Dear parent / carer
Notification of an early close on Thursday 1st October 2026 – Open Evening
As in previous years, I am advising you that Joseph Leckie Academy will close on Thursday 1st October at 12:20pm to allow colleagues to prepare the school for our open evening. Students who are entitled to a free school meal can pick up a grab bag from the canteen at break. All students will need to leave site at this time.
Any students that have volunteered and been selected to help at the open evening will have brought home a letter for you to read. If a student does not have a letter from a member of staff then they should not return to school to help out. We are grateful to all of our volunteers and ask that they return to school in full uniform (or PE kit if assisting this department) following our policy, especially relating to jewellery.
Mobile Phones
Thank you to most students and parents who have helped us to work towards the school being a mobile phone free zone, as per the expectations form the Department for Education. We still have a very small number of students who have been seen in possession of their phone, and they have received sanctions for that.
Just a reminder, if a mobile phone is seen, heard or used, it will be confiscated and parents will need to collect it during normal school hours of 8am to 4pm. Please do not ask for the phone to be given back to the student as this will not happen. In addition, students will receive a sanction for this, ranging from a 30-minute detention to a period of time on internal suspension, depending on the number of times their phone has been seen, heard or used.
Parking at the beginning and end of the school day
We continue to receive complaints from our neighbours about parking near to and around the streets of the school, including Lord Street, Farmstead Close, Talke Road, Pattison Street and Newbolt Street. We have seen images and videos of double parking preventing any cars being able to pass and the blocking of driveways. Directly outside of school on Walstead Road West, we have parents parking on junctions, double yellow lines and the protective zig-zag lines for the pedestrian crossings, which not only could result in a fine but also 3 points on your driving licence. It also puts our community at significant risk of harm when using the crossing.
Please see the attached leaflet that has been issued to some drivers highlighting the law and potential fines that can be issued. We have been in communication with our local neighbourhood police team to inform them of the challenges residents are facing, and to seek their support in managing this. In the summer term last year parents were issued fines by the local authority enforcement teams, for breaches of parking laws.
Please show consideration to our neighbours and most importantly for the safety of our children when you park your car, the rules on parking are there for a reason, please abide by them.
Yours faithfully
Andrew McNaughton
Principal
