Copy
The latest newsletter from Mr Cooper
Can't read this? View in your browser
Click for school website banner

Woodfield Newsletter

Friday 17th September 2021

Dear Parents/ Carers,

Key Stages 4 and 5 had their first taste of our new Vocational Education program this week. each key stage spends one day a week on this program. We will have more information on the program in the following weeks, and first reports are very positive from pupils and staff. The program consists of practical experience at some local businesses (Red Brick Cafe in Harrow, Sufra Charity). working on a farm (courses in vehicle maintenance, horticulture, animal care and more to choose from) or or practical courses on site at Woodfield (ICT, Music, Catering).

We have had one student report a positive case of Covid this week. Public Health England have informed the Northwest London Health Protection Team of our case, and we have been advised that no student or staff member at the school needs to isolate at this point. Anyone required to self-isolate will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace. Your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well. We encourage household members that are aged 11 and over to continue with twice weekly LFD testing to help identify cases promptly. These tests should have been sent home with your child already, if not, please contact your class teacher. If you have not been contacted directly by NHS Test and Trace, you can arrange for your child to take a PCR test, even if they do not have symptoms, because they may be at higher risk of being infected.

There is more information on the government website, and rest assured we are continuing the protocols outlined in last weeks' newsletter, and encourage all members of our community to continue with the twice weekly testing regime. If you feel you do not have enough tests to be able to undertake the twice weekly testing, order more from the NHS testing site. The ordering of tests is free. We have some testing kits at school. If you would like some of those, please contact your child's form tutor who will arrange for you child to bring a kit home.

I neglected to mention another new teacher last week, so a special big welcome to Rezwana Begum, who is teaching a Key Stage 3 class. Teacher contact details can be found on our website here.  There is plenty of other information on the website, and a good place to start is the Parents Section.

For half term breaks, term breaks and staff training days, please see our website for next year's term dates. Please note that the INSET days can (very rarely) change, and if this does occur, you will be informed via email, SMS and through the newsletter

Parent Governor Positions- A message from the Chair of the Woodfield Governing Board
We currently have three parent governor positions to fill within the governing board and I would like to invite nominations for these positions.

Parent governors play a vital role on an effective Governing board, being a representative parent (rather than a representative of parents) and providing the unique viewpoint offered to them as a parent through the first-hand experience of the children, using this to inform school management strategy.

More information on the role of a parent governor and a governor in general can be found here

Parent Governor Nominations
If you would be interested in becoming a parent governor, please send an email to Deepti Bal, Clerk to Governors, on dal@compasslp.co.uk. This should detail:

1. Your name
2. Your child’s name
3. The name of the class your child is in

Please let Deepti know if you’d like to have an informal chat with me or another member of the governing body, perhaps one of the other parent governors, to discuss the role of a Governor in more detail before sending through a nomination.
Depending on the number of nominations we receive, an election may need to be held and further information on this process will be provided to nominated Governors and the school community in due course as required.

Regards

Jerome Meldrum,
Chair of the Woodfield Governing Board


Laptops
If your child received a laptop during lockdown, you may be requested by the form teacher to send the laptop in with your child once a week for ICT lessons.  The form tutors will get in touch with you as to when your child has ICT lessons. This will help teach our students how to take care of their laptops and how to safely carry it to and from school. The laptops and their chargers will need to be labelled. 

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

This is a confidential service and any referral will be treated with strict privacy within the school. If you would like to discuss further, please contact Patsy.

Annual Reviews of EHC Plans
Annual reviews, in the current circumstances, need to take a different form. A review meeting, even if by necessity briefer than usual, can be carried out as advised by the Coronavirus Act 2020 for the Secretary of State for Education. due to the need to assign some staff from working on annual reviews to delivering the rapid testing program, the timeframe for delivering annual reviews may be adjusted. You will be well informed of any changes.

In order to complete the Annual Reviews of EHC Plans this academic year, Woodfield School will conduct reviews, virtually or over the telephone rather than face-to-face where this can be done following the guidance on reducing transmissions of coronavirus (COVI-19). Therefore parents or carers will not be invited into school for a review meeting. 

An invitation e-letter will be sent out with more details as your child's' review approaches. (Please note that the Local Authorities have stated there is a backlog with amending ECHP’s). We will be happy to chase it up for you but just so you know ultimately it is the Local Authority who updates the EHCP. You will be entitled to a draft copy of all reports. 

Please note; we have a change in our GDPR policy as to how we send review paperwork of your child to you. We will no longer send reports to parents’ personal email accounts. As of September 2020, we will only use your child’s email set for all correspondences for Annual Reviews. This encourages access to knowledge and sharing of information in a safe and controlled way from us to you.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please email on wf-senreviews@compasslp.co.uk or contact the school and speak with the SEN Administrator who will be more than happy to support you. 

Proposed dates for reviews:
Autumn Term 2021 - Oct -Dec  (Year 14, 13 and 9)
Spring Term 2022 - Jan - April (Year 9, 13, 12, 11 and 10 )
Summer Term 20212 - May- July (Year 10, 8 and 7)

Assistance from local councils
Local councils have set up guides for residents with regard to how to access a range of assistance over this time, be it medical, financial, business or even how to volunteer to assist others.

You can view these offerings from local councils by clicking the links below.

Brent
Barnet
Harrow
Ealing
Camden
Westminster


Makaton is a language programme that is used in conjunction with speech to aid the pupils’ understanding of language and help them communicate with each other more effectively. Makaton is used across the school in lessons and break times. We would love for you to learn some signs so that you can sign with your child. See the We Talk Makaton website for more.

 

Have a good weekend, and a safe summer break


Nick Cooper

Important dates

Term dates are subject to change, parents and carers will be informed of any changes.
 

If you would like hard copies (paper) of any document on our website, please contact the school office and they will arrange this
.

Copyright © 2021 Woodfield School, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 
Woodfield School is part of Compass Learning Partnership, a charitable company limited by guarantee (company number 8905350, registered in England and Wales) that has its registered office at Woodfield School, Glenwood Avenue, Kingsbury, London, NW9 7LY
Follow us on Twitter
Our School Website






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Woodfield School · Glenwood Avenue Kingsbury · London, Lnd NW97LY · United Kingdom

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp