Headteacher's Letters

Dear Parents & Carers,

I hope that you have had an enjoyable half term break and that our students have had a well-deserved rest. A warm welcome back to the second half of the Autumn Term. The next seven weeks are an important period for all year groups, as we continue to make strong progress through the curriculum. It is also a key time for Years 7, 8 and 11 as they prepare for their upcoming examinations.

Catholic Life and Mission

Month of the Holy Souls

The Catholic Church designates November as a special month, to pray for and remember those who have died. The month began with the feast of All Saints (Sunday Nov 2nd) and the feast of the Holy Souls (Monday Nov 3rd). In school we will remember our dearly departed family and friends as well as former students and staff. Students may choose to place the names of loved ones at the Altar in the chapel to remember them during this month of the Holy Souls.

Curriculum Overviews

A reminder that you can see what your child will be learning in each of their subjects by going to the school website and clicking on the Curriculum Overviews. These also serve as useful checklists for examination revision https://www.olqp.org.uk/curriculum/curriculum-overviews. 

Exam weeks

Advance notice that Year 7 & Year 8 students will sit formal examinations week commencing 24^th November 2025 and Year 11 exams will start on Monday 1^st December 2025. Year 9 & 10 exams will start on Monday 12^th January 2026. Students will be given revision lists and revision lessons in advance of the exams.

Attendance

With the volume of curriculum being delivered this half term, it is vital that all students attend school every day to avoid gaps in learning and feeling overwhelmed. Consistent attendance will ensure that students will fully prepare for their forthcoming examinations and it will give them the best opportunity to achieve their full potential. If you require any support in helping your child attend school regularly, please do not hesitate to contact the attendance team. Where patterns of absence emerge, such as students missing particular days, a member of the pastoral team will be in touch to discuss this with you and to offer appropriate support. Please remember to check your child’s attendance and punctuality via ClassCharts regularly. According to the Department for Education, attendance below 90% is classed as ‘persistent absence’. Maintaining attendance above this threshold is essential to ensure students keep up with the curriculum and make strong academic progress.

Behaviour

Behaviour across the school has improved significantly, and the vast majority of our students continue to demonstrate high levels of positive conduct both in and out of lessons. These students are excellent ambassadors for the school and we are very proud of them. They are a credit to themselves and their families.

On occasions, some students are issued with a break, lunchtime or after-school detention. These are serious sanctions, and the vast majority of parents and carers ensure that their child attends and completes them. A small number of students, however, do not attend, which results in the detention escalating to a more serious sanction. Refusal to attend a detention is considered defiance and will be followed up accordingly. It is important that all students take responsibility for their behaviour and understand that a detention is a direct consequence of not following school rules. We ask for the continued support of all parents and carers in reinforcing these expectations at home and in encouraging students to take ownership of their actions and choices.

Respectful Communication

At school, we deeply value the positive relationships we share with our students, parents and carers. Working together with respect and kindness helps us create the best possible environment for our children to learn and thrive. On a small number of occasions recently, some staff members have experienced verbal abuse from students or parents/carers. We know that concerns can arise and emotions can run high at times but speaking to staff in an unkind or aggressive way can be very distressing. We kindly ask that all communication with staff remains respectful, even when discussing difficult issues. Our team is always committed to listening carefully, addressing concerns fairly and working in good faith to find positive solutions. Thank you to the vast majority of our school community who continue to engage with warmth, understanding and support - it truly makes a difference.

Staff and Student Wellbeing Award

Thank you to parents/carers who filled out the questionnaire for the Staff & Student Wellbeing Award. There was a wealth of positives and a number of constructive suggestions for the school to look at and include in its improvement plan. These included support for students who are lonely, have anxiety or ADHD, teaching students how to manage mental health positively through a range of strategies e.g. mindfulness, walks, boxing, yoga. Parents/carers commented on stability of staffing. Parents suggested more parental involvement, more trauma informed training and more information from school on mental health & wellbeing as well as finding a way of accommodating parents who do not feel comfortable attending the Parent Forum.

Parent Working Party – Mental Health and Wellbeing

We are very keen to establish a Parent Working Party focused on mental health and wellbeing. This group will help us explore ways to further support our students and promote positive wellbeing across our school community. We would particularly welcome parents and carers who either:

• have professional expertise in mental health and wellbeing, or
• have a personal interest in supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing, including parents/carers of children with special educational needs.

If you are interested in being involved, please click on the link below or scanning the QR codeto leave your contact details. We would be very grateful to receive responses by Friday 7th November 2025. Thank you for your continued support and for helping us make our school a caring and supportive place for every child.

Parent Working Party - Mental Health & Wellbeing – Fill in form

Lockdown Drill

During the next two weeks, the school will operate an Emergency Lockdown drill. This is a practice response to any external or internal incident that has the potential to pose a threat to the safety of staff, students s and visitors to the school, for example, an intruder on site. Students will receive information about lockdown procedures in form time.  Students will be alerted to a lockdown by a continuous bell for 30 seconds. Students are then required to remain in their classroom with their teacher for the duration of the lockdown and to follow the instructions given by the teacher. They are required to remain calm and quiet. A register will be taken to ensure that all students are accounted for.

The purpose of this letter is to inform parents/carers in advance of the school plans so that there is no panic and to reassure you that everything is being done to ensure that we are proactive with health and safety requirements and safeguarding regulations in school.

Parents’ Forum

Thank you to the parents/carers who very kindly gave up their time on Friday 24^th October 2025 to attend our parents forum. It was very useful to share information and receive feedback on different aspects of school life. These included  the Student Mental Health & Wellbeing Award, Curriculum for Life, homework, rewards and uniform.

Upcoming Parents’ Evenings

This half-term, we will be holding two Parents’ Evenings. Please make a note of these important dates in your diary. We look forward to welcoming you and discussing your child’s progress. Parents’ Evenings run from 4pm to 6.30pm.

6^th November 2025                          Year 8

20^th November 2025                       Year 11

Dates for your diary

PARENTS’ EVENINGS (Thursdays 4-6.30pm)

6^th November 2025                          Year 8

20^th November 2025                        Year 11

22^nd January 2026                             Year 7

5^th February 2026                             Year 9

26^th February 2026                           Year 10

INSET DAYS (School is closed)

INSET 4 - Friday 28th November 2025
INSET 5 - Monday 20th July 2026

Holiday Dates

Full term dates for this academic year 2025/26 and next academic year are available on our website Term Dates | Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College

Thank you for your ongoing support at the start of this term.

Kind regards

Mrs M. Henshaw

Headteacher