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Larwood School

Part of Larwood Academy Trust

School News

Page 2

  • LARWOOD LOWDOWN VOLUME 9 ISSUE 1

    Published 03/11/20

    The main focus for us all is getting pupils back to routines, learning and dare I say it, having a bit of fun! The start of the term seemed to conspire against us. Not only did we have the continued complications of the pandemic to deal with, but also major building works have started on our approach road and surrounding land. Our pupils (your sons/daughters) have dealt with all of this superbly. As already communicated with you, it is so good to have them all back and our new pupils have all started to show signs of settling in well. It is always tricky being new, and some may take longer than others to understand the way that we work. However, I am confident that  will get there soon.

    All our classes are producing artwork which will be displayed in the dining hall. Mr Reid has designed the frames to include material that will help dampen the noise in that area. Of course, noise in that area is not an issue right now as all classes have lunch in their classrooms!

    As you know the continuing issues around Covid 19, mean that there is a high chance classes will be effected by the virus, testing and self-isolation procedures. Therefore, in line with all other schools across England, we have developed a range of procedures that will be helpful for such situations. We are using Microsoft Teams as our platform for remote learning situations and would ask that you download the free app on your devices/your child’s device just in case of the need to use it. It can be accessed here:

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app

    Or

    https://teams.microsoft.com/uswe-01/downloads

    This will enable us to communicate and teach when the situations lead to some form of self-isolation scenario. This maybe:

    • If a member of staff has a family member that may be going through the process of being tested for Covid 19, but is symptom free/well and able to teach
    • If a pupil/family member is needing to get tested but is well enough to learn from home
    • If there is a positive test result from a staff member or pupil in a class bubble, but some pupils are well enough to engage with learning.

    Please note that none of the above applies when someone is unwell and has the symptoms of Coronavirus. If a pupil is unwell then all efforts should be on getting better and following appropriate medical advice.

    Despite all the complications, we have had a great start to the year. That has only been possible
    with your support and help. Thank you and I hope you have a restful half term break.

    Please note all pupils should return to school, at the usual time on Monday 2nd November.                                   

    Sean Trimble
    Executive Headteacher

     

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  • OVERWATCH 12+ Game - What parents & carers need to know about ...

    Published 25/09/20

    Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, the same company behind the likes of World of Warcraft and StarCraft. The online-only game, which is available to play on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, sees players face off in six-versus-six matches that emphasize both teamwork and individual skill. Players have a wide choice of characters to play as, each of which comes under one of four main classes or roles - Offence, Defence, Tank and Support - with each class having its own unique strengths and weaknesses. In the UK and Europe, PEGI rates Overwatch as PEGI 12, suitable for ages 12 and up, for non-realistic-looking violence towards human characters.

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  • LARWOOD LOWDOWN VOLUME 8 ISSUE 4

    Published 22/05/20

    I hope this edition of the Larwood Lowdown (almost a lockdown version!) finds you all healthy. This half term has been the strangest in my teaching career. However, I fully appreciate that its not just the education sector that has been affected. This situation has challenged all of us in many ways. Thank you for your support during this time and I hope that we can continue to support you and your child in whatever ways are appropriate during the rest of the term.

    I hope that you have noted, via the weekly letters that we continue to monitor the situation with Covid 19 and act in the best interests of pupils, parents and staff. It is very difficult to know what is ‘the answer’ to such a complex and new issue. However, as you will appreciate if we take it slow and get it wrong, there are less risks. If we change things quickly and get it wrong it could be very serious in terms of those affected and the impact it has on their health. It is also essential that you feel comfortable with a range of factors when sending your child back to Larwood. This would include the measures we have in place, alongside transport arrangements.

    As always I am so proud of how your sons and daughters have adapted to the situation. I know that some are finding this just as difficult as the adults are. Yet, many are trying their best with online learning and for the few that we see at the moment, they are behaving in exactly the way we need, to keep all parties safe.

    I hope the weather is kind during the half term break and look forward to seeing more pupils, when we all agree it is safe to do so next half term.

    Thank you for your continued support!

    S D Trimble

    Executive Headteacher
    Larwood Academy Trust

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  • Stay up to date with Larwood NEWS via the e4education app

    Published 20/03/20

    Got an iPhone or Android phone!? Download the e4education App to keep up to date with the latest news and calendar dates from Larwood School!

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  • Learning Resources During School Closure

    Published 20/03/20

    Please keep an eye on the school website for a list of learning resources that you can use at home. This list will continue to grow throughout the weeks ahead, so please continue to check back on this feed and the front page of the shcool website. Dont forget to download the e4education App! this will keep you updated as an when the website has an update or any further news!

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  • COVID-19 School INFO

    Published 20/03/20

    COVID-19 School Information - MUST READ! CLICK HERE!

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  • Parent/Carer courses being delivered through 'Families in Focus'

    Published 10/03/20

    Please see the attached flyers for Parent/ Carer courses being delivered through Families in Focus.

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  • LARWOOD LOWDOWN VOLUME 8 ISSUE 3

    Published 24/02/20

    What a great start to the New Year we have had with your sons and daughters. Many of them are really trying hard to improve their work, and I am so pleased to see how many of them are listening to their teachers and teaching assistants. I hope that you are aware that every Friday, as a school, we celebrate the various great work that has taken place for the week that has passed. Last week was a typical week of comments during that assembly, and they included:

    • Determined progress with work connected to writing
    • Numerous acts of kindness between pupils
    • Acts of kindness to staff by pupils
    • Sporting success with our weekly nominations for ‘Sportsperson of The Week’ award
    • Our pupils working within our community by reading and talking with adults at Jubilee Court
    • Pupils taking part in and demonstrating Life Skills

    Did you know that staff at Larwood are setting up and running a Holiday Club?

    It starts this half term holiday and will be run by Mr V, our resident PE Coach. It will have a sports and arts theme and no doubt will be great fun. Please contact Mr V directly if you are interested.

    Please note that as of Feb 1st, Brandles School formally joined Larwood Academy Trust. You may be aware that Brandles is a secondary school for Social, Emotional and Mental Health related issues. Many of our pupils move there for their secondary education. We have been working with the DFE to enable this to happen for a long period of time. As part of our future collaborative work, we are including:

    • Joint staff training opportunities.
    • Weekly meetings between Mr Pearce (Headteacher at Brandles) and myself, discussing a wide range of topics that include curriculum, assessment, staffing, transitional arrangements etc.
    • Greater joined up working in various areas such as ICT (Mr Newman), site, environment and health and safety (Mr Reid) and how we all approach common issues related to mental health (Mrs Ford). Mrs Smith and Mrs Fitz patrick are also providing support and guidance in relation to financial matters
    • Potential joint funding of various services that we both use which should lead to savings that can be redirected towards pupils needs

    Thank you for your continued support!

    S D Trimble
    Executive Headteacher

    Larwood Academy Trust

     

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  • TIK TOK - Larwood children are NOT old enough to use this platform!

    Published 30/01/20

    TikTok is a video-sharing social media app available on iOS and Android which lets users create, share, and view user created videos much in a similar manner to Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. It’s main draw, however, is that users can record and upload bite-sized looping videos of themselves lip-syncing and dancing to popular music or soundbites, often for comedic effect, which can then be further enhanced with filters, emojis and stickers. TikTok has been designed with the young user in mind and has a very addictive appeal. At the beginning of 2019 it skyrocketed in popularity to become the iOS store’s most downloaded app with over 33 million downloads. Estimates suggest that it now has anything between 500 million and over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.

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  • 'WhatsApp' Issue

    Published 21/01/20

    Dear all,

    It has come to my attention that some of our children are part of a 'WhatsApp' group with other pupils in school. Whilst I am a huge fan of using technology to aid and assist learning/life in general, I am very dubious about the benefits of such groups and I am worried about its potential negative effects, alongside the law in relation to this matter.

    I appreciate that my advice in this matter can be thought of as interference. However, it is not constructed in that way, and based on previous cases that I have seen the consequences of such a social media group can lead to:

    • Huge friendship issues and fall outs between children
    • Unwanted sharing of information leading to challenging, different and unnecessary behaviours/issues
    • Lack of sleep due to many hours devoted to keeping up with messages etc. This then has negative effects on relationships, progress at school and overall health and well-being.

    Therefore, my advice about this issue and use of mobile phones and this 'WhatsApp' group is as follows:

    1. If your child is using a mobile phone on a day-to-day basis, remove it at bedtime and return it when it is a suitable time for use. They are used to this as we remove all electrical items on the door when they enter and they are returned when they go home.
    2. If your child is part of a 'WhatsApp' group then please comply with the law, and remove the app from their phone. Since May 2018, you must be 16 years old to use the app. Therefore using it whilst younger is breaking the law.
    3. If you do allow your child to use a mobile phone, please consider the fact than as soon as they linked to a Wi-Fi network they can access anything and everything on the internet. Just as my advice would to monitor laptops, and games consoles, it is equally essential to monitor a mobile phone in the same way.

    If we can be of assistance supporting you with this matter, please do contact us. Please also contact

    me directly if you would like to discuss this matter in greater detail or one of my colleagues.

     

    Yours sincerely

    S D Trimble
    Headteacher

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  • LARWOOD LOWDOWN VOLUME 8 ISSUE 2

    Published 21/01/20

    What an amazing term with your sons and daughters, as we head rapidly to the Christmas break. I am very proud of how much great progress we have seen in so many ways during this term. It has included:

    • Some excellent work in a variety of areas
    • Great behaviour from so many. Recently I presented over 30 Bronze medals in one assembly. This is a record!
    • Being very honest, open and helpful when Ofsted visited
    • Many acts of kindness to each and to staff- a key part of our school’s  ethos
    • Other comments on how great our children have been when they attend trips, including the trip to Mountfitchett Castle, frequent trips to Partyman in Stevenage, and singing for elderly people at Tewin Bury Farm Estate.

     Just like our staff, who have worked so hard this term , they all deserve a well-earned break. 

    Other news! Please note that we continue to make progress with Brandles School joining our Academy Trust. As previously communicated, this will mean some changes with staff roles but as we near the official formation, I will communicate these changes with you. I hope that this will all be taken care of by Feb 2020. This will certainly help our transition process for pupils moving to Brandles, but we will also be responsible for ensuring that good progress is made at Brandles for all pupils, no matter where they come from. I have been conducting weekly meetings with Mr Pearce for the past 12 months or so and we will continue to work very closely together. This may also take the form of joint training and buying services that will serve all pupils not matter what their age.

    You have already been sent the recently published Ofsted report. Just in case you missed it there were some wonderful comments written by the inspectors which included:

    •  Pupils thrive in this school
    • Staff organise learning to get the very best from pupils
    • Pupils flourish at Larwood and  are 'wired for learning.'
    • Leaders have organised an exciting and innovative curriculum that sparks pupil interest in learning
    • Leaders set high standards for pupil behaviour
    • Pupils are proud of their school and attend well.

    As always your children were a great source of information during the inspection process. Again, I am very proud of them and all the staff for their hard work.

    I wish you and your families the very best for the Christmas period and a wonderful new year, when it arrives.

    Please note that Monday Jan 6th is an INSET day, with pupils returning on Tuesday 7th Jan at the usual time.

    S D Trimble
    Headteacher

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  • LARWOOD LOWDOWN VOLUME 8 ISSUE 1

    Published 18/10/19

    The start of a new academic year always promises so much! New pupils have been welcomed, changes made during the summer term and holiday now seem very old. There are clear examples of new plans continuing to be used to improve upon old strategies, but new ventures are also becoming part of our future plans.

    We have welcomed new pupils and some new staff at the start of this academic year. Mrs. Smith is now our new Business Manager, but we retain the use of Mrs. Fitzpatrick for projects. We have also added to our Learning and Support Staff with the addition of Miss Kolthammer.

    You may be aware that we had a visit from Ofsted inspectors during Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th October. This was something that we had expected to happen as we were due such a visit. Until the final report is published I am not able to confirm the inspection outcomes, however, I look forward to sharing this with you, as soon as it is published.

    During the summer term, we spent much time evaluating many areas of school life. As always, all of this material is available for you to read. The relevant section can be found in the following way:

    · www.larwood.herts.sch.uk   -  See section tab-‘How Effective Are We?’

    Our new School Development Plan highlights the continued need to continue improving in the areas of Progress, Well-Being and Sustainability. We continue to review the quality of teaching and learning every term by using lesson observations, mentoring and data related to behaviour and incidents. We know that we must continue to strive to refine and improve upon our practice, to ensure that all of your sons and daughters receive the outstanding education that they deserve. Your support is essential as we move forwards.

    We continue to work very closely with Brandles School, and we are aiming for them to join Larwood Academy Trust by 1st January 2020. This will mean some staffing structural changes at Larwood and I will inform you of these as we move closer to the proposed date above. Any such change made will be completed so that it does not affect the day-to-day quality of educational provision and care that your children experience.

    Please do not forget that our half term break starts today and pupils are not expected back until Monday 4th November at the normal time.

    I wish you all a restful half term break.

    Kind regards,

    S D Trimble
    Headteacher

     

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