Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. We have enjoyed a week like no other at the Academy this week with some great news from a national competition, visits from the newest members of our community and the culmination of the exams period for this academic year. I personally ended the week at the Festival of Education, speaking about our approach to inclusion and listening to other leading figures in the sector. More on this below.
Enrichment Day
On our final Enrichment Day of the school year, there was a wealth of different experiences for students from all year groups, organised by outside facilitators as well as our own staff,
Year 12 relished the opportunity to begin their preparing for the next stage of their training by working on their UCAS programmes as well as considering the pros and cons of body enhancement and alteration and what it takes to be a safe young driver.
Year 10 Geographers spent half the day completing their Rivers fieldwork, a key part of their GCSE exam. We were proud to hear them complimented by the bus driver and the staff at Elvaston Castle. Meanwhile the Historians learned about Cancer Awareness, STIs, Pregnancy Decisions and how Pornography can damage you and any future relationships. They also began preparing seriously for their future through UNIFROG.
Year 9 looked how peer pressure can lead to anti-social behaviour; became quite competitive whilst practising teambuilding; learned about positive self-esteem and the dangers of misogyny; thought about how important it is to avoid harmful addictions and reminded themselves how important it is to avoid prejudice and discrimination.
Half of Year 8 were inspired by Kimba, a Rap Artist, to experiment with the thrills you can get from using language creatively. Year 8’s other primary focus was on the enjoyment you can have with adapted sports, which can be played together with disabled and able-bodied participants with opportunities to play Boccia and Goal Ball. They considered the best ways of staying safe on the internet and had some brilliant messages to promote this by the end of the session. They had the opportunity to earn Derby Moor Award certificates and badges, then create their idea of the perfect Safe Haven in school as well as learning how Metacognition can help with their studies.
Half of Year 7 were similarly inspired to experiment with language by Rob, who is an author. After a fascinating performance, they worked on a series of workshops creating animations, videos and illustrations to engage them with literacy. Meanwhile the rest of the year group enjoyed an insight into local history with a visit to Nottingham Castle.
All students adapted well to the various activities, all our facilitators were impressed and a huge thanks goes to the staff who make these days successful by facilitating workshops or managing the organisation of young people throughout the day.
New Derby Moor YouTube Channel
We’re excited to launch our new YouTube channel. Created to keep our school community informed, connected, and supported. From key event highlights to helpful resources for parents, this channel will be your go-to space for all things Derby Moor. Stay tuned, stay involved, and subscribe to stay up to date. This and our X (twitter) page are the only social channels the school uses at present.
Reception at 10 Downing Street
On Tuesday, one of our Specialist Teaching Assistants, Mr Bennett, attended a reception at 10 Downing Street to celebrate public service, which Sir Keir Stamer defined as “putting other people first” in his speech at the event, and this is something Mr Bennett always aspires to do. Sir Keir also stressed the importance of schools supporting young people to go wherever their talents take them: a sentiment which Derby Moor proudly promotes through its value of Aspiration.
Reflecting on the event, Mr Bennett said “I always aim to be the best I can be as a teaching assistant, and to do the best for students and colleagues: having that affirmed by recognition at the highest level is heartening and inspires me to do more. However, the students I support remain the greatest source of inspiration, when they overcome all sorts of challenges in order to improve their confidence, to learn, and to achieve. So, to those I’ve supported – to all of you – thank you.”
Teen Tech finals
After the whole of Year 8 had taken part in the National Teen Tech competition which aims to enable pupils to create inventions that would make the world simpler, safer or more stimulating, two teams were shortlisted by Teen Tech to attend the National Final. This is held annually at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, in London each June.
This was a truly inspirational day and the culmination of many months of hard work. It is very clear that the technological future is in safe hands if left to these select Year 8 Derby Moor inventors who produced some original and fascinating innovations that accompanying staff had the pleasure of witnessing, as we went from stall to stall at the IET.
This year Derby Moor was also privileged to have been asked by Maggie Philbin, the CEO of Teen Tech, to select two Year 12 students to be the Masters of Ceremony, announcers and to giving out of the trophies, for this prestigious event.
Maggie and Sally Dixon, both of Tomorrow’s World fame, surprised Mrs Ezis in the Awards Ceremony when they presented her with a special trophy and a beautiful bouquet of flowers to honour her dedication to the Teen Tech competition and her role in the competition’s promotion and success. A fitting lifetime achievement award, as she is soon to retire from 36 years of teaching, at Derby Moor.
Year 10 Update
Our Year 10 mock cycle has now finished, and we would like to thank all students for their excellent conduct during these mock exams. Our staff are now busy marking and preparing predicted grades for the upcoming Data Point report. If you have any queries in relation to these mocks, please do contact Miss A Hill for further information.
All year 10 students and parents will have received an email this week containing the Derby Moor Dispatch. This is an excellent source of information regarding opportunities and courses that may benefit students as they begin to consider their options and next steps post 16 and beyond. Each week you will receive a copy of this Dispatch newsletter and I would urge you to discuss the contents at home. Students will also be shown the Derby Moor Dispatch Newsletter during tutor times and any relevant and/or exciting opportunities will be pointed out to them through their form tutors. If you do have any queries relating to an opportunity, please do speak with Miss A Hill.
Year 10 GCSE English Speaking and listening Assessment
In English lessons this week, year 10 students will begin preparing for the Spoken Language component of GCSE English Language, where they are asked to deliver a short talk on a topic of their choice, to be completed by the end of term. Students will be assessed based on AQA (the examining body) criteria, and awarded a grade of either pass, merit or distinction, based on their performance. This will then be submitted to AQA and included in their statement of results. Please support your child by listening to them rehearse their speech and asking them questions based on their chosen topic. This is a valuable opportunity for students to develop their confidence and to have their communication skills formally recognised.
Year 6 Transition
This week we welcomed the newest members of our community to Derby Moor for 3 days of transition. They met their new form teachers and other students in their form group before experiencing taster lessons across a range of subjects. It was wonderful to see how enthusiastic they are about the step up to ‘big school’ and how much they are looking forward to joining our community at Derby Moor. Thank you also to the families who attended on Wednesday evening, it was great to connect and share our aspirations for the next five years.
Year 12 Transition
On Monday, we hosted a successful Year 12 Transition Day, giving students the chance to experience a range of engaging taster sessions across different A Level and BTEC subjects. We welcomed almost 200 students from both our school and across the city to give a taste of what post 16 study is like in our academy. Students seemed to really enjoy the day and described the experience as fun, useful, and informative. We look forward to seeing them again to enrol on Results Day as they take the next exciting step in their journey with us.
Festival of Education
I’ve had the pleasure of spending a couple of days at the Festival of Education at Wellington College this week alongside colleagues from across the Spencer Academies Trust. It is always nice to connect with other professionals from across the education sector and to listen to inspirational speakers share their stories and experiences. This year I had the honour of being invited to speak at the event on the topic of Inclusion, sharing our journey over the last 6 years to becoming a Centre of Excellence with state-of-the-art facilities and an exceptional team of practitioners. I was accompanied by our former Assistant Principal Ms McAneny-Vincent in the presentation who many of you may remember. We received some really positive feedback from the session and have a list of colleagues from across the country who want to come and see our provision in action.
In previous years there has always been a standout speaker for me, previously mentioning in this update David Olusoga and Hashi Mohammed as people who had an effect upon my thinking. This year an author called Chloe Combi spoke about Generation Z and Generation A, the effect of the internet, the manosphere, femosphere, social media and the concept of ‘red-pilling.’ If you are unsure of what any of these are, it is worth looking them up. Overall, it was an interesting insight into how young people are being influenced by the algorithms in social media, often negatively, and how large corporations are making millions out of exploiting the anxieties that exist within all young people. It is worth knowing what your child is looking at if they own a smart phone and ensuring they are exposed to a wide range of media outside of that given to them on the preferred social channels.
Sports Update
On Wednesday 9th July, students will be representing Derby Moor at City Sports, which is the annual Derby City Schools athletics competition at Moorways Stadium. Students who have been asked to attend have all received a letter which needs to be signed and returned as soon as possible. Students have been asked to meet at Moorways Stadium for 09.30 and to be picked up at 16.00. All participants should wear their Derby Moor PE kit.
Careers Update
This week’s job of the week is a Museum Curator
Derby Moor Dispatch: The Dispatch is emailed to the students’ school email address, so it is important that they check this regularly. 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.
Final thoughts
Another action-packed week this week. It’s great to see our academy receiving recognition as documented here through the Teen Tech Awards, The Festival of Education or by the Prime Minister inviting Mr Bennett to Downing Street! Whilst these ‘big ticket’ announcements are energising, it is the day-to-day wins, the little victories, one student at a time as they reach that ‘penny drop moment’ that are the most inspiring part of our jobs at the academy.
Looking forward to the final few weeks, we will be inviting in a range of visitors to look at our provisions, this will include the Inclusion Quality Mark Assessor amongst others. With that in mind we will be inviting groups of students to engage with visitors and talk to them about life at Derby Moor over the next couple of weeks. Additionally, we are likely to be gathering some feedback from families to help with our planning over the next academic year.
Uniform is back to normal for the time being, students must wear the blazer but jumpers are, of course, optional as always. We will review this constantly until the end of term and post notifications of any planned changes on Classcharts.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal