As we finish for the Easter break I wanted to take this opportunity to send a message to all our Year 11 students.
Reflecting on your journey and the incredible progress you’ve made this year. You are now on the brink of an important milestone—your GCSE examinations.
As you prepare to embark on this final stretch, I want to remind you of the importance of staying focused. The hard work you’ve put in so far has paved the way for your success. I encourage each of you to keep pushing through these last few weeks of learning and preparation. The commitment you show now will have a lasting impact on your future—whether that be in further education, vocational training, or the workforce.
I know that exams can bring about stress and anxiety, but remember, you are not alone in this. Your teachers, friends, and family are here to support you every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help or guidance when you need it.
As we look ahead, think about the goals you’ve set for yourself. Each study session, each revision note, and each practice exam is a step towards achieving those goals. You have the power to shape your future. This moment is a crucial part of your journey, and I have every confidence that you all will rise to the occasion.
So, as we head into the holiday, I urge you to take some
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
time to recharge while keeping your eyes on the prize and continue to work hard on revision. Let’s finish strong together! I look forward to seeing you return, ready and motivated for the challenges ahead.
Thank you, Year 11. Enjoy your break, and remember: your future is bright!
Lostock Hall Academy Vision 2024 - 2027
LHA will be the local secondary provider of choice. We will equip all our learners through our core values with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to achieve their full potential in a safe, stimulating and supportive environment. “Educating the future”, Academy students will be aspirational and proud to achieve a successful career path through transition into work or training in all walks of adult life.
Young Writers Shine in ‘Fright Club’ Competition!
Our talented Year 7-9 students recently had the exciting opportunity to participate in the ‘Young Writers’ Competition. The challenge was to craft a 100-word story with the title ‘Fright Club,’ perfectly fitting the Halloween theme.
We are proud to announce that several of our students have been selected to have their stories published in a book. This is a remarkable achievement, and we eagerly await the results to see if any of our young writers will win the £25 prize.
Although not all students were chosen for publication, the effort and creativity displayed by everyone involved are commendable. Well done to all participants!
Miss Hatch will be organising more of these competitions in the future, so keep an eye out for upcoming opportunities in school.
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Duke of Edinburgh - Practice Expedition
Well done to all of the year 9 students who took part in the Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition this weekend. We had a lovely weekend learning all the skills needed to complete their qualification. These included map reading, cooking on stoves, fire building and camping skills. Thank you to all of the staff who came on the expedition. Looking forward to the final in May.
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TEAMWORK
Eyes Down for Easter Bingo Fun!
On Wednesday, 3rd April, students and staff gathered for a delightful afternoon of Easter Bingo. Thanks to the generous donations of eggs from students, who earned house points in return, and contributions from local supermarkets such as Tesco and Morrisons, there were plenty of eggs to play for!
Students from all year groups joined in the fun, competing for small eggs for a line, large eggs for a full house, and cream egg spot prizes for enthusiasm and audience participation with the Easter-themed bingo calls.
The highlight of the event was the Hamper games, where Ribble House students, having donated the most eggs, received free tickets. The first game was won by Harrison in Year 11, and the second game by our very own Mrs. Abram. We are sure the chocolate will keep them going until the Easter weekend!
Together, we managed to raise an impressive £323 for the school.
A big thank you to everyone who came to play, the students who helped at the event, and all those who supported this fund-raiser. Your contributions made it a great success!
Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition
This half term, our Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition students have been learning about different cooking methods and how heat is transferred when using each method. They then put their knowledge into practice, making a traditional English breakfast. Before making their breakfasts, everybody had to decide how they were going to cook each component of
their dish and then describe the methods of heat transfer that they used. After a lot of planning and demonstrating of different cooking methods, the final results looked and tasted very appetizing indeed. Well done Year 10. You all demonstrated excellent knowledge and a wide range of cooking skills.
Brindle Gregson Lane Primary School Visit
This term Year 5 pupils from Brindle Gregson Lane have visited us to take part in a number of Science lessons. Pupils were given the opportunity to do lots of exciting experiments in our Science Lab, and as always they were extremely polite and well behaved. It was lovely to see you back again Brindle Gregson Lane, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
TEAMWORK
Lostock Hall Community Primary French Day - Year 10
This half term, our Year 10 French class were invited to take part in Lostock Hall Community Primary School’s French Day. Pupils at the primary school took part in a range of activities as part of the day, and our Year 10 students worked with Year 2 and Year 4 pupils who were visiting a French Café and ordering lots of different food and drink. Everybody had lots of fun ordering their food and drink and practiced lots of useful language skills. Well done Year 10, you were a credit to yourselves and to the Academy and thank you to Mrs Whalley at Lostock Hall Community Primary school for inviting us to take part in your special day.
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Celebrating Mr. Walker’s Geography Class
We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible efforts of Mr. Walker’s geography class, who recently completed their volcano projects with outstanding creativity and enthusiasm. The students showcased a variety of designs in different mediums, demonstrating their understanding of volcanic activity in unique and imaginative ways.
From LEGO constructions to baked cakes, drawings, and models built to erupt, the class displayed an impressive range of skills and artistic talents. One
particularly innovative project even used lights to simulate volcanic eruptions, capturing the awe-inspiring power of nature.
The class’s generosity was also on full display, as students kindly shared their delicious cake creations with their classmates.
Congratulations to Mr. Walker and his students for their hard work and creativity. Your projects have truly brought the wonders of geology to life!
TEAMWORK
MR GALBRAITH
WALK LIKE A ROMAN
135KM
HADRIAN’S WALL CHARITY WALK
Mr. Galbraith, our very own outdoor adventurer and sports enthusiast, is taking on a new challenge over the Easter Break. He plans to trek the entire 135 km trail of Hadrian’s Wall from Newcastle to Bowness-on-Solway, aiming to complete this journey over 5 days, come rain or shine, while camping along the way.
Mr. Galbraith is undertaking this solo walk in aid of Childhood Cancer Research. If you wish to support this wonderful cause, please follow the link to his JustGiving page Any donation, £1 or more, would be greatly appreciated.
The dates for this adventure are: 14th-18th April
Good Luck Mr. Galbraith you are an inspiration to all our students.
Year 8 Students Explore Ecosystems and Adaptations
The Year 8 classes have been studying ecosystems over the past few weeks and have looked at how plants and animals have adapted to survive in the tropical rainforests. The students were challenged to design their own plant or animal and explain how it would adapt and survive in the hot, wet, dense tropical rainforest where there are lots of predators! These are a handful of the many weird and wonderful ideas the students came up with, we think you’ll agree they are very creative.
Year 10’s A Day in London’s Performing Arts Scene!
The Year 10 Performing Arts class had a brilliant time in London on Wednesday 26th March. We spent time exploring Covent Garden and saw an interesting piece of Street Theatre! We visited Leicester Square, the home of London film premieres, had a quick journey through Trafalgar Square before heading to the Lyceum Theatre to watch ‘The Lion King Musical’. Students were fantastic and we had an amazing day emerging ourselves in the culture of our capital city! A massive thank you to the staff who came with us!
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On 26th February 50 students and staff had a fantastic time watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Manchester. Students were a credit to the school and a fantastic experience was had by all!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Geography Club
all are welcome! Some of the activities completed recently include creating a Blooket quiz, studying the recent Myanmar earthquake, making geographical features out of play dough and a number of geography related quizzes and puzzle.
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Why student attendance is so important at LHA?
The Department for Education has recently complete some research on the links between student attendance and their progress in their GCSE’s. The results can be seen below and are very clear.
Students who are classed as Persistently Absent (less than 90% attendance) are half as likely to achieve a grade 5 in their English and Maths GCSE’s compared to a student attending school for 95% plus. If a student is classed as Persistently Absent that is the equivalent of missing 4 weeks/1 month of school during the academic year. In terms of lessons and lost learning this equates to 100+ hours of lost learning.
Do you know what your child(s) attendance is?
If you have any questions/concerns about your child(s) attendance, please feel free to contact Miss Budd in school p.budd@lostockhallacademy.org
1:1 Device Care and Responsibility
We are pleased to report that the majority of students are taking good care of their devices. However, as most of our students now have 1:1 devices, we have noticed an increase in misuse and intentional damage.
The scheme you signed up for covers warranty and accidental damage for these devices. To help support your child, please conduct regular checks on the device you have invested in for them. It is important to make your child aware that it is their responsibility to keep the device safe and take good care of it.
Additionally, the expectation for all students is that they must bring their device fully charged every day.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Celebrating Pi Day: A Slice of Mathematical Fun!
Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. If you take a circle — any circle — and divide its circumference by its diameter, you’ll get the same answer every time: a number that’s just a little over three. Stop at two decimal places and you have 3.14, which is why we celebrate Pi Day on March 14th.
This year we challenged the students to make cakes, pies or biscuits and decorate using the pi theme. Well done to all entries. The maths department were amazed by the high standard (with a bonus of getting to eat some of them too!) and original designs.
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Exciting Arrival of Our New LHA Chickens!
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of some very special members to our site team early this term. Springtime brought us three delightful chickens, all hybrids: a Bluebell, a Sussex, and a Golden Comet. A big thank you to Saddleworth Poultry for supplying our healthy hens.
Our new feathered friends have settled in nicely and have already started laying eggs, much to the excitement of both staff and students. Their presence has brought a wonderful buzz to our community. To celebrate this Easter, we have launched a fun competition to name our chickens. The names must start with L, H, and A. We can’t wait to see the creative suggestions from everyone!
Thank you to all who have welcomed our new chickens and participated in the naming competition so far see below for more details.
What’s New in Forest School!
This half term, our Forest School Spring 2 Cohort has been busy with a variety of engaging activities. In addition to camp cooking, building hammocks, and investigating the landscape, wildlife, and minibeasts of Forest School, the students have planted and nurtured 30 saplings. These saplings were won in a bid from the National Trust, and we are thrilled to see them grow.
Mrs. Burgess is also launching a new Forest School competition. Eight lucky winners will have the chance to enjoy a special session in Forest School on Friday, 23rd May 2025.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates and opportunities in Forest School!
TEAMWORK
COVID-19 Day of Reflection
2025 marks five years since the pandemic began and students across the Academy were recently asked to reflect on their experiences of the pandemic. The National COVID-19 Day of Reflection took place on Sunday 09th March. People and communities were invited to come together to mark the day in ways that felt meaningful to them with events running up and down the country.
Students at the Academy were invited to submit a written reflection, story, piece of artwork, poster or poem to summarise their experiences of the pandemic. A range of very thoughtful submissions were received, with several of them being posted on the Academy Facebook site. A COVID-19 display was also created by the Art Department/ Creative team and displayed in the dining room area. See video
Please see below for some examples of poems submitted which provide very insightful memories of the pandemic:
Poem by Megan, Year 7
Lockdown,
One minute surrounded by friends, The next that all being snatched away. Home-school in the caravan, Nicknamed rainbow school by my brother. My dog Bran, Always by me in a time of need Finally, back at school, Only back to stay home again.
Lockdown over birthday here, My present, a small hamster named Storm.
Farewell to Mrs Gregory
Mrs. Gregory has taken early retirement after 18 years at the academy. Many of you will know her as our afternoon receptionist, and she has also managed the reprographics department. We would like to take this opportunity to wish her well in her retirement as she embarks on this new chapter of her life, focusing on her family and beloved dogs.
Good luck, Mrs. Gregory—you will be missed!
Poem by Olivia, Year 10
Before the pandemic everyone was happy and together, Then everyone was low and alone. Masks, hand sanitizer, isolation was constant, When people were reunited, everyone had grown. Meeting people within your bubble, Finally having a laugh, Many in hospital fighting the virus, Always with the staff. We thought the lockdown was over, Oh how we were wrong, Back into lockdown, Trying to get along. Now the lockdown is finally over, Still talked about. We just want it to disappear, Will it happen, everyone doubts.
Pastel Paws and Paints Workshop
The last week of term saw the return of Mrs. Murray’s popular art workshop. This month’s theme was Easter, offering a creative experience for all, complete with plenty of pink lemonade for refreshment.
During the workshop, students created their own watercolour masterpieces featuring a charming Easter bunny in a flower basket. They followed the guidance well, learned new techniques, and all left with a piece of art to be proud of. Well done to everyone!
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Year 10 Sculptures
Year 10 students have been diligently working on their image and identity sculptures, employing various techniques such as slab construction, which involves rolling out clay into flat sheets, cutting them into shapes, and joining them together using slip; coiling, where long, thin coils of clay are layered on top of each other to build up the walls of the sculpture; the pinch method, which shapes a ball of clay using fingers to create bowls, pots, and other rounded objects; and carving, using various tools to remove clay from a solid block to reveal the design, perfect for adding intricate details. It’s wonderful to witness the diversity and creativity in these pieces. Well done to them all.
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Football Tournament
On 20th March we witnessed the final matches of our Year 7s’ 7-a-side Inter-Year Easter Football House Competition, organized by Mr Galbraith and the PE Department. Over 40 students participated in this exciting event, which took place over two days last week, culminating in the final matches on Tuesday after school.
The effort and attitude displayed by all the students were truly amazing. Every participant will receive house points for their involvement, and the winning team will be rewarded with Easter eggs and additional house points for their hard work.
A huge well done to Year 7! Keep an eye out for more events like this one.
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TEAMWORK
Year 7 Badminton House Event
Our Year 7 students participated in an exciting Badminton House Event, organized by Mr. Galbraith and the PE department. This competition was inspired by the enthusiastic turnout at the lunchtime Badminton club. Over two nights after school, 12 students showcased their amazing attitude, talent, and commitment.
Congratulations to #YarrowHouse for taking first place, with #RibbleHouse finishing second and #WyreHouse coming in third. House points were awarded to all participants, and prizes given to the top three houses. Well done, Year 7!
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We are thrilled to announce the outstanding achievements of our Year 7 and Year 8 athletes at the South Ribble School Games Indoor Athletics competition this half term. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams represented LHA with incredible spirit and determination.
Year 8 Boys’ Team Triumphs Again!
A special shout-out to our Year 8 boys’ team for their remarkable victory, winning the competition for the second year in a row! Their hard work and dedication have paid off, and they will now go on to represent South Ribble at the Lancashire Indoor Athletics competition. We are immensely proud of their achievement and wish them the best of luck in the next stage.
Stellar Performances by Year 7/8 Girls’ Teams
Our Year 7/8 girls’ teams also shone brightly, securing 2nd place overall. Their performances were nothing short of fantastic, with many students winning their individual events. Their teamwork and perseverance were evident throughout the competition, and they have set a high standard for future events.
Well Done to All!
We extend our congratulations to all our athletes for their exceptional performances. Your hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship have made us all proud. Keep up the fantastic work, and we look forward to more successes in the future - Go LHA!
