bg autumn newsletter_2015

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Newsletter Autumn Term 2015 Bents Green School Celebrate our Achievements! Our Autumn term at Bents Green has been full of exciting new changes. Early insight s into our re -designed Curricul um has seen a new energy with regards to teaching and learning. Students have enjoyed the Wildlife topic and enrichment opportunities. On and off -site learning has enabled students to participate in cycling, swimmi ng, climbing, table tennis, dance and craft activiti es. A new strand to our Curricul um is the Sensory provision. Students have experienced exploratory sessions in a range of sensory activities, including scooter boards, spinning seats and messy tactile activities. Rock climbing at The Foundry enabled ten Year 9, 10 and 11 students to take part in a six week introduction to Rock Climbing course. These are just some of the activities to enable our young people in de veloping lifelong learning skills and trying new opportunities to stimulate interest. Enjoy reading about all of our other activities and charity event including the Paddington Project, Hallam FM Mission Christmas, Master Cutler Challenge 2015 and Children in Need. Our Children in Need e ffort s raised a whooping £1007.11 plus gift aid!  A big than k you to all con cerned. Thank you to Sian Edwards for her teaching commitment and support to present and past students over the past 10 years.  We wish her a happy retirement for the coming years.  May I take the opportunity to wish our Bents Green Learning Community, parents/carers and Governors a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Amanda Costello, Headteacher  Parents, Carers, Staff and Students, What a busy term. I can’t believe that it is nearly Christmas! I am immensely proud to be Chair of Governors of this school and as we come to the end of the first term in this academic year, it is time to reflect on everything that has been achieved. Staff, Governors and Friends of Bents Green have worked very hard and I would like to thank everyone for their dedication to the School. Our students also have wo rked very hard. Our Year 7 students have settled well into the school and our enrichment programme is continuing to evolve for all students. Westfield Hub is developing and our Post 16 students have coped brilliantly with the move to Sheaf training and Autism Plus. We look forward to an exciting and challenging 2016. All the Governors join with me in wishing you and your families a joyful Christmas and a p eaceful New Year. Best Wishes, Laura Gillespie, Chair of Governors  School Website: http://bentsgreen.wordpress.com Congratulations go to our Year 11 students who completed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. They were invited to join with the other schools in a celebration evening at Talbot School on Tuesday 1 December. Parents were invited along with guests from D of E and staff from across the city to celebrate their achievements. During the night they were presented with their certificates and Portfolios and heard speeches of congratulati ons for the level of commitment and dedication needed to under- take the award. Pictured receiving their awards on the night, Luke, Max and James. Well done to e veryone involved from Frank Hu nter and Marie Gregory.  Our former Y11’s were recently invited back to celebrate their academic successes. ‘The best ever’ is o ften mentioned by s chools upon receivi ng their exam results, but for Bents Greens’ Y11s, they really were.  This year we can c elebrate a lot of firsts;   5 pupils achieved Grade C’s in Mathematics   3 pupils achieved A’s and B’s in GCSE Photography   8 pupils successfull y passed Level 1 Functional Skills English  14 pupils successfully passed Level 1 PSD Certificate   1 pupil commenced GCSE Science at another school   4 pupils successfully completed alternative provision placements, with 2 of them receiving awards at the end of year celebrations (out of over 350 other pupils attending this provision).  First year we ha ve had an end o f year prom at She ffield Unit ed Football ground. Memories of which will live long ! You all looked fantastic!  Exceptional Entry Level Certificate grades and Unit Awards. Each of the pupils received a Record of Achievement containing their certificates.  It was great to see you all. Good luck in the future and I hope you achieve all that you wish for.  Andrew Hinchliffe, Phase 4 Assistant Headteacher  

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Page 1: BG Autumn Newsletter_2015

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NewsletterAutumn Term 2015

Bents Green School

Celebrate our Achievements!

Our Autumn term at Bents Green has been full of exciting new changes. Early insights into our re-designedCurriculum has seen a new energy with regards to teaching and learning. Students have enjoyed the Wildlifetopic and enrichment opportunities. On and off -site learning has enabled students to participate in cycling,swimming, climbing, table tennis, dance and craft activities. A new strand to our Curriculum is the Sensoryprovision. Students have experienced exploratory sessions in a range of sensory activities, including scooterboards, spinning seats and messy tactile activities. Rock climbing at The Foundry enabled ten Year 9, 10 and

11 students to take part in a six week introduction to Rock Climbing course. These are just some of the activities toenable our young people in developing lifelong learning skills and trying new opportunities to stimulate interest. Enjoyreading about all of our other activities and charity event including the Paddington Project, Hallam FM Mission Christmas,Master Cutler Challenge 2015 and Children in Need. Our Children in Need efforts raised a whooping £1007.11 plus giftaid!  A big thank you to all concerned. Thank you to Sian Edwards for her teaching commitment and support to present and past students over the past 10years.  We wish her a happy retirement for the coming years.  May I take the opportunity to wish our Bents Green Learning Community, parents/carers and Governors a Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year. Amanda Costello, Headteacher 

 

Parents, Carers, Staff and Students, What a busy term. I can’t believe that it is nearly Christmas!I am immensely proud to be Chair of Governors of this school and as we come to the end of the first term in thisacademic year, it is time to reflect on everything that has been achieved.Staff, Governors and Friends of Bents Green have worked very hard and I would like to thank everyone for theirdedication to the School. Our students also have worked very hard. Our Year 7 students have settled well into the schooland our enrichment programme is continuing to evolve for all students. Westfield Hub is developing and our Post 16students have coped brilliantly with the move to Sheaf training and Autism Plus. We look forward to an exciting andchallenging 2016. All the Governors join with me in wishing you and your families a joyful Christmas and a peaceful NewYear. Best Wishes, Laura Gillespie, Chair of Governors

 

School Website: http://bentsgreen.wordpress.com

Congratulations go to our Year 11 students who completed their Duke of EdinburghBronze Award.

They were invited to join with the other schools in a celebration evening at Talbot Schoolon Tuesday 1 December. Parents were invited along with guests from D of Eand staff from across the city to celebrate their achievements. During the nightthey were presented with their certificates and Portfolios and heard speeches ofcongratulations for the level of commitment and dedication needed to under-take the award. Pictured receiving their awards on the night, Luke, Max andJames. Well done to everyone involved from Frank Hunter and Marie Gregory. 

Our former Y11’s were recently invited back to celebrate their academicsuccesses. ‘The best ever’ is often mentioned by schools upon receivingtheir exam results, but for Bents Greens’ Y11s, they really were.  This year we can celebrate a lot of firsts;  5 pupils achieved Grade C’s in Mathematics 

3 pupils achieved A’s and B’s in GCSE Photography 

8 pupils successfully passed Level 1 Functional Skills English 

14 pupils successfully passed Level 1 PSD Certificate 

1 pupil commenced GCSE Science at another school  4 pupils successfully completed alternative provision placements, with 2

of them receiving awards at the end of year celebrations (out of over 350 other pupils

attending this provision). First year we have had an end of year prom at Sheffield United Football ground. Memories of

which will live long! You all looked fantastic! Exceptional Entry Level Certificate grades and Unit Awards. Each of the pupils received aRecord of Achievement containing their certificates. It was great to see you all. Good luck in the future and I hope you achieve all that you wish for.

 Andrew Hinchliffe, Phase 4 Assistant Headteacher  

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Fire Service Visit  As a part of our Life Skills Challenge lessons, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue came to visit

Y9 and 11P students and talk to them about their role in the community. We were also verylucky to have a fire engine for the students to experience.

Back to our Roots as an “Open Air School”  

On Thursday 3 December, Bents Green held its first Student Council election. The PollingStation was in the library and we had voting booths and ballot boxes on loan from the Council.The whole school voted and each student had a Ballot Paper with the candidates’ photos on forvoting.

Normally, students volunteer to be part of Student Council, but this year we decided to trial anelection with the Year 7’s. And what a result! Nine students put themselves forward fornomination. They campaigned, wore rosettes, put posters up around school with informationabout their ideas, stood up in assembly and read out their Campaign Poster and some studentseven made a PowerPoint presentation! We are really proud of their achievements!Unfortunately, we could only take on two new Councillors and the winners are: Steven (7G) andCharlie (7B). A huge congratulations to them and a fantastic thumbs up to the other Year 7’s whohave worked so hard for the election. Don’t give up! You would all make great Councillors! 

This term we have begun our new programme of Enrichment opportunities for Year 9 and 10and 11B. Students have had the opportunity to try out various activities, on and off -site, such as

cycling, swimming, climbing, table tennis, dance, craft activities, Forest Schools and visiting TheMayfield Valley Alpaca Farm. Andy and Keeley the owners of the farm were very accommodat-ing of our students and made the experience an enjoyable one. They have a variety of animalsfrom the Alpaca’s to skunks and a café is on -site. The winter opening times of the farm are10am-4pm. http://www.mayfieldalpacas.com/index.html  Students have now also made choices about activities they would like to try for the remainder of theschool year and we are putting together a programme which will be split into half termly blocks. Studentswill also learn new skills such as First Aid and undertake Community Projects such as groundsmaintenance. Enrichment activities are designed to link to students interests, but also expand theirinterests; they are about having fun and creating lasting memories.  Feedback from students and parents has been very positive and staff have enjoyed planning and leadingthis exciting new curriculum development. 

Rock Climbing at The Foundry10 students from Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in a 6 week introduction to Rock ClimbingCourse at The Foundry. They learned how to put a harness on correctly, tie onto the rope,belay each other and climb the wall. The improvement over the 6 weeks has been brilliant,with students overcoming their fears and challenging themselves to get to the top of thewall. They all managed to belay their partners safely up to the top of the wall and backdown again. Some parents also took part in a course to learn how to climb and belay, inthe hope the hope they will continue to climb in the future.  We hope next year to progress the group onto ‘climbing outdoors’ in the Peak District. Look out for informationon future afterschool climbing activities, or contact school if you have missed out but would like to join in.  

“Open Air Schools”  or “ Schools of the Woods”  were purpose-built educationalinstitutions for children, that were designed to prevent and combat the widespread rise of

tuberculosis that occurred in the period leading up to the Second World War .” Wikipedia 

Bents Green School was originally an Open Air school. For more modern reasons we arewanting to make the most of our wonderful grounds and use the outdoor spaces to learncreatively. We will be developing our outdoor learning curriculum further and hoping toprovide more specialist programmes as staff become trained and experienced.  

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New After-School Football ClubWe have been given the opportunity from the SWFC Community Programme to pilot an After Schools Football Club at BentsGreen School, initially for six weeks, at no cost to students or the school. This is open to all students who attend BentsGreen who have an interest in playing football. The club will be coached by Sam Firth, Disability Officer with SWFCCommunity Programme on Thursdays, 3.45pm – 4.45pm (with support from Sonia Thomas-Coleman, P.E. SpecialistTeaching Assistant). The after -school club will start in the New Year. Sam has also been delivering two lunchtime footballcoaching sessions per week.

Football Players Needed  A parent of one of Bents Green’s students has set up a new community football club, playing from the Handsworth area ofSheffield. He is looking for (male) players with learning difficulties, aged 10yrs – 15yrs old to come to training and play forthe team. Training takes place at Handsworth Junior Sporting Club, Oliver’s Mount, Sheffield S9 4PA on Saturdays at 11am – 12pm. If you are interested, please contact Mr Nick Bailey-Marshall, Handsworth Disability Coach on: - 07539115258

 Y11, Y10 & Y9 Football Team - First Match Report A friendly five-a-side football match was played against Heritage Park School here at BentsGreen on Friday 4th December 2015. The game was real end to end action with the scorebeing close at all times. I would like to thank the many students and staff that came out tosupport the team as the tension grew when the score reached 5 -5 with under a minute to

go …. !!! Then at last a breakthrough and Bents Green scored, resulting in a 6-

5 win for ourteam. Well done to all the players and I will be arranging a re-match at Heritage Park in theNew Year. Report provided by Sonia Thomas-Coleman 

The entire school enjoyed a musical morning when Music in the Round’s newly commissionedproject ‘Stinky Bottom’ visited the school in early November.The live music brought to life a brilliantly funny children’s story called ‘Sir Scallywag and thebattle of Stinky Bottom. With lots of audience participation, fabulous image projections fromthe book and brilliant virtuoso playing from three world -class musicians; Polly the singer, Timthe pianist and Claudia the violinist, the concert delighted everybody and was lots of sing-along-a fun !! We are very grateful to by The Mayfield Valley Arts Trust who entirely funded this visit. 

Y9 pupils took part in an exciting event at Firth Hall on Tuesday 15 December when a BG

musical ensemble played alongside a professional orchestra performing the live orchestralscore to the films of ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘The Snowman’. The group has beenpractising since September and we have had visiting professional musicians to help uscreate our own performance piece which is based around ‘Troika’; a famous sleigh bellpiece, that I am sure most of you will recognize from adverts on T.V. etc. Chris, Tom andLucy, visiting musicians, have all been funded by the generous sponsorship of a local scientific company calledBresmed. 350 SEN pupils from across the city came to see this free event. It was amazing!! 

Sensory Curriculum 

This year we have added a new Sensory strand to the curriculum, which we are introducing in Y7.The pupils use the three areas of messy play, activity room and multi–sensory relaxation.  Pupils are attending weekly sessions to explore and experience a range of sensory activities. Theseinclude using sensory equipment like scooter boards and spinning seats along with messy tactileactivities with sand, water, gloop and foam. Most pupils thoroughly enjoy the weeks where dens areavailable and the multi–sensory relaxation area. 

Using Maths to complete the Wall of Death Have you ever wondered how maths can be used to safely complete the “Wall

of Death?” Or to catch serial killers? Well that’s what Y10 students Max andLewis in 10G learnt when they went to a Maths Inspiration event at TheCrucible. Amongst the guest speakers was TV presenter and TT racer GuyMartin (pictured), who explained how maths was pivotal in his attempt tocomplete the “Wall of Death” at a record 80mph. Both Max and Lewis said they

thoroughly enjoyed the event and would like to attend similar ones in the future.

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Master Cutler Challenge 2015 

Post-16 students have again won anaward at the 2015 Master Cutler’sChallenge. The award is titled the“Brathay Award on behalf of youngpeople”. Christie who came to Sheaf

Training to present the students withthe award said “we felt that your young people who haveadditional needs themselves were truly inspirational andselfless in raising money for other young people who aredesperately in need in their region. Proving having a disa-bility doesn’t mean you have to accept charity but that youcan be part of making a difference in other people’s lives.” A big thank you to Helen Philliskirk and all the staff andstudents on their hard work throughout the year 2015. 

Year 9 Fundraising

This year the Year 9 classes have held

two charity fund raising events. We

had a cake sale in aid of Help a Hallam Child, raising £100.

Following this success we held a coffee and cake morningfor Macmillan Cancer Care, raising

over £80. We would like to thank

all those who supported us,

students, parents and staff.

 As you can see from the photos everyone in school had funfor Children in Need on Friday 13 November . We wouldlike to say a big thank you to everyone who came intoschool in costume, provided cakes, brought books to selland came in and bought them! We raised £512.11 plus theGift Aid (another £250) which is fantastic!  Prizes were given for:

 Yellowest outfit Bradley in 9G and Thomas in 11B(we couldn’t decide between the two!) 

Spottiest outfit: Thomas 8B 

Most creative outfit: Macaulay 7R 

Next year we might give the same prizes for the staff as

well … staff really got in to the spirit of things and woresome brilliant outfits! 

Post 16 Children in NeedOn Wednesday 11 November all Post-16 students andstaff took part in the “Countryfile Ramble” for Children InNeed. 

We walked from our bases at either Sheaf Training or Autism Plus to Hillsborough Park, where we all met upfor lunch. Hillsborough Arenakindly opened up for us. The brave ones amongst uswalked back again! 

This proved to be a very enjoyableday and we managed to raise astaggering amount of £495.00 forChildren In Need! 

Project PaddingtonProject Paddington was developed by a group of Sheffield mums as a way

for children to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis

amongst refugees and displaced people.

Project Paddington began by sending teddy bears to refugee children with notes and

pictures from UK children, showing that we care. Children have sponsored their teddy

bears and the money raised will be used to transport the bears and help refugees on

the ground. Years 7, 8 and 9 have taken part in Project Paddington this term. The pupils donated their own bear

and then wrote letters to accompany the bears. These were then taken to be distributed to children in different

refugee camps around the world. Well done to students in Years 7, 8 and 9.