Principal’s Update – 27th January 2023

Dear Families,

I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. I have a number of updates this week including some key information about the industrial action that is taking place on Wednesday and the impact this will have on our provision that day.

Industrial Action

Your child should have received a letter today detailing our provision on for Wednesday 1^st February. You can find a copy of the letter here. In summary, school will be open to Years 11, 12 and 13 and children identified as vulnerable or from families of critical workers. The remaining students will be set work to complete online as detailed in the letter, although this will not replace their timetabled lessons.

Year 13 Parents Evening

Unfortunately we have had to postpone our Parents Evening for Year 13. We will be in touch in due course with the new date. If you have any concerns about your child’s progress in the meantime, please do contact the Sixth Form Team.

Principal’s Coffee Morning

The next Principal’s Coffee Morning will take place on Friday 3^rd February at 10am. This will be a chance to hear updates about the academy from myself and Mr Scott and ask any questions you have about the school and our plans moving forwards. There is no need to book in, simply arrive at reception ahead of the 10am start time and a colleague will take you to the Library where the meeting will take place.

SEND Family Support Drop-In

A reminder that Mrs Steans has booked Tuesday the 31^st  of January from 3.20 till 5pm for Louise Bieluch and Davinia Hammersley from the STePS team to offer their expertise and support. STePS Social Communication and Autism Team are a team of experienced teachers and education practitioners for children and young people with Social Communication needs, Autism and Sensory needs.  Their role is to support children and young people in mainstream schools.  A child or young person does not need to have a diagnosis of ASD to access this support.

This drop in session is open to all parents who feel that they would benefit from some additional guidance in supporting their child, would like to chat to other parents in similar situations or have some questions about how to access specific support.

Sensory needs was one of the most common discussion points in the previous meeting and we have decided to focus on this in our next drop in. In preparation for attendance please use this link to access the Occupational Therapy Teams sensory videos. You can watch all of the videos or just select the videos which you feel are most relevant for you. Hopefully at the next meeting you can feed back about how useful they were. If you need your child to attend with you due to childcare issues, please do so. To confirm your attendance, please email Mr Reddy.

Youth Mayor Elections

Throughout this week and into next week students across the school will have the opportunity to listen to the speeches of the 4 candidates shortlisted to become Derby Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor. They will then complete their ballot forms to ensure they have a say about who should represent the voice of youth at the City Council. It has been interesting for our young people to hear what priorities each candidate would have if they were selected and to cast their vote accordingly, just as they will when they gain the franchise as adults.

East Midlands Airport Trip

This week our students from Innovation visited the Aerozone at East Midlands Airport as part of their Leisure and Tourism topic within Geography. They started the day with a terminal fact finding mission, where students had to navigate their way around the terminal in order to find the answers to a variety of questions.  This was followed by a careers talk about all the different jobs that are involved in the Aviation industry. After lunch they created their own passports and entered East Minilands,  a mini airport. This space replicated the key areas of the terminal, to give the students the opportunity to act out role play scenarios. It included check in, security, a shop, a café, boarding lounge and plane which was complete with eight aircraft seats and a trolley. The final activity, was a visit from the airport fire engine. Students talked to the firefighters and had a guided tour of the engine.

Maths Update

Year 11 homework in maths is changing. From Tuesday 31^st January, all students in year 11 will join the rest of the school in completing their homework on Sparx Maths (from the makers of Hegarty Maths). A programme of 1-hour long revision-based homework will be set every Tuesday from this date and will be due on the Tuesday a week later. We are using this exciting research-based platform as a mechanism for growing year 11 confidence and pushing them to achieve or exceed their target grades. Sparx will run alongside an independent study platform called Complete Maths Tutor, which gives your child the opportunity to undertake 24/7 virtual maths tuition targeted at a level appropriate to them. We are nothing without parental support on this so please look out for more details on these new platforms and ways you can support your child in an email from Mr Press (Head of Maths) coming early next week.

Duke of Edinburgh

Paperwork for the upcoming Bronze and Silver DofE Expeditions is now available. Students should see Miss Lancaster for a copy of the letter and return consent forms by 16^th February.

UKHSA Guidance Update

The UKHSA have updated their guidance for schools and families to reflect the high levels of flu, covid-19 and scarlet fever that are circulating nationally. You can read their press release here. Effectively, the advice is aligned with our normal practice. If your child has a temperature or is unwell, they should remain at home until they are feeling better. All children should be encouraged to wash their hands regularly and catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue. In school we will remind them of this and have continued with our enhanced cleaning regimen to ensure that frequently touched surfaces are cleansed regularly to minimise transmission of any pathogens that survive on these surfaces.

Derby Moor’s Got Talent

This year’s DMGT will take place in less than a fortnights time on Tuesday 7^th February from 6pm. Tickets are available on parent pay and in the Honour Hub priced at £3 pp, refreshments will be available on the night, but it will be cash only.

Sports Update

Football: Following the success of the Girls Football programme introduced in September and City wide fixtures throughout the year, we have recently entered the New National ESFA Girls Competition at U13 and U15 age groups and have been drawn to play at home for both ties: U13 Vs Toot Hill School (South Notts) and U15 Vs Orchard Mead Academy (East Leicester).

County Cross Country: Five of our students were selected to represent Derby City in the Cross Country County Championships last Saturday. It was a bitterly cold, crisp day with frozen ground, but our students were sensational. In the Year 7 Boys’ race, in a field of 75,  JG came 6^th and JD 17th. In the Year 7 Girls’ Race IC came 13th. In the Junior Girls’ Race AL Year 9 put in a really solid performance to finish mid table in a field including Year 10s too and in the Intermediate Boys, JC showed great character and determination to help the Derby City Team to victory in spite of reduced energy through illness. In all the races that our students featured in, the Derby City Team was placed first overall. Thank you to all the young people’s parents who endured the elements to support the event too.

Careers Update

This week’s job of the week is a ‘Make-up Artist’.

Derby Moor Dispatch: Our Derby Moor Dispatch has gone out to all students in Year 11, 12 and 13 and will continue to go out every Monday. This 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.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Scott Doyle

Principal