Dear Families,
Happy New Year. I hope the first update of 2025 finds you and those closest to you in the best of health. It’s been great to reconnect with our community this week through a training day with staff on Monday and then Year Group assemblies on Tuesday.
Student Librarian Opportunities
The school library is currently seeking to recruit five new student librarians this half-term. This is an excellent opportunity for students to develop valuable skills and contribute to the school community. Interested students are encouraged to apply by collecting an application form from the library.
Derby Moor’s Got Talent – Wednesday 5th February – 6pm-8.30pm approx.
Please note the date for your diary. Preparations are well underway following auditions for the successful acts who have been refining their pieces for the DMGT Show. Further information will be available regarding ticketing in next week’s update
Lost Property
If your child has misplaced an item, please encourage them to check the Lost Property area. Items such as coats, bags, and shoes are currently displayed outside the Reprographics room in Honour. Students may request permission from their tutors to check Lost Property during break or lunchtime.
To help reduce the volume of misplaced items, we kindly ask parents and students to ensure all belongings—especially coats and bags—are clearly labeled with the student’s full name. This will assist in returning items promptly.
Art, Design and Technology Update
GCSE Art and Textiles – Year 11: Year 11 Art and Textiles students were introduced to their Component Two (exam project) this week where they were able to choose one of seven exciting themes to explore. Component Two is worth 40% of their overall GCSE and will include a 10 hour exam at the end of April. Weekly homework tasks will be set that will contribute towards their projects, so please encourage your child to complete these. In addition, it will be extremely beneficial if you are able to take your child to a gallery or location to gain inspiration for their project and take primary photographs that can be used to inform their work. Intervention will continue to take place on Tuesdays (Week A only) and Thursdays after school as well as Tuesday and Wednesday lunchtimes.
GCSE Art – Year 10: Last term, Year 10 Art students took part in four workshops with local photographer, Jon Legge. These workshops formed part of the continued collaboration with QUAD Derby, for the Schools in Residence programme. Students were taught how to use DLSR cameras to capture a range of subjects using a variety of photography techniques. They explored light and movement and were introduced to basic editing tools to create their images. The work produced will be exhibited at QUAD as part of FORMAT25, an international Photography Festival taking place in venues across Derby from 13th March 2025. This year’s festival theme is ‘CONFLICTED’ and it will feature a range of work by photographers from all around the world, as well as our Year 10 Art students. This is an extremely exciting and inspiring opportunity, with students having the chance to view the work they have created when they visit the festival in March.
Young Format 25: FORMAT/QUAD is excited to announce that they are seeking photographs from children and young people, aged 25 years and under, to exhibit as part of the FORMAT25. The deadline for submissions is Sunday 19th January. For more information, please follow this link.
Schools in Residence Programme – Summer Exhibition: Unfortunately, this year will be the final year that Derby Moor collaborate with QUAD in the Schools in Residence programme. Mrs. Calvert is working alongside QUAD to host an exhibition in July to celebrate all of the work created by Derby Moor students since the start of the programme. We would be thrilled to welcome the support of past students who have been involved with any of the artist workshops facilitated by QUAD, in leading, organising and curating the exhibition. If this is something you would like to be involved in, please emailMrs.s Calvert.
Art Ambassador Applications / Arts Award: We would like to say a huge congratulations to IM (Year 9) and SS (Year 8) on successfully becoming Art Ambassadors at the end of last term. The Art team would like to recruit more Art Ambassadors to carry out a range of Art-based tasks across the school. There is also the opportunity to work alongside QUAD in Derby to complete a Bronze Arts Award by the end of the academic year. If this is something your child may be interested in, please see the ambassador poster created by IM and encourage your child to speak to their Art teacher for more information.
Design and Technology KS3 Rotations: At the start of the term, Year 7 and 8 rotated to their new Technology subject, either Textiles, Product Design or Food Technology. If your child has rotated to Food Technology, please ensure they log on to ClassCharts on a weekly basis where a list of ingredients required for their particular food practical lessons will be uploaded. Students are also handed a printed ingredients list a week in advance of their practical lesson. Students are required to provide their own ingredients as well as a suitable container to bring their dish home in. If your child is in receipt of Free School Meals, ingredients will be provided by the school, but students must bring a suitable container with them as these will not be provided. Food Technology teaches your child a range of invaluable skills, and whilst we are keen for all students to learn to cook, unfortunately if your child does not bring their ingredients to their practical lesson, they will not be allowed to take part in the food practical and suitable theory work will be provided for them instead. If your child has allergies or intolerances, please inform their class teacher.
Y10 Hospitality and Catering: This term we are trialing providing ingredients for a small fee to all Year 10 Hospitality and Catering students. As the recipes taught require the use of more complex skills and a wider range of ingredients, this method will be much more cost effective to families and also ensures that all students are organised and engaged to learn the skills required for their GCSE course. More detailed information is available on ParentPay, where the payment can be made, and a letter has been handed to your child in regard to this. You still have the option to purchase the ingredients yourself, if you prefer. The deadline to make payment for this term’s recipes (up until Easter half term) is Monday 20th January. If your child is Pupil Premium or Free School Meals, ingredients will be provided by the school.
Careers update
This week’s job of the week is a barrister.
Derby Moor Dispatch: The Derby Moor Dispatch goes out weekly 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.
Luminate Careers: Our independent and impartial Careers Advisers from Luminate Careers have an excellent website with a wealth of useful information Please have a look at these links designed for parents/carers about careers conversation starters and Post 16 Options.
Derby Moor Business Breakfast: On Monday, we welcomed a wide range of visitors from the world of work and higher education to our annual Business Breakfast. This provides an opportunity for all of our staff to meet and discuss ways in which we can work collaboratively with our business and education partners. We are delighted to say that we are now consistently working with more than forty different businesses and educational establishments.
Year 13 virtual mock interviews: Next week on Tuesday and Thursday all of our Year 13 students will be having a virtual mock interview with one of our volunteers from a local business. Our students have already had mock interviews in lower years, but we recognise how important it is for them to experience a virtual interview as this is increasingly used as one of the first parts of a selection process by employers.
Sports Update
KS4 Badminton: This week we Key Stage 4 students visited Littleover for the City Badminton Championships. Students were, as always, a credit to the school, performed well and were competitive across all of their matches.
PE Lessons During Cold Weather: As the weather turns colder, please ensure that your children are appropriately equipped for outdoor PE lessons. Students are encouraged to wear additional layers, including black undergarments, hats, and gloves, if desired, to stay warm and comfortable during outdoor activities.
Final Thoughts
It’s been a chilly, wintery start to the term but the warmth and energy that we see whenever our community are reunited has made for a really positive week. It was great to start the term with staff training and linking with local business leaders again. Sessions like this allow us to take stock of where our provision is and plan for the future. Our careers framework is in excellent shape, but we will always ask for more to help our young people fulfill our value of aspiration – that our students become the best candidates in their chosen fields. There is a lot to look forward to on this front as we continue to develop the breadth of opportunities for our young people and further refine the assessment portfolios for their employability skills.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal