Lostock Hall Academy Thurs 17 Dec 2014 NEWSLETTER Volume 10 Issue 14 Message from the Headteacher ‘Lostock Hall Academy is a GOOD school’ It’s official! Following the visit of HMI Shirley Gornall on 2-3 December 2014, I am delighted to inform parents and carers that Ofsted has judged our school to be ‘Good’ overall and ‘Good’ in all four areas of the inspection: leadership and management, behaviour and safety, quality of teaching, and achievement of pupils. After monitoring us for only fourteen months under special measures, the Ofsted HMI made the decision to turn her third monitoring visit into a full Section 5 inspection. It is relatively unusual for a school to make such rapid improvement out of a category, which makes the overall ‘Good’ judgement even more special. The full inspection report is a joy to read, as it reflects all the wonderful things happening at Lostock Hall Academy, as well as the dedication and commitment of staff and governors to bring about the improvements identified in the October 2013 inspection report. The full report will be emailed out to parents and carers and it is also available to read on the school website and on the Ofsted website. I am sure that parents and carers will wish to join us at the next Parent Forum meeting on Tuesday 13 January at 6.30 p.m. in the Main Hall. This will be an opportunity to share the findings of the inspection report, discuss some other items of interest to parents and carers and for the Senior Leadership Team and governors to describe our plans for leading Lostock Hall Academy forward to become an ‘Outstanding’ school. I would like to finish by thanking parents and carers for their continued support for our school and for their belief in us during this very challenging period of our history. Happy Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year! Mrs G Brimelow Headteacher Celebrating Success Dr Dawn Harper meets Mrs Scrivens, Chair of Governors, and Mrs Ashford, School Business Manager, at the SENSE awards in London. Academy ‘Runner Up’ in Sense Powerful Partnership Award – Mrs Ashford For the past seven years, during the summer holidays, we have happily let SENSE, the deaf/blind charity, have the use of our minibuses to transport members to holiday destinations throughout the country. At their recent Annual Awards ceremony, SENSE said this generosity had saved them over £35,000. Attending the ceremony on behalf of the Academy with me was Mrs Margaret Scrivens, Chair of Governors. The celebrity guest was Dr Dawn Harper of the Embarrassing Bodies TV show. It was with gleeful anticipation that we waiting for our name to be called, only to be pipped at the post by the Halifax Brass Band. The band had played whilst marching around the 2014 London Marathon and had raised £100,000 for Sense, so very worthy winners, making us feel even more proud of our second place. We came away from the awards with a beautiful framed certificate, highlighting our achievement as a ‘Powerful Partner’ to this fantastic organisation. What a wonderful end to the year! Students of the Week: Harris Open Exhibition – Mr Macrae Congratulations to Neave Walmsley, William Wakefield, Marcus Halliwell and Fraser Todd, who have all been selected to exhibit their art work in this year’s Harris Open Exhibition. This prestigious event is a celebration of local creativity, designed to showcase the talents of artists within the Preston area. On display is a wide variety of artwork, ranging from drawing/painting, photography and sculpture, to ceramics and textile design. The exhibition is on until 10 January 2015 so please go along and see the excellent work on show by our pupils, and other local talent. You can find out more at: http://www.harrismuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/496-harris-open-exhibition-2 From the Headboy and Headgirl – Brad Helme and Simone Bhagat What a final two weeks of term! First we were really surprised to find out that Mrs Barber had arranged a ‘thank you’ lunch for the senior prefect team at Pinocchio’s. It was a privilege to be taken out in ‘school time’ and have such an unexpected treat. The team really appreciated the gesture, especially after two weeks of exams and all the preparation and revision beforehand. We also really enjoyed being ‘ambassadors’ for the school, taking presents donated for Rock FM’s Mission Christmas and then being interviewed live on radio! We were proud to be part of such generosity and want to thank Mrs Coghlan for asking us, and for organising such a fantastic response from Lostock Hall Academy. Our classmates listened to our inerview, so thanks to the teachers for letting them listen during lessons. And then we got the ‘Good’ Ofsted report…! After such hard work and for Year 11, our trial exams, it’s been great to have some rewards and good news. We wish pupils, staff, goverors, parents and carers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Girls’ South Ribble Gymnastic Competition – Miss Rennox A massive ‘well done’ to: Jessica Eastwood, Madyson Kehoe, Katie Crossley, Eleanor Cross, Jessica Haynes and Maddison McCarthy who all did exceptionally well at this year’s South Ribble Gymnastics competition. And an equally big ‘thank you’ to Olivia Duckworth for coaching the girls. Rock FM Mission Christmas – Mrs Coghlan. Pupils, parents, staff and friends all gave generously to make a fantastic contribution towards Rock FM’s Mission Christmas. We collected well over 300 presents and gifts which is amazing! Head Boy Brad Helme, Head Girl Simone Bhagat, and Rebecca Singleton from Year 7 (pictured above, right) came with us to deliver the presents to Rock FM’s headquarters on Tuesday morning. There, they helped to unload and sort the presents as well as being interviewed by broadcaster Paul Webster live on his show! Rebecca and Simone (above left), helped unload the sacks full of gifts, whilst Brad sorted them in the Rock FM warehouse (right.) Thank you so much for taking part and supporting this amazing charity and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year. News and Information Christmas Carol Concert – Mr Doyle Come along tonight to our wonderful Christmas Carol concert to help you get into the spirit of Christmas. Just £3 on the door/£2 for children and concessions. All welcome – see poster attached for more details. Word of the Week (WoW) Logo Competition – Miss S Williams/Mrs Meechan Hot on the heels of Get Caught Reading (see last week’s newsletter) we have also launched a competition to design a brand new logo for our Word of the Week. It can be hand-drawn, created on the computer or a mix of both. We are looking for original, creative designs. The deadline is 4pm Friday 9th January 2015. So budding artists, designers and creative types, hand in your entry to Miss Williams (ICT) or Mrs Meechan (SENDCo) or submit it by the via Pupils’ teaching and learning page on STAR. Good luck! Year 11 Trial Examination: Results Assembly – Miss Gow A formal results assembly will be held on the morning of Friday 9th January when pupils will receive their trial examination results for all subjects. The purpose of this assembly is to replicate the procedure for collecting final GCSE results in August and to prepare pupils for the emotions they are likely to experience on the day. Pupils will be able to share the results with you on this date. However, a formal full report will be distributed to parents on Friday 30th January which will give a complete summary of your child's strengths and areas for further development in each subject Clothes Show Trip – Miss Kozera 43 pupils went on the annual Clothes Show Live Trip to Birmingham. Pupils and staff watched a live catwalk show, bought lots of discounted goodies and one pupil even won a mobile phone! It was a fantastic day with lots of pupils already looking forward to next year! ! Bagging some bargains… One of the designs on show Pupils with their Clothes Show bags January 2015 Mon 5th Thurs 8th Fri 9th    School re-opens for Spring Term Year 11 sets 1-3 R001 Exam re-sits Yr11 Trial Exams Assembly Mon 12th  Uniform Inspection Wed 21st Thurs 22nd   Year 10 Parents’ Evening @4.30pm, Main Hall Careers Fair @ 6.30pm, Main Hall  Showstoppers @ 7.00pm, Main Hall February Thurs 5th