4 April 2025

Headteacher’s Message

The recent change in the weather has been most welcome, enabling pupils to access more outdoor learning, which I know they all enjoy!

Since half term, pupils have been exploring the theme ‘Amazing Animals’ and have participated in a number of trips, including visits to Kimmeridge, Marwell Zoo and Monkey World!  Many pupils have created some amazing animal masks and I hope that some of you have been able to see these fantastic creations!

The next half term will be a short but a busy one! The theme will be ‘Let’s Go!’ and pupils will be investigating different types of transport. I am sure that the class teams will make the most of the warmer weather and spend time accessing the local community.  In addition, our older pupils will be sitting external accreditations in April and May.  As always, there will be a number of events taking place in the Summer Term and we will share details of these once we return following the Easter break.

I would like to thank all of you who attended our Progress Evenings.  As always, it’s lovely to see so many of you taking the opportunity to discuss how well your children are doing.

Finally, please be aware that school will be closed from 3pm on Friday 4^th April 2025 for the Easter holiday. Pupils will return to school on Wednesday 23^rd April 2025.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely Easter break.

Geoff Cherrill
Headteacher

Safeguarding and Participation Team

Going Out or Staying Home Alone   

As your child gets older, they may want more independence. The NSPCC have a range of resources that can support you in deciding when your child is ready to stay home or go out alone.  

Manosphere and Incel Movement 

The use of the online space can be excellent but can also bring about misinformation, disinformation, negative influences and concerning rhetoric targeted at young people. Misogynistic influencers are sharing concerning content that would be labelled under the term 'The Manosphere'. The manosphere is a network of online communities promoting anti-feminist and sexist beliefs encouraging resentment, hatred or even violence towards women and girls. The manosphere can influence young men's beliefs, it also includes the Incel movement as well as potential links to Far-Right narratives. 

The BBC news article provides more information.  

The Impact of Smartphones 

There is a growing concern on how excessive use of smartphones can affect our children. In addition to the effects of seeing inappropriate content online, the risk of cyberbullying and grooming, it is important that we also highlight the effects of smartphone use on our children’s mental health. If your child is using a smartphone then please try to ensure they maintain a healthy screentime limit. According to King’s College London, “two new studies of smartphone habits in teenagers have identified links between problematic smartphone use and depression, anxiety and insomnia.”  

You can read more about these studies here: 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

What is AI?  

AI is when a computer/machine can learn and perform tasks like a human. Its popularity continues to increase, and examples include:  

• Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri; 
• Chatbots such as ChatGPT.  

What are the potential risks of AI?  

• Chat apps - A simple search of “AI Chat” within an App store highlights the number of apps already available and just scrolling through, you can see that they are not suitable for children with many rated as 17+.  
• Image manipulation - there are AI tools that can be used to digitally remove clothes from photos, which clearly raises serious safeguarding and privacy concerns. 
• Deepfakes – there are also AI tools that create realistic, fake videos which can be used to spread misinformation or cause harm.  

For more information on the risks of AI and what parents / carers can do to reduce risks please  

Young Carers  

A child is a Young Carer if they’re under 18 and help to look after a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. 

A Young Carer may help look after one of their parents or care for a sibling. 

A Young Carer may do extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning or helping someone get dressed and move around, look after siblings or help with medication. They may also give a lot of physical help to a parent, brother or sister who's disabled or ill. 

Being a Young Carer may have an impact on a child’s emotional and/or physical health, education or social development.  

Support for Young Carers is available and requests for an assessment can be made through the Family Information Directory by following the link below. Additionally, we are happy to support with a referral, simply contact the main school reception and your call will be directed to the team.  

If you think your child provides a caring role over and above what would normally be expected but doesn’t meet the criteria, please do let us know. 

Hidden Disabilities 

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower?  

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a simple tool for you to voluntarily share that you have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that you may need a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces. 

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it is not there 

Globally 1 in 6 of us live with a disability. That is approximately 1.3 billion people. 

But while some of us experience a disability that is visible, many have a non-visible condition or experience a combination of both visible and non-visible conditions. These disabilities can be temporary, situational or permanent. They can be neurological, cognitive and neurodevelopmental as well as physical, visual, auditory and include sensory and processing difficulties. They can also be respiratory as well as chronic health conditions such as arthritis and diabetes, chronic pain and sleep disorders. 

Making the invisible visible 

As diverse as these conditions are, so are your individual access needs and the barriers you face in your daily life. So you can opt to wear the Sunflower to discreetly be seen in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces. 

Please take a look at the website for some lovely resources that can be personalised at a reasonable price to help support you, the children and your family.  

Have a fantastic and mostly importantly safe holiday. 

Best wishes, 
Adam, Jo, Nicki, Abi and Kelly 

Curriculum

This half term we have been focussing on the science topic, ‘Amazing Animals’, learning to label the different animals, categorise them, understand their different habitats and their life cycles.  The most excitement was caused by Shells class, Jess organised for the arrival of several chicken eggs that very quickly hatched into very cute baby chicks and were safely returned from where they came!   

Pupils have had some fantastic opportunities to get out and about and find out more about different animals and their habitats; from our annual boat trip to see the birds in Poole Harbour to visiting Arne, Monkey World, Kingston Maurward, Marwell Zoo and the Oceanarium.  In our Forest School area, it has also been exciting to see Blue Tits and Coal Tits nesting in our boxes. 

Pupils have enjoyed using STEAM lessons to design and create a variety of equipment that can help them to think about what animals need and how they can care for them; from bug hotels to bird feeders.  The Creative Arts subjects have immersed themselves in the animal theme creating animal masks and looking at sounds associated with animals using digital technology and instruments. It has been great to welcome Mike from Sound Storm who has worked with several classes and shared his talents and wonderful ideas.  

A big well done to the Post 16 team who completed a 10K walk for Comic Relief, in school we enjoyed celebrating this event with jokes, having a go at the ‘build a Lego School’ challenge and a fab 80’s disco, it took me right back to the wonderful days of Wham!  

Across the school we all enjoyed celebrating a Harry Potter themed World Book Day – from stories to potions and magic it was a wonderful seeing lots of witches and wizards round school and celebrating books and reading.  We continue to encourage a wide variety of reading opportunities and have used the theme to link this to animals, please continue to engage with your child to develop their love of stories, pictures and reading.  We would love you to share your experiences with us.  

Pupils in the Discoverers and Explorers Pathways thoroughly enjoyed their Spring spectacular experience which involved a visit from a few of our favourite four legged friends! The Enquirers and Navigators had great fun participating and supporting pupils with their variety performances, it is always great to be able to watch our pupils perform and share their talents.  

I hope you have a wonderful Easter break.  

Hannah Parry  
Curriculum Lead  

Medical

Sun Safety Facts 

In the UK the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are the strongest between 11am-3pm from mid-March to mid - October. During this time, the sun may be strong enough to cause damage. Take extra care to protect your skin, especially if you get sunburnt easily by:

• Spending time in the shade, especially between 11am-3pm
• Covering up with clothes, hat and UV protection sunglasses
• Using sunscreen with a least SPF15 and 4 or 5 stars. Use it generously, reapply regularly and use together with shade and clothing

Tips for applying sunscreen:  

• Make sure you put enough on - people often put much less sunscreen than they need to. Apply sunscreen evenly and thickly, even if it is a roll on or spray sunscreen.
• Reapply sunscreen regularly through the day including ‘once a day’ and ‘water resistant’ products. Sunscreen can rub, sweat and wash off - even if it is supposed to be waterproof. It is especially important to put more on after towelling dry. Reapplying also helps avoid missing bits of skin.
• Check the expiry date on your sunscreen before you use it. Look for a symbol with the letter M and a number that shows how many months the sunscreen will last after opening.

Hay fever 

Hay fever is a common allergy that causes sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. You cannot cure it but there are many things you can do to alleviate symptoms and medicines available. 

Common Hay fever symptoms include: 

• Sneezing and coughing
• A runny or blocked nose
• Itchy, red or watery eyes
• Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• Loss of smell
• Pain at the side of the head and forehead
• Headache
• Feeling tired

Symptoms are usually worse late March to September, especially when it is warm, humid and windy, when the pollen count is at its highest. 

If your child suffers with any of the symptoms above, speak to your pharmacist about antihistamine medication and give advice. 

For further information see NHS link below: 

Ticks Awareness 

Ticks can occur throughout the year, but ticks are more common during the spring and summer months. Ticks are small arachnids that carry diseases such as Lyme Disease. These can be found in woodland, grassland, moorland, parks and garden. 

Please see link for further information and advice about ticks: 

Medical Email 

Please use our medical email address [email protected] if you would like to discuss the following: 

Request referrals - School Paediatrician, ID-CAMHS, CAMHS, Continence Team, Sleep Clinic, Community Dietician, Dental Service, Hearing Support Service, Vision Support Service, Wheelchair Service 

General enquiry box – to be used for any other medical related issue other than listed above. 

We aim to respond to all email enquiries the same day. 

Medication 

If your child has regular medication in school e.g. Inhalers, at the end of term all medication held in school will be sent home with your child. Please check you have received all medication. 

Prescribed Medications 

If your child requires medications during school time for a medical condition you must complete an M2 form, this is available in reception or on the school website to download. 

Paracetamol - please be advised that we have a Medication Policy in place that states we can only administer prescribed medications which includes Paracetamol. 

As always if the medical team can offer any support or advice, please contact us. 

We wish you a wonderful Easter break. 

Best Wishes 
Michelle and Sue

Therapy Team

Regulation Station 

Therapy Team Supporting Pupils Accessing the Curriculum. 

Pupils are continuing to enjoy and benefit from Regulation Station. Regulation Station is a session designed to help support pupils to regulate their senses enabling them to feel ready to actively engage with their learning and enjoy positive interactions with their peers. The session is based around the sensory circuit model. There are three sections which run in this order, alerting, organising and calming. After the session pupils have shared that they “feel better” and “that was good!”.  

Physio Wake and Shake Group 

This is a small group run by Jane Reynolds Physiotherapist, supported by the therapy assistants. 

A selection of pupils from Shells class were finding it difficult to access the class wake and shake movement time. These pupils are now currently engaging in a physio led session in our therapy room. This involves supporting them to work on their strength, stamina, motor planning and enjoyment of movement by crawling, climbing, rolling and moving in different directions over the soft play equipment. The room is set up differently each week to aid their motor planning skills. At the end of the session, they engage in some simple yoga positions and a calming activity. All the pupils have been really engaged and are enjoying the sessions.  

Speech and Language Therapy 

'Our Senior Speech and Language Therapist, Jess Woodrow, returned from maternity leave at the end of March. We would like to thank all parents and carers for your patience and understanding while our SaLT capacity has been reduced.' 

Ocean

We have welcomed a new little one into our class this term, and we could not be prouder of how he has settled into the class, and how the children already in class have welcomed him. Well done Ocean class.  

We have had an amazing term! The theme ‘Amazing Animals’ has been fully embraced by the children, and they have thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in our natural world of animals and habitats, particularly the sensory aspect.  We have explored aquatic animals and their habitats, farm animals, pets, and jungle animals.  Whilst the children loved the water aspect of sea creatures, their favourite has been the jungle as they have learnt the movements and sounds that the animals make especially during our song ‘Walking in the Jungle’.  We have read several stories during our snack time in the afternoon and the children have especially enjoyed ‘The Bear Hunt’, which we have replicated during some of our community visits by walking through puddles, stomping, standing in a river, and enjoying the thick oozy squelchy mud.  Sharing a story during this time has supported the children to independently engage with books, and it is a joy to see them enjoying sharing books with adults at other times during the day. The highlight of the term, we feel, was the Art Gallery held during parents evening which displayed the children’s interpretations of animals. 

As we move forward into the summer term our theme will be ‘Let’s Go’ as we focus on different kinds of transport.  We will also be going swimming each week.  Could I ask that you take time during the Easter holidays to prepare for this and ensure that the children have all the correct equipment.   Details will come in the weekly newsletter. 

As always, thank you again for your great communication with us, it really does make working as a team to support the children much easier and more effective.  Be proud of your children... they are amazing!  Have a lovely break during Easter, fingers crossed for good weather, and we look forward to seeing everyone in the summer term.  

The Ocean Class Team

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Harbour

Our topic this half term has been ‘Amazing Animals’. We’ve had so much fun learning and engaging in a variety of activities that has supported the development of the pupils in Harbour Class. The children have particularly enjoyed exploring animal sounds during our receptive communication sessions and have had fun activating the animal sound buttons to listen to. Our story has been ‘Farmyard Hullabaloo’ and the children have enjoyed exploring the sensory experiences of mud to represent pigs, milk for cows, hay for donkeys and feathers and eggs for chickens. They’ve also explored different textures such as soft materials to represent the cat and the dog in the story.  

For our life skills sessions, we have been focussing on toothbrushing. The children have explored different flavours of toothpaste and practised toothbrushing techniques on themselves, templates, teeth models and on baby dolls. It’s been a great opportunity for them to use their senses to explore different tastes and textures and also make marks in the toothpaste. In art, the children have been working on pieces for a class gallery, choosing their own colours and textures to express themselves. It was wonderful to see the variety and imagination in their work. In cooking, the children explored mixing raisins and cherries with dough to make their own fruit buns and spreading tomato puree, sprinkling cheese and cutting vegetable to put on pitta bread pizzas. 

We have had some special events this half term including World Book Day and Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday). It was amazing to see the children take part in activities that encouraged a love for books and some children even came into school with some wonderful costumes! During Pancake Day, the children had a chance to explore food in various ways. From tasting pancakes to using utensils and even role-playing as bakers, it was a hands-on experience that everyone enjoyed.  

We’ve also been keeping active both indoors and outside as the children have developed their gross motor skills. Our outdoor community visits have continued to be a highlight and have provided the children with chances to exercise, engage with nature, and practice gross motor skills. The children have been visiting our Forest School, Kinson common and also PE in the park where they have worked on their coordination and balance through various activities. All of the children have had opportunities to move, play and develop their physical skills during these visits. The children have transitioned well on their outings and continued to build their confidence and engagement in different environments. These outings were such a valuable part of the children’s learning experience. We are also very much looking forward to our end of term trip to Kingston Maurward Animal Park and Gardens where the children will be able to see lots of animals to round off our ‘Amazing Animals’ topic. 

Next half term, our topic ‘Let’s Go’ will be all about transport and vehicles and we are looking forward to more creative activities, outdoor adventures and continued progress in developing communication, motor skills and social interactions. Thank you for your continued support in making Harbour Class such a special place for all of our pupils. Have a lovely Easter break and we look forward to welcoming your children back for the new term!  

Starfish

Starfish have had a great half term!  

The last half term has been all about thinking about ‘Amazing Animals’ and all the different animals across the world and where we can find them.  The children have had lots of opportunities to see real animals out and about from going to the Oceanarium, to doing a bug hunt and finishing off the half term with a visiting farm! 
 
As part of this theme the children have been exploring different animals and their habitats through a multi-sensory approach through physically experiencing different animals, looking at different stories about animals or habitats, and creating some beautiful art ready for the Art Gallery.  This has linked well into Forest Schools and our community visits over the last few weeks.  

This half term, as we have had a couple of children join Starfish, we have had a focus on being kind, looking after each other and making new friends.  We have continued to work on transitioning, road safety awareness and following key instructions as always.  The children have been out on many community walks, experiencing the world around them as well as learning these vital skills.  

The children have continued to make the most of our broad and varied curriculum, accessing a range of Outdoor spaces across the week such as Forest Schools, outdoor learning time, and our regulation time in the hall across the week.  There has been a big focus on learning about animal care and when we find bugs when out and about, we are learning to look after them.  

Finally, we have been continuing, as always to push communication and this half term we have been working on labelling different animals and building interests in new things.  We have bought in some new activities and toys and they have really loved exploring these and starting to use them appropriately and with more purpose.  
 
Well done Starfish! Another wonderful half term!  

Jellyfish

“Yay!” for Spring weather and sunshine! Jellyfish Class enjoyed a wonderful final part to the Spring Term focussed on the theme ‘Amazing Animals’. Each week we used ‘Word of the Week’ to explore different animals, what they look like and their habitats. Pupils learnt each sign for the ‘Word of the Week’; animal, water, Arctic, farm, zoo, pets. I hope your child can teach you the signs for these over the Easter Holidays! The pupils explored different animals, their initial sounds, our favourite animals and each animal’s characteristics. They then used this knowledge to decide upon an animal they wished to make into a mask - I am sure you saw these at Parents Evening! 

On Wednesday afternoons the class have been enjoying messy play (sorry about the extra laundry you may be having to do...) in our STEAM lessons. We had lots of fun with cornflour, foam, ice, food colouring, pipettes and water. In PE, Mr Alex and Mr Callum have been teaching the class to play Boccia. This has really tested the pupils’ listening and turn-taking skills. In Music, Jellyfish pupils have been enjoying using different technology to make music. They have also been practicing for their whole group performance of ‘Gangnam Style’ for the school talent show. They, of course, smashed their performance and showed off their amazing dance moves to the whole school! So much fun was had by all, pupils and staff, at the Oceanarium - a wonderful interesting and sensory experience! The pupils are still talking about the “silly penguins”!  

In Cooking / Food Therapy, the pupils have been cooking and trying lots of different yummy things; vegetable soup, pancakes, pizzas and flapjacks. We have introduced money to Jellyfish Friday Café so the pupils have been paying (with pretend money) for their toast and sometimes sweet treat if we are lucky enough to have any that week! Due to our eating being so successful, we have also introduced an extra food therapy session to our Wednesday mornings. In these sessions we will be exploring different foods such as fruits, biscuits or savoury snacks.  

For our Community Visit, we went to Kingston Maurward. So much fun was had by all even though the weather was a bit cloudy. We saw some animals and were even lucky enough to stroke some goats and donkeys! We highly recommend a visit to the animal park here. In the final week of term, we celebrated Eid during the whole school drop-day. We made sun catchers, learnt what Eid is and feasted on yummy foods at a party!  

Next Half Term, our theme is ‘Let’s Go’. We will be focussing on going out and about, following instructions and how to stay safe when out in the community. The pupils will also be exploring different journeys; where we might go and how might we get there.  

We wish you a “Happy Holidays” during the Easter Break and look forward to the SUMMER TERM and the fun that will bring!  

Miss Naomi and the Jellyfish Class Team; Miss Jo, Miss Laura, Miss Hayley and Miss Jane  

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Dolphin

Dolphin Class have really enjoyed our theme this term ‘Amazing Animals.’ It has seen us go on fantastic trips to the Oceanarium and wonderful wildlife walks in our local area. We have seen some great success with pupils utilising their communication skills to discuss different aspects of animal life. This has been supported by learning from our new book for this term, ‘Monkey Puzzle.’ With students using the story to describe animals and expand on their comprehension of diverse habitats. Students especially enjoyed our moving pictures lessons this term and using cuddly toys in a guess who game to extend their descriptive language skills. 

Dolphin Class love stories and this is reflected in their engagement in reading across the week in our end of the day story time. It is also evident in our phonics sessions, iI which we have now explored every sound in phase 2 with pupils proving their amazing recall in a recent end of term phonics recap. 

We find every opportunity to communicate with others, so our ‘show and tell sessions’ after lunch have been a big success. With pupils discussing or sharing photos of things that are important to them. Thank you to those who have sent in images, it is working well, and we’ll continue next term.  

In problem solving, we have been exploring size and measure. This has included looking at key concepts such as bigger and smaller, and short and long. We have physically explored these concepts by measuring animals, each other, by using rulers, metre sticks, cubes and even our own hands.  

As part of our Dolphin Cleaning Crew, the class have been working hard across the school site to complete jobs set by our staff who need extra help with big cleaning jobs. Dolphin Class have been scrubbing windows in Starfish, hoovering in Puffin Class and making the reception sparkle. We’ve seen a brilliant effort from everyone involved. 

In My World, we have continued to develop our understanding of public and private and what are expected and unexpected choices in different environments. We have now begun looking at how we can look after our bodies especially when they begin to change in puberty. We hope this will give pupils the skills to independently safeguard themselves in their lives.  

In ICT, we have been using the Purple Mash app to explore animal activities and learning camera skills to help film our own nature documentaries. The class even managed to capture video of new birds nesting in the boxes up in our Forest School area. 

In STEAM, we have completed a range of animal related crafts, from making owls and racing them across the classroom, to building a barn for our farm animal toys and more recently making binoculars to get a closer look at animals in the zoo. 

We have had a varied selection of super special events this term with Red Nose Day, World Down Syndrome Day and our Eid al-Fitr drop day. These have seen an increase in positive social interactions, with building friendships and bringing the whole school closer together.  

We will be sad to say goodbye to our amazing animal learning this term, but we are excited to rev up our engines and go out on some fantastic adventures as part of our new theme ‘Let’s Go!’ 

Thank you again for all your ongoing support. 

Dolphin Class 

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Octopus

Dear Parents and Carers, 

This half-term, Octopus Class has been exploring our exciting theme, Amazing Animals! We have been learning about different animals, their habitats, and what makes them so special. The children have been using describing words and labels to talk about animals, helping to develop their communication skills. 

Alongside our animal learning, we have been focusing on developing personal care routines. The children have been practising brushing their teeth, getting used to applying sun cream in preparation for summer, and brushing their hair. These important life skills have been incorporated into our daily activities to encourage independence. 

Our community visits have taken us on local walks, where we explored animal sounds using the natural environment and sound buttons. We also had an exciting trip to the Oceanarium, where the children saw sea creatures up close, and a visit to Pets at Home, where they enjoyed observing and learning about small animals. 

Next half-term, our new theme will be Let’s Go, where we will be exploring transport and journeys. We look forward to another fantastic term of learning and discovery! 

Best wishes, 
Octopus Class Team 

Shells

The children have thoroughly enjoyed our theme for this term, ‘Amazing Animals’. We have had some great opportunities for practical learning, we have thought about what animals need and how to look after them, we have been working on our describing language and have really enjoyed developing our physical skills.  

At the beginning of the half term, we were very lucky to have some baby chicks arrive in class for 2 weeks! The children were so excited when after a few days they began to hatch from their eggs. They stayed in the incubator until they were dried and ready to be transferred to a bigger home. The children loved having the opportunity to regularly handle and feed the chicks, they were all so gentle with them and keen to learn all about them as they grew. We enjoyed learning about how the chicks were changing as they grew - the children had lots of fun watching them learn how to fly as they grew feathers from their wings!  

The children have also been working very hard creating fact file pages for animals of their choice. They were able to use a visual to choose an animal to write about, they would then look at pictures of their animal and write down sentences that described them. Some of the children also enjoyed researching different animal facts with the adult to include in their fact file. They would then add a drawing of their animal to finish their fact file – they worked so hard and all of the fact pages look great!  

A big project we worked on over this half term was creating animal masks for the Discoverer’s art exhibition. The children were able to use visuals or their words to tell us what their favourite animal was, we then created a base and they helped to paper mâché multiple layers over it so that it was ready for painting! We then used photos of their animal to help them make choices on colours and patterns whilst they were painting it. The children have worked so hard on these over the space of a few weeks and we are so proud of the end result - they all look amazing!  

We were also very fortunate to be able to visit Bournemouth Oceanarium as part of our theme. We enjoyed looking at all of the different animals - we spotted lots of different sized and coloured fish, we watched the otters being fed, had an exploration session with one of the staff where we were able to hold different artifacts from the Oceanarium, and really enjoyed the penguin area where one of the penguins came right up to the window to say hello! The children absolutely loved our visit and listened and followed instructions brilliantly - we were very proud.  

After such a busy half term we hope you all have the opportunity for a relaxed and lovely Easter break. We look forward to coming back next half term for our topic ‘Let’s Go!’, where we will be focusing on journeys and transport.  

Shells Class Team 

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Penguin

The pupils in Penguin Class have enjoyed a busy and fun filled half term, with activities based around our topic: ‘Amazing Animals.’ Animals are always a popular and engaging theme, with plenty of learning opportunities across the curriculum. 

We have been using small world animals to practice counting in Maths, with some of us adding one more and one less. Our class texts in English have really captured our imaginations and we have engaged in these through sensory stories, exploring symbols and animals from the stories and for some of us, mark making and writing.  

In My World, we have been creating our own zoos, taking part in role play and caring for animals, talking about them and describing them. We have been using Play Doh to create animals and parts of animals, such as tusks, horns, stripes and tails, developing our fine motor skills. Some of us have also been writing labels for our zoos.  

One of our favourite activities this half term was making and decorating our fantastic animal masks in Art which were on display at the Discoverer’s Art Gallery. We were very proud of our creations and we all worked very hard!  

Next half term, our topic is ‘Let’s Go’ which is based around exploring different types of transport. This topic will be an opportunity to encourage creative thinking, labelling, early phonics with environmental sounds and exploring the world around us.  

Thank you for your continued support.  

The Penguin Class Team

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Sea Lions

As the Spring term draws to a close, it's hard to believe how quickly it's gone by! What an eventful term it has been, filled with exciting activities and memorable trips! 

There have been so many highlights this term, and here are just a few: 

Swimming: The children have had a fantastic time developing their swimming skills, with some even overcoming their fears! I’m incredibly proud of all their hard work. What really stood out was their willingness to step outside their comfort zones, even when feeling apprehensive, and the trust they placed in the class team who supported them in the water. It was so rewarding to witness many of them achieve milestones, whether it was swimming without floats, jumping into the pool, or simply having the courage to take their feet off the bottom of the pool! 

Maths: The class has shown exceptional resilience when tackling challenging objectives this term. They're accustomed to using tools that support their understanding of maths, making it more visual, and this term, they’ve really excelled in using money to make amounts! 

Boat Trip: The Sea Lions class had the incredible opportunity to explore Poole Harbour, observe the wildlife, and identify various bird species. The weather was absolutely perfect, and there were so many smiles all around! The children were a credit to the class, showing excellent manners and respect towards the boat crew. The whole team was incredibly proud of them. 

Creativity: Throughout the term, we’ve explored a wide variety of art techniques including mixed media, watercolours’, Brusho, and 3D clay sculptures. What consistently impresses me is the creativity the Sea Lions bring to every art project, along with the pride they take in their work. 

Drama: In our English lessons, the children have had a blast acting out different parts of the stories we’ve studied. It’s been such a joy watching them build confidence while deepening their understanding of the story. With such talent in the class, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of our Sea Lions find themselves at the Oscars in the next 20 years! 

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and enjoy the beautiful spring weather! 

Kind regards, 
Sea Lions Team 

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Sea Turtles

What a lovely half term we have had! This half term, our theme has been ‘Amazing Animals’. We have explored various ways to categorize animals, such as mammals, amphibians, and fish, and have studied different types of habitats. We have also thought about the difference in language used to refer to adult and baby animals. As part of our learning, we went to Poole quay to go on a boat trip around the harbour. During our boat ride, we were able to spot a variety of different birds, such as gulls, Canada geese and even an eagle. To conclude the topic, we enjoyed a trip to Marwell Zoo. Congratulations to the Sea Turtles class for demonstrating excellent behaviour during the visit. 

In English, we have a big skills focus us on information recall and sentence structure. To support recall, we have been learning how to make helpful listening notes. We have been making notes on a variety of different habitats such as rainforests and savannahs. We have then used our notes to create sentences. To support our sentence structure, we have used a technique called shape coding. Originally developed by speech and language therapists, shape coding is a valuable tool for visually organizing and understanding the components of a sentence, helping children recognize parts of speech and their roles in communication. 

Sea Turtles have continued to impress us with their reading this half term. They have engaged well in a variety of different phonics activities and one to one reading sessions. Pupils have been working hard on applying their phonics knowledge. IT has been wonderful to see all their hard work pay off. We also had an excellent World Book Day this year; there was an amazing range of costumes in our class and we enjoyed engaging in a variety of activities such as a Harry Potter themed potions class and designing our own book covers! 

In Maths, we began our learning by looking at the time. We looked at a variety of different ‘past’ and ‘to’ times. We were very impressed by the way some pupils could apply their learning to their day, by identifying key times in our routine such as lunchtime and home time. We have also explored our times tables such as 5s and 10s. Some Sea Turtles even explored simple division, and how some numbers can be divided into equal groups. To finish off our half term, we have been looking at money. Pupils have astounded us with their money skills this half term, applying their previous learning of 5s and 10s to help them find different ways to pay for items. They have also been able to identify when they can hand over a larger amount and expect change.  

As the weather has become warmer, we have been able to go further afield in Forest School. Pupils have enjoyed exploring habitats in our local area and discovering natural materials we could use to build dens or nests for animals. It has been a joy watching pupils develop the confidence to climb trees and explore the local habitats around them.  

In ICT, pupils have continued to develop their independence when logging on to laptops. The focus for this half term has been how we can access Word and use a keyboard. Pupils have been able to practice typing up our sentences created in English. In RE, we have been exploring stories from a variety of different religions such as Noah's ark and the Monkey King. All our stories have animals in them and we have been exploring the different morals of the stories.  

This half term, we have managed to continue our swimming sessions. Well done to pupils who have been able to participate! Our swimming sessions conclude at the end of this half term.  

Next half term, our theme is ‘Let’s Go’. The class team will be emailing about upcoming trips.  

Have a wonderful Easter! 
From Miss Nancy, Miss Sarah and Miss Sana.  

Puffin

Puffin had a great half-term enjoying learning linked to our theme, ‘Amazing Animals’.  

In English, the pupils have read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books about animals. Over the half-term, the pupils learnt about the features of non-fiction and fiction texts. The pupils then wrote their own brilliant non-fiction fact files using headings, subheadings and paragraphs.  

In Maths, the pupils have continued with developing their number skills. The pupils have been learning about multiplication and division in a range of contexts.  In addition, the pupils have been learning about money; completing fluency, problem solving and reasoning questions. Over the last two weeks of the half term, the pupils have been learning about time. They have used the vocabulary of time in a range of contexts and have read 12 and 24 hour digital and analogue clocks. Some of our pupils have also been comparing timescales and events using an appropriate standard unit of time. 

As part of our wider curriculum, the pupils have been engaging in different activities which include learning about how different religions view animals. In our My World lessons, the pupils have been learning about animal habitats around the world, which links to our STEAM project, where the pupils have designed and created their own bug hotel!  

Puffin Class have had fantastic experiences over the last half-term, including a boat trip around Poole Harbour to see the birds that live around the Harbour. A highlight of the boat trip was when we saw a white-tailed eagle! Another highlight of our half-term is when we saw the chicks that had been growing in Shells Class! The pupils enjoyed seeing the chicks and learning about their life cycle. We have also continued to enjoy going to the Café run by Lobsters Class. At the Café, the pupils have used money and vouchers to buy a range of healthy light bites!  

We are excited for our ‘Let’s Go’ topic next half term.  

Thank you for your continued support and we hope you have a wonderful break.  

Best wishes, 
Puffin Class Team 

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Lobster

We have had yet another busy term in Lobsters Class including; our ‘Amazing Animals’ topic, continuing to build on our Café success, World Books Day, Eid drop day, the Talent Show, a trip to Marwell Zoo, examination preparation and continuing to work on our Laser accreditation units!

This term Lobsters class have begun new Laser Accreditation units in; Health and Fitness, Using Time, Independent Living and Looking After Yourself at Home. These have been very successful and we will look to finish off these unit’s early next term.

It has been a really positive term as pupils have been highly engaged in our topic of ‘Amazing Animals’, where we have begun researching different types of animals, building fact files and writing descriptive sentences, which were finally integrated into some of the Animal Artwork that pupils produced with Miss Tash. Vicky and Ty really shone with this topic, as they were able to combine some of their key strengths including researching, recalling information, creating animal art and writing beautiful descriptive sentences about their chosen animals.

The highlight of the term was undoubtably the end of term trip to Marwell Zoo. Pupils loved exploring the animals up close and in person and recognised many of the animals that they had researched and written about throughout the term. As always, the behaviour and attitude of Lobsters Class was perfect and it was a wonderful way to celebrate all of their hard work that had gone into this term.

Thank you to everyone who visited our Lobsters Light Bites Café earlier in the term. Hopefully you gained an insight into all of the hard work pupils have put into this and can see how our curriculum is supporting relevant life skills that can be applied practically in the future.

Our next half-term topic will be ‘Let’s Go’ where we will continue to develop our understanding of public transport and being ‘Out and About’.

We hope all the pupils and their families have a fantastic Easter break and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Lobsters Team

Navigators - Orca, Manta and Seahorses

As we reach the end of another busy half term, we are excited to share the progress our students have made in their studies. This half term, our focus has been on ‘Amazing Animals’, and we’ve been working hard across different subjects to explore the fascinating world of animals from both scientific and creative perspectives. Here’s a brief overview of what we've been up to: 

English: Persuasive Writing 
In English, students have been learning how to craft a persuasive argument, focusing on the topical and thought-provoking issue: Should animals be kept in zoos? They have developed their writing skills by incorporating techniques such as alliteration, rhetorical questions, and emotive language to persuade and inform. This culminated in a final piece where students presented their well-reasoned arguments on this debate. 

My World: Animal Adaptations 
In My World, we have been investigating how animals adapt to their environments to survive. Through studying different species, students have learned about the fascinating mechanisms that enable animals to thrive in diverse habitats. A key part of our learning has been the study of the Dodo bird – understanding how this once abundant species went extinct and the factors that contributed to its demise. 

PSHE: First Aid and Animal Safety 
In PSHE, students have been learning essential first aid skills, focusing on how to handle burns, cuts, and head injuries. These practical lessons have empowered students with the knowledge and confidence to respond to common accidents and injuries, both at school and in everyday life. We also explored animal safety, linking this to our broader studies on animals and their care, ensuring students understand the importance of empathy and responsibility when interacting with animals. 

Religious Education: Animals in Religion and Spirituality 
In RE, students explored how animals are represented and valued in different religious traditions. They learned about the symbolic roles animals play in various faiths, deepening their understanding of the spiritual connection between humans and animals. At the end of this topic, students creatively designed their own spiritual animals, reflecting on the traits and qualities they would assign to animals based on personal beliefs and values. This exercise helped promote a deeper reflection on the relationship between nature, spirituality, and humanity. 

STEM: Animal Beak Adaptations 
In STEM, we conducted exciting experiments to demonstrate how animal beaks adapt to different environmental needs. Using various implements, students explored how the shape and function of a beak are crucial for survival, whether for picking, cracking, or scooping food. This hands-on experiment led perfectly into our trip to Arne RSPB, where students observed real-life examples of birds with specialized beaks, linking classroom theory to practical, real-world applications in animal adaptation and conservation. 

Educational Trips 
We’ve also had some fantastic opportunities to take learning beyond the classroom. This half term, students enjoyed trips to: 

Marwell Zoo: A hands-on opportunity to learn about animal conservation and adaptations. 

Margaret Green Animal Rescue Centre: Students gained valuable insights into animal rescue and welfare. 

Arne RSPB Reserve: A visit that focused on local wildlife and the importance of preserving natural habitats. 

Etches Collection at Kimmeridge: A fascinating trip that linked to our study of extinct species and fossil records. 

These trips have been incredibly enriching, helping to bring our curriculum to life and deepen students' understanding of the topics we’ve been exploring in class. 

We are incredibly proud of how engaged and enthusiastic our students have been this half term. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to what’s to come next term half term where our topic will be ‘Let’s Go’! 

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Magna Seals

It has been a fantastic and busy term in Seals, filled with exciting learning opportunities!  

Our topic this term has been ‘Amazing Animals’, and we have explored various aspects of the animal kingdom, from habitats and adaptations to classification, diet, and lifestyle. The children have been fascinated by how different species survive and thrive in their environments, and they have engaged in some great discussions about the natural world. 

In English, we have been putting our research skills to the test by creating detailed animal fact files, showcasing everything from the diet of a spider monkey to the incredible adaptations of deep-sea creatures. The children have also been developing their debating skills through discussion texts on a thought-provoking topic: Should animals be kept in zoos? This has led to some insightful conversations, with students considering arguments for both conservation and animal welfare. 

In Maths, we have been focusing on money and time, two essential life skills. The children have been working on solving real-world problems involving budgeting, calculating change, and understanding best-value deals. They have also been developing their time-telling skills, converting between 12-hour and 24-hour clocks, and solving time duration problems. These topics have encouraged practical thinking and problem-solving, and it has been great to see their confidence grow. 

This term, we have also enjoyed some fantastic trips that have brought our learning to life. A boat trip around Poole Harbour gave us the chance to observe a variety of birds in their natural habitat. Our visit to Monkey World provided a fascinating insight into primate rescue and conservation, and the children were particularly moved by the stories of the rescued monkeys and apes. Finally, our trip to Marwell Zoo allowed us to see a range of animals up close, deepening our understanding of habitats, adaptations, and conservation efforts. These experiences have truly enriched our learning and sparked even more curiosity about the animal world. 

It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and curiosity the children have shown throughout the term. Their ability to question, research, and present their ideas with confidence has been fantastic to witness. 

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to another exciting term ahead! 

Post 16

What an amazing half term we had in Post 16 and what can we say about the weather, it is getting warmer! Spring is here!  

This half term our topic has been ‘Amazing Animals’. We have been looking at all different animals and learning about them from the great David Attenborough. We have been out on a few adventures from Kingston Maurward to Marwell Zoo. We have also been looking at different birds for the RSPB to see what type of birds are in the local area.  

The students have also completed a 10K walk for Comic Relief! I think they were exhausted after that, but we did have some fun along the way with some of them even singing with us!  

We have been out on some Community visits including Poole, Bournemouth and a Careers Fair at the BIC. 

We had World Book Day where the theme was Harry Potter. Some of the students made up their own potion recipes, so you can imagine the things that went into them!  

It’s also been a great time for our gardening project. The students have been out in the garden planting different bulbs from crocus to daffodils.  Their herb plants and vegetable plants have been re-potted to allow for growth and tare coming along nicely.  

In animal care the majority of students completed all work for their accreditation. 

In Maths the students have been learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10,100 and 1000. They have even ventured into the world of fractions and symmetry. They have been measuring volume and capacity. 

In English the students have been discussing fact or opinion which led to few interesting discussions. They have been getting ready for their exams by learning about proof reading, spelling, sentences and paragraphs as some of have found it hard to read back through their work to see if it makes sense. 

In both Maths and English, students are now sitting mock exams in order for us to see what they individually need help with. 

Next half term will be “Let’s Go” where the students will design a kite each and attempt to fly it! They have threatened to put Post 16 teachers faces on them...  Have a lovely Easter Break!  

Best Wishes  
Post 16  

Creative Arts

Art

Tinga Tales 

As part of our ‘Amazing Animals’ topic, some of our Enquirers classes have been looking at ‘Tinga Tinga Tales’. These are colourful origin stories from Africa that tell the tale of why animals behave the way they do. Children have enjoyed such titles as ‘Why the Giraffe Had a Long Neck’ and ‘Why Bee Stings’. Puffin class have loved using oil and chalk pastels to make these colourful, larger than life animal drawings in a ‘Tinga’ style. 

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Octopus Step in to Spring! 

Spring has finally sprung!  And Octopus class have been busy bees. They have been making paper flower pictures. This has really brightened up our art lessons over the past few weeks and put a smile on Miss Tash’s face! Check them out…. 

Music

It has been a wonderful half term in music. 

Our KS4 Arts Award group have been exploring how technology can be used to create rhythms and add sound effects to visuals to create music videos. They have used digital technology and a range of percussion instruments to create sounds associated with animals.  

In our Enquirers music lessons, we have been looking at different pieces of classical music linked with animals. We have listened for high and low-pitched sounds and begun to create rhythms linked to animals.  

Our Discoverers have been exploring animal rhythms and creating music with percussion instruments and djembe drums, to match the habitats of different animals. Three of the classes have enjoyed working with Mike from Sound Storm to explore technical equipment linked with music and create animal noises and soundscapes.  

Our Explorers have had a great time exploring sensory musical equipment including our new Cosmo Switches, to stop and start music and begin to layer sounds to create music. Children have been encouraged to perform ‘solo’ pieces with a different instrument each week.   

Forest School

The golden spring sun beaming through the trees and the beautiful, serenading bird songs brings joy to all our students. We have been making the most of the sunshine and exploring animal habitats, minibeast spotting, and most excitingly of all, we have seen birds nesting in the bird boxes our students made and mounted.  

We had a magical time celebrating World Book Day with our Forest School area transforming into a wand workshop and potion making station. It was truly spellbinding to watch the magical creations our students made.  

We look forward to telling you more next time.  

PE

This term we have been busy in the PE department.   

Our Discoverers pupils have been practising their Boccia skills, showing great throwing accuracy and teamwork. They have also developed their understanding of the rules of Boccia.  

Our Enquirers pupils have been developing their football and basketball skills. They have shown great dribbling skills and have been passing accurately to each other. They have also shown great teamwork and shooting skills.   

Our Magna classes had the opportunity to compete in the Lord Taverners Table Cricket Competition, competing against multiple schools from the Dorset area. They came in a very respectable 3^rd place and were a credit to the school with their conduct.  

Our accreditation groups have been working towards their OCR Entry Level qualification. This half term they have completed a performance analysis on a game of Boccia and have continued with their fitness and football lessons. As the weather is continuing to get better and the temperature warmer, we will be aiming to be outside for as many of our PE lessons as possible. 

Have a fantastic Easter holiday break.

Online Safety

Winchelsea Wellness

“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day” - Dalai Lama 

For this half term’s wellbeing at Winchelsea, we have been focussing on all the different spring colours we have been seeing. We have been playing colour eye spy games and practising our deep breathing.  

Our deep breathing consists of breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can add counting; for example - breathe in for 2 seconds/hold your breath for 1 second and breathe out for 2 seconds. 

Comic Relief

Thank you for all the donations for Comic Relief. We had a great day raising awareness and raised over £65. Thank you for all the awesome 80’s outfits. In the pictures you will see Mr Alex and Nathan perfectly matching and our Post 16 students showing their leadership skills by helping and working as a team to finish our ‘build the school of the future’ Lego challenge.

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