Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in the very best of health. I have a brief update for you this week. We have an unusual week coming up next week with our Open Evening on Thursday evening and then an Inset day on Friday. School will therefore be closed to all students on Friday as staff take part in training.
Year 6 Open Evening – 3rd of Oct 2024, 5pm – 7.30pm
A final reminder that our Year 6 Open Evening takes place on Thursday 3rd October. Please look out for permission slips if your child has volunteered to help out as a student ambassador on the evening.
Year 11 Update
Year 11 have made a great start to their GCSE year and we would like to use this opportunity to congratulate them on such a strong first few weeks. Following a few parental enquiries regarding our intervention we would like to clarify arrangements for those who are new to it. Our intervention consists of after school lessons to support our young people with their academic progress. Where students are identified as being able to make greater gains, we intervene and support with specialist staff delivering targeted sessions. The overall aim is for students to close gaps in knowledge or skills, allowing them to make even better progress. The sessions are subject specific and diagnostic in terms of addressing specific topics/skills. The school has a track record of successful intervention in all subjects, therefore, attendance at the sessions is highly recommended for students to achieve their full potential when final GCSE examinations are taken in summer 2025. The following is a timetable until October half term:
| Monday | |
| Maths Y half | All invited |
| English X half | Invites ONLY |
| BTEC Dance | Invite ONLY |
| Tuesday | |
| Maths X half | All invited |
| English Y half | Invites ONLY |
| Art/Textiles | Week A ONLY – All invited |
| Product Design | All invited |
| Wednesday lunchtime | |
| Art/Textiles | |
| No after school intervention – staff meeting | |
| Thursday | |
| Art/Textiles – lunchtime intervention | |
| Science | All invited |
| Friday | |
| Options subjects | |
| History | All invited |
| Geography | All invited |
| Business | All invited |
| Art/Product design/Textiles | All invited |
| BTEC PE | Invite ONLY |
Year 11 quiet study session: Year 11 also have an opportunity to attend independent revision session in Flexible learning Centre (Library) every Monday and Thursday after school and Wednesday lunchtime with Mrs Hiscock supervising them. These are student led quiet revision sessions and students are expected to bring their revision material with them if they wish to attend.
Year 11 intervention competition – 3 family pizzas up for grabs: To reward our year 11 students for attending intervention this half term we are running a competition where top three students who attend most intervention sessions between now and October half term (25th October) will receive a family size pizza sent home on the last day of this half term. Every intervention counts but if they don’t win this time, it is worth remembering that all positive points accumulated are counted towards Passport for Graduation at the end of year 11. More details on that will follow soon
Careers update
This week’s job of the week is a ‘Neurologist.’
Visit of Toyota: On Thursday, we Year 11 enjoyed a visit from Toyota who showcased their Level 2 Production Apprenticeship and Level 3 Maintenance Apprenticeship. We were delighted to welcome back two of our former students who are now working for Toyota and were able to share their experience of the apprenticeship programmes. Toyota will launch their recruitment cycle in the next few weeks, and we will be ready to support students with the application process. Look out for information on the weekly Derby Moor Dispatch and encourage students to check their school email regularly.
Visit of Derby College: On Friday, we had a visit from Derby College as part of our ‘Next Steps’ programme for Year 11. Over the next few weeks students will have presentations about college, apprenticeships and traineeships as well as sixth form. It is important our Year 11 students are aware of all of the options available to them in order to make informed decisions. They will also be receiving support from our Careers Advisers from Luminate as well as their form tutors.
Class Charts
Class Charts is our primary means of communication about the day-to-day events for your child. It is vital that you log on to this regularly to check in with what your child is doing each day. At present, we have some families who haven’t accessed the site since the start of the year. To help with this we will be contacting families this half term to confirm email addresses and to iron out any challenges you may be having around accessing the platform. In the meantime, if you are having any difficulty in accessing or setting up Class Charts, please contact your child’s Year Team.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal