To download a copy of this letter, click here.
- July 14, 2025
Please note:
If your child is due to start in September and you do not already have a child on roll at our school you currently will not be able to create a Satchel One parent account. Codes to create parent accounts or link students to existing Satchel One parent accounts are issued once your child starts at FLHS in September.
Details for creating WisePay accounts (payment portal for school meals and trips) have been sent out to parents and carers of incoming Year 7 students via email. If you have not received this information, please email our finance department: finance@flhs.wigan.sch.uk stating your child’s full name when contacting.
Dear Parents and Carers,
I write to you at the end of what has been a very positive year for the school. I know this letter is quite lengthy but please take the time to read it carefully. It contains key updates and useful information as well as the arrangements for the start of next term.
End of term arrangements
As a reminder, the summer term ends on Friday 18th July at 12:15pm. The preceding day (Thursday 17th July) is activities day and this day, along with the final day, will be a non-uniform day. We would ask students on the last day of term to donate £1:00. All proceeds will be donated to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and specifically to the ward that cared for Eva Thornley.
To donate, please send your child into school with £1 cash to give to their form tutor or alternatively, payment can be made online using the following SumUp link:
Please could all students and parents be aware that our expectations regarding personal appearance and make-up/jewellery are the same as any ‘normal’ day.
Parent Contact Details
It is vitally important that we have the correct contact details for you on our system in case we need to contact you about your child. Please inform us of any changes. To ensure that you are receiving all information from school we need an up-to-date email address and your mobile phone number.
Uniform Updates for September 2025
Parents will all be aware of the uniform changes for September 2025. To be clear, the expectation is that all students will wear trousers from September 2025. For the girls, trousers should be plain, black, smart and business-like in either a straight or flared style. The most recent letter that was sent home to parents about this can be found here.
From September students will be allowed to wear jumpers to school should they wish to do so. Jumpers should not be worn in place of a blazer.
We make no apologies for our high expectations because excellent standards in a secondary school start with high standards of uniform. Please also remember that our school serves a diverse socio-economic community and clear guidelines about uniform helps all our families by acting as a leveller.
To avoid any problems for your child at the start of term, we appreciate the full support of all parents on this.
In preparation for the winter months, I would also like to draw your attention to what we deem appropriate and sensible coats for the winter. Many students wear coats that are more of a fashion item as opposed to being a sensible coat for school. To provide clarity, we have uploaded on to our website what is deemed an appropriate coat and what is not. This can be found here.
Recycling Uniform
If you have old items of uniform or school shoes which are in good condition, please could you consider donating this to school so that we can help other families. Please do not return dresses to us. Please contact your child’s Head of Year if you are able to assist with this or alternatively bring it in and leave it with our reception staff.
Start of the New School Year, September 2025
These are the arrangements for the start of the new term in September.
Year 7 only attend school. Year 7 need to arrive at school for 8:30am.
All other years return to school. Please note the staggered start times on the 3rd September.
- Years 7, 10 and 11 ONLY need to arrive at school for 8:30am.
- Years 8 and 9 ONLY need to arrive at school for 9:15am.
When the new Academic Year begins, here’s a reminder on how your child can be best prepared for success:
- Students arrive at school for 8:30am for a prompt arrival into the Line Ups. Students are marked late for school if they arrive to the Line Up after the second bell has rung at 8:35.
- Bring a suitable school bag which allows room for the key items that will be needed during the school day such as books and PE kit.
- Bring the correct basic equipment – black pen, green pen, pencil, ruler, highlighter, calculator and headphones (not Air Pod type headphones).
- Wear school shoes (no trainers).
- Wear full school uniform including trousers, blazer and tie as per policy.
- No make-up and no jewellery as per school policy. False eyelashes and/or false nails to be removed.
- No extreme hairstyles as per policy. Hair bands, bobbles or bows must be plain, black and a sensible size.
- Mobile phones should be switched off and out of sight on the school site. No Air Pods or similar type headphones allowed.
Year 11 2026 – Summer Homework
Thank you to our parents of students currently at the end of Year 10 for your ongoing support at this critical time of your child’s education. As a school, we are working tirelessly to support your child with a comprehensive package to help them through their examination year but ultimately, what we see year on year is that the key to success in Year 11 is a student’s attitude to learning, hard work, effort and commitment. To this end, we want to support the Year 10 transition into Year 11 by setting summer homework for the students to complete over the holidays. This is not intended to be onerous, but to help students recall key information and key concepts in each subject area. If you can please encourage your child to engage with this. Details of this work will be explained to each class and will be posted on either Satchel One or within Office 365 platforms. We will be reporting to you in autumn on how effectively your child has engaged with this work. We are talking to students about the important balance between achievement and rest and look forward to welcoming them back energised and ready for their final eight months at FLHS.
Encouraging your child to read
GCSE examinations have an average reading age of 15 years and 7 months. Sadly, we have some students in school with reading ages significantly lower than this. If your child cannot read well, they will struggle to access course content from Year 10 onwards. As parents and carers, one of the key things that you can do to help your child succeed in school is to encourage them to read. If you are struggling with ideas for books, this link takes you to suggested reading lists for students in both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
Site Updates and Catering
We are now well established into the new school building; however, it is important to keep parents updated about the development of the rest of the school site which still remains a work in progress. Unfortunately, a significant amount of asbestos is having to be removed from the old school building which is, frustratingly, taking much longer than expected. Whilst this is frustrating, the safety of the school community must remain the priority. This does mean that it will still be some time before our new football pitch and additional sports areas can be formed on the site of the old school buildings. As you may be aware, we have also had some recent issues with trespassers and damage to the school grounds. We need to ensure that this does not happen again over the holiday period, especially given the added Health and Safety risks.
On a more positive note, we are excited to announce that in September 2025 a new outdoor food kiosk will be opening which will expand the capacity of our canteen and improve the dining experience of our students.
Staying safe over the summer – dangers of Open Water
We want all our students to have a safe and enjoyable summer. Please remind your children of the dangers of swimming in open water. We are always asked, and rightly so, by the Police to raise awareness of this with parents at this time of year.
Mental Health support over the summer holidays
If you have any urgent concerns around a student’s mental health or risk to themselves, please contact the CAMHS duty worker for advice and to consider whether urgent assessment is indicated on 01942 764473. Out of hours, parents/students should contact Wigan mental health urgent response team – 0800 051 3253 (24/7 mental health crisis line for people of all ages in Wigan.
We have also attached to this letter a leaflet containing useful contact details of organisations that can provide support during the holiday.
Support during the summer holidays
For any students eligible for free school meals, information about Wigan Council’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme and vouchers can be found here. This programme supports families by providing healthy meals and enrichment activities for thousands of young people across the borough during the Summer, Christmas and Easter holidays.
We would also like to make parents aware of various offers available from a variety of retailers over the summer holidays. Further information can be found at the Money Saving Central website. A number of companies have promotions where children can eat for free or at a reduced rate.
Satchel One
A reminder to parents and carers that if you have not yet signed up to Satchel One and downloaded the parent app, please do so. The system continues to improve. As well as homework, it allows parents to track attendance, behaviour points and rewards. Details of how to log-in can be found here. New Year 7 parents will be able to sign up from September.
Staff Farewells
At the end of this term, we say farewell to a number of staff who are all retiring after many years of loyal service to our school and community. They are:
- Mr Whalley, Pastoral Deputy Head
- Mrs Venier, Teacher of MFL
- Mrs Haymes, Learning Coach
- Mr Lloyd, Cover Supervisor.
We wish them all a long and happy retirement. We also say farewell to Mr Caldwell, Teacher of Maths who will be relocating to Yorkshire over the summer and we bid a temporary farewell to Miss Causby, Head of History who will be taking maternity leave during the next academic year.
All that remains for me to say is thank-you for your continued support. I wish you and your families an enjoyable and safe summer.
Yours sincerely,
Mr P Davies
Headteacher
