2021 September

Start of the day DMSA
Principal’s Update – 24th September 2021
Dear Families, I hope this update finds everyone in good health. We have had another superb week at the Academy this week. Our timings for the school day have now become aligned for all Year Groups and students have settled into the routines of school life really well. The changes around movement, dining and so on have been well received and our students have, as ever, been adaptable and taken these in their stride. There is a real focus in lessons across the school and it’s great to see our staff applying their findings from research into lessons and our students working with them to try out new ways of learning and improving their skillsets. I witnessed a wonderful example this week where Sixth Form students were peer coaching Year 11s in English, helping them to understand the requirements of an English Language writing question. The peer coaches reflected on their own prior learning to engage, motivate and tutor the Year 11 students in order to prepare them for an upcoming mock exam. A great example of how our community is working together to embrace our motto of Together We Succeed.
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Principal’s Update – 17th September 2021
I hope this week’s update finds you and those closest to you in the best of health. We have had a wonderful week at Derby Moor this week. There is a wave of positivity across the Academy at the moment which you can see, hear and feel in all corners of the school. I think this is partly the relief amongst our community that many of the restrictions from previous years have been lifted and that things are feeling normal. But, there is more to it than that. The feeling that we are truly part of something special here has returned, our community is re-united and you can see that students and staff are re-energised. Our corridors are full of happy faces, with so many examples of students helping other students with directions around the one way system; our classrooms are full of challenge and innovation with students showing independence, team work and problem solving skills and our extra-curricular offer has sprung back into life. It really is a joy to be part of this unique community.
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Principal’s Update – 10th September 2021
Dear Families, Welcome to the first update of the new school year. I hope you and those closest to you are in good health and enjoyed some quality time over the summer months with your children, family and friends. We have had a wonderful week this week. It has been a joy to see students return to school, they have clearly been eager to start the new term and have embraced the new routines and structure of the school day exceptionally well. We have made a number of changes within school this year as we return to a system that is closer to ‘normality’ than last year, more on that below. Welcome to new families – those of Year 7 students, those students who have joined our Sixth Form, and those who have managed to transfer from other schools to us over the summer. Our new starters have had a staggered introduction to our routines and are beginning to find their feet and their way around school. The first couple of weeks are always exhausting for Year 7s but they will quickly adapt to the movement around site and the rhythm of the school day.