Dear Families
I hope this update finds you in the best of health. I write to you at the end of a summery feeling week at the academy. The sun is shining and I know we have a warm weekend of weather ahead of us. We’ve bid farewell to our Year 11s this week with the annual shirt signing and they have now entered the final phase of their examination period with more flexibility around their studies beginning on Monday. We are also delighted to have been awarded World Class Status following a challenging accreditation process. More on each of these items below.
A World Class School
On 23rd May 2023, Derby Moor Spencer Academy was accredited with the World Class Schools Quality Mark, joining a coveted network of just over 140 schools in the UK. The Quality Mark is awarded by education charity World Class Schools Quality Mark, whose unique assessment framework assesses the students for their demonstration of World Class skills and competencies. The premise is that if the school is truly World Class, then its students should be able to demonstrate this in whatever context they find themselves.
Derby Moor Spencer Academy is one of just a handful of non-selective state schools awarded the Quality Mark in the 2023 academic year, following a challenging assessment process in which students worked hard to identify and demonstrate their World Class characteristics using the WCSQM character development framework as a benchmark. The framework highlights characteristics across individual areas including leadership, community, learning and workplace for secondary students, and ‘I learn’, ‘I am’ and ‘I feel’ for primary students. Over time students demonstrated how they had met each characteristic, either at school, at home or in their local community, uploading evidence and a summary for each completed characteristic via the BeWorldClass app.
Once a significant number of students are proving World Class characteristics, WCSQM assesses the students’ completed portfolios via a student-led assessment process.
At WCSQM we wholeheartedly believe it is the students that make a school, and a school that prioritises the development of World Class characteristics in its students will always be World Class. The skills and competencies these students have demonstrated will help them excel in any environment, and make them ideal candidates for whichever further education / career pathway they choose to take. These are the World Class citizens of the next generation, and we’re incredibly proud to award them for their achievements so far.” Miranda Perry, Director, WCSQM
“Through the process of gaining accreditation for World Class schools’ status, I have had the opportunity to work closely with a number of extraordinary students ranging from Year 9 up to Year 13. All these students have demonstrated such a range of diverse skills and have been able to draw on experiences from the school context and beyond to demonstrate working at ‘World Class Schools’ level. I have learnt a lot from them and feel excited at the future that these students will go on to create, both in our school and beyond.” Jon Scott, Assistant Principal, DMSA.
WCSQM was established as a charity in 2018, accrediting students using a framework of skills and competencies young people need to flourish in an emerging global economy. The charity’s mission is to level up opportunities so that every student can develop World Class characteristics both in and out of the classroom, regardless of their circumstances or background, to help them achieve their potential. By definition, not all schools can be World Class. Therefore, it is the charity’s mission to close their network so that only the best in the country are represented.
Year 11 Update
It has been a busy and eventful week for Year 11 students with the examination period continuing at full pace. As always, they are taking this in their stride and are continuing with the positivity we saw before half term. On Thursday afternoon we suspended normal lessons to accommodate our annual shirt signing event. Students spent the last half hour of the day on the field, saying farewell, signing each others shirts and adding to some really impressive pre-prepared designs. It is always a buoyant event but is also tinged with a little sadness as it is a marker that their time with us in main school is coming to an end. To add to that sentiment, we are beginning a period of flexibility for the Year Group beginning on Monday where they will no longer be required in school for their usual lessons. There will be spaces to study for those students who prefer to work in school but there is no expectation that students attend anything other than the pre-examination revision sessions and the examinations. You can find all the details in the letter here, a copy of which was given to students this week. If you have any questions regarding arrangements, please contact the Year Team.
Parents’ Forum
There will be a Parents Forum meeting on Wednesday 14th June 2023 from 6.30 – 7.30 pm in HO08. Please use the out of hours entrance. The agenda has been published on Satchel and emailed to all families. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
PTFA
The PTFA will be present at the Year 7 Parents Evening and the Transition Parents Evening, selling nearly-new uniform. This follows a busy evening at the Year 10 Parents Evening this week. The prices for items have been published on the Satchel Events noticeboard.
If you have uniform that you are willing to donate, we will be happy to collect this. The uniform needs to be clean and in good condition. Please could you put the uniform in a plastic bag if possible.
At present, there is a particular need for all forms of PE uniform and Blazers. Uniform can be brought to Reception and placed in a collecting container, which will be clearly identified. All monies raised from selling the donated Uniform, will be used to support new projects in school with our students.
If you are interested in getting involved in the PTFA, please contact Mr Scott.
SEN Support
Our SEN team have been busy putting together a Padlet page to help support our families whose children require additional support. The Padlet is essentially a one stop shop, signposting links relating to provisions that can help families and students. These range from help setting up sleep routines to dyslexia support and Parent Support Groups. You can find the Padlet page here.
Year 10 Parents Evening
Thank you to all families who attended the parents evening on Wednesday. It was lovely to see so many of you there, supporting your children as they reach the mid-point of their GCSEs. They are growing up quick and will soon be moving into Year 11. With their end of year mocks around the corner I know a lot of the conversations were focussed upon preparation for this. If you need further support with anything academic or pastoral, please contact the Year Team.
Summer Newsletter from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has asked us to distribute their summer newsletter which you will find attached to the email version of this update or on the website here<
Careers Update
This week’s job of the week is a ‘Joiner’.
Derby Moor Dispatch: This week’s Derby Moor Dispatch was mailed to all students in Year 11, 12 and 13 on Monday. You can find a copy attached to the mail version of this update or on the web here. 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.
Careers Website: In addition to the weekly updates you can find all of our careers related information on our dedicated careers website here. Please do take a look. There is an additional section specifically for parents and carers that you can find here.
Careers and Enterprise Feature: Amanda- Stevenson-Bate is the talent manager at Alstom and our Enterprise Advisor at Derby Moor. She was featured in a recent article by the Careers and Enterprise Company where she talks about her role and references her work with the academy. If you would like to take a look, you can find it here.
Step into the NHS Regional Finalist: We are delighted to announce that, out of the hundreds of entries in the Step into the NHS Competition, one of our Year 9 students, TT has been declared the East Midlands Regional Area Winner, with her inspiring job advertisement for an A&E Doctor. She created a Mood Board (pictured below) and an accompanying video explaining why this is such an attractive job.
She will now be sharing her work with the Judges in the Virtual National Final on 16th June. Congratulations to her, we wish her every success.
Final thoughts
We are aware that the weather is beginning to feel a little more like summer and the stability in temperatures will be welcomed by most. As we move through the final half term our uniform expectations remain the same as for the rest of the year. If there is any adjustment to this it will be communicated to parents in advance via the usual channels. As things stand, students should continue with full school uniform. Related to this matter, we have had some questions about water provision this week. Students have access to water fountains before school, at break and at lunch time. There is plenty of access and enough time to take on board adequate water at these points.
I’m sure you will be equally as delighted as we are that the school has been recognised as World Class. It is almost a year to the day since our Ofsted inspection and, on the back of this, we welcomed the idea that World Class Schools could look at our students, see what they are capable of and how the systems within our academy help to develop the attributes they need to be the best in their chosen field. We are so proud of their achievements and look forward to working with our World Class Community of schools next year.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Scott Doyle
Principal
