Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 164
- June 5, 2026
Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 164
- June 5, 2026
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
Welcome back to the start of the new half term. I hope you and your families have enjoyed a restful break, and that the children are returning refreshed, motivated and ready to learn.
As we begin this new half term, I would like to take the opportunity to emphasise the vital importance of excellent attendance. Every day in school truly matters. The learning that takes place in classrooms builds step by step, and when a child misses even a single day, they miss important explanations, discussions and opportunities to practise new skills. Over time, these gaps can quickly add up and make it harder for children to feel confident and succeed.
At our school, we are committed to ensuring that every child reaches their full potential. Regular attendance is one of the most significant factors in achieving this. Quite simply, the more a child is in school, the more they learn, and the better they achieve. Conversely, lost learning due to absence can be difficult to recover, even with additional support. We ask for your continued support in:
- Ensuring your child attends school every day, on time
- Avoiding taking holidays during term time
- Letting us know promptly if your child is unwell
Together, we can give every child the very best opportunity to thrive academically, socially and emotionally. We are looking forward to an exciting and productive half term ahead, with many opportunities for learning, enrichment and success.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and partnership.
Mr Davies
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
Welcome back to the start of the new half term. I hope you and your families have enjoyed a restful break, and that the children are returning refreshed, motivated and ready to learn.
As we begin this new half term, I would like to take the opportunity to emphasise the vital importance of excellent attendance. Every day in school truly matters. The learning that takes place in classrooms builds step by step, and when a child misses even a single day, they miss important explanations, discussions and opportunities to practise new skills. Over time, these gaps can quickly add up and make it harder for children to feel confident and succeed.
At our school, we are committed to ensuring that every child reaches their full potential. Regular attendance is one of the most significant factors in achieving this. Quite simply, the more a child is in school, the more they learn, and the better they achieve. Conversely, lost learning due to absence can be difficult to recover, even with additional support. We ask for your continued support in:
- Ensuring your child attends school every day, on time
- Avoiding taking holidays during term time
- Letting us know promptly if your child is unwell
Together, we can give every child the very best opportunity to thrive academically, socially and emotionally. We are looking forward to an exciting and productive half term ahead, with many opportunities for learning, enrichment and success.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and partnership.
Mr Davies
Things to celebrate





- This week we launched our outside catering pod, ‘Freddie’s Express’. The daily specials have gone down extremely well.
- Before we broke up for the half term holiday, we celebrated our BEST awards. We are incredibly proud of all of our students who received an award this time.
- A group of students took part in a librarian trip and visited John Rylands Library on Thursday. A great time was had by all.
- Sporting Success this week
-
Outstanding Season – Ellie Waller (Year 9)
A huge congratulations to Ellie Waller on an outstanding season in football this year.
With AFC Monton U15s, Ellie has achieved:
- Northwest Girls Super League Champions
- Manchester FA County Cup Winners
In addition, representing Tiki Taka Lionesses U15s, she has secured:
- South Manchester Girls Football League Premier Division Champions
- South Manchester Girls Football League Premier League Cup Winners
Ellie has also proudly represented Wigan District Schools over the past two seasons, highlighting her consistency, dedication, and high level of performance.
This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to Ellie’s hard work and commitment to her sport. She is an excellent role model for other students within our school community.
-
U13 League Champions – Ella Devonport & Clara Tunny (Year 8)
Congratulations to Ella Devonport and Clara Tunny who both played a key role for Urmston Meadowside Sharks in a league play-off against RTB.
Their team secured victory to become South Manchester Girls League U13 Premier Division Champions.
This is a fantastic achievement and reflects the girls’ commitment, teamwork, and high level of performance. We are incredibly proud of their success and the way they continue to represent themselves and the school in competitive sport.
-
Footwear Reminder
Reminder about the football boots policy we have at Freddie's and what students can and can’t wear when participating in sport on the 3G surface. We continue to do our best to ensure we maintain the quality of the playing surface for many years to come so all students can benefit from using our top-class facility. Thanks for your support and should you have any questions please contact Mr Gregory.
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
-
Outstanding Season – Ellie Waller (Year 9)
A huge congratulations to Ellie Waller on an outstanding season in football this year.
With AFC Monton U15s, Ellie has achieved:
- Northwest Girls Super League Champions
- Manchester FA County Cup Winners
In addition, representing Tiki Taka Lionesses U15s, she has secured:
- South Manchester Girls Football League Premier Division Champions
- South Manchester Girls Football League Premier League Cup Winners
Ellie has also proudly represented Wigan District Schools over the past two seasons, highlighting her consistency, dedication, and high level of performance.
This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to Ellie’s hard work and commitment to her sport. She is an excellent role model for other students within our school community.
-
U13 League Champions – Ella Devonport & Clara Tunny (Year 8)
Congratulations to Ella Devonport and Clara Tunny who both played a key role for Urmston Meadowside Sharks in a league play-off against RTB.
Their team secured victory to become South Manchester Girls League U13 Premier Division Champions.
This is a fantastic achievement and reflects the girls’ commitment, teamwork, and high level of performance. We are incredibly proud of their success and the way they continue to represent themselves and the school in competitive sport.
-
Footwear Reminder
Reminder about the football boots policy we have at Freddie's and what students can and can’t wear when participating in sport on the 3G surface. We continue to do our best to ensure we maintain the quality of the playing surface for many years to come so all students can benefit from using our top-class facility. Thanks for your support and should you have any questions please contact Mr Gregory.
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
-
Year 11 - Examinations
Year 11 examinations will continue next week.
-
Year 11 - Leavers' Assembly
Year 11 leavers’ assembly will take place on Thursday 18th June.
-
Year 10 - Mock Examinations
Year 10 mock exams will commence on 15th June and will run for two weeks.
-
Student-Led Conference
Our annual Student-Led Conference will take place for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Monday 6th July. More information to follow.
-
Self-Directed Study Hub Updates
We’re keen to ensure all Year 10 students are making the most of The Study Hub, as it’s a really valuable tool to support their learning. It brings together key revision materials and past papers in one clear, organised place, helping students build strong independent study habits ahead of next year’s GCSE exams. Please encourage your child to use The Study Hub regularly as part of their homework and revision - consistent use now will make a big difference to their confidence and progress over time.
-
General Reminder
Can we please ask for your support in ensuring that your child does not wear false eyelashes, jewellery or false nails to school. Your continued support is invaluable to us.
School Reminders
-
Year 11 - Examinations
Year 11 examinations will continue next week.
-
Year 11 - Leavers' Assembly
Year 11 leavers’ assembly will take place on Thursday 18th June.
-
Year 10 - Mock Examinations
Year 10 mock exams will commence on 15th June and will run for two weeks.
-
Student-Led Conference
Our annual Student-Led Conference will take place for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Monday 6th July. More information to follow.
-
Self-Directed Study Hub Updates
We’re keen to ensure all Year 10 students are making the most of The Study Hub, as it’s a really valuable tool to support their learning. It brings together key revision materials and past papers in one clear, organised place, helping students build strong independent study habits ahead of next year’s GCSE exams. Please encourage your child to use The Study Hub regularly as part of their homework and revision - consistent use now will make a big difference to their confidence and progress over time.
-
General Reminder
Can we please ask for your support in ensuring that your child does not wear false eyelashes, jewellery or false nails to school. Your continued support is invaluable to us.
Information for parents of SEND students
Please find attached a link to the latest MHST newsletter (click image below to read).
Embrace 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
‘Freddie’s Fortnightly Focus for students’
Once per fortnight we deliver ‘Freddie’s Focus for Students’ during an allocated Form time slot. This publication is used to communicate key messages to students including whole school and Head of Year notices. We also use this publication to challenge thinking, advertise extra-curricular opportunities, share library notices and deliver something topical and news-related.
Year 7 to Year 10
100 HoY Mug/Earphones/Water Bottle/Skip the queue pass
175 MTA Power Bank/Skip the queue pass/Calculator/£5 Amazon voucher
250 MTA £10 Amazon voucher/Skip the queue pass
350 PDA £15 Amazon voucher/Skip the queue pass
Year 11
100 HoY £5 Amazon voucher/£5 off Prom
150 MTA £10 Amazon voucher/£10 off Prom
200 PDA £15 Amazon voucher/£15 off Prom
How to support your child to become an independent learner
Retrieval practice is the strategy of recalling facts, concepts, or events from memory in order to enhance learning. The act of retrieving something from your memory actually strengthens the connections holding it there, making it more likely that you’ll be able to recall it in the future. Below are some of the strategies that we have spoken to your children about:
Add Your Heading Text Here
We strongly encourage all of our KS4 students to access the self-directed study hub.
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.
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.
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.