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Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

Welcome to our latest newsletter.

Despite the challenging January weather, it has been a wonderful few weeks across the school, full of enthusiasm, creativity and purposeful learning. Pupils have settled back into routines brilliantly and have embraced new topics and experiences with curiosity and confidence.

Across all classes, there has been a real buzz of activity, from hands-on cooking and sensory exploration to reading, outdoor learning and exciting work-related projects. The school has also been feeling especially musical, with pupils enjoying regular dance sessions, music therapy and our much-loved Music Fridays, all of which support creativity, communication and wellbeing.

With just two weeks left of the term, there is still lots to look forward to. As we move towards the brighter days at the start of Spring, pupils will continue to enjoy new learning opportunities, trips and activities that make the most of the season ahead.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jodie Phillips

Deputy Headteacher

Books Chosen by Us, for Us!

We are delighted with the wonderful new selection of books in our library. Palm Class thoroughly enjoyed exploring the new texts, showing great enthusiasm and curiosity during their reading session with Sarita. Many of the new books were chosen directly by pupils through a student voice survey, allowing children to create a wish list of the types of books they would love to see in their library. Staff also contributed to a wish list, ensuring the collection reflects the interests, future teaching topics and the needs of our whole school community.

In addition, we are extremely grateful to the charity 'Read for Good', who generously donated a large number of books. The collection now includes a rich and varied range, from sensory books and graphic novels to non-fiction and imaginative fiction. The library is now truly bursting with something for everyone, supporting enjoyment, engagement and a love of reading across the school.

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Cherries Class:

We have been doing lots of cooking in Cherries class as part of our Around The World topic. We have been exploring new smells, tastes and textures, including cardamom, cinnamon and coconut!

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Olives Class:

Olives Class have had a fun and engaging term filled with lots of play-based learning. The children have enjoyed water tray play with ducks, supporting communication, turn-taking, and sensory exploration. We learned about a range of fruits and explored Africa through the story Handa’s Surprise. Over the term, the children also developed early phonics skills, exploring the C sound (/k/) through The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the K sound through activities linked to kites. We have also enjoyed zumba and our Friday afternoon Music sessions.

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Chesnuts Class:

In Chestnuts we have been watching the weather. We have identified the weather patterns and have made kites to fly soon, as the weather will be changing again this week.

In maths, we have been learning about time. We have been sequencing our day and reading hourly times. We all know what time snack time is!

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Elm Class:

Elm Class got creative this week as they prepared for the launch of their Work-Related Learning project. With paintbrushes and a little coffee inspiration, the children explored colour, creativity and collaboration while producing artwork linked to their upcoming project. The session was full of focus, fun and fantastic ideas, and the finished pieces reflect the enthusiasm and pride Elm Class are bringing to this exciting new venture. We can’t wait to share more as the project unfolds!

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Aspen Class:

It’s been a busy start to the new year in Aspen Class. Our Entry 1 Functional Skills groups have been working hard on place value skills in maths and on their Speaking and Listening in English, taking part in lots of role-play sessions, asking and answering questions, as well as a visit to a nearby café. Our ASDAN group have been focusing on reading familiar stories and recognising key words and symbols, as well as working on measures in maths.

For Duke of Edinburgh, we have focused on skills – identifying skills we are currently working on and new skills we could learn – and on volunteering. We had a lovely afternoon’s litter picking this week in a rare moment of beautiful weather amongst all the storms. Appropriately, this term’s Science topic is Climate Change and we have already looked at what we can do to help save the planet in light of rising sea levels and warming temperatures. Our Geography unit this term is focused on Australia, studying natural and man-made features, First Nations people’s culture, art and original forms of communication, as well as researching specific areas of interest (e.g. food, beaches, cities, sport, etc.). We are looking forward to a trip out on the train to St Ives next week – let’s hope for some better weather!

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