Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 174
- October 2, 2026
Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 174
- October 2, 2026
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
As we continue through the autumn term, it has been wonderful to see students settling into school life so positively and making an excellent start to the year.
Next week, we will be sharing the first Freddie’s Focus on the Stars for this academic year. Freddie’s Focus is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the many achievements, successes and positive contributions of our students, both in and beyond the classroom. The first few weeks of term have already provided many examples of students demonstrating our values through their hard work, determination and kindness, and we look forward to celebrating these achievements and sharing their stories with our wider community throughout the year.
I would also like to thank all parents and carers who attended our Year 11 Exam Support Evening. We greatly value the partnership between home and school, and it was encouraging to see so many families engaging with the information and guidance provided.
We recognise that Year 11 is an important and pivotal year for our students. The first key milestone will be the mock examinations in early December, and students are already preparing for these through their lessons, revision activities and independent study. The mock examinations provide an important opportunity for students to assess their progress, develop their examination skills and identify areas for further focus ahead of the summer examination season.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to sharing more student successes and achievements with you in the weeks ahead.
Mr Davies.
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
As we continue through the autumn term, it has been wonderful to see students settling into school life so positively and making an excellent start to the year.
Next week, we will be sharing the first Freddie’s Focus on the Stars for this academic year. Freddie’s Focus is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the many achievements, successes and positive contributions of our students, both in and beyond the classroom. The first few weeks of term have already provided many examples of students demonstrating our values through their hard work, determination and kindness, and we look forward to celebrating these achievements and sharing their stories with our wider community throughout the year.
I would also like to thank all parents and carers who attended our Year 11 Exam Support Evening. We greatly value the partnership between home and school, and it was encouraging to see so many families engaging with the information and guidance provided.
We recognise that Year 11 is an important and pivotal year for our students. The first key milestone will be the mock examinations in early December, and students are already preparing for these through their lessons, revision activities and independent study. The mock examinations provide an important opportunity for students to assess their progress, develop their examination skills and identify areas for further focus ahead of the summer examination season.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to sharing more student successes and achievements with you in the weeks ahead.
Mr Davies.
Things to celebrate
- This week we hosted our Year 11 Exam Support Event for parents and carers. We would like to thank everyone who attended and look forward to working with you as we embark on your child’s final stages at Freddie’s.
- On Friday we held our ‘Freddie’s Friday Fanfare’ to celebrate all of our students’ achievements over the past fortnight. Please continue to use the ‘Buzz Alert’ email to inform us of anything that your child has achieved outside of school.
- We are incredibly proud of the number of our students who are now taking part in one or more of the extra-curricular activities on offer to them. If your child has not yet signed up to take part in an extra-curricular activity, please encourage them to do so.
- Sporting Success this week
It has been another busy and successful week for PE and school sport at Freddie’s, with students representing the school brilliantly both on and off the field.
Meanwhile, Year 10 Sports Studies students are currently undertaking the practical element of their Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) unit. Students have been challenging themselves at Rock and River, developing their climbing skills and performing to a very high standard. Their enthusiasm and willingness to push themselves outside their comfort zones has been fantastic to see.
The speakers highlighted how leadership opportunities can help students develop confidence, communication and teamwork skills while making a positive impact on the school community. Thank you to everyone who attended and showed an interest in becoming one of our future sports leaders.
The team produced an outstanding performance, finishing a very close second in the Medley Relay before securing an excellent victory in the Freestyle Relay.
Representing the school were:
- Olivia Hood (Year 9)
- Maddison Davies (Year 10)
- Elliott Roberts (Year 10)
- Hugo Vincent-Dootson (Year 9)
- Daniel Lesti (Year 10)
The swimmers represented Freddie’s with tremendous pride and professionalism throughout the competition. We will discover the overall North West results on 6 October and are hopeful of securing qualification for the National Finals.
Well done to all of our students who have represented the school this week. Your commitment, enthusiasm and achievements continue to make the PE Faculty incredibly proud.
We are always excited to learn of any sporting successes outside of school so we can celebrate the student’s achievements. Please email Mr Gregory with any information so we can share with everyone on Freddie’s Focus – gregoryi@flhs.wigan.sch.uk
Sporting Success this week
It has been another busy and successful week for PE and school sport at Freddie’s, with students representing the school brilliantly both on and off the field.
Meanwhile, Year 10 Sports Studies students are currently undertaking the practical element of their Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) unit. Students have been challenging themselves at Rock and River, developing their climbing skills and performing to a very high standard. Their enthusiasm and willingness to push themselves outside their comfort zones has been fantastic to see.
The speakers highlighted how leadership opportunities can help students develop confidence, communication and teamwork skills while making a positive impact on the school community. Thank you to everyone who attended and showed an interest in becoming one of our future sports leaders.
The team produced an outstanding performance, finishing a very close second in the Medley Relay before securing an excellent victory in the Freestyle Relay.
Representing the school were:
- Olivia Hood (Year 9)
- Maddison Davies (Year 10)
- Elliott Roberts (Year 10)
- Hugo Vincent-Dootson (Year 9)
- Daniel Lesti (Year 10)
The swimmers represented Freddie’s with tremendous pride and professionalism throughout the competition. We will discover the overall North West results on 6 October and are hopeful of securing qualification for the National Finals.
Well done to all of our students who have represented the school this week. Your commitment, enthusiasm and achievements continue to make the PE Faculty incredibly proud.
We are always excited to learn of any sporting successes outside of school so we can celebrate the student’s achievements. Please email Mr Gregory with any information so we can share with everyone on Freddie’s Focus – gregoryi@flhs.wigan.sch.uk
School Reminders
This week, Year 10 students were given guidance during their Freddie’s Focus session in Form on how to log in to the Study Hub and access the resources available to them.
We would now encourage students to regularly use the Study Hub to support their learning and develop strong independent study habits throughout their GCSE courses.
Keep an eye out for further updates, including the launch of our new KS3 Study Hub.
School Reminders
This week, Year 10 students were given guidance during their Freddie’s Focus session in Form on how to log in to the Study Hub and access the resources available to them.
We would now encourage students to regularly use the Study Hub to support their learning and develop strong independent study habits throughout their GCSE courses.
Keep an eye out for further updates, including the launch of our new KS3 Study Hub.
Information for parents of SEND students
We’d like to signpost to parents a new PADLET that has been created by Wigan LA to make parents aware of specific services that are available to support neuro-diverse students.
https://padlet.com/Thrive_in_Wigan/neurodevelopmental-support-n944neepu5gjvosy
This is additional to the other Wigan PADLET which serves as a useful gateway to all the services that support children in the Wigan area. Both PADLETS are regularly updated so it is worthwhile frequently checking-in for current information and updates.
https://padlet.com/WiganCAMHS/wigan-mhst-info-board-nu69chp8ifamla8q
Embrace also offer a range of on-line courses to support parents. Details of these can be found here:
https://www.embracewiganandleigh.org.uk/behaviour-support-workshops/?cn-reloaded=1
The following link provides a useful gateway to all services that support children in the Wigan area. This page is regularly updated so it is worthwhile frequently checking-in for current information and updates.
https://padlet.com/WiganCAMHS/wigan-mhst-info-board-nu69chp8ifamla8q
We can also recommend this website as a source of useful information for the parents of neurodiverse children and teens.
What we do at Freddie's and why we do it
‘Habits accelerate learning’
‘Freddie’s Focus on the Stars’ is back from Monday 5th October.
This is where teachers will select four students who have excelled in specific subjects over the past fortnight (month in the case of the first one).
All students who are given a shout out on ‘FF on the Stars’ will receive three reward points.
Any students who receive a Head of Year award will receive a badge from their HOY.
Any students who receive the Head Teacher’s Award will receive a badge and five reward points. These students will be asked to go to Mr Davies’ office at one point during that week to meet with the Headteacher and discuss their achievements.
At Freddie’s, celebration, praise and reward are at the heart of all that we do. We want all of our students to strive for excellence and experience the buzz of success.
How to support your child to become an independent learner
At Freddie’s, there are six types of homework set in order to embed key knowledge and ensure that your child is equipped with independent learning skills. Below are the types of homework that we set.
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Applications that we use for learning
The following applications are used by our students during their time at FLHS to aid their learning. You can learn more about them below.
Microsoft Office
Did you know that your child can access Microsoft Office at home for free? As a student at Fred Longworth High School, your child is allowed to download a fully working free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use on their computer, smartphone and tablet whilst they are a student at our school. Click on the button below to learn more.
Satchel:One
Satchel:One is the school online learning platform for students and is the parental portal for all information related to your child’s overall progress within school. You can keep track of your child’s homework using Satchel:One. It is advisable to remind your child to get into the habit of checking their homework on Satchel:One regularly. Relying upon notifications is not the right approach and we advise students to turn off notifications so that they are not disturbed by them.
GCSEPod
GCSEPod is an online study platform and is the perfect resource to help your child learn, retain and recall all the information they need to achieve their GCSE goals. GCSEPod provides 3-5 minute bursts of audio-visual, teacher written learning which can help to reinforce and consolidate key GCSE topics covered in lessons. Experts read and explain everything clearly including all the right facts, quotes, keywords, dates and diagrams on screen. GCSEPod is only available to students in Year 10 and Year 11.
Homework Club
Please remind your child that homework club is available to all students Monday to Thursday where they can complete work in a quiet environment with staff on hand to support them, and computers for online quizzes and research.
Homework Intervention
If your child is not meeting deadlines or completing homework to the best of their ability, their teachers and/or Head of Year will refer them to our homework intervention group. Parents/ carers will receive a letter notifying you and to explain the night that your child will be required and for how long. This is a supportive intervention which is used to get students back on track with homework if they are struggling in this area.
Attendance
We want to do all we can to support your child to be in school every day and ask that you support this important message from home, encouraging your child to avoid missing curriculum content through absence. Here is a breakdown of the absences for the following attendance percentages:
Thank you for your continued support with attendance.
Please encourage your child to be in school every day.
Please ensure your child speaks to staff of any lessons where they miss work due to absence, this is to mitigate any impact of absence.
Can we please remind all our parents and carers to use the correct channels of communication should they wish to raise a concern or question. Your continued support is invaluable to us.
Belonging, Engaging, Succeeding Together.
Can we please remind all our parents and carers to use the correct channels of communication should they wish to raise a concern or question. Your continued support is invaluable to us.