BPS Newsletter

• It was great to see so many parents at the Phonics and Reading Workshop last week. Do look on our website under 'Curriculum' to find out more about phonics and reading at BPS. 

• OPEN DAYS: If you have a child who is due to start school in 25/26, please register for a school tour for the Autumn term, here. Mrs Meyrick will be happy to show you around our wonderful school, BPS! Spread the word...

• It was wonderful seeing so many of our parents at our Doodle Maths & 144 Club Workshop this morning.

• Thank you to our Reception Rainbow Class families for hosting their cake sale, helping raise valuable funds for the school. It was wonderful seeing so many Reception parent helpers, including a grandad! We look forward to buying new EPIC (Engaging Play in Children) resources for the playground with the proceeds.

• Seven Year 6s had a great time in their inter-school Dodge Ball competition last week against at Woking Leisure Centre, where they came forth. Well done!

• We are pleased to announce that there was a strong turn out at our Friends of Byfleet AGM. Find out more about our exciting new committee below. 

• Year 6 had a rather wet and windy Bikeability training over the past week - well done to all of the children who learnt how to cycle safely on the roads, in preparations for going to secondary school.

• Every few weeks, a group of Christian volunteers called 'Open the Book', come in to BPS to act out stories from the Bible to the children. It was lovely to have these volunteers back in school this week. Do ask your children about what they learnt.

• We are looking for two new governors, one with a finance background if possible, to join our governor volunteers at BPS. If you are able to commit to x6 2 hour meetings a year, and would like to help steer our strategic direction, please email info@byfleet.surrey.sch.uk 

• Residents of Ferney Court (which backs onto the Byfleet Village Football Club field) have kindly asked that pupils please refrain from kicking the footballs against the fence and metal shutter. Some of the residents work nights and the noise is waking them up.  They do not want to discourage playing before school but if parents can please ask their children to be mindful when playing football.

• Don't forget to send your child in looking impeccable on Monday 30th September as individual school photos are being taken. 

• Year 6 Parents - Don't forget to apply for your child's secondary school choices via Surrey Council website by the end of October 2024. Follow this link here. 

• If you are interested in hiring our school hall, a classroom, our outdoor hive or swimming pool (summer term only for the pool) for an event you may have in mind, don't hesitate to speak to Mrs Scott in the office who will be able to share our pricing details. 

Well done to the following children for being recognised for doing something brilliant this fortnight......

Take a look at the 144 Club poster above to see what level your child is working on. 

Remember that Doodle Maths App also has a 'times table' section (click the x on the right side) to ensure your child completes times table practise regularly.

We will be running a workshop for parents on one of the four operations very soon, looking at using the CPA approach to ensure a depth of understanding in maths knowledge.

The first cake sale of the academic year took place with, Reception's cake sale yesterday.  It was a huge succcess thanks to the kind donations of cakes and adult help. There will be another cake sale for Reception class after school today!!

Mrs Bell is running an exciting competition to reinforce this message. We would like to display our winning posters in A4 clipframes around school. 

Please read below to enter this exciting Anti-bullying competition on A4 size please. Open to all ages! 

Gardening club will involve all pupils in the school.  In order to get ready for spring Mrs Wyatt has asked for pupils to donate some flower bulbs e.g daffodils, tulips etc.  

Just to remind parents/carers that if they take their children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), they will be liable to receive a penalty notice. The issue of a Penalty Notice will also be actioned where a pupil has incurred 7 or more unauthorised sessions during the preceding 6 school weeks. 

**Changes to the National framework for Penalty Notices came into force for Penalty Notice Fines on 19th August 2024**

• First offence within a 3 year rolling period will incur a charge of £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, Increasing to £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.

• Second offence within a 3 year rolling period will incur a flat rate of £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days. 

• The third time an offence is committed within a 3 year rolling period for term time leave or irregular attendance the case will be presented straight to the Magistrates Court. 

Please view our Attendance Policy here for further information.

Hello BPS Parents,

A huge thank you to you all, who have been incredibly welcoming and patient with me as I learn all about BPS and your children. I really do appreicate that working with children and young people everything is fast paced but in order to get it right it takes a little bit of time and patience so I really do appreciate you working with me as I find my feet. Having the same shared outcomes of ensuring our children are ready, respectful, safe and happy makes working together so easy, so thank you for you for welcoming me into your community. 

Reminder: SENDCo and Inclusion Coffee Morning Monday, 30th September 8:55 in the school hall. I'm really looking forward to seeing you there. 

Signposting to Resources and Support

Parenting Support

YMCA-Free online parenting/carer workshops-supporting your child and helping them to cope with their worries and understanding and expressing emotions. Suitable for parents with children aged 8yrs plus. The community well being team will provide strategies and information to help support your child. On line chat facilities available. Each workshop runs once per month:

Talking to your child and supporting them to cope with worries:

Wednesday 18 September 2024 | 18:30-19:30

Wednesday 13 November 2024 | 18:30-19:30

Understanding, expressing and managing emotions:

Wednesday 16 October 2024 | 18:30-19:30

For details and next available course please access: www.ymcaeastsurrey.org.uk/parent-workshops/

Parental anxiety courses

Family Learning offer courses FREE to parents, grandparents and carers of children. The majority of  courses are online, with a few now face to face.

Some of the courses/ workshops available are:

• Help your Child Manage Anxiety

• Help Your Teenager Manage Anxiety

• Explore Behaviour Strategies

• Understanding Children's Behaviour

• Building Children's Resilience

• Developing Children's Self Esteem

Surrey Adult Learning are part of Family Learning Service. If you have any questions at all, please ask. Family Learning for parents and carers - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)

Talking Teens Program North West Surrey

4 week program aimed at those with pre teens and teens to understand the challenges of family life.

www.familiesthrivingtogether.org.uk

EIKON parent workshops available at: EIKON.org.uk 

Adult learning parent courses locally https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/adult-learning/courses/search?keyword=parenting

Relate Counselling service:10-18yrs

They provide counselling services for 10- to 18-year-olds with mild to moderate mental health issues. They offer six to eight free sessions to the child/young person which can be followed up with family counselling if required. However, there is a charge for family and parent work. To make a referral for a young person please use Mindworks-Surrey.org website and follow the links. Relate West Surrey provide this service in Woking, Walton, Ashford, Stanwell and Thorpe. www.relatewestsurrey.org.uk.  

Surrey Positive Parenting Support Service for ADHD:

Surrey Positive Parenting Service is funded by Mindworks to run groups for parents who have children aged 6-18 with a diagnosis of ADHD, or ADHD and Autism, or are waiting for an assessment for ADHD, through Mindworks Surrey.  They are skills building groups which teach techniques and strategies to help the family.  The groups are online or in-person, and support is also given over the phone by our project workers.   We are at referral capacity at present but will be taking new referrals in the Spring 2024.  

We also have an Out of Hours ADHD Parenting Support Line 0300 222 5755 (option 4), running 5.00pm – 11pm, 365 Days a year.  The helpline is for any parent whose child is presenting with ADHD type behaviours whether they have been in contact with CAMHS or not, so please pass this number on to the family as they can access this immediately and speak to a member of our team.   

Additionally our ADHD Awareness for Schools team can deliver free training virtually or in person (when current restrictions allow) to Surrey state school staff. This training increases the awareness that ADHD is a neurobiological condition as well as the common characteristics and includes strategies to help manage the characteristics in the classroom. Please ask a representative of the school to email adhdawaresurrey@barnardos.org.uk for more information or to book sessions with them. 

National Autistic Family Support Team for ASD:

The NAS Family Support Team offer group support to help parents and carers through our FREE 8-week ‘Stepping Up for Autism’ course, which aims to equip participants with a detailed understanding of autism and how to support their child. Throughout the year we also host specialist workshops on topics such as Anxiety, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Coping with Festivities, Carer Wellbeing and Toileting. Workshops are delivered both online and face-to-face, taking place at various times and on different days of the week and we invite families to book our events once a referral has been received. We also run ‘Family Fun Days’ and children’s activities during school holidays which are free to attend.

In addition to our workshops, we can provide personalised support to help families in more complex situations through 1:1 parent/carer support sessions, usually delivered via Teams. Separately, our Assist 16-18 Transition Service offers support for 16-18-year olds who are moving towards adulthood.

We can also offer Drop-in sessions at Family Centres during which parents can talk with NAS professionals. To enquire please contact Surrey.FamilySupport@nas.org.uk

Freemantles offer ASD parent workshops for a small fee.