At the time of writing this newsletter article, the Academy is buzzing with activity. The school band is rehearsing for community concerts; art clubs are busy ‘decking the halls’; food and gift donations are being prepared; and an advent calendar of enrichment and reward activities adds to the festive spirit of a community ready to celebrate this special season, whatever your faith. We all welcome this precious pause—a chance to spend time with family and friends, to rest, and to reflect.
As I prepare for the Celebration Assemblies that mark the end of an exceptionally productive term and honour our students’ achievements, I keep returning to one theme: gratitude. Life is a gift. To share this gift among good people who foster purpose and belonging in a caring community—one that supports and prioritises young people’s futures—is truly special. To every member of this wonderful community, I would like to express gratitude.
To our students: thank you for your dedication. You have worked hard in your subjects and embraced the wider life of the school - enrichment, challenge, and responsibility. Your commitment to your own future and to the futures of others is inspiring. To our teachers and teaching assistants: thank you
for your tireless efforts, not only during the school day but also in evenings, weekends, and holidays, ensuring a high-quality education for the next generation. Your care for our students is tangible, and the relationships you build to secure effective learning are inspiring.
To our ‘unsung heroes’: thank you to the business and estates teams, the catering team, and the IT and technician teams. Your work often goes unnoticed, yet your dedication to creating an efficient and pleasant learning environment for our young people truly inspires.
To our Trustees: thank you for working behind the scenes to drive school improvement. After your own working days, you meet to scrutinise, discuss, and plan how the Academy can continue to thrive. Your commitment to serving the Lostock Hall community is inspiring.
To our parents and carers: thank you for the strong foundation you provide. We are deeply grateful that our students are curious, respectful, and kind—a reflection of your support, which inspires us all.
Finally, I hope your Christmas break is restful, peaceful, and full of joy. Hold your precious gift of life with gratitude and enjoy it.
On 27th November, we celebrated the incredible achievements of our Class of 2025 at a memorable GCSE Presentation Evening. We couldn’t be prouder of your hard work and success!
Special congratulations to Erica, Libby and Cole for receiving multiple awards, and to Libby and Daniel for an amazing 500% attendance record—a truly remarkable commitment.
Thank you to our talented Year 10 Food Preparation students for their delicious creations, and to Coco and Alice for their beautiful performance of “For Good” from WICKED the Musical.
As you take your next steps, keep in touch—we’d love to celebrate your future milestones!
CHICKEN
FUN:
LHA is delighted to announce that we’ve opened our doors to some very special new residents—a flock of much-loved chickens!
WELCOMES A FLOCK OF FEATHERED FRIENDS
The opportunity came about when a local charity reached out, asking if we could provide a forever home for these cherished birds. Their previous owner was thrilled to learn that the chickens would be moving to a school setting, especially given her own experience working with SEND students. She understood firsthand the therapeutic benefits animals can bring to young people, and knowing her flock would continue to make a positive impact brought her great joy.
This initiative reflects LHA’s commitment to creating enriching environments and fostering connections between people and nature. The chickens are settling in well, and we’re excited for the fun and learning they’ll bring to our community.
RUN
LHA
THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE - CREATIVE CAREERS
On Monday 24th November, a group of Year 9 Art students visited the University of Central Lancashire’s Media Factory for an inspiring Creative Careers morning.
The event was organised by Tony Rigg in collaboration with James Cruickshanks, Music Technology Teacher at Cardinal Newman College, and supported by his Year 13 Young Leaders. It was also fantastic to see Dotun, a former LHA student, mentoring in the creative writing session.
Our students listened to engaging career stories from industry professionals and took part in handson creative workshops, including sound and light engineering, videography, journalism, graphic art, and photography.
A special mention goes to the talented music students who performed live as part of the band, adding an extra buzz to the day. Huge thanks to everyone involved for making this experience so memorable— we’re excited for more opportunities like this in the future!
COMIC BOOK WORKSHOP AT THE HARRIS
A group of Year 7 and Year 9 creative students recently attended a fantastic Comic Book Workshop hosted by illustrator and comic book artist Eddy Nicholls. The event took place at the newly refurbished and recently reopened Harris Museum in Preston.
Students listened attentively as Eddy shared his career journey and creative influences, offering valuable insight into the world of comic art. During the workshop, they learned how to create a storyboard and explored a variety of visual techniques to help stories flow seamlessly.
All the students asked excellent questions and were a credit to the school. Well done, everyone! What an amazing opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by a professional in the creative industry.
GCSE ART & PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
The GCSE Awards Evening was not only a celebration of academic achievement but also a showcase of creativity. Visitors had the chance to view GCSE Art and Photography final projects, highlighting the talent and dedication of our students. We’re proud to share that many of these young artists have continued their creative journey by pursuing related subjects at college.
To view the one line gallery click here.
GCSE Art & Photography Exhibition
Class of 2025
ADAM PARKER
Isabel Benson
Kendall Bradley-Harris
Eva Klinck Adam Parker
Our annual Careers Fair took place on 13/11/2025 and was a tremendous success! It was wonderful to see students from all year groups actively engaging with the stalls - which included over 30 local and national employers and further education providers - asking insightful questions and exploring the many opportunities available to them when they leave school. It was a really worthwhile day.
Whilst at the fair, students completed a worksheet and feedback form.
Congratulations to Tegan S (7L) and Grace M (8K) who completed their worksheets with such fantastic detail! Both students won a £10 Amazon gift card for their efforts.
Thank you to all the visitors, both new and long-standing, who generously gave up their time to support our event - it was fantastic to hear so much positive feedback. We were especially delighted to welcome back some of our past students, who returned to share their experiences and promote their chosen career paths. Representing a diverse range of sectors—including Westinghouse, TUI, the Army, and Leyland Trucks—they engaged enthusiastically with our current students, offering valuable insights into the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. Their presence served as an inspiration for our students as they begin to plan their futures.
Next year’s event is scheduled for Thursday 12/11/2026. If you or someone you know would like to take part, we’d love to hear from you!
Please get in touch with our Careers Coordinator, Miss Allan, at l.allan@lostockhallacademy.org
YEAR 7 BAKING CLUB
This half term saw the return of our Year 7 Cooking Club. Eager as ever, students prepared and baked a range of treats, including scones, cupcakes, pizza wheels and Christmas shortbread. Their final dishes were impressive to say the least. I think Mary Berry may have some competition!! A great time has been had by all, and we look forward to welcoming a new group of students in the New Year.
Our current Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition Class have had the opportunity to cook with fish this half term, thanks to the generous donation of mussels we received from the Fish Hero’s Project. The project, organised by the Food Teacher’s Centre, works with fish suppliers, to provide secondary schools across the country with fish, giving students the chance to prepare, cook and eat it. The students excelled themselves making mussels in a tomato and garlic sauce, an Asian style sauce and creamy garlic sauce. Lots of students and staff tried the culinary delights with many surprising themselves when they really enjoyed them. This is an amazing opportunity for our students – thank you to the Fish Hero’s Project and the Food Teacher’s Centre.
YEAR 10 FISH HERO PROGRAMME
ON A ROLL: OUR RISING STARS TAKE THE TROPHY!
On Thursday 11th December, a group of Year 7 and 8 students took part in an inclusive bowling competition—and what a fantastic performance they delivered! The team earned three certificates for scoring over 100 points, an achievement no other school managed to match. Their incredible effort didn’t stop there—they went on to become the overall winners for South Ribble schools, coming home with a trophy! As a result of their success, the team has now been invited to represent South Ribble in a competition against schools from other counties. We are so proud of their determination and teamwork. Well done, everyone!
YEAR 7 CHRISTMAS CHARITY TOMBOLA
As Christmas approaches, our Year 7 students are organising a charity rainbow tombola. Students have been busy donating food prizes that are packaged in the colours of the rainbow and then in the last week of term we will hold a tombola. The tombola is open to all students and will take place at lunchtime on Tuesday 16th December. Tickets will be 20p each and all the money raised will be donated to our House charities at the end of term. We would love as many students as possible to get involved and support our chosen charities, so please remember to bring some spare change into school on Tuesday.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO ASPENS CATERING TEAM
A huge thank you in advance to the Aspens catering team for making our Christmas Lunch extra special—we know it will be wonderful!
Throughout December, Aspens have also created a selection of limited-edition signature cookies, with a percentage of each sale going toward helping a local boy receive life-changing surgery. All proceeds will go directly to Arni’s fundraising campaign, and we’ll share the final total in the New Year.
As it stands, Arni’s campaign has already raised an incredible £13,258 of the £16,000 goal—a true testament to the power of our community coming together.
If you’d like to learn more or contribute, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/arni-get-his-surgeryhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/arni-get-his-surgery
INTERFAITH WEEK: PROMOTING RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING
A number of students took part in a scavenger hunt which challenged them to find out about a diverse range of religious and non-religious people who had made significant contributions to different subject areas. Students then had to answer questions based on that information in order to receive a reward. Information was also given via student bulletin about the population of Preston and the responses to the census questions about religion and belief in the 2021 census.
This was part of Interfaith week which is held to mark the importance of respect and communication between different groups including those with no faith. Interfaith week directly follows Remembrance Day in order to underline the importance of tackling stereotypes and misconceptions.
Next week students will be starting to take part in the Big Christmas Quiz in their Beliefs, Philosophy and Ethics lessons to challenge them on their knowledge of the nativity story and the beliefs and teachings that have led to many traditions of Christmastime.
YEAR 9 GEOGRAPHY TACKLE ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES WITH DESIGN
Year 9 students in Geography have been looking at environmental issues and were tasked with creating their own sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings. The Geography department were delighted with the effort and attention to detail the students went into and finding a winner in each class was not an easy job for Mr Scarborough! It looks like we may have some aspiring architects on our hands at LHA!
Rehearsals are underway for our school production of School of Rock. An amazing well done to those students involved who have shown fantastic commitment and dedication to the rehearsals so far. The performance is already looking excellent, and we are excited to present this to you in March! Ticket details will be released after Christmas.
LOSTOCK HALL ACADEMY PROUDLY PRESENT S
10 , 11 & 12 MARCH TH TH TH
On Monday, Mrs Butterworth and our Head Student had the privilege of visiting Coote Lane Residential Home to celebrate a truly special occasion—Connie’s 100th birthday.
Connie, who once served as a Headteacher, holds a special place in the hearts of educators, making this visit particularly meaningful for our school community. To mark this incredible milestone, we presented Connie with a card and a small gift, sharing in the joy of her centenary celebration.
Reaching 100 years is an extraordinary achievement, and it was an honour to be part of such a memorable day. Happy 100th Birthday, Connie!
Who Will Take the Top Spot?
Will Wyre hold on to first place, or is there a new contender ready to rise? Have Douglas done enough to climb out of 6th place? All will be revealed at the End-of-Term Awards Assembly! Stay tuned…
Members of the art appreciation society, also known as the ‘Art Detectives’ spent an evening after school decorating the windows of the dining hall in preparation for this year’s Christmas Lunch. The girls used paint pens to create festive scenes which brighten up the dining area for the entire school to enjoy in the lead up to the Christmas Break.
This term Years 7, 8 and 9 were inspired to get into animation by the Wallace & Gromit exhibition at the newly re-opened Harris museum. Meeting every Wednesday at lunch students have been story boarding, model making and animating their own short films using the Aardman Animation software. The group has been led by year 9 students, Lizzy and Katie.
ANIMATION CLUB
Huge congratulations to the Y8 Girls who participated in the U13 Utilita Girls Cup. All students involved worked very hard and represented the school amazingly. Despite the cold conditions, their hard work meant they came away with 1st place. Mr Galbraith is very proud of you all!!
STUDENTS REPRESENT THE ACADEMY WITH PRIDE AT SOUTH RIBBLE EVENT
A huge well done and thank you to the students who represented the Academy on Saturday 15th November in the South Ribble Cross Country Championships at Hutton. All students showed great determination and effort to cross the finish line!
At the Academy, we regularly share guides on safeguarding and online safety to help keep our community informed. These areas are constantly evolving, so staying up to date with trends is essential for protecting your family online. With Christmas approaching and many teens hoping for tech gifts, it’s more important than ever to understand how to keep everyone safe in the digital world. https://www.lostockhallacademy.org/information/online-safety
ADMISSIONS 2027/28: PUBLIC CONSULTATION
The Trustees of Lostock Hall Academy are consulting on the proposed admissions arrangements for the 2027/28 academic year (September 2027 intake).
In line with the School Admissions Code, all schools must consult on any changes to their admissions arrangements for a minimum of six consecutive weeks between 1 October 2025 and 31 January 2026.
Our statutory consultation period will run from 2 December 2025 to 13 January 2026.
Given the ongoing development of our local area, including new residential construction, enhanced road networks, and the redevelopment of formerly open land, we are reviewing our GPA to ensure it remains accurate, transparent, and representative of the community we serve.
Find out more details by visiting out website here.
