Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the very best of health. It has been a busy start to the final half term of the academic year this week with a number of updates to share with you below.
Youth With a Vision
You may have seen from our social media that a number of students from year 8 and 10 spent time in school over half term working on the Youth with a Vision project. Students took part a number of workshops, enjoyed some authentic Caribbean cuisine and broadened their understanding of black history.
Teen Tech Awards
We are proud to announce that we have received 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 39 Bronze Award certificates for students’ innovative work submitted to the Teen Tech Awards this year. Students who achieved this have also received feedback from Industry Expert Judges in the form of ideas and suggestions of how to move their projects forward. The nature of the projects submitted and the range of students in receipt of accolades is a real mark of our value of aspiration. Well done to all students involved. On the back of these achievements, we are also delighted to announce that our very own Mrs Ezis has been shortlisted for the Teen Tech Teacher of the Year award.
Derby Moor has once again been awarded Silver Innovative School status because of the quality of engagement with the Teen Tech Awards through our Personal Development curriculum.
Careers Update
This week the job of the week is a ‘Recycling Officer’
A group of Year 9 students took part in a careers talk led by a DHL Careers Champion as part of the Go Teach project. GoTeach UK is a partnership between the DHL UK Foundation and DHL colleagues, working together to make a difference to the education and employability of young people across the UK. We are looking forward to collaborating on a number of further sessions including employability skills workshops; CV writing and interview skills and a problem-solving workshop.
On Thursday we had a visit from Bethan Wallace, our Schools Liaison Officer from Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University. She met with a group of Year 9 and Year 10 students explaining all about the university system and the range of courses on offer. She also explained the importance of asking questions and researching the best subjects to study at A level in order to study certain subjects at university. We look forward to working closely with Bethan at Murray Edwards, Cambridge and Eve at St. Edmunds Hall, Oxford as we plan future activities and visits to encourage our students to aim for the top.
Consultation on Policies
Each summer we review our school policies with our governing body to check that they are still up to date and meeting the needs of our community. You can find them here and they are open for consultation at present. If you have any feedback on them that you would like to share, please email info@derbymoor.derby.sch.uk
Ofsted Inspection
You are likely to be aware that we had visitors from Ofsted in school this week as part of their routine inspection program. Our school was looked at under what is called a Section 8 inspection – this is a shorter inspection aimed at showing that the school remains ‘good’ as was the case in the last inspection. The outcome of this and the final report remain confidential until the report has been quality assured and published, as such, I cannot share details with you at this stage. I can say that the inspection was rigorous and that the team gathered sufficient evidence to gain a really accurate understanding of what our school and, most importantly, our community is all about. We anticipate that the final report will be available towards the end of July.
Parking
May I remind those who collect students in vehicles to use the turning circle at the front of school wherever possible and avoid parking on Moorway Lane. Parking on the lane reduces the traffic flow, causes obstructions and ultimately makes the lane less safe for our students. Please use the turning circle.
Year 11 Update
Year 11 have today received arrangements for the final phase of their examination season, please ask them about this over the weekend. We are now collapsing their timetable so that they will only attend pre-examination revisions sessions and the examinations themselves. The rest of their lessons will not take place and students will be able to leave site to study independently at home. There will be a supervised space in school for those who prefer to remain in school. We have moved revision sessions to blocks that are predominantly in the mornings as this helps with shared transport, allowing students to come to school, complete sessions and then return home for independent study. Students will be expected to wear full uniform throughout this period with normal expectations around examinations applied. On Monday, all students will come to school at normal time (8.40) for registration before the Maths exam. There will then be a Geography and History revision session, then for some a media revision session after which they will begin independent study time. Students must sign out of school when leaving and should return home to begin study for the next examination.
Tonight has been the final instalment of our Maths Fish and Chips night. With Year 11s putting in some extra practice and picking up some final tips from our maths experts after school hours. This is all segued with an ever popular fish and chip break to fuel their brains for more mathematics.
Final Thoughts
We have begun the final chapter of the 21-22 academic year this week and is has certainly felt like the summer term. We have had warmer weather, some big examinations for both Year 11 and 13 and the early stages of sports day planning, this year with a Commonwealth Games theme. The school as a collective has been under scrutiny with the inspection this week and, whilst everyone has gone about their daily business as normal, the feeling of being ‘examined’ gives us a greater empathy for our young adults who, each day, are walking into the exam hall and showing what they are capable of. It has been clear to me from the messages of support and the response of our families, students, staff and wider stakeholders how much those who are part of our community deeply care about this school, its values and what it stands for. I have felt truly humbled to be a part of that. Thank you.
Wishing you a relaxing weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal
