Headteacher's Letters

Dear Parents & Carers,

As we come towards the end of a long and busy half term, I would like to thank our students for their hard work and their contributions to the wider life of the school

Catholic Life and Mission

As we have progressed through the later weeks of this half term, we have had the privilege of watching 10 of our form groups across Years 7–11 lead assemblies on the themes of Peace and Influence. Standing up and speaking in front of a large year group takes courage and confidence, and we are incredibly proud of the students who have taken on this challenge. Their contributions have encouraged us all to reflect on how we can promote peace and use our influence positively within our school community and beyond.

Living Out Our Catholic Social Teaching

This year, we are focusing on four key principles of Catholic Social Teaching, encouraging our students to put their faith into action and make a positive difference in our school community and beyond.

Human Dignity – Respect and Kindness We encourage students to treat everyone with respect, kindness and compassion, recognising the dignity and worth of every person.
Sharing with the Poor – Generosity and Solidarity Through our charitable work, including supporting the local food bank at Harvest and the Papercup Project, we encourage students to support those in need.
Caring for God’s Creation – Protecting Our Common Home We promote simple actions such as recycling, saving energy and protecting the environment, helping students understand their responsibility to care for God’s creation.
Rights and Responsibilities – Social Justice Through supporting CAFOD, we raise awareness of poverty and injustice, encouraging students to stand up for fairness and the rights of others.

By exploring these principles, we hope to inspire our students to live out their faith and become compassionate, responsible members of society.

CAFOD Live Simply – ‘The Big Switch Off’

As part of our CAFOD Live Simply project, we are responding to the call to be good stewards of God’s creation by reducing our energy use. On Wednesday 21 October 2026, we will take part in The Big Switch Off, with students and staff switching off electrical equipment for the final 15 minutes of Period 5, from 2.45 pm. This simple action will help raise awareness of the importance of conserving energy, protecting our planet and caring for our common home.

Our Lady’s Ambassadors

Our Year 11 Our Lady’s Ambassadors recently met with representatives from Years 7–10 to plan our charity work for next half term. The chosen charity is PaperCup, which supports people experiencing homelessness in Liverpool. Students shared a range of fundraising ideas, including a disco, a raffle, a themed cake sale, a non-uniform day and a Guess the Weight of the Cup challenge. At their next meeting, students will agree on dates and events for each year group, with fundraising activities planned in the run-up to Christmas.

Year 9 Law Experience at UCLan

Our Year 9 students had an inspiring day at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), taking part in an exciting Law taster session focused on Human Rights. Students took part in a number of activites:

Becoming Lawyers for the Day Students worked collaboratvely in teams, taking on the role of lawyers. They analysed evidence from four different sources, discussed their findings and carefully built a case using the information available. Their teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills were impressive throughout.

A Real Courtroom Experience One of the highlights of the day was a mock trial held in a university lecture theatre transformed into a courtroom. Students stepped into key legal roles including a judge, witness, defence laywer and prosecutor. The witness even read a formal statement, allowing students to experience first-hand how legal proceedings operate.

Students were given a tour of the campus facilities and gained an insight into university life. They were particularly impressed by the scale of the campus, with one student commenting: “This is like a town; you've got everything on site; you wouldn't need to leave or go anywhere.”. The group also atended a session led by a Student Ambassador, where they asked thoughtful and perceptive questions about university study, accommodation, student life and future opportunities.

The behaviour, engagement and enthusiasm demonstrated by our students throughout the day were exceptional. They showed maturity, curiosity and confidence, making the most of every opportunity presented to them. We are incredibly proud of how they represented the school and hope the experience has inspired them to think ambitiously about their future education and career pathways.

Attendance Matters

Well done to the many students who have maintained 100% attendance! Their commitment and determination to attend school every day provide a strong foundation for learning and progress.

Unfortunately, some students have already seen their attendance fall below 90%, which is classified as persistent absence. Missing school can create gaps in learning that become increasingly difficult to catch up on. We encourage all students to attend school every day and make the most of every learning opportunity. If you have concerns about your child’s attendance or require support, please contact our Attendance Team, who will be happy to help.

Punctuality to School

Students should be in school by 8.25am. Registers are taken at 8.30am. Any student who arrives after 8.30am but before 9am is recorded as late and is given a lunch time detention. If a student arrives after 9am, a student receives a U code on the register. This records an unauthorised absence for the morning session because the register has closed. Although the student may attend lessons for the remainder of the day, the morning session will remain recorded as an unauthorised absence.

What can happen if a student receives lots of U codes?

Lower attendance percentage: Each U code counts as an absence for that session, which can reduce the student's overall attendance figure.
Contact from school: The attendance team may contact parents to discuss persistent lateness, identify any underlying issues and agree on steps to improve punctuality.
Formal attendance monitoring: If lateness continues, the school may implement additional support.
Possible fines for parents: In England, U codes can contribute towards the national threshold for a penalty notice. If a student accumulates 10 unauthorised absence sessions within a rolling 10-school-week period, a penalty notice may be considered, subject to the applicable guidance and local authority procedures. This threshold includes a combination of U codes and certain other unauthorised absence codes.

Teaching and Learning

Three weeks after the half term break, examinations will be on the calendar for a number of students.

Year 8 Week commencing Monday 16th November 2026
Year 7 Week commencing Monday 23rd November 2026
Year 11 Week commencing Monday 30th November 2026

Regular attendance is essential to ensure students have covered the required content, developed their subject knowledge and practised the skills needed to succeed. We ask parents and carers to support us in ensuring that students attend school every day and make the most of every learning opportunity as they prepare for their examinations.

Sports Update

Massive well done to the Y11 boys who beat Lathom 6-3 in the west Lancs cup. Goals by Lenny M, Ollie H and Lucas R. Player of the match was Jacob R
Well done to Y7 girls for their efforts at the netball tournament, played brilliantly throughout. They are getting prepared for their next tournament in March. Player of the match was Ellie A.
Congratulations to the Year 7 boys who worked extremely hard in their game against Burscough. Player of the match was Harry O.

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:

	Head of Year	Assistant Head of Year
Year 7	Ms K. Lelyveld	Mr M. Evans
Year 8	Ms J. Scot	Mr J. Nelson
Year 9	Miss O. Jones	Mrs S. Calvignac
Year 10	Mrs K. Leicester	Mrs C. Snead
Year 11	Mrs K. Knight	Ms E. Hewit

Dates for your diary

PARENTS’ EVENINGS (Thursdays 4-6.30pm)

12th November 2026 - Year 8
19th November 2026 - Year 11
21st January 2027 - Year 7
11th February 2027 - Year 9
25th February 2027 - Year 10

Holiday Dates:

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout the term.

Yours sincerely

Mrs M. Henshaw

Headteacher

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre