Dear Families,
I write to you at the end of what has been a really rewarding half term at Derby Moor. I feel incredibly privileged to have the job that I have. To be able to walk this school each day, see our young people flourish and our staff teams deliver lessons and support of such high quality day in day out really is a joy. I have mentioned the strength of our community many times in these updates and it is that quality and our value of community, that has helped our young people adapt and recover from a year of disruption, and bring our school back to life this autumn.
Fixtures
We have not had any fixtures this week but the Year 11 Football team have a County Cup game on Tuesday after half term.
Basketball fixtures will also commence after half term and also new extra-curricular clubs – students should keep an eye out for those through form tutors, notice boards and P.E. staff.
Applications for Year 7 in September 2022
A final reminder that the deadline for Year 7 applications is October 31st via the Derby City portal. The link to the Derby Schools Admissions Portal can be found here.
Duke of Edinburgh
This year’s DofE is now successfully up and running, with 37 Year 9 and 10s signed up onto their eDofE systems and another 8 in process. Students have spent the half term becoming familiar with the eDofE system and have started their activites for the Physical, Skills and Volunteering sections. With activities as diverse as horse riding and knitting through to helping out elderly neighbours and the usual sports, we have lots of exciting times ahead.
The Year 11 group has now grown to 17 young people, either joining us directly at the Silver Level or progressing from Bronze to Silver.
Next half term, sees the beginning of the Expedition Training and students are reminded that First Aid is a vital part of that training and is not to be missed.
For those not signed up to eDofE, please check to see if you have paid the £25 for the Welcome Pack via the ParentPay system. Once this is confirmed it is the matter of minutes to create the login. In the meantime, students can start their activities and just need to keep a copy of all evidence until they have a log in.
Mock Examinations
Year 11 will begin their first mock examination series of the year on the 1st November, immediately after half term. Staff and students have been working hard in preparation for this as they are a good indicator for success in the summer and they help diagnose areas for intervention going forward. Please do ask your child for their exam timetable and encourage to set some time aside over the half term to prepare.
Year 11 Parents Evening
Our first Parents’ Evening of the year takes place on the 1st December. Information about making appointments will be distributed after the half term. We are aiming to share mock examination results with students and families at this event and these will form the focus of the consultations.
Half Term Dates
A reminder that the last day of this half term is this Friday 22nd October with students returning to school on Monday 1st November.
Vaccinations
We had the NHS immunisation team in school this week administering vaccinations. I must say our students were very mature throughout the process and dealt with, what can sometimes be a difficult experience, very well indeed.
Covid Update
Cases within our school community continue to remain low, despite the rising cases locally and nationally. I am conscious that this can change very quickly as many other schools have experienced a turnaround recently. As such, I would like to remind families that we may have to re-introduce measures at short notice should case numbers rise and I ask for vigilance throughout our community as we strive to keep everyone safe.
Careers Update
On the recent ‘Drop Down Day’ our Year 11 students had a session on using Unifrog. They were able to complete a ‘Personality profile quiz’ and then explore the careers library and subject profiles. Unifrog holds the world’s biggest database of Post 16 and Post 18 opportunities. Every pathway is covered – from Traineeships, apprenticeships and higher education. Find out more at: https://www.unifrog.org/
In addition, students have been starting to practice how to complete and answer common questions for applications and interviews as well as building up their ‘Record of Achievement’. Every Year 11 student has a Record of Achievement folder in which they can add evidence to show what they have achieved. This can include evidence of volunteering, positions of responsibility, activities both inside and outside of school as well as their CV. Please encourage them to bring in evidence to add to their folder over the next half-term. We will issue students with their folders, ready to take with them to any interviews.
Our Year 11 students continue to meet with one of our Careers advisers Kat Garland or Jessica Townsend from Luminate Careers either as part of a group workshop on post 16 choices or a 1:1 session. This will carry on after half- term as students start to make decisions about their future. Luminate also have an excellent website with a wealth of useful information. Please have a look at the link: https://luminatecareersandcoaching.co.uk/
On Thursday our Year 13 students had a virtual mock interview with an employer. This was a tremendous success and we managed to schedule 120 virtual interviews thanks to our wonderful volunteers from a wide range of employers including Rolls Royce; Alstom; Vodafone; The Home Office; Lubrizol and Severn Trent. Given that increasingly interviews for apprenticeships, employment and university are being carried out virtually we believe this is great preparation for our students going forwards.
Student Leadership
Members of the student leadership team presented to the senior leadership team this week, outlining their work done so far and representing student views. They confidently described the impact they are having across the school through events such as the cooking therapy, the book fayre, leading student panels for interviews and walking the premises with site staff. They have plans for events over the next two half terms including a Diwali celebration, more work on mental health awareness and support and mentoring younger students.
Wishing you and your family and restful half term break,
Scott Doyle
Principal
