Special
Academies
Milestone Academy
Module 6 has been a time of coming together and celebration at Milestone. We had our first summer fair for two years and it proved to be the most successful one ever. With the new teepees, wheelchair access and huge range of stalls, families and staff had a great day. We even had our own pantomime in the teepees which the students loved!
Milestone is a unique and special place where we not only provide an education for our students but care and support for our families, sharing some very challenging times. With this in mind we have finally completed renovations on our memorial garden. The area now contains a grass area with planters and ornaments surrounding a wildlife area and pond. The result is a beautiful oasis of calm! This means that staff, students and families now have a private space to reflect and remember those we have sadly lost or to just relax and find a moment of stillness in the crazy days we have!
As part of our coming together and welcoming parents back we also put on sports days for our different pathways. Again the teepee area came into its own, providing a useful/safe space for our PE lead to set up the activities and invite parents and carers in so that they could participate with their children.
Our residentials have been hugely successful with trips to Norfolk, Bognor Regis and a residential for our young pupils in the teepee village area. Using the teepees for a residential activity was a first and proved to be a massive success. Any academies wishing to book our teepee areas are welcome to contact us to see how we can help.
Getting students back into careers focused activities has been a key focus this year. Our sixth form students at Wilmington have experienced weekly visits to the main site to take part in a range of work experience opportunities which have included: working in the kitchen, supporting the music department, working in the library area and shadowing members of staff completing different roles. Following their residential and their work experience we have seen a huge difference in the confidence and maturity of our students, some of whom are moving onto new destinations at the end of the year. Next year we are expanding our careers offer with the development of business routes in the curriculum- watch this space!
Our two most successful developments in the curriculum are the introduction of Read Write Inc as our phonics scheme and the drafting of a new maths curriculum focused on using Numicon online and White Rose Maths with an SEN focus. Having developed clear lines of sight across our four curriculum pathways we are beginning to see big improvements in pupil outcomes. RWI has astounded us; it has engaged students we did not expect to be engaged and resulted in progress not only in reading but in speaking and listening. For some of our pre-verbal children it was the first time they had verbalised during a reading activity. The impact of these two core areas has been wonderful to see.
Snowfields Academy
MP Visit
Helen Whately MP and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury visited Snowfields on Friday 1st July to meet with the Principal and some students. The students spoke about the different opportunities that they have had at Snowfields and how school supports their learning. We look forward to working together in the future.
'Fearless' Campaign
Lauren from the Fearless campaign provided by Crimestoppers has been spreading the Fearless message in Kent for the past two years, delivering sessions to over 5,100 young people. She held some engaging workshops to help Snowfields students understand “Hate Crime.” The students interacted with the organisation as they demonstrated what hate crime is, the impact of hate crime, influences of hate and spotting the signs.
All students had the opportunities to ask questions and voice their opinions around this subject and we were very proud of them!
Mental Health Awareness Week
Snowfields Academy supported Mental Health Awareness Week on 9-15 May. This year's theme was loneliness which is particularly relevant given how many people feel isolated following the pandemic. During the week, green ribbon pins were on sale in reception and the cafe. All proceeds were donated to The Mental Health Foundation. We also participated in the 'Wear it Green Day' where staff and students wore green items to school to show their support. The school was decorated in green all week and we had displays and book displays for students to access information about mental health and support. Postcards are a part of our school ethos and used as a way of acknowledging when students have shown one of the school values. For Mental Health Awareness Week we created some limited edition 'Compliment Cards' for staff and students to write positive messages to each other.
Pride Month
In June, Snowfields Academy supported Pride during June. We had a big flag up in the library to represent all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Books were up on display for students to access information and learn. Information was also shared and discussed in PSHE lessons. You may have noticed that the Leigh Academies Trust logo was in rainbow colours this month as the Trust acknowledged and celebrated all members of our community.
Willow
It's been a busy time of the year for Willow! Willow has started to be in classes a bit more over the recent months and has learnt a lot in maths, life skills and science. She provides a calming presence for students. Many students have enjoyed using their hard earned behaviour tokens on Willow time vouchers from the vending machine. Willow really enjoys these cuddles! Willow now has a display board up in school where students can read a few facts about her, one of these being her birthday which was celebrated in May. She turned 1 on the 14th of May and enjoyed lots of birthday treats.