Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 166
- June 19, 2026
Freddie's Focus
For Parents & Carers
- Issue 166
- June 19, 2026
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
In recent months, and particularly in light of the recent election in Makerfield, many of us will have noticed a growing sense of division within society. Public debate can, at times, feel more polarised, and differing opinions are not always expressed with the respect and understanding that our communities depend upon.
As a school, we believe it is more important than ever to actively promote and model the core British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. These values are not abstract ideas, they are essential foundations for a healthy, cohesive society.
Our role in education goes beyond academic learning. We are committed to helping students develop:
- An understanding of democracy; recognising the importance of having a voice, listening to others, and engaging positively in decision-making.
- Critical thinking skills; enabling children to question, reflect, and form their own informed opinions rather than being influenced by misinformation or divisive narratives.
- Respect and empathy; appreciating that people may hold different views and that disagreement should never lead to disrespect.
In a time where public discourse can sometimes feel fractured, we are determined to ensure that our school remains a place where differences are valued, dialogue is encouraged, and unity is strengthened.
We also recognise the vital role that families play in shaping children’s views and attitudes. We encourage you to support these values at home by discussing current events in an open, balanced way and reinforcing the importance of kindness, fairness, and respect in all interactions.
Together, we can help our children grow into thoughtful, responsible citizens who contribute positively to society and help bridge divisions rather than deepen them.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Mr Davies
Message from the Headteacher
Dear Parents & Carers,
In recent months, and particularly in light of the recent election in Makerfield, many of us will have noticed a growing sense of division within society. Public debate can, at times, feel more polarised, and differing opinions are not always expressed with the respect and understanding that our communities depend upon.
As a school, we believe it is more important than ever to actively promote and model the core British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. These values are not abstract ideas, they are essential foundations for a healthy, cohesive society.
Our role in education goes beyond academic learning. We are committed to helping students develop:
- An understanding of democracy; recognising the importance of having a voice, listening to others, and engaging positively in decision-making.
- Critical thinking skills; enabling children to question, reflect, and form their own informed opinions rather than being influenced by misinformation or divisive narratives.
- Respect and empathy; appreciating that people may hold different views and that disagreement should never lead to disrespect.
In a time where public discourse can sometimes feel fractured, we are determined to ensure that our school remains a place where differences are valued, dialogue is encouraged, and unity is strengthened.
We also recognise the vital role that families play in shaping children’s views and attitudes. We encourage you to support these values at home by discussing current events in an open, balanced way and reinforcing the importance of kindness, fairness, and respect in all interactions.
Together, we can help our children grow into thoughtful, responsible citizens who contribute positively to society and help bridge divisions rather than deepen them.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Mr Davies
Things to celebrate
- Our annual Year 7 trip to France was a great success. The students who attended this trip were a credit to our school.
- On Wednesday, a group of Year 9 students visited MMU for The Degree Show. It was a great experience for those who have opted for Art, Graphics and Photography.
- On Thursday we said goodbye to our Year 11 students at the leavers’ assembly. This is always a wonderful and incredibly emotional event which marks the end of a five-year journey. We wish all of our Year 11 students the very best of luck in their next steps in life.
- On Friday we hosted a Welcome Day for some of our Year 6 students who will be joining us in September as our new Year 7. We enjoyed meeting these students and were very impressed with the way in which they conducted themselves.
Goodbye Class of '26
Yesterday we said goodbye to the class of ’26 at the leavers’ assembly. You can watch the walkout video and highlights of the day below.
- Sporting Success this week
The results were as follows:
FLHS 3 – 6 Bedford
FLHS 2½ – 5 Cansfield
FLHS 3 – 4½ St Mary’s
Despite the tough opposition, the students showed determination and represented the school well throughout.
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
The results were as follows:
FLHS 3 – 6 Bedford
FLHS 2½ – 5 Cansfield
FLHS 3 – 4½ St Mary’s
Despite the tough opposition, the students showed determination and represented the school well throughout.
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
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
Encouraging our students to take ownership of their learning and celebrate their successes through Student-Led Conference
At the end of every academic year, we hold our Student-Led Conferences. This is where the students talk to their parents, carers and Form Tutors about their learning journey through the year, celebrating success and reflecting on their areas for improvement as they approach the new academic year. At various points in the year, students have completed self-evaluation weeks during form time where they have reflected upon their strengths and areas for improvement. They have set themselves targets so that they are clear about the next steps and how to get there.
On their Student-Led Conference Day, they have an allocated time to share their reflections and some pieces of work that they are incredibly proud of. Students are asked to bring their work along so that they can talk about why they are proud of this particular piece(s) and the challenges that they faced along the way in getting there. Parents, carers and the students gain a lot from this opportunity, and we receive positive feedback about the event every year from some very proud parents and carers.
We look forward to welcoming you into school for this event on Monday 6th July.
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
O.S.C.A.R
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 ‘O’ stands for organisation. To support your child with this important skill, the following questions and prompts may be useful:
- Start by checking your satchel on ‘Satchel One’ to see what homework has been set and what your priority homework is tonight
- Prepare your resources and equipment so that you have everything to hand before you start your homework.
- Decide on your outcome: What are you aiming to know or have practised in this time?
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.
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.