Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 175
- October 9, 2026
Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 175
- October 9, 2026
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
One of the privileges of being Headteacher is seeing the very best of our young people every day. Whether in lessons, around the school site or representing the school in the wider community, I am regularly struck by the kindness, courtesy and respect shown by the vast majority of our students. It is these qualities that help make Fred Longworth such a warm, welcoming and inclusive school.
Through our curriculum, assemblies, tutor programme and daily interactions, we help students develop their knowledge, understanding and respect for people from all backgrounds and walks of life, including those with protected characteristics. This work reflects our core values of Belonging, Engaging and Succeeding Together, helping students to develop empathy, challenge stereotypes and build positive relationships with others.
These values extend beyond the school gates. You will recently have received communication regarding concerns raised by members of the local community about incidents of anti-social behaviour involving groups of young people in Astley Street Park. These concerns included the misuse of fireworks and other behaviours that have caused alarm to local residents and have the potential to place both young people and members of the public at risk. Whilst it is not clear whether any Fred Longworth students were involved, the concerns provide an important reminder that the respect, responsibility and consideration we expect in school should also be evident in the wider community.
The positive behaviour demonstrated by the overwhelming majority of our students reflects both the work undertaken in school and the support, guidance and high expectations provided by parents and carers. We are grateful for this partnership and ask for your continued support in reinforcing the importance of respect, responsibility and safe decision-making when young people are socialising outside school. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to remind students of our expectations and reinforce messages around personal safety and the dangers associated with the misuse of fireworks.
The calm, respectful and tolerant atmosphere that exists within Fred Longworth is something we can all be proud of. It is the result of a strong partnership between students, staff, parents and carers, helping to ensure that everyone feels they belong and can succeed.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mr Davies.
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
One of the privileges of being Headteacher is seeing the very best of our young people every day. Whether in lessons, around the school site or representing the school in the wider community, I am regularly struck by the kindness, courtesy and respect shown by the vast majority of our students. It is these qualities that help make Fred Longworth such a warm, welcoming and inclusive school.
Through our curriculum, assemblies, tutor programme and daily interactions, we help students develop their knowledge, understanding and respect for people from all backgrounds and walks of life, including those with protected characteristics. This work reflects our core values of Belonging, Engaging and Succeeding Together, helping students to develop empathy, challenge stereotypes and build positive relationships with others.
These values extend beyond the school gates. You will recently have received communication regarding concerns raised by members of the local community about incidents of anti-social behaviour involving groups of young people in Astley Street Park. These concerns included the misuse of fireworks and other behaviours that have caused alarm to local residents and have the potential to place both young people and members of the public at risk. Whilst it is not clear whether any Fred Longworth students were involved, the concerns provide an important reminder that the respect, responsibility and consideration we expect in school should also be evident in the wider community.
The positive behaviour demonstrated by the overwhelming majority of our students reflects both the work undertaken in school and the support, guidance and high expectations provided by parents and carers. We are grateful for this partnership and ask for your continued support in reinforcing the importance of respect, responsibility and safe decision-making when young people are socialising outside school. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to remind students of our expectations and reinforce messages around personal safety and the dangers associated with the misuse of fireworks.
The calm, respectful and tolerant atmosphere that exists within Fred Longworth is something we can all be proud of. It is the result of a strong partnership between students, staff, parents and carers, helping to ensure that everyone feels they belong and can succeed.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mr Davies.
Things to celebrate
- This week we re-launched ‘Freddie’s Focus on the Stars’. This is where all subject areas give a shout out to five students who have excelled in their subject area over the previous fortnight. We are incredibly proud of all students who received a shout out this week.
- Over the past two weeks our Sports Studies students have completed the first part of their assessments through the Outdoor and Adventurous Activities unit. Students have thrown themselves into all activities, demonstrated resilience and represented the school superbly.
- Our Music Department has been named as a finalist in the Music & Drama Education Awards 2027, in the category of ‘Outstanding Music Department Inspiration Award’.
- 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.
- Attendance is 93.70% and rising! That’s higher than the same week last year (93.11%). Thank you for helping us improve attendance and maximise learning time. Let’s keep working together and aim even higher next week! Every day counts.
- Sporting Success this week
Another busy and successful week in the world of school sport, with plenty of fantastic performances, achievements and experiences to celebrate.
Another busy and successful week in the world of school sport. Well done to all of our students for representing the school so positively and, as always, a huge thank you to the staff who give up their time to make these opportunities possible. Great work, Freddie’s!
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
Another busy and successful week in the world of school sport, with plenty of fantastic performances, achievements and experiences to celebrate.
Another busy and successful week in the world of school sport. Well done to all of our students for representing the school so positively and, as always, a huge thank you to the staff who give up their time to make these opportunities possible. Great work, Freddie’s!
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
Next week, Year 10 and Year 11 students will be shown a short video during their Freddie’s Focus session in Form, demonstrating how to log in to the Study Hub and make the most of the resources available to them.
We also have a short video guide for parents and carers, which can be found on our website: https://flhs.org.uk/self-directed-study/. We would really encourage you to take a few minutes to watch this so that you are familiar with the site and the ways it can support your child throughout their GCSEs.
We hope the Study Hub will become a really useful part of students’ learning and help them to build confidence, develop good independent study habits and take greater ownership of their learning.
If students need any help accessing or using the KS4 Study Hub, they are always welcome to speak to Mrs Potter.
School Reminders
Next week, Year 10 and Year 11 students will be shown a short video during their Freddie’s Focus session in Form, demonstrating how to log in to the Study Hub and make the most of the resources available to them.
We also have a short video guide for parents and carers, which can be found on our website: https://flhs.org.uk/self-directed-study/. We would really encourage you to take a few minutes to watch this so that you are familiar with the site and the ways it can support your child throughout their GCSEs.
We hope the Study Hub will become a really useful part of students’ learning and help them to build confidence, develop good independent study habits and take greater ownership of their learning.
If students need any help accessing or using the KS4 Study Hub, they are always welcome to speak to Mrs Potter.
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
Supporting our students with reading:
At Freddie’s we place great value on reading. We have a reading curriculum in place to support every child to access reading materials in all of their subjects. All classroom display ‘Read like a….’ posters which contain subject specific tips on how to access reading materials. We also use a variety of strategies to guide students through specific texts (see below):
Please encourage your child to read at home.
Our ‘Powerful Words’ booklets for Years 7, 8 and 9 are in place to support vocabulary development and our reading curriculum. Students are expected to bring their ‘Powerful Words’ booklets to school with them every day as part of their essential equipment. These words are central to the learning and progress of every Key Stage 3 student.
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.