LHA Newsletter March 2024

Principal’s Welcome

With the end of the spring term upon us and approaching the Easter break, we stand at the threshold of the final leg of our academic voyagethe summer term.

This term marks a critical juncture for many of our students, particularly our Year 11 cohort, who are gearing up for their GCSE examinations. It’s a time filled with anticipation, nerves, and excitement as they prepare to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. To our Year 11 students, I want to emphasise the significance of these exams and reassure them that our support and guidance are unwavering. Easter school sessions have been arranged specifically for them, providing additional opportunities for revision and preparation. I strongly encourage all Year 11 students as well as ensuring some down time to take advantage of these sessions as they endeavour to achieve their full potential.

However, I’m aware that the responsibility for success doesn’t solely rest on the shoulders of our students. As parents, you play a pivotal role in nurturing and supporting your child’s academic journey. I urge you to continue providing the necessary encouragement, guidance, and structure at home to complement the efforts of our dedicated teaching staff. Together, we can create an environment that fosters academic growth and personal development.

At the heart of our educational philosophy lie our core values: integrity, accountability, teamwork, citizenship, commitment, and respect. These values serve as guiding principles that shape the behaviour and attitudes of our entire school community. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, let us remain

steadfast in upholding these values in all our interactions and endeavours.

Additionally, I’m pleased to announce that our Year 9 students have now selected their exam subjects, marking an important milestone in their academic journey. With this decision comes a renewed sense of purpose and direction as they begin to chart their path towards their future aspirations.

Other students have been actively engaged in a diverse range of experiences both inside and outside the classroom. I commend their enthusiasm and commitment to learning, and I encourage them to continue exploring new horizons and embracing every opportunity for growth and development.

As we embark on the Easter break, let us take this opportunity to rest, recharge, and reflect on the achievements and challenges of the past term. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in nurturing the potential of our students. Together, we can empower them to reach new heights of success and fulfilment. Wishing you all a peaceful and rejuvenating Easter break.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

LHA will be the local secondary provider of choice.

and behaviours to achieve their full potential in a safe,

future, Academy students will be proud to achieve a

English Scholar Award

The English Scholar Award is in recognition of a number of our students’ continued achievement in this subject we love. A wonderful collection of challenging books have been selected for KS3 to provide our excelling students with the opportunity to explore texts that they may not necessarily have had access to before.

The selected texts include prose, poetry, fiction and non fiction and incorporate important heritage texts such as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and more contemporary tales from different countries to develop our students’ cultural capital such as Where Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omad Mohamed.

Students will read one of our specially curated books per term and complete a detailed book report and a recommendation card for display in the library.

Upon completion students will be awarded with a certificate and badge of achievement to forever highlight their achievement.

ELibrary for all students

COMMITMENT

Students can now download the elibrary app onto your mobile or tablet by scanning this QR code. If you haven’t currently got a book out of the library, have a browse! All students at LHA are expected to have reading for pleasure / personal growth ‘on the go’. Reading nurtures your brain and your wellbeing. Your username = your school email address

Password = lhalib

Remember to keep your reading projects up to date when you have read a book from the Elibrary or the LRC.

Holocaust Memorial

On Friday 26th Jan, our Head students & Mr Doyle attended the South Ribble Holocaust Memorial service at the Civic Centre in Leyland. This was an opportunity to represent Lostock Hall Academy and meet dignitaries in this poignant event. The service consisted of poems, lighting of candles and life stories of holocaust victims and was an opportunity to reflect on the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Language Nut Competition

Students in year 8 took part in a competition run by Language Nut to compete for points completing tasks whilst learning and revising vocabulary. Lostock Hall Academy came 177th in the UK. Alice won 1st place in the school with an incredible 1,065,200 points placing her 143rd out of thousands of students in the UK. The top 10 for Lostock Hall were Brandon (598,800) Jack (240,900), Ben (239,200) Aster (213,400), Freya (194,500), Noah (186,600), Jacob (171,400), Millie (122,800) and Tia (103,800). A huge well done and thank you to all year 8 students who took part.

RESPECT RESPECT COMMITMENT

World Book Day

Here are some of the students who won prizes on World Book Day 2024.

Literature Lanyards, Opening Lines, and the Reading Raffle. Every day brought exciting bulletin messages and activities, and we loved seeing so many students join in. Congratulations to our winners and well done to all who took part!

Duke of Edinburgh First Aid

The Duke of Edinburgh students have been working hard this term, not only on fundraising by baking cakes for the school mini bus, but they have learnt valuable first aid skills in preparation for their expeditions in the summer term.

Duke of Edinburgh Bake Sale

COMMITMENT

The Duke of Edinburgh students baked a delicious selection of cakes in food technology after school . During lunchtime, they held a bake sale, which was a resounding success. Together £81.00 was raised for the new school minibus appeal. Huge thanks to all the students and staff who contributed and supported!

Thank you to all who have already donated to our minibus appeal on the gateway so far and all those who bought a ticket for the Easter Raffle which has raised over £500!!

Both our long standing and recent friends of the Academy have contributed to fundraising efforts over the years through various means, including bake sales, raffles, bingo nights, and, notably, engaging in Your School Lottery. Over the last five years alone, the school lottery has successfully generated over £10,000 in funds. When combined with the proceeds from other events, we are making significant strides towards acquiring a new minibus for the school. However, we are still a little way off reaching our total needed our ‘Just-Giving’ page is now live.

We kindly ask everyone in our community to consider contributing to our cause, if possible. We’re also open to hearing any suggestions on fundraising initiatives. Please feel free to reach out with your ideas.

Our target is £5,000 and any donation big or small would be gratefully received. Look out for more details on School Synergy about our Just Giving page or the School Gateway. If you are able to contribute in a bigger way we would love to hear from you.

Lostock Hall Academy

GCSE History Trip to Poland

Earlier this term 58 Year 11 GCSE History students visited Krakow, Poland. During the trip students visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, Schindler’s factory, the Salt Mines and completed a cultural tour of the city. The students were a credit to the school and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

RESPECT RESPECT

DEAR - Drop Everything and Read

CITIZENSHIP CITIZENSHIP

In our latest Drop Everything and Read session, LHA teachers were excited to have the opportunity to shared their most beloved books. Together with their class they discussed the literature that fuels their passion for learning.

The Easter Raffle & Easter Bingo

A big thank you to all who purchased tickets for the Easter Raffle! Together, we’ve raised an impressive £536, a significant contribution to our Minibus Appeal. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

Our annual Easter Bingo proved to be a resounding success. Special thanks to everyone who contributed prizes for CAP points and participated in the two sessions. We extend our gratitude to Mrs. Williams and her student helper for their invaluable efforts in organizing this event.

Art Sculptures

Y10 students have been working hard on their Image and Identity sculptures using slab, pinch and coil building techniques. Each design has its own unique personality and they all look fantastic. Well done to all.

COMMITMENT

Year 7 Geography Volcano Project

Mr. Scarborough was thrilled by his Year 7 class’ who showcased their creativity through volcano models, cakes, posters, and Minecraft designs. Congratulations to the students and a big thank you to the supportive parents, grandparents, and caregivers at home.

Bikeability with Year 7

Well done to the all the groups of Year 7 students who successfully completed their Level 3 Bikeability course this half term. Their hard work paid off as they rode with confidence on the local roads surrounding our school. A special thanks to the South Ribble Active Health team from South Ribble Borough Council for their funding and exceptional delivery of the courses. Your support is invaluable! A big thank you also goes to The Lewis Balyckyi Trust Fund for donating the high-vis vests to keep our students safe. Please remember that students and their families should always wear a helmet and suitable clothing to keep them visible while riding. Let’s keep pedalling towards safer and more confident riders!

COMMITMENT

Forest School

The most recent cohort of Year 7 students participated in this term’s Forest School activities. During this session, they focused on enhancing their tool skills by crafting their own wooden spinner. Additionally, they learned safe techniques for building camp fires and enjoyed engaging in games of scatter, as well as relaxing in hammocks. Congratulations to the entire group for their outstanding enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. They have demonstrated wonderful participation and commitment.

TEAMWORK

Boys and Girls Indoor Athletics Competition

Congratulations to the Year 7 and 8 boys indoor athletics teams for their exceptional effort and performance at the recent indoor athletics competition. Competing in a variety of track and field events, the Year 8 team secured an impressive 3rd place finish, showcasing their talent and determination.

Meanwhile, the Year 7 and 8 girls participated in their indoor athletics event hosted at All Hallows. The Year 7 girls achieved a commendable second place overall, demonstrating their skill and teamwork. Furthermore, the Year 7 team excelled, emerging as champions in their category, earning the honour of representing South Ribble at the Blackpool Lancashire finals along with the Year 7 boys. Well done to all the athletes for their dedication and achievement!

Congratulations to our Year 10 Netball team who have won the South Ribble Schools Netball Tournament. The team were undefeated and won all of the matches in the event.

Year 10 Netball Competition

#LetGirlsPlay Event

The #LetGirlsPlay event is a yearly event which aims to have as many girls as possible in school playing football on the same day. By 2024, The FA’s and Barclays ambition is for girls to have the same football opportunities as boys in schools and clubs. #LetGirlsPlay is a campaign to drive influence and change perceptions, showing that football can and should be played by girls. It is bringing together a growing community of people of all genders, ages and backgrounds who want to champion equal access for girls, helping create independent, resilient young girls who will be a force for good in all local communities.

Year 7 Football Comp

There was plenty of fun and healthy competition between teams at the Year 7 Football Competition. Congratulations to all participants for their involvement!

South Ribble Athletics Finals at Blackpool

Well done to the Year 7 boys and Year 8 girls indoor athletics teams who represented the South Ribble District at the Lancashire finals in Blackpool this week. All of our young athletes performed superbly against schools from throughout the county. The focus will now turn to outdoor athletics upon our return to school after the Easter break.

Cross Country Championships

Well done to Sam from Year 10 who represented Team Lancashire at the recent English Schools Cross Country Championships. Sam, who has won South Ribble and Lancashire titles in recent years, performed superbly within a field of over 300 runners!

Netball Tournament

Year 7 students enjoy participating in the South Ribble Netball tournament. Fantastic atmosphere throughout the evening. Players of the Match Layla and Chanel.

Important Update – Changes to Education-related Penalty Notices

Information for Parents - National Focus on Attendance at School 2024

As parents/carers, you will be fully aware of the importance of good attendance and punctuality, and your legal responsibilities as a parent to ensuring your child not only attends school but is on time.

Poor attendance is directly correlated to a pupil’s level of success and development in their education.

• You may not be aware that the Department for Education has recently announced national changes to penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence in term time. These changes will come into effect on 19 August 2024.

• Key changes to be aware of are:

Penalty notices issued for offences that take place after 19 August 2024 will be charged at a new rate of £160 per parent per child. This can be paid at £80 if paid within 21 days.

• Any second penalty notice issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period will be issued at the rate of £160 to be paid within 28 days with no option for a discounted rate.

• The threshold at which a penalty notice must be considered is set at 10 sessions (equivalent to 5 days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10-school week period . This may include absences as a result of arriving late after the register closes. The 10 school weeks may span different terms or school years.

Absences can have a lasting effect on learning

Missing a week of school means your child will miss around 25 hours of learning. This creates gaps in their knowledge and could mean they will not meet their full potential

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