LEARNING

EXCELLENCE

OPPORTUNITY

It seems timely to remind all parents that we consider Brookfield a safe place for children. All staff have attended safeguarding training. This training is updated yearly. The designated staff for safeguardng are Ms Prathayini Wright (Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead), Ms Rachel Mander (Vice Principal and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) and Ms Sarah Pearson(Vice Principal for Inclusion and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead), Mrs Claire Langford(Office Manager and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead), Mrs Catherine Davies(Year Group Leader and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead). Please see our safeguarding policy and procedures on the school website.

Please see below an leaflet regarding the Discord App, please note it is 13+ only!

Discord Online Safety

This week the children had their first day at school! The children have been excellent at learning all about their new classrooms and their new teachers. We are so proud of the start you have all made to the year. We are learning about the topic- 'This is Me!'

We are learning about the topic- 'This is Me!' As part of this topic, the children have brought in little bags containing items that tell the story of who they are. We have seen lots of lovely baby photos and drawings of the children's families. We have been finding out about your favourite foods and toys you like to play with.

We have also worked really hard to paint pictures of ourselves- look how lovely they are!

We have had a busy couple of weeks gradually introducing the children to more formal teaching that we do in Y1. They have been super stars learning how to work with the Maths No Problem books and have been busy counting, comparing and ordering numbers. Having had our bears visit us last Friday, we have been labelling and describing our bears in literacy. We are focusing on word building using our phonics to help us spell words. We hope the children have enjoyed sharing a story with you from our class book boxes. Please remember that the children are not expected to read this book... this is simply to develop a love of reading. Something that we can do in the most unusual of plcaes!

We have been learning a lot about place value this week and being able to partition numbers into tens and ones! To help us, we have used the Dienes blocks to visualise the place value. In art this week, we explored cultural art from the Aborigines. We focused on dot painting and used different painting equipment to create our own pieces of art. We used cotton buds and toothpicks to vary the size. Year 2 have had great fun in English! We have read a new story 'Tiddlalick the Frog' and we acted out the story using puppets through role play - it was a wonderful show! Year 2 have had the privilege of using the VR Headsets this week to learn about hot and cold countries around the globe!

Year 3 have been inspired by the book 'Akimbo and the Elephants' to write a description of the setting, using interesting vocabulary and fronted adverbials. In Maths, they have continued to learn to partition a 3-digit number into hundreds, tens and ones to help them find one/ten/hundred more/less than a given number. We have began to learn about nutrition in Science and we can now identify the different food groups and how much we need to eat of each category. In RE we enjoyed learning about the celebration of Rakhi and we made bracelets for our friends as a sign of appreciation for them.

We enjoyed Recycling week and we learned a lot about how to reduce waste.

Year 4 have been very busy this week. We have been using expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials to write detailed descriptions of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. We have tried to make our writing exciting by adding similes and metaphors to our work. We have also been partitioning 4 digit numbers into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones and have been rounding 4 digit numbers to the nearest thousand and hundred. In our Reading lessons, we have been focusing on using our inference skills to explain and interpret stories including the fable of the Fox and the Crow. During our topic lessons, we have been creating a timeline on slides to show the main events of Roman rule in Britain. We have enjoyed creating new recycling logo as part of our Recycling Week Celebration and have really impressed our teachers with our ukulele playing in Music. After only 2 weeks of lessons we can strum and pick a chord in two different songs. It sounds amazing

What another glorious week for Year 5. We have been busy writing diary entries in the role of the protagonist's (Michael) mum from our class novel Kensuke's Kingdom. Sadly, Michael went overboard on the boat they were travelling in and now we are writing how mum feels about the events. The children have used adventurous vocabulary and expert grammar and punctuation. We can't wait for parents to read them! We have continued our understanding of number and place value and explored rounding this week. We have used a rhyme to help us remember the rules for rounding. We got to explore life on board a ship during our Topic lesson. I don't think Christopher Columbus and his crew had a particularly comfortable time on board the ship! In Science we have developed our understanding of reproduction in plants.

What a great week it has been for year 6! In English, they have been busy writing newspaper articles reporting on the events of Louis Sachar's 'Holes'. Year 6 have tried extremely hard proof reading and editing their own work ensuring they have included the success criteria. In Maths, they started tackling the tricky topic of BODMAS. Their concentration skills to solve questions was exemplary. Year 6 also really enjoyed celebrating the Hindu festival, Rakhi. They discussed what this special celebration was and even design their own Rakhi bracelets. In Topic, they kick started their learning on 'Our Changing Worlds' with researching erosion and weathering and the impact on the environment In Science, we explored the key elements of the circulatory system and why it is vital for our survival.

Following recent training sessions we wanted to share some resources with you to support your child with GSuite.

Slides from the session

Youtube recording

Google Classroom Interactive Guide

Supporting Parents Helpfinder - Answer six questions to find out how you can support your child's mental health during the pandemic, see link below:

Young Minds - Supporting Parents Helpfinder

Mrs McGauley (SENCO at Cheam Park Farm) is excitedly heading off on maternity leave on Friday the 17th of September. Ms Pearson (Mrs Wells from 25/09/2021) (Inclusion Manager at Brookfield) will be covering the SENCo role at Cheam Park Farm whilst Mrs McGauley is away.

Ms Pearson will be working across all 3 sites (days listed below) and in order to help with communication between home and school, a new joint email system has been set up.

For all SEN enquiries, questions, discussions or to speak to Ms Pearson please use the new email of

ncsen@leoacademytrust.co.uk

For now, the Brookfield SEN email will be closed from the end of September until further notice. Whilst Mrs McGauley is on maternity leave please use the email address above for communication.

Ms Pearson will be at Brookfield on Wednesday and Friday; Cheam Park Farm on Monday and Thursday.

Terracycle

There is a new recycle through a company called www.terracycle.com. There is a public drop off in North Cheam, which you can deliver sorted selected single use plastic too, please check the Facebook page for the details of acceptable items. https://www.facebook.com/TadworthTerracycle/, we have a total of 13 different drop off points. This is a purely voluntary organisation and we raise money for charity, our main charity is The Alzheimer's Society.

Note: End of Year Pupil School Reports - Attendance

Due to the unprecedented times and the disruption caused to the children's school attendance this past academic year we have made the decision to not report their attendance data on the End of Year Pupil School Reports.

You will be aware that the school does not authorise any holidays. Very rarely we are able to authorise leave in exceptional circumstances. You must complete a ‘Request for Special Leave’ form in order for the request to be sanctioned.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS, because…

• Children with good attendance achieve much better in their learning

• Time off disrupts learning for your child, and also for the rest of the class

• Children who miss school miss out on their right to a full education

• It is your legal responsibility to ensure that your child attends school regularly

• Persistent unauthorised absence could lead to court action, including fines

Attendance 96% to 100% - 0 to 7 days missed per year – your child’s good attendance will give them every chance of being a successful learner who makes good progress.

Attendance 92% to 95.9% - 8 to 15 days missed per year – you should try to improve your child’s attendance to make sure they have the best possible chance of success at school.

Attendance 90% to 91.9% - 16 to 19 days missed per year – your child’s attendance is dangerously close to falling to a level which can stop them making progress at school.

Attendance below 90% - 20 or more days missed per year – your child is considered a ‘persistent absentee’ in government statistics, and their poor attendance is putting them at serious risk of underachieving at school.

DID YOU KNOW

½ day missed every week = 90% attendance

1 day missed every week = 80% attendance

1 school year at 90% attendance = 4 whole weeks of lessons MISSED

1 school year at 80% attendance = 8 whole weeks of lessons MISSED

By the time a pupil is persistently absent (85% attendance) they have missed 6 weeks or half a term of schooling.

The simple message is: the greater the attendance, the greater the achievement.

Please where possible make dental, medical or other appointments during the holidays or out of school hours. If the appointment is during school hours we will require an appointment letter/card as proof of the appointment. If the appointment is urgent or last minute, please advise the school as soon as possible. Please do not keep your son or daughter out of school the whole day when they have appointments. When a child is collected early for an appointment it is disruptive for the class and the office staff.

Praise and reward good attendance at home and at school. During the year we will reward termly 100% attendance with certificates. Bronze certificate for 100% attendance for one term, silver certificate for 100% attendance for two terms and gold certificate for 100% attendance for three terms.

If a school can improve attendance by 1%, we will see a 5-6% improvement in attainment (Department for Education). Please help us and your son or daughter by ensuring their attendance remains above 97%, allowing them to achieve their full potential.

As you know we encourage families to walk, cycle or scoot to school where possible. I would like to remind you - cycling and scooting are not permitted on the school premises. Anybody caught doing so will be asked to get off their scooter or leave their scooter outside the school gates. Please park bikes and scooters safely and securely and ensure they are clearly named.

Safer parking at the school gates

We realise that there are some parents/carers who have no alternative but to drive their children to school, however, many are driving short distances where walking is a real option. Even those who have to drive to school can do their bit by parking away from the school entrance and walking for part of the journey.

What can you do to help keep everyone safe around the school gates?

• Please do park thoughtfully and not park in front of the local residents’ drives.

• Please don’t block the road - emergency vehicles and other traffic may need access.

• Please don't park on yellow lines, zig-zags or block the school entrance.

• Please don't park on the pavement, across dropped kerbs or residents’ driveways.

• Please don't park opposite or within 10 metres of a junction.

• Please don't park where you will cause inconvenience to other road users.

• Please don't leave your vehicle with the engine still running as the children and adults nearby will be inhaling those dangerous fumes.

• Please don't stop in the middle of the road to drop your child off, even for a few seconds.

These changes make a real difference to the congestion around school, making the school run less stressful and far safer for everyone. Not only that but they will help your child’s education. Research has shown that children who walk or cycle to school are more receptive to learning at the start of the school day than those who travel to school by car. Stopping or Parking on the yellow zigzags is illegal and is endangering your child.

Please park safely.

Walk to school and save fuel, if you can!

• If your child suffers from asthma they must have an in-date, spare inhaler in school at all times along with a spacer. These should be given to the office who will store them securely. Please check on a yearly basis that the inhaler is still fit for purpose. Please also ensure any child with an allergy has appropriate medication in school, i.e Epipen/Piriton etc. This could be life-saving.

• We ask that pupils bring in their own water bottles daily. The bottles need to be clearly labelled with the child's name and only have water in them.

• Please leave buggies and prams outside the school buildings, as it could be very hazardous in an emergency. Currently, the office is operating on a 'one in and one out' policy. Please ensure you wear a mask if you enter the school building.

• Please remember that all children in KS2 are encouraged to bring fresh fruit or vegetables to school for a mid-morning snack during playtime. Many children are really hungry by lunchtime and will be happier and learn better if they have eaten something at playtime.

• Only children in Year 6 are permitted to bring a mobile phone into school and only if absolutely necessary. Phones are stored in the office during the school day.

• No pets in the playground please especially dogs! (Excluding guide dogs). This includes owners carrying their dog in their arms. We cannot permit any pets on the premises.

• Please do not let your children climb on the climbing frames in the KS1 or KS2 playground.

• No smoking is allowed anywhere in the school or grounds.

• I would like to urge parents to remember to park thoughtfully and not park in front of the local residents’ drives or on the yellow zig zag lines in front of the school. We would like to see as many families and staff as possible walking, cycling or scooting to school.

• Please ensure that you look at your Arbor account as we are a paperless school and all information is sent via this portal. If you have any queries, please contact the school office.

Presto Performing Arts are a local, independent Performing Arts school with classes running at Brookfield Primary on Friday evenings for children aged 4-16. Presto pride themselves on being one of the most affordable schools, with a team of industry professionals, many of whom are West End performers. They offer a free trial class, and don’t ‘tie you in’ to a contract or payment plan at any point.

What makes Presto slightly different to other schools is that they work towards an end of term performance every single term at Presto, giving students the opportunity to develop their confidence on a regular basis. They also perform a large-scale show in a local theatre every 2 years so the students can experience performing professionally.

They offer extra opportunities such as dance competitions, LAMDA accredited exams, annual performances at the Sutton light switch-on, 1:1 private singing lessons and the opportunity to perform in Disneyland Paris.

Get in touch to book a free trial class.

07525 456736

PrestoPerformingArts@live.co.uk

Presto Performing Arts Poster

We have a number of exciting opportunities arising across the Trust:

LEO Academy Trust Vacancies

Sutton Schools Nursing Service

Children, young people and families with any concerns can contact the school nursing service via phone. For parents, the school nursing duty line number 0208 770 5409 from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. For children and young people who require support, the contact number is 0208 770 4409 9am-5pm, or the email address is

schoolnursing@sutton.gov.uk

Learning Support

Sutton College is offering to help parents support their child/ren with FREE online Family Learning English and Maths workshops and courses. Please see the link below for further details.

Family Learning

Our local jobcentre

https://www.jobcentrenearme.com/

We've asked pupils at Brookfield what they love about their school: find out what they say here!

Please find below a reminder of our procedures for communicating with the school

The School Office is open daily from 8:00am – 4:30pm

The phone number is 020 8644 8616 (the phone lines are open from 9:15am to 4:30pm)

Email: bfoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk

Our website address is http://www.brookfield.sutton.sch.uk

The office staff can deal with all general queries and take messages for our teaching staff. If any problems should arise, please let us know as soon as possible. Class Teachers continually monitor every child’s progress and will contact you with any concerns about academic progress, behaviour and application in the classroom. Pastoral care is also offered to the children in their class and across the school. Your child’s class teacher should always be your first point of call with any general concerns that arise. If you still have ongoing concerns, please make an appointment to speak to a Middle Leader. Our Middle Leaders/Year Leaders are - EYFS Mrs Nicola Marrable, Y1 Mrs Paula Holmes, Y2 Miss Rebecca Giacopazzi, Y3 Ms Eva Rubio, Y4 Mrs Michelle Underwood, Y5 Mrs Catherine Davies, Y6 Miss Sara Brice. Any concerns that you feel still have not been addressed will be escalated to the school’s Senior Leadership Team. Our Senior Leaders are - Ms Sarah Pearson (Wells) (Inclusion Manager and Vice Principal), Ms Rachel Mander (Teixeira) (Vice Principal), Ms Prathayini Wright (Principal) and Mrs Alison Day ( Executive Principal).