Spring 1 & 2 - 2022

25.3.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been another lovely sunny week which has really cheered everyone up!

We were so pleased to receive some visitors to school this week from the Wooden Spoon Charity (The children’s charity associated with Rugby). The Bedford branch made a significant contribution towards the cost of our wheelchair roundabout. Phil and Olly from the charity came to school this week to carry out the official opening.

We were also really pleased to welcome groups of parents into school this week. A group of mums came in for a spa pampering session with Shazmeen. There were a lot of smiling faces at the end of the event! Thank you to Shazmeen for organising the event.

Tree planting

We have received 200 free tree saplings from the National Trust; the school council and students from across the school have been busy planting them around the school gardens. We look forward to seeing the progress the trees make over the coming years. Several of the students have named their trees and will keep a particular eye on them as they progress through Woodlands.

Red Nose Day

As mentioned last week, we were so pleased that so many staff and students dressed up. We were able to raise £120 towards the Comic Relief charity.

School dinner costs

If your child has a school dinner, please note that the price will be increasing to £2.55 per day, with effect from Friday 1st April.

Easter holidays

Please note that the last day of the school term is Friday 1st April. School will then be closed for 2 weeks for the Easter holidays and will also be closed on Monday 18th April, which is a Bank Holiday. School will reopen for staff and students on Tuesday 19th April.

Eid

A number of students and staff are likely to be celebrating Eid on Tuesday 3rd May. In order for us to ensure that we can safely staff classes on that day, we request that families inform us if their children will be staying at home that day. Please email your class teacher as soon as possible so we can endeavour to make suitable plans and arrangements.

May Half term and June Training Day

School will be closed to students between 30th May to 3rd June for May Half term and it will also be closed to students on Monday 6th June, whilst staff will be undertaking a training day.

Citizens Advice Bureau- Financial Support with Gas & Electric

Citizens Advice Bureau are currently offering funding to families that are financially struggling. They are offering up to £49 voucher for households to pay towards their gas or electric. Please note this is only available for PREPAYMENT meter customers.

If you are financially struggling and are able to provide ID or evidence of having a prepayment meter with a low balance then please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Friday 22nd April - Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations - Year 10 and Year 11

The Immunisation Team will be coming to Woodlands to administer the HPV and DTP vaccination. Consents forms will be emailed to parents today. Please submit your consent online by 30th March. Please note that the following:

HPV Vaccine - Available to all year 10 students AND only the girls in year 11

(the boys in this year are not eligible for the vaccine)

DTP Vaccine Available to all year 10 and 11 students.

Once consent has been submitted, please email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen Malik to confirm. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Friday 22nd April - Covid Vaccinations - Dose 1 or Dose 2

Please note that the Immunisation Team will be attending Woodlands on Friday 22nd April. In this session they will be offering Covid Vaccinations for anyone aged 12-15 years who still require dose 1 or dose 2.

Consent forms have been emailed to parents. Please could you complete this online and email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen Malik, to confirm you have done this.

shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

We hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

18.3.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a fun day! Thank you for supporting Red Nose Day by facilitating your child to dress up or by sending in some money. We will let you know next week how much we have raised.

Hopefully you will get to see some of the photographs on our Facebook page - Official Woodlands Secondary School. The students have produced some amazing art work and have enjoyed an outdoor disco in the sunshine this afternoon.

Monday 21st March 10.00 - 12.00am

Luton Parent Carer Voice has organised a meeting with SEND systems leaders meeting for parents

The meeting will be held at Futures House

To book a space in advance, please go to this website:

www.lutonparentcarervoice@eventbrite.co.uk or you can register on arrival at the venue.

Wednesday 23rd March - Rearranged Spa Morning

This was originally scheduled for 21st March but we have moved the date as it clashed with the Parent Forum Voice meeting

We are planning to hold a spa day for all of our parents on Wednesday 23rd March from

10am - 11am. It will be a wonderful treat for parents to get together and relax. Treatments, snacks and drinks will be available. We kindly request parents for a donation of £2 towards the Spa Morning.

If you wish to attend, please could you email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk by Monday 21st March.

Please note that this event may be cancelled if we have a low number of parents interested.

Friday 25th March - Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations - YEAR 9 ONLY on this date

Thank you to all Year 9 parents that have sent in their completed consent forms for the Meningitis ACWY and the DTP(Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio booster) vaccination. Parents have been notified of their time slot via their class email this week.

Vaccinations will be taking place in the training room. Please make your way directly to the Cafe Car Park where parking will be available and a member of staff will be present.

Please note that parents will need to attend in order for their child to be vaccinated.

If you have not received your time slot then please email our Assistant Family Worker, - Shazmeen Malik - shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Friday 25th March - Go Henry Information meeting

Year 11 and year 12 parents have received letters inviting them to a Go Henry Information meeting to be held at Woodlands on Friday 25th March, at 10am. At the meeting Sarah Appleton, FE leader, will talk about Go Henry bank accounts and how they could help your child become more independent in managing their money as they move through the school and into adulthood.

Citizens Advice Bureau- Financial Support with Gas & Electric

Friday 22nd April - Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations - Year 10 and Year 11

HPV Vaccine - Available to all year 10 students AND only the girls in year 11

(the boys in this year are not eligible for the vaccine)

DTP Vaccine Available to all year 10 and 11 students.

Once consent has been submitted, please email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen Malik to confirm. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Friday 22nd April - Covid Vaccinations - Dose 1 or Dose 2

Consent forms have been emailed to parents. Please could you complete this online and email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen Malik, to confirm you have done this.

shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Foodbank

Referrals to Foodbank are available to families that require support.

If you require a referral to be made then please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Annual Review Feedback

You should have had the opportunity to provide feedback to Luton regarding your child’s annual review. If you have not done so, you can provide feedback here: https://engage.luton.gov.uk/send-outcomes-team/72bf4e39

We hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

Update 11.3.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been lovely to see a glimpse of Spring this week and to have had some warmer weather. More of our students have had the opportunity to experience getting out and about in the community and to enjoy the school garden. Although it is raining today, the forecast for next week is looking good.

Please find below a summary of information and events in the coming weeks.

Covid

Numbers of cases are significantly lower than they were before half term, However in past few days we have had a number of positive cases, with a small outbreak in one of our Pathways classes. The government’s message is that we are ‘living with Covid’. In special schools this continues to mean staff and students testing twice weekly. Please continue to support us by doing this where you can. If students have symptoms or are unwell, please do not send them in to school. We continue to have some vulnerable students and staff in school and we continue to want to provide a school environment which is as safe as possible.

Visitors are requested to wear masks when in school and to take a LFT before visiting. Masks are not required in outdoor spaces.

Friday 18th March - Comic Relief

Students and staff are invited to come to school dressed up. The dress up theme is "What's your superpower? Who's your hero?" (Superheroes, Disney heroes, sporting heroes, etc). The students will be participating in an art challenge, quizzes and a special Red Nose Day disco.

We request a donation of £1 towards Comic Relief. As always students are welcome to participate regardless of their ability to make a financial contribution.

Friday 18th March between 10.00 - 11.00am

RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) Information Session

We are holding a RSE information session to inform parents and carers of the school’s approach to covering our statutory duty to provide high quality Relationship and Sex Education.

If you would like to attend the session and if you have particular questions that you would like to be covered, please contact our Assistant Head Teacher Lindsey-

lindsey.lucas@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Monday 21st March 10.00 - 12.00am

Luton Parent Carer Voice has organised a meeting with SEND systems leaders for parents to attend and ask questions.

The meeting will be held at Futures House.

To book a space in advance, please go to this website:

www.lutonparentcarervoice@eventbrite.co.uk or you can register on arrival at the venue.

Wednesday 23rd March - Rearranged Spa Morning

This was originally scheduled for 21st March but we have moved the date as it clashed with the Parent Carer Voice meeting

We are planning to hold a spa day for all of our parents on Wednesday 23rd March from 10am - 11am. It will be a wonderful treat for parents to get together and relax. Treatments, snacks and drinks will be available. We kindly request parents for a donation of £2 towards the Spa Morning.

If you wish to attend, please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk by Monday 21st March.

Please note that this event may be cancelled if we have a low number of parents interested.

Friday 25th March - Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations

Year 9 parents have received a vaccination consent form home for the Meningitis ACWY and the DTP(Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio booster) vaccination. The consent form gives parents the option for consent for immunisation or refusal of consent. Either way we require the form to be returned to school.

Please could you kindly return the consent forms back to the class teacher as a matter of urgency.

Please note that parents will need to attend in order for their child to be vaccinated. More information will be provided closer to the date.

Friday 25th March - Go Henry Information meeting

Citizens Advice Bureau- Financial Support with Gas & Electric

Foodbank

Referrals to Luton Foodbank are available to families that require support. If you require a referral to be made then please email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Annual Review Feedback

We hope you all have a lovely weekend

Take care,

Sandra

Update 4.3.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

Friday 18th March between 10.00 - 11.00am

RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) Information Session

We are holding a RSE information session to inform parents and carers of the school’s approach to covering our statutory duty to provide high quality Relationship and Sex Education.

If you would like to attend the session and if you have particular questions that you would like to be covered, please contact our Assistant Head Teacher Lindsey-

lindsey.lucas@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Parents dropping off and picking up students - front of school

If you are dropping your child off or picking them up, we request that you are patient with the system and follow advice of those staff trying to keep everyone safe. Please do not block the road on Northwell Drive. If the slip road is busy, please drive on and return a few minutes later.

Please do not spend a lot of time trying to engage with staff - we need handovers to be safe and carried out in a timely fashion.

We would remind all parents that school hours are 8.45 - 3.15pm. To allow for the parental drop off and pick up to be managed safely, this is accommodated between 8.45 - 9.00am in the morning and between 3.00 - 3.15pm in the afternoon.

In the mornings and the afternoons staff are available to ensure that the students are safe when they transition between their vehicle and the school.

If students arrive at school after 9.00am, parents will need to park up and accompany their child into the building. You will need to take them into reception and wait until reception staff have acknowledged their arrival.

Attendance

Students should attend school when they are well enough to do so. If students need to attend a medical appointment during the school day, we request that parents inform the school and provide a copy of the appointment notification. If appointments are in Luton or are fairly local, students should only be absent for the duration of their appointment and should be in school for the rest of the school day. We appreciate that appointments that are further afield will require a longer amount of time.

If parents wish to request leave of absence for other reasons, including trips and religious events, the appropriate request form should be submitted to the school. The form can be found on our website www.woodlands.luton.sch.uk - Parents - Letters and Forms. A paper copy can be requested from the office or the family workers.

Please note that holidays in term time will be unauthorised in all but the most exceptional circumstances.

Friday 25th March - Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations

Year 9 parents will be receiving a vaccination consent form home today for the Meningitis ACWY and the DTP(Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio booster) vaccination. The consent form gives parents the option for consent for immunisation or refusal of consent. Either way we will require the form back.

Please could you kindly return the consent forms back to the class teacher as a matter of urgency.

Please note that parents will need to attend in order for their child to be vaccinated. More information will be provided closer to the date.

Citizens Advice Bureau- Financial Support with Gas & Electric

Spa Morning Monday 21st March 10am - 11am

We are planning to hold a spa day for all of our parents on Monday 21st March from

10am - 11am. It will be a wonderful treat for parents to get together and relax. Treatments, snacks and drinks will be available. We kindly request a donation of £2 towards the Spa Morning.

If you wish to attend, please could you email our Assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen Malik shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Please note that this event may be cancelled if we have a low number of parents interested.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend

Take care,

Sandra

Update 25.02.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are really pleased to report that the number of Covid cases in school has significantly declined since half term. We have only had 2 new cases across the school from amongst those who returned on Monday. I am sure we are not out of the woods yet, but hopefully we are looking towards a more optimistic future.

A Parentmail was sent out earlier in the week in relation to the government’s Covid update.

Cafe

We are pleased to report that the cafe had their local authority Food Hygiene inspection today and have once again received 5 stars! Well done to the cafe team - Debbie, Sam and the students on work experience.

We aim to reopen the cafe to the public after the Easter holidays.

RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) Information Session POSTPONED

This session was initially scheduled for Monday 28th February.

The session has been rearranged for Friday 18th March between 10.00 - 11.00am

The session will inform parents and carers of the school’s approach to covering our statutory duty to provide high quality Relationship and Sex Education.

If you would like to attend the session and if you have particular questions that you would like to be covered, please contact our Assistant family worker Shazmeen - shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Parents dropping off and picking up students - front of school

If you are dropping your child off or picking them up, we request that you are patient with the system and follow advice from those staff trying to keep everyone safe. Please do not block the road on Northwell Drive. If the slip road is busy, please drive on and return a few minutes later.

Please do not spend a lot of time trying to engage with staff - we need handovers to be safe and carried out in a timely fashion.

In the mornings and the afternoons staff are available to ensure that the students are safe when they transition between their vehicle and the school.

Attendance

Please note that holidays in term time will be unauthorised in all but the most exceptional circumstances.

Meningitis ACWY and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccinations

Friday 25th March

Please note that parents will need to attend in order for their child to be vaccinated. More information will be provided closer to the date.

Citizens Advice Bureau- Financial Support with Gas & Electric

We hope you all have a lovely weekend

Take care,

Sandra

Update 11.2.22

Dear All,

What a half term this has been! Both students and staff have been affected by the Omicron variant and we have had to shut some classes and resort to remote learning. We are really pleased to see that the rate of infection has significantly decreased this week - we have only had 2 new cases reported. Last week there were 14 new cases and 40 new cases the week before. Although people can possibly return to school if they have two consecutive negative tests from day 5, we have found that some people may be well enough to return on day 7 or 8 but many are not returning until day 10. We hope that we are over the worst of it and we are optimistic that we will be able to return to normal staffing levels and that all children can attend school.

If your child tests positive over the half term break, please continue to inform your child’s class via the class email.

Public Health in Luton continues to recommend face coverings after half term. They will be reviewing this advice at the end of the first week back.

We hope that students, staff and their families remain well so we are able to enjoy the half term break!

Chinese New Year Celebrations - Luton town centre, this weekend

Luton Culture are offering the opportunity for families to celebrate the Year of the Tiger with stalls, Fan dancers, Lion and Dragon dancers and live music from Soul Food Poetry.

Children’s arts and crafts will be taking place in The Mall, Luton and Little Lions dance workshop will give children the chance to take part in traditional Chinese dance in the Hat Factory.

The event will take place in The Hat District, Bute Street, Luton, the Hat Factory and The Mall, Luton from 12 noon to 11pm on Friday and 12 noon to 6pm on Saturday.

Home Energy Advice

Better Housing Better Health (BHBH) is a local service working to improve the domestic warmth & wellbeing of residents in Luton.

Their experienced and passionate team aim to improve the health and happiness of local residents by alleviating fuel poverty and reducing excess winter deaths. They believe that no one should feel needlessly cold in their home and that help should only be a phone call away. Their free helpline is offering free impartial advice to residents on how to reduce energy bills and improve their home energy efficiency. BHBH also work with various local organisations to make referrals into other relevant schemes, making Better Housing Better Health a one-stop-shop for local support.

The BHBH team are here to assist with advice on how to keep warm and well at home. They can arrange free home energy visits as well as providing information and assistance on accessing grants and financial support. If you work with vulnerable people in your community, their knowledgeable team can provide training to help you understand the signs of someone struggling with their home and what you can to do help.

For more information, call Better Housing Better Health on 0800 107 0044 or visit the Better Housing Better Health website at bhbh.org.uk

Covid and Flu Vaccinations - Drop in Clinics in Half Term

There will be two drop in clinics in Luton over half term. Opening hours are 10.00am - 4.00pm. No appointment is required. Parents can turn up with their children - no appointments are required.

Monday 14th February - Sundon Village Hall, Upper Sundon LU3 3PQ

Tuesday 15th February - Icknield High School, Riddy Lane, LU3 2AH

The Drop in clinics will be offering the 1st, 2nd and booster vaccinations for Covid, for 12 - 18 year olds and their families. The Flu vaccination is available for school years reception to Year 11 (up to 16 year olds).

Parents dropping off and picking up students - front of school

n the mornings and the afternoons staff are available to ensure that the students are safe when they transition between their vehicle and the school. From 21st February, if students arrive at school after 9.00am, parents will need to park up and accompany their child into the building. You will need to take them into reception and wait until reception staff have acknowledged their arrival.

Attendance

Please note that holidays in term time will be unauthorised in all but the most exceptional circumstances.

Monday 14th - Friday 18th February - Half Term

School will be closed for the half term week

New mini enterprise hub

Before Debbie’s retirement, she succeeded in applying for a grant from the Wolfson Foundation, in order for us to purchase a modular building. The building is scheduled to be delivered and installed over the half term break. We aim to get it set up for use by the students just after Easter time.

The room will be used for mini enterprise projects to support the students to develop their work related learning skills alongside their functional literacy and numeracy skills.

Monday 21st February

All staff and students return to school

Monday 21st February - Disability Resource Centre - Coffee Morning 10am - 11am

Levi Habershante will be coming to Woodlands to offer independent information to parents about the services that are available to them and their families. Topics that will be discussed will include benefits, training courses, etc.

If you wish to attend please email Shazmeen Malik, to confirm your attendance. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

We plan to have the Coffee morning in school, we request that attendees take a Lateral Flow test before attending and that visitors wear a mask.

RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) Information Session

Monday 28th February 10am - 11am

We are holding a RSE information session for parents and carers. This will cover the legal requirement of the school following the government guidelines. The RSE curriculum, delivery and materials used during the RSE sessions. It will be a benefit for all parents and carers to attend in order to understand how RSE will be taught at Woodlands. We will supply further information after half term.

We hope you all have a lovely half term break,

Take care and stay safe,

Sandra

Update 4.2.22

Dear All,

Covid

Although we have had some more people test positive for Covid, during the past week, I am pleased to report that the rate appears to be slowing down. I hope that this will continue to be the case as we move towards half term. We continue to appreciate the support we have had from families in trying to reduce the risks and spread of the virus. Please continue to test regularly. If your child is unwell, please keep them at home until they are well.

Monday 7th February - Sports for Champions Visit - POSTPONED

We have made the decision to postpone this event until later in the year. All monies already sent in will be kept for the rearranged event.

Tuesday 8th February - Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally in February each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

This year the theme is ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’. Our students will be exploring a range of topics that include online gaming and cyber bullying. They will participate in activities that teach them about E-safety and the importance of keeping themselves safe when online or using social media platforms.

Monday 7th - Friday 11th February - Mental Health Week

During this week we will be considering how we can look after our mental health and develop resilience. On Friday 11th February we will have a non uniform day where we encourage everyone to wear bright coloured clothes. We are also encouraging a voluntary donation of £1 per person. The monies will go towards our plans for our one day Wellbeing Festival on 24th June 2022.

As is our policy, donations are entirely voluntary and no student will be disadvantaged if they are unable to contribute. Everyone can participate.

Luton Foodbank

As we approach the half term break, I just wanted to remind families of the support that Luton Foodbank can provide.

If you require any support, you can contact Luton Foodbank directly on 01582725838. Alternatively you can email Shazmeen Malik, our assistant family worker at shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk Shazmeen can support you to make an application.

Monday 14th - Friday 18th February - Half Term

School will be closed for the half term week.

Monday 21st February

Return to school

Monday 21st February - Disability Resource Centre Coffee Morning 10am - 11am

If you wish to attend please email Shazmeen Malik, to confirm your attendance. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

We are hoping to have the coffee morning in school, however, we will confirm closer to the date depending on current Covid rates.

Have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

Update 28.1.22

Dear All,

I am sure we are all feeling the same and we all would like to see the back of Covid! We have seen another large rise in numbers with an additional 48 positive cases since last Friday.

We have had to combine some groups of students and we have had to put in place a series of closures in some classes where we have had all or most of the staff have tested positive.

We do thank you for your understanding and cooperation where we have had to do this and we also appreciate your ongoing support with encouraging your children to cooperate with measures to reduce the spread.

Hopefully we will soon see the number of positive cases declining and the school will be fully open for everyone.

Important Information for EU, EEA or Swiss Citizens

Did you know that although the deadline has passed, you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for Settled or Pre-Settled status?

If you haven’t, it is important that you do so if you want to keep your rights to live, work or study in the UK and access healthcare and benefits.

An application must also be made for every eligible child within a family even if the parent(s) have already applied and been granted a status themselves.

If you need to check whether you need to apply, Citizens Advice can help

By phone: 01582 544778

By email: eussadvice@lutoncab.org.uk

Via website: https://www.citizensadviceluton.org.uk/eu-settled-status/

Advice can be given about applying as well as help to complete applications, or to give follow up support about refusals, evidencing the correct documents, contacting the Resolution Centre and switching from Pre-settled to Settled status.

Although the deadline for applying to the EU Settlement Scheme has passed, it is still possible to make a late application.

Active Luton - New Year Offer

How is your New Year’s Resolution going? Active Luton would like to encourage us all to continue to work towards a healthy lifestyle!

They are offering free memberships at the minute plus 30% off every month until April, subject to their terms and conditions.

You can find out more information on their website.

https://activeluton.co.uk/new-year-offer

Upcoming events

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 - Covid-19 Immunisations - Second Jab

We have been informed by the Immunisation Team that they will be coming to Woodlands on

Wednesday 2nd February to administer the second Covid jab to our students.

If you wish for your child to have the second vaccination in school, please email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen to confirm this. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Updates and appointment times will be sent out to families soon.

Please note that there has to be a 12 week period between testing positive and having your Covid vaccination.

Monday 7th February - Sports for Champions Visit

We will be welcoming professional basketball player Pierre Henry-Fontaine to the school, in conjunction with the Sports for Champions charity.

Pierre will spend the morning working alongside different cohorts of students in the school and help them achieve their personal sponsorship challenge.

Later in the day he will host an assembly and Q and A session.

We are really excited for this event and have had two previous successful Sports for Champions attend Woodlands in recent years. It is a fundraising event for Pierre and the school and the link is attached.

We need to raise £425 and our current total is £236.80. Thank you to those parents who have sent in donations so far.

Where possible, we are asking that donations are made virtually to the Gofund me page.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/woodlandschools.

https://youtu.be/_cnjEo02OGQ

Information has been sent out via class emails.

Monday 7th - Friday 11th February - Mental Health Week

During the week we will be considering how we can look after our mental health and develop resilience. On Friday 11th February we will have a non uniform day where we encourage everyone to wear bright coloured clothes. We are also encouraging a voluntary donation of £1 per person. The monies will go towards our plans for our one day Wellbeing Festival on 24th June 2022.

As is our policy, donations are entirely voluntary and no student will be disadvantaged if they are unable to contribute. Everyone can participate.

Monday 14th - Friday 18th February - Half Term

School will be closed for the half term week.

Monday 21st February

Return to school

Have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

Update 21.1.22

Covid

As you will have seen in my midweek Parentmail message, we will be continuing to keep mask wearing (for those who can) and other measures in place, in order to attempt to reduce the spread.

Covid cases in Woodlands are continuing to increase. On Wednesday I reported that we had had 57 cases this term (since January 4th). We have had a sharp rise in cases in the past two days and are now up to 70 Covid affected absences with students and staff.

We have had to put some short term class closures in place for next week - the affected classes have been notified.

Lateral Flow Tests

On site testing in school will resume in the very near future. We are awaiting the delivery of test kits. We will update you when they arrive. In the meantime, it is imperative that you continue to support us to carry out at least twice weekly testing or daily testing where required.

Covid-19 Immunisations - Second Jab

We have been informed by the Immunisation Team that they will be coming to Woodlands on

Wednesday 2nd February to administer the second Covid jab to our students.

If you wish for your child to have the second vaccination in school, please email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen to confirm this. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Updates and appointment times will be sent out to families soon.

Transitions Coffee Morning - Monday 24th January 2022 at 10.30am

We have managed to rearrange the Transitions Coffee Morning with the Transitions Team. This will be held at Woodlands on Monday 24th January at 10.30am via ZOOM.

Please book your place by emailing our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk and a link for the coffee morning will be sent out to you.

Olivia Hannigan (Transitions Personal Advisor), Sally Childs (Transitions nurse) and Nikki Drummond (Transitions Social Worker) shall be attending.

Luton Parent Carer Voice

On Thursday 27th January the LPCV group invite you to join them for a session about social and leisure activities.

The meeting will be held between 1pm- 2.15pm at Futures House, Luton, LU3 3BQ

For further information, please contact justyna@lpcv.org or tanya@lpcv.org

Sports for Champions Visit

On Monday 7th February we will be welcoming professional basketball player Pierre Henry-Fontaine to the school, in conjunction with Sports for Champions.

Pierre will spend the morning working alongside different cohorts of students in the school and help them achieve their personal sponsorship challenge.

Later in the day he will host an assembly and Q and A session.

Where possible, we are asking that donations are made virtually to the Gofund me page.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/woodlandschools...

https://youtu.be/_cnjEo02OGQ

Information has been sent out via class emails.

Have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

Update 19.1.22

Dear All,

The government have announced that from tomorrow (20th January) staff and students are no longer required to wear masks in school and, from next Thursday (27th January), masks are not required in communal spaces.

At Woodlands we will continue to encourage staff and students, who can do so, to wear masks both in class and in communal areas.

At this current time , the picture at Woodlands is not reflecting the national picture of declining numbers.

Since our return to school on 5th January, we have had 57 Covid related cases amongst staff and students. This is in 11 school days. During the whole of the autumn term, a 4 month period, we had 59 cases in total. We are not seeing a decline in cases.

We are currently struggling to maintain safe staffing levels and have had some classes closed for one or two days. We continue to have vulnerable students and staff members on site.

Throughout the pandemic we have reinforced the principles of good hand hygiene, ventilation, cleaning, etc. We have encouraged regular testing and reporting. We have notified staff and families of positive cases and the need to increase testing, as appropriate. We have updated and reviewed our risk assessments and will continue to do so.

If and when we reach the point that numbers are declining, we will review the 'in school advice' regarding masks.

If you have any queries, please send them to the class teacher and we will respond.

Many thanks,

Sandra

14.1.22

Dear All,

We are pleased to say that the boiler issue was resolved by the engineer on Monday and all students were able to return to school on Tuesday morning.

Covid

A reminder that the rules regarding testing have changed this week and we have just been informed that they change again from Monday 17th January.

Currently:

If you test positive on a LFT and you DO NOT have symptoms, you need to isolate for 10 days.

If you have symptoms you need to isolate and get a PCR test. If it is positive, you isolate for 10 days from your first day of symptoms.

If students have symptoms and are not able to take a test, they will need to self isolate for 10 days.

You can leave self isolation after day 7, if you have a negative Lateral Flow Test on day 6 AND 24 hours later on Day 7. If the LFTs are still testing positive, you will need to keep isolating.

Changes from Monday 17th January

From Monday 17 January, people who are self-isolating with COVID-19 will have the option to reduce their isolation period after 5 full days if they test negative with a lateral flow device (LFD) test on both day 5 and day 6 and they do not have a temperature. For example, if they test negative on the morning of day 5 and the morning of day 6, they can return to their education or childcare setting immediately on day 6.

The first test must be taken no earlier than day 5 of the self-isolation period, and the second must be taken the following day. All test results should be reported to NHS Test and Trace.

If the result of either of their tests is positive, they should continue to self-isolate until they get negative results from two LFD tests on consecutive days or until they have completed 10 full days of self-isolation, whichever is earliest.

Anyone who is unable to take LFD tests or anyone who continues to have a temperature will need to complete the full 10 day period of self-isolation.

Since term has started we have had 34 people affected by Covid - both students and staff. Please continue to test your child twice a week and report the results to the class email address.

If your child tests positive, please provide the class teacher with the following information:

whether your child has had symptoms or not
when they tested positive on a Lateral Flow Test
whether they have had a PCR or

If the test is positive, or if your child is demonstrating symptoms but cannot or will not take a test, please do not send your child to school - they will need to self isolate.

Covid-19 Immunisations - Second Jab

We have been informed by the Immunisation Team that they will be coming to Woodlands on

Wednesday 2nd February to administer the second covid jab to our students.

If you wish for your child to have the second vaccination in school, please email our assistant family worker, Shazmeen to confirm this. shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk

Updates and appointment times will be sent out to families soon.

Sports for Champions Visit

On Monday 7th February we will be welcoming professional basketball player Pierre Henry-Fontaine to the school, in conjunction with Sports for Champions.

Pierre will spend the morning working alongside different cohorts of students in the school and help them achieve their personal sponsorship challenge.

Later in the day he will host an assembly and Q and A session.

Where possible, we are asking that donations are made virtually to the Gofund me page.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/woodlandschools...

https://youtu.be/_cnjEo02OGQ

Information has been sent out via class emails.

Eco Schools

The School Council are working towards gaining the next level of the Eco Schools Award. We were pleased to gain the Bronze award last year.

This term our assemblies will be focussing on the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Today’s assembly was about the first of the Rs - Reduce.

We have been thinking about how we reduce our use of water, energy and food.

Here are some of the ideas we have been thinking about.

How to reduce water waste:

Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth
Have a shower rather than a bath

How to reduce energy waste:

Turn lights off when we leave the room
Switch off and unplug unused electrical equipment

How to reduce food waste:

Make another meal out of leftovers
Compost foodstuffs where possible.
Freeze food for another day.

It would be great if you could reinforce these messages at home.

Here is a link to a song about the 3Rs by Jack Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1mFymbRmv4

Transitions Coffee Morning - Monday 24th January 2022 at 10.00am

We have managed to rearrange the Transitions Coffee Morning with the Transitions Team. This will be held at Woodlands on Monday 24th January at 10.00am via ZOOM.

Please book your place by emailing our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk and a link for the coffee morning will be sent out to you.

Olivia Hannigan (Transitions Personal Advisor), Sally Childs (Transitions nurse) and Nicky Drummond (Transitions Social Worker) shall be attending.

Have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

7.1.2022

Dear All,

We were very pleased to be back in the building and to see the students and staff return this week!

Covid

The Lateral Flow Testing in school was very effective in picking up 4 positive asymptomatic cases amongst the students. These students are now isolating and affected classes were advised to carry out LFTs for 7 days. Students are still able to attend school during this 7 day period provided their LFTS are negative.

We have had a very high number of positive Covid cases amongst the staff team and unfortunately we have had to close 2 classes for 2 days this week.

We make decisions about any potential class closures based on the safety of staffing levels within particular departments. As you know we need high staffing levels in classes and we also need staff with the right skill sets to meet the needs of the students. When we are unable to do this, and safety becomes a concern, we consider all options before resorting to a class closure, including merging groups and employing supply staff. All class closures linked to Covid will be implemented for the shortest possible time.

Broken Boiler

Due to unforeseen circumstances, caused by a power surge to one of the control panels for the boilers, today we have had to close a significant number of classes due to a lack of heating and hot water! The engineer will be out to repair the issue on Monday but unfortunately, the affected classes will need to stay at home that day. Teachers have been in touch with families that his affects and plans are in place for remote learning on Monday. Transport have been informed of the issues. We will update families during the course of Monday, once we know what is happening. If you have not been contacted by school, your child will be attending school as normal.

Student use of Social Media

Many of our students enjoy using social media to keep in touch with their friends outside of school. We understand that a number of students have created WhatsApp groups to keep in contact. We strongly urge parents to supervise their children’s interactions on WhatsApp as we have been made aware of some very inappropriate exchanges. Although we do teach the children about how to use technology safely and about esafety and appropriate behaviours, because these groups are on the students’ phones and the activity is happening outside of school, we cannot supervise and intervene with situations.

If you are concerned about your child’s use of the mobile phones and groups like WhatsApp and would like to discuss concerns further, please contact your child’s teacher in the first instance, or the family worker team.

Transitions Coffee Morning - Monday 24th January 2022 at 10.00am

We have managed to rearrange the Transitions Coffee Morning with the Transitions Team. This will be held at Woodlands on Monday 24th January at 10.00am via Zoom.

Please book your place by emailing our assistant Family Worker, Shazmeen, to confirm your attendance shazmeen.malik@woodlands.luton.sch.uk and a link for the coffee morning will be sent out to you.

Olivia Hannigan (Transitions Personal Advisor), Sally Childs (Transitions nurse) and Nicky Drummond (Transitions Social Worker) shall be attending.

Have a lovely weekend,

Take care,

Sandra

3.1.2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

I wish all of our families a very Happy New Year and hope that 2022 will be a happy and healthier year for us all!

I hope that you have managed to have some quality family time over the holidays. I am aware that some of you and your families have been affected by Covid over the holiday period and things may not have worked out as you planned. I hope that those who have been unwell have recovered and that those who are currently unwell will recover soon.

If your child tested positive or was unwell over the holiday period please send an email to the class teacher, to let us know the dates when they were positive and let us know how they are doing now.

At this moment in time, the government and the school are committed to remaining open for students to attend school - this is the best place for learning to take place and where we want to be.

All schools have had to draw up contingency plans should the situation worsen At Woodlands, the biggest risk arises when we have high numbers of staff absences and when we are unable to safely staff classes due to the complexity and variety of students’ needs. During the autumn term we had a few occasions when we had to have restricted periods of attendance, on a limited basis, following Public Health advice. We aimed to ensure these periods were for the shortest possible time periods and aimed to reduce the impact on students and families. Moving forward, we may be in a position where we need to put these temporary measures in place again. Please be assured that these types of decisions are not taken lightly and will only be put in place if other measures to safely cover classes cannot be put in place and if the decision is approved by the local Public Health agency and local authority. We will aim to impact the smallest number of students and families for the shortest period of time.

Should this situation arise and affect you and your child, we will endeavour to communicate information about any such measures as soon as possible and will put in place plans for remote learning. In the meantime, we are proceeding with plans to reopen to all students on Wednesday 5th January 2022.

Take care,

Sandra

1. Current arrangements for January 2022

Training Day - Tuesday 4th January 2022 - school closed to students but open to staff.

Students return to school - Wednesday 5th January 2022.

2. Lateral Flow Testing before and upon the return to school

Students are requested to take a Lateral Flow Test tomorrow (Tuesday 4th January) - prior to returning to school on Wednesday 5th January.

Please email your class teacher tomorrow (Tuesday 4th January), via the class email address to state the outcome of the test, whether this is positive or negative.

Provided the results are negative, your child can return to school on Wednesday 5th January.

If your child tests positive, please provide the class teacher with the following information:

whether your child has had symptoms or not
when they tested positive on a Lateral Flow Test
whether they have had a PCR or

If the test is positive, or if your child is demonstrating symptoms but cannot or will not take a test, please do not send your child to school - they will need to self isolate.

3. Self isolation

The rules about self isolating changed on 22nd December 2021.

Details can be found via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

In essence, if your child tests positive, their self isolation period can potentially now finish after day 7, if they have 2 negative lateral flow tests 24 hours apart; the earliest they can take this LFT is on day 6 and day 7.

The period of self isolation is determined by the date that symptoms start or the date of a positive test, if no symptoms are observed.

We will ask for this information in order to identify the potential end date for self isolation and return to school date.

Please note that if people are still testing positive, on day 7, they will need to continue self isolating until there are two consecutive negative tests, in a 24 hour period. Likewise, if the tests indicate that your child is negative on day 7, but if your child is still unwell, particularly if they have a raised temperature or if they are being sick, please do not send them in to school.

See below a diagram to explain the new self isolation guidance.

4. Testing arrangements moving forward

Secondary aged students are requested to take a Lateral Flow test in school in the first week back. This will happen on Wednesday 5th January, for those students for whom we have received permission.

Staff and students should continue to carry out a Lateral Flow Test at home, at least twice weekly. Tests should be carried out before your child attends school on Mondays and Thursdays. Please carry out the tests on Sunday evening or Monday morning AND on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

We request that you continue to inform your child’s class teacher of the results - whether they are positive or negative.

5. Close contacts with someone who has a positive case of Covid 19

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. The LFD test should be taken in the morning before leaving home. If the test is negative, they can continue to attend school.

If the test is positive, they will need to get a PCR and start their period of self isolation.

6. 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 will 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.

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

7. 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 the 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.

8. Mask wearing in secondary schools

On 2nd January 2022 the DfE sent out new guidance advising that students and staff in secondary schools should wear face coverings in class as well as in shared spaces.

Advice indicates that for some students, including those in special schools, this will be difficult and not all students with SEN will be able to wear a mask. Those who can, should do so. Masks do not need to be worn when outside or when in PE lessons. Students who can, are advised to wear masks when travelling in transport.

The guidance indicates that there are circumstances where people are not able to wear masks. In relation to education settings, this includes (but is not limited to):

people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
people for whom putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress
people speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate
to avoid the risk of harm or injury to yourself or others
you are also permitted to remove a face covering in order to take medication

When wearing a face covering, staff, visitors and pupils should:

● wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on

● avoid touching the part of the face covering in contact with their mouth and nose, as it could be contaminated with the virus

● change the face covering if it becomes damp or if they’ve touched it

● avoid taking it off and putting it back on a lot in quick succession to minimise potential contamination

When removing a face covering, staff, visitors and pupils should:

● wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before removing

● only handle the straps, ties or clips

● not give it to someone else to use

● if single-use, dispose of it carefully in a household waste bin and do not recycle

● once removed, store reusable face coverings in a plastic bag until there is an opportunity to wash them.

● if reusable, wash it in line with manufacturer’s instructions at the highest temperature appropriate for the fabric

● wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser once removed

The use of facemasks in school will be reviewed by the government on 26th January 2022.

Spring 1 & 2 - 2022

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