Woodfield Newsletter
Friday 17th June 2022
Dear Parents/ Carers,
With the hotter weather coming in this half term, please make sure your child has a bottle of water with them. staff will be able to refill the bottle if the pupil requires.
Arundel Castle Cricket trips
Two groups of sixth from students made the trip down to Arundel Castle for some cricket coaching at the Arundel Cricket club and sightseeing in the local area. we enjoyed great weather whilst we were down there, and managed to squeeze in a trip to the beach as well!. A massive thanks to the Friends of Arundel Cricket who once again invited us down and were fantastic hosts.
  
Horticulture News
A very warm few horticulture sessions where we have been glad for the shade of our oak tree. We have this week harvested spinach and strawberries and practiced sharing fairly which is one of our Permaculture ethics that tie in with some of our PfA targets.
Please remember to stay hydrated and send learners out with a bottle of water. A good time to discuss appropriate clothing to protect ourselves. -Cardigans off and hats or caps will help keep bodies cooler. We had good discussion in one of the classes about black absorbing heat (school trousers) and white reflecting it... (school shirts.) Experimented with our body positions to maximise shading.
We are preparing the garden for a visit from the London Children's Flower Society in the beginning of July for judging of the Summer Garden Competition so lots of watering being done since it is so dry.
We've also picked a lovely crop of strawberries this week, as you can see below!
  
Skills Builder Home Zone.
At Woodfield School, we strongly focus on preparing our students for Adulthood which involves areas around Employability, Independence, Community, and Health and Relationships. As a part of this endeavour, we constantly strive to develop our curriculum and involve the parents, through various workshops, such as Skills builder, RSE, Access to work, Supported Internships, Reasonable Adjustments and benefits.
Skills builder is an organisation which works with 800 Businesses to map out the Essential skills required to get and maintain a job. We recently had a parent workshop from skills Builder, where it was explained how parents can teach the essential skills at home, by logging into the Skills Builder, Home-zone website. It was a very interactive session. The website can be accessed here: Getting started - Skills Builder Homezone
Please have a look at the website. It can be opened on smart phones and on computers and is quite easy to use. It has many resources which will help you teach the essential skills at home, step by step.
Get involved in preparing your child for Adulthood.
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.
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)
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!
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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