LHA Summer Newsletter - 2024 by Schudio

Summer Newsletter

Principal’s Welcome - Building Cultural Capital

As we reflect on another triumphant year at LHA, we are reminded of the ongoing building of resilience our students and community experience through our core values of: integrity, teamwork, accountability, citizenship, commitment, and respect. These values continue to drive our success and growth.

At LHA, we recognise the importance of Cultural Capital in broadening our students’ understanding of the world. Cultural Capital encompasses the knowledge and skills that allow students to engage in meaningful discussions and form well-informed opinions. It is a cornerstone of our educational philosophy, ensuring our students are wellprepared for the future.

This newsletter highlights our commitment to helping students gain Cultural Capital through various enriching experiences:

• Trips and Visits: Engaging in educational trips to broaden horizons.

• Visitors and Workshops: Hosting experts and interactive workshops in school.

• Life Skills: Understanding essential life skills such as finance and banking.

• Voluntary Work: Collaborating with local businesses for community service.

• Professional Contexts: Providing opportunities to interact with professionals.

• Job Applications: Preparing students for the world of work.

• Current Affairs: Encouraging awareness of global events.

• Cultural Exposure: Exploring music, arts, religions, and traditions from different cultures.

• Academic Challenges: Offering master classes in all subjects to push boundaries.

You will find evidence of many of these enriching activities throughout this newsletter.

Supporting Your Child During the Holidays

Parents and students often ask how they can continue to develop over the holiday period. Contributing to Cultural Capital is an excellent way to help, and it can be a fun and

rewarding experience for the whole family. Here are just a few ideas:

• Visit Museums and Art Galleries: Explore history and art together.

• Attend Theatre Trips: Experience the magic of live performances.

• Library Visits: Encourage a love for reading and sharing books.

• Discover Science : Engage with interactive exhibits.

• Explore Local Heritage Sites: Learn about local history and culture.

• Participate in Community Events: Join festivals and cultural celebrations.

• Volunteer: Help out at your local charities or simply assist an elderly neighbour with their shopping

• Cooking Together: Try recipes from different cultures.

• Nature Walks: Discover the natural world through taking a walk in the a.

By engaging in these type of activities, you continue to develop Cultural Capital, ensuring a return to school in September with new experiences and knowledge to share.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making this year at LHA a remarkable success. Enjoy a wonderful summer, filled with enriching experiences and memorable moments.

Warm regards, Mrs Gorman

Lostock Hall Academy Vision 2023-24

LHA will be the local secondary provider of choice. We will equip all our learners with the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to achieve their full potential in a safe, stimulating and supportive environment. Educating the future, Academy students will be proud to achieve a successful career path through transition into work or training in all walks of adult life.

Year 6 Transition Day

We were delighted to welcome our future Year 7 students for Transition Day. The Year 6 students, who will be joining us in September, had the opportunity to meet their tutors and get a taste of life at Lostock Hall Academy. Everyone embraced the day with enthusiasm and positivity, and it was a pleasure to get to know them. We look forward to seeing you all in September!

A special thanks to our current Year 7 Ambassadors, who supported the Year 6 students throughout the day. They were a credit to themselves and to the Academy, earning points towards their CAP. Well done!

TEAMWORK

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Message Wall - Mrs Manwearing BPE

Our Year 7 students had a fantastic visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park in June. They engaged enthusiastically, interacting with the art, exploring the grounds, and enjoying the beautiful sights. The students had the chance to appreciate art in a natural park setting, sketch natural forms and the local landscape, and hone their map reading skills. They were a pleasure to accompany throughout the day, covering a lot of ground and ending the visit with a well-deserved ice lolly.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery in West Yorkshire, England, featuring a wide range of contemporary sculptures set against a picturesque landscape. It offers a unique blend of art and nature, providing visitors with the opportunity to explore and interact with large-scale works by renowned artists. The park also includes indoor galleries, a visitor centre, and various educational programs, making it a perfect destination for school trips and art enthusiasts alike.

COMMITMENT

The Lowry Visit for our Year 8 Able, Gifted & Talented

A wonderful day out at The Lowry Art Gallery was enjoyed by the year 8 able, gifted and talented artist’s. The students participated in an artist led workshop around the theme of ‘Industrial landscape’ from the viewpoint of Lowry. During a tour of the art gallery, Lowry’s artwork was analysed and sketches made which in turn were used to create artwork inspired by Lowry. It was a joy to listen to the students talking about the artwork and being inspired to create their own art. Well done year 8 artists!

Sikh Assembly

The Year 7 students attended an assembly where we welcomed two ladies from the local Sikh community. They came in to give our students an insight in the their faith and beliefs. The assembly was very interesting, and students had the opportunity to take part in activities.

Year 9 Jelly Babies

Earlier this term, students in Year 9 were investigating population change. They were finding out what might cause populations to increase or decrease in high-income and low-income countries. To inject some fun and help them to understand how a country might be affected, we used jelly babies and chance cards. Students took turns to take a card off the top of the pile which then told them what happened to their population e.g. a country went to war and they had to lose four of their adult male population. Students would then put their jelly babies back on a central plate and record how their population had changed.

Students seem to enjoy the work and engaged brilliantly to understand the impacts of the changes. We then created population pyramids of how our population looked at the start and finish to see the results of chances. Someone’s population even became extinct!

Year 7 Write for the LHCP’s School Magazine

This term, eight of our Yr7 students have offered written contributions to Lostock Hall Community Primary, sharing their views on the year 7 experience and how to get the most out of it. Zach, Thomas, Ruby, Mia, Libby, Joe, Hollie and Aaryan wrote articles in their English lessons all about the start to life at the academy, extracts from which will see print in the summer term edition of LHCP’s school magazine. Looks like we’ve got some budding journalists on our hands! Well done, all of you!

Readathon

Message Wall - Mrs Manwearing BPE

Thank you once again to Year 7 students and their families who supported our annual Readathon challenge, raising money to provide books and reading support to seriously ill children in hospital. We have raised a fantastic £470 for this worthwhile charity. Congratulations to everyone who took part. We are so proud of all your efforts and will be awarded achievement points toward their CAP- well done!

CITIZENSHIP CITIZENSHIP

Sponsor a Book!

Many thanks to all parents/ carers who have supported our new sponsored book scheme over the last year, raising over £180 for new books and giving their children the opportunity to be involved in selecting resources for our school library. Students have now chosen their books and these will be available to borrow from September. Look out for the golden stickers inside the front covers of sponsored books!

If you would like to take part in our book sponsorship scheme, please see the school Gateway for details.

At the end of May half term Mrs Williams, Mrs Butterworth, Miss Budd and Mr Walker were lucky enough to take 40 students from Years 9 and 10 to Italy. We arrived at school very early in the morning [3.00 AM], got on the coach to Manchester Airport and had a smooth flight to Naples.

Once in Italy, we went to visit the Archaeological Museum in Naples where artifacts from the 79AD eruption which affected Herculaneum and Pompeii could be viewed. It was quite astonishing to see just how many different artifacts had survived the eruption.

We then went to our hotel and had dinner before heading down to the beach for a little dip in the sea to cool us all down after a long hot day.

On day two, we were up bright and early to travel to Pompeii. Here, we embarked on a walking tour of Pompeii to see some of the different excavations from the 79AD eruption. Students listened well and learned a lot about the different people who lived in Pompeii at that time. Students commented on how astonishing it was that the whole city of Pompeii had been excavated by archaeologists from underneath ash and mud and yet, so many relics were in excellent condition. In the afternoon. We hiked up to the crater rim of Mount Vesuvius. Here, our guide Ciro told us about the recent Geological uplift that was taking place. He said that Volcanologists think that there is a gas bubble trapped above the magma chamber inside Vesuvius. This is causing the ground to rise by 2cm a month and Volcanologists are tracking and monitoring the volcano very closely so that they can announce if an evacuation needs to be carried out. We admired the view from the top of Vesuvius out over the city of Naples where approximately 3 million people live. The trek down was certainly easier than the one up!

Once back at the hotel we went down to the beach for another dip to cool off.

Day 3 saw us catch the ferry over to Capri. In the first activity we went on a boat tour around Capri to see how the sea had shaped the island. Students were able to see some coastal features similar to those they have been learning about in class and how those features have been formed. We had lunch in the port area on Capri before getting the funicular railway to the main village. We then went on a little hike to see the ‘Arc Naturale’ on the other side of the island. This arch is unusual in that it has been formed by wind and sub-aerial processes rather than by coastal processes. A spot of shopping was had before we popped again to the beach whilst we waited for our ferry to take us back over to Naples. The last evening saw us watching an ice cream demonstration in Naples before returning to the hotel to pack.

Our final day saw us depart for the airport feeling full of newfound knowledge and experiences. The students were impeccably behaved and will hopefully have made memories that will last them a lifetime.

Cleveleys Geography Trip

On Friday 28th of June, 46 year 10 students travelled to Cleveleys to complete their geography investigations. Here, they took measurements of sand on either side of the rock or wooden groynes (little fences that go out towards the sea from the land). These are designed to capture sand and sediment to build up a beach. Students were determining whether the groynes were of any use in protecting the coastline from erosion.

Students then had to complete a bipolar survey of three different types of coastal defense which they will use when they get back in class. They also had to throw oranges into the sea to find out which way the sand was being taken by the waves. They timed for 5 minutes to determine how far our oranges had gone in that time. All of this data will now be turned into graphs and charts which they can then use to talk about in their Paper 3 geography exam in Year 11. The students were brilliant on the day and a real credit to the school.

TEAMWORK

Forest School

As another successful year at Forest School draws to a close, we celebrate the achievements of our final group. They learned new tool skills including the shave horse and sawing, enjoyed camp games, and even cooked crispy nettles over the camp-fire. Thank you to all the Year 7 students for being part of our Forest School family. As we reflect on this year’s successes, we’re already looking forward to the next chapter with our new intake in September.

COMMITMENT

LHA Leavers Celebrate Valedictory at Rivington Hall Barn

The Lostock Hall Academy’s class of 2024 bid farewell in style at their Valedictory celebration held at Rivington Hall Barn. Despite the torrential rain, the students arrived dressed to impress, in elegant gowns and sharp suits which made for a stunning sight, accessorising with last-minute umbrellas!

The arrival was an impressive line-up of vehicles, including luxury cars, classics, campers, an HGV and even an A-Team Van. However, the real showstopper was the arrival of two students on horseback, adding a touch of magic to the evening.

One young man made his red-carpet appearance on Heelys adding a fun and unique twist.

Once inside, the students enjoyed speeches, a delicious three-course dinner, and danced the night away. The atmosphere was electric as they celebrated their achievements and looked forward to the next chapter in their lives.

Lostock Hall Academy congratulates the class of 2024 for their hard work and hopes they have a fantastic summer ahead.

Battery Hunt Update

We have stopped nearly 2000 batteries weighing just over 36kg from going to landfill - this is a fabulous total!

Students who brought the most batteries were Isla and Reece (Year 9) and Alfie (Year 10). Well done to everyone who contributed.

UK Languagenut Competition

The second UK Languagenut Competition took place on the 8th to 25th June. Year 7 and 8 students took part and Lostock Hall Academy came 54th in the UK with over 14 million points. A great effort from students. The winner was once again Alice who beat her February competition score with 1319200 points. Second place went to Leon with 611600 points and 3rd place went to Arthur 609900. The rest of the top ten were Jacob, Riley, Noah, Lizzy, Lily, Hollie and Katie. Well done to everyone!

DATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF PETER PAN.

Our students have been working tirelessly this year to bring you the production of Peter Pan and we are pleased to announce that the performance will take place on Tuesday 8th , Wednesday 9th, and Thursday 10th October at 7.00pm. It looks set to be an excellent performance that you won’t want to miss!

Further information about ticket sales will be available at the start of the new academic year.

Well done to the cast on your hard work and dedication shown so far!

Polling Station

On Thursday 4th July students were invited to take part in a mini-election at lunchtime.

We hope they enjoyed the experience and found it useful to understand the process of voting in an election. Thank you to all the staff and students who contributed towards the event especially the debating group for their assemblies and the prefects for being polling station clerks on the day.

Please find below the results and questions/issues to consider regarding the mini-election yesterday.

Turnout

LHA - 52%

Ribble Valley constituency - 65%

UK - 60%

Results

LHA - Reform, Labour, Green, Lib Dem, Conservative, Independent

Ribble Valley constituency - Labour, Conservative, Reform, Lib Dem, Green, Independent UK - Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem, Reform, Green (There are other parties but these weren’t represented in our constituency so I haven’t included them) Themes

Spoilt ballots - of those who voted 14% spoilt their ballot in some way.

Mostly I believe this to be accidental e.g. not following instructions by ticking instead of placing a cross. While some people wrote on their ballot either comments or someone’s name which means that vote is then spoilt. This means 94 people (the equivalent of three tutor groups) votes were spoilt and therefore didn’t count.

Turnout - 52%

What stopped the remaining 48% of the possible number of students from voting. Feedback from polling clerks is that there were fewer Yr9s and 10’s (especially girls) and this raises the question - why weren’t this demographic voting? This meant the LHA was dominated by the viewpoints of younger students.

Could it be.....

• Disinterest/apathy about the process - ‘it won’t change anything’

• Peer pressure/the ‘not cool factor’

• Other lunch activities/detentions

Feedback from polling clerks

Certain political groups/candidates were popular amongst particular groups possibly as a result of social media (apparently Nigel Farage/Reform uses tiktok quite effectively for example) but when questioned further many of these students struggled to articulate deeper knowledge about the issue.

When voting how far do people really understand the policies? How much do we all rely on soundbites from the media and can these really show the depth/ complexity of the issue?

There were one or two issues of election fraud e.g. people try to vote multiple times. This is one reason why they’ve brought in need I.D. to vote but by doing so do they further stop some people from voting.

What impact could election fraud have on an election result?

TEAMWORK

INTEGRITY INTEGRITY

Brass Attack 2024

On Monday 1st July, musicians from various organisations came together to celebrate all that is brass in the annual ‘Brass Attack’ event. Groups involved in the evening included Lostock Hall Academy Brass Band, Lostock Hall Community Primary School Brass Band, Lancashire Youth Band, Lostock Hall Memorial Training & Senior Bands and The Leyland Band. The evening was concluded with a joint item having over 100 musicians performing together on stage.

COMMITMENT

BAE Roadshow

TEAMWORK

Recently, our school had the privilege of hosting the BAE Systems Education Programme Roadshow, a captivating event designed to ignite students’ interest in STEM subjects. In collaboration with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, this dynamic show brought science and technology to life for our Year 7 and 8 students.

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition and Training

What an incredible year the D of E students have had! They began with training, first aid, and charity work. From there, they gained knowledge and confidence to tackle the exhibition with enthusiasm and determination. Each and every one of our students has learned new skills, life experiences, and resilience. We eagerly anticipate the challenges ahead. Well done to everyone who took part, including Mrs. Moors and all the staff who supported them throughout their journey so far!

TEAMWORK

COMMITMENT

Castle Head - Ecology Study

24 year 10 students had a great time developing their biology practical skills at Castle Head - a Field Studies Council site. The students captured, marked and recaptured woodlice to estimate the total population on woodlice in an area, they used a random sampling technique (quadrants) to estimate the total population of a plant species in an area and they used a transect to investigate the distribution of organisms in a changing habitat and they analysed their results whilst developing their graph drawing skills.

The highlight of the day by most was the capture and release of a field vole using small mammal traps. A great time was had by all!

TEAMWORK

South Ribble Athletics Championships

Lostock Hall Academy attended the Stanley Park Athletics Event on the 21st June. Our students represented the Academy brilliantly and showed strength and determination throughout the day. Here’s a list of our medallists and their events, we are proud of each and everyone of them.

Y7:

Madelene Dunleavy- 2nd place in 800m

Aryan Patel- 3rd place in 800m

Adam Whalley- 2nd place in 300m

Stanley Fahey- 2nd place in shot putt

Y7 boys relay team: Joesph Tinsley, Zach Child, Ethan Anderton, Aryan Patel (2nd Place)

Y8:

Lacey Holburt- 3rd place in discus

Ben Whitikar- 1st place in discus

Harry Green- 1st place in Javelin

Thomas Marshall- 3rd place in 200m

Y8 boys relay team: Charlie Dickinson, Thomas Marshall, Max Donahuge, Harry Green (3rd place)

Y9:

Lili-Mai McCarthy- 1st place in 1500m

Tilly Bargh- 3rd place in javelin

Isabelle Snape- 3rd place in discus

Oliver Green- 2nd place in discus

Kieran Moss- 2nd place in 100m

Esme Harper- 3rd place in 200m

TEAMWORK

COMMITMENT

LHA Sports Day 2024

Form points were at stake for students in Years 7-10 who participated in track and field events. During Periods 1 and 2, Year 9 and 10 students competed, while Year 7 and 8 students followed suit during Periods 3 and 4. The finals witnessed students cheering on their teammates. Results will be published in the school bulletin. Well done to everyone who took part!

COMMITMENT

TEAMWORK

GOLD Mark again for PE & School Sport at the Academy

We are delighted to announce that we, Lostock Hall Academy have achieved the School Games GOLD Mark Award for the 2023/24 academic year.

The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our success.

With many of our students competing in local inter-school competitions this year, we are extremely proud of them for their dedication to all aspects of school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our competitions possible.

As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce and clubs, and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.

A special thanks to:

All of the staff and students at Lostock Hall Academy who work together to display our core values (Respect, Integrity, Commitment, Teamwork, Citizenship and Accountability)across all aspects of school life and sport.

We look forward to applying once again in 2025!

SCHOOL UNIFORM

School Tie for all students

Monogrammed blazer and jumper* with plain cotton button up pale blue shirt

* Optional item

Option of boys black school trousers, girls black school trousers or monogrammed black skirt

Skirt length 20’’ inch

Black tights – 60/70 denier. Short black ankle sock may be worn as a Summer concession after May half term

Black tights - 60/80 denier. Black knee length socks may be worn in the summer after the easter break.

Strong black shoes - No trainers, boots or sports branding.

Black ankle socks

P.E. KIT

Black monogrammed training top and striped monogrammed sports shirt and polo tech shirt*.

* Optional item

Plain black shorts or monogrammed black skort, monogrammed training pants or monogrammed leggings.

Sports trainers with non-marking soles for indoor and outdoor court use, footwear that is suitable for use on the MUGA/Astro (moulded rubber soles or trainers are acceptable) and footwear that is suitable for activity on the grass field (studded boots)