Autumn 1 & 2 - 2021
17.12.21
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a term we have had! I am so proud of the students and staff for what they have achieved, particularly in the past half term when Covid has once more tried to dampen our spirits!
I would also like to thank you for your generosity. Across this term students, staff and families have supported us in fundraising for a number of charities and for the school itself. We raised over £1100 at our Christmas market last week - this is the highest amount we have raised in over a decade. The school council had suggested that each department has a wellbeing box of activities that the students could access, so money raised last week will go towards stocking up the Wellbeing boxes. We do hope that next year families will be able to safely come on site and join in with the fun and festivities.
We have raised over £1000 and supported the following charities : Jeans for Genes, Macmillan Coffee morning, the Poppy Appeal, Children in Need and Christmas Jumper Day. We made food donations to Luton Foodbank as part of our Harvest assembly .
We were also fortunate to be the recipient of some donations. We are thankful to Lancaster Avenue Bowls club for their donation of almost £400. We have put this towards buying a pass for the school so students can access trips to Whipsnade Zoo in 2022. We also received a donation from the Wooden Spoon charity towards the cost of our new wheelchair accessible roundabout.
We have been able to embrace elements of the curriculum that had to be put on hold last year due to Covid. Classes have been able to access the community again this term and our older students have resumed participating in the college link courses. The cafe has been open and offered work experience to the students. Hydrotherapy sessions in the school pool restarted and sessions at Lea Manor and Inspire have taken place. We have resumed visits to the school from Aga (our music sessions) and Kerry (PSHE); we have welcomed Maria Sexton to run music, movement and communication sessions. The NHS and other specialist therapists have been back in the building and working with students. We have resumed our PE and sports programme and have been able to engage in some events and competitions including starting back in Beds FA events and engaging in the Para Dance Competition (and winning several prizes in our first year!)
As a leadership team we have been out and about in classes carrying out learning walks and lesson observations and been so pleased to see our teachers and support staff busy providing interesting, fun and functional learning opportunities and supporting our young people to continue to work on their targets and to make progress.
Throughout the term the challenge of Covid has taken its toll at times, with both staff and students being affected. We have had three periods where, due to Covid, the ‘super cold’ and norovirus, it has been challenging to provide safe staffing levels and we have had to put in place some short term, temporary periods of absence for a small number of classes.
We are very grateful for the support we have had from parents at these times of challenge.
As we approach the Christmas holidays, we are all aware of the increased risk posed by the new Omicron variant. The scientists and the government are predicting that over the next four weeks we are likely to see an increase in the number of cases. At this moment in time the message from the government and the wish of the school is for us to be able to fully reopen in January and to be able to provide the best education that we can.
Although government advice and recommendations are in place for school reopening in January, I think we would be naive to assume that there will be no disruption. The Leadership Team have reviewed their Covid contingency plan and we are looking at a tiered approach in response to staffing challenges. Our aim is for students to be in school where they can; if classes need to shut down temporarily, we will work to ensure that these shutdowns are temporary and for the shortest amount of time and that learning opportunities will be provided. We will provide more information towards the end of the holidays.
Lateral Flow Testing
We strongly urge that staff and families continue to carry out regular Lateral Flow Tests when they are without symptoms. These tests should be carried out twice weekly and reported on the NHS app. If a LFT shows a positive result, this should be followed up by a PCR test. Testing should continue throughout the holiday period.
Current arrangements for January 2022
Training Day - Tuesday 4th January 2022
Students return to school - Wednesday 5th January 2022.
Testing before and upon the return to school
Students should take a lateral flow test on Tuesday 4th January and we request that parents send the results to their class teacher. Provided the results are negative, your child can return to school on Wednesday 5th January. If the test is positive, please do not send your child to school - follow the advice below.
On Wednesday 5th January all secondary school students will undertake a LFT in school, as per government advice. Only those students who have consent to do so will undertake the tests in school. Where parents have already provided consent, no further action is required. If you have not previously given consent and would like to, please complete and return the attached consent form to your child’s class teacher either via email on 4th January.
What will happen if a student arrives in school and has or develops any of the Covid symptoms?
Core Covid Symptoms
- A raised temperature
We will continue to take student temperatures on arrival at school.
If an amber or red temperature is initially identified by the temperature guns used for testing students, we will retest after 10 minutes with the same thermometer.
If still amber or red – we will retest using the ear thermometer.
If still raised – the student will move to the isolation room and we will call home requesting you to collect your child.
- A continuous cough - Coughing a lot for more than an hour or 3 or more episodes in 24 hours.
If the student is observed to cough continuously for over 15 minutes – we will move them to the isolation room and we will call home requesting you to come and collect your child.
- Loss of taste or smell
If reported by child – move to the isolation room and we will call home requesting you come to collect your child.
The student should be sent home and they should follow Public Health advice and get tested.
Tests can be booked via this site: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
There are four Luton sites offering FREE bookable PCR tests if you have coronavirus symptoms, open from 8am to 8pm. (these sites are no longer giving out rapid home test kits). The four locations are:
· Vicarage Road Car Park (University Campus) Vicarage Street, LU1 3HZ
· Hockwell Ring Community Centre, Mayne Avenue, Leagrave, LU4 9LB
· Bury Park Community Centre, 161-161b Dunstable Road, LU1 1BW
· Luton Airport Test Centre, Mid Stay Car Park, LU2 9QT
What happens if a parent refuses to get their child tested?
Schools should advise parents to get their child tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
A test is not compulsory however, it is advised in order to ascertain whether the child has COVID-19 symptoms.
If a child gets tested and it is negative, the child can return to school before 10 day isolation period ends only if they feel well and they do not have a fever for 48 hours.
If a child does not get tested, they will have to remain at home for 10 days.
Government Update 14.12.21
The self-isolation advice for contacts of people with coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed to reduce the risk of spread to others.
Anyone aged 5 years and over who lives in the same household as someone with COVID-19 and who is not legally required to self-isolate is now strongly advised to take an LFD test every day for 7 days. If any of these LFD tests are positive they should self-isolate in order to protect other people.
The public health advice for people with symptoms of, or a positive test result for COVID-19 remains the same for everyone – stay at home for 10 days from the start of symptoms, or the date of the PCR test, if there are no symptoms.
COVID-19 infection rates are very high and the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly. It is important that we all take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection in the community to save lives and protect the NHS.
If you have COVID-19 symptoms you should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. You should arrange to have a PCR test as soon as possible. If this PCR test result is positive, you must continue to self-isolate.
If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms, but you have a positive PCR test result, you must stay at home and self-isolate.
If you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19 you are at significantly higher risk of becoming infected yourself.
If you have been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, you are less likely to become severely ill if you catch COVID-19. You are also less likely to spread COVID-19 to other people, but it is still possible for this to happen.
Therefore:
if you are aged 18 years 6 months or over and you are not fully vaccinated*, and you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are legally required to stay at home and self-isolate.
If you are fully vaccinated or aged under 18 years and 6 months, and you live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, you are not legally required to self-isolate. However, you are strongly advised to take a LFT test every day for 7 days, and to self-isolate if any of these test results is positive.
*You are fully vaccinated 14 days after having received two doses of an approved vaccine (such as Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Moderna/Spikevax) or one dose of the single-dose Janssen vaccine.
LFD tests are very good at identifying people who have high levels of coronavirus and are most likely to pass on infection to others, even if you do not have symptoms.
You may be entitled to a one-off payment of £500 through the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment scheme if you are legally required to stay at home and self-isolate or you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate.
Spring term events
A paper copy of the Spring Term events planner has been sent home with your child - please check their bags. A copy is also attached to this email.
And finally...
We wish all of our students, their families and the staff a very happy, healthy, safe and peaceful holiday period.
For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you manage to do so with your family and friends.
We look forward to seeing everyone safe and well in the New Year.
Take care,
Sandra
- LFT in school CONSENT - form for parents and carers.docx
- Covid-19 Flow Chart - Updated December 2021.pdf
- Woodlands Secondary School - Spring event sheet.pdf
Update 10th December 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for supporting the school by making donations, buying raffle tickets and sending in money with your children for the Christmas Market. Although we had to curtail our plans due to Covid, I believe the students have still managed to have a really good experience. Hopefully this time next year you will all be able to join us. We will update you next week with the amount of money raised. We need to express a huge thank you to Shazmeen, our assistant Family Worker, who has worked her magic to make sure this event has happened. The students and staff have also been working hard to make things to sell, so we thank them too for their hard work.
Final week of term
We will be having Christmas Dinners in School
Tuesday - KS3, KS4 and the LOFT
Wednesday - Pathways, PMLD and the BASE
Thursday - FE
On Friday morning Father Christmas will be in school and on Friday afternoon we will have a virtual Christmas disco.
School cafe
In light of the new Covid variant and concerns about its spread, we have made the decision to temporarily close the school cafe to the public, until the end of January. We will review our decision then.
The cafe will remain open to serve school based customers and the students will continue to access their work experience placements in the cafe.
Covid 19, Plan B and the Omicron update
The prime minister’s announcement that we are moving to Plan B has not made any changes to current working practices in school. All students are still expected to attend school and receive face to face education. Masks are already being worn by staff and students in shared areas..
Throughout the pandemic we have continued to review and verify our Covid 19 contingency plans with the local authority, particularly when we have a number of cases in a particular area of the school. Where possible we have tried to remain fully open. Decisions to undertake temporary closures have always been based on safety and we endeavour to close classes for the minimum amount of time. We appreciate the support we have had from families when these difficult decisions have had to be taken.
Moving forward, everyone is looking forward to the upcoming holiday period and some well deserved rest time. Staff, students and families will be keen to remain healthy, well and Covid free. We strongly urge staff and families to continue to carry out regular Lateral Flow Tests when they are without symptoms.
These tests should be carried out twice weekly and reported on the NHS app. If a LFT shows a positive result, this should be followed up with a PCR test.
When staff or students develop any of the key symptoms, (a persistent cough, a high temperature or a loss of smell or taste) they must take a PCR test and stay at home until the results are received.
If the symptoms are observed or reported in school we will request that you come and collect your child in order to carry out the PCR test.
It is vital that we all follow these rules in order to protect our school community and to reduce the impact of this virus.
PCR testing sites
There are four Luton sites offering FREE bookable PCR tests if you have coronavirus symptoms, open from 8am to 8pm. (these sites are no longer giving out rapid home test kits). The four locations are:
· Vicarage Road Car Park (University Campus) Vicarage Street, LU1 3HZ
· Hockwell Ring Community Centre, Mayne Avenue, Leagrave, LU4 9LB
· Bury Park Community Centre, 161-161b Dunstable Road, LU1 1BW
· Luton Airport Test Centre, Mid Stay Car Park, LU2 9QT
PCR tests can be booked via https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
Lateral Flow testing over the holidays
Twice weekly testing is encouraged by a students staff and families over the holiday period. We request that all students take a Lateral Flow test (LFT) on Tuesday 4th January and we request that you send the results to teachers by email on that day. As per government guidance we will also be testing students in school on Wednesday 5th January 2022. We will only be testing those students for whom we already have permission to test. Parents are not required to take any further action.
Self isolation
Students were previously only required to self isolate when they had received a positive PCR result or if they were unable to carry out the test and symptoms had been observed or reported. They previously did not have to self isolate if they had been a close contact of a positive case. New guidance regarding the Omicron variant indicates that close contacts of the Omicron variant will need to isolate. At this point in time, close contacts of the variant will be notified by NHS Test and Trace.
Other sickness:
Norovirus - Public Health have notified us that there have been a few outbreaks of diarrhoea and vomiting in schools and nurseries in Luton.
If a child has diarrhoea and/or vomiting they should stay away from school until 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting. For example, this means if a child is experiencing sickness and diarrhoea on Sunday and Monday, and their last episode is Monday afternoon, they should not return to school until Thursday.
HUGG vouchers
Free School Meals funding has been issued and families should receive their HUGG vouchers to cover the Christmas holiday period.
School holidays
The last day of the autumn term is Friday 17th December 2021.
Students return to school on Wednesday 5th January 2022. (Staff have a training day on Tuesday 4th January).
Spring term events
We will be sending home a paper copy of our Spring Term events next week. Please look out for it in your child’s school bag.
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Update 3rd December 2021
Dear All,
December has arrived and we are beginning to think about Christmas. In assembly today we thought about the Nativity story and the students joined in with a noisy retelling of the story and the first blast of Christmas music. The students were all in fine voice!
Christmas Market - Friday 10th December.
The Christmas Market is one of the events that has been affected by the current Covid situation. Unfortunately it will no longer be open to visiting parents.
In order to keep our students and staff safe, we will still offer the experience but the attendees will be the students only this year.
We will be holding the market on Friday 10th December and departments will have the opportunity to visit the market during their allocated time slot, in order to reduce mixing.
Students will have the opportunity to make purchases on the day so please feel free to send some money with them on Friday 10th December.
A flyer has gone home with each of the students today.
Photos will be uploaded on our Facebook page. So please keep a lookout!
Raffle
We will be holding a raffle at our Christmas Market where you will have a chance to win one of our amazing Hampers and gifts.
1st prize is £50 cash and 2nd prize is a Gel Manicure.
There are at least 7 hampers and some additional smaller gifts including chocolate boxes, biscuit boxes and mince pies as prizes.
Raffle tickets cost £1 a strip. If you wish to purchase a raffle ticket in advance then please send money in with your child, in an envelope with your child’s name on and kindly email the class teacher to make them aware of this. The raffle ticket(s) will then be sent home to you. Raffle tickets will be on sale between Monday 29th November till Wednesday 8th December.
Christmas Jumper Day - Friday 10th December
Christmas Jumper Day falls on the same day as our Christmas market. We encourage our students and staff to wear a Christmas jumper, or to dress up in their best Christmas fancy dress. We suggest a donation of £1 but, as usual, participation is not dependent on donation.
Parental drop offs and pick ups - Timings and Safety
A further reminder to all parents and carers who drop off their children or pick them up. We have made adjustments for some later drop offs and some earlier pick ups and these were accommodated last year. For the majority of students the latest they should arrive is 9.00am and the earliest pick up is 3pm. We will be reinforcing this from next week.
Please note that if the car park is busy in the afternoons particularly, you will be requested to drive around and return 5 - 10 minutes later.
In the mornings, please wait until a member of staff has collected your child. Please do not release them from the vehicle to walk across the car park in order to keep everyone safe.
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Update 25th November 2021
Dear All,
Training Day
A reminder that school will be closed to students on Friday 26th November as it is a staff Training Day. We will be open again on Monday 29th November.
Parent Governor
I am very pleased to announce that Sam Batchelor will be joining the school governing board as a parent governor. She will join Karen Quirke who is already a parent governor on the school’s governing board.
Update on Covid
As you will be aware, there has been a rise in cases of Covid which has affected the school community - both students, staff and in some cases families at home.
We continue to inform Public Health England of the ongoing situation and any changes. For the most part we continue to offer full time education to students. In the past week due to the impact of high numbers of staff absences and the subsequent impact on being able to safely staff classes and keep children safe, we have had to shut down some classes for one or two days. Please be reassured that these decisions are not taken lightly and when it does happen I have to present the proposal to Public Health and the local authority school improvement team who scrutinise the proposal before it is approved, if it is approved.
We continue to review the measures that we have in place in order to keep everyone as safe as possible and to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
We really appreciate the cooperation of parents when it comes to following advice from Public Health England and the NHS.
When someone shows symptoms, they need to book a PCR test; if the test is positive, they need to self isolate from the start of symptoms for 10 days. If the test results are negative they may return to school when they are well enough to do so.
The core symptoms are any of the following:
- A raised temperature
- A persistent cough
- A loss of sense of smell and taste.
When we have a positive case in school we are notifying parents, via Parentmail. Current advice is to strongly recommend that those who are close contacts seek a PCR test and they carry out daily Lateral Flow tests (LFTs) for 5-7 days.
We request that families notify us of test results either positive or negative. If the results are positive, we will liaise with you to confirm the date of return for your child, provided they are well enough to return. If the results are negative, your child can come to school.
On an ongoing basis, twice weekly lateral flow tests continue to be recommended as good practice for all - students and staff. Ideally tests should be taken on Sunday night/Monday morning and on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We request that you notify us of the test results.
With the upcoming holiday season, we appreciate that everyone is anxious to stay as well as they can so that they can enjoy the Christmas holidays and spend time with family and friends.
Following discussions with Public Health we have made the decision to change arrangements for some events we had hoped to be running. We will keep you informed about these decisions.
Christmas Market
The Christmas Market is one of the events that has been affected by the current Covid situation. Unfortunately it will no longer be open to visiting parents.
In order to keep our students and staff safe, we will still offer the experience but the attendees will be the students only this year.
We will be holding the market on Friday 10th December and departments will have the opportunity to visit the market during their allocated time slot, in order to reduce mixing.
Students will have the opportunity to make purchases on the day so please feel free to send some money with them on Friday 10th December.
Photos will be uploaded on our Facebook page. So please keep a lookout!
Christmas Jumper Day - Friday 10th December
Christmas Jumper Day falls on the same day as our Christmas market. We encourage our students and staff to wear a Christmas jumper, or to dress up in their best Christmas fancy dress. We suggest a donation of £1 but, as usual, participation is not dependent on donation.
Raffle
We will be holding a raffle at our Christmas Market where you will have a chance to win one of our amazing Hampers and gifts. Raffle tickets will be sold for £1 a ticket. If you wish to purchase a raffle ticket in advance then please send money in with your child, in an envelope with your child’s name on and kindly email the class teacher to make them aware of this. The raffle ticket(s) will then be sent home to you.
Raffle tickets will be on sale between Monday 29th November till Wednesday 8th December.
Covid Vaccine - 2nd Dose
In September, many of our students had their Covid vaccination at Woodlands. We have been in contact with the Immunisation Team for clarification on which students require the second dose.
We have been advised by that the Immunisation team that:
12-15 years Will NOT require the 2nd dose. Unless they are immunosuppressed.
16 years and above Will require a 2nd dose
Any pupils requiring a second dose of the COVID vaccination will need to book appointments through the mass vaccination centres. These can be booked via the national booking system which can be found on the government website.
Please note that the Immunisation Team will not be returning back to Woodlands to administer any further Covid vaccinations. If you still require your child to have the vaccine then please contact your GP or book an appointment through the mass vaccination centre.
Flu Immunisations
Thank you to all parents that attended school this week in order for their child to have the flu vaccination.
We do understand that it is difficult for some parents to attend however we had 63 parents who had consented for their child to be vaccinated but we only had 32 parents that attended on the day.
I am sure you all can appreciate that it takes a lot of organisation in order for the immunisations to take place at school as well as making sure we have enough nurses and staff to accommodate this.
In future, if we are to offer vaccination opportunities in school, we would appreciate it if you can inform us if you are unable to attend or if you have changed your mind about your child being vaccinated. Please call the reception as soon as possible prior to the appointment to inform us.
For any parents that still wish their child to receive the flu vaccine, you will now need to contact your GP. We can confirm that the immunisation team will not be coming back to Woodlands this year to give our students the flu vaccine.
Transitions Coffee Morning- CANCELLED
Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the Transitions Coffee Morning once again. This is due to a clash with a meeting organised by Luton Parent Carer Voice (LPCV)Meeting on the same date/time.
We were notified that many of our parents will be attending the LPCV meeting so will aim to rearrange the Transitions Coffee morning in the New Year.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Have a lovely, slightly longer, weekend,
Take care,
Sandra
Update 19th November 2021
Dear Parents,
Thank you for supporting us today as we have supported Children in Need. The students and staff looked amazing in their glittery and glamorous outfits or their Pudsey t-shirts! We will be posting photos on our Facebook page - keep an eye out over the next few days.
Flu Vaccinations
The immunisation team will be coming to Woodlands on Tuesday 23rd November to administer the flu injections to our students. Parents who gave consent in September for their child to have the Flu vaccinations should have received a letter this week to invite them to attend.
Vaccinations will be administered on a first come first serve basis from 9.15 am till 1.45pm. There may be a wait. Please note that the immunisation team will be having their lunch break from 12pm-12.30pm.
If your child has had the flu vaccination, then please email shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk to let her know.
On the day of the appointment please use the entrance next to Woodlands College Building where parking is available next to the school cafe. A member of staff will meet you there.
Please remember that it is important that a parent attends or your child will not be vaccinated.
Training Day
A reminder that school will be closed to students on Friday 26th November as it is a staff Training Day. We will be open again, as normal, on Monday 29th November.
Christmas Market
We are pleased to inform you all that we shall be holding a Christmas Market in school.
We have arranged this so that departments have their own allocated date.
We kindly request all parents who are attending to wear a mask when on site.
KS3, LOFT & Base Friday 3rd December 10.00am - 11.30am
KS4 & FE Friday 3rd December 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm
Pathways Upper Wednesday 8th December 10.00am-11.30am
PMLD Thursday 9th December 10.00am - 11.30am
Pathways Lower Friday 10th December 10.00am - 11.30am
We are hoping to hold a raffle to raise funds which will be used for pupil wellbeing boxes which will benefit all children across the school. In order to raise funds we are requesting parents for any donation items to go into the Hampers, i.e. tins of sweets, biscuits, chocolates, mince pies, seasonal biscuits etc. If you wish to make a donation, please could you send this in to school by Friday 26th November.
Raffle
We will be holding a raffle at our Christmas Markets where you will have a chance to win one of our amazing Hampers and gifts. Raffle tickets will be sold for £1 a ticket. If you are unable to attend our Christmas Market but wish to purchase a raffle ticket then please send money in with your child, in an envelope with your child’s name on and kindly email the class teacher to make them aware of this. The raffle ticket(s) will then be sent home to you.
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Update 12th November
Dear Parents,
This week seems to have whizzed by! Apologies for the lateness and briefness of this week's update!
Transitions Coffee Morning- Monday 15th November at 10am -CANCELLED
As previously advised we had arranged a Transitions Coffee Morning on Monday 15th November at 10am however the transitions team are now unavailable to attend.
New dates and times will be advised as soon as possible.
Parent Survey
Thank you to the parents who have already completed our parent survey via Surveymonkey.. Closing date for views is Monday 15th November. The link can be found in last week's Headteacher update and it was sent home via the class email addresses.
Parent Governor Election
A reminder that if you wish to be nominated as a parent governor, the deadline for nominations to reach the school office is next Friday 19th November.. More information can be found with last week's Headteacher update.
Children in Need
On Friday 19th November we will be dressing up in our glamourous and glitzy clothes next Friday as we aim to raise money for Children in Need. We will also be linking in with Strictly theme and trying out some new forms of dance! It should be fun! It you are able to contribute £2.00 to the work of Children in Need please send the money in to school with your child. Please remember, everyone can participate regardless of ability to donate money.
Training Day
A reminder that on Friday 26th November the school will be closed to students as the staff engage in a training day.
Christmas Market
We are pleased to inform you all that we shall be holding a Christmas Market in school - details to follow next week.
We are hoping to hold a raffle to raise funds which will be used to create pupil wellbeing boxes which children across the school will benefit from. . If any parents are able to donate any items to go into the Raffle Hampers, e.g. tins of sweets, biscuits, chocolates, mince pies, seasonal biscuits, etc, please will you send them in to school by Friday 26th November.
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Update 5th November 2021
Dear Parents,
It has been lovely to see the students back in school again this week. We look forward to another busy half term in the lead up to Christmas (one of the students reliably informs me I should not mention the C word until 1st December!)
There are plenty of things to celebrate at this time of year. Some of our families have been celebrating Diwali this week. With the bonfire celebrations this weekend, we hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the fireworks. In assembly we have been thinking about Remembrance Day, ahead of next week. We have been thinking about the meaning behind the different coloured poppies - not only are there red poppies, but purple ones, black ones and white ones, all with different meanings.
School day
A reminder that students who are dropped off at school by parents should aim to arrive between 8.45am - 9.00am. In the afternoons, students should be collected between 3.00 - 3.15pm. If you require a later drop off or collection time, on a regular basis, please contact me, via the school office.
Parent Governor Elections.
We have a vacancy on our school governing body for a parent governor. Please find attached a letter with further information about the roles and responsibilities of a governor and the type of commitment it involves. Having read the letter, if you wish to be considered for the position, please print, complete and return the nomination form by Friday 19th November. A copy of the nomination form is attached or a copy can be obtained form the school office.
Please return the nomination form to the school office in an sealed office and marked 'For the attention of Sandra Clarke'.
Parental Survey
We really would like as many parents as possible to complete the parental survey to let us know their views. Please do tell us what we are doing well, but also use this as an opportunity to tell us what we can better. If you would like us to follow up on a particular issue, please let us know. Please complete the survey by Monday 15th November.
The survey can be accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/28QLFHL
You can access the link directly from our website on the Parent View page - https://www.woodlands.luton.sch.uk/parent-view/
I will also ask classes to send the link out via the class emails.
Autism Beds - Children Services Online Conference 2021
Autism Beds have advised us of some free online conferences that they will be holding as of next week. There are a few sessions which we believe will interest and benefit our parents.
Please go on to their website https://www.autismbedfordshire.net/ to see the full details and list of upcoming events.
Please note that you will need to call or email Autism Beds to get your online login information.
Children in Need - apologies!
I advertised the wrong date for Children in Need. We will be celebrating the event in school on Friday 19th November NOT Friday 12th November, as I originally said.
On Friday 19th November we will be 'dressing to impress' and full of glitz and glam .
The students will have the opportunity to take part in one of the following dance activities: African dance, TikTok dances, 00s line dance or Rock and Roll.
We're asking for a £2 donation towards Children in Need. Everyone will still be able t o participate, regardless of ability to donate.
So, dress to impress and lets get dancing! .
Transitions Coffee Morning- Monday 15th November at 10am - CANCELLED
We had arranged advertised a Transitions Coffee Morning on Monday 15th November at 10am however the Transitions Team are now unavailable to attend.
We will advise you of the new date and time once it has been confirmed.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
Have a great weekend,
Sandra
Information re. Parent Governor Elections
- Parent governor elections - Information letter - Nov 2021.docx
- NOMINATION FORM FOR PARENT GOVERNOR ELECTION.docx
Update 28th October
Dear Parents,
We hope you are managing to have a good and safe half term break.
A few reminders:
Lateral Flow Tests.
All students should take a Lateral Flow Test on Sunday before returning to school. If the result is positive, please follow up with a PCR test. Please notify the school of any positive results.
Clocks
The clocks go back by one hour on Saturday/Sunday night. Enjoy the extra hour.
Parent survey
We would like to know your views about the school and would appreciate your feedback. If you click on the link below, it should take you to the survey where there are 15 questions to answer.
If we are doing things well - please tell us.
If we could be doing things better - please also tell us this information, so we can try to address it.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/28QLFHL
The survey link will be live for the next 2 weeks.
Take care,
Sandra
Headteacher update - 22.10.21
Dear Parents,
What a busy half term it has been! I am sure that both staff and students are looking forward to the upcoming break. We hope that everyone manages to stay safe and well and enjoys time with their families.
We would encourage everyone to continue carrying out Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) during the half term break. LFTs should be carried out twice weekly. If you receive a positive Lateral Flow Test you will need to follow this up with a PCR test. Please notify the school if your child tests positive. Please do this via the class email.
We will be sending home a copy of the planned events for the next half term (and a copy is attached). Please check your child's bag.
Half Term Break
A reminder that school will be closed to students and staff between Monday 25th October to Friday 29th October for the half term break. Students will return to school on Monday 1st November.
Clocks changing
Don't forget to change your clocks - the clocks go back an hour on 31st October so everyone gains an extra hour.
Va
Vaccinations for 12 -15 year olds
From Saturday, 23rd October, parents and guardians of 12 – 15 year olds will receive a letter directly from the NHS about the opportunity to book out-of-school coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination appointment for your child. This will enable you to book their COVID-19 vaccination at local centres via the National Booking System
(www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination).
Internet Safety - Parental Control
We would like to thank all parents that attended our internet safety training which was delivered on Friday 8th October.
We would like to share a website with all parents to implement safety settings on their child's devices. This can be done via a website called Internet Matters - https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/ parents can choose the phone, web provider, mobile network, social media platform and gaming console. It's a great resource, and super helpful.
Transitions Coffee Morning - Monday 15th November at 10am
We had feedback from parents requesting further information about the transitions to adulthood processes. We have arranged a coffee morning with the local authority Transitions team. This will be held at Woodlands on Monday 15th November at 10am.
Due to Covid - places are restricted - maximum of 30 attendees. These will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please book your place by emailing our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Olivia Hannigan (Transitions Personal Advisor), Sally Childs (Transitions nurse) and Nicky Drummond (Transitions Social Worker) shall be attending.
Please note there has been a change of personnel in the Transitions team. Paul Hunt, who has worked with us for many years, has moved to cover some different schools and colleges and he is being replaced by Olivia Hannigan. We wish Paul well in his new role and thank him for supporting the school over the past 7 years. We look forward to working with Olivia.
Black History month
Students have been engaging in learning and activities linked to Black History during the past month, and this subject has been celebrated in assemblies. Students in Key Stage 4 were learning about Martin Luther King and wrote their own version of his famous 'I have a dream' speech. I have attached a copy of Junior's work - an admirable dream. Well done!
LPCV - meetings with professionals
Below is the flyer from Luton Parent Carers' Forum with details of upcoming meetings with professionals. The first meeting is on 10th November with social care.
Have a good and safe half term,
See you in November,
Sandra
Headteacher update - 15.10.21
Dear Parents,
We continue to have some positive cases of Covid affecting students and staff. One of the students who tested positive did not demonstrate symptoms but tested positive on a Lateral Flow and this was confirmed on a PCR. In the other case, the family knew their child had been in touch with someone who was positive and although he had no symptoms, they took him for a PCR test and the result was positive.
We really appreciate that families are continuing to carry out Lateral Flow Tests twice a week and also that families are taking their children for PCR tests when required to do so. These measures will really help to reduce the spread.
Please continue to inform us of test results and, if you require more LFT tests, please do this by contacting your child’s class teacher or you can collect them from a local chemist shop.
Please be assured that we are continuing to balance good infection control measures with trying to provide the students with a broad, balanced and fun education!
Social Media - Facebook
If you would like to keep up to date with what is happening in school and to see what the students are learning and doing, our school Facebook page is a great place to visit.
Search for Official Woodlands Secondary School or click on the link. https://www.facebook.com/woodlandsluton
School Cafe
If you have not visited the school cafe, you are invited to do so. It is a great place to go for a coffee and cake or you can have lunch with a friend. Sarah Owen, our local MP, shared information about the cafe on her social media this week.
The cafe is open to the public Wednesdays to Fridays during school term time.
Wednesdays - 9.30am - 2.30pm
Thursdays and Fridays - 8.00am - 2.30pm
Customers are welcome to eat in or to take food away.
Pre-orders are welcome. Please email cafe@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
More information can be found on the school website https://www.woodlands.luton.sch.uk/cafe/
Clubs Coffee Morning - Tuesday 19th October at 10.00am -11.00am
We have arranged for various clubs across Luton to come into school to speak to parents about the services that they can provide.
Please come along if you are interested in finding out more about what is on offer.
The coffee morning will be held at Woodlands Cafe and we ask all parents to please wear a mask.
Please email our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Half Term
A reminder that school will be closed to students and staff between Monday 25th October to Friday 29th October for the half term break.
Students will return to school on Monday 1st November.
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Additional Headteacher message - for parents of students in Year 11
8/10/21
Dear Parents,
Over the next few days you are likely to receive a letter from the local authority explaining that your child is due to transfer to another phase of education.
This is because in Year 11 students and families need to make their choices regarding their Post 16 education.
You need to respond to this letter by the date indicated, if you wish to ensure that your views are considered. This is usually within 3 weeks of the date of the letter.
Later in the year a Post 16 panel will meet to consider your views and will decide where your child will be placed.
For many students at Woodlands, students and parents choose to continue their education at Woodlands, in the department best suited to meet their needs.
For some students and families you may want to consider a different placement after Year 11. If you are exploring this option, please ensure that you ask lots of questions and ensure you find out how much time your child would be entitled to, if they went to that placement. Consider how the rest of their time might be spent, if they are only offered 3 days of college, for example.
You are allowed to express two preferences, it is fine to express one preference if that is all you have.
If you have any queries, please contact your child's teacher or department leader.
SENDIAS may also be able to answer your queries. They are holding a coffee morning in school next week - on Tuesday 12th October, between 10.00am - 11.30am. Please email Shazmeen, our assistant family worker if you wish to attend. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Have a good weekend,
Sandra
Headteacher update 8.10.21
Dear Parents,
In the past week the impact of continuing cases of Covid has been felt across the school. The classes in PMLD have had to have temporary restricted attendance at school, following advice from Public Health and based on health and safety decisions. As you know our classes require a high level of staffing to support students with learning and to keep them safe. High levels of staff absence impacts on our ability to safely run classes.
Both staff and students have also been affected by the heavy cold that is also doing the rounds at the minute.
I have said this in previous messages but need to repeat it. If your child is poorly please consider if they are well enough to be in school. If they are displaying any symptoms, please get a PCR test and please notify us of the result. If the result is negative and your child is feeling weell, they may return to school, If they are still unwell and the test is negative, please consider keeping them at home for a day or two to ensure they are fully better. If your child tests positive, they will need to isolate for ten days - please speak to us in order to confirm their return date.
In order to reduce the spread of infection, we continue to request that staff and students test twice weekly using Lateral Flow tests. Public Health have reinforced the message that vaccination continues to be an effective means of reducing the impact of the virus. They also continue to promote good hygiene protocols and ventilation. We request that staff, visitors and students who can, wear masks in shared spaces in the school. They are not required outside.
We had a Health and Safety inspection by the local authority on Thursday 7th October. I asked them to review the Covid measures that we have in place in the school and give us feedback as to whether we could be doing anything else. I am pleased to report that the inspector's feedback was very positive and complimentary of the factors we have considered and the infection control measures that are in place.
Transitions Feedback
As a school we welcome feedback about what we do well and what we could do better. We had very good attendance at the two Transition Fair evenings, over the past few weeks. We hope that many of you will have had some productive and helpful conversations about what the future may hold.
We had some verbal feedback from parents who said that they were surprised about how limited the options were for some of the students and some feedback from parents who found the whole process confusing.
Moving forward we will endeavour to support and signpost parents to find out the information you need to plan for your child's post school future.
Please note you will need to very proactive and you will need to advocate for your child in order to seek the best post school option for your son or daughter.
How to better navigate the Transitions process...
Look at the Luton Local Offer - this is meant to be the local authorities one stop shop for information about local services, support and events for children and young people aged 0 to 25 years who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
https://directory.luton.gov.uk/kb5/luton/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0
Contact the Transitions Team
Education - Paul Hunt - paul.hunt@luton.gov.uk
Health - Sally Childs - sally.childs2@nhs.net
Social Care - Nikki Drummond - nikki.drummond@luton.gov.uk
Contact and visit provisions
The best way to work out if a provision is suited to your child's needs, please contact them directly and arrange to visit. You may receive invitations to Open Days run by some providers - please go along. Sometimes ruling something out is as valuable as ruling something in!
Ask questions and ask even more questions!
You are your child's best advocate. You need to ask and keep asking until you find out the infomation that you require.
Attend your child's EHCP review meeting.
From Year 9 Transition Planning is on the agenda. As your child moves into Year 11, 12 and 13 the conversations take greater priority in meetings.
We will also look at other ways in which we can support you and will keep you informed of any future meetings.
Upcoming parent sessions
There are a number of sessions over the next two weeks. We hope that you will be able to attend those of interest. Details below.
Parents' Coffee Morning - SENDIAS 12th October 2021
The Luton SENDIAS service is a statutory service supported and funded by Luton Council and Luton Clinical Commissioning Service.. The service is impartial and operates at ‘arm’s length’ to the Local Authority. Further information can be found on their website. https://sendiasluton.co.uk/
Representatives from SENDIAS will be in school for a coffee morning on Tuesday 12th October between 10.00am - 11.30am. Come along to find out SENDIAS might support you.
We request that parents make sure they wear a mask.
Please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Luton Parent Carer Voice - Coffee morning - 15th October
The next LPCV cafe session is on Friday 15th October 10.30am -12pm.
There will be a selection of sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee.
Venue: Futures House , The Moakes , Luton, LU3 3QB.
Please book online www.lutonparentcarervoice.eventbrite.co.uk
Clubs - Coffee Morning - Tuesday 19th October at 10.00am -11.00am
We understand how hard it can be for families if they do not access any respite care outside of school.
We have arranged for various clubs across Luton to come into school to speak to our parents about the services that they provide.
This is a great opportunity for parents to find out up to date about the services available for young people.
The coffee morning will be held at Woodlands Cafe and we ask all parents to please wear a mask.
Please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Have a lovely weekend.
Stay safe and well.
Sandra
Headteacher message - 1st October 2021
Dear Parents,
Thank you
Thank you for supporting our recent fundraising efforts. We have raised £256.50 for Jeans for Genes and £137.58 from the sale of cakes at the Macmillan coffee morning. Thank you too for all the donations to our Harvest collection for the Luton Foodbank.
School day
A reminder that the school day is from 8.45am - 3.15pm. Students should arrive between 8.45am - 9.00am. In the afternoons, students may be collected between 3.00pm - 3.15pm.
If you wish to collect your child before 3.00pm, on a regular basis, please email the request to your child's teacher, in the first instance.
Transitions Fair
It was great to see so many parents of students in Pathways, PMLD and the BASE attending the Transitions Fair. Although it was disappointing that not all the providers that we invited turned up, we hope that those who attended will have had some useful conversations and will be starting to think about life and options beyond school.
On Monday 4th October, we will be hosting the Transitions Fair for parents of students in Year 11, 12 and 13, in Key Stage 4, FE and the LOFT. The fair will be running between 4.00 - 6.00pm. As parking is quite limited on site, we will open up the front playground for parent parking. Please enter the school via the main reception and sign in.
Parent consultation conversations
Teachers will be calling parents of students in Key Stage 3, 4, FE and the LOFT during the week beginning 4th October.
Teacher Appreciation Day - Tuesday 5th September
We celebrated the contribution made by our amazing support staff team a few weeks ago. On Tuesday 5th October, we will be thinking about our teachers and how they help our fabulous students, supporting their learning and wellbeing.
Internet Safety Training - 8th October 2021
We will be holding an internet safety training session at Woodlands on Friday 8th October, between 10.00am -11.30am.
We are pleased to confirm that Ashley Rolfe from Child First Consultants will provide a training session about how to protect your children online. He will provide practical advice and strategies to help reinforce and model safety at home.
This is a great opportunity and the training is free of charge.
Please email our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Parents Coffee Morning - SENDIAS 12th October 2021
The Luton SENDIAS service is a statutory service supported and funded by Luton COuncil and Luton Clinical Commissioning Service.. The service is impartial and operates at ‘arm’s length’ to the Local Authority.
Further information can be found on their website. https://sendiasluton.co.uk/
Representatives from SENDIAS will be in school for a coffee morning on Tuesday 12th October between 10.00am - 11.30am. Come along to find out SENDIAS might support you.
Please email our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
Luton Parent Carer Voice (LPCV) - Cafe session - 15th October 2021
The next LPCV cafe session is on Friday 15th October 10.30am -12pm.
There will be a selection of sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee.
Venue: Futures House , The Moakes , Luton, LU3 3QB.
Please book online www.lutonparentcarervoice.eventbrite.co.uk
Have a lovely weekend,
Sandra
Headteacher message 24.9.21
Dear Parents,
Covid Update
We have had 2 positive cases since returning to school. Although the duty to inform contacts no longer falls on schools, we will inform families when their child has been in touch with someone who has tested positive. We strongly advise that people who are contacts take more frequent Lateral Flow tests. Extra tests can be obtained for free from local pharmacies. If your child (or you) displays any of the core symptoms - raised temperature, cough and/or loss of taste or smell, please DO NOT send them in to school. You must immediately book a PCR test and keep them at home until the test results are known. If students develop symptoms in school, we will request you come to collect them and to take them for a PCR test. If PCR results are negative and your child is well, they may return to school. If the PCR test is positive they must self isolate. In either case, please let school (and transport) know the outcome.
General sickness and appointments
If your child is unwell and will be unable to participate in their normal learning - please do not send them in to school. Please ensure you call the school office and report the full reason for absence.
Please remember to notify school of any appointments that your child will be attending. Please send in copies of appointment letters. If the appointment is in Luton, we expect your child to attend school for part of the day. If you have difficulties with this, please contact your class teacher.
Macmillan Coffee morning
Thank you to all those who attended the Macmillan Coffee morning and for buying cake! We will let you know how much we have raised for the charity in next week’s newsletter. Thank you too to all those who joined in the Bakealong! We received some great photos and videos. We hope the cakes tasted as good as they looked! The overall winner was Khamis in 3JS. The students who entered received certificates today.
Queen’s Jubilee - extra Bank Holiday
To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the government has announced an extra bank holiday - on 3rd June 2022. As this falls in the May half term, schools have been allowed to select another day off for staff and students. We have chosen to take Friday 22nd July as the extra day’s holiday. This means that the last day of the summer term will be Thursday 21st July.
School car park - drop off and collection
When dropping off or collecting your son or daughter, please park in an available space, rather than parking in the middle of the car park. When cars park in the middle, it makes it difficult for those in a space to exit.
Consultation meetings - weeks beginning 27th September and 4th October
During the week beginning 27th September parents of students in the Pathways department, the PMLD department and the BASE will be contacted by their child’s teachers to have a conversation about how the students are settling in and to share any relevant beginning of year information.
KS3, KS4 , FE and the LOFT appointments will be in the week beginning 4th October
Monday 27th October - Transitions Fair - Pathways, PMLD and BASE
Parents of students in Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 who are in Pathways, PMLD or the BASE are invited to attend our Transitions Fair on Monday 27th September between 4.00 - 7.00pm, in the school hall. This is a really important opportunity to find out information about post school opportunities. The transitions Team, post school providers and Luton Parent Carers' Voice will be present - do come along. Please park in the main car park and sign in in the office. The event will be in held in the school hall.
The Key Stage 4 and FE event will be held on Monday 4th October.
Upcoming...
Harvest Assembly - Friday 1st October
We will be accepting donations of tinned goods for Luton Foodbank from now until Friday 1st October. Donations will be going to Luton Food Bank.
Teacher Appreciation Day - Tuesday 5th September
We celebrated the contribution made by our amazing support staff team a few weeks ago. On Tuesday 5th October, we will be thinking about our teachers and how they help the students, supporting their learning and wellbeing.
Esafety training session for parents - 8th October
Please check the letters sent home last week.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sandra
Headteacher message
17.9.21
Dear Parents,
What a busy week! School life is beginning to feel much more normal and we are very grateful for this!
We were delighted to welcome some visitors from the Lancaster Avenue Bowls club this week. They very kindly chose to give their charitable donations for this year to the school. They presented us with a total of £392.83. You can find out more about the club on their website. www.lancasteravenuebowls.co.uk
Today we have been celebrating Jeans for Genes day and raising some money for this charity to continue to carry out its research into rare genetic conditions. We will inform you next week of how much has been raised. We value any contributions for these types of charitable events and want to reinforce that everyone can join in regardless of their ability to financially contribute.
Have a great weekend,
Sandra
School dinners
We will be sending home paper copies of medical information forms for those students who have school dinners and require a specialist diet or allergies. The accompanying letter explains what needs to be done. Please ensure you post the form directly to the address at the bottom. (See letter attached)
Luton Parent Carer Voice event – 20th September
Luton Parent Care Voice have arranged a meeting for parents to meet professionals to discuss issues with SEN provision. The event is being held on Monday 20th September, between 10.00 – 12.00 at Futures House, The Moakes, Luton, LU3 3QB. Further information can be found on the Luton Parent Carer Voice website www.lpcv.org
Macmillan Bake-a-long - Bake it, Capture it, Eat it!
If you would like to join in at home, we are currently having a Bakealong competition where we are asking you to bake with your child at home. You will then need to take a picture and send it to your class email address by Wednesday 22nd September.
The cakes can then be enjoyed and eaten at home with all the family.
The photos will be judged on Friday 24th September and the Best Baker will win a cake based prize!
Macmillan Coffee morning arrangements - Friday 24th September
We are holding a Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 24th September from 9am till 2pm.
Parents are invited to come and join us in the school cafe for cake and coffee. All monies raised from cake sales will be donated to the Macmillan charity.
In addition, classes should have the opportunity to join in with some baking and cake eating during the week.
If you would like your child to purchase a treat from the cafe on Friday, as part of the Macmillan Coffee morning, please send in some money. Staff will support them to visit the cafe and make their purchase. Cakes cost £1.20.
Flu Immunisations - Friday 24th September
Flu Immunisations will be taking place on Friday 24th September. This will just be the nasal spray vaccine. Injections will be carried out at a later date.
The Family workers will contact you early next week to provide you with a time slot.
Please contact the family workers if you have not received a time slot by Wednesday 22nd September. family.workers@woodlands.luton.sch.uk
All parents will need to attend at the time slot provided. We cannot administer the nasal spray if parents do not attend. Please come directly to the cafe car park on the day where a member of staff will meet you.
Consultation meetings - weeks beginning 27th September and 4th October
During the week beginning 27th September parents of students in the Pathways department, the PMLD department and the BASE will be contacted by their child’s teachers to have a conversation about how the students are settling in and to share any relevant beginning of year information.
Your class teacher will be in touch to confirm the time of your appointment. Please check your emails
KS3, KS4 , FE and the LOFT appointments will be in the week beginning 4th October.
Transitions Fair - Pathways, PMLD and BASE Monday 27th October
Parents of students in Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 who are in Pathways, PMLD or the BASE are invited to attend our Transitions Fair on Monday 27th September between 4.00 - 7.00pm, in the school hall.
This is a really important opportunity to find out information about post school options.
Upcoming - Harvest Assembly - Friday 1st October
We will be celebrating our Harvest assembly on 1st October. We will be accepting donations for Luton Foodbank from now until Friday 1st October.
High priority items include: Tinned rice pudding, Tinned custard, Bajked beans, Tinned fruit, single packets of biscuits, UHT milk and sugar
Donations will be going to Luton Foodbank after the assembly.
Advance notice: Internet Safety Training for Parents - Friday 8th October
It is everyone’s role to try to ensure young people are doing all they can to stay safe on the internet. Online Safety is not about stopping your children from exploring the internet; it’s about giving them the appropriate tools to explore confidently and safely.
Ashley Rolfe from Child First Consultants is coming to deliver a training session for parents about keeping your children safe online.
This training session will be held on Friday 8th October at 10.00am – 11.30am at Woodlands Secondary School. We kindly request all parents to carry out a lateral flow test prior to attending this training.
Letters will be sent home with your child today, please make sure you complete the form and return it back to the school by Friday 24th September.
- School Dinners - medical information letter
- Macmillan Bakealong information
- Letter about Internet Safety training for parents
- LPCV leaflet
Headteacher message
10.9.21
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been brilliant to have more students back in school this week and we are working with families to ensure that all who can return to school as soon as possible.
I hope you find the information below useful.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sandra
Revamped school website https://www.woodlands.luton.sch.uk/
Our school website has been revamped and we are in the process of updating all the content. We hope you will visit the website and that you will find the content useful. The Who’s Who section will hopefully help you work out who some key staff members are.
We welcome your feedback on the content.
School hours
A reminder that the school day is 8.45am – 3.15pm. Students should be dropped off between 8.45am and 9.00am and picked up between 3.00 – 3.15pm. We understand that a small number of families may have difficulties with this due to juggling ‘drop offs’ and ‘pick ups’ for other children – please contact the school if this is an issue and we will work with you to resolve the issue.
Appointments during school time.
If your child has a medical appointment, please send in a copy of the appointment letter. A paper version can be sent in with your child or a photograph can be sent by email to your child’s class teacher.
As we all know, students have had a lot of time off school due to Covid. We all recognise that it is better for students’ wellbeing and for their learning, to have them in school.
We request that where students have medical appointments in Luton, that students attend school for as much of the day as they can. If the appointment is in the morning, they should return to school afterwards, or if it is in the afternoon, they should attend school in the morning.
We understand that if appointments are further afield e.g. Addenbrookes, GOSH, etc. then partial attendance may not be possible on that day.
Contact details
The majority of our school communications take place via email. Please keep school up to date with your current email address to ensure that you are receiving information from you class teacher and other communications. If you are not receiving emails, please check your spam box. If there is still a problem, please notify your class teacher.
16 – 19 Bursary letter – for students in Years 12 and 13
Attached to this communication is a letter about the 16 – 19 Bursary and the application; some students may be eligible to apply for this fund. The closing date for completed applications is 1st October 2021. Please contact the family workers if you require help with the application process.
TA Appreciation Day – Thursday 16th September
Special Schools like Woodlands employ large numbers of teaching assistants in order to ensure our students are kept safe, are well supported and encouraged to make progress with their learning. We are very proud of this amazing team of people and want them to know that their contribution is appreciated and they are valued by the leadership team, their class teachers, students and parents too. If you and your child would like to make a card or send a supportive message to the TAs in their class, I am sure that would raise a few smiles.
Jeans for Genes Day – Friday 17th September
On Friday 17th September we will be supporting ‘Jeans for Genes’ day. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their denim to school. We do understand that some children may still wish to wear uniform to school, that is ok too.
For those who can, we suggest a donation of £2 towards the work of this charity. If making a contribution is difficult, please do not feel under pressure to contribute; students can still participate.
Luton Parent Carer Voice event – 20th September
Luton Parent Care Voice have arranged a meeting for parents to meet professionals to discuss issues with SEN provision.
The event is being held on Monday 20th September, between 10.00 – 12.00 at Futures House, The Moakes, Luton, LU3 3QB.
Further information can be found on the Luton Parent Carer Voice website www.lpcv.org
Consultation meetings
We have scheduled to hold this term’s consultation meetings remotely via telephone or Zoom. Consultations for students in Pathways, PMLD and the BASE will take place during the week beginning 27th September. Key Stage 3, 4, FE and LOFT consultations will take place in the week beginning 4th October.
Your class teacher will be in touch next week in order to arrange a time for your child’s consultation.
Transitions Fairs – for students in Years 11, 12 and 13
We have previously held a Transitions Fair in the autumn tern to provide an opportunity for parents and students to meet with staff from the local authority Transitions Team and to meet providers from some post school placements. It is a great opportunity to begin or to continue your research into potential post school options for your child.
This is a key time in your child’s life and we strongly encourage your attendance. Parents need to be proactive in seeking and sourcing the best possible post school option for their child. For students in Year 11, 12 and 13, transition discussions are a major element of your child’s Annual Review meeting.
On 27th September between 4.00 – 6.00pm we will be hosting a Transitions Fair aimed at parents of Y11, 12 and 13 students in Pathways Upper, PMLD and the BASE
On 4th October between 4.00 – 6.00pm we will be hosting a Transitions Fair aimed at parents of Y11, 12 and 13 students in Key Stage 4 and FE.
Letters will be sent home requesting that you confirm your attendance.
Headteacher message
3.9.21
The staff team have worked hard over the two training days to ensure they were prepared to welcome former students back to school and to ensure new students were made to feel safe and to settle into their new environments.
A school is not a school without the students and we were delighted to see so many students here today. We are expecting all students back on Monday.
Asymptomatic testing in school
We will be offering two lateral flow tests to students in their first full week back at school. Testing will take place in school on Monday 6th September and Thursday 9th September. After this we will no longer be testing students in school and they will revert back to home testing. (Home testing kits will be handed to students on Friday 10th September).
In school testing will only happen with students for whom we have gained consent and for students who can do the test by themselves. The test will involve nasal swabbing only.
Covid vaccinations for 12 – 17 year olds – in school
The Schools’ Immunisations Team have been in touch. They will be in school on Thursday 9th September to offer the Pfizer vaccination to students aged between 12 – 17 years. In order to have the vaccine, parents must give written consent and the student must not already have received a dose of the vaccination.
The vaccinations will be administered in school between 9.30am and 2.15pm. Parents will need to attend the vaccination with their child. Between 3 and 5 people can be vaccinated at the same time. The vaccinations will be administered on a drop in basis and parents need to be aware there may be some waiting time, depending on how many people turn up. The school café will be open that day and any parents who come to support their child will be entitled to a free drink in the café. Parking will be available in the café car park – at the back of the school. The entrance to the café car park is next to the FE college building.
Vaccination consent forms and letters will be sent home on Monday 6th September with students and need to be returned on Tuesday 7th or Wednesday 8th September.
Covid vaccinations in the community – for family members
Attached is a leaflet about how you may get a vaccination in Luton, this weekend.
Upcoming events – Autumn term
Please find attached a copy of this half term’s events. A paper copy will also be sent home with your child. We hope that some parents events can happen on site, but this will be subject to the Covid situation at the time. We will provide further information regarding individual events, closer to the time.
Travel Assistance
If you applied for travel assistance and have not had this confirmed – please contact the travel assistance team on travelassistance@luton.gov.uk
If you have a place on transport and there are issues or if your child is going to be absent, please contact PTU (Passenger Transport Unit) on 01582 547219.
If your child has an operation or accident which results in them needing to use a wheelchair, or, if they are a wheelchair user and they need a different chair or if their leg needs to be in a straight leg plaster, for example, you need to notify school and PTU of the change. Due to the demands on the local authority transport service, they may not be able to accommodate your child immediately. However, once they are informed of the change of circumstance, they can arrange for an assessment and plans can be put in place to support you.
Social media
Keep up to date on what is happening at school by following our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/woodlandsluton/ or search for Official Woodlands Secondary School
And finally…
The weather is due to improve over the weekend and next week we are expecting some very hot weather. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the conditions next week and enjoy the fine weather.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sandra
Headteacher message
27.8.21
I hope you have all managed to have a lovely summer break and hope that you enjoy the remaining holiday time together.
Although I will be sad for the summer holidays to end, I am very exciting to be returning to Woodlands as the new Headteacher. Having worked here as Deputy Head, for the past 9 years, I know what a wonderful place it is; I am proud of the fantastic students who attend the school and it is a privilege to work with the creative, professional and ambitious staff team.
Our first priority is to ensure that staff and students return to school safely, in order that we can continue to provide a high quality education for the students and we can work towards extend the range of available learning opportunities.
Start of term
All students should return to school on Friday 3rd September.
The school doors open to students at 8.45am and students will leave the site at 3.15pm.
All students are expected back to school unless they have a letter from a clinician or specialist. If your child has one of these letters, please contact the school.
Student absences should be reported to the school office by 9.00am.
Please call 01582 572880
If students have medical appointments, copies of appointments should be sent to school.
As students have missed so much time at school over the past 18 months, we request that if medical appointments are in Luton, students attend school before or after their appointment. For example if they have a 10.00am appointment, they return to school after the appointment. If the appointment is later in the day, they attend school and get collected to attend their appointment.
Transport and parental drop offs
If your child receives travel assistance and gets a local authority bus or taxi to school and you have any queries about arrangements, please contact PTU directly on 01582 547219.
The school buses will be arriving on site from 8.30am. The gates will close at 8.45am. The buses will leave the site once all the children have entered the building.
Traffic outside the school will be busier at this time.
If you are dropping your child to school, by car, please follow the one way system and please follow directions and requests from staff who will be on duty. Cars should enter the one way system opposite the bus stop on Northwell Drive, near the Café car park.
If traffic is heavy and the waiting area is full, please do not block Northwell Drive. Please drive around the block and try again.
Parents should aim to arrive at the school after 8.40am and before 9.00am.
Covid 19 update
Staff and students are required to take two Lateral Flow tests required by before returning to school.
Students are requested to take two Lateral Flow tests prior to returning to school. These should be taken on Monday 30th August and Thursday 2nd September.
Free Lateral Flow tests can be collected from most pharmacies. This link lists places in Luton where you can collect free test kits. https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/#/location/Luton
If the test results are negative, we look forward to seeing your child in school on Friday 3rd September.
If the tests are positive you will need to arrange for your child to have a PCR test. They should only attend school if the result of the PCR test is negative. If the PCR test is positive your child will need to self-isolate.
If your child needs to self-isolate you need to inform school of their absence and the reason AND inform PTU, it they travel by bus.
Asymptomatic testing in school
We will be offering two tests to students in their first week back at school. Testing will take place in school on Monday 6th September and Thursday 9th September. After this we will no longer be testing students in school and they will revert back to home testing. (Home testing kits will be handed to students on Friday 10th August.).
If you have previously provided consent for your child to have tests in school, your child can be tested in school.
If you wish for your child to take the lateral flow tests in school then please complete the attached consent form and return via email to the school office,
woodlands.sec.admin@lbc.luton.sch.uk or the print the form out and send it in with your child on their first day back. (the form is attached to the Parentmail email sent to families)
We look forward to seeing you all soon,
Sandra