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Littleover Community School

News Archive

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Year 11 Mock Exam Timetable - December 2023

Posted 8th November 2023

Year 11 Mock Exam Timetable - December 2023

The Timetable for the Year 11 Mock Exams in December is now available to download.

You can download the timetables from the Exams > Exams Information.

Parent Governor Election

Posted 7th November 2023

An email has been sent to all parents and carers today (Tuesday 7th November) containing information regarding the Parent Governor Ballot. The voting deadline is Wednesday 15th November.

Former LCS Student Wins Triathlon World Cup Gold

Posted 6th November 2023

Former LCS Student Wins Triathlon World Cup Gold

Congratulations to former LCS student Hugo Milner, who won gold in the recent Triathlon World Cup event in Miyazaki, Japan.

Hugo had to fight back from over a minute behind the leader during the running stage to win. An incredible achievement!

You can watch highlights of the race on Youtube via the following link:

 

Update from Mr Wilding - Wednesday 25th October 2023

Posted 25th October 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding parents evenings, the upcoming Sixth Form Open Evening, applications for leave of absence and student illness guidance.

To all parents/carers

Good afternoon, from LCS.

I have a couple of brief items of information for you all today, in what is my final update of this, very long, half-term.

Parents' Evenings

The annual cycle of Parents' Evenings will begin again early next half-term. Our Parents' Evenings will continue to use the on-line SchoolCloud system for this academic year, and parents/carers of students in each Year Group will be contacted with instructions on how to book appointments, ahead of each respective date.
The dates of Parents' Evenings for this year are as follows:

  • Thursday 9th November – Year 11
  • Thursday 16th November – Year 7 'Settling in' meeting with Form Tutors.
  • Thursday 30th November – Year 13
  • Thursday 25th January 2024 – Year 9
  • Thursday 8th February- Year 10
  • Thursday 29th February – Year 7
  • Thursday 14th March – Year 12
  • Thursday 25th April – Year 8

LCS Sixth Form Open Evening

Our Open Evening for parents/carers and students looking to make applications to LCS Sixth Form for September 2024 will be held tomorrow evening.

There are two presentations for parents/carers and students, in the Main Hall at 5:45pm and 6:30pm. The content of these presentations is the same, so parents/carers and students should only attend one. If we reach capacity in the Main Hall for the first presentation at 5-45pm, we may ask parents/carers and students to return for the later presentation.

Staff will be available to answer questions about individual subjects in the Sports Hall, from 6pm to 7-30pm.

Applications for places in our Sixth Form for September 2024 can be made immediately after Open Evening and the deadline for applications to be submitted is 4pm on Friday 1st December.

Applications for Leave of Absence

We have recently received an increase in requests for leave of absence for students during term time. As stated in our Attendance Policy and as is the case with all schools nationally, leave of absence for students can only be authorised during term time in 'exceptional circumstances', for reasons other than illness. To be classed as 'exceptional circumstances', it must be clear that any absence is unavoidable and could not have happened at any other time, or in school holidays.

Applications for leave of absence must be made in writing to the Headteacher and evidence may be requested in each case.

We always aim to publish our term dates well in advance, to allow parents and carers enough time to plan family holidays, and term dates for both this academic year and 2024/25 can be found on our website at the following link:

Student illness - Local Authority guidance for parents and carers

We have been asked by Derby City Council to circulate several pieces of information and guidance to parents and carers, related to some common illnesses affecting children and young people at this time of year.

We have collated this information into one area on our school website, which can be found at the link below:

Thank you all, as always, for your continued support of our school, our students and our staff.

It is one year to the day that OFSTED visited LCS and I firmly believe that the school is even stronger now than it was at that time. The progress we have made, and continue to make, cannot happen without the support of all our parents and carers and, hopefully, we can continue to progress and improve together in the months and years to come.

It has been a very long half-term and we are all due a break next week. I hope all our students enjoy their holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday 6th November.

Best wishes.
Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Update from Mr Wilding - Monday 16th October 2023

Posted 16th October 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding the LCS Open Day and Evening, the upcoming Sixth Form Open Evening. fundraising in memory of Sarah Middleton and National County Lines Intensification Week.

To all parents/carers

Good morning, from LCS.

I have a couple of items to make you all aware of today, but, firstly, I would like to thank you all for your support with our recent Open Day and Open Evening. The number of visitors we had on the day was back to pre-Covid 19 levels and both presentations for potential new Year 7 students for next September were full.

Thank you if you visited us on Open Day and Open Evening and please also thank your child(ren) if they gave their time to work in departments with staff.

Sixth Form Open Evening

Our Sixth Form Open Evening will be held on Thursday 26th October, from 5.45pm to 7.30pm. As with our whole school Open Evening, there will be two presentations for parents/carers and students considering an application to our Sixth Form for September 2024.

More details will follow about our Sixth Form Open Evening, over the next week.

Sarah Middleton fundraiser

You will all be aware that our friend and colleague, Sarah Middleton, passed away towards the end of the last academic year, after a long illness. Sarah's family, friends and LCS staff are planning to run the Carsington 10k and half in December, to raise money for a memorial bench at Eyes Meadow and a memorial event to remember Sarah.
Sarah's family have set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who would like to donate towards their goal of £1500 and I have attached the link, below, for anyone interested in making a contribution:

A message from Derbyshire Police

National County Lines Intensification Week runs this week, from 15/10/2023. County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas. They exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs. This is often referred to as 'drug running'. Criminals may also use a vulnerable person's home as their base of operations. This is known as 'cuckooing'.

A leaflet containing additional information on County Lines can be found on the Children's Society website, at the page below:

Thank you for your continued support of our school, our students and our staff.

A reminder that Wednesday 25th October is a staff INSET Day and school will be closed to students. Our half-term holiday is from Monday 30th October to Friday 3rd November.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

LCS Sixth Form Open Evening - Thursday 26th October

Posted 13th October 2023

LCS Sixth Form Open Evening - Thursday 26th October

The LCS Sixth Form Open Evening 2023 will be held on Thursday 26th October

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

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

No booking is necessary.

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

Parent Governor Vacancy

Posted 9th October 2023

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

For more information please see the School > Governors page.

Update from Mr Wilding - Thursday 5th October 2023

Posted 5th October 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding changes to term dates, the upcoming LCS Open Day, Roadworks, a Police Commissioner survey, and the childhood bereavement network.

To all parents/carers

Good afternoon, from LCS.

I have several updates and a couple of new items to inform you of today.


Term dates 2024/25

I have now consulted with school staff, Governors and parents/carers on my proposal to move the term dates for the academic year 2024/25. The vast majority of responses I have received, from all parties consulted, have been in favour of my proposal and I have informed the Local Authority today, to confirm this change.

I can now confirm that LCS will be starting Autumn Term 2024 on Thursday 5th September. Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September 2024 will be staff INSET Days and students will start their term on Monday 9th September 2024. The academic year 2024/25 at LCS will end on Friday 25th July 2025.

Thank you to all parents/carers who contacted me during the consultation period.

Term dates for the current academic year and for 2024/25 can be seen via the link below:

LCS Open Day

As mentioned in my previous email update, our school Open Day and Open Evening will be held on Thursday 12th October. Tours during the school day are by prior appointment and are only for parents/carers of potential students for September 2024 admission.

All current LCS parents/carers and members of our wider school community are welcome to visit us on the evening of 12th October, from 5pm to 7pm. As previously requested, we would be extremely grateful if visitors could walk or find alternative transport, as we have very limited car parking on site.

For those parents/carers of current Year 11 students considering an application to LCS Sixth Form for September 2024, our Sixth-Form Open Evening will be held on Thursday 26th October.

Roadworks

Further roadworks have started this week outside the main school entrance on Pastures Hill. As we were informed of these works in advance on this occasion, we have met with the contractors who are working to minimise potential traffic disruption for students travelling to and from school. Temporary Traffic Lights will be in operation after 9am and before 3pm each week day, in an attempt to keep issues to a minimum, but, as in the past, there will be an impact on roadside parking.

I would respectfully ask all parents/carers to help us with this situation, by not attempting to park in and around these ongoing roadworks and by dropping/picking-up students from further away from the school site.

Police Commissioner Survey

I have been asked to share the message below with all parents/carers:

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Angelique Foster, wants to hear your students views on crime and community safety.

Throughout the year, the Commissioner runs a survey asking for Derbyshire residents views on crime and community safety. This is done to ensure that the priorities the Commissioner sets for policing, community safety and victims services reflect the issues that matter most to Derbyshire residents, wherever they live in the City or the County.

Using the responses from the survey, the Commissioner will work with the Chief Constable to ensure that resources are balanced efficiently with residents' concerns.

The Commissioner needs to hear from as many people as possible, from all age groups and backgrounds, to ensure the results are fair.

This is where we are asking for your help.

We want to ensure that young people's voices are heard in this consultation.

To achieve this, would you be able to help us by giving your older students (Year 10 and above) the opportunity to complete the online survey?

The survey questions cover feelings of safety, experiences of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area where they live, and opinions on local policing. The survey should take no longer than 4 minutes to complete.

The link for the survey is below:

Thank you for your help

Childhood Bereavement Network

Our Safeguarding Lead, Ms Jenkins, has asked me to make parents/carers aware of the extension of bereavement benefits to families where the parents had not been married. Only a small proportion of eligible families are applying so far, and the Child Bereavement Network is campaigning to raise awareness.

For further information, please visit the Child Bereavement Network at the web address below:

Thank you for your continued support of our school, our staff and our students. A reminder that this half-term runs until Friday 27th October and students are on holiday from Monday 30th October to Friday 3rd November.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

Posted 2nd October 2023

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: ICT Technician

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Kitchen Assistant

Posted 2nd October 2023

Job Vacancy: Kitchen Assistant

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Kitchen Assistant

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Wellbeing Coach

Posted 2nd October 2023

Job Vacancy: Wellbeing Coach

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Wellbeing Coach

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Music

Posted 27th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Music

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Teacher of Music.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Update from Mr Wilding - Monday 25th September 2023

Posted 25th September 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding the upcoming LCS Open Day, Open Evening, and free school meals.

To all parents/carers

We are already well into the routine of term again and students have made an excellent start to the new school year.

I have two brief items to draw your attention to in my update today.

School Open Day and Open Evening

Our annual Open Evening will be held on Thursday 12th October.

There will be a programme of classroom displays and activities from 5-00pm to 7-00pm, as well as opportunities for you to talk to staff and students about the school. All parents/carers are welcome to visit us during the evening and I hope as many of you as possible will be able to attend. If you are intending to visit us on Open Evening, please be aware that we are extremely short of on-site parking, so if you can walk to school it would be much appreciated.

Tours during the school day will be on offer to potential parents/carers for September 2024 admission, only, and not for current parents/carers. These tours must be booked in advance.

There will be two presentations on the evening, at 5pm and 7pm, in the Main Hall, but again these are for those parents/carers looking for September 2024 admission.

Free School Meals

If your child is eligible for 'free school meals' and you register them for this, the school will receive extra funding called 'Pupil Premium'. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school. The attached letter (link below) ahs further instruction on how to apply for free School Meals, if you do not already do this and believe your child may be eligible. The additional link, below, is to the Local Authority FSM Application Form.

Thank you for your continued support.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Job Vacancy: Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Posted 22nd September 2023

Job Vacancy: Higher Level Teaching Assistant

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Teaching Assistant

Posted 18th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Teaching Assistant

LCS has 3 vacancies for the position of: Teaching Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS named as NCLE Languages Hub School

Posted 14th September 2023

LCS named as NCLE Languages Hub School

We are pleased to share with our school community that Littleover Community School has been selected as one of just fifteen Phase 1 lead schools for the NCLE Language Hubs initiative. We will be helping to support high quality language education in England by working with identified partner schools.

What exactly is the National Consortium for Language Education?

Recognising the value of good language education both to students and to the country, the NCLE is creating a national network of up to 25 lead hub schools across England. Each lead hub school will deliver training to up to seven partner schools to improve standards of language teaching and learning across the country.

The key aims for the NCLE are to:

  1. encourage high quality language teaching in schools
  2. increase languages uptake at GCSE
  3. support levelling up opportunities for disadvantaged students
  4. address the performance of boys
  5. better recognise and support the rich diversity of languages in addition to English spoken by one in every five of our students.

The NCLE is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and delivered by IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (UCL IOE) in partnership with the British Council and the Goethe-Institut.

You can find out more about this project on the NCLE website

How does it work?

The first group of hub schools has been selected and Littleover Community School is one of them. Having been recognised by the NCLE for the quality of our language teaching, we will be training a small number of partner schools to share best practice, discuss ideas and support quality language learning activities. We're working on our plans now and will send regular updates as the project develops.

Why is the government encouraging language education in schools?

Languages are crucial for work and life in our globally competitive economy. We believe that languages and intercultural awareness can help to foster universal understanding and contribute to building a peaceful and harmonious world future.

The Department for Education recognises that, as a country, we need more and better language skills and that these add value and widen opportunities for individuals, communities and society.

What are the benefits for students of the NCLE programme?

The ability to speak other languages is an incredibly useful asset for students, both professionally and personally. Research shows that there are clear educational, personal, cultural, social and career benefits in being able to communicate confidently in another language.

There is a particular emphasis in the NCLE on delivery high quality language learning to students from disadvantaged areas to support improvements in social mobility.

What is the Goethe-Institut Gimagine project?

The government is especially keen to promote the learning of German, because the numbers studying this important language have fallen in recent years. That's why the Gothe-Institut is a key partner.

Their GIMAGINE project promotes and supports the learning of German as a foreign language in the UK. The project centres around students, teachers and schools. Apart from offering initiatives for professional advancement to German teachers, the project can fund learning German through scholarships and provides schools with classroom materials and teaching resources.

You can find out more on the Gimagine website

We are extremely excited about developing this project at LCS and the benefits it will bring to our students and those in our partner schools.

Anyone requesting further information on this project should contact Mrs C Spalding (Deputy Headteacher).

LCS Sports and Fitness Centre - Now Open

Posted 11th September 2023

The LCS Fitness Centre is now open to the public, with a gym and various sports and dance facilities available for bookings.

LCS Gym Flyer

Please see the Sports and Arts Facilities page for more details.

Job Vacancy: Cleaner (AM)

Posted 9th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Cleaner (AM)

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Cleaner (AM).

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Mathematics

Posted 7th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Mathematics

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Teacher of Mathematics

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

Posted 7th September 2023

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: ICT Technician

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Finance/Administration Officer

Posted 7th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Finance/Administration Officer

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Wellbeing Coach

Posted 7th September 2023

Job Vacancy: Wellbeing Coach

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Wellbeing Coach

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Update from Mr Wilding - Monday 4th September 2023

Posted 4th September 2023

Mr Wilding has sent a start-of-term update to parents and carers covering RAAC, exam results, staffing, uniform, term dates, safeguarding and free school meals.

To all parents/carers

Good afternoon, from LCS.

I hope you have all had an enjoyable summer and that students are all getting prepared for the start of term, on Wednesday 6th September.

We are excited to be welcoming all our students back to school this week, and we would extend a particular welcome to those students joining us in Year 7 and Year 12, as well as their parents and carers.

As usual, at this time, I have a few updates, as well as reminders, for all our parents and carers, ahead of the start of the academic year.

Schools with RAAC

Many parents/carers will be aware of recently issued new DfE guidance for education settings (August 31st), advising that any space or area with confirmed Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) should no longer be open without mitigations in place. The vast majority of schools and colleges will be unaffected by this change but 50+ settings have already been supported and a further 104 further settings without mitigations in place have been asked to vacate spaces or buildings.

At this stage, I can confirm that LCS is not one of the schools contacted to vacate spaces or buildings and that all students should start term on Wednesday 6th September, at 8-40am. If I receive further information on this issue, I will communicate this to parents/carers, as soon as possible.

Exam Results

We are absolutely delighted with the results our students have achieved this year, at both A Level and GCSE.

Results at LCS this year, at both A Level and GCSE, are very close to those achieved by students in 2022, against a national picture where all schools were told to expect results to drop to 2019 levels.

At A Level, nearly 30% of all grades were either A* or A and nearly 90% were between A* and C.

Our Year 11 students also performed exceptionally well, with 80% of students achieving at least a Grade 4 and 61% of students achieving at least a grade 5, in both GCSE English and Maths. Overall, over 50% of GCSE grades achieved were grade 6, or above.

Significantly, our Progress 8 figure (a value-added measure, which measures students' results compared to other students nationally with similar starting points) may end up being the highest we have ever achieved; this figure will be verified later in the Autumn Term.

Given the disruption our students had faced throughout their courses over the last 2 years, these results were even more impressive and are a testament to their motivation and resilience, as well as the positive partnership between our school and our parents/carers.

Al our students deserve great credit and we wish them well in the next phase of their academic career.

Changes to school staff

As always, at the end of any academic year, several staff have left LCS and new staff will be joining us this week.

Mrs L Wilson (Assistant Headteacher) left us at the end of the last academic year and Mr M Pestell was appointed to our Senior Leadership Team, as our new Head of Key Stage 3 and Designated Teacher for Looked After Children.

Mr G Wilson has been appointed as our new Head of Year 9, to replace Mr Pestell.

There are several changes to our Pastoral and Form Tutor teams for the new school year, which were emailed to parents/carers by Mr McElhone at the end of last term. To clarify for all parents/carers, our new Pastoral Management structure is as follows:

  • Year 7 – Mr J Woods (Head of Year) Miss R Freeman (Assistant Head of Year)
  • Year 8 – Mr K Bowler (HOY) Mr H Boot (AHOY)
  • Year 9 – Mr G Wilson (HOY) Mrs T Matthews (AHOY)
  • Year 10 – Mr M Moses (HOY) Mrs A Flinders (AHOY)
  • Year 11 – Ms S Doran (Head of Year) Mr T Nichol (AHOY)
  • Sixth Form – Mr R Archer (Head of Centre) Mr V D'Elia (AHOC) Mrs S Senior (Senior Tutor)

School uniform

To avoid any issues at the start of the new school year, I would like to remind all parents/carers of our School Uniform policy, which can be found at the following link:

I would particularly like to remind parents/carers that students must wear shoes to school, rather than trainers, and that students should not have lines shaved into hair/eyebrows.

Towards the end of last term there were some students arriving in school with 'scratch lines' cut into their hair, which they claimed were put in by the hairdresser/barber without being requested. If your child is having/has had a hair cut ahead of the new term, please make sure they do not have these 'scratch lines' put in, as this is against school rules.

Term Dates

As in the past, requests for leave of absence during term time will not be authorised, unless the circumstances for this request are exceptional. To help parents/carers with planning and booking of holidays, our term dates are published below:

Regular attendance remains one of the most significant factors in ensuring that students achieve their best in school, both academically and socially, and I would respectfully ask that all parents/carers support us in expecting all students to attend school each day, unless absent through illness or other, unavoidable, circumstances.

Punctuality is hugely important, also, as students lose vital lesson time when late to school and often do not arrive in the right frame of mind for learning if they are late. I would respectfully ask all parents/carers to support us in ensuring your child(ren) arrive at school for registration at 8-40am each morning. Please be aware that the roads around the school site are often congested at the start of the school day, so please take this into account when planning your journey and respect the safety of all our students, as well as our local residents, when dropping/picking up students from school.

Key Safeguarding information

The safety of all our students is our number one priority and there is a comprehensive list of relevant safeguarding information and links on our safeguarding page, below:

As I regularly informed parents and carers throughout the last academic year, a significant number of our behaviour and safeguarding issues with students, including reasons for student suspensions from school, were related to possession/use of vape, and issues caused by posts made by students on social media. These are society problems, as well as school issues, and we cannot tackle them alone, without the support of parents and carers.

As I requested throughout the last academic year, I would once again ask all parents/carers to monitor their child's use of social media, particularly Instagram and TikTok, where most of our issues occur.

I would also respectfully, once again, ask parents/carers to be aware of the significant issue of vaping amongst young people across society and the significant problems this is causing in schools. Please discuss this issue with your child and do not assume they are not involved in vaping, as a growing number of young people are, and continue to be. Vapes should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18 and if parents/carers are aware of shops/websites selling vapes to children, this should be reported to Trading Standards.

Free School Meals

Parents/carers of students eligible for Free School Meals should apply for this via Derby City Council, at the link, below:

We would encourage all parents/carers to apply if eligible and to contact Derby City Council if you have any questions about your child(ren)'s eligibility for Free School Meals.

I plan to continue with my weekly email updates for parents/carers this year, but there are a couple of school events to inform you of now, which are our School Open Day, on 12th October, and Sixth Form Open Evening, on 26th October. Please add these dates to your diary and I will update you with further details nearer the time.
Thank you for your continued support of our school and I look forward to working with you all again in the year ahead.

 

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

GCSE Results

Posted 24th August 2023

We are very pleased with the results our Year 11 students have achieved at GCSE level this year.

OFQUAL guidance is that it is 'most meaningful to compare this year's results with those of 2019' and, on this basis, our students have done exceptionally well and their resilience and determination to succeed has been rewarded with excellent grades. The vast majority of students will have achieved the results needed for their first choice Post-16 option.

  • 80% of students have achieved Grade 4 or above in English and Maths.
  • 55% of students achieved Grade 4 or above in the suite of subjects making up the Ebacc.
  • Over 50% of all grades were Grade 6 or above.

We would like to congratulate all students and thank all parents and carers for your support over the last 5 years.

Students can collect results in the Main Hall from 9am on Thursday 24th August and students offered places to LCS Sixth Form should complete the electronic enrolment form by the end of the day, if they wish to accept this offer.

Thank you.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

A-Level Results

Posted 17th August 2023

A-Level Results

It has been another excellent year for A Level results at Littleover Community School. Despite having their education severely disrupted by the pandemic, students have produced a set of results that is in line with some of the school's best ever year groups.

  • Over 80% of students achieved at least 1 A*-B grade
  • Nearly 30% of all grades were A*s or As
  • Nearly 90% of all grades fell in the A*-C category
  • 27 students achieved 3 or more A*-A grades
  • 73 students achieved 3 or more A*-B grades.

Most importantly of all, with virtually all subjects recording a 100% pass rate and the average grade across all entries being a B, students will be in a strong position as they move forward toward their chosen post 18 option, whether it be university, apprenticeship or employment.

We wish all our students the best of luck in their future lives and careers.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

City Sports Results

Posted 21st July 2023

LCS Students performed excellently at the recent City Sports event, finishing 3rd overall with notable 1st place finishes for the Year 7 and Year 9 girls teams.

City Sports is a city-wide athletics event involving 14 schools.

Results for LCS students are as follows:

  • Year 7 Boys - 4th
  • Year 7 Girls - 1st
  • Year 8 Boys - 8th 
  • Year 8 Boys - 5th
  • Year 9 Boys - 2nd
  • Year 9 Girls - 1st - podium finished in every event
  • Year 10 Boys - 3rd
  • Year 10 Boys - 3rd
  • Overall - Boys 5th
  • Overall - Girls 2nd
  • Overall position - 3rd

Well done to all students involved!

Update from Mr Wilding - Tuesday 18th July 2023

Posted 18th July 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an end-of-term update to parents and carers regarding staff leavers, industrial action, term dates, safeguarding information, and go4schools changes.

To all parents and carers.

Good afternoon, from LCS.

As this is my last email update of the academic year, there are quite a few things I would like to make you aware of, related to the end of this term and the start of the new school year, in September.

I have included several links to our school website for additional information.

Staff leaving LCS at the end of this term

As usual at the end of every academic year, we have a number of staff leaving us for new challenges. The following staff will be leaving LCS at the end of this term, on Friday:

  • Miss Carrondo - Languages
  • Mr Bould – Wellbeing team
  • Miss Pipe - Languages
  • Mr Evans – History and PSHE
  • Miss Antony - Maths
  • Miss Scott - English
  • Mrs Wilson – Assistant Headteacher

As well as staff leaving the school, we also have two staff who will begin maternity leave in September, Miss Just and Miss Richmond.

We wish all our departing staff the best of luck in the future and thank them for the work they have done for our students at LCS. We also wish Miss Just and Miss Richmond well and hope to see them in school again soon.

As well as our staff leaving us this week, Jamie Cameron will also be stepping down from his position as Chair of Governors. Jamie has lead our Governing Board through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as our recent OFSTED inspection, and his support of myself as Headteacher and the school in general has been outstanding. We thank Jamie for his work as Chair of Governors and wish him well for the future.

Industrial Action

You will no doubt be aware that the government has recently offered a 6.5% pay increase to teachers across the country. This offer has been initially welcomed by the main teaching Unions, who are recommending to their members that the offer be accepted. If this happens, future industrial action is likely to be called off, however this has not been officially announced and will not be until later this summer, or in the Autumn.

I will update you again on this issue, at the start of the new school year.

Term Dates

The new school year begins for students on Wednesday 6th September. All students will start on the same day, at the usual time of 8-40am.

Term dates for the academic year 2023/24 can be found below:

All parents/carers should respectfully remember that requests for authorised leave during school term time will only be accepted if the reason for absence is 'exceptional' i.e the absence can clearly not be taken at any other time.

Important exam results information – for parents/carers of students in Years 11 and 13

The address below is for the section on our school website related to exam results days and appeals. I would advise parents/carers of all Year 11 and Year 13 students to familiarise themselves with this information, ahead of students collecting exam results in August.

If a student cannot collect their results from school and has nominated someone else to do so on their behalf, our Exams Officer, Miss Jupp, must be informed of this in advance.

Please email Miss Jupp using the address  r.jupp@littleover.derby.sch.uk  or via our school  admin@littleover.derby.sch.uk  email address, marked 'FAO Miss Jupp'.

I would ask parents/carers of students in Year 11 and Year 13 to check with your child(ren) that they have returned text books to school, as non-return of books costs us hundreds of pounds every year. If students still have text books, these should be brought into school and returned to Reception, by the end of Friday.

Safeguarding information

We have received the following, from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service Prevention Team

LOGO DESIGN COMPETITION

We are asking pupils in Year 6 and years 7-11 in Derby and Derbyshire to take part in a competition to design a Water Safety Partnership Logo.
The Derbyshire Water Safety Partnership is made up of various stakeholders including the Canal and River Trust, Severn Trent Water, Derbyshire Constabulary and the RNLI. The Partnership aims to maximise water safety, reduce cases of drowning and water related injuries through prevention, education and awareness.

We are looking for a logo that embodies this message for us to use. A winner and two runners up will be chosen by Mr and Mrs Ndlovu; the parents of Thando Ndlovu who sadly passed away in the River Trent in 2021 at the age of 15.

 The prizes will include:

  • A seasonal parking permit for use at Carsington, Tittesworth Water, Draycote Water, Linacre Reservoir and Shustoke.
  • A Markeaton Park voucher booklet,  giving access to the Mundy Play Centre where equipment includes bouncy castle, mini-golf and canoes (age restrictions may apply).
  • A day's free cycle hire for a family from the visitor's centre at Middleton Top, High Peak Trail,  a bug hotel from the environment agency and a £25 Waterstones gift card.

The winner will also be invited to their local fire station for a tour of the station and a meet and greet with the crew. We hope that taking part in this competition over the summer will keep water safety at the forefront of people's minds. All entries should be emailed to
 competition@derbys-fire.gov.uk

The safeguarding section of our school website includes other general safety information, including safety around water, railways and derelict buildings. There is also information on how to report safeguarding concerns during the summer holiday.

As well as the existing safeguarding information on our website, we have also been made aware of a new App called 'Vent' (though it has also been seen under the name 'Vent – Express Yourself Freely').

This App is being used by some young people who self-harm, to compete against each other by "scoring" their acts of self-harm. This is clearly very concerning and dangerous and we would like to bring it to the attention of all parents/carers.

An alert regarding this App has been sent to schools by the Youth Offending Service and we would ask all parents/carers to be aware of this App and its potentially harmful content.

Go4Schools changes

Go4Schools will be changing format in September. A separate email with more detailed information will be sent to all parents/carers by Mr Buchanan, at a later date. There will be no change to the information parents/carers and students will be able to view on Go4Schools, but the site is being updated and the existing format will change.

I will write to all parents and carers again before students return to school on September 6th, but all that remains for now is for me to wish you all a happy, peaceful and well deserved, summer holiday.

Thank you to all parents and carers for your continued support of our school, our students and our staff. I look forward to seeing all students again, for the start of the new school year on September 6th.

Summer Term finishes this Friday, 21st July, at the earlier time of 1-40pm.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Art Exhibition Tuesday 11th July 4.30pm-6.30pm Main Hall

Posted 2nd July 2023

Art Exhibition Tuesday 11th July 4.30pm-6.30pm Main Hall

Art Exhibition

 

NEU Industrial Action - 5th and 7th July 2023

Posted 28th June 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding the upcoming NEU industrial Action.

You will be aware that the NEU have called two further days of national Industrial Action in schools, on Wednesday 5 th and Friday 7th July.

Having assessed potential staff absence on these two days, it is clear we will not have sufficient teaching staff to allow students on site, other than in small numbers. Therefore, all lessons for students in Years 7- 10 and Y12 will take place remotely on both 5th and 7th July, via Teams.

On both strike days, we will be inviting students into school with an EHCP, as well as those students who are our potentially most vulnerable. Parents and carers of these students will be contacted individually, by members of our Learning Support and Safeguarding teams, over the next few days.

As on previous strike days, staff in school will set lessons on Teams by 8-50am on the 5th and 7th July. If lessons are taking place, students will be able to check on Teams by 8-50am. Where lessons are not taking place, students can access a range of relevant tasks and resources, from the sources and links previously made available.

Students eligible for free school Meals will be able to collect food from school during the normal lunch break, from 1-20pm to 2pm.

School will be open as normal for all students on Monday 3rd, Tuesday 4th and Thursday 6th July.

I am informing all parents and carers of the situation now, in order to provide you all with as much notice as possible and to help families to make any required arrangements. The situation is unlikely to change between now and the scheduled strike days, but if there are any developments which impact on our potentially opening to students, I will let you know. This is a national dispute between Unions and Government and not a dispute within or between staff at LCS. As all major education Unions have balloted members over industrial action, or are planning to do so, further action is possible across the country in the Autumn Term. If and when I have any confirmed news of this, I will pass any relevant information on to all parents and carers.

Thank you for your continued support of our school, our students and staff.

Yours sincerely

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Mathematics

Posted 28th June 2023

Job Vacancy: Teacher of Mathematics

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Teacher of Mathematics.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

MADFest 2023

Posted 21st June 2023

MADFest 2023

Year 8 will be involved with MADfest, on Friday 30th June in conjunction with the LCS Creative Arts department.

All Year 8 students will be off timetable from period one through to period four, participating in exciting bespoke Creative Arts workshops. The theme for this year is "The Environment".

We have sixteen practitioners, many from the creative industries sector, educationalists, and environmental groups who will be working with students. Within these 10 workshops, students will learn new skills, have an opportunity to discuss creative ideas, and have professionals share about their own journey and their own careers. 

Students will be immersed in their own creative journey, inspiring others around them, and creating positive change in the community as they address the 'environmental brief'.

Music Festival

Posted 21st June 2023

Music Festival

This year's LCS Music Festival will be held on Thursday 6th July 7:00pm-9:30pm.

The Music Festival showcases the wide variety of musical talent we have in school.

Tickets are available in school from Ms Chawner in C14. Prices are as follows:

Ticket Price (£)
Adult 5.00
Concessions 4.00
Family Ticket (2 Adults + 2 Children) 16.00
LCS Music Festival 2023

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Update from Mr Wilding - Monday 19th June 2023

Posted 19th June 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding Derby Vape Awareness Week, NEU Industrial Action and second-hand uniform sales.

To all parents and carers.

Good afternoon, from LCS.

Derby Vape Awareness Week

The main purpose of my update today is to draw your attention to a city-wide campaign by all Derby Secondary Schools this week, to raise awareness of the increasing numbers of our young people we are seeing using vape, including a growing number bringing vape and vape products into our schools.

I have written to all LCS parents/carers numerous times over the past 12 to 18 months to raise this issue with you, and we have been working with students in lessons and whole-school Assemblies to make them aware of the risks and consequences of vaping, on various different levels.

For several years now, our policy at LCS has been to issue students with a Suspension, if they are found to be vaping, or in possession of vape products, in school, or while wearing school uniform. Despite our firm stance on this, which all students are aware of, and regular reminders to students around the dangers of vape, we are continuing to find students with these items in school.

As you will see from the attached letter, signed by all Derby Headteachers and Public Health, our concerns around vaping across our city include health risks associated with the nicotine and various other ingredients found in vape, as well as the trade in vapes which a growing number of students are becoming involved in. Some shops are selling vape to children under the age of 18 and websites are also clearly being accessed by students, where age checks are not being made.

I cannot stress enough how much of a concern this is to me, and my fellow Headteachers across Derby, at this time, and I am asking for your continued support in helping us tackle this issue, for the benefit of all our young people.

Please read the attached letter and related information leaflets and discuss this matter with your child(ren) at home.

If you would like to contact me personally about this issue, please do so via our main school email address.

NEU Industrial Action

I am sure most parents/carers will be aware of the latest round of Industrial Action called by the NEU, announced over the last 48 hours. Strike action will be taken by members of the NEU nationally on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July.

As has been the case with previous strike days, we will assess the likely situation with staff absence on these days and make an announcement as soon as we can around whether we will be able to have any students on site.

Second-hand uniform sales

Thank you to all parents/carers who have donated uniform for our planned second-hand uniform sale on 11th July. We are still looking for donations, which can be brought to our Reception by parents/carers between 9am and 4pm each day, or by students to C2 office. The more donations we have, the more we can help support families during the current cost of living crisis.

Thank you for your continued support of our school, our students and our staff.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Job Vacancy: Finance/Administration Officer

Posted 14th June 2023

Job Vacancy: Finance/Administration Officer

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Update from Mr Wilding - Monday 12th June 2023

Posted 12th June 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding the forecasted warm weather.

To all parents and carers.

Good afternoon, from LCS.

The weather forecast this week is for warm, sunny weather, with temperatures averaging mid-20 degrees.

We would encourage students to bring refillable drinking bottles/cups into school this week, in order to remain hydrated throughout the day. We have reduced the price of bottled water across our food serveries this week, to also help with this.

Students are encouraged to bring sun cream to protect against the sun at break and lunchtimes and can wear a hat/cap when outside during social times, if they wish. Any hats/caps worn for this purpose must be removed when inside the building.

As the forecast is currently due to change within the next 5 days or so, we will be making no further adaptions to school uniform, or our normal school operations, at this stage.

Thank you.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Messages of Support for Mrs Middleton

Posted 9th June 2023

LCS is collecting messages of support for Mrs Middleton following her recent diagnosis.

To all parents and carers and former LCS students.

Many parents/carers and students will be aware that Mrs Middleton, a member of our teaching staff in our Languages department, has been absent from school through illness for the last 12 months. Mrs Middleton was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May 2022 and has unfortunately not been able to return to school. Mrs Middleton has recently received the news that her condition is now life limiting.

As a school, we have been in regular communication with Mrs Middleton throughout the last 12 months and several staff have visited her recently, since the completion of her most recent hospital treatment. Staff have been made aware of Mrs Middleton's most recent diagnosis, but we have not made this news public, at Mrs Middleton's request, to parents/carers and students, until now.

We have received several messages from parents, students and former students in the last few days, after the recent story in the Derby Telegraph and Derbyshire Live website, about Mrs Middleton. This has been a tremendously difficult time for Mrs Middleton and her family, as well as staff at LCS, where Mrs Middleton has been a great colleague and friend since joining the school in 2003.

Any parents/carers, students or former students wishing to send messages of support to Mrs Middleton can do so via the school admin email address. Please send any messages to   admin@littleover.derby.sch.uk   and mark your message in the subject box 'For Mrs Middleton'. All messages will be collated and forwarded to Mrs Middleton personally.

If this news has personally affected your child or it has reminded them of their grief and sadness about a loved one, there are people they can speak to in school. You can ring or email school and ask to speak to the Head of Year, or contact the Wellbeing Team via the school number or  contact.safeguarding@littleover.derby.sch.uk email address; please mark any messages 'FAO the Wellbeing Team'.

Some people find it easier to share their grief and seek support through helpful agencies. The list below are some places where we know our children and families have previously been supported. All of these agencies can be accessed online and offer advice to parents/carers and emotional wellbeing strategies for young people. Many also have access to live text chat with counsellors or helplines. We would always recommend that you look at any website yourself, before sharing them with your child.

If you or your child continue to require support, please get in touch with Miss Jenkins or Ms Boulton, from our Safeguarding and Wellbeing team, by emailing    contact.safeguarding@littleover.derby.sch.uk

 

Emotional Wellbeing Support for adults/ over 16s:

Quell www.quell.io                                                                  
Trent PTS: Psychological Services www.trentpts.co.uk    
Samaritans www.samaritans.org      

Emotional Wellbeing support for young people:

Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
Treetops www.treetopshospice.org.uk     
Winston's Wish www.winstonswish.org 

I know you will join me and all LCS staff in sending our collective support to Mrs Middleton and her family, at this time.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

Posted 9th June 2023

Job Vacancy: ICT Technician

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: ICT Technician

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Job Vacancy: Teacher of P.E.

Posted 5th June 2023

Job Vacancy: Teacher of P.E.

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Teacher of P.E.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Update from Mr Wilding - Thursday 25th May 2023

Posted 25th May 2023

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding exams, revision sessions, water safety, e-safety and access to the school site.

To all parents and carers.

Good afternoon, from LCS.

We are well into the busy exam period in school, with students in Year 11 and Year 13 continuing with exams, right through to the end of June. Students have shown exemplary attitude to exams and revision lessons so far and we hope they ultimately gain the results their efforts deserve. Students in Key Stage 3 have also been experiencing exams, some for the first time, in recent weeks and have shown an equally impressive attitude and approach.

A reminder to parents/carers of students in Year 11 that a full programme of revision session was sent out recently by Mr Buchanan and we would like, where possible, parents/carers to encourage their children to attend these important sessions.

Half-term ends tomorrow, 26th May and students should return to school on Monday 5th June.

I have a few important updates and messages in my email to you today.

A message from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service

This week, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service launched a hard-hitting water safety video called 'Thando's Story', told in the words of Mr and Mrs Ndlovu who lost their much-loved son Thando in July 2021.

Thando's Story aims to encourage parents, carers and guardians to speak to young children about the dangers of open water, and directly warn young people in the hope that Thando's death will leave a legacy that will prevent future water deaths. 

This is such an important message and one that ahead of the end of term holiday and warmer weather, is particularly important.   Parents/carers can also follow @derbyshireFRS  social media posts, to help spread the message far and wide. 

You can link to Thando's Story here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jz5t3BA6rQ 

Social Media Influencers

A campaign for National On-line Safety has released a poster for parents and carers regarding Social Media Influencers. On-line safety and use of social media, in particular, continues to be an issue for many of our young people. I hope you find the Social Media Influencers information useful.

Please also refer to information on our school website, at:
https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/information.php#esafety

Access to school site

A polite reminder to all parents/carers, that students should not be dropped-off or picked up by parents/carers in vehicles at the Fresco Drive entrance gate to school. If students are using this gate to access school site, parents/carers must park on Fresco Drive itself and allow students to walk into school via the access road, rather than driving down the access road to the gate itself.

Thank you for your support.

Keep safe.

J. Wilding
Headteacher

Year 6 Induction Information

Posted 17th May 2023

Parents of Year 6 students starting at LCS in September have been sent information relating to the induction process.

We have made much of the information in the letter available online. Along with the details of the induction process for parents and carers, there are various videos and a virtual tour to help students familiarise themselves with the LCS Staff and school site.

You can find the information under Parents & Carers > Induction Process.

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