Dear Parents/Carers
It gives me great pleasure to share the successes of another successful term at Pleckgate. The hard work of the pupils and staff and the support of our parents and carers have resulted in another award for the school. Pleckgate has been recognised by the Schools, Pupils and Teachers Network (SSAT) as an Educational Outcomes Awards 2017 winner as recognition of the schools achievement as being in the top 20% of schools nationally for progress of pupils; this is an outstanding achievement and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support during this academic year.
This has been a busy term at school, this week, our Head boy and Head girl welcomed our new September 2018 admissions into school along with parents/carers, to sample what life is like at Pleckgate and meet our school community. The increased numbers this year represent a significant milestone for the school, with over 270 admissions this demonstrates that Pleckgate is firmly the school of choice within the local area. As younger pupils prepare to join Pleckgate, our Year 11 pupils are working hard preparing for their GCSE examinations. There are several revision workshops taking place in school during the Easter holidays and a copy of the programme is detailed on the reverse of this letter. It is essential that Year 11 pupils complete regular revision during the holidays so they are well prepared when their formal GCSE exams begin on 14th May 2018.
This term has also seen pupils participate in a variety of different activities: The Super Learning Day allowed pupils the opportunity to experience wide range of personal, social and health issues alongside employer engagement visits where pupils are able to have meaningful contact with local employers and experience the world of work. Year 11 pupils have been able to meet with representatives for Oxford University as they plan their next steps for life beyond Pleckgate. The school football teams have performed fantastically with Year 7 and 8 winning their respective school leagues, year 10 battling through to the semi-final of the Blackburn & Darwen cup and year 8 will be playing in the semi-final against St Bede’s after Easter. Pleckgate offers pupils experiences not just to be academically successful but also to participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities. Visitors to our school comment on how smart and well mannered our pupils are; I am proud of how well they represent the school in the local community.
As we prepare for our final Summer Term, the high standards in both in both attendance and punctuality must be maintained. It is a key message I have been delivering to all pupils in assemblies, explaining the critical relationship between good attendance and excellent results, every day matters. Pupils should also take pride in their appearance; I value your support in making sure your children arrive to school in the correct uniform wearing shoes and not trainers.
A final reminder that school will close to pupils for the Easter break on 23rd March at 3:10pm and we will re-open to pupils on Monday 9th April at 8:20am.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful Easter and ask you as a parent/carer take a few minutes to complete an online survey of your experience and views of Pleckgate High School https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/
Best Wishes
Mark Cocker
Head Teacher
