Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the best of health. This half term has flown by and it’s hard to believe that we are about the enter the final week before the break. There are a number of updates this week on the back on National Apprenticeship Week and also some key information from the local Director of Public Health.
Measles
We circulated a letter to families this week from the city’s Director of Public health, Dr Robyn Dewis, regarding Measles and outbreaks seen in other parts of the country. There have been over 300 cases reported in the West Midlands and it is likely that we will, in time, see cases in Derby having noted some cases in Leicester recently. We would encourage you to carefully read the letter from Dr Dewis which can be accessed here. Measles is a really unpleasant disease and can cause major complications including death for those who contract it. The only protection against this for adults and children is the vaccine as this reduces the spread significantly and stops anyone suffering the symptoms. We strongly advise families to contact their GP and check if they and their children have had the vaccine.
Parents Survey
If you have not yet completed our parents survey, please see the link below to feedback your views. on a variety of topics. This survey will close on Wednesday 14th February and we do not want any Parents to miss out on their opportunity to give us their feedback. You can find the survey here.
Rolls Royce Apprenticeship Day
Rolls-Royce are hosting an open day net week aimed at females and their parents and carers. It’s an opportunity to visit the site and learn about apprenticeships, meet other women doing similar roles, and find out what working at Rolls-Royce is really like. The event takes place on Tuesday 13th February, 5-6pm and 6-7pm at the Rolls-Royce Nuclear Skills Academy, Infinity Park Way, Infinity Park, Derby DE24 9FU. This could be a great opportunity for female students who are:
- interested in how things work
- full of initiative and eager to learn
- great at problem solving
- able to work well in a team
For more about Rolls-Royce apprenticeships and how to apply on this link.
ENERGY Project at Derby Theatre
Over the past couple of weeks, a group of Year 7 singers have been working with an external singing coach in order to get ready for a big performance at Derby Theatre in conjunction with the Sinfonia Viva orchestra, Derby Museums and Rolls-Royce which took place on Tuesday 6th Feb. Throughout these sessions the students have been learning a selection of original songs tied into the history of energy, the developments brought on by technology and how the future of sustainability might look. Alongside the lyrics, students have also been learning BSL to sign every word they’ve been singing.
On Tuesday, our students were part of a huge choir made up of several schools in the Derby area and got to experience singing in a theatre alongside one of Derby’s biggest orchestras.
The students were great ambassadors for our academy, showing enthusiasm, professionalism and managing to learn and perform both the lyrics and signs in a very short space of time!
Positive Social FREE Parents’ Session
Positive Social provide workshops for our students on Drop Down Day to try to help them stay safe on Social Media. Positive Social are now running online sessions for parents and they have asked us to promote this with you. Amongst other things, they’ll be discussing appropriate boundaries; technology tips for parents; what research and science says about social media use; what you can do personally to impact your children. There will be plenty of time for questions during this interactive session and we’ll be using Zoom breakout rooms where you can also learn from other parents facing the same challenges as you.
The event is on Monday 4 March 2024 from 8pm – 9pm. You can book your place on this link. Places are free but donations are welcome.
Year 10 Brilliant Club Scholar’s Programme
This week marked the final tutorial for the Key Stage 4 Brilliant Club Scholars Programme. Thirteen of our Year 10 students have been meeting weekly with a university tutor from Keele to study an extracurricular subject (in this case, the many myths surrounding King Arthur and how they have been shaped by various media over the ages). The students had to submit a university-standard essay on the topic and were awarded grades in line with university expectations. The students did exceedingly well, with a number of students receiving 2:1 for their work. The students are now looking forward to February 28th, when, as a group, they travel to the University of Sheffield to receive certificates in a Graduation Ceremony. This is a tremendous effort, and the students ought to be very proud with what they have achieved.
Year 13 Physics
Last Friday the Year 13 physicists had a practical day at Loughborough university. They used new equipment such as hall probe to analyse magnetic flux density and used this to compare to their own calculated results. We saw a teltron tube with Helmholz coils, showing the electrons moving in a circle, something which really challenged their understanding. To support with the turning points module, students attempted Millikan’s experiment before they repeated the diffraction experiment in much darker conditions with helium-neon lasers and much smaller uncertainty. This was a really positive and engaging experience for the group and helped them gain evidence towards passing the practical element of their course.
Pre-Booked Medical Appointments
Please can we remind families to ensure they contact the school at least 24 hours before any pre-booked medical appointments their child has. They can do this either by phone 01332 772706 or by emailing the attendance team on: attendance@derbymoorspencer.org.uk.
School Parking and Road Safety
We have met again with Local Councillors, the Locality Team, Traffic Managers and the Police to follow up from our meeting before Christmas around school parking and road safety. Please continue to report any concerns you have around road use to the council using this link or the following email: generalparkingproblems@derby.gov.uk. We know that the use of Moorway Lane can be a constant frustration for families and local residents so we are encouraged that there may be some changes on the way to make things a little better. In the meantime, I would ask all road users to avoid parking on Moorway as this blocks up the flow of traffic for everyone else and is the primary cause of queues in the evening.
Sports Update
14 Girls Football: The first match saw a 2-0 win over Littleover with AB in goal for the first time. Cracking saves and excellent reading of the game meant a clean slate. Second match against Murray Park and our team made excellent use of space, executed some accurate passing and showed stubborn defence, allowing us to win 1-0. In the third match against a strong Eccelsbourne team. We managed to get an early goal which set the pace. Some great headers by AT and NC and it was nearly in the bag. Unfortunately, a last-minute goal meant the final game of the tournament ended in a draw.
Y7 Girls Football: The year 7 girls excelled at this tournament, having developed so much as a cohesive team. First game – We drew 1-1 St Benedict’s, a last-minute goal preventing our well-deserved win. Second game – Victory against Murray Park 1-0 and we definitely were the stronger team in this match. Our final match was another draw at 1-1. Because of their fantastic effort and teamwork, we can now announce we finished in the top 2 and are through to the finals on the 13th March! An incredible achievement to be in the top 4 out of 16 schools in Derbyshire.
Next week we have 2 basketball fixtures. The Y12/13 team will be playing local school Littleover on Tuesday 13th and our Y9/10 team are away at John Port on Thursday 15th.
Careers Update
Career of the Week: This week’s job of the week is a ‘Occupational Therapist’.
National Apprenticeship Week: We have recognised National Apprenticeship Week in a number of ways including assemblies to Year 9 and Year 10 exploring apprenticeships and how to start researching and learning about them. Thanks to ASK Apprenticeships and DHL for delivering these assemblies. We hope that some of you were able to listen to the live broadcast on Wednesday ‘Let’s Talk Apprenticeships’. To find out more and to aid some discussion at home about apprenticeships please look at the information below from RateMyApprenticeship.
RateMyApprenticeship compiled a list of top resources for students on their official National Apprenticeship Week page. This is filled with lots of content for students – including the 2024 “A Guide to Career Options”. There is also a section for Parents so please do have a look. You can access all of the resources by clicking on the link here.
DHL/Outward Bound Residential Selection Day: On Thursday we welcomed five members of DHL who spent the day with a number of our Year 10 students who have applied to take part in a week’s residential with the Outward Bound Trust in May. The students were tasked with a wide range of activities which formed part of the selection process. This included some practical team building and problem solving tasks as well as presentations and interviews. Students developed a wide range of employability skills throughout the day and will have the opportunity to develop these further if selected to attend the residential. Our visitors were really impressed by our students and one told us: ‘The students were all an absolute credit to the school. They showed great respect, enthusiasm and commitment throughout the day and I feel inspired from spending time with them’.
Derby Scholars Programme: This last week has seen the launch of the Derby Scholars Programme for selected Year 9 and 12 students The University of Derby and Murray Edwards College, Cambridge are running the programme for a fifth year in 2024.
Derby Scholars is a collaborative programme delivered by the two Universities: Derby and Cambridge, aiming to:
- create opportunities for some of Derby city’s very able pupils to interact and build a community of scholars
- support those pupils to grow in confidence and build key skills
- raise the awareness and knowledge of progression to Oxbridge and therefore support more of our city’s bright pupils to make successful Oxbridge applications.
The programme will provide a range of activities including virtual workshops, an Experience Day at the University of Derby and there will also be an opportunity for pupils to visit Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.
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. You can also view the Dispatch via the Careers page of the Derby Moor website. Please take a look at the website as there is a wealth of useful information including a specific page for parents.
Staff Spotlight
This week, we shine the Staff Spotlight on Mrs Edwards:
Q) How long have you worked at Derby Moor Spencer Academy?
A) I started working here June 2022 but was also a former student and left in 1998.
Q) What is your role and what does it entail?
A) I work in attendance and on reception. As part of the team, we are responsible for ensuring students are registered in school, registers are updated each period and the necessary check are in place for safeguarding. We also take many calls from families around appointments and absence.
Q) What is your favourite thing about working here?
A) My favourite thing about working here is the team and the busy role I have.
Q) Tell us a fact about yourself.
A) I love to read any real-life stories or real crime books.
Q) Who is the person who inspires you most?
A) I am inspired most by people who have a real drive for work and apply themselves always with their best foot forward, my dad is defiantly one of those people and my work ethic stems from him. He inspires me the most to always be the best that I can be in any situation.
Q) What other interesting roles or experiences have you had?
A) Prior to joining the school, I previously worked for a small independent Estate agent as a sales negotiator and also part of the maintenance team. I also worked for Egg Banking as a complaint’s handler and my first job from school was a dental nurse and I qualified in this field.
That’s everything for this week. It’s been another varied and action packed 5 days at the Academy and I’m sure next week will bring much of the same.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Scott Doyle
Principal