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Hi everyone

First of all, here鈥檚 a message from Kasia and Tracy

We would like to thank all the parents and carers in LSTE Pathway who attended our recent Open Afternoon.听 It was a pleasure to welcome you into our school community and share the learning journey of our students with you听

A big thank you as well to our dedicated staff teams and incredible students, who proudly showcased our approaches to learning and created such a welcoming and engaging atmosphere

Events like this highlight the importance of strong home鈥搒chool partnership. When families and school staff work together with a shared understanding and consistent approach, we create the best possible environment for our young people to grow and thrive. We look forward to continuing to work closely with you in supporting our students’ progress – thank you again for being part of the journey

Secondly, Helen & her class were celebrating VE Day, so let鈥檚 see what they got up to!

2HR had a lovely afternoon celebrating the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. Students followed step by step instructions to make jam sandwiches and enjoyed eating them at our own VE Day party!

There鈥檚 so much on at the minute! But they鈥檙e all good things, so all good here! Hope everything is well with you. Check out our Family Liaison and Online Safety blogs too, and all the stuff here 鈥� including advance notice of the prom in a few weeks time! Was great to see some of you at the school too, thanks for coming

All the best for a lovely weekend in the sun

Cheers!

John S

馃槉 from John & the PHS Team 馃槉

We have 3 Super-Steering Groups which deliver our Key Drivers through our curriculum. The Key Drivers are Communication, Wellbeing and Independence. The Groups are Literacy, Physical Development and Personal Development

听

Literacy

Becky, our Literacy Specialist Lead, leads a team that improve all aspects of literacy, including this year a lot of handwriting and oracy (it鈥檚 OK, she鈥檒l be going into explain all of that) as well as reading, phonics, books and all sorts!

THE BEACH!!!

In last week’s blog we shared snippets of what literacy is looking like across school this term, as many classes start a new topic or theme. This week we’re getting to see a little more of the Learning Skills Through Engagement Pathway, as they focus on the beach. A sensory story has been written (by Hannah L, thank you!) and students across LSTE will explore this sensory story this term, with teams adapting it to suit the needs of the students in each class. Here are some shots of 2HL and 3BE and their sensory story this week, exploring the experiences associated with going to the seaside. Whilst this is a lovely activity in itself, this will also be preparing students for visiting the beach later in the term, where many students will be able to try surfing!

The Literacy Team have also been busy planning for the new library this week, which will be built over the May Half Term. We’re really keen to make sure that students continue to be involved and have their say in how the library is set up – and we’ll be able to share more about that next week!

Happy Reading!

Fabulous!!!!!!!!!

Physical Development

Everything that is fabulous in the world of Physical Development! This includes physio, hydro, MOVE, PE, HI, VI, a lot of OT and all sorts of key areas for us, including all of the Outdoor Learning, John Muir Award and many other aspects. Steph oversees this and will ensure that an aspect is shared in the blog each week.

THE EXCELLENT CLASS 4H!!!

In class 4CH, physical development has been a key focus this term, with students engaging in a range of targeted activities to support posture, weight bearing, and core stability

Using a combination of specialist equipment鈥攊ncluding standers, walkers, and supportive seating鈥攅ach student has been working towards their individual physical goals in a safe and motivating environment. These sessions not only help to maintain joint range and muscle tone but also support improved head and trunk control, which are essential for communication, interaction, and overall wellbeing. It鈥檚 been wonderful to see the students building strength, confidence, and enjoyment through movement.

Great physical development! Well done all!

Personal Development

One of the best things about the school and one of the most important for our pupils, PD covers PSHE, Wellbeing, Careers, Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural, Online Safety, Behaviour and similar areas. Jo pulls it all together. Let鈥檚 see what Jo and the team have in store for us this week! The inspectors really loved all of the PD we do!

PSHE

An update from the PSHE Association regarding statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education:

鈥淭he best PSHE education involves a partnership between parents and schools, so we鈥檙e encouraged that support for PSHE education remains very high with parents of both primary and secondary aged pupils.

Our recent YouGov polling^[1]听of almost 1,000 parents of 5-18 year olds showed that:

• 88% of parents feel that schools and parents should share responsibility for teaching children about digital safety issues including fake news, negative online influencers and sending/receiving sexual images. Only 5% of parents felt it was their responsibility alone.
• 95% felt schools had a responsibility to teach about the dangers of grooming and abusive behaviour online.
• Almost 9 out of 10 (87%) parents polled 鈥� including those of primary aged children 鈥� also agree that schools should have a role, alongside parents and/carers, in teaching children and young people facts about relationships and sex. This rises to 95% agreement for parents who felt they were well consulted by the school about what relationships and sex education covered.

It鈥檚 therefore clear that when parents know what鈥檚 covered in PSHE education they are even more likely to support its aims. A misunderstanding of these aims, and what鈥檚 covered, can lead to confusion or concern. Communicating with parents clearly and openly on PSHE/RSHE is therefore key.

We鈥檙e confident that the introduction of statutory RSHE in 2020 is having a positive impact on PSHE standards (). The statutory guidance is now due an update, so we are expecting draft updated guidance to be published very soon for public consultation and hope that it continues to reflect parents鈥� and young people鈥檚 desire for preventative, protective education on a range of crucial topics.鈥�

1. ^{All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4,317 adults, of whom 928 were parents of 5-18 year olds. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th – 20th October 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). See data from this survey听.鈥�}

Please see last week鈥檚 blog to find out what your child or young person is learning about in PSHE this half term. I will be at coffee afternoons to share our curriculum and resources, make sure you pop over to say hi! In the meantime, any questions or concerns, please contact me at j.ferguson@percyhedley.org.uk .

Jo Ferguson

Personal Development Lead

Wellbeing

Here are Andy and the Wellbeing Team about what鈥檚 happening this year in their brilliant Connect Challenge series! Go Andy!

Connect with Food

This week鈥檚 “Connect with Food” challenge has brought our school community together in a range of meaningful ways

Casey in Post 16 has been taking steps towards independent living by researching healthy meals and honing her cooking skills. With the support of staff, she planned and prepared a delicious homemade meal, showcasing not only her culinary talents but also the importance of taking care of herself through nutritious and balanced food.

Meanwhile, other students have embraced food as a tool for relationship-building, using shared cooking experiences to bridge gaps with unfamiliar staff members. From discussing personal food favourites to cooking together, these interactions are enhancing communication and promoting connections that contribute to a supportive school environment.

A big shoutout must go out to James R and friends, they have been running their ever-popular breakfast club, serving toast to peckish pupils, while Jay has creatively explored the scents of the United Kingdom, sampling a range of iconic items including tea from England and Irn-Bru from Scotland!

Thanks again for taking part and stay tuned for another connect challenge next week.

Photo 1 鈥� Tea

Photo 2 鈥� Irn-Bru

Jay is the guy!

Gotta get yourself connected鈥�..

Therapy Star of the Week

Love Therapy Star of the Week, especially when it鈥檚 Story Club with Julie! Let鈥檚 hear what Julie has been doing with these fine folk in the Pilates Studio

On Fridays at 12.45pm LSTE students gather for Story Club in the Pilates suite with Julie

The room is made cosy with rainbow colours and lights. Students can meet their friends from other classes and listen to an interactive story. Key Makaton signs are shared with the students and staff. Each class has their own rainbow book representing Story Club which helps the students choose if they want to come along each week

Last week we read the 鈥楪o Away Bird鈥� by Julia Donaldson. Alex, Lysbeth, Vivie and Amelie enjoyed the coloured feathers and using the BigMack to say 鈥済o away!鈥�

Well done Alex, Lysbeth, Vivie and Amelie! Therapy Stars!!!!!

Trip of the Week! With Hannah

Sounds like Hannah鈥檚 class are going to go on lots of lovely trips this term as part of their new topic! Let鈥檚 hear about this week鈥檚 one! And then hopefully see some photos!

Our new class topic for this term is “World Around Me: Outdoors” so we will be going on trips to various places over the next couple of months. Our first trip was to the beach, which the students thoroughly enjoyed! We went onto the sand and explored different items that we found on the beach (sand, seaweed, shells, stones) and the students used individual communication methods to comment on their thoughts about the items. We had lots of fun at the amusements, listening to the sounds and looking at the flashing lights, we even won enough tickets to claim a prize!

We finished off the trip having lunch in the sun, listening to the crashing of the waves and the noisy seagulls! We are all so excited for our next trip!

Sports News with Nathan & Richard!

Lots happening in PE, sports teams, and physical activity these days! Let鈥檚 hear from Nathan

During this time of the year, there are more competitions and events happening and this week in PE we took some of the students to John Spence school to attend the BISI which is a badminton competition. They all had a lot of fun and came away with a certificate and medal each听

BISI (Badminton into Schools Initiative) is听a badminton competition specifically designed for schools to introduce and promote the sport to young people, especially those with learning or physical disabilities.听It focuses on fun, accessible activities and allows for differentiation to meet individual needs

Behaviour for Learning (BfL)

Aylisha and Corin have developed the BfL Group and are working on supporting our pupils all the time on the best way to be in all situations. Here鈥檚 Aylisha now

If anyone has any queries or would like more information about this, please feel free to get in touch with the BFL team

• holland@percyhedley.org.uk
• orr@percyhedley.org.uk

Early Years 鈥� The Ducklings!

Let鈥檚 get the latest update from what鈥檚 been happening down in the fabulous Early Years, hear from Kerry, and then see some lovely pictures which show what sort of a week they鈥檝e had and what they鈥檝e been up to

Once again another lovely, but busy week in Early Years!

The children have been doing some great switching during morning routines to say hello to their peers. Our amazing animal theme has taken us to the jungle this week. In our phonics activities we have listened to animal sounds and identified the different animals – some of the children had pictures of the animals and others had toy animals to match the sound too; all the children worked really hard

Some great counting and colour sequencing in maths! Our number song this term is Five Little Monkeys

Making our own playdough has been popular this week exploring colour mixing. We are also introducing an artist to the topic each term this term we are looking at the work of Sarah Taylor 鈥渁 contemporary wildlife artist she creates lively painting of geometric patterns and fluid marks鈥�. The children made some lovely pictures using a variety of different painting tools

This week鈥檚 Artist of the Week goes to Hayden who produced a lovely colourful painting. Children are also enjoying taking turns watering our strawberry plants all part of knowledge and understating the world.

UNICEF Award update with Rebecca

Since we gained the Bronze level of this award, Rebecca & the teams are already working on the next level. We particularly like this scheme because it puts the voice of the child at its centre. Let鈥檚 hear what they鈥檙e up to with this at the point. Here鈥檚 Rebecca

This week our focus is on article 12 which states that I have the right to be listened to and taken seriously.

This means that:

When adults are making decisions that affect children they should ask them what they think.

• Adults should take account of children鈥檚 views when making the decision.
• Children should be supported to give their views in a way that is best for them.
• One of the things the UNCRC does is to make it clear that human rights apply to children and young people as much they do to adults.

Children and young people don鈥檛 have as much power as adults. They can鈥檛 vote, and they don鈥檛 have as much money. But Article 12听says they still have the human right to have opinions and for these opinions to be heard and taken seriously.

It says that the opinions of children and young people should be considered when people make decisions about things that involve them. Their opinions shouldn鈥檛 be dismissed out of hand on the grounds of age. They should be taken seriously, with their听evolving capacities听taken into account.

Article 12 also says children and young people should be given the information they need to make good decisions.

What are evolving capacities?

As children grow older, they become more able to understand their lives and make decisions that affect them. This happens gradually, and it doesn鈥檛 happen at the same speed for everyone鈥� it depends on things like a child鈥檚 experiences, education and maturity

A child鈥檚 ability 鈥� or听capacity听鈥� to make a reasoned decision will depend on the decision being made

Evolving capacities

听is a term used to refer to the increasing ability to make reasoned decisions in different parts of a child鈥檚 life

And finally鈥︹��it鈥檚 that time of year again鈥︹��..oh yes…

鈥�..from John & the Team here at PHS

**

Our Key Drivers

Communication, Wellbeing, Independence