Milestone Academy Newsletter
September 2023 - Term 1
Principal's Welcome
Dear Parents and Carers
As I write this the temperature has plummeted and we have plunged into Autumn! We have been blessed with beautiful weather for this first term which has helped us to enjoy more learning outside.
This term we have been working hard to further enhance our Total Communication offer. Both staff and students are focusing on signing using Makaton, as often as possible. We would love you to also take part in these efforts and support your children at home. Our website has a link to Makaton.org which gives lots of information for you to read and have fun with your children and family.
Also on our website we have information about the theme the children are focusing on with images of some of the activities taking place in the term. You can find your child's class site under the curriculum tab and relevant phase. This term we have been focusing on 'Who we are' , one of our International Baccalaureate (IB) Transdisciplinary Themes. All pupils have explored this theme in a way that is real and relevant to their individual needs and learning experiences. As a registered candidate school for the IB we are proud that we are one of only three schools in the world to be exploring and developing a curriculum framework for Special schools globally. Our website will soon have pages that provide more information about the IB and the framework we are exploring.
Do continue to research our website for information that is helpful to you, but do also let us know if there is anything else you would find useful that we may not have included yet.
I wish all of you a safe and happy half term break and look forward to welcoming you all back in November.
Phase 1
Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones Nursery has had a great start to the new academic year. It has been lovely to welcome all our new pupils and they have settled well into their new environment. Our theme is ‘Who We Are’ and we have been exploring ‘What we look like’, ‘ How our senses help us’ and ‘How we adapt to new environments’. We have explored the texts ‘Five Senses’, ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?’ and ‘Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?’
We have enjoyed lots of activities based around our senses. We investigated different scents, looked at different visual/textured toys/objects and did some food tasting of new foods.
Koala Class
All of the children in Koala Class are brand new to our school this year and have had a fantastic start to the year. They have settled well and are getting used to new routines, environments and expectations. We are incredibly proud of all of the children and are enjoying getting to know them.
Our PYP theme this term is ‘Who We Are’ and we are following the Central Idea ‘Our different experiences make us unique and special.’ Learning has been supported by stories and lots of sensory trays to explore, in order to use our 5 senses. The children have been very open-minded to meeting new people who work with us in the school and have been enjoying library sessions in our classroom, Music lessons and a chance to learn new physical skills in the gym, as well as exploring the new environment of their school.
Penguin Class
Penguin Class has had a great start to the school year. All pupils have settled into school well, either for the first time or getting back into the routine! Our central idea this term, linked to 'Who We Are', is ‘understanding myself and others helps me develop’. This term we have been looking at understanding ourselves with mirror work and looking at photographs. Our line of inquiry has been focused around the idea that ‘different people help us live and grow’, through our learning we have been exploring different people in our local community that help us. The students have had lots of roleplay fun pretending to be doctors, police officers and postal workers! We have also been lucky enough to get out into the local community and see some of the places that these people work and experience these first hand.
Have a lovely half term, we look forward to seeing all of the Penguins for Term 2!
Bear Class
It has been a very busy start to term 1 in Bear Class. All of the children have settled well into their new environment. They have all responded well to the new structure and are beginning to make meaningful relationships with their peers and the adults in class. We have been focusing on our transdisciplinary theme of 'Who We Are' and all children have enjoyed visiting the teepees weekly to participate in a whole phase enquiry morning. This has really been successful. The children have also been working hard during work sessions and this is evident in the pictures below.
We are all very proud of the way you have embraced the start o f the new school year. Well done !
Dolphin Class
This term in Dolphin Class we have had lots of fun getting to know all of the children and introducing new activities, resources and learning opportunities. Much of our learning has been focusing on 'People Who Help Us', supporting us to develop our understanding of our line of inquiry for Terms 1 and 2. Our learning has involved a range of sensory trays and cooking, roleplay and dress-up, practical experiences and creative art. We have enjoyed visiting our local community to learn more about the different people who help us in our local area. A particular favourite of the students involved creating our own postcards in the style of our artist this term, Piet Mondrian, and then walking to the local village to post these to learn more about the postal service!
Our class read this term has been 'Owl Babies', which has been a clear favourite of many of the children and inspired lots of wonderful learning opportunities. We have explored this story through sensory story opportunities, making our own Owl rice cakes and painting snowy owls, and building an owl nest. We have also enjoyed weekly visits to the school Library and daily opportunities to share stories with adults and peers - recently we celebrated Roald Dahl day through a BFG sensory story, and a follow up activity painting our own dream bottles.
It has been a wonderful and busy term, and we are very excited to share more of our learning with you and see what our Dolphins achieve next!
Leopard Class
Leopard Class has had an amazing start to Term 1. All pupils have settled in really well and have begun to build meaningful relationships with their peers and new staff members. We are working hard this term on our central idea’s linked to: 'How do I grow and change?' We all learn differently and what is mine, what is yours and what is ours. We are embedding these ideas throughout our IB inquiry topic sessions and our phase inclusion mornings in the Teepees where we explore a carousel of tuff tray activities with new peers. As a class, we are transitioning really well to new environments such as our dinner hall and are engaged in new specialist lessons such as Music and PE with our sports coach. All pupils are displaying an awareness of a new routine and making their likes known for new sessions, especially 'Attention Autism' (bucket time) and our PSPD mindfulness sessions such as TACPAC and massage stories.
As a class, we are very proud of the Leopards and cannot wait for more exciting milestones to take place throughout Term 2! Have a wonderful and fun filled October Half Term.
Lion Class
Lion Class have had a fantastic start to the new school year. The students have settled in well and enjoyed building relationships with new peers and staff. The students have all responded well to the structure and routine of the day and are becoming increasingly independent with this. The students are beginning to initiate interactions with each other and are utilising tools in the classroom and daily routine to support their self regulation, with adult support. This term Lion Class have been developing their independence and self-help skills to support and promote independence, self regulation and managing emotions when accessing new areas of the school environment. This has included transitioning between areas of the school and accessing the wider community, safely and appropriately.
We are very proud of how well the students have settled in and started the new school year, well done Lions!
Tiger Class
The students in Tiger Class have all settled well into their new class and are enjoying the new experiences We are learning through the Engagement model and use the International Baccalaureate® (IB) to guide our learning. The IB enables students to direct their own learning pathway and develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive and make a lasting difference. In PE the focus of learning is to explore different ways of using our hands to move with a ball. We are exploring different ways of pushing a ball. We have also been learning how to be kind and share with our friends. We are exploring how it feels to belong and that we are all different.
Giraffe Class
Giraffe Class has had a fantastic start to the new school year. Everyone has settled in well and begun to form great relationships with their peers and staff members. Over this term Giraffe Class has been focusing on our transdisciplinary theme ‘Who we are’, we have been achieving this through our inquiry learning afternoons. Giraffe Class has especially been enjoying our cooking lessons where we have focused on different meals of the day, a definite highlight was getting to make and taste pizzas! We have also been enjoying our weekly PE sessions, which have been focusing on using our hands to control a ball, as well as our trips to the school library and the teepees!
We are so proud of everyone in Giraffe class as they continue to always try their best and support their friends at every opportunity!
Claire Woolmer - Phase 1 Director
Phase 2
As we approach the end of our first term it is a great opportunity to reflect on the academic and personal progress each child is making. It was wonderful to work with so many of you during Parents Evening, both virtually and in person to co-construct your child's new Provision Plan Targets, to celebrate successes and problem solve together areas that we still would like to improve upon. Everyday we are all inspired by the enthusiasm your children show towards learning and the resilience they show in the face of challenges. Please continue reading to find out more about what their learning has looked like this term.
Michelle Hilton - Assistant Principal and Director of Phase 2.
Canyon Class
Canyon Class has enjoyed a lovely start to the year! The students have adjusted fantastically to their new peers and routines alike, and have worked very hard throughout the term. We have had great fun exploring different topics in class across a range of subjects, as well as accessing different areas of the school and the community. In history we have looked at the Great Fire of London through activities such as a Pudding Lane Bakery role-play session and extinguishing our own ‘fire’ in a Tuff tray. In science we have been focussing on electricity, and the students have had great fun learning about different electrical items through sensory experiences. The RE topic for this term has been Diwali, and the students have enjoyed learning about the traditions associated with this festival through the mediums of art and music. We have looked at the work of Gustav Klimt in art and recreated some of the patterns and colours present within his work in our own pieces.
The whole class have had a brilliant start to the year, and the Canyon Class team would like to wish the students and their families a lovely half term!
Mountain Class
Mountain Class had a great start to the year. We have been busy learning about the Great Fire of London, how electricity works and all about Diwali. The pupils have enjoyed exploring paint in our art classes and have been learning life skills such as making sandwiches and going to the lunch hall. During our weekly PE lessons we have been learning about controlling a ball with our feet. In Music we have been working with our specialist teacher and particularly enjoyed feeling the vibrations of the guitar.
Orchard Class
Orchard Class has settled in well and had a very successful start to the new school year. Already, good relationships are forming between new peers and staff and this reflects in our daily routines.
This term we have been working extremely hard in our Read Write Inc lessons and all pupils are making great progress with their handwriting skills. We have been learning about the Great Fire of London, including the timeline of events, what impact it had on London and how it has influenced life in London today. In RE our focus has been Diwali, where we have looked at how it is celebrated, participated in Indian dance tutorials and had the opportunity to taste a variety of Indian foods. We have had weekly cooking and nutrition lessons and made different healthy snacks and in art we have been recreating our own versions of art, based on paintings by the artist Gustav Klimt.
As term 1 comes to an end, Orchard Class team would like to wish all the pupils and their families a lovely half term and we look forward to seeing you all in term 2.
Forest Class
Forest Class has had an amazing start to the new academic year. We have made new friends and have become familiar with routines in class. Forest Class has been working extremely hard in maths, we have been exploring numbers and their value, and taken great pleasure in working in the outside classroom to practise and transfer our learning. During Science we have explored electricity and have engaged in using electrical items and switch toys. We have also been looking at familiar items and have been sorting between electrical and non electrical.
Woodland class
Woodland Class had a smooth and fun start to the school year. We have enjoyed settling down into school routine with an autumnal sensology lesson where we have been using our five senses to explore the change in season. We have also been working through our one to one learning goals by exploring The Great Fire of London. The class particularly enjoyed our sensory trip to London present and past. In art the class has been exploring the artist Gustav Klimt. Within these lessons we have produced different pieces of group artwork based around Gustav Klimt's work.
Woodland Class are looking forward to a wonderful term two.
Coast Class
Coast Class has had a fabulous start to the year exploring how ‘our senses tell us about the world’. We have welcomed new friends into the class and have had a brilliant time getting to know them. We have enjoyed a range of sensory activities that has motivated our learning, from sticky goop to smelly balloons. In Art we have created the most incredible tree of life in the style of Gustav Klimt. We have worked on this project each week adding different tactile elements. During Science we have explored electricity, investigating a range of cause and effect and light toys. We then took a trip through London as part of our sensory story in which we all starred. During History we used building bricks and our motor skills to explore the Great Fire of London. We particularly enjoyed knocking the bridge down and rebuilding it!
We are very much looking forward to another brilliant term with lots of sensory play ahead.
Glacier Class
Glacier Class has had a very busy start to the new term. Everyone has settled into the new academic year and is becoming familiar with their new environment and routines. We have been enjoying Writedance lessons, helping us with our gross and fine motor skills by copying movements to music. This term we have been looking at ‘up and down’ movements. Everyone has been engaged and really enjoying using sensory media to practice the movements. We have recently started going out in the community and our first outing was a visit to Springhead park. Glacier Class love to be outside and were all very well behaved; and most importantly having fun! We have also enjoyed visits to our sensory garden, where we picked our own homegrown pumpkins for Halloween, the class really enjoyed exploring them.
As term 1 comes to an end Glacier Class would like to wish you all a lovely half term and look forward to welcoming you back in term 2.
Michelle Hilton - Phase 2 Director
Milestone @ Dartford Primary Academy
Nova Class
Nova Class has had a great start to the new school year. We have been exploring how history and culture influence who we are. We have been learning about the Great Fire of London, how it started, spread and was extinguished and how it has influenced life in London today. We have recreated a miniature Great Fire of London on the playground and have acted out life during 1666 and the Great Fire of London during our Performing Arts lessons. During our Science lessons, we have explored how the introduction of electricity changed how we cook, heat our homes and enjoy leisure time. We have learnt how electricity is produced and gets to our homes. We have also built electrical circuits to light our own model houses. Gustav Klimt has been our focussed artist during Art lessons this term, and we have practised re-creating shapes and patterns seen in his works, using them to create works of our own. We have been learning about the festival of Diwali, including how it is celebrated and the meaning behind it. With swimming lessons and PE sessions, we have had an energetic term! We have practised ball control skills during PE sessions and have all been making great progress with our swimming! Our Power of Reading text this term has been ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’. Using this text we have explored different emotions of the characters and developed our descriptive language skills. Place Value has been our focus in Maths this term. We have been using a range of strategies and manipulatives to support our learning. We have all really enjoyed reading the very funny stories ‘The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig’ during story times. So much so, that we are on the third book of the series already!
Comet Class
Comet Class has been working hard this term and has been following our central idea ‘History and culture influences who we are.’ We have learned about electricity and how this has impacted our lives. The children created circuits and have been learning about what makes a good conductor. Our line of inquiry ‘Different festivals are celebrated in different ways’ has seen the children learn about Diwali and make Diva lamps as well as listening and dancing to different songs that are heard during the festival of Diwali. Our final line of inquiry ‘Health is important for our bodies and minds’ has enabled the pupils to learn about being kind and what is important to ourselves and our peers. Comet Class has also been reading the story ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ for our power of reading text. We have been using the feelings of the crayons to develop our understanding of emotions. The children have enjoyed their weekly forest school sessions and have joined in a wide range of activities.
Moonbeam Class
Moonbeam Class has had a great start to the new academic year. We have been very busy in our learning, exploring our central idea of 'History and culture influences who we are'. We have enjoyed going out in the community to visit the library and share stories together and bring some back to school to share throughout the week. We have been focusing on being safe in the community, specifically road safety. In science, we have explored electrical appliances around school and investigated how these work by creating our own circuits. In history, we have learnt about the Great fire of London and compared 1666 to the present day. We have created a timeline of events and enjoyed a sensory story of the events that took place and we even role-played the events during performing arts. In RE, we have focused on Diwali and how this is celebrated. We have created Rangoli patterns, practiced our dancing and tried traditional foods. Our power of reading text this term has been 'The Day the Crayons Quit' and we have enjoyed exploring different emotions and using adjectives to describe different aspects of the story. We have had debates and written questions to the crayons too. We have been very active in PE this term where we have practiced our ball skills and have become more accurate in passing and stopping a ball and aiming at a target. In cooking, we have created lots of delicious recipes from healthy flapjacks to egg muffins and fruit smoothies.
Faye Mendez - Satellite Director
Phase 3
It is wonderful to see our students back in school, learning, and enjoying each other’s company after the summer holidays. I have been so impressed with all of our classes, staff, and of course our students, who have settled into a new school year. Our students have really embraced our new approaches to learning, which have been enriched by our status as an International Baccalaureate candidate school. All of our students are approaching their learning through the main Transdisciplinary Theme “Who We Are.” This means that, through questions and “lines of inquiry” we are finding out more about ourselves, our communities, and our world.
As I write this, I am sitting in our art area as all students and staff in Phase 3 take part in our first Inquiry Day of the year. Students are journeying from country to country, finding out about different cultures, histories, art, clothes and of course food. This is helping all of our students to become more internationally-minded. Our school vision is that Milestone Academy students are “happy, aspirational learners” who are “safe, supportive, curious communicators.” Providing our students with opportunities to better understand themselves, and their world, gives them a strong foundation for achieving these goals.
I am very grateful to all Phase 3 staff who have helped get our year off to a strong start. We know that there are always ways we can improve and help our students to grow. We therefore invite you to contact your class teachers, our Phase Leader, or me whenever you want to share some feedback.
You can get in touch with your child’s class easily via email.
Viking Class - viking@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Aztec Class - aztec@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Roman Class - roman@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Tudor Class - tudor@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Sparta Class - sparta@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Saxon Class - saxon@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Jurassic Class - jurassic@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Renaissance Class - renaissance@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Anning Class - anning@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Turing Class - turing@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Equiano Class - equiano@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Phase 3 Leader: Maria Steer: maria.steer@milestoneacademy.org.uk
M@L Satellite Director: Sofia Pinto: sofia.pinto@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Phase 3 Assistant Principal: Kyle Marsh: kyle.marsh@milestoneacademy.org.uk
Kyle Marsh - Phase 3 Director
Aztec Class
Aztec Class has had a great start to the new academic year. The students have been exploring our central idea: 'Different cultures have enriched our lives'. We have explored how food is different in different countries and how various cultures have enriched our own culture through food. Aztec Class have also learnt about identity and what makes us who we are today. We looked at how people are different and how that enriches our lives. To celebrate European Day of Languages we learnt how to say 'hello' in different European languages and located different European countries on a map of Europe.
Sparta Class
Sparta Class has had a great start to the year, they have engaged in lots of learning activities; including place value, addition and subtraction in maths. "It's fun, I like a challenge" said Tyler about his maths. "Maths is fun and my favourite" Harry remarked. “I enjoyed hunting for 3D shapes,” commented Antonius.
We have been reading the story about the Stone Mouse. Vinnie enjoyed reading the part when the stove did not work and the stone mouse gave instructions, so they could have tea.
During our inquiry lessons we have been investigating our Central theme ‘Exploring our locality deepens our understanding of our identity.’ We have learned that we have different identities, which are to do with where we live, who we are and what interests we have. "Maria you are a Viking" said Vinnie on our inquiry day, but Christopher disagreed and argued "No, Maria, you are the teacher."
We have learned about ‘Who we are’ as Spartans and whether they visited our local area. The closest the Greeks came to Dartford was their visit to Cornwall. We have cooked both Greek food to link with the Spartans and we have cooked Kentish foods to link with our locality. All students have become very sensible with using knives. Different communities have lived in Dartford, including: Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Tudors. We learnt about the different cultures that are shared in our school through our students and staff; and we intend to explore this more next term as part of our learning.
Tudor Class
Tudor Class have had a great start to the new academic year. The students have been exploring our central idea: 'Who we are'. We have cooked recipes using produce from our local environment. Tudor Class has also been learning about our senses and what makes us who we are today. We have been working together and joining in turn-taking games to learn more about each other, how we are different and how that enriches our lives. To celebrate European Day of Languages we learnt how to say 'hello' in different European languages and explored music from different countries.
Viking Class
Viking Class had an amazing start to the new school year. We have learnt lots of interesting facts about Vikings and the way they lived, why they came to this country and what they did when they arrived. We have looked at areas they would have been in Kent and the impact they had. In cooking we have practised our measuring skills, we have made Eton Mess, Pitta Pizzas and also Flapjacks. We have used our art when decorating biscuits, which were promptly devoured! In RE, we have learnt a great deal about the Bible, we have touched and looked through real Bibles, some with gold coloured edged pages. We started the year regularly completing our daily mile, when the weather was not the best we have been completing our physical activity by doing chair exercises. We have had a lot of laughs, it is not as easy as it sounds! Our TAs have caused great hilarity reading our class reader, 'The Twits' by Roald Dahl and we are halfway through 'Gangster Granny' by David Walliams. All the students have written some very interesting stories about a house that may or may not be haunted. Viking Class enjoyed Inquiry Day, throwing themselves into all the activities. It has been a very successful first term.
Saxon Class
Saxon Class has had a busy start to the academic year this term, filled with fun new experiences which have been enjoyed by the whole class. We have been exploring our central idea of ‘Who We Are’ and learning about our senses through taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing and our vestibular & proprioceptive senses; which help us with balance and how we move. Saxon Class have continued to enjoy visiting the supermarket weekly to buy the Phase 3 Tuck shop items. We always make sure to follow our list of what is needed and then choose a favoured snack and exchange money for our items 🙂Saxons have all been working on the key learner attribute of ‘communicator’ this term; where they have been expressing favoured motivating items/activities to support their self-regulation during movement break times and to help them make independent choices during the school day. We all had a great time during our inquiry day, where we experienced foods and a variety of activities based around different countries from around the world. All of the Saxons did extremely well transitioning and visiting other classes across the phase. Well done Saxons!
Roman Class
Roman Class has had an amazing start to the year with each student enjoying their time in hydro. We had a great time during Inquiry Day, taking part in a variety of activities and sampling foods from different countries. Our students have been engaging in lots of sensory learning during our story ‘At the hairdressers’. We enjoyed brushing our hair, smelling shampoos, feeling hair mousse and listening to the noise of hair clippers and the hairdryer. During phonics, we looked at the letter ‘C’ for which we tasted chocolate and smelled coffee. We used our symbols to say whether we liked/disliked anything - Charlie really liked eating the cheese. The staff and students have been working hard learning to sign.
Renaissance Class
As we reflect on this term, we're excited to share the wonderful learning our students have taken part in so far. We're also very proud to see our younger and new students adapting smoothly to the new secondary environment, displaying impressive adaptability and enthusiasm. In our Food Tech lessons, the pupils have taken on the role of chefs, creating delicious dishes like curry, cinnamon rolls, pizzas, and cakes by following recipes they crafted themselves. This hands-on learning has not only expanded their culinary skills but also encouraged creativity. In performing arts lessons, our students have truly shone. They've embraced the art of acting, taking on various characters from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' with remarkable skill. The central idea this term focused on exploring our local community. Our pupils delved into maps, discovering what is around and inside our school and learning to navigate their surroundings in school independently. This has deepened their connection to our school community. Lastly, we want to acknowledge the incredible commitment and effort put in by all our students throughout the term. Their determination and passion for learning continue to inspire us. Here's to a successful term, and we're looking forward to the exciting adventures the next one will bring!
We hope our pupils and families enjoy their half term.
Lauren, Keren and all the Renaissance team!
Jurassic Class
Jurassic Class has had a fabulous beginning to the academic year. We have been exploring our central idea, 'Everyone is unique and special and we all have different experiences' through three lines of inquiry:
Our senses help us to make decisions
(Local) History has influenced our lives
How to keep my body and mind healthy and well
Jurassic Class has learnt about the five senses sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch through activities such as guess the smell and deciding whether we liked it or not! Surprisingly, mint was not liked very much in Jurassic class! Our second line of inquiry took us on a journey to our houses on google maps and local places we like to visit, such as the sweet shop and fish and chip shop! We have also learnt about what the land was used for before Milestone Academy was built; farming land. Our third line of inquiry has taken us on a cooking and nutrition journey via healthy recipes. Jurassic Class has also enjoyed time in the school library, enjoying and sharing books for pleasure and tending to vegetables in the garden.
Have a great rest over the half term!
Kyle Marsh - Phase 3 Director
Milestone @ The Leigh Academy
Anning class
Anning Class has made a great start to the new academic year. Students who were at M@L last year have made a welcoming start to the year for our new peers. Likewise, our new students have brought their own energy and enthusiasm to the class and have enjoyed making new friends in Anning and across M@L. The central idea of the term was 'Exploring history deepens our understanding of our identity' and students have been exploring how the history of the Romans in Britain has influenced our modern culture. This year, alongside our phonics modules, students are developing their written language skills in English lessons through the use of the book 'The Stone Mouse' by Jenny Nimmo. Students are enjoying making predictions about the text and developing their writing skills using expanded noun phrases. Anning Class has been showing off their athletic skills this term! The whole class took part in swimming lessons at the local pool and all students enjoyed the opportunity to show off their skills with front crawl, back stroke and diving through hoops! It was a fun opportunity for students to take their learning outside of the classroom. In addition, all students travelled to the Kent School Games Panathlon event at the Stour Centre in Ashford. While some students participated in the events, their classmates cheered them on. The competing students were up against eight other schools in this inclusive SEN specific event. A fun day was had by all and students were awarded with certificates and medals for participation. Anning Class also embarked on a community travel day to Dartford. We opted for public transport, specifically by bus, and our students were able to use public transport very effectively. Our first stop was the local library, where our students enthusiastically borrowed a variety of books. Subsequently, we explored the vibrant market and immersed ourselves in the rich exhibits at the museum. The day was truly exceptional, with our students showcasing exemplary behaviour, showing our community that they are happy and aspirational learners.
Turing Class
This module, Turing Class has demonstrated so many of our learner attributes. Our central idea ‘Exploring history deepens our understanding of our identity’ has taken us down the path of exploring the Roman invasion of Britain, through which we have been able to make links to modern day Britain. We enjoyed debating the positives and negatives of the road system in the UK today; our students really thought about how they were going to communicate their opinions and support them with evidence. In maths, we have revisited place value and used a range of manipulatives to support our understanding of different maths concepts. 'The Stone Mouse' by Jenny Nimmo has been our focus in English and the students have been thinking about how to incorporate adjectives in the form of expanded noun phrases to enhance their narrative writing, here’s an example of some of the fantastic work we have been doing:
'Beneath the warm, clear water the stone mouse observed all the wonders around him. He saw long, colourful coral sway left and right, he saw fast, small fish swimming across the ocean, he saw green turtles eating plants as the sun beamed onto the ocean floor.' - Christopher Johnson.
Equiano Class
Equiano Class has worked exceptionally hard this term. In maths, they've delved into the intricacies of place value, mastering concepts through the use of part whole models, flexible partitioning, and place value charts with the help of manipulatives. In English, the students have been captivated by the book 'The Stone Mouse,' using its narrative to enhance their spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills. The world of music has also been explored as the class has been crafting hip hop beats using an online studio program called Charanga. Furthermore, their central inquiry theme, 'Exploring history deepens our understanding of our identity' has led them on a captivating journey through the impact of the Roman Empire on modern Britain. Below are some quotes from some of our students:
“My favourite thing we’ve learned about this term is maths because we have learned about tens and ones. I’m proud of myself because I have the neatest handwriting ever and I like music as well” - Tianna
“My favourite thing we’ve learned this term is music because I’ve heard some nice beats from Tom and other students. I also enjoyed doing the Zone of Regulation because it helps me explain how I feel” - Emily
“My favourite thing we’ve learned about this term is the book we are reading The Stone Mouse” - Logan
Sofia Pinto - Satellite Director
Phase 4
Term 1 is often an exciting yet challenging term, as young people become familiar with changes in classroom environment, staff or peers. We are exceptionally proud of how our young people have managed this transition, engaged in learning and made positive individual progress.
Pupils have begun working upon ASDAN Life Skills Challenges and accreditations through carefully planned and stimulating learning experiences as well as utilising their pupil agency to make choices about what they would like to study and what recreation choices they would like to engage in.
This term our central idea has been ‘Communities are shaped by the people in them.’ We will be bringing this learning together through a wonderful Inquiry afternoon to end the term on Friday 20th October.
Myself and the rest of the Phase leadership team wish you all a wonderful half term and look forward to welcoming everyone back to an exciting term 2.
Noleen Donaghy-Parkhouse
Dover Class
Dover has had a fantastic term exploring our central idea focused on communities. We have been exploring what makes us special and looking into the different cultures that make up our class community, learning a bit about different countries and finding out how to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in different languages. We have also enjoyed expanding our community travel further afield, starting with trips to Bluewater with hopes to travel to other towns near us and eventually using public transport! In independent living skills, we have been learning some basic first aid. We now know how to shout for help in an emergency and how to call 999 and we have started to work on putting someone in the recovery position. This term, Dover class have also been swimming! We are so impressed with how much more confident our students have become in the water and their progress has been incredible. Students are now enjoying putting their face in the water, floating on their backs and some are even swimming lengths with no floats! Great work Dover!
Eynsford Class
Eynsford Class has settled in really well to Term 1 and has been engaging in a variety of creative activities as part of their new ASDAN accreditation ‘Engaging in new creative activities’. The students have chosen what they would like to make from a choice of activities, and these have included cards and stained glass windows. During Horticulture the students in Eynsford Class have been using the resources they find in their environment to create a variety of autumnal crafts, using communication sheets to comment on the colour, texture and smell of things in their environment around school. During cooking the students have been working on making their own drink, choosing from a variety of different flavoured milkshakes or squash. They have been following verbal and written instructions to make their own drinks, and we have seen students become more independent in these skills over the term.
Scotney Class
Scotney Class has had a positive start to Term 1 and has been working very hard as we begin work on our new ASDAN accreditations in Engaging in New Creative Activities and Early Mathematics-sequencing and sorting. Some of our new activities include candle making, book marks, Christmas decorations and wax melts. We have been able to spend some quality time in our allotment and outside areas planting, weeding and clearing ready for the winter. In our Food and Nutrition lessons we have been making a variety of simple meals, our favourite being mixed salad and our own coleslaw. At Bore Place Farm we have been meeting the new calves, planting pea seeds, filling bird feeders and harvesting potatoes as we enjoy the last of the warm weather.
Canterbury Class
Canterbury Class has had a great start to the year and we have been very proud of how well the students have all settled back into the school routine. We have been very busy with our ASDAN accreditations which this year are New Creative Activities and Early maths- Sequencing and Sorting. The students have been enjoying a selection of new musical and dance activities this term such as yoga, musical team games and parachute games. The students have also participated in planning their own cooking lessons and what ingredients they need for their chosen recipes. We have then been visiting the supermarket with our shopping lists to locate the products and pay for them.
Leeds Class
Leeds Class has had a wonderful start to the academic year. We welcomed four new students and we are very proud of how they settled into their new Phase and class. Our transdisciplinary theme for this year is 'Who we are' and our central idea is 'Understanding myself and others helps me grow'. Our line of inquiry for term 1 has been 'Our senses tell us about the world'. Pupils have all been working hard on their provision plan targets and our Individual learning plans. Our transdisciplinary theme links to everything we work on in class from our ASDAN accreditation and life skills challenges through registration, sensory stories, tac pac, intense interaction, horticulture, cookery, and therapies we have welcomed sessions to learn about each other.
Noleen Donaghy-Parkhouse - Phase 4 Leader
Milestone @ Wilmington Academy
In July 2023 we held our first ever Prom for our sixth form students. It was a wonderful evening filled with music, non alcoholic beer, dancing and food! The students took such pride in their appearance and looked so smart in their suits, prom dresses and heels. The students all had the most amazing time and we are already planning our Prom for next year!
Nicky McCarthy - Satellite Director
Upnor Class
Upnor has had a fantastic start to the year and we have all been so impressed with how well the students have settled back into Academy life. We are exploring several new ASDAN courses this year, including an accreditation in running a business enterprise and the students have been so excited by this concept, coming up with amazing ideas for seasonal products they plan to sell. Upnor students are also working towards an accreditation in basic first aid and have shown a good understanding of DR ABC (emergency life saving skills). Upnor students continue to enjoy visiting the shops as part of their functional maths learning and the students are getting more confident exploring the different coins and selecting the appropriate coins for various transactions
Hever Class
I am really impressed with how well Hever Class has settled into the new school year, especially those who have joined M@W for the first time. The students have all begun working towards their ASDAN employability (maintaining work standards) and enterprise accreditations through the provision of the cafe and producing items to be sold at the Christmas fair.
The students have begun working towards a certificate in basic first aid and have been able to practise resuscitation, identifying dangers, calling for help and applying bandages. There will be more life skills challenges that they partake in throughout the school year. In Maths and English we have been ensuring that each of the students has a comprehensive understanding of the foundational knowledge required to help them to build upon the functional skills required for life and tested within the tests they will sit later in the school year.
Rochester Class
Rochester Class has had a great start to the year. The class has begun working towards the Employability accreditation where they have been demonstrating their understanding of workplace standards through work experience opportunities in our cafe here at Wilmington and in our days at Beams. The pupils have made presentations on the importance of health and safety at work, written job descriptions for the cafe, had work appraisals to assess effective work standards and discussed ways to improve. Watch this space for the opportunity to purchase our Christmas enterprise gifts early next term. We have enjoyed shopping trips to restock the M@W cafe where we have the opportunity to budget money and strengthen life skills. Rochester Class is also working towards a certificate in Basic First Aid where students can now identify and respond to an asthma attack and know what to do if someone was bleeding. In Maths and English students are working towards their exams with exam style questions to get students used to the language and layout, along with lots of reminders to “read the question!”
Nicky McCarthy - Satellite Director
PE News
Students from Anning Class based at Milestone @ Leigh represented the school in the first Kent School Games event of the year at the Stour Centre in Ashford. The event was organised by Panathlon UK and gave students an opportunity to take part in some different multi-sport activities against eight other special needs schools from around the county. The event was very inclusive and students enjoyed taking part, they were awarded with medals for participation and certificates.
Steve Devereux - Head of PE
Horticulture News
Transdisciplinary theme: 'Who we are'
Phase 3
It has been lovely to get back out into the garden after the summer. We have spent a lot of time weeding, but now have a variety of vegetables planted. These include winter salad, broad beans and cabbage. The students are very excited about the pumpkins, which have grown well and will be used in classes in the next couple of weeks.
Phase 4
I am enjoying getting to know the students in Phase 4. Scotney & Dover have been busy clearing and tidying the allotment area and all classes have made lavender bags as a trial for an enterprise project. Canterbury, Eynsford & Leeds have explored different herbs and planted seeds.
Horticulture Group
Four students have continued into year 2 of Animal Care & Garden Horticulture Level 1. Our main topic for this module is ‘Cultivating Herbs’. We have started to learn about the different herb families and have taken cuttings from different herbs to grow into new plants.
Kirsty Wiseman - Horticulture Teacher
Dates for Your Diary
Monday 6th November - First day of term 2
Friday 15th December - Last day of term 2
Tuesday 2nd January 2024 - First day of term 3
Thursday 8th February 2024 - Last day of term 3
Pupdate
Just a little update, Toffee & Fudge are well and truly settled into school life now! We are enjoying all the love and attention we receive around the school and love being here everyday.
We had a great summer holiday though it seems so long ago now but we were able to have lots of days out and new experiences, we went camping for a week in a tent and we were very good. We particularly enjoyed meeting some donkeys while we were away.
We are looking forward to the half term as we will be celebrating our 1st birthday!! (Hopefully there's cake as we love food!!) We hope you have a great half term break and look forward to seeing everyone when we return.
Friends of Milestone - Charity No: 278677
Hi All,
We had another successful year of fundraising for the Friends of Milestone last and would like to thank you all for your support with our events. We are continuing to raise funds to be used for many extra-curricular activities for the students at Milestone and a new minibus
We have started planning more events for this and it would be great to have some new faces on the committee. If you would like to find out more about the Friends and what we do we will be holding a Coffee and Cake morning on the 16th November at 9.30 in the TRAC building at the New Ash Green site, it would be lovely to see you there.
Dates for your Diary;
28th October Charity Race night- Please see details below
16th November Coffee and Cake meet with Friends meeting to follow
4th December Christmas wrap- more details to follow
8th December Christmas Disco- more details to follow
The charity race night is being held on Saturday 28th October at the Gravesend Masonic Hall.
This event is being organised by the Gravesend lodge of Free Masons but is open to staff if they wish to attend with all profits very kindly being donated to the Friends of Milestone. Please see all the details on the flyer below with contact details.
Please note if you do intend on going please do not take any snacks/refreshments with you as they have a staff member working with allergies so they will be supplying some light snacks but these will be on a first come first served basis.
It would be great to see you supporting the event on the night to make it a successful event and raise more funds for the Friends.
Thank you for your continued support to the Friends of Milestone and we look forward to meeting more of you.
If you have any questions regarding the Friends please do contact friendsofmilestoneacademy@gmail.com
Faye Warman – Chair
Sarah Spiers – Co-Chair and Treasurer
Lyn French – Secretary
Friends of Milestone
Medical and Therapy Team News
Therapy News
Coffee Morning
It was lovely to meet the parents of phase 1 children at the coffee morning this term. We focussed on developing language and communication through play. We hope this was fun and informative. Our Top Tips for supporting language development includes following your child's lead when playing, modelling and extending language, using more comments than questions and simplifying our language to the same level as your child.
October is AAC month
AAC stands for alternative and augmentative communication. As a Total Communication School, many of our children use AAC to support their developing language and communication skills. To help children understand our words we use key word signs and a range of visuals such as sensory cues such as objects or music, symbol schedules and timetables, transitional photos or symbols and let’s make a deal boards.
We have children who use a range of communication systems to support their expressive language and functional communication skills (their words to us). This may include key word signs, generic or topic chatting sheets, PECS, Communication Books, single message voice output devices as well as high tech communication devices.
Paper-based and light tech AAC is really important as it helps children develop important skills such as combining words, making sentences, navigating through pages, understanding if words are organised into categories and communicating for different functions.
If children have success with paper-based or light tech AAC, if they show potential to develop further and meet the NHS England criteria then we can consider a referral to the KM CAT service for specialist assessment or consultation. We monitor children’s progress closely and consider this as an option when needed.
DATE: Find a Voice "Little Shoppers" will be in school on November 9th at 11:30 - 12.30 in TRAC 3. Staff, children and families are welcome to come and explore the toys, sensory toys, communication aids. All items are available to borrow. Families please sign in at Main Reception when you arrive. Take a look at their website to find out more about this service https://www.findavoice.org.uk/ .
Medical News
New Team Member: This term we have welcomed Julie, Healthcare Assistant who joins Sue, George and Emma in the Milestone Medical Team.
Immunisation Clinics
We have hosted two successful flu immunisation clinics on the Milestone main site for pupils in year group R-11. The majority of our students had the immunisation.
Immunisations did not go ahead as planned for year 2-6 pupils based in our satellite at DPA. We were expecting the flu immunisation to take place on Friday 6th October but the NHS Immunisation Team will now visit DPA on Monday 16th October to deliver these nasal sprays. If you have already given consent for your child to have this immunisation there is no need to respond to the new letter you will receive. If, however you did not give consent originally, and now wish your child to receive this immunisation on the 16th, please consent online via the link in the letter being sent home with your child.
Return to School Meetings
If your child has been absent from school for an extended period of time due to health reasons, we may need to hold a return to school meeting. We ask families to contact the Assistant Principal for their Phase to discuss if this is needed. This helps us ensure we have all the information needed to update their Individual Health Care Plan and provide the support needed in school.
Clinic Dates
All clinic dates are published on the school website. You will receive a letter from the health professional leading each clinic if your child has an appointment. We host these clinics in school as we hope it is easier for children and families and so that school staff can attend and support the appointment. We hope you find this useful.
From Liz Skilton and all in the Therapy & Medical Teams
Signing at Milestone Academy
Some top tips
From Liz Skilton and all in the therapy Team.
Useful Websites
Useful websites with information and resources for schools and parents to support toileting are:
ERIC at www.eric.org.uk
Bladder and Bowel UK www.bbuk.org.uk
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Also look at the Facebook page for Kent Community Health as they also have information of sessions offered for parents on various topics.