Leigh Academy Milestone Newsletter

September 2024 - Term 1

Principal's Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our first newsletter of this academic year, and what a year it is already proving to be! Let’s ignore the premature autumnal weather and focus on the warmth and pride this term has given us. You will see below that we have much cause to celebrate all that we are at Milestone.

I cannot contain my utter delight that, in September, Leigh Academy Milestone became the first SEN school in the world to be awarded World School Status by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). This is an incredible achievement and is the culmination of years of hard work by the amazing team at Milestone. We invest significant time in understanding the needs of every student, ensuring they receive the most tailored, high-quality provision delivered by our skilled and dedicated staff. This recognition is a reflection of the unique approach and academy life we have created here at Milestone.

I am also pleased to share that, following a rigorous accreditation process, Milestone has achieved the The Balanced System 'Centre of Excellence' Award once again for 2024. The Balanced System provides us with an important framework that helps us evidence the impact of our approach and provision that supports children's speech, language and communication needs. Milestone first achieved this status in 2017 and has successfully maintained this every year since. This is no easy undertaking and testament to our skill and commitment in this area.

This term we have also been awarded the School Games Gold Mark, in recognition of our commitment and participation in the Kent School Games and sports activities within the local community. It is also an acknowledgement of the development of our PE curriculum and extra curricular sport and fitness opportunities created for our students. We work hard to inspire our pupils to participate in as much sport and movement as possible. I want to say a huge well done to our students and staff for achieving this award.

We have also celebrated successes amongst our student body with some of our secondary students achieving GCSEs over the summer, while others have embraced their aspirations and secured their first jobs! We are so proud of each and every one of them. We strive for ‘happy, aspirational learners’ at Milestone, believing that there are no limits for our young people; these outcomes reinforce the power of this approach and the determination and talent of our young people.

The year has started at full pace so please follow the links to read more detail about all the fantastic learning activities your child’s class has been enjoying so far, or find them on the ‘Class Websites By Phase’ tab on the main drop down Menu on the homepage of our website: www.leighacademymilestone.org.uk

Finally, I hope you are all able to have a happy and restful time over the half term break. Enjoy this time with your children and perhaps experience some of the wonderful colours and changes nature has to offer at this time of year. We look forward to seeing all our children back on Monday 4th November for another busy term and the countdown to the big ‘C’!

Sarah Goosani

Principal

Phase 1

This term, Phase 1 has been busy with a variety of exciting and enriching activities, all designed to support their learning, development, and well-being.

Koala Class has enjoyed weekly swimming sessions at Fairfields Leisure Centre. The pupils have been building confidence in the water, improving their coordination, and having fun splashing around with their peers. It’s wonderful to see the joy on their faces as they develop their water skills!

In the spirit of giving, we have also been working hard to decorate shoeboxes for our harvest donation project. These beautifully decorated boxes will be filled with essential items and donated to the Community Cupboard Food Bank. The children have taken great pride in helping others, and this has been a wonderful way to connect our learning with a real-world impact.

This term, we have also been focusing on emotional literacy, using the Zones of Regulation to help pupils identify and express their emotions. Through the use of signs and visuals, the pupils have been learning to recognise different feelings. This is an important step in fostering emotional well-being and developing self-regulation skills.

As the season changed, Phase 1 pupils also had the chance to explore a range of autumn artefacts, including pinecones, leaves, and conkers. These natural items have sparked curiosity and provided great sensory experiences. The children have also been using sticks and pinecones for mark-making, developing their fine motor skills while connecting with nature. Some of our classes have been engaging with Forest School sessions which for many are a highlight of the week. The pupils have been engaging with the natural environment, exploring the woods, and taking part in a range of learning activities, from nature walks to making crafts from natural materials. One of their favourite activities has been lying in the hammock, where they can relax, unwind, and enjoy the peace of the forest area.

It’s been a busy and rewarding term for Phase 1, filled with learning, growth, and lots of fun! We’re looking forward to seeing what next term brings.

Please take a look at our class pages: https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-1/home

Catherine McHugh-Moss - Phase 1 Leader

Claire Woolmer - Assistant Principal Phase 1

Phase 2

Welcome to the first newsletter of the academic year! This term, pupils have explored a range of exciting topics. In geography, the focus has been on maps and atlases, using fun, hands-on activities to help students understand how to read and create simple maps. Woodland and Coast have visited a different place each week and immersed themselves in the smells, sounds and textures of each place. Coast class especially enjoyed roleplaying boarding an aeroplane as part of this.

Orchard class went on an exciting adventure using school maps to navigate their way around, discovering new places! They got creative with iPads, capturing photos along the way, and even transformed them into a fun movie.We all watched our masterpiece together as a class! It was a thrilling mix of exploration, technology, and teamwork!

In science, we’ve dived into changing states of matter, with experiments that bring to life the fascinating processes of solids, liquids, and gases. Mountain class have awed at the properties of cornstarch and water, turning these simple ingredients into an exciting demonstration of how they interact. The pupils explored the mixture with fascination, discovering how this seemingly dry material felt solid to touch yet slipped through their fingers like water.

Art sessions have involved experimenting with different media, allowing students to express their creativity in unique ways. As Autumn settles in, we’ve also explored the seasonal changes and taken part in Harvest-themed activities, giving us an opportunity to celebrate this vibrant time of year through sensory experiences and interactive lessons. We are all looking forward to an even more engaging and fun-filled Module 2.

Please take a look at our class pages: https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-2/home

Lucy Sparks- Phase 2 Leader

Michelle Hilton - Assistant Principal Phase 2

Milestone @ Dartford Primary Academy

Milestone@DPA has had a smooth transition back to school life following the summer break. The students have enjoyed transitioning into their new classes, meeting new staff and peers. As we wrap up Module 1, we are excited to share some highlights and updates from our school community!

This module has been rich with exploration through our Lines of Inquiry. 'Architecture and Buildings': Students have engaged in a range of activities discussing and exploring different types of structures, purposes and within our local area. 'Cultures and Local Areas': We’ve been learning about the diverse cultures that shape our community, fostering understanding and appreciation by looking at the celebration of ‘Rosh Hashana’ and the Jewish faith. 'Influences on Self-Expression': Our students have been discovering how personal experiences influence their unique forms of expression transitioning their communication skills across a range of contexts.

Nova class has been making a splash with their swimming lessons! Each session has focused on building confidence in the water, enhancing both skills and safety awareness. We are proud of their progress! Comet class has completed several successful visits to our local area, exploring and engaging with the community. These outings have been instrumental in helping students connect their learning to the world around them. A big congratulations to our Moonbeam class for their successful transition to navigating our new school site! Their ability to adapt and explore their surroundings whilst building relationships with new peers and staff has been impressive.

We’re thrilled to announce that M@DPA has initiated an inclusion program on the playground in collaboration with Dartford Primary Academy. This partnership aims to create a more inclusive play environment, encouraging friendships and cooperation among all students.

In a fun culmination of our learning, students voted for and enjoyed a delightful trip to Stanhill Farm for pumpkin picking! It was a fantastic experience filled with laughter and teamwork, and a wonderful way to celebrate the end of Module 1.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. We look forward to more learning adventures in Module 2!

Please take a look at our class pages:

https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-2/home

Jessica Street - Interim Satellite Director

Phase 3

What a busy seven weeks it has been! Our students have embraced the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How We Express Ourselves’ with enthusiasm, exploring how different cultures communicate through their structures. We've marvelled at the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and Machu Picchu—what an adventure!

Roman class has particularly enjoyed the lovely weather, making the most of delightful trips into the community. They’ve been using symbols to help select the right items at the CO-OP and have loved their outdoor snack time at the café! Each week, during our inquiry sessions, we focused on how we celebrate differences, diving into various cultures through their foods, music, and dance.

Saxon and Tudor classes have travelled the world through sensory stories, discovering how food is a vital expression of culture. Meanwhile, Jurassic class has created beautiful mosaic letters inspired by Chichen Itza and shared their summer adventures through colourful posters. They’ve also been honing their skills during swimming sessions.

Jurassic class has created stunning mosaic letters inspired by the Chichen Itza pyramid and crafted colourful posters to share our summer holiday adventures. We’ve also made Inca masks from salt dough and enjoyed our weekly swimming sessions to keep fit!

The Vikings have been building the Great Wall of China—using bricks and custard creams! They’ve also made Chinese dragons and even held an artefact dig through noodles. Not to mention the exciting visit from Stefan the librarian!

Sparta class has thrived in our community activities while Renaissance class has been exploring the geographical aspects of the Wonders! What a fantastic time we’ve had!

Aztec class has taken hands-on learning to another level, with archaeology and wool weaving.

As we approach Module 2, we can’t wait to see what fun learning awaits us. Wishing all a joyful half-term!

Please take a look at our class pages: https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-3/home

Maria Steer - Phase 3 Leader

Kyle Marsh - Assistant Principal Phase 3

Milestone @ The Leigh Academy

We are thrilled to share that we’ve had a fantastic start to the year, with all of our students working extremely hard and showing great curiosity in their learning. They have adjusted well to the new routines in place, and it’s been wonderful to see how inquisitive and engaged they have been across all subjects.

This term, our theme is 'How We Express Ourselves', with the central idea focusing on 'how different cultures communicate in different ways and follow different rules'. We are also exploring 'how rivers and coasts connect people to their history and culture' and 'how people are inspired by nature'. The students have been learning about rivers, coasts, and other bodies of water, showing great enthusiasm and interest in discovering how these natural elements shape our world and cultures.

In addition to our core learning, we recently celebrated the European Day of Languages. This event provided an excellent opportunity for our students to explore and appreciate the diverse languages and cultures represented within our school community. It was inspiring to see the students embracing this diversity and expanding their understanding of the world.

We have also been commemorating Black History Month, where the students have engaged in meaningful discussions about its significance. We have explored the contributions of Black individuals throughout history and reflected on the importance of celebrating diversity in our society.

Some of our students have been attending Forest School, which has offered them hands-on learning in nature. This outdoor experience has encouraged them to connect with the environment, develop practical skills, and foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world—linking perfectly with our central idea.

It’s been a rewarding and enriching start to the year, and we look forward to continuing this positive journey of learning and growth with our students.

Please take a look at our class pages: https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-3/home

Sofia Pinto - Satellite Director

Phase 4

What a fantastic start to the new academic year we have had in the Castle! It has been lovely to welcome some new faces to the department and we are extremely proud of how well the students have settled into their new classes.

The students have begun working on their ASDAN accreditations this year including exploring people and friendships, developing communication skills, preparing for work and managing their own money. The students have been supported to engage in activities related to their accreditation, including making items during business enterprise to sell at the Christmas Fair in module 2. The students in Leeds class have continued to work hard on their physical and communication targets in class, including working with and forming relationships with less familiar staff. The students in Scotney and Eynsford class have been focusing on increasing their independence in functional activities including using the flat and kitchen purposefully, by transferring skills they have learnt in the classroom to these areas.

The students in Dover and Canterbury class have been busy working on designing and creating their Christmas crafts to sell at the fair. Canterbury class has been visiting Wilmington on a Friday where they have participated in a range of short courses including hair and beauty, history, sports and expressive arts.

Please take a look at our class pages. https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-4/home

Katy Morez Stephens, Phase 4 Leader

Noleen Donaghy-Parkhouse - Assistant Principal Phase 4

Milestone @ Wilmington Academy

M@W has had a successful start to the school year and we have welcomed 13 new students into our school community. They have transitioned well into the post-16 provision and are all settling well into our school life. Our existing students have also settled back in well, enjoying meeting new peers and preparing for the year ahead.

Our business enterprise initiatives are now well underway. Students are diving into various projects, including horticulture, computing, and selling preloved and reloved items, as well as creating seasonal products. These activities are an excellent opportunity for them to gain practical skills while working collaboratively and thinking creatively. Our Business Enterprise also coincides with our ASDAN Accreditations and the students have made a promising start on all of their units.

This year, we have ve got some exciting choices for the subjects and accreditations we’ll be offering. Students will have the chance to explore history, hair and make-up, expressive arts, and sports. Our aim is to cater to a variety of interests and passions, preparing students for whatever they may want to pursue in the future.

We are also continuing to work hard in our Maths and English, focusing on making learning enjoyable while boosting our students' skills and confidence.

Please take a look at our class pages: https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-4/home

Nicky McCarthy - Satellite Director

PE News

Leigh Academy Milestone has been awarded the School Games Gold Mark Award, in recognition of our commitment and participation in the Kent School Games and sports activities within the local community. It is also an acknowledgement of the development of our PE curriculum and extra curricular sport and fitness opportunities created for our students at Milestone, in order to work towards 60 active minutes per day. The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and so we are delighted to have been recognised for our success. In addition to our fantastic PE lessons and daily movement goals, our sporting achievements over the last year include:

LAT Sports Day
KSENT Olympics
International Women’s Day Football event
Kent School Games Sports hall Athletics
Kent School Games Literacy & PE Festival
LAT Swimming Gala

As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce and clubs, and so we are thrilled that the hard work of everyone at our school has been recognised and rewarded this year.

We have our first LAT competition of the year on Tuesday 15th October where we will take part in the LAT Primary tag rugby event at Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School in Rochester. We wish our team the best of luck taking part.

Steve Devereux - Head of PE

Horticulture News

Over the summer we were fortunate to have a team of volunteers renovate the garden area as part of their community action days. They have repaired raised beds, planted different areas within the school, created a mud kitchen and bought a fantastic insect hotel. The area has been transformed and the students are enjoying the benefits of this amazing transformation. The mud kitchen has been especially popular!

At M@W we have launched Milestone Horticulture (our business enterprise). Students have researched which produce to grow and we are looking forward to having a range of herbs, flowers and vegetables available to sell later in the academic year.

Please take a look at our website for further updates:

https://sites.google.com/latrust.org.uk/milestone-academy-phase-3/phase-3-202324/horticulture

Kirsty Wiseman - Horticulture Teacher

Dates for Your Diary

Mon 4 Nov - First day of module 2

Fri 15 Nov - Children in need, non-uniform day £1 donation

Fri 20 Dec - Last day of module 2

Mon 6th Jan - Inset day (school closed to pupils)

Tues 7th Jan - First day of module 3

The Dog Mentor Programme

It has been a busy term for our four furry friends! The students have been thrilled to come back and see all the dogs and they are having a positive impact all around the school. Notice boards are up around school, including in the Main Reception showing how the dogs are supporting the children. We will be keeping the website up-to-date and, moving forwards, in the school holidays too, as we recognise some children might like to know what Fudge and Toffee, Harper and Betty get up to out of school! Students have been requesting visits and some are now using 'Let’s Make a Deal' boards and working towards a walk or time with their chosen dog. We are noticing the impact the dogs are having on children’s language and communication, emotional and sensory regulation. Of particular note, is how caring the children are towards the dogs, how keen they are to learn how to look after them, take risks and as a result are gaining confidence.

Friends of Milestone - Charity No: 278677

Thank you for continued support to the Friends. We have been busy behind the scenes planning fundraising ideas.

Thank you to everyone that came and supported our first Boot Fair in September, we raised £260 on the day and received some very positive feedback, so watch this space for future dates. Unfortunately we had to cancel the Luna Cinema due to ticket sales but we are planning to reschedule this when the weather begins to improve again next year

Important dates coming up:

Thursday 14 Nov - Friends meeting, 10am
Thursday 5 Dec - Friends meeting, 10am
Fri 6 Dec - Christmas Disco
Mon 16 Dec - Christmas Wrap

Look out for Christmas Raffle tickets! We would also be very grateful for any donations towards either the Christmas Wrap or Raffle prizes i.e. new/unopened gift sets, vouchers etc. There will be a Friends Newsletter coming out to you with further information

If you are interested in joining The Friends we would love to hear from you and to welcome you along to one of our coffee mornings. Please do contact us to find out more: friendsofmilestoneacademy@gmail.com

Once again thank you for your continued support.

Faye Warman – Chair

Sarah Spiers – Co-Chair and Treasurer

Lyn French – Secretary

Friends of Milestone

Medical and Therapy Team News

Therapy

The priority for speech & language therapy in the first term is ensuring all children are settled into their new classes and have the communication resources they need. The team has worked hard to spend time with all the new children to identify their speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and together with their teachers, to make sure strategies, resources and provision is in place to support their needs.

This term, Leeds class has been focusing on "Emotions and Feelings" in their learning. The students are enjoying the sensory story "My Many Coloured Days".

During the European Day of Languages it was great to see students using different communication systems. This included chatting sheets and signing about the food they were looking at, making choices between different coloured objects related to flags.

NHS OTs and Physios and specialist equipment reps have been busy checking equipment for growth and setting up new equipment. All the pupils who tried new chairs seem well supported and comfortable. It has been so rewarding to see first steps taken by pupils trying their new walkers. Any equipment ordered will go through the usual system of approval at panel and ordering via education.

There will be a Total Communication at Home Coffee Morning on Thursday 14th November which will focus on supporting language and communication development at home. On Thursday 20th March, we will be running a Supporting Children’s Sensory Needs coffee morning.

In collaboration with local charity More Than Words (www.morethanwordscharity.com/), we are looking to host a Makaton course for families. Further information will follow shortly, watch this space!

The Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Settings: Centre of Excellence

Leigh Academy Milestone is a Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Settings Centre of Excellence for Supporting Speech, Language and Communication Needs. The Centre of Excellence accreditation was first achieved in 2017 and has been maintained annually ever since. Following a rigorous cycle 2 accreditation process, we achieved the 'Centre of Excellence' Award once in July 2024. The Balanced System provides us with an important framework that helps us evidence the impact of our approach and provision that supports children's speech, language and communication needs

Medical News

In order to help us keep children’s Individual Health Care Plans (IHCPs) updated, families are asked to share any new information, changes to medication, reports and specialist plans via pupilhealthplans@milestone.latrust.org.uk.

The return to school in September was a busy but successful time for the Medical Team, with all necessary medication being returned and signed in promptly, with all the correct labelling. So a big thank you to all our families for this.

Areas of the medical room have been updated over the summer and now include our new symbol communication board which supports children to communicate how they are feeling or if they are in pain.

Clinics are up and running again with the Dietitian, Continence and ADHD clinics already having taken place this term, and many more are booked in for next term. All clinic dates are updated regularly on the website.

We have had our first successful set of Immunisations this term, with the NHS team coming to administer the nasal flu immunisation both at mainsite and DPA. Again, dates for further NHS immunisations being held will be added to the website once confirmed.

It was lovely to see some families at the medical coffee morning on 30th September. We were joined by colleagues from the Milestone Medical Team, the Special School Nursing Service and School Health. It was a lovely informative and supportive event. There was a request for recommended hairdressers, which we have since updated on the school website: https://www.leighacademymilestone.org.uk/2024/10/17/recommended-hairdressers-for-families-with-children-with-additional-needs/ We are planning our next coffee morning which will focus on toileting and continence support. We are looking forward to developing our links with School Health which has many services available to support children and families.

From Liz Skilton and all in the Therapy & Medical Teams