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Dear Parents and Carers
As we come to the end of another busy term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students, staff, parents and carers for their continued support.
The end of the Christmas term is always a busy time. Over the last two weeks we have enjoyed festive events such as Christmas lunch and our wonderful Christmas Concerts. We have also seen our Year 11’s take their Mock Exams and I am extremely proud of them along with all of our students for all that they have accomplished this term.
This year is somewhat poignant for me as my last Christmas at Snowfields. I have loved every minute of the concerts, lunches and festivities, even more so knowing it will be my last year. I would like to thank all of the staff who have enabled these events to happen so successfully.
At the end of January we will be interviewing for the new Principal of Leigh Academy Snowfields. I look forward to sharing the successful outcome of this process as soon as I am able to.
As we look forward to the Christmas break, I hope this time provides an opportunity to rest, reflect and enjoy time with family and friends. We wish all members of our school community a peaceful, joyful and safe Christmas, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the New Year, refreshed and ready for the term ahead.
Kind regards
Dee Pickerill
Principal
LPPA
Leigh Academy Snowfields is excited to be working towards achieving the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) which is a nationally recognised accreditation focused on strengthening the partnership between school, pupils and families.
By undertaking the LPPA, we will reflect on how we involve families in all aspects of school life- from inductions, day-to-day communication, organising events and fostering a welcoming, inclusive school environment. We believe this commitment will lead to enhanced communication, deeper engagement, and most importantly improved outcomes for our pupils in attendance, progress and wellbeing. We will keep you updated as we progress with the LPPA and we hope that you will support us with this journey.
Pathfinder Enterprise
Pathfinder Students have been focusing on various enterprise projects over the past term.
We were very proud of all of our students who took part in the World War Tearooms, our annual Remembrance Day celebration. The level of professionalism that we see from students has grown year on year and this year we saw such an incredible level of service from our hospitality students. The tearoom raised £190 - a portion of this is given as a donation to The British Legion in memory of those who served in the World Wars.
Father Christmas’ Postal Service has returned for a second year. Students have been responding to letters written by children and creating Christmas Eve boxes. The addition of Christmas Eve boxes has given our creative students the opportunity to write and illustrate a sweet Christmas story which is accompanied by hot chocolate kits and handmade goodies.
Students practice their functional writing skills as well as working in the packing box assembly line.
We are very grateful to all of our supporters, students are able to add the skills they learn in these valuable learning opportunities to their CVs. Money raised supports charity donations, allows us to purchase provisions for our Duke of Edinburgh programme and students purchase a Secret Santa gift for each other.
Christmas Showcases
Minster College
Leigh Academy Snowfields at Minster held their inaugural Christmas Showcase on 9th December, marking a brilliant new tradition for the college. The event was enthusiastically supported by a large number of parents and carers who attended to celebrate the wonderful talents of their children.
The morning was filled with enthusiastic students and eagerly awaiting parents and carers. A host of talent was shown from different areas, including singing, signing, animations, sports skill videos, and a specific interest quiz! Our students were amazing, funny, and energetic, which was matched by the wonderful faces and smiles across the audience. A great morning was had by all.
Fantastic support was offered by the Pathfinder students who travelled from Cranbrook. They generously offered hot drinks, and were a fantastic support throughout the morning. They also raised money for their Enterprise projects through the festive sale of their sweet treats.
Cranbrook and Bearsted
Although at time of writing our Cranbrook and Bearsted Showcases have yet to take place, we anticipate hugely successful events, with more entrants than ever wowing our parents and families with music, dance, drama, comedy, animation, trivia and even football!
As always, it is a privilege to work with our young people, supporting them to show off their abilities to their loved ones, as well as their peers and staff. Huge thanks goes to all members of our Snowfields Community who support these events - your contributions are always appreciated, and do not go unnoticed!
Working Partnership between Minster College and Leigh Academy Minster
On the 4th December Minster College were delighted to host 7 fantastic Leigh Academy Minster prefects (from Years 7-10) who visited Leigh Academy Snowfields for a tour and delivered a brilliant presentation on Leigh Academy Minster to our students. The prefects showed exceptional professionalism and respect, delivering their presentation beautifully and being keenly interested in touring our different spaces. Our Snowfields students showed great curiosity and engagement, asking a range of different questions, making it a truly valuable and interactive session for everyone involved!
Cross-College Key Stage 4-5 Maths Inspiration Trip
On Monday, 1st December, our Years 10-12 students enjoyed a fantastic Maths Inspiration theatre show at the Cambridge Theatre (home of Matilda The Musical) in London.
The trip included a short walking tour of Westminster, taking in sights like Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Downing Street, the Cenotaph, Parliament Square, and St. James's Park (where we saw the famous pelicans!), before the show.
The students heard from four Maths researchers who shared engaging aspects of their work, including:
Aoife Hunt: The mathematics of predicting crowd movements in football grounds.
Hugh Hunt: The physics of spinning objects, like boomerangs and rotating satellites.
Colin Wright: How mathematics can be used to create juggling tricks.
Zoe Griffiths: Using maths to better understand numbers and statistics in the news.
Despite significant train disruption on the journey home, the students were impeccably behaved and were a credit to the school throughout the day.
Year 10 Poetry Workshop
As part of the Cranbrook Literary Festival, we were lucky to have the opportunity to host poet, performer and creative facilitator, Arji Manuelpillai, who spent time working with our students, focusing on developing their creative writing skills and encouraging them to explore the power of language. Students engaged fully with the session and there were some fantastic ideas shared, as well as having the chance to hear some of Arji’s own poems.
Year 7 Christmas Pantomime
On Friday December 12th, the festive spirit arrived at Leigh Academy Snowfields, Bearsted, as we once again had the pleasure of hosting a Year 7 pantomime. This year, the wonderful Sixth Form Drama students from Valley Park School delivered a wonderful performance of Snow White. The show was a great success, packed with brilliant songs and hilarious moments that had both students and staff giggling and laughing throughout, not to mention joining in! We are incredibly grateful that Valley Park continues to include us on their local schools’ touring schedule.
Autism Research
Are you a parent or carer of an autistic young person?
Stronger Together: How Relationships and Participation Support Resilience in Autistic Young People
Our Therapy Assistant at Snowfields, Ms Conington, is conducting research as part of a Master’s in Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Can you spare twenty - thirty minutes to help improve our
understanding of resilience in autistic young people?
Take part in research about resilience and participation in autistic young people.
All data is anonymous and confidential.
https://cccusocialsciences.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_80rGu6ukbUPBNVI
Thank you for your support!
Sensory-Friendly Tips for Christmas
Some individuals have heightened sensitivity, meaning that certain sounds, textures, lights, smells, or tastes can be overwhelming and trigger feelings of anxiety or discomfort. Others may have reduced sensitivity, where their brain receives less sensory input than needed. This can lead them to seek extra stimulation by being loud, overly active or clumsy.
Maintain routines for predictability. If there will be a change in routine, let your child know ahead of time with a visual schedule.
Allot time quiet periods. There are a lot more sensory overloading experiences happening at this time of the year so allow for periods of rest and quiet.
Respect special/restricted diets. Let everyone know and ask them not to offer food. Well-meaning people think a child is missing out if they don't try all the Christmas treats.
Plan for sensory challenging moments. Sometimes it may be impossible to have a sensory friendly environment at a family gathering or outing. Consider bringing noise cancelling headphones, fidget toys for waiting times or to use for calming, and allocate quiet spaces ahead of time where possible.
Visiting family and friends. When out visiting, limit the length of the visit, put it on the visual schedule, and make sure children bring a few things that they find comforting.
Behaviour Policy
In February we updated our behaviour policy as part of our ongoing commitment to promoting a positive behaviour culture within our school, where all students can thrive and reach their full potential.
The updated policy is in line with the latest guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), the SEN Code of Practice, and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance. It reflects our dedication to providing a supportive and consistent approach to behaviour management that is tailored to the needs of our students.
It is important that we teach young people actions have consequences. Snowfields behaviour approach aims to replicate this for students in a supportive educational environment. We predominantly utilise positive reinforcement and restorative practices. This means we praise the positive and support students to learn from the negative.
This updated Behaviour Policy is linked to a range of resources we use in school to support positive behaviour and de-escalation strategies. These resources help us to create a consistent and supportive environment for all our learners.
We believe that a positive learning environment is crucial for academic success and personal well-being. We strive to ensure that Snowfields is a disruption-free environment where all learners can focus on their education.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us achieve this. We value your partnership in ensuring that Snowfields is a positive and nurturing community for all.
Our behaviour policy can be found on our website: Behaviour-Support-Policy-Procedures
Attendance News
We have been working closely with families over the past year to support students who struggle with their attendance and understand that many of our students struggle particularly with anxiety, which in turn impacts on their attendance. However, over the past year we have had some huge successes and have seen students return to school using many of our strategies that we can use to support parents and ensure they continue to access lessons.
Our overall attendance sits just below the national average for special schools and will be looking to improve our attendance in the next academic year. In line with national guidance, we will be communicating with parents via letter to advise you if your child's attendance is of concern and work with you to support your child's return to school. Our Student Service Managers are a vital link to keeping in touch with parents and finding solutions to any concerns that you may have, particularly around attendance.
We will continue to celebrate the positive with certificates for those who achieve over 95% or made the biggest improvements. Well done to the students that have achieved this since September.
SMS Attendance Reporting
Just a reminder that we now have a mobile number that you can use to report absences 07860 054 492. Please send a text message with Students Name/ Dates of Absence/ Reason of Absence by 9.30 in the morning. Future dates can be reported too. Alternatively you can still use the office email address to report student absence: info@snowfieldsacademy.org.uk. The office staff will then pass these messages on to form tutors.
My Child At School (MCAS)
My Child At School (MCAS)
As you are aware, Snowfields has now implemented a parent platform called My Child At School (MCAS). This is an online platform which is designed to share key information about your child/children's school day and enable effective communication between parents and the school.
All our communications are now issued via the School Office and sent to you via MCAS including letters and documents which will also be shared with you in the same way. Ahead of the issuing of School Reports and Provision Plans, we would like to encourage families to sign up to MCAS if you haven't already done so.
MCAS has proved to be a great help to parents as it allows them to see their child's timetable, attendance, positive behaviour points and school reports to name but a few.
Parents no longer need a link from the school - you can sign up yourself just as long as you use the email address we hold on our system for you.
If you need any support with self-sign up, then please feel free to contact the School Office who will assist you with this.
School Contact Details
Messages from the School will show as 12072@bromcomcloud.com. This is a no reply email address.
Please do not message Teachers directly, if you wish to contact the school you can do so in the following ways:
Call the school office on 01622 250 050
Email your respective college -
Bearsted - infobearsted@snowfields.latrust.org.uk
Cranbrook - infocranbrook@snowfields.latrust.org.uk
Minster - infominster@snowfields.latrust.org.uk
Contact the school using MCAS ✉️ this message is sent directly to info@snowfields.latrust.org.uk
For Attendance Only - you can send a text message to 07860 054 492. This is a SMS service only it will not accept voice messages.
Confidential emails for Mrs Pickerill can be emailed to principal@snowfields.latrust.org.uk
Uniform Expectations NEW UNIFORM
At Snowfields Academy, like most schools we have expectations of our pupils’ uniform. Pupils are expected to wear a white shirt, black blazer, black shoes and black trousers or skirt. Some boys also wear a Snowfields tie. Trainers which are not black, or have distinct coloured branding, do not meet our uniform expectations.
Students may also prefer cotton Snowfields T-shirts, polo shirts or shorts which are also acceptable. To order directly from our uniform supplier, Brigade, click this link.
Where necessary, we can make reasonable adjustments for individual pupils. This does however need to be agreed with either the senior leadership team or your college behaviour lead.
If you feel that your child cannot meet our uniform expectations and will require reasonable adjustments, please contact your college Student Services Manager.
Brigade
https://thewebsitehosters.co.uk/brigade-2025/PD
Schools Team Officers and Safeguarding
Safeguarding Team
The Safeguarding team at Snowfields meet regularly to discuss ways in which we can support our students and families. The team has grown and the school website reflects the current staff members who are involved.
Details of our designated team at each college can be found below.
Safeguarding Links
Snowfields Policy - It’s important that all Snowfields students understand Safeguarding and the school policy is available in easy to read language: Child Friendly Safeguarding Policy.
Helpful links - websites that we recommend include:
Snowfields 2025/26 term dates are available to view on our website:
https://snowfieldsacademy.org.uk/academy-life/term-dates/
The Official Snowfields Academy Facebook
Please like the page and see what the students do day to day at Snowfields.
Your support will be much appreciated
Infinity Cafe
Infinity Cafe is open for bookings 9.30-2.30 Monday to Friday Term Times only
Call 01622 250050 or email info@infinitycafe.org.uk or pop in for a take-away if you are passing. Your custom will give our students excellent opportunities to develop transferable skills for employment.
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