As the new school year gets underway, I want to extend a warm welcome to all our students and their families. It has been a genuine pleasure to see the corridors and classrooms buzzing with energy again after the summer break. The children have returned looking incredibly smart in their uniforms, and it’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm for learning shining through.

I've been so impressed by how quickly the children have settled back into school life. In just a short time, they have already shown so many of the LEO Explorer characteristics that we value. Whether it's the curiosity to ask great questions, the resilience to tackle new challenges, or the empathy they've shown to their friends, it's clear we have a fantastic year of learning ahead. Thank you for preparing them so well for their return. I am looking forward to a brilliant year!

The summer break was a hive of activity at school, and we're incredibly excited to share the fantastic changes that have taken place. As many of you know, our biggest project was the development of our new Nursery classrooms. This wonderful new space is now complete, and we are so proud to be welcoming not only our 3 and 4 year olds but also our very first cohort of 2-year-olds to the Brookfield family. We have been so impressed by how wonderfully they have transitioned into school life. It’s been a joy to see them exploring their new environment and settling in so quickly. This expansion marks a new chapter for our school, and we are so excited to see our youngest learners grow and thrive with us.

I am also very excited and pleased to inform you that Miss Giacopazzi is expecting a baby with Mr Harvey.  Miss Giacopazzi will continue as Jet class teacher and Reception lead until the end of this term.  We will provide further information regarding plans for Jet class for the Spring and Summer term during Autumn 2.  

FORMAT OF NEWSLETTER

Firstly, we would like to thank all of you who completed our communication questionnaire.  We have reviewed the responses and will continue with our bi-weekly newsletter to provide you with a plethora of information.  For ease, this information is organised into sections.   

The Parent Support & Family Support Worker page provides information on a range of parent courses as well as information on how to contact Rebecca Brown our FSW.  The SEND/Mental Health and Well being page provides information regarding courses and sessions to support parents whose children have additional needs as well as support for well being.  The Safeguarding page includes lots of information on how to safeguard your child.

The Sports page provides information on all our sporting activities while the External Clubs and Opportunities page has a range of external opportunities.  

The 'In School We have Been Learning' page provides information and some photographs of the learning your child has completed over the previous weeks while the 'Curriculum and Home Learning' provides you with the Curriculum Newsletters and Home Learning tasks for the half term.  

The Achievements page provides a summary of the children's successes as well as their 'out of school' achievement - please remember to complete the form and send in photographs for us to celebrate any achievements outside of school.  

This home page gives general updates and information.

FREE FOOTBALL TICKETS

Sutton United Football club have generously provided us with 130 FREE tickets for the National League Cup - Sutton United v Brighton & Hove Albion U21.

This match will take place on Tuesday 16th September at 7:00pm at Sutton United.

Tickets will be given out on a first come first serve basis from Monday morning.  

PARKING

Safe and Courteous Parking During Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Ensuring the safety of our pupils is our top priority. This includes maintaining a smooth and safe environment for pick-up and drop-off times.

The school has never, and will never, advise parking in a way that obstructs residents' driveways on Ridge Road, or anywhere else in the neighborhood. We understand the convenience of pulling right up, but it's crucial to park legally and considerately.

We kindly ask all parents and guardians to be mindful of the following during pick-up and drop-off:

• Park safely and with due care.

• Respect our neighbours and local residents. This includes not parking across driveways at any time.

• If parking is limited, consider carpooling or using alternative transportation options when possible.

To further ensure safety and a smooth flow of traffic, we've requested additional police patrols during pick-up and drop-off times.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and considerate of our neighbours.

We thank you in advance, for your support in paying for any trips, after school sessions or clubs on Arbor promptly.  Please let the office know if you require help to access the payment pages.  

On School Grounds: 

To ensure a focused learning environment, students are not permitted to use their personal mobile phones on school grounds or during lessons at LEO Academy Trust schools. This policy has a single exception for documented medical needs.

Storage and Use

For students who travel alone and carry a phone (at their parents' discretion), devices must be turned off upon entering school grounds and remain off until they exit the school gates. All such phones will be securely stored by the school upon arrival and returned at the end of the school day.

Parental Considerations

 We advise parents and guardians to consider providing their children with less expensive devices for safety reasons. While these devices still allow for calls and texts, they can mitigate some of the wider risks associated with more costly phones. We recognise that the ultimate decision regarding device choice rests with the parents.

Online Safety Education

LEO Academy Trust prioritises online safety. Our curriculum, parent workshops, and communications consistently highlight the dangers of unsupervised online access, particularly concerning social media. We also offer regular training and support for parents on online safety practices and managing parental controls on a variety of devices. 

Reporting Absences

There is no longer an option to report a child’s absence via telephone.  We ask that you use the google forms below to report absence.  They are also available to complete on our website using the parent tab.

We do not authorise holidays during term time. If your child is going to be off school due to an exceptional circumstance, then please complete this form:

Request for Exceptional Absence in advance for future appointments and exception absence. 

Brookfield Primary Academy Absence Form for sickness and same day medical appointments.

If your child has an illness that requires them to take medication during school hours (e.g. antibiotics, cough medicine, creams etc.), you must fill in a Medicine Permission form. This can be found on our website under the Parents tab.  Hard copies are also available on the carousel in the school office reception area. 

This form, and the medication, must be brought to the school office on the morning that the medication is due to start. The school office staff will administer the medication at the times stated on the form by the parent/carer. You can collect the medication at the end of the school day, or at the end of the illness.

Please do not send any medicine into class with your child, this includes sore throat lozenges.

If we do not have a Medical Permission form, we will not be able to administer medication to your child. 

Please can we ask you and your child to read through and confirm the Brookfield Primary Academy's Home School Agreement.  The Home School Agreement is a document that outlines what expectations you can have of the school, what expectations we have of our parents/carers and what expectations we have of our pupils.

Also, as part of GDPR, at the end of every academic year, we are required to check that the data we hold for your child on Arbor is up to date and correct. Please can we ask you to log into the Arbor app and click on your child's face (top left hand side of the screen), this will bring up their details. Please scroll down and check if the information is correct, if you need to make any changes this can be done via the app and will be automatically sent to the office admin team to approve.

Also, please can we ask you to check the parental consents for your child, if any of the consents are incorrect or you wish to add or amend anything please let us know, via email bfoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk and we can make the necessary changes.

If we do not hear from you we will accept that the data/consents we hold are correct.

Please refer to our website for our policies: https://www.brookfieldprimary.com/707/policies-and-statements

We pride ourselves on offering our children varied and exciting experiences and activities that help to support their learning of the curriculum. The School Fund will allow us to provide additional activities across all year groups. 

We have a voluntary school fund donation of £10 a term / £30 a year per child or £40 for a family if there are siblings at the school. Parents can pay for School Fund online via our Arbor payment system,  go to Accounts - School Fund - Top Up Account.

We would like to thank you for your support. 

Please..........help your child:

• Regularly listen to your child(ren) read 

• Encourage your child(ren) to complete their homework / Doodle Activities / Timetable Rockstars

• Ask your child about their day and talk about the amazing things they have learned

• Talk positively to your child(ren) about school and their progress / praise their achievements

• Speak to your child(ren)'s class teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team if you have any concerns regarding your child(ren)

• Avoid taking your child(ren) out of school during the school day / term time for appointments and holidays

• Drop your child(ren) off to school on time and in the correct uniform / collect your child(ren) on time / if you drive to collect your child(ren), ensure that you park safely respecting our neighbours and local businesses

Please..........help us:

• Carefully read all communications to ensure that they are fully understood and actioned (if required)

• Promptly report your child(ren)'s absence via the online form

• Ensure you pay for school meals / trips / events on time via Arbor

• If using extended services provided by school - Breakfast & Afterschool club, keep your account in credit

• If you have a child in nursery who attends additional sessions , ensure you keep their account in credit

• Update your personal information via the Arbor App if there are any changes

Please..........help raise funds:

• Contribute towards the School Fund

• Consider taking part in the LEO lottery

• Purchase online items via the Easy Fundraising App (if applicable) 

• Support the PTFA in attending events / or even better support the PTFA in helping to organise events