Woodfield Newsletter
Friday 27th May 2022
Dear Parents/ Carers,
We've reached the end of the first half of summer term. I I wish all members of our community a happy and safe half term break.
Please remember that because of the Diamond Jubilee, there will be no school on Monday June 6th. We will resume on Tuesday 7th June.
Bamboozle
"Too often in our society learning disabled children, and their families, are not heard; they are left out, made to feel that they don’t belong, let alone have their voices heard. Many of the children and young people we work with are unable to speak for themselves. They can’t express themselves in ways that most of us take for granted. But they do have things to say."
Bamboozle is a UK charity that offers free activities for young people with learning difficulties and their families. They are offering activities over the summer break. See their website for more details and booking information.
Jubilee Picnic - Wembley Stadium June 5th
Message from the FA:
The FA is working with Together to host a Big Jubilee Lunch on Thank You Day at Wembley Stadium, over the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the local Brent Community, and say thank you to the Queen, by getting together on Sunday 5th June, from 1pm to 3pm.
Please join us for a picnic on the pitch with your family, friends and loved ones. Lunch and picnic blankets will be provided.
Please fill in this form to request tickets and confirm dietary and accessibility requirements. Submitting your information is not a guarantee of tickets. All tickets are subject to availability and in the event of oversubscription, a ballot will be held.
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)
Parent Virtual Sessions
There was a virtual session on Tuesday 17th May at 10.30am about the NCS, a youth engagement programme for young people aged 16-17 (plus ages 18-24 for those with an EHCP). NCS offers multiple programmes throughout the year, focusing on cohesion, mobility and personal development for students; as well as supporting Ofsted and Gatsby Benchmarks for schools.
Please note that attending NCS is optional. If you choose to send your child for NCS, in the summer holidays, then the cost is £10/ Woodfield pupil and bursary is available.
The video of the session is available to view in the Parents Zone of our website
College Open days: for KS4 and 5 parents
Book using link below. Please choose supported learning courses
Harrow College, 18th June, Lowlands Rd, HA1 3AQ, 02089096100
https://www.harrow.ac.uk/about-us/open-days.html
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!
Understanding SEND Support and the Graduated approach
Children and young people with SEN all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others
SEN support: Any support your child gets from their school or other setting should meet their needs. If your child has SEN, they will be able to access help – called SEN support – from their Early years settings, such as nurseries or childminders Support for the under 5s), schools (see section in this guide on Support for children of school age) and further education institutions (see section in this guide on Young people Aged 16 and over in further education) such as colleges and 16-19 academies. SEN support replaces school action/school action plus (in schools) and early years action/early years action plus (in early years settings).
SEN support is part of what is known as the ‘graduated approach’ and in general should work as follows. (This approach varies in how it works depending on the age of your child work as follows. (This approach varies in how it works depending on the age of your child
This workshop will tell you how schools should be supporting your child and be working in partnership with you .This workshop will also provide you with suggestions of those different questions you should ask when visiting early years setting and schools
Children and young people with more complex needs might instead need an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan (see section in this chapter on Education, Health and Care needs assessments and plans). EHC plans replace statements of SEN and Learning - We will cover this in another workshop
Wednesday 8th June 7-830pm
Gillian Edwards
https://www.eventbrite.couk/e/understanding-send-support-and-the-graduated-approach-parents-workshop-tickets-311013889917
Thursday 9th June 10-12 pm
Gillian Edwards
https://www.eventbrite.couk/e/understanding-send-support-and-the-graduated-approach-parents-workshop-tickets-322785830107
Healthy eating and wellbeing
Free to attend session on healthy eating and emotional well being
Wednesday 22nd June 7-8pm online
Farhat Hamid, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bpcf-parents-workshop-healthy-eating-and-better-emtional-wellbeing-tickets-310999667377
Thursday 23rd June 10-11
Farhat Hamid, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bpcf-parents-workshop-healthy-eating-and-better-emtional-wellbeing-tickets-310983970427
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 of our website
Supported Internships
Less than 7% of adults with learning disabilities or difficulties are currently in employment within the UK* and they often face significant barriers to gaining employment. The West London Alliance’s Supported Employment Programme was established to develop and commission programmes to support young people with learning disabilities and autism to gain the skills and experience required to move into employment. The programme raises awareness and expectations of employment with young people, families and education providers through a series of communications and events aimed at young people and employers. The annual Supported Internships Fair is one such event run by the WLA to promote the Supported Internships that are on offer and to meet young people who have taken part in previous internships and since moved into jobs. The details of 32 of these programmes are contained in this booklet.
Over the last few years, several ex Woodfield pupils have moved into full time employment after taking part in this programme via their college placement after leaving sixth form. Parents can contact Patsy or Jacqueline for more information. We are planning to have a virtual session on Supported Internships next term, as well as a possible on site visit/information session at the school.
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.
Covid at Woodfield
The school will continue to ensure confirmed cases of COVID-19 do not attend until the end of their self-isolation period. Instead, and in order to prevent avoidable spread in school, we encourage all pupils and staff to continue with the twice weekly LFD testing, and report all positive test results to us as is current practice. Please review the latest government advice regarding isolation.
You can order Lateral Flow tests from the government website, only if you are NHS staff, at higher risk or visiting a high risk place. You can still contact the school and we can send some home a kit with your child should you require.
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 or Shilpa.
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.
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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