September 2023

Your child is due to transfer from primary to secondary school in September 2024. Local authorities co-ordinate secondary transfer admissions for all maintained (non-fee paying) schools. This means  parent/carers should apply to the local authority in which they live (the council to which they pay  council tax).  If you live in Birmingham you should apply for your child’s secondary school place online at  www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions between 1 September and 31 October 2023. It is important  that you submit your application by 31 October 2023. Applications received after the national closing date of 31 October 2023 will be treated as late applications. Late applicants are less likely to be offered a place at one of their preferred schools, as these applications will be processed after 1 March 2024, in accordance with Birmingham’s coordinated admissions scheme.  

Information about the application process is available on the council’s website:  www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions      

Mr Croxon will be running drop in workshops for parents of Year 6 children from 9am - 9:30am on Wednesday mornings to support with the online application forms.  Please use the Main entrance to access the drop in sessions.

We've been busy recording our trips to school this week and have recorded 7026 active journeys to school so far this month.  Our most active classes this week are: 

Elmers, Gruffalos and 5SC

KS2 voters have been taking a closer look at the cost of living crisis and the rise in “shrinkflation”. They have been introduced to the hidden costs behind everyday items and some of the steps supermarkets are taking to try and help customers. They will have voted on: “Should UK supermarkets warn us about shrinkflation?”  KS1 voters have looked at this topic through the lens of warning signs, exploring how these can be both useful and, at times, not always the most appropriate measure. They decided on: “Do warnings always help us?” 

On our school website you will find our updated policies: 

Special Needs and Disabilities - Local Arrangements 2023/24

SEND Information Report 2023/24

If you have a child who is currently on our SEN register you will be invited to your child’s review in October to provide you with the opportunity to share and review your child’s progress and set new targets with their class teacher.  If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s progress please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

Please look out for more information regarding our SEND parent workshop that will take place on                         

 Wednesday 18th October 2023. 

Online Safety - Monitoring Systems

As a school we have a number of systems and processes that we use to keep pupils safe online. We use a filtering and monitoring system in school called Smoothwall which identifies any searches that may contain inappropriate information. This system works on any device which is logged on with a pupil’s school email. Smoothwall is monitored externally at all times and helps us to ensure that the children are safe online. Online safety is included in our curriculum as part of providing a broad and balanced curriculum. Remember to encourage your children to always tell a trusted adult if they do not feel safe online and to never share passwords or important information. 

This week, voters have thought about where historical and cultural objects belong, in light of the ongoing debate around the repatriation of artefacts to different nations and peoples from museums in the UK and worldwide. In the KS1, voters have decided on: “Should we always give back objects when people ask for them?”, while KS2 have questioned: "Should artefacts be returned to where they were taken from?" 

If you are unsure of our school uniform policy, please refer to our website.  If you are having difficulties purchasing the correct uniform and need some help, please contact a member of our Pastoral Team and we will be happy to support you in any way that we can. Equally, if your child has particular needs, let us know and we will always make reasonable adjustments on an individual basis.   

It is important that the P.E kit is seen as an extension of our school uniform, therefore our high standards should be kept. All children require the following items for P.E: House Colour Plain T Shirt or Lea Forest Branded T Shirt from the uniform shop (patterned designs and football shirts are not permitted). Red for Holly, Blue for Bramble, Green for Ash and Yellow for Oak.

• Black Shorts

• Black Slip on pumps or trainers for indoor use

• Jogging Bottoms or track suit trousers for outdoor use

• Trainers for outdoor use

Your child is due to transfer from primary to secondary school in September 2024. Local authorities co-ordinate secondary transfer admissions for all maintained (non-fee paying) schools. This means  parent/carers should apply to the local authority in which they live (the council to which they pay  council tax).  If you live in Birmingham you should apply for your child’s secondary school place online at  www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions between 1 September and 31 October 2023. It is important  that you submit your application by 31 October 2023. Applications received after the national closing date of 31 October 2023 will be treated as late applications. Late applicants are less likely to be offered a place at one of their preferred schools, as these applications will be processed after 1 March 2024, in accordance with Birmingham’s coordinated admissions scheme.  

Information about the application process is available on the council’s website:  www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Mr Croxon will be running drop in workshops for parents of Year 6 children from 9am - 9:30am on Wednesday mornings to support with the online application forms.  Please use the Main entrance to access the drop in sessions.

With household budgets becoming ever-more squeezed, families eligible for free school meals are being urged to make sure they don't miss out on the crucial support. Households receiving a range of benefits may be able to get free meals for their children. The support aims to help low-income families by saving them cash for their children's food.  The offer is even more important at the moment given that soaring energy and food prices are putting further strain on households at what is a worrying time for many. It is not automatic and anyone wanting to take advantage of free school meals needs to apply to their council.  You can check  and apply online at: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/birmingham

If you are unsure if you are eligible or would like help applying please speak with a member of our office staff.

This week’s free online safety guide, provided by the National Online Safety (NOS) website, focuses on This week's free online safety guide focuses on add-on to Snapchat, SENDIT. Although not a standalone application it is important that trusted adults realise that any risks associated with Snapchat also affect children. using ‘Sendit’. Within the app, people play question games like ‘Truth or Dare’ and ‘Never Have I Ever’: users select a question to share on their Snapchat story for their friends to reply to. All responses are anonymous, although - for paying subscribers - ‘Sendit’ reveals hints about who sent which message.

Safety around dogs 

Every year, the Earth loses billions of trees from deforestation. Trees are vital to our ecosystem as they help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. You can help replenish trees by 

planting acorns (oak) or conkers (horse chestnut) around the edge of a local park or wasteland.  Plant them about 10cm deep and cover them carefully. Nature will do the rest. You can go back after a few months and see if it has started to germinate.

The European Day of Languages aims to promote the rich linguistic diversity of Europe and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone. To mark ‘The European Day of Languages’, the children at Lea Forest Primary Academy took part in a multitude of language themed events as we are always looking to enrich our wider curriculum and provide cultural capital to the children. Throughout the different year groups, the children learnt traditional songs from a range of different countries, cooked traditional recipes, explored ‘British Sign Language’ and much more (all of which can be viewed on our social media pages). 

Exposing pupils to a wide range of cultures provides an excellent platform on which to embrace diversity, both within school and in the wider community. Activities that explore and celebrate cultural differences provide crucial opportunities to promote respect, empathy and inclusivity from a young age. Exposing children to other cultures and ways of life that are different from their own increases their breadth of life, experience of and understanding of the world. 

This half term we will be running several initiatives to encourage great attendance from all of our pupils.  The winners of the Attendance Leagues will win a ‘Popcorn and Movie’ party.  We will also shortly be holding an ‘Attendance Focus Fortnight.’  Look out for more information about both of these initiatives on Class Dojo.  Also, look out for weekly text messages if your child has attended school every single day.

Parents are required under the Education Act (1996) to ensure children attend school regularly. The headteacher of a school has a discretionary power to authorise absence only in exceptional circumstances. 

A family holiday is not an exceptional circumstance.  If you complete a leave of absence request form and the request is declined, (as it will be in the majority of cases) and you still take your child out of school, each parent within your household will be issued with a £60 penalty notice for each child you have taken out of school. 

If a penalty notice remains unpaid after 21 days it will increase to £120.  If after 28 days it remains unpaid you may be summoned to appear before Magistrates to explain why your child has unauthorised school absences and you may be liable for a fine of up to £1000. 

Support and guidance on attendance is always available and if you have any questions about this, or if you need help to achieve an improvement, then please contact Mr Wills or Ms Wale.

It is important that the P.E kit is seen as an extension of our school uniform, therefore our high standards should be kept. All children require the following items for P.E: House Colour Plain T Shirt or Lea Forest Branded T Shirt from the uniform shop (patterned designs and football shirts are not permitted). Red for Holly, Blue for Bramble, Green for Ash and Yellow for Oak.

• Black Shorts

• Black Slip on pumps or trainers for indoor use

• Jogging Bottoms or track suit trousers for outdoor use

• Trainers for outdoor use

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely held to be one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. Born on the 14th March 1879 in Ulm, Germany he is remembered for his four groundbreaking papers and the Theory of General Relativity.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George was a French violinist, conductor and composer. His historical significance lies in his distinctive background as a biracial free man of color. Bologne was the first classical composer of African descent to attain widespread acclaim in European music.

Antoni Gaudí is one of the most well-known architects in the world and a symbol of Catalan modernism.

Millions of tourists visit his masterpieces in Barcelona every year, such as Park Güell, Sagrada Familia and Casa Milá (also known as La Pedrera).

It’s common for children to feel nervous about going back to school after the summer holiday or at the start of a new term and you may have noticed that it is taking a while for them to feel happy and comfortable. 

To help calm their nerves and make sure they are prepared for the school day, you could try:

• Readjusting bedtimes to get into a healthy routine

• Making sure they aren’t bringing their mobiles, tablets, or any devices to bed that might stop them sleeping

• Helping them get the correct clothing or uniform and equipment ready the night before making sure they eat breakfast every morning

Parents are required under the Education Act (1996) to ensure children attend school regularly. The headteacher of a school has a discretionary power to authorise absence only in exceptional circumstances. 

A family holiday is not an exceptional circumstance.  If you complete a leave of absence request form and the request is declined, (as it will be in the majority of cases) and you still take your child out of school, each parent within your household will be issued with a £60 penalty notice for each child you have taken out of school. 

If a penalty notice remains unpaid after 21 days it will increase to £120.  If after 28 days it remains unpaid you may be summoned to appear before Magistrates to explain why your child has unauthorised school absences and you may be liable for a fine of up to £1000. 

Support and guidance on attendance is always available and if you have any questions about this, or if you need help to achieve an improvement, then please contact Mr Wills or Ms Wale.

This week’s VoteTopic has aligned with the key theme of Environment & Climate Change, and is also in celebration of Zero Waste Week (4th-8th September). Voters have explored the mounting problem of e-waste, and decided on: 

“Do we know how to care for our electronics?”

All classes from Y1 -Y6 have discussed the importance of our British Values ‘Democracy’ and ‘Individual Liberty’ this week. Following this, manifestos were written, speeches were given and new class councillors were elected!  Congratulations to our elected school councillors for 23/24. Mrs Cunningham will be meeting regularly with our council representatives to help improve school life and the wider community.  They will also have the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament in London. 

“Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.  Infact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.” 

(Pearson 2021)

At Lea Forest, we place high importance on daily reading. Each child is provided with a reading record and books to take home. We ask that the reading records are signed daily and brought into school where they will be collected in, checked and signed by an adult. This is a non-negotiable expectation.  Each child will also receive 1:1 reading sessions, with an adult at school. Comments on your child’s progress will be recorded in red pen.  

It might seem like everything has gone digital, but books still play a very important part in school life. As well as giving your child a head start, developing a love of reading can be really enjoyable.  Make books and stories part of everyday life:

• Build a reading story into a routine - a story at bedtime.

• Stick your feet up and let your child see your reading a book.

• Go to the library with your child.

• Read in fun places.

• Give books as birthday presents - this will show you value them.

• Keep books in your bag or the car. 

This week’s free online safety guide, provided by the National Online Safety (NOS) website, focuses on NGL (Not Gonna Lie). NGL, which is aimed at children 13 plus,  is an app through which users share a link to their Instagram story or Twitter account, inviting their followers to give anonymous feedback. The app includes some prewritten questions (such as ‘if you could change anything about me, what would it be?’), plus an option to ask followers to simply ‘send me anonymous messages’ with all of the replies going anonymously to the user’s NGL inbox…

Advice for parents at the start of the school year

It is common for children to feel nervous about going back to school after summer holidays. To help calm their nerves and make sure they’re prepared for the school term make sure:

• Bedtimes are adjusted to get back into a healthy routine

• Children are not taking any devices like mobile phones or tablets to bed with them that will stop them from sleeping

• They eat breakfast every morning.

• Talk to your children about their day at school.It is important that they can talk to you if they are worried about anything.