Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing to update you on the recent events at Littleover Community School; provide some key messages regarding school life, and to inform you about the upcoming events during this half term.
On Wednesday 15th April, all of Year 12 attended the UCAS Discovery event at De Montford University, Leicester. This event is designed to help students begin to explore the huge range of post-18 opportunities that are open to them, through speaking to representatives from ninety-four different universities and apprenticeship providers. This is the start of a really exciting journey for many of our students because they are beginning to research their options and plan for life after 6th Form. The rest of the Year 12 CPD Programme this year will be heavily focused on supporting them through this journey.
On the 16th and 17th April, eighteen Year 10 students attended a residential at the University of Oxford. These students had been invited by St Edmund Hall College to find out more about what it is like to study at Oxford. The students were given the opportunity to experience what living in an Oxford College is like; spend one night in the College accommodation; attend various workshops about topics such as the benefits of university study, or what studying at Oxford and Cambridge is like and what they should consider when choosing A Levels. The students also had guided tours of the College and parts of Oxford with current Oxford students, as well as attending a taster lecture in the Earth Sciences’ Department. The students engaged superbly with all the content and really made the most of the opportunity. A big thank you to Mr Archer and Mrs Everard for supporting the trip.
On Monday 20th April, our Year 10 students were lucky enough to experience a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, delivered by the theatre company, Box Clever. The darkness and danger of Shakespeare’s vision of early medieval Scotland were brought vividly and terrifyingly to life in Littleover’s main hall. Students got to enjoy the combination of faithfulness to Shakespeare’s text and contemporary dialogue, with some audience interaction to support the clarity of meaning and heighten excitement. I would like to extend my gratitude to Mr Selvey and the English department for arranging and facilitating such a great opportunity.
On Thursday 23rd April, our Year 8 students participated in an ‘Apprenticeships in Action’ workshop, led by apprentices from Rolls Royce. Students discovered more about the apprenticeship pathway, as part of widening their understanding of the different pathways after Year 11. Students found out about some of the different apprenticeship roles available at Rolls Royce; why the apprenticeship route was selected by the apprentices who were speaking, and what they mostly enjoyed about it. Our speakers also explained the various skills required in the workplace and started to get students thinking about the skills they have and may need to develop. As part of this event, it was great to welcome back an LCS alumni, Aman, who is in her third year of an apprenticeship, alongside Anosh, Luke, Isaac and Adam. A huge thank you to all the apprentices who came and delivered an engaging and informative workshop to our students and to Mrs Oversby for arranging this event.
In Maths news, Axiom Maths Circles are now into their second block and with the support of our Axiom Co-ordinator and Junior Mentors from Year 12, Year 7 students have been looking at the parity of numbers, Hamiltonian networks and permutations. In their last session, students produced some amazing tree diagrams and discussed the possible number of combinations using their diagrams. It is wonderful to see the confidence of our students growing as they become more adventurous with their strategies, articulating their ideas and accepting that there isn’t always a solution to a problem. Axiom Maths Circles are not only preparing our students for GCSE Maths but equipping for them for adult life! Thanks should also go to Mrs Dhanjal for her support of the initiative.
I would also like to offer my congratulations to two of our LCS students, as they have been offered a place this summer at the National College of Maths and Science. They will be participating in a Year 7 Maths Camp where they will meet other young mathematicians, who share their love of maths, and engage in hands-on problem-solving and explore advanced maths beyond the national curriculum. They will also get to hear from experienced mentors on how maths is used in many jobs and careers. Well done!
Mr Ashman, the Curriculum Coordinator for Creative Arts, has been busy working with Bloc-hub on development a website which offers guidance and practical support to help students and the school community in building resilience, maintaining positive wellbeing and supporting one another. It celebrates the creativity and collaboration of our Year 8 students, showcasing work produced during MADfest Day which focuses on those themes. A dedicated section also recognises the many partners and organisations whose expertise and commitment made the event such a success. We extend our sincere thanks to Bloc Hub for building and hosting the platform, and to the University of Derby’s Civic Team for their valued partnership. We encourage all students and parents to explore its resources. https://lcs.bloc-hub.cloud/account/login
From Friday 24th until Sunday 26th April, our students and a number of our staff were out on a Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition; a huge well done to those students as they conducted themselves brilliantly, particularly given the temperatures and a special thanks to the staff members who supported in all aspects of this opportunity.
As we have entered our final term of the academic year, we are encouraging our students to adopt an increasingly focussed attitude to their studies and revision. Our
Year 11 students have completed their GCSE Art examinations, and many are currently completing their GCSE Languages speaking exams; next week the GCSEs begin in earnest and therefore students should be prioritising revision over the coming weeks. We want our students to look after themselves during this period of time, understanding that some nervousness and stress is entirely natural at this time of the academic year. However, if parents or carers become concerned about any behaviours they begin to see from their child[ren], parents/ carers should not hesitate to contact the school’s wellbeing team to seek advice about how to support their child in reaching a healthy balance during this period. Soon after, our Year 13s will also begin their A-Level examinations, and the 6th Form team have made expectations about work rate and revision clear to students. We send our best wishes to all of our students taking external examinations and hope they achieve the grades that they have worked towards.
Due to the exam periods, some classrooms will be changed over the coming weeks and all students will be encouraged to navigate around the site in a calm and composed manner, to ensure the minimum level of disruption to any students sitting examinations. Where this message could be reinforced at home, it would be greatly appreciated.
Further to this, all of our students will be working towards their end of year examinations and it is important that parents and carers take the time to support their children in establishing a quiet and purposeful revision space so that students can get ready to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge in their upcoming exams. This is particularly relevant to our Year 7s students who will not have gone through this process at Littleover Community School before.
In other news, parents and carers may have seen that Littleover Community School will receive funding from Derby City Council for repairs to the school site. This funding is great news and will contribute to future proofing some of the older buildings on site for years to come.
Finally, the school field is now open at break and lunchtimes! As we have had a spell of drier weather, students in Key Stage Three now have access to the school field. We have invested some money in purchasing new bins to ensure that the site is maintained and tidy and staff continue to encourage students to use the bins provided. Our students are also being encouraged to pick up litter, even when it may not belong to them, to show care towards their environment. However, we continue to see some reluctance to take responsibility and care for our school environment from a small minority of our students, so wherever the message about collective responsibility and tidying up after oneself can be reinforced at home, it really does support the school’s aims and message on this area of school life.
Upcoming dates for the diary include:
Monday 4th May is a Bank Holiday and therefore school is closed.
Friday 8th May marks our Year 13s final day.
Monday 11th May marks the beginning of Year 9 examinations in English, Maths and Science.
Friday 22nd May marks our Year 11s final day.
School will be closed for the half term break between Monday 25th May until Friday 29th May.
Kind Regards
Mrs L Johnson
