February 2023

Messages From Mr Clarke-Castello

This half term has been extremely busy and I continue to be proud of the children and all we achieve at Lea Forest. The staff are so committed to providing an excellent education for each and every child, in every classroom, every day.   

Parents Evenings

It was great to welcome parents and carers to our second parents evening of the year. This gave us the opportunity to share children's books and demonstrate the excellent progress that they are making. It was great to see so many in attendance over the two evenings where teachers, children and parents spoke enthusiastically about the excellent education we provide at Lea Forest. 

Staffing Updates

As we finish for the half term, we say goodbye and good luck to Ms Purcell and Mr Haw who are off to pastures new. I am delighted to introduce you all to Mrs Moughal (pictured below) who will be teaching Nursery after the February half term.  Mrs Moughal is well known to me as she worked in the Nursery of the other school where I had been leading on school improvement. She will be an excellent addition to the team and brings a wealth of experience in Early Years.  I’m sure everyone will greet Mrs Moughal in true Lea Forest style and welcome her to our school family. We have also been successful in expanding our support staff, recruiting four additional teaching assistants: Miss Cotter, Miss Pettitt, Miss Thomas and Miss Bromley.  Look out for these new faces around school as they will all be starting with us over the next few weeks.   

At Lea Forest we aim to develop our pupils’ character through the growth of relationships that define us as humans. Through our curriculum, we develop a set of competencies (behaviours) which enable each and every one of our pupils to lead a remarkable life. These competencies can be found on the Character Curriculum page of the LFP Website. In addition to the tasks provided by individual class teachers, a ‘Character Curriculum Challenge’ will be set fortnightly on the newsletter. 

On this occasion, we would like you to take part in the LFP ‘Bake Off’ and cook a pancake using one of the recipe ideas from the ‘BBC Good Food’ website. This could be a Plain Pancake, Dora Pancake, Lacey Vanilla Pancake or Chocolate Pancake… Remember to send your pancake pictures to Mr Croxon or your class teachers (either on Class Dojo or Twitter) and the best ones will be evidenced in the ‘Character Curriculum (evidence) Book’ for your class! Happy Pancake Day! 

So far this month we've recorded 5991 active journeys to school.

Lea Forest are still Number 1 in Birmingham and 3rd overall in the UK!

Don't forget to return your badge 

designs to Mr Croxon on 

Tuesday 28th February. 

NSPCC - What to do if you are worried about a child.

If you are worried about a child, even if you are unsure, you can speak to the NSPCC about your concerns. Whether you want to report child abuse and neglect or aren't sure what to do, they are there  to listen, offer advice and support, and can take the next steps if a child's in danger.

You can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email help@NSPCC.org.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you don't have to tell them who you are, where you live, or share your contact details.

 If you think a child is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999 straight away.

 Pay attention to labels

From coffee to fruit to clothing, the number of options out there can get overwhelming — but there are some clear leaders when it comes to minimising your impact on wildlife and the planet. 

Choose Fair Trade certified goods when possible to support companies dedicated to sustainable production and paying laborers a fair wage. Buy organic food whenever possible; it may cost a little more,  but it keeps harmful pesticides out of our land and water, protecting farm workers, wildlife and your family.

Messages From Mr Clarke-Castello

What an incredibly busy week it has been! As well as delivering excellent lessons, we have had trips, visits and competitions galore.  I also had the pleasure of visiting Mr Taylor at his new school.  

Debate Mate

On Tuesday evening this week, I joined our Debate Mate team with Miss Evans for our very first competition at Percy Shurmer Academy.  The children were absolute ambassadors for our school and did us proud. They were so professional and articulate when competing in the debates against other schools. The second part of the competition will continue after half term. 

Reception Trip to The Play Village

Reception have had so much fun visiting the Play Village in Warwick this week. They had the opportunity to explore being teachers, baker’s, fire officers and trainee vets. The children were so well behaved and fully engaged in all the learning opportunities available to them. Every member of staff commented on how respectful and kind ALL of the children were. 

Year 3 Trip to Attwell Farm

Year 3 visited Attwell Farm this week as part of their Geography unit; Where Does Our Food Come From?  They were introduced to a variety of animals on the farm, exploring how they are looked after and how important they are for agricultural purposes. Children also took part in a workshop learning all about life cycles and adaptations of different creatures. 

Get Set for SATS

As part of our exceptional educational offering, we have arranged a Math focused SATs Booster Club, for all Year 6 children. This club will run daily over the half term, from Monday 20 February to Friday 24 February. There will be two, 3 hour slots available: Morning session: 8:30 - 11:30; Afternoon session: 12.30 - 3.30.  This will be a great opportunity for the children to work through a range of activities tailored to help support them, addressing any gaps they still have, as well as build their confidence in the lead up to their Key Stage 2 SATs.

Morning snacks

I would like to remind you that we are a nut free school.  Children who suffer from nut allergies can develop a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.  If someone has a nut allergy it is not just eating nuts that can cause a severe reaction, just being touched on the skin or smelling the breath of someone who has had nuts or a product containing nuts can trigger anaphylactic shock (which can cause breathing and swallowing difficulties).  First aid staff in the school are trained to use the Epi-pens (an injection of adrenalin) which is required immediately if this happens.  We cannot have nuts in school in any form, so please do not send nut products in for snacks or lunchtimes. I’d also like to remind you that we are a ‘Healthy School’ and only encourage healthy snacks to be sent in for morning breaks. Children in Early Years and Key Stage 1 are provided with fruit (free of charge).

I hope to see a big improvement in attendance next week! I have been particularly concerned over  the poor attendance of our children in Years 1 and 2.   

Mr Clarke-Castello

Boycott products that endanger wildlife

Products made from animals on the endangered species list are illegal to buy, sell, import or trade in the United Kingdom but if a plant or animal hasn’t been listed yet, they can still be harmed for someone’s profit. Also, some products harm endangered species by threatening their habitat, from cutting down old-growth forests to using up the water that riparian species need to survive. To avoid contributing to the endangerment of wildlife, shop conscientiously and look for products made from sustainable materials like bamboo and dine at restaurants that refuse to serve imperiled species 

like bluefin tuna.

Children and families are invited to join Bring It On Brum at some exciting events taking place across Birmingham during February 2023.

There are two opportunities to get involved in sessions via our ‘Come and Try Bring It On Brum!’ February half-term activity sessions and Bring it on Brum! Family Food Festivals. 

Come and Try Bring it on Brum! is aimed at children and young people in Birmingham aged 4-16 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. The activities are running in 20 venues across all 10 Birmingham districts from Monday, 20 February to Friday, 24 February. We are particularly excited to welcome children, young people and families that haven’t accessed the fantastic Bring It On Brum! programme before.

The huge range of activities include sports and games, arts and crafts, cookery, dance and music as well as information and advice for the whole family. Programmes will vary depending on the type and location of each local club, but each will be serving a FREE nutritious lunch!

Bring it on Brum! Family Food Festivals are aimed at children aged 4-16 and their families who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. The events are running in 14 locations across the Birmingham districts from Saturday, 11 February to Sunday, 26 February (with most taking place in half term week).

 Each event will include a variety of practical demonstrations, workshops for children and adults to get involved in, plus information and advice on cooking for a family, low-cost meals and available support. The exact programme will vary depending on the venue and location of each session, but each will serve a FREE nutritious lunch PLUS all families registering in advance will receive a FREE cupboard essentials food box to

take home (subject to availability).

We hope you will promote these great FREE opportunities so your children can have a real taste of Bring It On Brum! fun with their friends and will feel 

confident in joining our Bring It On Brum clubs during the spring, summer and winter holidays! A ‘letter to parents’ template and poster are attached to 

support your promotion.

To book a place at one of our sessions or to find out more about the Bring It On Brum! programme visit www.bringitonbrum.co.uk. Bookings are open now!

Our 97% target is still achievable this year if we all work together on ensuring children are in school EVERY day and not missing any learning. 

Our attendance for 

the week is

94.10%

Our attendance for 

the year to date is

95.10%

Messages From Mr Clarke-Castello

It’s been another fabulous week at Lea Forest.  On Wednesday, we had a visit from Becks Boomer-Clark, CEO of Academies Enterprise Trust.  Becks had a tour around school, visiting classes and speaking with children and staff to get a real flavour of what what excellence looks like at Lea Forest.  She was really pleased with what she saw, but was particularly impressed with the children’s articulation of their learning and their aspirations for the future.    

Number Day

We have celebrated Number Day today.  Number Day is a maths-inspired fundraising day and children have dressed up in digits, making a donation to wear an item of clothing with a number on it.  Funds raised from Number Day will help support vital NSPCC services such as Speak out Stay Safe which visits primary schools across the UK to teach children about the dangers of abuse and what they can do if they need help. The children have enjoyed completing number based activities today, including maths art and the TTRS challenge against other schools!

National Storytelling Week

It has been National Storytelling Week this week; this takes place every year and is a celebration of the power of sharing stories. Stories teach us about the world, they allow us to step into someone else's shoes and feel empathy, they help us to relax and escape and they can help develop essential literacy skills. We are a ‘reading’ school and love books at Lea Forest.  

Toothbrushes

This week, children in Years 1 and 2 received a free toothbrush and toothpaste set from Birmingham City Council to promote healthy teeth and gums.  It’s really important to brush your teeth twice daily for approximately two minutes.  You can watch a video from Dr Ranj and ‘Supertooth’ on how to care for your teeth here.

Valentines Disco

On Friday 17 February, we will be holding our annual Valentines Disco for all children in school. This will Take place during school hours and each year group will be allocated a time in  the school halls.  Children may come to school in their party clothes (non-uniform) for £1.00.  

School Trips and visits 

This year we are trying to give all of our children as many different experiences as possible as we feel they play an important part of bringing your child's learning to life.  Each year group have trips/visits planned over the coming months so please look out for letters/messages with more details.  As a school we continue to heavily subsidise these trips/visits and ask for a £5.00 contribution for each trip/visit. Without your contributions, some of these may not be able to take place as planned. Payment can be made via ParentPay,  please contact the office if you need further information. 

Have a lovely weekend!  

Mr Clarke-Castello

Top tips for keeping your children safe in the car and when you’re out and about 

UK law requires that all children travelling in cars use the correct child restraints until they reach 12 years old or 135cm in height, whichever comes first.  In the UK, it is illegal to drive or travel in a car without a properly fastened seat belt. As the driver of a car, you are legally responsible for making sure that any passenger under 14 years old is using an appropriate child restraint or an adult seatbelt.   Activate the child safety locks on your car doors to prevent children from opening the doors while the car is moving or standing still.  Never leave children unattended in a car even for a minute. Even if you’re only planning on being out of the car for a few minutes a variety of dangers or hazards might arise.