WELCOME

WELCOME

Freddie's Focus

For Parents & Carers

Freddie's Focus

For Parents & Carers

Things to celebrate

  • We are pleased with the way in which the majority of our students have conducted themselves during our first week back: smart, equipped, and ready to learn.
  • This week, we shared our ‘Freddie’s Focus on the Stars’ winners during form time. Please ask your child if they were one of the lucky winners this time. Your child may have been recognised for their efforts and achievements in a particular subject area, or nominated for our Headteacher Award for their contribution to the wider school community.
  • We are thrilled to see some of our students using our new 3G Astro which is now open and ready for use.
  • It is fantastic to see how many of our students are taking part in the extra-curricular opportunities available to them at lunchtime and after school. Please encourage your child to get involved if they haven’t already done so. Please see our website for more information on all the extra-curricular opportunities that we offer.

School Reminders

  • Personal Development Curriculum

    On Monday period 4, we will begin our Personal Development curriculum which will be delivered by your child’s form tutor. Your child has been informed of the details and expectations during these lessons. We will remind them weekly of when their next Personal Development lesson will take place.

  • Mock Exam Results

    On Thursday, our Year 11 students will receive their mock examination results; they can arrive in the library from 8am to collect them.

  • Year 11 Parents' Evening

    On Thursday 19th January, our Year 11 Parents’ Evening will take place in school from 16.30.

  • General Reminder

    Could we please ask all parents and carers to support us in ensuring that your child is equipped and brings a school bag with them each day? Your child requires a pen, green pen, ruler, highlighter, earphones and calculator. These are available to purchase in school.

School Reminders

  • Personal Development Curriculum

    On Monday period 4, we will begin our Personal Development curriculum which will be delivered by your child’s form tutor. Your child has been informed of the details and expectations during these lessons. We will remind them weekly of when their next Personal Development lesson will take place.

  • Mock Exam Results

    On Thursday, our Year 11 students will receive their mock examination results; they can arrive in the library from 8am to collect them.

  • Year 11 Parents' Evening

    On Thursday 19th January, our Year 11 Parents’ Evening will take place in school from 16.30.

  • General Reminder

    Could we please ask all parents and carers to support us in ensuring that your child is equipped and brings a school bag with them each day? Your child requires a pen, green pen, ruler, highlighter, earphones and calculator. These are available to purchase in school.

Homework and Self-directed study

To support all of our students with homework and organisation of self-directed study, we would like them to ask themselves the following questions:

  • What homework do I have this week? What’s in my Satchel?! and IF I haven’t got any homework, what can I do independently?
  • When will I focus on each piece of homework?
  • How will I complete it to the best of my ability and how do I need to submit it? (hand in or online submission?)
  • We encourage all of our parents and carers to also ask these questions at home.

Satchel:One

You can keep track of your child’s homework using Satchel:One

Homework Club

Please remind your child that homework club is available to all students Monday-Thursday in the Library (apart from Monday week B) where support and IT equipment is is available.

Attendance

Dear Parents and Carers,

At the start of a new year, it is important to reflect on last term. Please have a look at our ‘Attendance Diamond’ and review what level of attendance your child is currently at. You can see this on Satchel:One via the parent app, and all students are shown their attendance in form time on a weekly basis.

We would like all students to aim for 97%+ (which still equates to 6 days absence per year) and at the end of the year in order for students to be eligible for our rewards trips, students will need to achieve 95% attendance or above. EVERY DAY COUNTS is our key message.

The link between success at school and attendance is clear; we want all our students to succeed. Being in school on time are key ingredients for students to do well at school.

Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I’d like to start by wishing you all a happy new year. Our assemblies this week have been focused on the new year and new beginnings. The month of January, named after Janus – the Roman God of New Beginnings. It was believed he had two faces – one facing forward and the other backward. Like Janus, we have encouraged the students to look forward to the year ahead, whilst at the same time to look back and reflect on the previous year.

As part of this, we have talked to students about their attitude to learning and behaviour. For the vast majority of our students, their attitude and behaviour has been, and is, exemplary; however,  I have been quite open in reminding the students about our basic standards and what is expected of them here at Freddie’s in terms of behaviour. For those students whose behaviour and attitude has not always been excellent, the new year provides them with a new beginning. We look forward to working with your child in the year ahead, and we hope that they can excel in everything that they do.

All the very best for 2023.

Regards,

Mr Davies.

How Yondr Works

Frequently Asked Questions

We want our students to be engaged in their learning. A child at high school should not really have a reason to contact a parent during the day; however, if there is a genuine reason e.g. they have forgotten their packed lunch, a phone call can be made home from the school office. If a parent needs to contact their child in an emergency, they should contact the school office. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office on 01942 883796.

In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency procedures.

 

Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch safely in their school bag or blazer pockets.

If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, we will confiscate the phone and issue a sanction which is likely to be a suspension.

Note: Damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised, whether intentional or unintentional, as determined by the school or Yondr staff.

Damaged pouches will be charged to parents at a cost of £20.

They will be searched and wanded with a handheld scanner by a member of SLT. If they are found to have their phone on their person they will be expected to place it in their pouch. Refusal will be met with suspension.

If a student forgets their Pouch, their phone will be confiscated.

As per our previous mobile phone policy;

  • Confiscated phones will be taken to reception where the phone will be secured in the school safe.
  • Parents will be alerted to the phone confiscation via the school office.

Parents will have the option to collect the phone at the end of the day. If parents do not collect the phone, the phone will remain in school until the end of the week or until the student has their pouch.

In Yondr’s experience, this almost never happens. All students funnel past the unlocking stations at the exits, they want their phones back and don’t forget to unlock their pouches. If they do arrive home with a phone in a pouch, they can either come back to school to unlock it, or have a phone free evening!

The unlocking process is quick and takes under a second per student. 

As a privilege, Year 11 will be able to unlock their phones as they go off site at lunchtime; however, they will be expected to put their phones back into their pouches when they return to school for period 5.

Yes. There is an adapted version of the pouch which uses a Velcro fastener instead of a magnetic lock. This means the student still follows the policy, but the adapted pouch gives them easy access to their phone when required. If the student abuses this, they will face a sanction. We are already aware of these students.

Your Office 365 account username is your school network account username followed by @flhs.wigan.sch.uk 
The password is the same password that you use in school to access computers.