1^st to 5^th December 2025

Week A

Upcoming Events

A reminder that school is closed to students next Friday 5^th December. 

Christmas dinner and Christmas Jumper Day are on Thursday 11^th December.

KS3 Assessment Week

During the week of Monday 1^st – Thursday 4^th December 2025, students in KS3 will be carrying out assessments.

These assessments at the end of term are a milestone in our KS3 curriculum and are designed to check students’ understanding of the core and critical knowledge they have been learning in each subject since the start of the academic year. This approach supplements the regular assessments that subject leaders have developed to ensure that teaching focuses on the essential knowledge and skills students need to make strong progress.

The assessments will provide additional evidence for teachers to:

• Measure each student’s progress against our curriculum expectations.

• Identify any gaps in understanding that may need further support.

• Provide accurate and meaningful reports of your child’s progress in comparison with others in their class and year group.

How the assessments will work during this week

• Each assessment takes place in normal lesson time in classrooms.

• Students will be assessed on the key knowledge and skills they have been taught so far, as well as some material from previous topics studied while at Mosslands, to encourage long-term retention and understanding.

Supporting Your Child

In the lead-up to the assessment week, lessons have and will continue to focus on revision and preparation, and students will be supported with guidance on how to review their learning effectively. You can continue to help your child throughout the year by encouraging them to:

• Review any class notes, workbooks or knowledge organisers regularly.

• Test themselves on key facts, vocabulary and concepts.

• Ask their teachers if they are unsure about any areas of content.

Outcomes from these assessments will be reported alongside the usual report in January.

Thank you for your continued support.

Science Homework

We’re excited to let you know that from the 1^st of December the science department will be using Sparx as our homework platform, just like maths. This means students will complete their science homework through the same Sparx platform as maths each week, giving them access to high-quality questions, helpful explanations, and personalised practice.

We will send out reminders through MCAS each week. However, please encourage your son/ward to log in regularly and complete their assigned tasks on time. All homework is set on Monday and is due the following Monday. Your son/ward will also have access to additional independent practice on top of their homework that is individualised to their needs. 

If you have any questions about accessing Sparx or supporting your child’s science homework, feel free to contact the science department.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Careers

Year 10 Work Experience – Last week, Y10 were given information in assembly on how to find work placements and the support available in school. They were also reminded to log into Unifrog to enter the details of their placements once they have agreed them with an employer, they need their school email address (username) and can reset their password if it hasn't been saved. Materials are on the Work Experience Google Classroom for them to refer to. Any problems should be reported to Mrs Rycroft as soon as possible, so students can meet the deadline of 19^th December for finding their placement.

Year 11 – We are continuing to work through all Y11 students to give them a guidance session with our careers adviser. We are currently being supported by Kath Wyke, Neil McGaskill and Michael Schofield from Career Connect and hope to have Karen's permanent replacement soon.

In addition, to help them prepare for their next steps, all Y11 students in school will be offered a mock interview with an employer next week, 1^st–4^th December. We thank our external partners for their support in providing this opportunity.

We continue to work with both Liverpool John Moores University and The University of Liverpool to offer additional support to our students in years 9-10.

The following events have taken place this week:

Wednesday 26^th November - Y11 Merseyside Young Health and Life Sciences careers visit to The University of Liverpool.

Thursday 27^th November – Y9 Access All Areas group 1^st session with Liverpool John Moores University.

With these visits coming up in a couple of weeks:

Friday 12^th December – Y11 Access All Areas group last visit to Liverpool John Moores University.

Monday 15^th December, Y12 will visit Edge Hill University as part of their careers learning. They will have a campus tour and learn about the subjects on offer at Edge Hill through taster sessions and workshops.

100% Attendance Celebrations

Last week, all the students with 100% attendance from September until October half-term were invited to the main hall to watch a film for the afternoon. They were treated to popcorn, sweets and chocolate too.  Everyone seemed to have a really great time. The cinema will open again in January for the students that have got 100% attendance from October half-term until the Christmas holidays.

Don't Dodge December 

All students will receive a card on Monday for the month of December.  Students should get their card stamped each morning and afternoon when they are present in school. On the last day of term, students with fully stamped cards will be invited to attend the Christmas grotto in the hall.

Twelve Days of Mosslands

In each assembly in December, all students that are in the assembly that have 100% attendance up to that day will have the opportunity to be chosen by the 'wheel of names'. If they are selected, they can choose a box from a tree of boxes. Inside each box is a treat – to be confirmed as the boxes are opened! 

Drama Club Mondays 3:20 - 4:15 in Drama Studio

New faces are always welcome!

KS4 & 5 DRAMA TRIP TO LIPA

Mrs Brett took the drama exam students to the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) on Friday to watch a degree performance piece and to have a tour of the university's facilities. This was a fantastic opportunity for all and gave an insight into both training and career pathways within the performing arts world.

Library

We're celebrating Non-Fiction November this month and letting our students know that reading non-fiction, magazines, newspapers or even a sports forum online is just as valuable as reading fiction. Our Book of the Week is Dominic Sandbrook's The Second World War, a fantastic non-fiction book about the bloodiest conflict the world has ever known, seen through the eyes of ordinary people living in extraordinary times. There is a copy in the school library now!

For book recommendations, library events and more, follow @library_mosslands on Instagram.

Polybuzz and Children's Safety
Polybuzz has been flagged as potentially unsafe for children due to its content and lack of parental controls. The app is designed with safety in mind, offering graded modes for different age groups, but it has been criticized for allowing underage users to bypass these safety features. The app's content is heavily skewed towards relationship bots, romantic scenarios, and sexualized encounters, which can be inappropriate for children. Additionally, Polybuzz lacks effective age verification and parental controls, raising concerns about the safety of its content for younger users. Parents are advised to exercise caution and consider alternative, safer AI chat platforms for their children.

Art Department

You can follow us on Instagram @art_mosslands to see some fabulous examples of the work produced by our students.

Reporting an Absence 

Parents must telephone the school attendance line (0151 638 8131, option 1) on the first day of absence before 8.45am and on each subsequent day of absence. Alternatively, you can email attendance@mosslands.wirral.sch.uk. Please do not use the admin@mosslands email or the contact school option on the My Child at School app as these do not go directly to attendance, and you may still get a truancy call. It is our duty to keep your child safe, so if you do not inform us, you will receive a truancy call. You will receive 6 further calls until you respond.  The number which will display as an incoming call is a Sheffield number, 0114 303 4042.

If a student arrives at school after 9:15 AM, when the registers officially close, their late arrival is recorded as a U code. This code means the child is present on site, but too late to receive a present mark — and as such, it is recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Please be aware that repeated U codes can lead to further action, as they affect your child’s overall attendance percentage and may be subject to monitoring.

We understand that occasional lateness can happen for a variety of reasons. If you are experiencing difficulties that are impacting punctuality, please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can work together to support you.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support in ensuring your child attends school on time every day.

Please be advised that if a student is absent from school for two unauthorised consecutive days then a member of the pastoral team will contact home via telephone and after three unauthorised consecutive days, a member of staff will carry out a home visit to check that everything is okay, even if a phone call has already been received from a parent or carer.  

This is part of our commitment to safeguarding and ensuring the wellbeing of all our students. We appreciate your understanding and support in this matter.

Medication in School

If you have any questions or concerns regarding medication in school, please contact the SEND Department. Students should not bring medication into school and any medication should be registered at reception. If your child is diagnosed as being asthmatic, following on from medical guidelines, please ensure they have an inhaler on them at all times and that we hold a spare within school. Many thanks.