Dear Families,
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.
Timings for Year 7
Our new Year 7 students have settled in wonderfully well. They have been so full of enthusiasm and have really taken to moving around the building and finding their way from lesson to lesson. To help them settle in they have enjoyed an extended lunchtime and an earlier finish for the first two weeks. These timings will revert to normal starting from Monday 20th. As such, all students including Year 7 will now finish at 3.05 each day and at 2.45 on Wednesday.
Canteen and Parent Pay
A reminder to families that we cannot accept cash payments in our canteen. Families will need to credit their ParentPay account to allow students to purchase meals. Details of this can be found here. If you are having difficulty with this please contact school as students will not be able to make any purchases if their account is not credited next week.
The menus for each day can be found on our website. These are designed around the feedback our students provided last year and represent healthy, balanced options for our young people.
Parking and picking up
Please can we ask families not to park on Moorway Lane at the end of the school day. Doing so blocks the road and prevents the rest of the traffic from moving. We are very lucky to have a turning circle at the front of school that works very well when Moorway Lane is not blocked. Please consider other road users and the safety of our students and avoid parking on Moorway Lane or the surrounding streets.
Duke of Edinburgh
Our new Year 9 & 10 Bronze Group embarked upon their DofE journey on Thursday 16th September, with 22 students managing to enrol onto their eDofE systems. Over the course of the next few weeks , students will learn how to use this system and will begin to choose what they want to do for the Physical, Skills and Volunteering sections. Students involved should all have received a Welcome Pack, including a letter about the Parent’s Information Evening that will take place on Thursday 30th September, 6 – 7pm.
The Y11 DofE group starts Next Thursday (23rd), for both new and continuing students.
Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September sees some Y11 Bronze students undertake their Expedition – reminder that there will be a pre-expedition session on Thursday 23rd.
A further reminder that the initial £25 for the Welcome Pack is still needed for a few students wishing to sign up.
Royal Society of Chemistry
We are pleased to announce that Dr Heald has recently secured a grant from the RSC Speciality Chemicals Sector that will help fund some further resourcing and practical activities in the Science Faculty. We look forward to seeing the exciting new activities in action this year.
Uniform
Thank you to all families for supporting our high expectations on uniform, the standards have again been exceptional this week. If you are unsure about any items of uniform, you can find guidance on the website here or you can contact your child’s Year Manager.
Careers Update
On Wednesday, our Year 11 students had their ‘Next Steps Assembly’. Students were given an introduction to the choices available to them at the end of Year 11. They were shown a short video made by our careers advisers ‘Luminate Careers’ about Post 16 options – https://youtu.be/GWgW8p2oaJ4
This was followed by presentations on apprenticeships (by Adrian Rowley the Learning and Development Manager for Buildbase), FE college (by Jessica Bower from Derby College) and school sixth forms as a choice (by Wendy Coley, Head of Sixth Form at Derby Moor). The purpose of the assembly was to provide students with information about the range of pathways they might consider. It is the start of their journey through Year 11 and the school will be providing ongoing support to ensure that decisions are well informed and based on having solid information and guidance throughout.
On Thursday, the students were provided with a copy of a Post 16 Options booklet written by Luminate Careers. The booklet provides more information about the different pathways available and is intended to encourage discussion between the students and their parents/carers, teachers, careers staff and their peers. A copy of the booklet can also be found on our website at the following link: https://sites.google.com/derbymoor.derby.sch.uk/careers/students/post-16
Finally, the students have completed a ‘Future Plans’ form which helps us to target support throughout the year. All of our Year 11 students will be meeting with one of our Careers Advisors Kat Garland or Jessica Townsend from Luminate Careers. They are in school on a Tuesday and Thursday and run a range of workshops and 1:1 sessions with our students. They also have an excellent website with a wealth of useful information. Please have a look at the link: https://luminatecareersandcoaching.co.uk/
Year 6 Open Evening
Our Year 6 Open Evening takes place on Thursday 7th October this year. This will be a chance for prospective students and families to tour the building, meet students and staff and to see what it is that makes our school such a special place. A number of students will be asked to help out on the evening to represent our school so please do look out for permission slips coming home. You will find more information here.
Wishing you all a safe and relaxing weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal
