Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the best of health. We have seen the first big week of examinations come to a close today and there has been a real feeling of positivity amongst the Year 11s. It’s been lovely to see their transformation from being quite nervy and worried in the build up, to feeling confident and assured as they have left the exam hall. The general consensus has been that they have felt well prepared and that most of the questions on the big papers have not been a surprise. I know they won’t be taking anything for granted and you can feel that there is a renewed intensity and commitment in the revision and intervention sessions. I will continue to wish both Year 11 and 13 all the best over the next week too.
Superstars Week
As you will be aware from last week’s update, I had the pleasure of awarding grants to 11 of our Superstars on behalf of the Spencer Superstars charity. The grants are aimed at supporting them to develop their talents further and perhaps go on to do greater things.
Next week (Monday 22nd to Friday 26th May 2023) is our Derby Moor Superstars eeWk where there will be a range of activities during lunchtimes for all students to join in with. There are two aims for the Superstars week. Firstly, to identify future ‘Superstars’ who have talents or who have been successful in their chosen field. And secondly, we want to use the activities to raise additional funds for the Spencer Superstars Charity whilst having some fun at lunchtimes.
There will be a range of activities for students to take part in. The activities will be led by some of our own Superstars and will link directly to the skill/talent that they have. There will be a £1 participation fee for each event, which will go towards the Superstars Charity. Each activity is a competition and there are 8 x £10 Amazon vouchers as prizes for the winner of each activity across the school.
On Thursday, we will be having a Samosa sale and the week finishes with a Derby Moor Pentathlon. This also costs £1 to enter, with the overall winner receiving a £50 Amazon voucher.
I am looking forward to seeing our own Superstars run the events for our students and in turn, to see our young people engage with a range of fun activities across the week.
Year 12 Parents Evening
Thank you to all families who attended the Parents’ Evening for Year 12 students on Wednesday. It’s always a pleasure to welcome you to the academy and discuss learning, progress and, in this case, how Year 12 students can prepare for their upcoming end of year exams. Further to this, to aid their preparation, we will be welcoming Keele University to the academy on Wednesday 14th June to talk to Year 12 about revision techniques and building their confidence in preparation for their Exams.
Year 13 Update
Year 13 will have their last full day in school on Friday 26th May 2023 (Leavers’ Day), when they will have an assembly, light refreshments and an opportunity to take photographs for their memory books.
From Monday 5th June, all lessons will continue until students have sat their last examination in each particular subject; students must attend these lessons. If students study a BTEC course, their subject teacher will confirm with them when they have finished all of the work required for their course; once this has happened students are no longer required to attend that lesson. All students can still come into school as normal, attend any lesson or study in school but must be in Post 16 dress code.
Numeracy Day
Students across the academy took part in National Numeracy Day on Wednesday; the aim was to promote the importance of every day maths skills. No matter what job we have, we use maths every day – for example when budgeting, organising schedules, measuring materials and even managing our time. This was the theme of Mr Press’ (Head of Maths) assemblies which were delivered to year groups throughout the week. During Numeracy Day, staff and students competed against each other to solve a range of mathematical challenges including an interactive treasure hunt. Teachers wore numbers on their backs which represented answers to the treasure hunt the students were tasked with. Throughout the day students practised their numeracy skills in all subjects across the curriculum and it was a real privilege to see our Year 12 student leaders mentoring students in Years 7, 8 and 9 as they completed the various tasks. Students who actively engaged were awarded numeracy points – please do log on to class charts and see what reward points your child was awarded. Mr Press, Head of Maths, said that the day was a huge success and that he was proud of all the staff and students who demonstrated incredible engagement with the tasks on the day. Prizes will be announced for treasure hunt winners and times table competition winners early next week.
Computing Update
This is the last computing update from our series ‘Getting Outdoors’. This week’s focus is Activity Trackers. After all the outdoor activities the computing team have recommended, how do you find out just how much activity you’ve actually done? Trackers are a great way to monitor activity levels and sleep. Most trackers are worn around the wrist and sync with an app to display and analyse the data that has been collected. 60 minutes of exercise a day is recommended for children and young people, so this is a great way to check targets are being met. An activity tracker can also keep you and your family motivated to move more when you can see just how much (or how little) exercise is actually being done. You can read more about getting active and using trackers on the NHS website here.
Nurse Visit
Students in Innovation welcomed a Theatre nurse into the academy this week. She answered questions about what it is like to be a nurse and what skills and qualifications are needed. The students then had a chance to put on surgical gowns and hats before trying their steady hands at playing Operation. I am sure she has inspired some of them to consider a future route in healthcare.
NET Tram Presentation
Connor Hardy, the QHSC manager for Net Trams in Nottingham is presenting to our Year 12 Geographers on the impact of the tram on Beeston town centre next Thursday. This forms part of their human NEA project, where students have to investigate a geographical issue and create a 4000-word project. The Geographers are also attending fieldwork sessions in Beeston, Long Eaton and Nottingham on Friday to collect data for this investigation.
Sports Update
PE Employability Activities: Next week students will embark on their Employability lessons in PE. They will be given a variety of roles such as a performer/coach/analyst/official as part of a ‘Mini Olympics’ event which will involve them working in small groups across a range of Olympic style track and field events.
Derby County Community Trust: You may have seen from our twitter account that we are looking forward to working with Derby County Community Trust on their Post 16 Football & Education Programme next year. Students on the programme will be able to study A Levels and BTEC Level 3 within the 6th Form at DMSA alongside representing Derby County in the EFL CEFA League. We are really pleased with the benefits this partnership will bring, not just for the students involved in the programme but also for our wider community. More to follow on the opportunities this will provide next year.
Careers Update
This week’s job of the week is a ‘Deckhand’.
Rolls-Royce Outreach: I met with representatives from Rolls-Royce today alongside a number of heads from Derby Schools to hear about their current work at the Infinity Park site and their plans to develop a nuclear research hub and the success of their recently opened skills academy. It was great to hear about the career opportunities this presents for many young people from across Derby and reassuring to hear that they share the same passion as we have for driving social mobility across the city. I will hopefully be able to share some future activities with you in due course.
Derby Moor Dispatch: The Derby Moor Dispatch goes out every Monday to all students in Year 11, 12 and 13. The Dispatch contains a wide range of opportunities for work experience, summer schools, careers related webinars and so on. Please do have a look at the latest edition. The Dispatch is emailed to the students’ school email address so it is important that they check this regularly on a Monday.
That’s everything for this week. I hope you enjoy some slightly warmer weather and enjoy a little quality time with your family this weekend.
Best wishes,
Scott Doyle
Principal
