We are delighted with the GCSE results our Year 11 students have achieved this year.

The achievement of our students is a reflection of their outstanding commitment and resilience, as well as the support they have received from school staff, parents and carers over what has been an extremely challenging last two years.

• 292 Year 11 students sat GCSE exams this year
• The pass rate was 100%.
• 57% of students achieved grade 4 or above in the range of subjects which make up the Ebacc.
• 62% of students achieved grades 9-5 in English and Maths.
• 40% of students achieved 3 or more grades at 7-9.
• 34% of all grades were grade 7 or above.
• 52% of all grades were grade 6 or above.

We hope students can go on to secure their first-choice post-16 placement and we wish them well in their future careers.

We are delighted with the results achieved by our Year 13 students this year. Results achieved this year are particularly impressive, given the exceptional circumstances and challenges students have faced over the last two years.

174 students completed A Level exams in Year 13 this year.

• 34% of results achieved by LCS students were grades A*-A.
• 62% were grades B or above.
• Over 50% of students achieved at least one A*/A grade.
• Over 80% of students achieved at least one A*-B grade.
• 43% of students achieved 3 or more grades A*-B.
• 11 students achieved straight A*s (3 or 4 A*s).
• 4 students achieved 4 A* grades.

The vast majority of students have gained the results needed for their first choice Higher Education option and staff have been working with students this morning who needed support in securing placements.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all our students, staff, parents and carers for their collective efforts over the last two years. Year 13 students completing their A Level studies this year did not sit GCSE exams, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which makes their achievements even more impressive. 

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

J. Wilding
Headteacher

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an end-of-year update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

Greetings, from LCS. 

In my last scheduled email update of the school year, I would like to thank all students, parents, carers and the wider school community for their continued support through what has been another extremely challenging time. We have continued to make positive progress as a school and our students have been magnificent throughout, both in their work ethic and support of each other on a personal level. Although we are looking forward to our much needed holiday, we are also excited for the new school year and the opportunities this will bring. 

Safety over the summer holiday 

Ms Jenkins has spoken to students in Assemblies this week about ways to keep safe over the summer holiday. The links to our school website, below, include information on general safety issues, such as safety around water, buildings and railways, as well as information on how to report concerns over the summer holiday. 

• LCS Safeguarding Page 
• General Safety Advice 

The link, below, is to a new resource for parents/carers around issues of on-line safety and includes useful information on how to keep your children safe on-line, on social media and while gaming. 

• https://safetynet.skipseducational.org/parent-guides/ 

Support for young people and parents around mental health is available through Young Minds, through the link, below.

• https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ 

We hope all our students and families enjoy a safe holiday over the next 6 weeks. 

Derby City Council summer events and support for families 

Derby City Council are running a full programme of events for families over the summer holiday. The Household Support Fund and Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes are also available to offer support to families during school closure, over the summer break.

Details of all these programmes can be found on the Derby City Council website at the link, below: 

• https://derby.gov.uk/education-and-learning/extra-curricular-activities/derby-haf/ 

Support for families is also available through the DfE’s national programmes, details of which can be found at the link, below: 

• https://costoflivingsupport.campaign.gov.uk/ 

Vote for Derby! 

Derby is bidding to be the new home of Great British Railways (GBR). If you are interested in this campaign and would like to vote for Derby to secure this bid, details are available on the Destination Derby website, a link to which is below: 

• https://www.derbygbr.co.uk/ 

Mrs Bunting 

After 26 years of loyal service to the school, Mrs Bunting is retiring from her role as Senior Deputy Headteacher this week. 

Mrs Bunting has been one of the most consistent factors in the success of the school in the last two decades and has worked tirelessly to ensure all students have been provided with the best possible education. Originally appointed as Head of Maths, Mrs Bunting has held several posts in the school, most recently as Senior Deputy Headteacher, since January 2020. The work Mrs Bunting has done over the last 2 years, in particular, during the Covid-19 pandemic, has ensured that students have continued to access lessons through the development of our remote learning programme. 

Mrs Bunting will be greatly missed by students and staff alike and we wish her well for a long and well deserved retirement. 

Our best wishes also go to Mr Grant from our Learning Support Team, who will be leaving us this week. We thank Mr Grant for his work with our students and wish him well for the future. 

Start of new term 

After the need for staggered starts in the last two school years, due to Covid-19 testing, we are looking forward to welcoming all students to the start of the new school term, on Monday 5th September. 

Students in all Year Groups begin the new term on 5th September and should arrive for school for the usual start time of 8-40am. School timings will remain the same next year, with school continuing to finish at 3pm. 

I would respectfully remind all parents/carers that absence during term-time, other than through illness, will not be authorised, unless there are clear exceptional circumstances. 
Our term times for next year are published in advance and can be accessed at the link, below: 

• LCS Term Dates 2022-23 

All that remains is for me to wish all our students, staff, parents, carers and wider school community a very happy and safe holiday and I look forward to welcoming all students back to school for the start of the new year, on September 5th. 

Best wishes. Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Due to the extreme heat posing a health and safety risk, lessons will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 19th July, with special arrangements in school for vulnerable students.

Good afternoon from LCS.

Despite our best efforts and the measures we have put in place for students and staff, temperatures across the school building have been steadily rising as the day has gone on and have reached the point where I feel there may be a genuine risk to the health and safety of staff and students.

With higher temperatures forecast for tomorrow, I have regretfully made the decision to move students onto remote learning.

An early finish to school is not an option tomorrow, as temperatures are forecast to reach 36 degrees by midday and sending students home at that point would present more of a risk to health.

School will remain open for vulnerable students and we will send a further message later this afternoon with instructions for parents/carers of these students. We will also inform parents/carers of students eligible for Free School Meals how we will be providing for these students tomorrow.

I would be grateful if parents/carers can remind their child(ren) to check school emails this evening, for instructions from teachers.

Lessons will begin via Teams from Period 2 tomorrow (10am) and students will follow their usual timetables and lesson timings for Periods 2 - 5. Lessons will be set up in each 'Team', as we have done in the past during school closure.

Students attending school tomorrow should report to Reception by 9am, for registration.

I have not taken this decision lightly and I apologise for the inconvenience I know it will cause for some families. I can assure you that the safety of your children is and always will be my number one priority.

School will be open on Wednesday, as normal, to all students, and term will finish as planned at 1-45pm on Friday.

Thank you for your continued support.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Special arrangements are in place today (Monday 18th July) due to the extreme temperatures. School will finish at 2:45pm give students additional time to get home safely.

Good morning, from LCS.

As previously announced, students have the option of wearing PE kit or school uniform today.

We will be opening the Main Hall, G Block and Sports Hall for students to use at break and lunchtime, if they wish to.

To allow students additional time to leave the site safely this afternoon, we will finish school at the slightly earlier time of 2:45pm. Students are advised to go straight home at the end of the school day and not to spend time around local shops or parks.

The school bus will leave at the usual time and students needing to use the bus will be supervised until it arrives.

We will monitor the situation during this morning and make a decision later today on whether our plans for tomorrow will need to change.

Please check your emails later today for any updates.

Thank you.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Special arrangements have been put in place in advance of the extreme hot weather forecast on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th July.

Good morning, from LCS.

With weather warnings being issued for unusually high temperatures on Monday and Tuesday of next week, we will be making some adaptions to our school rules, in order to help students and staff keep safe.

On Monday and Tuesday of next week, students will be permitted to wear their PE kit during the school day, if they wish to, instead of their normal school uniform. Neither day is a non-uniform day, so the option is PE kit, or school uniform, only.

We will be opening indoor areas for students at break and lunch time and we plan to have facility for additional drinking water around school site.

School meals will be available on both days, but there may need to be an adaption to our usual menu, given the likely high temperatures our kitchen staff will be working in.

We continue to advise students to bring additional drinking water to school during this period of warm weather and particularly on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Sun cream and suitable sun hats are also advised.

Forecasts are for the highest temperatures on Monday and Tuesday to be after the school day, from 4pm onwards, but it will still be very warm in school and we will make suitable adaptions and precautions under the circumstances.

After-school clubs ran by the Learning Support department on Tuesday 19th July have been cancelled.

Current forecasts are for temperatures to return to seasonal norm from next Wednesday onwards, so students will be expected to be back in normal school uniform from next Wednesday.

If this changes, we will issue another update.

Thank you for your support.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Friday 15th July will be a non-uniform day for students, to mark the end of our Year 11 Charity Week. All donations from the week, including the non-uniform day, will be split between Cancer Research and our Sixth Form Uganda project.

Suggested donation is £1, but please feel free to donate what you can.

Thank you for your support.

The Year 11 Charity Week Team

The official opening of the 'Front of School Mural' has been postponed due to illness.

As two of the creative team involved have contracted Covid, we are having to postpone the opening of the 'Front of School Mural'.

Visitors to the Art Exhibition on Tuesday 12th July will still be able to clearly see the quality of the resolved mural. We look forward to seeing you there! 

LCS Creative Arts Dept

The new front of school mural is scheduled to be revealed during the Art Exhibition on Tuesday 12th July at 4:30pm.

We are currently liaising with SHED as they do the finishing touches to the final design for the ‘Front of School Mural’.  

It is an exciting image that encapsulates the Aims of the school and takes on board the feedback from the school community.

The team will be in this weekend to do the majority of the painting and we are planning to have the official opening (the reveal) during the Art Exhibition next week, Tuesday 12th July at 4:30pm. Please join us as we celebrate this achievement and to mark this creative journey. You will have an opportunity to meet the SHED team and to chat with one of the artists about the mural.  

LCS Exam results days are now finalised.

• A-level results are available in S5 from 8:00am on 18th August
• AS-level results are available in S5 from 10:30am on 18th August
• GCSE/BTEC/Cambridge National Results are available in the Main Hall from 9:00am on 25th August

You can find out more information, including when results are made available online and post results services under Exams > Exam Information.

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding a PCC survey, careers events and site lockdown drills.

Good morning, from LCS.

There are a few items in my update today.

PCC survey

We have been asked to share the information below, with all parents and carers.

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Angelique Foster, has launched a county-wide survey to help her strengthen the policing services local people receive.

As part of her commitment to improving frontline policing and ensuring Derbyshire Constabulary delivers a top-quality service to the public, the Police and Crime Commissioner is inviting residents to share their views about their community safety.

To read more and to complete the survey please visit:

www.derbyshire-pcc.gov.uk/news/latest-news-police-and-crime-commissioner-invites-the-public-to-share-their-views-on-crime-and-safety/

Careers events

Parents/carers of students in Years 9 and 10 have until 4pm this evening (1st July) to book places at our careers information evening, on July 7th. An email has been sent to all Year 9 and 10 parents/carers containing the link needed to book your place.

This exciting new event will be delivered in partnership with Luminate Careers & the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, to help support the best next step for every child.

If you have any questions about this event, please get in touch with our Careers team, by emailing careers.ed@littleover.derby.sch.uk

A final reminder, also, to parents/carers of students in Year 10 that the deadline for returning Work Experience forms is this afternoon (1st July) at 4pm.
The form can be found on our school website, at the link below:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=5PRMbCY3qEGbo08mLMQigY-HkEOnNJRHgsc4rIuMiLxURTVMNE02MzFUVkoxRUZQOFg5TUE3UDlLUyQlQCN0PWcu

Site lockdown drill

As part of our safeguarding and site security protocols, we will be holding a lockdown drill next week, for all staff and students. The purpose of this is to test our newly installed site alert/sounder system.

As a large school and public building, there are numerous reasons why we may need to instigate a site lockdown, including where there was a chemical leak or fire in the local area, a potentially dangerous animal on site, or the unlikely event of an unidentified and potentially dangerous person on premises. These lockdown drills are standard procedure now in all schools and public buildings and are not an indication of any increased concerns we have over site security or safety.

All staff and students have been briefed on the protocol for the drill, which will take place at some point during the school day next week.

If your child discusses this with you at home, this is what we are doing and why we are doing it. If there is ever a genuine concern over site safety, parents and carers will be informed.

Thank you for your continued support.

Enjoy your weekend.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

The Derby Youth Mayor, LCS student Omar Aslam, can now be followed on Instagram via the account derbyyouthmayor.

To see the work being done by Omar, visit the Derby Youth Mayor Instagram page.

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding sports day and careers.

To all parents and carers, 

Good evening, from LCS.

We are currently enjoying the warm, sunny weather, although some students are starting to complain that it is too hot and they want it to rain; you can't win, can you?!

Sports Day

As I included in my last update, tomorrow afternoon will be our first school Sports Day since summer 2019 and we are very much looking forward to being able to hold this event again. Please remember to send your child(ren) with drinking water and sun cream, as all students will be outside during Sports Day, either as participants, or spectators. Students who suffer from hay fever should also make sure they have taken their appropriate medication. Students can bring appropriate sun hats, if they wish to.

Students may also want to bring a small amount of money to purchase refreshments, which will be sold by our Year 11 students, as part of their fund raising for Charity Week.

Careers update

We have some important events coming up as part of our Careers programme.

Year 10 students have until 1st July to secure a Work Experience placement for October, by following the instructions they have all received in lessons. We would be grateful if parents/carers of students in Year 10 could support their children to secure a placement. All information related to this is available on our website, at:

https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/resources/careers/#work-experience

On 28th June, we are holding a new event in school for students in Years 9-12. Our Careers Fair will be open to students in Year 10 during lesson time and to students in Year 9 and 12 during lunchtime and after school. Further details of this event have been emailed to parents and carers.

Finally, our 'Transitions: Get Ahead' event will be held on 7th July for Year 9 and 10 parents and carers. If you are a parent/carer of a student in Year 9 or Year 10, please look out for an email you will be sent soon, for more information and guidance on how to book places.

Thank you.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

The LCS Art Department will be hosting an Exhibition of student art work from 4:30pm-6:30pm on Tuesday 12th July.

We are pleased to inform you of the upcoming Art Exhibition. Both Year 11 GCSE and A Level work will be on display in the Main Hall at Littleover Community School.

The evening is a chance for students, parents, and staff to celebrate the achievements of these students who have undertaken the Art and Design course during a turbulent two years.

We will also be showcasing large scale creative puppet carnival sculptures produced during the Year 8 MADfest event.

Year 8 students will be taking part in the Creative Arts Department MADFest on Friday 1st July.

MADfest is a creative and dynamic programme which provides Year 8 students with an exciting opportunity to experience an array of different Music, Art, and Drama (MAD) workshops outside the normal classroom experience. 

Students will be off timetable until lunchtime and will have an opportunity to attend workshops conducted by external artists, specialists, and entertainers as well as using the internal expertise of teachers within the school.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding sanitary products, warm weather and hayfever.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon from a very sunny LCS. There are just a couple of items in my update today.

'Ask for Sheila'

We have a large stock of sanitary items in school, which we can supply free to students.
These include:

• Tampax tampons; Regular, Super and super plus.
• Always sanitary pads, regular and night-time.
• Lilets organic regular and night time pads.
• ModiBodi period pants, extra small, small, medium, and large.

Students wanting any of these products can collect them from our Student Services Office and there are posters around school reminding students of this service.

If students are embarrassed about asking for these items from staff in our Student Support Office, they should ask to speak to 'Sheila', which will alert staff to their request.

Any parents/carers requiring further information about this should contact Anita McSkimming (Medical Officer) via the main school telephone number, or email address.

Warm weather and Hay Fever

The weather forecast is for warm weather, with sunny spells, over the next few days. Students should make sure they have drinking water with them in school, which should be brought in plastic bottles; glass bottles and cans are not allowed in school, for safety reasons.

We would also advise students to bring sun cream into school, for lunch and break times, or when outside during PE lessons.

We are currently planning to hold our Sports Day events on Wednesday 22nd June and if the weather is similar next week, students will need to be particularly careful to keep hydrated and avoid sun-burn.

We will be making additional drinking water available for students in school, but would encourage all students to be prepared for these warmer than average temperatures.

Hay Fever is a particular issue at present and we would remind students who suffer from this to take their appropriate medication before coming to school each day. If students have a more severe condition where medication is prescribed, rather than over the counter from a Pharmacy, this medication should be handed in to our Medical Officer in Student Services and not carried by the student during the school day. Students who use eye-drops can keep these with them, but nasal sprays/inhalers etc should also be kept with our Medical Officer.

Any questions parents/carers may have about medication at school, at any time, can be referred to Ms McSkimming.

Thank you for your continued support.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding the school mural project, drama festival, work experience and requests for leave of absence from school.

To all parents and carers, 

I hope you are all well and suitably rested after your long bank holiday weekend. It has been a busy start to the final half-term of the school year and I have a few updates for you today, which I hope you will find interesting. 

School Mural 

We are currently consulting with Dr Rhiannon Jones and mural artists from SHED (Derby University) on a very exciting project, to produce a school mural outside our main Reception area. The large mural will be located at either side of the entrance to Reception and is based on the school aims of Learning, Caring and Succeeding.  

The seven-minute video clip (link below) briefly introduces student and staff insights into the school aims, details the conceptual ideas relating to the mural and introduces the artists involved in the final development of this unique composition. The video is also a request for your ideas and your input as it is so important that this is developed collaboratively and reflects the whole school community. 

On Friday 10th June, students and staff will have an opportunity to contribute their ideas relating to the imagery used for the mural, through sharing their experiences associated with the school aims, commenting on existing design ideas, or physically drawing their own visual concepts. The introductory video can be accessed via the link below and through students’ school email accounts: 

• School Mural Project - Introduction Video 

Drama Festival 

Students from across the school recently took part in an evening Drama Festival, where they presented and performed their own original drama pieces. There were some brilliant performances and, as with our recent Music Festivals, this event has been recorded for parents, carers and students to watch at home. Both this and the mural video are available on Stream, with the link to the Drama Festival attached, below: 

• LCS Drama Festival on Microsoft Stream 

Year 10 Work Experience 

Parents and carers of students in Year 10 will be aware of our planned Work Experience week for students in October. Students have until July 1st to secure themselves placements, which would be for any 2 days during the week of 10th to 14th October 2022. All relevant information is being shared with students in lessons and is available for parents and carers on our school website, at the link below. If you are a parent/carer of a current Year 10 student, we would welcome your support in encouraging your child to secure a placement.  

• LCS Careers Dept - Work Experience Information

Leave of absence from school 

We have recently received a number of requests for leave of absence for students during term time. To clarify the situation for all parents and carers, to authorise any absence during term-time, outside of student illness, parents/carers must request leave in writing to the Headteacher; full details of this process are available in our School Attendance Policy, shown on our website.

For leave to be authorised, the reasons for this need to be exceptional. There is no standard definition or list of exceptional circumstances, but parents/carers must provide clear evidence that the situation is out of their control and that they cannot travel at another time.

Although we understand and respect the cost of holidays is less during term time, this alone would not be classed as an exceptional circumstance. 

Summer Term ends on the afternoon of 22nd July and the dates of the next school year are published on our website. 

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

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS has 2 vacancies for the position of: Behaviour Support and Inclusion Mentor.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding face masks, work experience, summer clubs and activities, and cybercrime.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS. 

We are approaching the end of another busy half-term. School holidays are from Monday 30th May to Friday 3rd June and students return for the final half-term of the school year on Monday 6th June. 

I hope you all enjoy your long 4 day bank holiday weekend, when it comes. 

Face masks 

We continue to see a consistent, but low, number of students reported as being absent from school through Covid-19. As a result of the declining numbers of cases, we will change our guidance on face masks from next Monday, 23rd May, as outlined in my previous update. 

From Monday 23rd May, students wishing to continue wearing a face mask in school must have an exemption card, which can be applied for by parents/carers through our Medical Officer. Students without exemption cards will be asked to remove face masks in school, from this date. We do not plan any further changes to our face mask guidance until the start of the new academic year in September, but this will be dependent on continuing low levels of Covid-19 cases in school. 

Work Experience

Students in Year 10 have today been provided with information about their Work Experience programme, by Mrs Oversby. Information regarding Work Experience is available on our website from today and letters/emails will be sent to all Year 10 parents/carers. 

The deadline for students to find placements and forms to be returned is July 1st and students will take part in Work Experience during the first half of Autumn Term 2022, in October.

For parents/carers with older children who have been through our Work Experience programme at LCS in the past, our plans for 2022/23 have been scaled down, due to the decline in availability of student placements. I would ask all Year 10 parents/carers to read the information on our plans for the forthcoming year and to encourage students to find placements ahead of the 1st July deadline.

https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/resources/careers/#work-experience

Our Careers team are hoping to run a Careers Fair for parents/carers towards the end of June and further details of this will be sent to parents/carers when they are available. 

Summer Term clubs update

We are currently updating our list of available clubs and extra-curricular activities, for students to access in the remaining weeks of this term. I would encourage students to continue attending these activities and for students who have yet to be involved to try and attend at least one before the summer holiday.

Lists of clubs and activities can be found below: 

Student Clubs and Activities - Summer 2022

Cybercrime webinar 

Derbyshire Police Cyber Protect and Fraud Protect Officers are running a free webinar on Wednesday 25th May at 13.30hrs to warn the public of cybercrime, fraud and scams - and how you can protect yourself. 

Session will cover : 

• Device safety/protection
• Password guidance and account security 
• Protecting your personal information 
• Using social media safely 
• Social Engineering and phishing emails/texts 
• Telephone and Letterbox Scams 
• Romance Fraud 
• Online shopping & Online banking safely 
• Where to report 
• Signposting to further sources of support and resources

The session is for anyone who uses email and the internet. It is a non-tech session, easy to follow, with guidance on how to protect yourself from fraud, and protect your online accounts. 

To reserve your place please book via Eventbrite: 
Cybercrime (online safety) and Fraud Awareness webinar Tickets, Wed 25 May 2022 at 13:30 | Eventbrite 

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

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding face masks, exams and revision information, and social media.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS. 

There are a few brief items I would like to update all parents and carers on today. 

Face masks 

As you know, national guidance on face masks changed some time ago, and wearing of face masks in schools is no longer recommended. We have continued to allow students to wear a face mask if they wished to, however, due to the genuine concern some students continue to have around Covid-19. 

As cases of Covid-19 in school are currently low and have not increased since the most recent changes to national guidance on 1st April, we feel it is now time to change our rules on face masks. 

From Monday 23rd May, students will only be able to wear a face mask in school if they have an Exemption Card, allowing them to do so. Previously issued Exemption Cards will still be valid and any parent/carer requesting an Exemption Card for their child(ren), with valid reason, can do so by contacting our Medical Officer, through our main school email address. From Monday 23rd May, students will be asked to remove face masks, unless they can show staff an Exemption Card. Students with Exemption Cards can continue to wear a face mask until the end of this term; this must be the style of mask which covers the face and mouth and attaches behind the ear. No other style of face mask is acceptable. 

Exams 

From next week, our Year 11 and Year 13 students will begin their main exam period, which will go right through to the end of June. Our Year 11 students will finish regular lessons tomorrow and Year 13 on Friday 20th May. 

There is an extensive programme of revision sessions being run by staff throughout the exam period, details of which, as well as other important information about exams, can be found on our website at: https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/exams.php#before_exams 

We would encourage students to attend as many of the revision sessions as possible, to help their exam preparation. 

I would like to wish good luck to all our students beginning their exams over the next two weeks and to thank them all for the way they have worked with us over the last few years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The resilience our students have shown over the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been remarkable, as has their support of each other through these challenging times. They deserve great credit and I hope they will be rewarded with the exam grades they are hoping for and require, to move on to their chosen post-16 options. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to again thank all our parents and carers for your support of our students and the school in general. Your children have been an absolute credit to you. 

Social Media 

I apologise for once again needing to mention the issue of social media, but we have been dealing with further problems again in school this week. I would politely reiterate the request I made in my previous email update, that parents and carers monitor their child’s use of social media and that the age appropriate guidance for these sites is followed. 

As well as the issues I mentioned previously with students’ use of TikTok, we have had further problems brought into school through students’ use of Whatsapp this week and concerns have been expressed to us of the growing number of students accessing Omegle; if you are not aware of this site, please look into it before allowing your child(ren) to use it. 

Younger students in Y7 and Y8 continue to be our biggest concern with use of social media and most of these students remain below the age limit for use of these apps and sites. This is where we need your continued help and support as parents and carers, to keep our young people safe. 

Detailed information about these social media sites, as well as other issues around on-line safety, can be found at our website, at the link below: 
 https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/information.php#esafety 

Thank you for your continued support.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding face masks, exams and revision information, and social media.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS. 

There are a few brief items I would like to update all parents and carers on today. 

Face masks 

As you know, national guidance on face masks changed some time ago, and wearing of face masks in schools is no longer recommended. We have continued to allow students to wear a face mask if they wished to, however, due to the genuine concern some students continue to have around Covid-19. 

As cases of Covid-19 in school are currently low and have not increased since the most recent changes to national guidance on 1st April, we feel it is now time to change our rules on face masks. 

From Monday 23rd May, students will only be able to wear a face mask in school if they have an Exemption Card, allowing them to do so. Previously issued Exemption Cards will still be valid and any parent/carer requesting an Exemption Card for their child(ren), with valid reason, can do so by contacting our Medical Officer, through our main school email address. From Monday 23rd May, students will be asked to remove face masks, unless they can show staff an Exemption Card. Students with Exemption Cards can continue to wear a face mask until the end of this term; this must be the style of mask which covers the face and mouth and attaches behind the ear. No other style of face mask is acceptable. 

Exams 

From next week, our Year 11 and Year 13 students will begin their main exam period, which will go right through to the end of June. Our Year 11 students will finish regular lessons tomorrow and Year 13 on Friday 20th May. 

There is an extensive programme of revision sessions being run by staff throughout the exam period, details of which, as well as other important information about exams, can be found on our website at: https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/exams.php#before_exams 

We would encourage students to attend as many of the revision sessions as possible, to help their exam preparation. 

I would like to wish good luck to all our students beginning their exams over the next two weeks and to thank them all for the way they have worked with us over the last few years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The resilience our students have shown over the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been remarkable, as has their support of each other through these challenging times. They deserve great credit and I hope they will be rewarded with the exam grades they are hoping for and require, to move on to their chosen post-16 options. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to again thank all our parents and carers for your support of our students and the school in general. Your children have been an absolute credit to you. 

Social Media 

I apologise for once again needing to mention the issue of social media, but we have been dealing with further problems again in school this week. I would politely reiterate the request I made in my previous email update, that parents and carers monitor their child’s use of social media and that the age appropriate guidance for these sites is followed. 

As well as the issues I mentioned previously with students’ use of TikTok, we have had further problems brought into school through students’ use of Whatsapp this week and concerns have been expressed to us of the growing number of students accessing Omegle; if you are not aware of this site, please look into it before allowing your child(ren) to use it. 

Younger students in Y7 and Y8 continue to be our biggest concern with use of social media and most of these students remain below the age limit for use of these apps and sites. This is where we need your continued help and support as parents and carers, to keep our young people safe. 

Detailed information about these social media sites, as well as other issues around on-line safety, can be found at our website, at the link below: 
 https://www.littleover.derby.sch.uk/information.php#esafety 

Thank you for your continued support.

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Teaching Assistant/High Level Teaching Assistant (Maths).

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

The LCS music department is offering students the opportunity to learn to play the trumpet or trombone. Interested students should contact Mr Heywood or Mr Cartwright.

Headline Image Credit: "Trumpet Macro" by Jamesongravity is marked with CC BY 2.0.

Parents of Year 6 students starting at LCS in September have been sent a letter containing 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.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding Covid-19, social media issues and the recent Lower School Music Festival..

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon from LCS.

I would like to wish Eid Mubarak to all our students, parents, carers and members of our school community who have been celebrating Eid over the last couple of days. I hope you have been able to spend time with family, without the Covid-19 restrictions which have prevented this over the last 2 years.

I have a few brief items in today’s update.

Covid-19

We are continuing to see Covid-19 cases amongst students in school, but case numbers have not been a concern so far this term. I would once again remind and respectfully request all parents and carers to follow the latest government guidance on managing Covid-19 in the community and not to send children into school if they have any Covid-19 symptoms. Schools can refuse to allow students to attend if they clearly have Covid-19 symptoms, but I hope we will not need to take this action.

We will be reviewing our rules on face masks for students within the next couple of weeks. When this happens, I will let you know in advance of any potential change.

Social Media issues

We have been made aware in the last week of accounts being set up on social media apps, particularly TikTok currently, where the name of the school or LCS logo is being used in the account name. These accounts are not official school accounts, as we do not use TikTok as a school. The accounts we are made aware of are often set up by younger students, who are often below the age limit to use these apps.

Our school Behaviour Policy is clear, that any student(s) setting up fake accounts using the school name or logo, or any student(s) using social media in a derogatory manner towards the school, school staff or other students, will face sanctions, which could include Suspension from school, or Permanent Exclusion in the most serious of cases.

Students are regularly reminded in school of our expectations and of the dangers of social media, in general, but we also need the support of parents and carers to keep these issues to a minimum. Please check age limits for all social media apps and if you are allowing your child to use these apps at any time, regardless of their age, please discuss acceptable use with them. It would also be helpful if parents and carers could monitor their child’s social media use, from time to time.

I would be grateful for your support in this matter, as it is a significant ongoing challenge for all schools. As a parent and/or carer, please do not assume your child is not involved in or witnessing unacceptable language and images on social media, as experience tells us that any student can encounter these issues, at any time.

Music Festival

Our Lower School Music Festival was held last Tuesday and the recording of the event is now available to stream at the link below. As with the Key Stage 4/5 event, students can access the stream through their school email account:

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/76d01122-2411-4d14-b3b8-8a1c4a31404f

Huge congratulations go to Luyando Lambu and Hanna Abdul who won the Lower School Music Festival and to Joseph Law who gained a Commendation. In the Upper School event, Georgia Bullock was the winner and Alesha Deen was Commended.

Both events were a great success and showcased the huge musical talent we have in the school. We are hoping that future events will now be able to be held with larger audiences, so as many of you as possible can see how talented our students are.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. If you have any questions or comments you would like to make about the school, at any time, please contact me via the school’s email address.

Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Nathan Addai, an animation artist, will be running two days of workshops in art lessons on 3rd and 4th May.

We are excited to inform students that the Art Department have an animation artist running two days of workshops on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th May. Nathan Addai is a former animation student from Derby University who recently was commissioned by the BBC to create the 'Mental Roots' animation aimed at addressing inclusion, identity and mental health. He is keen for students to have a greater understanding of the pathways Art students can take to get into the Creative Industries, specifically the animation and Illustration sectors.

During these one-hour workshops, students will gain an understanding of the different types of animation and how they are used, the diverse animating roles and the pathways to becoming an animator. There will also be a small amount of time to try developing a miniflipbook  animation. 

The recording of the LCS Lower School Music Festival from Tuesday 26th April is now available to LCS Students and Staff via Microsoft Stream.

Students/Staff will need to log in at www.microsoftstream.com with their school email address and password to view the video. The video is then available on the Microsoft Stream home page.

Alternatively, students should receive an email with a direct link by this evening (28th April).

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: ICT Technician.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

I hope you have all had a good holiday over the last two weeks. Staff are back in school today and we are looking forward to welcoming students tomorrow, for the start of Summer term.

As you will be aware, national guidance on management of Covid-19 changed on 1st April. This included guidance for schools on managing Covid-19 cases amongst students and staff.

Mass asymptomatic testing has now ended and schools will receive no further supplies of LFD test kits to distribute to students or staff. The kits we have in school, or unused test kits you may still have at home, should now only be used in the event of an outbreak, or emergence of a new Covid-19 variant.

Guidance for adults and children attending the workplace, including schools, can be summarised as follows:

• Adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature.
• Children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend.
• Children with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or mild cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education or childcare setting.
• Adults with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice will be 3 days.

For the health and safety of all students and staff in school, I would ask all parents and carers to continue exercising caution when sending children in to school. If your child has a high temperature, or if you believe they may have Covid-19, please do not send them into school for the advised 3 days, or longer if they continue to be unwell. If you child is confirmed as having Covid-19, they must not attend school for the advised 3 days, or longer if they continue to have a high temperature or feel unwell.

We will continue to encourage good hygiene routines in school and will continue to remind students to wash their hands, or use hand sanitiser, regularly during the day and particularly around meal times and when using toilets.
Students who wish to continue wearing a face covering in school can continue to do so for the time being. We will review this policy after a few weeks of the new term.

Information will be sent soon to students in Year 11 and Year 13 ahead of GCSE and A Level exams, including guidance for students who contract Covid-19 during the exam period.

Your ongoing support of our school is very much appreciated.

Thank you.

J Wilding
Headteacher

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from a very sunny LCS.

It is the last day of Spring Term and we are all looking forward to a well deserved holiday. I hope you find the information in my final update of the term useful. 

Music Festival

Earlier this week, we held our Upper School Music Festival, for students in Years 10-13. As usual, we were treated to some amazing performances from our mega-talented students, who were able to perform in front of an audience for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The recording of the event is available now to stream, at the link below. Students can access this link using their school email account and password:

• LCS Upper School Music Festival 2022

Our Lower School Music Festival, for students in Years 7-9, will be held on 26th April, and we are also hoping to record and stream this event in the same format.

Derby City Council Easter Promise

Derby City Council is again offering their Easter Promise programme this year, including events and food for children and families. A link to details of this event is below:

• Derby City Council - Easter Promise

Safeguarding during school holidays

I hope all students and their families remain safe and well over the next 2 weeks.

In the event of an emergency safeguarding issue during the holiday, the link below to our school website includes information and advice on how to report issues during school closure. A reminder that students return to school on Tuesday 26th April, as 25th April is an INSET Day for staff.

• LCS Safeguarding Page

Updated advice on Covid-19

The UKHSA has issued updated guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, or a positive test result for COVID-19. I will update all parents and carers at the start of next term on any changes to our Covid-19 guidance in school.

• Updated Guidance - People with symptoms of a respitory infection

Thank all for your continued support of the school.

Best wishes and keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher

Due to maintenance works, there may be disruption to the school phone lines on Thursday 21st April.

If you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of an LCS student during this time, please see the information on our Safeguarding Page.

The recording of the LCS Upper School Music Festival from Tuesday 5th April is now available to LCS Students and Staff via Microsoft Stream.

Students/Staff will need to log in at www.microsoftstream.com with their school email address and password to view the video. The video is then available on the Microsoft Stream home page.

Alternatively, students should receive an email with a direct link by this evening (7th April).

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Educational Visits Officer.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Attendance Manager/Admin Assistant.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers.

To all parents and carers, 

As we approach the end of the Spring Term, I would like, once again, to pay tribute to our fantastic students and staff for their work over the last few months. There has been a really positive working atmosphere throughout this term so far and students have made excellent progress, across all Year Groups. 

I would also like to recognise the additional pressures students in Year 11 and Year 13 will be under in the coming weeks, as they approach their GCSE and A Level exams next term. Students have worked hard to get to this point and deserve success. I have no doubt they will all do themselves proud when the time comes. 

Covid-19 

Cases of Covid-19 have been higher amongst students and staff this week. We are also seeing a rising number of potentially symptomatic students and have needed to send some students home if they were exhibiting symptoms during the school day. 

There is currently significant strain on staff cover and we are bringing in additional supply staff, to cover absence. Sourcing supply staff is not easy at the moment, as most other schools are experiencing similar staff shortage issues. 

A number of our staff have been quite unwell in recent weeks and have been unable to set cover work for their classes. 

We will do our best to keep all students in school, but cannot guarantee that we will not need to move some groups to remote learning at some point in the future; several schools have already needed to do this, due to staff absence. 

From tomorrow, 1st April, national guidance on testing and self-isolation will change. We are asking all students to continue testing twice weekly to the end of term and I would remind parents and carers not to send your child into school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19. 

Public Health guidance will remain beyond the end of March, as it does for other infectious diseases, such as sickness and diarrhoea. The advice for anyone who knows that they have COVID-19 is to stay at home for at least 5 days. 

In the absence of revised guidance for schools on the ‘Living with Covid’ strategy, I would politely ask that parents and carers continue to follow the current guidance on self-isolation, until further notice.

We have been told to expect the 5-11yr vaccination programme to open for booking, on the online portal, from the beginning of April. The current vaccination programme in schools will, therefore, end. Information on the vaccination programme can be found at the link below: 

NHS UK - Vacinnation Programme Information 

School will not be able to track cases of Covid-19 as we have so far, with the removal of testing and mandatory self-isolation nationally. The only way we will continue to keep students and staff safe and manage levels of Covid-19 in school is if we all follow sensible precautions and act in the best interests of our own children and the school as a whole. 

A reminder that the end of term is at 3pm on Friday 8th April. Students return to school on Tuesday 26th April, as Monday 25th is INSET for staff. 

Finally, all at LCS would like to wish Ramadan Mubarak to all students and members of our school community beginning the month of Ramadan this weekend. 

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

Keep safe. 

J Wilding
Headteacher

LCS has a vacancy for the position of: Design and Technology Technician.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding a recent increase in Covid-19 cases.

To all parents and carers, 

Good morning, from LCS.

We are seeing an increase in cases of Covid-19 this week, amongst students and staff. Our experiences are being replicated in many other schools across the city and nationally.

Please continue not to send your child into school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19 and follow self-isolation guidance if your child tests positive, either through PCR or LFT testing. This advice remains in place nationally until 1st April.

As an added measure to protect students and staff, I would be grateful if all students could resume twice-weekly testing for Covid-19, for the last 2 weeks of this term. I would ask students to resume testing on a Sunday and Wednesday evening and for these test results to be reported via the school reporting portal. Students were issued with additional test kits earlier this term and should have enough tests to do this.

Students wishing to wear face coverings in school can continue to do so.

Thank you for your continued support.

Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher

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

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Mr Wilding has sent an update to parents and carers regarding Covid-19, extra-curricular activites, and site security.

To all parents and carers, 

Good afternoon, from LCS.

We have been very busy in school, as usual, over the last few days and students continue to make excellent progress across all Year Groups. School attendance is beginning to increase towards pre-Covid levels, although we do continue to have a small number of Covid-19 cases in school, amongst students and staff. As we have said before, this is likely to remain the situation for the foreseeable future and there may be future ‘spikes’ in cases in classes, Year Groups, or the school as a whole. As things stand, however, there is no reason at this time to change our current rules and Covid-19 guidance in school, but we are constantly monitoring the situation and will update students, staff parents and carers if needed. 

The link below is to the latest government guidance on Covid-19, including ongoing guidance on self-isolation: 

• Latest Gov.uk COVID-19 Guidance 

Extra-curricular activities and clubs 

We have updated our list of clubs and extra-curricular activities on the school website and I have attached the link to this information, below. Staff continue to give their time on a regular basis to offer students a fun and varied range of extra-curricular activities and we would like as many students as possible to participate. If your child does not currently take part in our extra-curricular programme, please ask them to look at the list of activities to see if there is anything they would be interested in:

• Extra Curricular Activities at LCS 

School site security 

We have further reviewed our school site security and will be making some additional changes, from Monday.

The Fresco Drive entrance gate will now be closed to vehicles before school. The pedestrian gate will be opened by staff on duty and students will be allowed on site at their usual time, so students using this entrance to school in the morning can continue to do so and do not need to change their current routine. 

Students accessing site early, however, for example to attend clubs or to visit the Library, will now only be able to access the school site through the main Pastures Hill gate. 

Sixth Form students can continue to access both gates, using their ID cards. 

This change is to make the school site even more secure for students and staff and is not in response to any increased concern over site security. As with the appointment of our Security Officer in the Autumn, this was always part of our longer-term plans for the school site. 

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

Keep safe.

J Wilding
Headteacher 

LCS has vacancies for the position of: Teacher of Languages.

For more information please see the Job Vacancies Page.

Friday 18th March is a non-uniform day at LCS in support of Comic Relief.

It is suggested that students donate £1. No ripped clothing/slogans.

Timetables for Year 11 and 13 Mock exams in March 2022 are now available to download.

You can download them from the Exams Information page.