LCS Sixth Form is hosting a reunion and celebration evening for the A-level class of 2022 on Tuesday 20th December, 6pm-7pm.

Students should contact school to let us know you are attending via sixthform@littleover.derby.sch.uk by 16th December.

Come and catch up with friends - Drinks and Nibbles – Presentation of exam certificates and subject awards.

It will be Christmas Jumper Day, so wear yours and please bring a donation to Macmillan.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The LCS Sixth Form Team

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Community Sports Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding the works currently being undertaken on Pastures Hill.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

Yesterday afternoon, myself and our School Operations Manager met with representatives from the company currently working on Pastures Hill.

The pavement directly outside the main school entrance at Pastures Hill will remain closed for the next 2-3 days, however, at that point, works will move along the road in the direction of Littleover Village.

This work on Pastures Hill will likely cause significant disruption in the area, which will impact on students arriving and leaving the school site.

Temporary walkways will be in place during closure of pavements and Temporary Traffic Lights will also be in operation, to restrict traffic flow during busy periods.

There will be no parking or stopping allowed in the area where works will be taking place.

These works will be ongoing until the end of November.

I would respectfully ask parents/carers who usually travel to school along Pastures Hill from the direction of Littleover Village to seek alternative routes to school over the next 3-4 weeks, due to the significant disruption to traffic and pedestrians these works are likely to create.

If you cannot use an alternative travel route, please do not drop/collect students from outside the Pastures Hill entrance and allow extra time for your journey.

I will be speaking to all students on Friday morning to inform them of the situation and to ask for their cooperation.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS Sixth Form applications for 2023 entry are now open, along with an opportunity for external students to tour the school on 10th November.

The deadline for LCS Sixth Form applications is 4pm on Friday 2nd December 2022.

Further information can be found on the Sixth Form > Applications page.

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding the recent LCS OFSTED inspection, GCSE and A-level exam dates and Parent governor elections.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

As we begin our much deserved half-term holiday, I would like to thank all students, staff, parents/carers and our wider school community for your collective support throughout our OFSTED inspection this week. The school Governors and Senior Leadership Team have been made aware of the Inspection Team's provisional findings, but these are confidential and cannot be shared at this stage.

The full OFSTED Report will be published within 30 working days, at which point it will be made available to all, via our school website. At that time, I will also issue a summary of the findings of the inspection, as well as our response to the Inspection Report.

There are just two further issues I would like to draw your attention to in my update today:

Important information to all parents/carers of students in Year 11 and Year 13

We are still waiting for the confirmed exam timetables from the exam boards for the June 2023 Examinations. Once they are confirmed, the timetables will be published on the school website.

The following information has been made clear by the exam boards:

"It is a requirement of the exam boards that all candidates (GCSE and A-Level) need to remain available until after 28th June 2023, in case they need to sit any contingency exams."

On this basis, I would respectfully advise parents/carers of current Year 11 and Year 13 students considering booking holidays for summer 2023, to book these for after 28th June.

Further information on exams for 2023 will be passed on, as soon as we have it.

Parent Governor Election

All students should have received a letter and voting slip this week, for our Parent Governor Election.

• Information contained in the letter is as follows:
• You may vote for one candidate only.
• You should:
• Read the Candidate Statements attached to this letter.
• Mark an X alongside the candidate's name you wish to vote for. Do not mark the ballot paper in any other way.
• Insert the completed Ballot Paper in the unmarked envelope and seal it.
• Insert the unmarked envelope containing the ballot paper into the second envelope. On the front of this second envelope, please write your name and the name and Form Group of your child. These details will be checked against school records of parents/carers eligible to vote.
• Return your Ballot Paper to Reception, or via your child to one of the Ballot Boxes located in each Head of Year Office. There will be an additional Ballot Box, also, located in the Student Services office.

The use of two envelopes ensures that your vote remains confidential. The details written on the second envelope will be shredded once checked against the list of eligible voters.

The process entitles each Parent/Carer to one vote each, regardless of how many children you have in school.

If you have any queries about this process, please contact one of our Reception team, or email me personally via the admin@littleover.derby.sch.uk email address.

Deadline for votes will be Monday 31st October 2022

We look forward to welcoming students back for the start of next half-term, on Monday 31st October.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

The LCS Sixth Form Open Evening 2022 will be held on Thursday 20th October from 5.45pm to 8pm.

There will be 2 identical presentations to students and their parents/carers beginning at 5.45pm and 6.30pm respectively as well as various stalls and information displays throughout the evening.

Further information, including the opportunity for a school tour on an alternative date, can be found on the Sixth Form Open Evening page.

We hope you find the Open Evening both interesting and informative and look forward to seeing you there.

A brief survey has been emailed to all LCS Parents and Carers.

To all parents and carers, 

As mentioned in my update from earlier this week, a link to our Parent/Carer survey has been emailed to all parents/carers this afternoon.

Please consider responding to this survey by clicking the link and offering your answers and comments; it is a brief survey and will not take you long to complete. Please complete this survey once only.

Once completed, please submit your responses by 4pm on Monday 17th October.

All responses will be considered and results will be shared with all parents and carers, later in the Autumn Term.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to complete this survey and for your ongoing support of the school.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding the LCS Open Evening, Parent/Carer Survey, the School Mural and Important Dates.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS. 

I have just a few brief, but important updates in my update to parents and carers today. 

Open Evening 

A reminder that our Open Evening is this Thursday 13th October. Further details of this event can be found on our website and social media pages. 

As previously requested, if you are visiting us on Thursday evening and can walk to school, rather than travelling by car, please do so, as car parking on site will be extremely limited. 

Parent/Carer Survey 

To coincide with our Open Evening, a Parent/Carer Survey will be emailed to all parents and carers, to collect your views on the school. A link to the survey, which will be completed through a Microsoft Form, will be emailed to all parents and carers, with a closing date of 4pm on Monday 17th October. 

Please look out for the email containing the link to complete the survey, which will be sent out later this week. 

School Mural 

You will have hopefully seen some of the coverage on social media of the official opening of our school Mural, which took place last week. 
This has been a fantastic project, completed in conjunction with The University of Derby and S.H.E.D. 

For more information on the project, please go to the S.H.E.D website, at the link below: 

• http://weareshed.co.uk/projects/littleover-mural/ 

Important Dates

A reminder to all students, parents and carers that the last day of half-term for students will be Thursday 20th October, as Friday 21st October is an INSET Day for staff. Students return after the holiday on Monday 31st October. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

The LCS Open Evening 2022 will be held on Thursday 13th October from 5.00pm to 7.30pm.

There will be 2 identical 30 minute presentations to prospective new parents/carers of students for September 2023 admission beginning at 5.00pm and 7.00pm respectively.

From 5.30pm to 7.00pm there will be a variety of activities and classroom-based displays to view.

As previously requested, we would politely ask visitors to walk to school, if possible, for our Open Evening due to the very limited car parking available on site. 

On Tuesday 4th October, we officially ‘opened’ the School Mural which was a product of an exciting partnership between the school and Derby University through S.H.E.D. 

The School Mural is aptly located at the very centre of our school and dynamically portrays the very culture and identity of who we are, and our aims of Learning, Caring and Succeeding. It has resulted from numerous workshops, discussions and questionnaires seeking to capture your perceptions of the school and the image being developed.

It certainly is an incredible mural and we would like to thank Dr Rhiannon Jones and S.H.E.D., lead artist Adoniah Haslam, and other support artists, who have tirelessly given of their time.

To find out further information, please use the link below which will take you to the brochure and information regarding the development of the School Mural.

• http://weareshed.co.uk/projects/littleover-mural/

LCS Student Council and staff, S.H.E.D. representatives, University of Derby representatives, Adoniah Haslam (Lead Artist) and family…

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding a Parent Governor vacancy, Open Day, the LCS School Mural opening, CAMHS open day and Safeguarding issues.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS. 

There are a few items I would like to draw your attention to in my update this week. 

Parent Governor vacancy 

Details were sent to all parents/carers earlier this week, regarding the current vacancy for a Parent Governor to join our school Governing Body. Further details are available on our website, at: 

• https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/governors.php#vacancies 

Open Day

A reminder that our school Open Day will be held on Thursday 13th October. We have contacted our partner Primary Schools to inform parents/carers of the limited availability of school tours during the morning, which will be for parents/carers of potential Year 7 students for September 2023 only. 

The general Open Evening presentations for all visitors will begin at 5-30pm and finish at 7pm. 

As previously requested, we would politely ask visitors to walk to school, if possible, for our Open Evening, due to the very limited car parking available on site. 

Advanced notice, also, that our Sixth Form Open Evening will be held on 20th October, from 5pm to 7pm. Students and parents/carers interested in applying for places in our Sixth Form for September 2023 are invited to attend and applications will formally open after this event. Applications close on Friday 2nd December. 

Further details will follow about this event. 

School Mural official opening

On Tuesday 4th October there will be a formal opening of our new school Mural, including representatives from S.H.E.D and Derby University, as well as LCS staff and students.

There will be coverage in local press and we will update our website and social media with photographs of the event. 

I would like to thank Derby University and S.H.E.D for their work on this project and for helping to bring our vision for the mural to life. 

CAHMS Open Day

Derbyshire CAMHS are holding an Open Day on Monday 10th October, from 12-30pm to 6:30 pm, to coincide with World Mental Health Day.  This has been arranged by young people and parents/carers who use the CAMHS service, or are employed by CAMHS. This event is open to everyone and is an opportunity to find out more about CAMHS and to share your thoughts and ideas about how to develop the service.

The event will be held atTemple House, Mill Street, DE23 6SA. 

Safeguarding Updates

We are becoming increasingly concerned about a worrying rise in self-harm videos being viewed and shared on TikTok. This is a national as well as a local concern and we have recently been told by some of our own students that they have seen these videos. 

Young people are filming themselves self-harming and encouraging other young people to do the same. These videos encourage young people to be inventive, share methods and ‘egg each other on’ to greater acts of self-harm e.g. how deep can you cut/ how much skin can you cut...? 

I appreciate it is distressing to read this but, as a school, we need to make you aware this is happening and it is a real possibility your child may be viewing this content on-line. 

Please speak to your child, monitor and go through their apps at least weekly and, if you can, download filters and blocks on all their internet-linked devices. If you have a concern about this, please contact school, Police, or use the reporting tool on the app to get the post(s) taken down. We also want to remind you that most apps, including TikTok have an age rating of 13, which is designed to protect the emotional and physical safety of your child and to ensure they do not see intrusive, harmful material. 

If you are worried about self-harm, please speak to us, your GP or, alternatively, you can also speak to the School Health Service, by text, on 07507 327754 

Other help for parents and young people can be found by visiting: 

• https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent - support and signposting for parents whose child is experiencing poor emotional health
• https://www.papyrus-uk.org - support for families where a young person is at risk of death by suicide 
• https://calmharm.co.uk - an NHS approved app to support young people to manage harmful urges 

General safeguarding information can be found on our school website at: 

• https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/safeguarding.php 

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. 

Your continued support of the school is much appreciated. 

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

The LCS Governing Body has a vacancy for a parent governor.

For more information please see the School > Governors page.

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers regarding Open Day/Evening, Youth Mental Health Day and Extra-curricular activities.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

I have a couple of brief, but important items for you in my latest update.

LCS Open Day and Open Evening

We are planning to hold our Open Day and Open Evening this year as an on-site event, for the first time since October 2019. The date of our Open Day and Open Evening will be Thursday October 13th and school will be open to parents/carers, students and members of our wider school community from 5-30pm to 7-00pm. We are planning various events and activities to showcase the amazing work of all our students and I hope as many of you as possible will be able to join us.

Please be aware that parking on site is extremely limited, so I would ask and encourage as many visitors to walk to school for this event, if at all possible.

There will be two presentations for parents/carers of potential Year 7 students for September 2023 in the Main Hall, at 5pm and at 7pm; parents/carers of current LCS students do not need to attend these presentations.

Due to necessary restrictions on numbers, tours during the school day will be for potential new parents/carers of students for September 2023 admission only and we will not be able to offer this option to current parents/carers.

School will be open to everyone in the evening, at the times shown, above.

Youth Mental Health Day

Today is Youth Mental Health Day which, this year, is focusing on the importance of building and maintaining meaningful connections and relationships.
For further information on this event and to access useful resources, please use the link, below:

• https://stem4.org.uk/youthmentalhealthday/

Clubs and Activities

The list of school clubs and activities, including extra-curricular events, has been further updated. The full details of all school activities can be found on our website at the link below:

• LCS Extra Curriculuar Clubs and Activities

Thank you for your continued support of our school, our staff and all our young people.

Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Higher Level Teaching Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has issued an update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS. 

It has been an excellent start to the new school year at LCS. Students have returned to school from the holidays full of enthusiasm and keen to meet their new teachers and classmates. Thank you to all parents and carers for your support with preparing and encouraging your child(ren) with their return to school. 

Bank Holiday – 19th September

As you will know from announcements in the national press, Monday 19th September is now a Bank Holiday, due to the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. School will be closed to students and staff on Monday 19th September and students will return to lessons on Tuesday 20th September. 

Extra-Curricular activities 

As usual at LCS, there is an exciting timetable of extra-curricular activities already up and running in school this term and I would encourage all students to take part in at least one activity to enhance their experience of school life. Full details of our extra- curricular programme can be found on our school website at the following link: 

• Students > Clubs and Activities > Extra Curricular Activities 

Our Head of Music, Mr Heywood, has posted an update on availability of Instrumental Music lessons in school this year. Parents/carers interested in their child(ren) taking part in music lessons should refer to Mr Heywood’s recent update, which can be found at the link below: 

• Instrumental Music Lessons

School Uniform and student clothing 

Thank you to all parents/carers for ensuring students are wearing the correct school uniform. I appreciate your efforts, particularly with the current cost of living crisis. 

Please ensure all clothing has your child(ren)’s name clearly marked/labelled, as we have already had numerous items of clothing handed in to our Lost Property Office. Any named/labelled clothing will be returned to the student, but most clothing we are seeing in Lost Property is not labelled. 

I would appreciate your support with this, particularly given the cost to families if clothing is lost and needs to be replaced. 

Introducing our new Deputy Head Teacher, Mrs Spalding 

Mrs Spalding has joined LCS as our new Deputy Headteacher, after the retirement of Mrs Bunting. Mrs Spalding has written a few words for parents and carers, to introduce herself to you: 

I grew up in Derby and have worked as an English teacher and school leader for 16 years across Derby and Derbyshire. I am passionate about teaching and learning and am an Evidence Leader in Education for Derby Research School, supporting the development of teachers across the city. Having started my teacher career as a trainee at Littleover, I am delighted to now return as Deputy Headteacher.

I am excited to work with teachers at Littleover to ensure that your child experiences the very best education during their time with us. I am looking forward to getting to know pupils and many of you over the coming months. 

We welcome Mrs Spalding to her new post and look forward to working with her. 

Thank you again for your continued support of the school, or staff and our young people. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Finance/Administration Officer.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Kitchen Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS will be closed on Monday 19th September as part of the Bank Holiday declared due to Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

The DfE have confirmed the following, in communication with all schools over the past weekend:

"The official date of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is 19th September 2022. This day will be a Bank Holiday and settings that are normally closed on a Bank Holiday should close on this day as a mark of respect. This will include schools and colleges."

As a result of this announcement, LCS will be closed to students and staff on Monday 19th September. Students should return to school on Tuesday 20th September, for their normal timetabled lessons.

Thank you.

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS has 2 vacancies for the position of: Teacher of English.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS has 2 vacancies for the position of: Teaching Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent a an update to parents and carers regarding the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To all parents and carers, 

All at LCS send our condolences to the family of Queen Elizabeth II, after the announcement of her death yesterday afternoon.

As our country's longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has been one of the most significant people in our history and her loss will be felt by many.

We will be holding a brief Assembly for all students this morning to remember Queen Elizabeth II and to pay tribute to her work for young people in this country and around the world.

The DfE has contacted all schools with the following information regarding the period of national mourning we will now begin, following the Queen's death:

'We have now entered a period of national mourning that will continue until the end of the State Funeral.

Guidance providing the public, businesses and institutions with advice on the period of national mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be issued by the Cabinet Office.

Once details of the funeral are confirmed, officials will contact schools again with further guidance'

Schools across the country will remain open at this time and we at LCS will continue to observe our normal school day. If and when details of any school closures are published, I will inform you all as soon as possible.

Thank you.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Parents and Carers can now apply online for a place for their child on the Instrumental Tuition programme at LCS.

We have a thriving music department within the Creative Arts Faculty at LCS. A key part of this is the Instrumental Tuition Programme.

This takes place outside of curriculum time with specialist teachers accredited by the Derbyshire Music Partnership or Baby People. LCS takes the safeguarding of students very seriously and only works with external agencies and individuals who can provide evidence of a full, enhanced DBS check and regular safeguarding training.

We have lessons available on Keyboard/piano, guitars (electric, acoustic and bass), singing, drum kit, brass (trumpet, trombone, euphonium, French horn), Strings (violin, viola, cello), and Woodwind (flute, clarinet, saxophone).

The lessons cost approximately £10 per 20 minute lesson, per week. These are invoiced termly directly by the instrumental teacher, but there are subsidies for Pupil Premium/Free School Meals and Special Needs to reduce the cost. There maybe the possibility on some instruments (not piano/keyboard) of a shared lesson.

If you wish for your child to be placed on the list for lessons, please fill in the form located at Parents & Carers > School Trips and Activities > Music - Instrumental Lessons. 

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Caretaker/Site Operative.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent a start-of-year update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS. 

I wanted to contact all parents and carers today, ahead of the start of the new school year. 

Term begins on Monday 5th September at 8-40am for all Year Groups and we are looking forward to seeing all our students again after the summer holiday. 

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all new parents and carers of students in our new Year 7 and those in our new Year 12 cohort who are joining us from other schools. I hope all students joining us for the first time on Monday enjoy their experiences at LCS over the next few years. 

I would also like to thank all parents and carers for their support of the school over the last 12 months. The challenges LCS has faced, along with all other schools, are well documented and I will not take time to go over these again. The support of all our parents, carers and the wider school community has been most welcome over the last year and has helped our students to achieve the progress and success they have. 

You will have seen from local press and our website that we were extremely pleased with the exam results our students achieved this summer, both at GCSE and A level. Full summary tables of results will be published on our website soon, but I will mention some of the headlines now, for those of you who are not aware. 

At A Level, our results were very similar to those achieved by students in 2019, which were the record results for us at that time.  The number of students achieving A*-A grades at LCS Sixth Form were above the levels achieved by similar schools nationally and well above regional trends.  The vast majority of our students have, consequently, gained places at their first choice University or Apprenticeship placements. 

The GCSE results achieved by our Year 11 students this year are also some of our best results ever at LCS. The pass rate for all courses was 100% and, as with our A Level students, the vast majority of students taking GCSE exams this year have been able to move on to their chosen first-choice post-16 placements. 

Many students achieved outstanding individual results; far too many to mention all of them. One student, in particular, Joe Goodchild, in achieving 11 A* grades, was one of less than 200 students across England to do so. 

The vast majority of our GCSE students achieved their individual targets and overall results reflected their excellent performance against students in similar schools, both locally and nationally.  These successes would not have been possible without the commitment of all our students and staff, as well as the support of parents and carers. 

As I do at the start of every year, I am again asking for the support of parents and carers as we look ahead to the new academic year.  I would ask all parents and carers to familiarise themselves with key school policies, which are available on our website.  I would particularly ask for support with our Behaviour Policy, to help us keep issues to a minimum. 

Many of our more significant issues with students in school remain linked to students’ use of social media. I would, once again, ask parents to support our stance on students not bringing mobile phones to school and would ask you all to be aware of your child’s social media use.

I would also draw parents and carers’ attention to the ongoing issue of students’ use of vape, which I mentioned several times in my email updates last year. All students will be reminded of our rules on use and possession of vape at the start of term and I would appreciate your continued support and vigilance in relation to this issue. 

The first day of term on Monday will inevitably lead to increased traffic on the roads around school and I would ask parents and carers to leave enough time for your journey, so students are not late on their first day. I would also ask all parents and carers bringing children to school by car to respect our local residents when dropping and picking students up and to act safely and responsibly when close to the school gates. 

I plan to send regular updates to parents and carers this year, at least weekly, to keep everyone in touch with developments. Please also check our school website and social media pages for regular updates on school events. 

I hope you have all had a safe and restful summer and I look forward to working with you all again over the next year. 

Thank you. Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher