Dear Families
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. It has been great to welcome our community back to the academy after a week-long break. For most, we reconnected through an assembly with Mr Malik, looking at how we do things at Derby Moor. Students were surprised by a particular graphic shared in that presentation showing the proportion of young people who receive sanctions regularly. When you consider that this number is around 3%, it goes to show how positive things are throughout the academy, even against a backdrop of our High Expectations. We used this as an opportunity to share how well our students do and how on board they are with our routines, frameworks and expectations. For Year 11, it was a different start with the first week of Mock Examinations now concluded and the first real benchmark of where they are and what they need to do in place. More on the mocks and follow-up parents’ evening below.
Road Safety
As the mornings and evenings become darker and less favourable in terms of weather, we ask that you speak with your child about using the designated pedestrian crossing and paying extra attention when crossing roads. At school, we are reinforcing these messages and will be using form time to discuss road safety with students, as well as encouraging safe travel to and from school. For road users, we ask you to be extra careful and avoid using the roads around our site to drop off and turn around. We have a designated turning circle for this which reduces risks for our children.
Future Music Makers Trip
Our Future Music Makers trip to the Royal Albert Hall was an incredible success, inspiring all who attended. Students were treated to an unforgettable experience as talented young musicians aged 14–19 from across the UK performed their original songs in a wide range of genres. These included popular music, jazz styles, classical and Rap and Hip Hop. The event also featured an exciting performance from last year’s winner, Graceé. The event was filled with energy, creativity, and passion. Our students loved cheering and applauding the performers, gaining a unique insight into the music industry at a fantastic venue, and feeling motivated to explore their own musical and creative potential.
100 Voices Choir Call Out – Derby Theatre
This festive season, Derby Theatre are bringing together an intergenerational Community Choir comprising 50 adult voices and 50 young person voices. The choir will perform at Derby Market Hall on Friday 19th December 5-7:15pm, singing a collection of traditional carols and songs from around the world to celebrate the festive season. If you enjoy singing, want to have fun, meet new people and spread some festive cheer, then please reach out. The application form can be found here and more information about the event can be found on this link.
Year 11 Update
Year 11 students have made a positive start to their mock examinations this week. It has been clear through their conduct and attitude that they are engaging well with their revision and taking these exams seriously. The results of the mock examinations will be shared with both parents and students at the Year 11 Parents’ Evening, which will take place on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025. Further details, including how to book appointments with your child’s teachers, will be provided in a letter next week. We would like to thank you for your continued support in helping our Year 11 students achieve their best.
Year 9 Update
This week the majority of year 9 students have completed a national age-related NHS health Survey. All parents have received a letter home prior to students completing the survey. The survey would have asked students questions around their social, physical, sexual and emotional health. A few students have received a follow up meeting with NHS staff and any detail of this will be provided to parents. There will be another opportunity for students who have not yet completed this Survey to do so in January.
Year 7 & 8 Update
Congratulations on another excellent week for Year 7 and Year 8. After the half term break, students have returned to us, ready to learn and ready to be exceptional Derby Moor Academy students. As part of our ongoing tutor program, we are looking at ‘Zones of Regulation’ with the students over the next two weeks. These ‘zones’ will help students manage their emotions and recognise if and when they are in different zones and how to deal with this.
During tutor time, students will be trained on how to use the above model to help them in their daily school lives but also with conversations with staff or at home when they are feeling emotional.
Starting next week, students in Year 7 will have their NGRT reading tests that will give us a clear overview of their reading ability/age but also if any earlier interventions are needed to be put in place to help them to progress. All tests will take place during their computing lessons. Students do not need to revise for these.
Why NGRT Tests Are Important: The New Group Reading Test (NGRT) is a valuable tool that helps us understand your child’s reading abilities in detail. These assessments provide insights into their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and overall literacy skills. By identifying strengths and areas for improvement, we can tailor our teaching strategies to better support your child’s learning journey. Your involvement and understanding of these assessments are crucial in helping us ensure your child reaches their full potential. All Year 7 students will be tested during their IT lessons over the next two weeks.
Student Leadership Update
Year 12 Student Associates: This week has been an exciting one for our Student Leadership Team as we welcomed our 28 new Year 12 Student Associates. These students have been carefully selected to join us in leading positive change across our school. Together, our goal is to further develop the family feel across our school community.
Remembrance Day: As we approach Remembrance Day, poppies have been available for purchase in the FLC and with our student leadership team visiting forms. All donations support The Royal British Legion. This is an important time for our school community to reflect on the sacrifices made by others and to honour their memory. On Tuesday 11th November we ask staff and students to participate in a collective act of Remembrance. Details will be explained during form time.
Anti-Bullying Week: Next week marks Anti-Bullying Week, and we’re proud to be leading several activities to promote kindness, respect, and unity. Throughout the week, we will be:
- Creating and displaying anti-bullying information posters around the academy to raise awareness and encourage positive behaviour.
- Introducing an anonymous box, where students can share positive notes to celebrate one another or raise any concerns confidentially.
- Ending the week with our traditional Odd Sock Day on Friday 14th November — a fun and meaningful way to celebrate our individuality and show that we all stand together against bullying.
We encourage everyone to take part by wearing odd socks and demonstrating that differences should be celebrated, not judged.
Sports update
The Year 9 girls football team took part in a tournament at the Racecourse this week, where the standard of football was extremely high. The girls played a total of 12 games against schools from across the country and represented themselves and the Academy very well. All those taking part enjoyed the experience and should be very proud.
The U16 girls football team competed in their first tournament this week at John Port, against some really strong teams. U16 is Year 11 and below and so a special mention to the four Year 9 girls who were playing against players up to 2 years older than them. They worked incredibly hard and most importantly enjoyed themselves. There are two more tournaments on 26/11 and 21/1 where the girls will be looking to continue their hard work. Students were MB, EG, DM, FS, AB, CM, AK, IM, AB.
Careers update
This week’s job of the week is an “Agricultural Engineer”
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. All Year 11 students will be receiving a helpful booklet produced by Luminate Careers about Post 16 Options shortly.
Final notes
This is always a busy half-term with the days getting shorter and the temperature dropping outside. You will have noticed from above that we will be observing both Remembrance and Anti-bullying Week next week. The mock examinations will continue for Year 11, and NGRT tests will finish for Year 7. A couple of additional dates for your diary are Friday 28th November and Monday 1st December, when the school will be closed to all students.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal