Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. We have had another busy week at the Academy and, unfortunately, have faced some further challenges around our IT and communications systems. More on these below in what is again a slightly shorter update than usual.
ICT Update
As outlined in last week’s update we are in the process of undergoing significant change in our IT and communications systems. This began at the start of the academic year with a huge investment in infrastructure and is nearing it’s final stages with an internet switchover, a new cloud-based platform and training for both staff and student on how to make the most of office 365. This is all very positive but there have been some impactful ‘bumps in the road’ which you will have noticed over the last week or so. We have lost our ability to send out group texts and emails, hence this update being web-based for now. For the recent notifications around uniform, we’ve been using Twitter and messages in form time. Meanwhile for corrections notifications, we’ve been making calls to families and highlighting these on class charts as normal. For the next few weeks Classcharts will be the main medium for communication around positive and negative aspects of behaviour as well as other more global messages. We encourage all families to log on to this daily and discuss matters with your children as part of reviewing their experiences and strengthening the partnership between school and home. If you are having difficulty logging on to Classcharts, please contact the Year Team on the usual number or via email.
We are hoping the issues with our phone lines are now resolved and that those lines of communication are operating effectively. Families should discard the temporary numbers used last week for attendance as these are not monitored lines under normal circumstances. If you have tried calling, left messages or sent emails over the last week and have not received a response, please do try again now that systems are fully functioning. I can only apologise for any delays incurred as a result of this.
Graduation
On Friday we welcomed our Year 11 cohort back to the academy for one last time as we hosted a graduation event to celebrate their time at Derby Moor. The turnout this year was incredible with our young people really going the extra mile in formal dress and many arriving in style. It was also great to see so many families taking time out of their day to say farewell and support their children at the entrance to the event.
I had the honour of greeting students upon arrival to the sound of a live drumming procession before their photo shoot on the red carpet. From here things became a little more formal with speeches and awards before a live performance of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ from Mr Jorgensen and three year 11 students on guitar, keyboard and bass. Mr Malik brought proceedings to a close and students enjoyed a less formal period of final goodbyes amongst their peers and teaching staff. A huge thank you goes out to all the staff team who made the event possible. We wish our year 11 students all the success for the future and look forward to celebrating their results on 22nd August.
Uniform adaptations
You will be aware that we relaxed blazers in light of the higher temperatures last week. We have now reverted back to normal uniform and all students should come prepared in blazers, ties etc on Monday. We will continue to monitor the weather over the next few weeks and will notify students and families accordingly via messages and twitter.
Chinese School Visit
We are very much looking forward to welcoming our visitors from Hefei No.50 school next week. There will be several events throughout the 3 days for our students to interact with our visitors and show them what Derby Moor is all about. The aim of their visit is to learn about Derby and experience education in another country whilst strengthening our existing international partnership.
Chinese Exchange Trip
The Turing Funding scheme have informed us there will be a delay in announcing the funding due to the General Election on 4th July. Whilst this is frustrating for all involved, we remain positive about securing this funding and being able to confirm the places for the April 2025 visit before the end of the academic term (23rd July 2024).
ADT Update
The Alice in Wonderland exhibition takes place on Tuesday 11th July in H03 and H04 from 3.15-5pm showcasing Year 10 Art & Textiles GCSE work. Also, a big well done to all the students who have taken part in the art competition based on kindness. This is now closed and the three winners will be announced next week.
Drop Down Day
Our final Drop Down Day of the year took place on Thursday with a variety of trips, visitors and workshops designed to broaden students’ experiences and understanding. Facilitators were in school to deliver workshops on social issues including smoking and vaping, knife crime, FGM, self-esteem cancer awareness, puberty, hygiene and staying safe online. Meanwhile, there were trips to Lincoln Castle, Go-Ape, the Holderness Coast, Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds and local churches. Our Year 8s took part in our Inspiration Day where they worked with employers from DHL, Rolls-Royce, Alstom, East Midlands Airport, Luminate Careers and Balfour Beatty. The task of the day was to create a flying vehicle but the aim is to develop employability skills and work with real employers who assess, feedback and encourage our students to work on their 4Rs.
Sports Update
National School Sports Week
After tallying up the total, over 200 students took part in an additional activity during National School Sports Week. Some students managed to attend over 3 clubs throughout the week and 2 students completed over 6 clubs! It was a brilliant week organised by Mrs Shaw and the PE department that led to mass participation with both staff and students getting involved.
U13 Cricket vs Landau
The U13 team played against Landau Forte on Wednesday to determine who would win the U13 plate. The team opted to bat first and, after starting fairly slowly, soon got in to the game. A strong finish from MI and AE gave the team a 101 runs from the 12 overs. Landau needed 102 to win and racked up 30 runs in the first 2 overs, wickets from MJ and catches from multiple students slowed the opposition down but it all came down to the last over. Landau needed 14 of 6 balls to win the match but some brilliant bowling restricted them and the team won by 7 runs. It was another excellent team display with students from both Years 7 and 8 and another win that they can be very proud of.
Go Ape Trip
On Thursday, the PE team took 90 students to Go Ape in Mansfield. The trip was aimed to outline outdoor adventurous activities and how this can be linked in to next years course. Every student was able to climb up on the tree top adventure and navigate the course. The course had 3 levels that grew in difficulty but there were many students who were absolutely outstanding at overcoming their fears. I’m told that those involved had a great experience and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
Final Thoughts
Another busy week. Next week we look forward to welcoming next year’s Year 12 students for their induction days, Year 6 students will be with us Tuesday – Thursday for their transition days with their parents joining us on Wednesday evening. Thank you to families who attended the Principal’s Coffee Morning, we will be reviewing this event and the Parents Forum as part of our annual review process to see how we can better serve the needs of our wider community.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Scott Doyle
Principal
Principal