5^th to 9^th January 2026

Week B

A Message from Mr Whiteley

It has been a very busy (and long!) half-term. I would like to start by congratulating our Year 11 students for the excellent way they approached their mock exam week. They showed maturity, focus and resilience, and we will share the outcomes in a later report.

This half-term I have also been working with the RISE team. Following a visit from a RISE advisor, we have been paired with Burnage School in Manchester. Working closely with their headteacher under a tight deadline, we were successful in securing funding from the Department for Education to support our improvement work. 

School life has continued to be full and varied. Students represented Mosslands at the “We Are Wirral” Children’s Services event, speaking confidently with senior council leaders. We proudly celebrated our top Year 11 pupils at the Colours Celebration, recognising those who consistently live out our TRACK values. Our science team also attended the Educate Awards following a nomination for Outstanding Commitment to STEM.

Students across the school have enjoyed a wide range of enrichment activities, including Year 13 geography fieldwork in Snowdonia, drama trips to LIPA and the Liverpool Playhouse, and a highly successful cadet camp involving 63 KS3 and KS4 pupils. This week started with the Track Enrichment Day, which saw our Year 11s exploring 6^th form options in school and at Wirral Met College, the Year 10s had a day of teamwork activities, Year 9 worked with PSHE related activities and debates, whilst our Year 7s and 8s visited Chester Zoo and Roman Chester respectively. Attendance rewards have also been a highlight, with cinema events, Don’t Dodge December, and our Twelve Days of Mosslands celebrations encouraging excellent attendance.  As a reward for the school's improving attendance, pupils are able to wear their own clothes and will get a free snack at break (eg. toast, bacon, sausage) on Friday. School will be closing at lunchtime for the start of the Christmas holiday.

I am pleased to announce that all contracts with the DfE and Willmott Dixon have now been signed for our new school, meaning that building work will begin in earnest in January.  During January, the school car park will be moving to the School Lane side of school and there will be a change in the way that children enter and exit the building at the start and end of the day.  The Wallacre fields will be boarded off, and the cycle path diverted to the far side of the field.  As the hoardings will be close to the roadside, parking and traffic may be slightly more restricted than normal, so I would ask for your patience and that you respect our neighbours by parking as far away from the school as you feel able to, while we get used to the new system.  Please take extra care around the junction of the cycle path and the road as vision will be limited whilst the hoardings are up.

With the building work due to start on the 2^nd January, school will open slightly later on Monday 5^th January for all year groups, who should arrive for a 10.00am start, to allow for us to assess the situation on Monday morning.

As always, thank you for your continued support – it has been a busy term, but a very positive one for our school community.  We wish you and your families all a happy Christmas and look forward to seeing the boys back safe and well in the new year.

Y11 Parents' Evening

Parents of students in Y11 are now able to book appointments via MCAS for the parents' evening being held on Thursday 8^th January.

The Twelve Days of Mosslands

The Twelve Days of Mosslands has seen many boys with 100% attendance receiving a prize from the Christmas tree of boxes. So far, students have won breakfasts for themselves and their whole form, sweets and chocolates for themselves and their form, a private gaming session in our new Esports lab, a free session on a flight simulator and free breakfast treats for themselves and a friend. We still have a few to draw tomorrow during assembly, but here are some of the worthy winners so far.

Don't Dodge December 

Don't Dodge December ends tomorrow. Students with fully stamped cards will be invited to attend the Christmas grotto in the hall tomorrow morning. In addition, they will also get a free breakfast!

Cadets

On 3^rd and 4^th December, we had our annual cadet recruitment residential at Inskip Cadet Centre. We took 40 prospective cadets in Year 8 as well as our current Year 9 and 10 cadets. During our stay, students had the opportunity of participating in flight simulators, virtual reality headsets, paintballing and marksmanship. All cadets were excellent on the trip. 

Best NCO – Lance Corporal Oliver Kilty 

Best Cadet – Jaxson Clark 

Best Junior Cadet – Shay Cowderoy

Careers

We have had a very busy half-term.

In early December, all of our Year 11s were given a mock interview by one of our external partners.

We thank the following for their fantastic support:

Stepnell, Knowsley Safari Park, The Land Registry, Willmott Dixon, LJMU, Wrexham University, Wirral Met College, Diane Appleton, HSE & Merseyside Police.

Our work with Liverpool John Moores University continues and our Year 11 Access All Areas group attended the university on Friday 12^th December.

Year 12 visited Edge Hill University on Monday 15^th December.

We are also preparing for our careers fair on Tuesday 27^th January. If you or your employer is interested in attending, please get in touch. It's not too late to add attendees. We will repeat the quiet session for SEND students that proved successful last year and will be in touch with parents about this nearer the time.

Finding placements for Year 10 work experience continues and, due to the busy end of term, we have extended the deadline to Friday 16^th January so that we can deal with all the queries and requests for support over the last couple of weeks. Please be patient and we will be in touch.

We are keen to hear from any former students who would like to contribute in any way to our careers programme. Please get in touch with Mrs Rycroft if you want to know more.

Event: British Army Insights – A Guide for Parents & Guardians
Date: Tuesday 20^th January
Time: 18:00 – 19:00

Register Now: https://britishar.my/GTQfiD

This online session is designed to give parents clarity and confidence about the opportunities the British army offers young people.

Why it matters:
Recent research with over 600 parents and guardians revealed:

• Only 27% feel fully confident supporting their child through the application process.
• Nearly half (49%) want to attend an online session and receive resources about Army apprenticeships.

What parents will gain:

• A real look at life in today’s Army, including roles, training, and qualifications.
• Inspiring stories from those with lived experience, plus practical advice and Q&A time.
• Insights into how the Army helps young people build confidence, resilience, and valuable life skills — all while earning and learning.

Bonus: Attendees receive a FREE downloadable resource to help support their child’s career choices.

Safeguarding Alert: Roblox Information

As you may be aware, Roblox is an online gaming platform used by many young people to play games, and they can interact with other people online. This can lead to inappropriate adult conversations and content, which can expose young people to being groomed. We would advise that you are vigilant with what your child is accessing online and any conversations they are in using Roblox and Snapchat. Please see a link that gives you further information regarding Roblox: 

Roblox - a guide for parents - UK Safer Internet Centre

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.