During my first few weeks here, I have enjoyed getting to know the students and seeing their enthusiasm in lessons and pride in their school. They have made me feel very welcome. It has also been a pleasure working with a talented and hard-working staff team, both teaching and support staff, and the school has been well-supported by the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust. I am confident that the school has a very bright future and that the post of Head Teacher will be a very attractive one. Many thanks in anticipation of your support.

As the first ever Deputy Headteacher of the Derby Cathedral School I am thrilled and excited to be part of the leadership team responsible for guiding this fantastic school forward. Prior to my appointment, I was Assistant Headteacher at Allestree Woodlands School where I was responsible for the oversight of teaching and learning, quality assurance and staff development. My role at DCS is to oversee all aspects of teaching and learning, ensuring all students experience a rich and varied curriculum.

My personal values are very much those of the school, I believe that school is a place that moulds and shapes the leaders of the future, providing pupils with the skills, knowledge and know-how to be confident and caring citizens. I firmly believe that this school is a beacon of opportunity for Derby and I am looking forward to being part of the team that will lead this school for many years to come.

December saw our first DCS Christmas Fayre which was a resounding success. As previously reported, we are delighted to confirm that we raised over a staggering £2000 for our various nominated charities. On behalf of the school we would like to thank all students and their families for their support and generosity in helping so many good causes.

Mr Saunders recently visited Kolkata, India on behalf of the Cathedral Relief Service. He spent time with our link school, St Thomas’ as well as spending time in the slums bringing teaching and learning to some of the most disadvantaged children. Education is the foundation of everything and so we will be working together to raise funds for our partner schools to give more opportunities for all to achieve their potential.

Good behaviour is the foundation on which effective teaching and learning is built, and so we want to make sure that the standards remain very high in our school. As our school grows in numbers, it is important that we have clear and consistent systems and policies to support behaviour, and that we keep them under constant review. Our behaviour policy is based on some key principles:

• We have high expectations of behaviour which are clearly communicated to students;
• Learning how to behave well is a key life skill that we want students to develop;
• The aim of our behaviour policy is to ensure that students’ learning is not interrupted by poor behaviour;
• We recognise and reward students who do the right thing and behave well;
• We expect students to take responsibility if their behaviour falls below expectations.

In order, to meet these principles, we are making some changes to the way we manage behaviour in the school. We will be using the merit system more extensively to celebrate the large majority of students who behave well and will communicate this to you as parents.

We will be introducing a new way of describing the key principles of school culture and behaviour, using our FAITH values:

• Fellowship – collaborating with others, we treat everyone with respect, dignity and kindness.
• Aspiration – we are ready to learn and grow, striving to be the best that we can be in every aspect of our lives.
• Integrity – we demonstrate fairness, equality and honesty
• Tenacity – we are determined and resilient when faced with challenges.
• Humility – we are gracious, calm and understand the importance of forgiveness.

These key words are going to be at the heart of everything that our school represents and as such we would appreciate you talking through the meaning of these words with your children.

We will also be changing the way we apply sanctions to students if they don’t meet the expectations of our behaviour policy. We have been using a policy of isolation from classes but are concerned that this interrupts learning and is not an effective deterrent for some students. As a result, we will be introducing same-day 15-minute after-school detentions for students who have not met our behaviour expectations and have been warned in line with our policy. If a student is to receive a detention, we will send a text message parents to let you know.  With this in mind, it is of paramount importance that your details are up to date.  If you have changed your number recently then please make sure we have your latest contact details.

If poor behaviour persists, we will issue a longer 45-minute detention, but this will not happen on the same day and you will be informed beforehand. All of these changes will be explained fully to students before we introduce them on Monday 3rd February.

With specific reference to the use of mobile phones and uniform:

Mobile phone confiscation:

1^st mobile phone confiscation: 15mins same day after school detention, parents/carers telephoned 

2^nd mobile phone confiscation: 45mins after school detention, parents/carer requested to collect phone 

Further mobile phone issues will result in a meeting with a panel of SLT

 Uniform/equipment:

Uniform/equipment: persistent failure to have full and proper equipment or uniform items on three occasions will result in a 15 minute after school detention on the same day of the third occasion

I know how important it is for you to know that your child is being educated in a positive climate where students are behaving well. The best way to ensure this is through a strong partnership between home and school and I would like to thank you for the support you give to the school.

We are delighted to announce our Head of Year Team.

Head of Year 7: Miss Amiss

Head of Year 8: Mr Capon

Head of Transition: Mr Marshall

They will be supporting our students through their learning journey at Derby Cathedral School.

Please may we remind parents/carers of the process for reporting student absence.

For illness: please call 01332 325710 before 08:30am that morning. In the event of the Attendance Team being engaged, please leave a message on the designated line. We discourage parents from leaving messages on social media as our channels are not monitored constantly and also to protect your child’s identity in a public forum.

For appointments during the school day: please complete a ‘Student Absence Request Form’ in advance (where possible) and send into school for the attention of the Form Tutor. Copies can be obtained from the school main reception or downloaded from the school website as follows:

https://derbycs.schoolzineplus.co.uk/student-appointment-request-form

For any other requests for absence from school: please write in the first instance to Mr R Hoy, Assistant Headteacher. Derby Cathedral School cannot approve absence during term time unless it meets the criteria of ‘exceptional circumstances’ as per the school Attendance Policy. Term dates are published in advance to assist parents in booking holidays. All unauthorised absence is referred to Derby City Education Welfare Services.

We thank all families for their continued support in ensuring their child attends school regularly, promptly and ready to learn in order to achieve their potential.

May we remind parents of the following:

08:45: Registration.

Students are required to be in school at this time, ready to start their day. Access is from the rear-gated entrance to Midland House. After 8:45 the gate is locked and arrival is then through main reception where it will be recorded as late.

15:15: End of the compulsory school day.

Exit at the end of the day is from the rear gate and side door of Midland House. Parents/carers are reminded to collect their child, if arriving by vehicle, from the school car park situated at the back of Midland House and not outside the front of school. This is to ensure road safety for our pupils and the public.

15:25-16:25: Enrichment activities and Homework Club (Monday-Thursday)

Exit from enrichment and homework clubs is from the main entrance of Midland House at 16:25. If collecting your child, please do so timely as reception closes at 16:30 promptly each day.

The school day ends at 15:15 on Fridays, as there are no extra-curricular activities this day. Students need to be off site by this time.

Our supplier is Uniform Direct. Their address is 54 Babington Lane, Derby, DE1 1SX.

https://www.uniform-direct.com/acatalog/Derby-Cathedral-School.html

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9:30am - 5:00pm (closed Sundays)

Telephone 01332 342569

All students require the following items of uniform:

• A Derby Cathedral School navy blue blazer embroidered with the school badge. This is available from Uniform Direct on 54 Babington Lane, Derby DE1 1SX
• A white shirt / blouse with a top button fastening suitable for a tie. Please ensure the item can be appropriately tucked-in. These can be purchased from any appropriate retailer and are similarly available from Uniform Direct.
• A Derby Cathedral School clip-on tie, available from Uniform Direct.
• A plain navy blue v-necked jumper (without logo) – this is optional during colder weather. This can be purchased from any acceptable retailer.
• A charcoal grey (not black) pair of trousers purchased from any appropriate retailer. These must be of a professional cut – skinny fit / leggings / footless tights and such like are not permitted
• A grey (not black) pleated or A-line skirt available for purchase from Uniform Direct. The skirt must reach the top of the knee. These are available from Uniform Direct.
• Black / navy blue socks or navy-blue tights (the same shade as the blazer). These can be purchased from any appropriate retailer.
• Black shoes – boots and trainers are not permitted. During inclement weather boots can be worn for the journey to and from school, but normal footwear is to be worn during the school day. These can be purchased from any appropriate retailer. Footwear items should not bear branded logos / names.
• Hijabs (if worn) are to be navy blue and of a shade matching the school blazer.

Sportswear

• A Derby Cathedral School navy blue short-sleeved top with logo, available from Uniform Direct
• Navy blue shorts with sky blue trim, available from Uniform Direct
• Navy blue jogging / tracksuit bottoms, without logos, are optional. These can be purchased from any appropriate retailer.

https://www.uniform-direct.com/acatalog/Derby-Cathedral-School.html

School Bag

These should be unbranded (both in terms of names and logos) and of an appropriate size for a range of school books to be carried within.

Please note the following points:

1. Haircuts must be appropriate to school; long hair is to be tied back / up during practical lessons such as Science / PE and technology.
2. Haircuts should not be shaved or include patterns (commonly known as tramlines and suchlike). Hair colour should be natural. 
3. Jewellery should be kept to a minimum. One small signet ring is permitted, as is one pair of stud earrings, worn in the lobe of the ear only. No other piercings are permitted on health and safety grounds. Necklaces, if worn, should be discreet and not visible i.e. worn underneath the shirt / blouse. False nails are not permitted on the same health and safety grounds.
4. All students will be expected to wear a warm, waterproof coat during inclement weather. Denim jackets and camouflage items are not to be worn, neither are heavily branded / logoed items.