Executive Headteacher Blog
Always achieving our potential
This term has flown by. We have been lucky again this year not to lose any days of school due to the snow, therefore maximising on all of the learning occasions available for pupils. Alongside all of the traditional learning that takes place within our school, such as reading, communication and Maths. This Spring update focuses on our Personal Development and wider curriculum offer we have a place for all pupils.
Firstly, this year, as you may be aware we have been chosen for the Department of Education's Early Adopter Free Breakfast Scheme. This means that we are able to offer a free breakfast club from 815am to all pupils, if parents require this. We also offer an afterschool club till 415pm for all pupils. Although there is a small charge for this, this club is open to all pupils and is often used to help support our parents who unable to drop off and pick up their child within the normal school day. During this time, pupils read with adults, have a snack and engage in a range of activities.
This year we have also started an extended schools evening. This evening happens once per full term and is an opportunity for pupils to stay until 530pm and experience a different type of activity. Each class decides on what their extended activity may be and so far we have had bowling, the cinema, soft play and a Halloween Party. This is free for all pupils and provides them all an opportunity to mix socially with their peers outside of school, something that is not always possible due to a variety of factors such as cost and distance. As a school we feel it is vitally important to develop pupil’s characters and provide them with the rich experiences that will ideally shape their lives as they grow older and become as independent as possible.
On most Sundays, we offer a family swim in our pool to all families and school staff for £1 per person, this is on a first come first serve basis. One Saturday per half term we also run a sibling group for the siblings of our pupils to get together and talk about their shared experiences of having a sibling with additional needs, whilst getting together to do some ‘fun stuff’ such as football games, arts and crafts and a Forest school session. Please contact the school office if you would like your children (siblings of our pupils) to access this. In the holidays,
Aiming High also use our facilities to run a Forest School Session through Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. This session is free for pupils with parents/ carers needing to attend. Alongside this, for the past four years we have run a summer school programme. This programme has 6 whole school trips (1 per week) at a cost of £5 per person. Days out include Blackpool, Cadburys World, West Midlands Safari Park and Warwick Castle. Alongside this every pupil also has another 2 opportunities to attend a summer school day out during the summer with a trip that links to one of their curriculum topics over the year, such as a Harry Potter World Trip linking to the curriculum topic Heroes and Villains. These trips are highly subsided by the pupil premium money and raises all pupil’s memorable moments and hooks for learning. It also provides great opportunities for families to build up their own networking and support systems for each other.
This term we have had some more school improvements and these improvements have been linked to the schools Health & Safety plans. Firstly, (funded by the Esteem MAT) we have had magnetic locks put onto all of the outdoor play areas. This has meant that ‘karabiner locks’ are no longer used and in the case of a fire all internal fences and gates will be released. As well as this the school council recently bought up that pupil, who were not ambulant, could not move from the external buildings into the main building (to take the dinner register or go out to play after lunch) independently, due to the exit door not being a ‘push and release door’. Therefore, the health and Safety committee decided that this needed to be a priority and this has now been fitted to the great delight of some of our pupils.
In other news, from September 2025, we will be changing our PE uniform to black leggings or Joggers, a royal blue crew neck t shirt, Fountains Jumper and Black/white trainers. We have informed our uniform providers of this and the T shirts will be ready to buy from after May Half Term. That said, please don't feel you need to buy T shirts/Jumpers with an emblem on, that is your choice. Another change will be that ALL pupils will come to school with their PE uniform on, the day of their PE lesson. Our reason for doing this is maximising our learning time. Please be aware that we will continue to practice dressing and undressing skills during all swimming sessions. It is vitally important that all pupils wear a uniform every day as it provides a sense of belonging to our school.
This year we will be having our Sports Days at Shobnall Leisure Complex. This will be on Wednesday 9th July. This will start at around 945am for pupils in Penguins, Seals, Seahorses, Turtles, Whales and Jellyfish and after lunch (around 1245pm) for pupils in Starfish, Octopus, Dolphins, Fish, Lobsters and Rays. If pupils have a free school meal, they will be provided with a packed lunch during this day.
Finally, I would like to thank all of our staff for making all of these wonderful opportunities and experiences available to our pupils. All of which work very hard and selflessly to enable your children to have all of these extended opportunities (including three residentials per year) provided. I would like to wish you all a Happy and Safe Easter Break and look forward to seeing you all back in school on Monday 28th April.
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Mrs Price
Executive Headteacher​