Headteacher's Letters

Dear Parents & Carers,

A Positive Start to the Year

Thank you for your support in ensuring that our students look smart and present themselves positively in their school uniform. A number of students have now moved over to the black trousers and black pleated skirts in place of the grey items, and we are pleased to see students looking smart and ready for learning.

Our Year 7 students have made a very strong start to the academic year. They are becoming increasingly confident in finding their way around the building and navigating the dining room, and it has been wonderful to see them settling into school life so positively. Across the school, many students are working hard and engaging well in their lessons. Our Year 10 students have now begun their GCSE courses and are starting to understand the commitment and expectations that come with this important stage of their education. Our Year 11 students are increasingly recognising that the year ahead will require them to embrace hard work and maintain high expectations, while also ensuring that they achieve a healthy balance and prioritise their wellbeing. Our Year 8 and 9 students are also settling into the challenges and expectations of the new academic year. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our students and supporting them to achieve their very best in the year ahead.

Mobile Phone Pouches

A huge thank you also goes to our staff, students and parents for their support with the introduction of the Yondr pouches. Students have been remarkably compliant with the new arrangements. While we recognise that being without a mobile phone during the school day can present challenges for many students, the benefits of having a focused, calm and distraction-free learning environment far outweigh these challenges. We are already seeing positive signs in terms of students engaging with one another, concentrating in lessons and making the most of their time in school. We appreciate everyone's cooperation as we continue to embed this important change.

Parent/Carer Information Evenings (5.30-6.30pm)

Thank you to the parents/carers who attended the Year Group Parent Evenings. The final two dates for Year 7 & Year 8 are listed below. Parents / Carers will have the chance to receive important information about curriculum, pastoral care and student wellbeing, as well as learn more about the support and opportunities available to your child.

We look forward to welcoming parents / carers in Y7 & Y8 to the final two evenings.

School site improvements

Over the summer, we were pleased to undertake a number of improvements across the school site. The Maths, History and Geography areas have been redecorated, creating bright and welcoming spaces for students to learn. We have also resurfaced the school entrance, bus turning circle and car park, improving both the appearance and accessibility of these areas. In addition, our Arts Theatre had an upgrade, providing students with an improved space in which to develop and showcase their creativity and talents. We have also made improvements to the main reception area.

Catholic Life and Mission

New Mural of Our Lady Queen of Peace

We are delighted to include a photograph of the beautiful new mural in our reception area. This vibrant and colourful piece has been created by our talented Art Department, led by Ms Little, and is a wonderful addition to the entrance of our school. The mural depicts our patron saint, Our Lady Queen of Peace, and provides a striking and meaningful welcome to all who visit our school. The artwork reflects our school’s values, faith and sense of community, while also celebrating the creativity and talent within our Art Department.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Ms Little and the Art Department for their vision, creativity and hard work in bringing this project to life. It is a wonderful addition to our school and one that we hope students, staff, families and visitors will enjoy and take pride in for many years to come.

In assemblies this week, we are reflecting very much on Our Lady’s personal qualities, in particular her Faith, humility, courage, reflectiveness, obedience, trust and joy and how we can apply these in our own daily lives.

Visit of the Apostolic Nuncio to St. Mary’s Leyland

A week ago, 15 students from our school had the privilege of attending a very special Mass at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Leyland, celebrating Catholic education. The Mass was celebrated by His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, who was visiting the Archdiocese of Liverpool as part of a five-day pastoral visit. He was joined by the Archbishop of Liverpool, John Sherrington, along with local clergy, teachers, pupils and school choirs from across the Archdiocese. The Apostolic Nuncio is the Holy Father’s representative to the United Kingdom. He serves as a diplomatic ambassador of Pope Leo and as an important link between the Vatican and the Catholic Church in this country.

We were delighted that 15 of our students were able to represent our school at this significant celebration. The children joined hundreds of pupils and staff from Catholic schools across the region and took part in the Mass with great enthusiasm and reverence. Following the service, a commemorative plaque was unveiled at St Mary’s Church to mark the Archbishop’s visit and this special occasion. It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to come together with other Catholic schools and to experience such an important occasion within the life of our local Church.

Our Lady’s Ambassadors

Last week, we had the first meeting of Our Lady’s Ambassadors, a group of Year 11 senior prefects who have started planning our Macmillan Coffee Morning in the Parish and then our harvest festival in a week’s time.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

We are hosting a coffee morning at St Richard’s Parish on Friday morning, and we would be delighted if families could support this event by donating a few cakes. If you are able to contribute, please drop your cakes off at Student Services before 8.30am on Friday morning.

All proceeds from the coffee morning will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, helping to support people and families affected by cancer. Thank you, as always, for your generosity and support. It is greatly appreciated and will help us to raise much-needed funds for this important charity.

Harvest Festival

During the week commencing Monday 28th September, we will be celebrating Harvest in our school assemblies. As part of our celebrations, we would like to encourage our students and families to support those in our local community who may be in need. We would be very grateful if families could contribute a few non-perishable food items to our Harvest collection. Suggested items include:

• Tinned vegetables and fruit
• Tinned soup
• Tinned meat or fish
• Baked beans
• Pasta and rice
• Cereal
• Pasta sauces
• Long-life milk
• Biscuits and other non-perishable items

All donations will be given to local food banks, where they will help support individuals and families in our community.

We know that many of our families are incredibly generous, and every donation, however small, can make a real difference. We would love to see our school community come together to demonstrate kindness, compassion and generosity at Harvest time. Students are asked to bring contributions on their assembly day and to drop them off at Mr Baron’s office. Thank you for your continued support.

Attendance

The Importance of Good Attendance

It is pleasing to report that a large number of students have had 100% attendance since the start of term. There are, however, some students who have already had a number of absences.

Good attendance is one of the most important factors in supporting your child’s academic progress and success. Every day in school matters, as lessons build on previous learning and missing even an occasional day can mean that important knowledge, skills and instructions are missed. While one day’s absence may not seem significant, regular patterns such as missing one day each week or frequently being absent on a Friday can quickly add up and have a noticeable impact on a student’s learning and progress. For example, being absent just one day each week means missing around 20% of the school week, which can lead to gaps in understanding that become increasingly difficult to address.

We understand that children will sometimes be unwell and that some absences are unavoidable. However, we ask all parents and carers to look carefully at their child’s attendance and consider whether there are any patterns of absence that could be avoided. Please prioritise school attendance wherever possible, particularly avoiding unnecessary days off, and ensure that your child arrives at school on time and ready to learn every day. By working together to improve attendance, we can give every student the consistency they need to keep up with their learning, make strong academic progress and achieve their full potential.

Homework

During this academic year, students will be encouraged to take greater ownership of their personal organisation and learning. Students are asked to record their homework in their new student planners, helping them to develop important organisational skills and take responsibility for managing their workload. Homework will continue to be set and monitored through ClassCharts, providing an additional way for students and families to keep track of expectations and deadlines.

Teaching & Learning

In lessons, our teaching and learning will place a strong focus on developing students’ vocabulary and confidence in using subject-specific language. Teachers will introduce key words and explicitly teach their pronunciation using the ‘I say, you say’ strategy. Students will then have opportunities to reuse these words in different contexts, helping them to develop a deeper understanding and embed new vocabulary into their long-term learning.

Questioning will increasingly encourage students to provide more extended verbal responses, allowing them to explain their thinking, develop their ideas and use subject-specific vocabulary with greater confidence. Students will also have more regular opportunities to work collaboratively in pairs and groups, developing their communication, listening and teamwork skills while supporting one another’s learning.

West Lancashire Cup Champions!

A huge congratulations to our Year 9 Boys’ Football Team, who have achieved a fantastic victory in the West Lancashire Cup! The team produced an outstanding series of performances throughout the competition and were undefeated without conceding a single goal — a remarkable achievement and a testament to their teamwork, determination and commitment. We are incredibly proud of all the players and would also like to thank the staff who have supported and coached the team throughout the competition.

Well done, Year 9 — West Lancashire Cup champions!

Pastoral Care

The first point of contact is your child’s form tutor. For more complex issues, please contact the year group pastoral team. Details are below:

Dates for your diary

Open Evening – Tuesday 22^nd September 2026, 5.00 – 7.00pm – for parents/carers with Y5 and Y6 children.

Yours sincerely

Mrs M. Henshaw

Headteacher