2021 guidance I sent out earlier this week via email.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Year-11-TAG-Briefing</link>
        <pubDate>Fri, 07 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Cake Sale for Cancer Research</title>
        <description><![CDATA[7D Held a cake sale this morning during break, to raise money for Cancer Research.&amp;nbsp; Well done 7D!]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/Cake-Sale-for-Cancer-Research</link>
        <pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      </item>
      <item>
        <title>Welcome to our new website</title>
        <description><![CDATA[We hope that you find it easy to use and full of the information you require, whether you are a current or prospective parent or a member of the wider community.]]></description>
        <link>https://www.orionspires.org.uk/News/WelcomeToOurNewWebsite</link>
        <pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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