Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 112
- February 7, 2025
Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 112
- February 7, 2025
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
I write to you this week contemplatively following the very sad news of the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in a school in Sheffield. I am sure I speak for us all when I say how saddened we were at this terrible news. Our thoughts are with family, friends and the school community.
For all of us who work in schools and for you as parents, news of this nature will always be a concern. What strikes me as a headteacher when I hear stories of this nature is how the very real breakdown of society, whether it be through knife crime, drug issues, mental health problems, the impact of poverty, can manifest itself so easily in a school setting, and in this case with such tragic consequences.
As a school community we want our students to feel safe and secure in school and to create an environment in which all of our students can flourish. As this devastating news broke on Monday, Freddie’s also appeared in the news in an article in the Manchester Evening News which focused on the importance of schools creating a positive climate for learning through clear routines and systems, by defining social norms and teaching children that schools do have rules, and like in society, when broken, carry a consequence.
We want the very best for our young people – your children. We teach them the importance of respect, kindness, resilience and the value of hard work. In so doing, we try to keep the problems of society at the school gate. We want a school environment that is an antidote to the problems in our society. This starts with a common set of rules, adhered to by all.
Thank-you for your continued support.
Mr Davies.
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
I write to you this week contemplatively following the very sad news of the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in a school in Sheffield. I am sure I speak for us all when I say how saddened we were at this terrible news. Our thoughts are with family, friends and the school community.
For all of us who work in schools and for you as parents, news of this nature will always be a concern. What strikes me as a headteacher when I hear stories of this nature is how the very real breakdown of society, whether it be through knife crime, drug issues, mental health problems, the impact of poverty, can manifest itself so easily in a school setting, and in this case with such tragic consequences.
As a school community we want our students to feel safe and secure in school and to create an environment in which all of our students can flourish. As this devastating news broke on Monday, Freddie’s also appeared in the news in an article in the Manchester Evening News which focused on the importance of schools creating a positive climate for learning through clear routines and systems, by defining social norms and teaching children that schools do have rules, and like in society, when broken, carry a consequence.
We want the very best for our young people – your children. We teach them the importance of respect, kindness, resilience and the value of hard work. In so doing, we try to keep the problems of society at the school gate. We want a school environment that is an antidote to the problems in our society. This starts with a common set of rules, adhered to by all.
Thank-you for your continued support.
Mr Davies.
Things to celebrate
- Last week was our school show week. We saw so many of our students taking part in ‘The Wiz’ either on stage or in a backstage role. The show was a huge success and watching students working together with such professionalism was a joy.
- On Monday our Year 9 students listened to motivational speaker (and former ‘Apprentice’ candidate) Adam Corbally during their designated Personal Development time.
- On Friday after school, our Year 11 students were treated to a ‘February Fun’ wellbeing event to provide them with an opportunity to let their hair down and relax as the approach to their examinations gets ever closer.
- Last week we also celebrated our ‘Freddie’s Focus on the Stars’. Please ask your child if they were given a shout out from one of their subject teachers for superb effort over the past fortnight.
- As part of Children’s Mental Health Week Mrs Naylor and a team of our students have shared hot chocolate and an opportunity to talk during our break and lunch ‘Choc and Chats’.
Wider cultural experiences at Freddie's
At Freddie’s our staff offer a wide range of clubs, activities, trips and events for our students. Here is a selection of what is on offer this term, in addition to the range of clubs and activities.
At Freddie’s we offer our students a wide range of other extra-curricular activities. For further details, click here.
- Sporting Success this week
We are always excited to learn of any sporting successes outside of school so we can celebrate the student’s achievements. Please can parents 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
We are always excited to learn of any sporting successes outside of school so we can celebrate the student’s achievements. Please can parents email Mr Gregory with any information so we can share with everyone on Freddie’s Focus – gregoryi@flhs.wigan.sch.uk
School Reminders
Did you know that you can read previous editions of Freddie’s Focus from this Academic Year? To do so, click here.
School Reminders
Did you know that you can read previous editions of Freddie’s Focus from this Academic Year? To do so, click here.
What we do at Freddie's and why we do it
On the final Friday of this half term, four students from every form will receive a BEST Award. This is because they have demonstrated one or more of our character values seen above. We do this to highlight the importance of good character and to make sure that our students know that their positive contribution to our school is valued.
Year 7 to Year 10
100 HoY Mug/Earphones/Water Bottle/Skip the queue pass
175 JWY Power Bank/Skip the queue pass/Calculator/£5 Amazon voucher
250 JWY £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 JWY £10 Amazon voucher/£10 off Prom
200 PDA £15 Amazon voucher/£15 off Prom
On the run up to the Musical ‘The Wiz’, students with 250 rewards (150 Y11) may opt for a free ticket to see the musical when they see Mr Whalley.
Homework and Independent Learning
The OSCAR model is something that we are promoting at Freddie’s in order to support your child with independent/self-directed study at home.
The ‘S’ stands for select. To support your child with this, the following questions and prompts may be useful:
- Have you checked ‘Satchel One’ to see what you have been set and what your priority is?
- Which subject/piece of homework are you going to focus on tonight?
- Which key pieces of knowledge will you focus on?
- If this is self-directed study, why don’t you focus on subjects or topics that you have forgotten or are likely to forget?
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-Thursday in the Library (apart from Monday week B) where support and IT equipment is is available.
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.
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. You 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. You continued support is invaluable to us.