91首发

Part of the Mexican Independence Day Feast!

Hi everyone

Well, we鈥檙e back in the swing of it now! We have our Book Fair with books filling the library as you come into the school, lessons & topics fully under way, trips and all sorts besides! Read about things here, in Eileen鈥檚 or Joel鈥檚 blogs, or across the rest of our website or the wider Foundation鈥檚

Please do have a look at the Wellbeing Team鈥檚 new project called Connect Challenge, catch up with what is happening in Early Years, there鈥檚 some interesting exams and safeguarding pieces 鈥� or just enjoy the best bits which are of course the STARS!!!

It鈥檚 been good to get another week under our belts and feel the new year fully under way, with the class groups gelling and settling as autumn fully arrives, although it鈥檚 been hot here this week! It was also so good to see some of you with Eileen this week 鈥� thank you so much for coming up to the school. It鈥檚 always great to have to here. Over the course of the year, we hope to see you more and more

All the best, have a lovely weekend when it comes, take care and we鈥檒l be at it again from Monday. Cheers!

John S

馃槉 from John & the PHS Team 馃槉

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

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Literacy

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

Often towards the beginning of term is filled with little reminders and refreshers and our blog piece this week will be just that – this week we’re focusing on e-book libraries and what students and their families can access at home any time they wish

Hopefully parents and carers will have received a letter home this afternoon with a log in for Pickatale, an online library which has a really varied selection of e-books for all ages and interests. If you’ve been reading our blogs last year this won’t be the first time you’ve heard us mention Pickatale, as we’ve been working with the developers for a little while now testing new features to make sure they’re as accessible and as inclusive as possible. There is content suitable for students across all curriculum pathways, which we love. You can access Pickatale via a web browser or by downloading a free app

Here’s a brief (2 minute) video to explain a little more and give an overview of how to access the books:听

If your child or young person is accessing Essential Letters & Sounds, our chosen phonics programme, there is the option of an additional e-book library on the Oxford Owl website. Here staff can allocate a ‘decodable book’ which is matched to their phonics learning that week. We appreciate getting students to complete reading tasks at home can be challenging so we like to find out how we can best support families at the beginning of the year. A letter for parents/ carers of students accessing ELS also will have gone home today with a slip to return to school. If you’d prefer to access the form electronically please find it

Finally a big thank you to anyone who supported the Scholastic Book Fair these past couple of weeks, it’s been lovely to see students exploring some new titles!

Becky Finn

Happy Reading! The Literacy Team听

Physical Development

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

This week: Visual Impairment, or VI!

Did you know that 91首发 School provide sensory services for children and young people! This includes support for children with a visual impairment, hearing impairment or those who are multi-sensory impaired.

Let鈥檚 take a look at what our Vision services look like

Children and young people with vision impairment are entitled to support from a specialist teacher known as a QTVI

Did you know that vision provides about 80% of the information we need to learn about and interact with the world around us. It is therefore paramount that children and young people are given the right support to ensure that they can fully access learning, social and therapy-based activities and of course meet their outcomes. If your child is registered as having a visual impairment, they will be allocated support in school from a teacher for children and young people with visual impairment (QTVI)

What does the QTVI do?

• Assess children and young people鈥檚 functional vision, as well as their development and learning, identifying needs, outcomes, and provision as part of their EHCP
• Provide advice and training to staff working directly with children & young people to ensure they are fully aware of the implications of the individuals visual impairment upon their learning and understand modifications required to improve access to education and therapy delivered in school
• Identify specialist equipment required to improve access to learning as well as maximise independence
• Teach strategies to compensate for vision loss, to promote the development of skills and improve learning outcomes
• Work alongside therapy teams within school to ensure that students can fully access therapy-based activities and achieve therapy goals
• Liaise with external health and social care professionals to ensure that a full and accurate assessment of your child needs is completed, and needs are reflected accurately between professionals

We are currently looking at the curriculum framework for children and young people with visual impairment which will enable us to effectively support students on their journey throughout education and into early adulthood. You can find out more about the curriculum frameworkhere:听

If you have concerns around your Childs vision or feel that they may need an assessment, please get in contact with either their class team or myself directly

e.douglas@percyhedley.org.uk听– QTVI 91首发 school

Here鈥檚 Vivi completing some wonderful visual skill

Personal Development

One of the best things about the school and one of the most important for our pupils, PD covers PSHE, Wellbeing, Careers, Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural, Online Safety, Behaviour and similar areas. Jo pulls it all together. A different aspect will be covered in the blog each week.

Here’s Jo with an intro now

It鈥檚 been a wonderful start to the new academic year and the team here at 91首发 School are looking forward to supporting the personal development of all of our students

How we help our students

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PSHE

Within PSHE this half term we will be covering the topic of 鈥淪elf-Awareness鈥� across the school. Use of the PSHE Association SEND Framework will allow the age-appropriate content to be delivered at the correct developmental for the child or young person

• KS2 鈥� Playing and Working Together/Getting on with others
• KS3 鈥� Personal Strengths
• KS4 鈥� Managing Pressure
• Post-16 鈥� Managing Pressure

More information will be available when you receive your curriculum newsletter and I will be available at all curriculum pathway coffee afternoons to show you our PSHE curriculum and the resources we use, feel free to catch me for a chat. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate in emailing me at j.ferguson@percyhedley.org.uk

Wellbeing!

Here鈥檚 Andy with a message from the wellbeing team

This year we thought it would be nice to have a whole school wellbeing theme that pupils, staff and families can join in with as much or as little as they would like. We have chosen the theme of 鈥楥onnect鈥� which is one of the听

Each week we will share a 鈥榗onnect challenge鈥�. This might be around connecting with others, connecting with your inner self, connecting with nature or connecting with your local community. All these things can help promote positive wellbeing.

Classes (staff and pupils) will be encouraged to take on these small weekly challenges, and it would be great if you could try them at home too. We will post pictures and feedback about successfully completed challenges, so if you do manage to do any at home, please do let us know!

So, to get us all started, our first connect challenge is鈥�

鈥淐onnect with literature 鈥� share your favourite book or poem鈥�

Fantastic stuff from Andy and the team 鈥� let鈥檚 go for it!

Welcome to Early Years! Here鈥檚 Kerry!

Another exciting week in Early Years!! Let鈥檚 take a look at what we鈥檝e been getting up to. The weather has been lovely this week so we made the most of the outdoors

• Making leaf cookies in the mud kitchen, this was nice and messy
• Making music in the music area was nice and noisy
• Shadow dancing in the sun was great fun
• During a game of hide and seek we found a walking cone
• Inside opportunities were also fun preparing our own breakfast and making our own playdough
• We also explored the soft play and bounced on the trampoline
• Then we relaxed during mindful meditation

Another busy but fun week

Hope you鈥檙e enjoying some lovely Eary Years pictures!

Lovely stuff from this very exciting addition to the school

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Reason to 鈥� Disability Triathlon

On Sunday two of our current students and quite a few former PHS ones took part in the annual Disability Triathlon. Part of British Triathlon, this is a relaxed event for children and adults who are differently abled. In its 10^th year numbers have increased and it was held at a new location, Hexham Wentworth Leisure Centre

Well done to Santi in post-16 who also completed the Great North 5k run the previous week and to Amelie in the engagement pathway. Here are a couple of photos

Total sporting STARS past and present 鈥� congrats guys!

Therapy Star of the Week! Love Therapy Star of the Week, especially when it鈥檚 Nat!

Nat is our Therapy Star of the Week for fantastic work on his VOCA! Well Done Nat! VOCA STAR!!!

Finally…

The latest in our special culinary themes was Mexican Independence Day! Lots of things were popular, especially the cakes!!!!! 馃槉

鈥�..from John & the Team here at PHS

听

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Our Key Drivers: Communication, Wellbeing, Independence