Woodfield Newsletter
Friday 9th September 2022
It is with sadness that Buckingham Palace announced yesterday the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
We have now entered a period of national mourning that will continue until the end of the State Funeral. Once details of the funeral are confirmed by the Royal Household, we will write to you with further information. School will remain open and normal attendance is expected.
We will be conducting special assemblies and have some alternative lessons to reflect the period of national mourning and commemorate the life of Her Majesty.
If your child or young person is upset and finding it difficult to manage the situation, Minded is a source of information to support children and young people to manage death and loss.
You will receive a communication from our Trust CEO with more information today
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Welcome back to a new school year. Pupils and staff are settling in well to their new classes, and our new starters in year 7 have also settled into Woodfield routines.
Please take note of some of the resources available to help families though difficult financial and health situations we have linked below. For those not resident in Brent, there are similar services to the Brent Resident Support Fund and Open Access Service in other London boroughs. Please contact Patsy who can also direct parents and carers to other support.
Curriculum Links
New parents & carers and those whose children have moved key stages may be interested in looking through the curriculum offer at Woodfield. There is information in the Curriculum section of our website, with detailed handbooks in the sections for Key Stage 3 and Key Stages 4 and 5.
Work Experience Placements in Key Stages 4 & 5
These will commence on the 22nd September for Key Stage 4 and the 23rd September for Key Stage 5. More information will follow next week, with parents receiving information specifically regarding their child's placement.
Short questionnaire for parents and carers: Neurodiversity on Local Offer
A message from Brent Educational Psychology Service:
At Brent, we are creating a Neurodiversity Section on the Local Offer for parents/carers with concerns about their child to navigate to where advice, support, guidance and information will be available. We are planning to launch it this Autumn and would really value the views of parents/carers of the students in your school. A short questionnaire has been created and can be accessed via the hyperlink https://form.jotform.com/222422372179050
Please take the time to help out in the survey
School Lunches
From September 2022, the cost of school lunches for a 5 day week is £11.00, (£2.20 per meal). That is an increase of 5p per day (from £2.15 per meal) on current prices.
Brent Resident Support Fund
The Brent Resident Support fund (RSF) is a discretionary support fund available to Brent residents who are having difficulty due unforeseen financial circumstances this winter. It also includes short term need for support due to an emergency. The fund provides support in the form of an interest free loan, grant or both. See the Brent website for full details and find out how to apply.
Help with gas bills - are you eligible?
The British Gas Energy Trust offers grants worth up to £1,500 for households with an energy debt between £250 to £750. This opens on July 1 and is available for non-British Gas customers. See the story in the Daily Mirror or on the British Gas Energy trust website.
Brent Cove Open Access Service
The service has been commissioned by Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust for 16+residents from Brent on an open access basis (individuals can just turnup), including A&E Liaison Psychiatric Services, Home Treatment Teams, Community Mental Health Teams and Single Point of Access). Click the image for more details
Free School Meals to families with no recourse to public funds.
If your family is not currently eligible for free school meals, they may be now. The government has permanently extended free school meal eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds.
Please review the guidance on the gov.uk website to check your eligibility, and contact the school or Patsy to assist if you require any help.
The application form can be downloaded here.
Brent Parent Carer Forum Events
Brent Parent Carer Forum offers information, support and friendship for families of children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). See https://brentpcf.org/ for full details of what they could help you to do!
School Uniform
Just a reminder about school uniforms, could parents and carers take a couple of minutes to review our uniform policy.
The school uniform consists of the following items:
- Black school trousers or skirt (skirt a minimum of knee length)
- White Polo shirt
- Black Vee Neck school jumper
- Black shoes with flat soles
- Black or white socks
- Plain White vest or T-Shirt to be worn under the polo shirt if needed
The following items of clothing/accessories are not allowed to be worn at school as they are not part of school uniform
- Jewellery, make-up or nail polish. Small stud earrings can be worn if girls have pierced ears.
- Footwear: no boots or open- toe sandals and no heels
- Hooded tops (hoodies) are not allowed to be worn in school
- All uniform, including shoes should be plain black (or white if polo shirt, vest or socks) with no logos.
- If you are in any doubt, please contact the school for a clarification.
Full details available on our website
Emergency Contact
In addition to parent/carer details, we must have at least two other persons as emergency contacts for all our pupils. These people could be grand parents, a sibling aged over 18, aunts, uncles etc.
It is vital that we are able to get hold of a contact person in the case of a pupil emergency or illness. In the past we have had issues in contacting parents or guardians, which not only creates concern for the school but also makes pupils anxious.
Clothing - Label your child's clothing and equipment
Please ensure that your child's clothing and equipment (lunch box, drink bottle etc)is clearly labelled with their full name. This makes it so much easier to return items of clothing and equipment that have a name clearly marked on them. We have already collected some unlabelled clothing left in the playground, and with the return of cooler weather, coats, scarves and hats will be needed.
Sew on and iron on labels can be purchased form the internet, or marking the label already on the clothing with an indelible marker makes it much easier to return items to their owners. A clearly written first name on equipment is of enormous assistance in getting clothing and equipment returned to their owners expeditiously.
School Money
Reminder to all parents/carers that we are a cashless school and take card payments via the School Money website or phone. Everyone should have received log in information via text by now, if you haven't then please contact Laila or Shilpa via the school office. We advise all parents to keep up with payments. You are able to pay in advance per week or per term, which ever method suits you best. If you have any questions regarding this then please feel free to contact Laila in the office.
Sufra Food Bank
Woodfield is also a referrer to Sufra Foodbank. A charity that provides support to vulnerable families in need of additional help. They provide essential food and toiletries to families experiencing an acute crisis. The size of their food parcels depends on the size of the family that needs support but typically last between 5 to 7 days. They also offer other support such as:
- Community kitchen - hot meals being delivered to those without cooking facilities as well as the elderly and isolated.
- Advice services & refugee support
- NHS Emergency Food Aid Service - food packs for patients
- Community garden
Last year Sufra delivered 600 meals across NW London to families and individuals in need. Their volunteers were incredible ambassadors, dressed in Christmas jumpers and hats and very often stopping to chat with guests, ensuring that those experiencing isolation were not alone on Christmas Day. This year Sufra will again be offering a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, crackers and presents for children will be delivered to referred guests experiencing financial difficulties or social isolation.
For those who are more vulnerable and unable to cook using the contents of a food parcel, Sufra also has a ready meal service available. This service is particularly for guests who have mobility issues/lack cooking facilities and are unable to purchase their own food.
If you know of anyone who may benefit from the assistance Sufra provides, please contact Patsy to discuss. This is a confidential service, no records regarding any conversations are held by the school, and any referral will be treated with absolute privacy within the school.
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