Dear Families,
I hope this week’s update finds you and your family in the best of health. It has been lovely to connect with families of our Year 11 students this week at the first parents’ evening of the year, we’ve welcomed local councillors to the academy and the PE team have staged the kit reveal event this week to showcase our new DMSA team colours. More detail in the update below.
School Parking and Road Safety
This week we have met with Danny Giles (Locality 4 Manager), Cllr Sara Bolton, Cllr Hardyal Dhindsa, Kelsey Mumford (Locality Officer) and Sgt Dutton to talk through some of the challenges and potential solutions around road use at the start and end of the school day. You will know that this is a constant challenge and will have read my regular reminders to drivers to use our turning circle and to be courteous to other road users and local residents. Having engaged with the local council previously on the matter it was good to have a solutions focused discussion around what actions could be taken to alleviate some of the issues with traffic flow in and around Moorway Lane, particularly at the end of the school day. Hopefully we can provide further updates on action as we move through into the next calendar year. In the meantime, Derbyshire Constabulary have provided a guide to parking safely which you can view here.
Year 12 Geography
The Year 12 Geographers listened to a presentation from Connor Hardy, of NET Trams in Nottingham this week. This was part of their NEA preparation and forms the basis of their research before they visit Beeston for their field work. Connor talked to them about the impact of the Tram on Beeston, and how there are plans to extend it to Long Eaton due to the HS2 being cancelled. Students were praised by Connor for some excellent questioning and thoughtful responses to the information he shared.
Year 11 Parents Evening
The Year 11 Parents’ evening took place on Wednesday evening and was particularly well attended. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout the evening and some really purposeful, performance related conversations taking place, designed to maximise the time we have left in Year 11. Thank you to everyone who came along to the event.
Awards Evening
Our Annual Awards Evening is taking place next Thursday 14th December at the Academy. The event will start at 6.30pm, however there is opportunity for Award winners and their guests to arrive earlier and walk down the ‘Red Carpet’ for a reception- from 6.00pm onwards. Visitors should park in the school car park.
The evening will consist of 2 sessions, with a break in between where a buffet and soft drinks will be provided. There is a raffle again after its popularity last year, so please bring along cash. We will also have a card reader, for those who prefer to use plastic. All money raised will go towards the designated School Charity. There are a range of prizes to be won, including restaurant vouchers, Home tickets to a Derby County Match and a signed Derby County shirt.
We look forward to welcoming nominees and their families to what should be a wonderful event and celebrating success together.
Smart Money Award 2023
Representatives from HSBC gave an interesting and informative Assembly to representatives of Year 9 last week to widen their understanding of the Debit Card system and teach them how to be more aware of the way fraudsters can trick people into disclosing financial information. At the end of the Assembly, they presented Mrs Ezis with the Smart Money Award 2023. This is recognition of the work done to help students learn from experts about managing money effectively through saving, budgeting, being aware of scams and understanding mortgages, loans and insurance and to prepare them for independent living through our Drop Down Days. We are very proud to be the school selected for this award this year.
Vacancies
We have a selection of vacancies advertised at the academy at present. These include DT Technician, Office Manager, Admin Assistant and Receptionist, Inclusion manager, Behaviour mentor and Teacher of ICT and Computing (temporary). If you are interested in joining our team, please do follow the links and contact school if you require further information.
Sports Update
Kit Reveal Day: On Thursday we held a kit reveal day for our captains, vice-captains and sports representatives to showcase our new Sports Team Kits. The day was a great success with over 30 students promoting the kit all day and receiving lots of great feedback from staff and students. At lunch all of our captains were asked to come and take some professional sports pictures, which we are hoping to share with students and parents in the future. It was an incredibly positive day for the PEEA faculty with a great buzz around the department and we’d like to thank all of the students who aided us on the day for representing the faculty so well.
Year 8 Netball: On Tuesday our Year 8 Netball Team played their first fixture away at CODA. For many of the girls this would have been their first ever competitive match. It was a really close game with the team going ahead then conceding but a valiant effort from the girls led them to a 13-7 victory. Well done to all those involved. POTM – AW.
Extra-Curricular Timetable: Please find the PE Extra-Curricular Timetable for next week attached to the email version of this update.
Careers Update
Job of the Week: This week’s job of the week is a ‘Health and Safety Inspector‘.
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.
Staff Spotlight
This week, we shine the Staff Spotlight on our Examinations Officer, Mrs Repton:
Q) How long have you worked at Derby Moor Spencer Academy?
A) Just over 5 years.
Q) What is your role?
A) Examinations Officer.
Q) What does your role entail?
A) I manage the exam cycle for GCSE, GCE and Vocational Awards for various Year groups. I ensure that the integrity of each examination is upheld and that all students understand and abide by the JCQ Regulations. I work with the SENCo to ensure all students with Access Arrangements receive the correct support and provide interventions to ensure they use them effectively. I also conduct the process of the exam cycle before, during and after exams and arrange all areas of the Mock and Live exams ensuring the students are entered for the correct exam papers and they know all instructions leading up to their exam session. Finally, I ensure all results are issued at the relevant time according to the JCQ guidelines.
Q) What is your favourite thing about working here?
A) I love working at Derby Moor as it gives me great satisfaction in helping our students prepare for their exams and building relationships with them to ensure they are comfortable and prepared. I think the students thrive at the school. Each year I have worked here it has felt more and more positive. I think both staff and students have built a great community working together.
Q) Tell us a fact about yourself.
A) I moved to Shropshire when I was 17 to become an Outdoor Sports Instructor at an adventure centre which led me to begin my career in Sport and Fitness
Q) Who is the person who inspires you most?
A) My Mum – she is a brilliant role model and provides me support with my own children so I can help others in a job that I love.
Q) What other interesting roles or experiences have you had?
A) Before coming to Derby Moor, I was a Personal Trainer and Dance Instructor for both adults and children for 17 years. My main passion on leaving school was Sport and I did Gymnastics and Dance while I was growing up so I wanted to pursue a career in this.
After having my 2 daughters, I went back to College and trained as a Teaching Assistant which landed me a job at Derby Moor. Following my progression within my role as a TA, I helped and supported with Access Arrangements and began to lead the Access Arrangement room. Over time, with more experience, I progressed to manage all of the exams and became Examination Officer where I can carry on supporting students and helping them in any way I can.
Final Thoughts
We are now entering the final fortnight of the term and look forward to both the Year 13 mock Examination period and the Awards Evening next week. The weather continues to look a little unsettled for the week ahead and students should be prepared for this, planning for wet and cold weather. With the dark nights and mornings, it is also a good time to remind your children about road safety and taking care when crossing roads.
Wishing you a relaxing weekend.
Scott Doyle
Principal