Dear Families,
We are almost two thirds of the way through this academic year already. Seeing our Year 7s so settled at Bearsted and Cranbrook, and making such good progress is wonderful; they are making new friends, learning and making progress and enjoying the wonderful facilities we have to offer. Many of you follow us on facebook where you get the opportunity to see and like the many events we share with you. We are already beginning to think about the changes September will bring; our first ever 6th form students who will be led by Emily Stone, more Year 7s, newly recruited teachers and TAs - there’s lots to do to get everything ready! We have already offered places to all of the students who will be joining us in Year 7 and we have some exciting transition events planned for them. But before then we have our first ever external exams for our Year 11 students. This inspiring group of young people have always been our oldest students, having joined us in Year 9 in September 2020. We wish them all well for their exams which begin in May, and then we will need to plan their next steps, either with us in Sixth Form or onto other destinations.
Thanks to those of you who completed our Parent Survey, we really do appreciate this feedback. We are delighted that so many of you are so happy with our provision, and especially the many positive comments about communication which we have worked hard on following feedback last year. Your most recent feedback has suggested some of you would like to know more about what your children are learning each term so we will be making this information more available to you in the coming weeks. It has been a pleasure for me to meet so many of you at our recent Lambing Weekend at Cranbrook. Your support was very much appreciated and the event was a joy.
Jade Searles, PE teacher and Behaviour Lead teacher at Bearsted has now begun her maternity leave; we wish Jade and her family well and thanks to Hannah who will be covering the Behaviour Lead role.
I hope Easter becomes a little more Spring-like weather wise. Whatever you are doing to celebrate I hope you enjoy some time away from the usual routine of school life and perhaps a little chocolate!
Best wishes,
Dee Pickerill
Principal
Personal Development
Personal Development helps students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, preparing themselves for life in the future and at work.
At Snowfields we develop responsible, respectful and active citizens, promoting equality of opportunity in an inclusive environment. We work on pupils' character, giving them qualities they need to flourish in society.
The PSHE/RSE/safeguarding intent of our curriculum is implemented through our comprehensive jigsaw programme, well being time, core values as well as throughout our curriculum areas. Safeguarding education is completed in all year groups and across different subject areas to ensure that students utilise their learning to be safe.
Underpinning Personal Development at Snowfields are our core values which are:
Work Hard
Be Kind
Communicate
Stay Safe
Be Kind
To improve students personal development they have a wealth of opportunities on offer to them including : co-curricular opportunities, clubs at school, trips, visits, careers, unifrog.
World Book Day
World Book Day 2023 was a big success, both colleges enjoyed reading a classic Roald Dahl story throughout the day. Some lessons even had some surprising readers!
Students were also invited to take part in a range of activities over the week to celebrate our love of books. Students took part in Benicia’s library quiz; they made bookmarks; completed word searches and took a full range of quizzes on the books they have read over the week.
We would love to hear what books students have got with their book tokens from World Book Day and maybe a picture of them reading them.
Comic Relief - RND
On Friday 17th March, students and staff alike raised money for Red Nose Day by donating money to wear their own clothes. It was great to see a sea of red during our Friday Celebration Assemblies at both sites.
In total we raised over £200.00, A big thank you to everyone who donated.
Neurodiversity Week
Library board display
Window Displays in Reception
This year Snowfields students and staff were involved in a variety of activities to celebrate the Neurodiversity in our school community. Our theme for this year was ‘we all need the right conditions to bloom.’
The morning Wellbeing time saw students creating paper flowers to fit with the theme, creating designs for new Well done postcards, providing some feedback to teachers about ways to support their executive functioning skills and writing paragraphs about how our school wellbeing dogs support Mental Health. The library had a display up all week and a challenge to look up some content in books by authors who are neurodiverse.
A highlight for some of the students in Key stage 3 was speaking to Dan from MindJam about the benefits of gaming and how many companies in the gaming industry seek out people who are Neurodiverse. Year 9 students enjoyed a cross college visit where Bearsted students enjoyed some time on the Cranbrook farm and Cranbrook students spent the afternoon doing a horticulture task with Helen at Bearsted. We were also delighted to have students visit Bearsted College from Milestone Academy. The students worked with Helen and some Year 11s to create a pot plant to take home.
Physical Education
During the last two modules students at Cranbrook have experienced a real contrast of sports, and activities.
Module 3 consisted of Short tennis, Badminton and Volleyball and Module four has been Trampolining and some Gymnastics all happening alongside of their co-curricular offer of swimming and Mountain bikes.
Students have continued on from the net games into the aesthetics developing their coordination and pair work by using their chromebooks to record their movements and shapes on the trampolines and watching back in slo-mo to analyse performance and improve skills. Next term as the weather improves we hope to begin our Athletics season in preparation for sports day and other competitions in the final module of the year.
Angley Cup - Football Tournament
In January we held the (what we hope to be annual!) “Angley Cup”. This 6 a side football tournament was a great opportunity to showcase not only our football skills but our ability to adapt, integrate and socialise with peers from other specialist schools. Our students trained every day leading up to the matches, worked incredibly hard and importantly on and off the pitch supported one another in preparing for the competition.
This inclusive event involved an Alternative Provision and two SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) schools from Kent. Snowfields pupils from both the Cranbrook and Bearsted colleges were a credit to the school with how they engaged with our visitors.
We were all very proud of how the Snowfields' students performed on the day and how they all managed the challenge.
The Arts
Art students across Key Stage 3 have spent this term exploring Colour Theory, Surrealism and The Green Man, and Portraiture in Art, developing their key skills and applying some of their knowledge in more sustained work.
In Music, students have enjoyed exploring the elements of music, African drumming inspired performance and composition and Rock music’s roots and history.
At Key Stage 4, art students in Year 10 are underway with their personal portfolio projects, and Year 11 and approaching the end of their externally set topic. We wish them all the best with their upcoming assessment! A selection of work from our KS4 students is showcased here.
IT and Careers
Careers Week
Careers week slides
All students accessed careers week on the 6th-10th March. Students learnt about a range of different career opportunities across the curriculum.
Magistrate Visit
Year 10s at Bearsted had a visit from Alvin Shaw. He gave them a workshop about the justice system and actions and consequences.
ICT updates
At Bearsted year 10 and 11 students have been working towards completing a unit on spreadsheets which goes towards their Occupational studies qualification as well as securing their knowledge in preparation for their Year 10 Mock ICT exam and the year 11s will be sitting their level 1 functional skills exam in early module 5.
Celebration Assemblies and Shout Outs
Celebration Assemblies, a key feature of the week at Cranbrook, arrived at Bearsted in January. Students come together in their Key Stages on Fridays to focus on our Core Value of Be Happy.
Students can receive certificates for achievements in their lessons, as well as individual and tutor certificates for the most amount of reward points gained during the week. As well as the all-important Core Value Award, this award is decided by the Senior Leadership Team for students who have gone above and beyond in and out of their lessons to demonstrate the Core Values that are so dear to Snowfields Academy.
At the end of the assembly students have the opportunity to read the Shout Out board; staff update the board throughout the week with all the great work and effort we see in our students throughout the week.
These collective opportunities to celebrate the success of students are truly a highlight of the week, staff and students enjoy guessing which student has gained each award and applauding each others’ successes. We are also keen to share achievements of our young people outside of school, so inform us of any successes so we can share with their peers.
Post 16 updates
Plans for our Post 16 provision (Pathfinder) are moving along nicely. We will be starting building work on the top floor of the Cranbrook campus soon, in order to adapt the current facilities into ones that suit the needs of our learners - this includes a common room, something that many of those students staying on with us have asked about.
We have finalised our logo design and are pleased to be able to share this with you now.
Year 11s across the country are now thinking about and naming which provision they want to attend. This is an incredibly important time, as the exam period approaches and portfolios of coursework are put together to be assessed.
We are really excited for our Year 11s as they make the next steps on their educational journeys.
Exams
Year 10s have sat the first of their KS4 mock exams this term. It is an important milestone in preparing for the end of KS4 assessments and preparing for further education. Students are given the opportunity to experience the exams hall, the regulations and the style of papers. We are really proud of all the students for the hard work they have put into completing these assessments.
Year 11s are approaching their official exam window - as our first cohort of students entering a Summer Exams session, we are working closely with them and outside agencies to support them as much as possible.
Students will be accessing a 30 minute Kooth Exams Stress webinar on 27th April.
Students have access to all their Google Classrooms as well as a ‘How to Revise’ classroom. There are books in the library that support revision and stress management - please speak to Benicia or Emily.
Library
Accelerated reader, Bookopoly
Module Four has been busy for both libraries! The focus for this term has been ‘Me and My Community’ with books and displays on topics such as Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, mental health, positive well-being, and celebrating diversity.
In February, we celebrated LGBT+ History Month and some of the Bearsted students painted their hands to create a rainbow display for the library. Both colleges had a range of books on offer to students if they wanted to learn more. This was followed by World Book Day in March. Both libraries were decorated and daily activities and competitions were provided: this included a World Book Day Quiz where we learned Dee’s favourite book and that Cranbrook students had taken 194 Accelerated Reader quizzes between September and March! The quiz also included a few book-related puzzles: can you guess the title of this popular children’s novel? (See pictures)
For Neurodiversity Week both libraries had a ‘we all need the right conditions to bloom’ display with some feature books: some informative, some with neurodiverse characters, and some written by neurodiverse authors. Both libraries also had access to a Neurodiversity Week Library Challenge, where students had to find some of these books and search for clues to be able to complete a quote that celebrates neurodiversity. As the module comes to an end we will have some library Easter activities too.
Accelerated Reader usage across both colleges is increasing, with certificates being awarded each week during our celebration assemblies. One Year Seven student at Cranbrook college has read over 1.6 million words since September, and there are a few more who are also close to reading 1 million words too- amazing!
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Snowfields Cross College Events
Students from Cranbrook were invited to attend a cross college football tournament at Bearsted College, also in attendance were students from Rowhill School. The tournament involved students playing twenty minute matches (sometimes one after the other) they all worked extremely hard and although very very tired thoroughly enjoyed challenges each game brought. It was great to see the students mixing on and off of the pitch and supporting each other both verbally and sometimes physically (picking each other up).
Showcase Event- Lambing Weekend
The Lambing Weekend was held on the 18th and 19th of March, the first one for three years and also the 25th one to be held at the farm.
The effort and planning for this starts in October when the rams go in, no rams no lambs! We try to keep this as a family and community event with lots of other young animals besides the lambs to see.
The whole college staff and students all help in the run up to the event to make the farm and surrounding areas neat, tidy and safe. Staff also came in to help on both days as well as ex young farmers and farm supporters from the past, they were all brilliant.
Although the start of Saturday was a bit wet, the weather did improve. Sunday was a lovely day and the crowds did come. It was just like old times!
We do appreciate everyone's hard work to make this event so successful, it has been very useful for our students to be so involved in such a high profile public event and it is a real chance to engage with our local community in so many positive ways. We hope to repeat it again next year. Many thanks to everyone who helped in any way.
Raffle and Tombola
Thank you to the Parents, Staff and local businesses for Donations. The two days were a great success, with lots of familiar faces coming to have a try to win a prize. The prizes included Meal and meat vouchers, Haircuts, Dance lessons, Hampers and lots of exciting other items. Every penny raised goes back to the Farm. So Thank you and see you again next year!
As the end of term approaches, we wanted to take a moment to share with you the exciting and diverse mathematics topics covered across our different year groups.
Year 7 students have been exploring construction and coordinates, where they have developed their skills with using compasses to construct 2D shapes and learned how to use coordinates to locate and represent points on a plane.
Year 8 students have been diving into ratio, real-life graphs, and proportion, wher they have learned how to compare quantities using ratios, interpret and create real-life graphs, and solve problems involving proportion.
Year 9 students have been delving into the world of indices and standard form. They have learned how to work with numbers in index form, convert numbers to and from standard form, and use these concepts to model growth and decay in real-world situations.
Our Year 10 GCSE students have been exploring probability and measures of accuracy. They have also learned how to use statistical techniques to analyse and interpret data, which is an essential skill for the future.
Our Year 10 Functional Skills students have been working on the use of numbers and the number system. They have developing their skills at solving problems using the order of operations, calculating with squares and square roots, and using fractions.
Our Year 11 GCSE students have been studying probability and sequences. They have learned how to calculate probabilities, use tree diagrams and Venn diagrams to model probability, and work with sequences and series, which will be useful in many real-world situations.
Finally, our Year 11 Functional Skills students have been exploring data handling and probability. They have learned how to collect and organise data, calculate summary statistics, and use probability to make predictions and draw conclusions, which are valuable skills for their future education and careers.
Careers week gave us an opportunity to consider the role of Maths across a number of different STEM careers, including their working conditions. We were particularly intrigued with the Google office environment! Some year 7 and year 9 pupils were given the opportunity to meet a Maths publisher from the OUP, and ask her questions about her role.
We were invited to attend a Maths Olympiad, held at Valence School, Westerham. A team of year 9 pupils pitted their mathematical wits against a number of teams from Valence. Our hosts gave us a warm welcome. We had a lot of fun solving tricky Maths problems collaboratively.
We have our first KS3 inter-college Maths tournament at the end of module 4. Key stage 3 pupils from both colleges competed to win the coveted Inter-college Maths trophy. Pupils participated in a variety of different games and tasks that involved mathematical thinking. It finished with a group challenge. It was very close, but Cranbrook won the trophy this time. Bearsted students were fortunate to finish the morning seeing a lamb being born in the tour of Cranbrook College. Future challenges to follow. Well done to all the students who took part. It was a positively-competitive atmosphere.
Some of our Maths teachers got to have a bit of their own mathematical enrichment too! We were delighted to host the KSENT Maths leaders group alongside Maths experts from Oxford University Press in a morning CPD session, sharing good practice with the use of Maths technology to help all pupils build on their understanding of Mathematics.
Sparx Maths
We now have access to a fantastic online Maths platform called ‘Sparx’. It can be used for extending Maths learning in school or at home. Pupils need to write down their bookwork codes, workings out and answer before submitting their answer on Sparx.
Every question has a video to help pupils if they are stuck. Pupils can login using their Google login details.
Highest experience (XP) point winners so far include Johnny, Neve and Pluto.
Individuals and Societies
Students in Year 7 have started two new topics: The Medieval Monarchy and investigating Earthquakes! Students have learnt about how the monarchy changed hands after William the Conqueror’s reign with a focus investigating the friendship between Henry II and Thomas Becket. We explored who really was to blame for the downfall of the friendship and ultimately the death of Thomas Becket. In Geography, students are learning all about how tectonic plates work and how they ultimately lead to the incredibly powerful earthquakes we have studied all around the world, notably Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We even were able to look closer to home when a small earthquake hit north Wales earlier this year.
In Year 8, students have continued with their topics of Slavery and the Slave trade and the topic of Restless Earth. Students have explored the Slave triangle and have researched what it really must have been like for the slaves making the journey on the Atlantic Ocean on the Middle Passage. While in Geography students have explored phenomena such as tsunamis and volcanoes, making instructional posters about the power and destruction they can cause.
In Year 9, students have also continued with their topics, Conflict in the Twentieth Century and Weather and Climate. Students have explored World War I and World War II and have been exploring the Cold War conflict. They have carried out their own investigations on how the Cold War conflict affected different parts of the world and been producing timelines based on their research. In Geography, students have focused on the difference between weather and climate, writing their own article for National Geographic on hurricanes and how we can all learn about the technology that is currently being used to predict and track them.
Food Tech
At Cranbrook, in Module 3 and 4 we have focussed on developing different cooking skills and techniques. Students have developed their confidence in using different appliances and utensils while keeping themselves and others safe. We have also worked together to create various enterprise items for the Lambing weekend, including homemade dog biscuits.
At Bearsted KS3/4 have also been focussing on health and safety, including making hot chocolate, enchiladas and expanding their sensory evaluation techniques. In year 11, students have started a new topic of being able to bone, fillet and prepare meat and fish.
Life Skills
Being able to keep ourselves safe and knowing what to do when someone else is hurt is a key life skill, so in Module 3 our year 8s and 9s covered First Aid. They learnt how to make a 999 call, how to give emergency care to someone and a range of basic First Aid skills. Students enjoyed exploring items in our First Aid boxes and practising putting each other in the recovery position.
Our year 7s have been building on the knowledge they have gained in their Communication lessons by looking at Dealing with our emotions. Students considered the importance of positive self-talk and self-care and thought about what activities we can do to improve our wellbeing. The highlight of the topic was students making their own stress balls.
Moving into Module 4 and 5, our year 7s are focusing on Dealing with Everyday Problems, our year 8s are considering Critical Thinking skills and our year 9s are understanding Active Citizenship. We look forward to updating you on their successes in the future.
We have had an exciting module in Science with our students exploring a range of different concepts and putting them into practice.
Year 7 has been looking at the macro and micro effects of the interaction between organisms and the environment. This has allowed them to explore how the earth is structured and complete experiments looking at different rock formations using chocolate.
Year 8 has been looking at if there is a connection between ecosystems and food chains and that any small change can have a huge impact on them. The students have enjoyed looking at the different ecosystems and how species are adapted to survive in their habitat.
Year 9 has been reflecting on what is in our food and how our body breaks it down, allowing us to make better dietary choices. This has given the students to burn food to see what has the most amount of energy and testing food to see what nutrients they have using different regents.
Year 10 has been learning about how energy and materials are transported and Interactions over small and large distances. This has allowed them to explore topics such as Plants, photosynthesis and Structure and bonding. The students have had the opportunity to complete experiments looking at factors that impact the rate of photosynthesis.
Year 11 has been exploring a range of topics covering explaining change & guiding spaceship Earth to a sustainable future, as well as Ions into atoms. The students have been about to use electrolysis to separate ionic compounds into atoms and looked at how hydrocarbons are separated into useful alkenes.
Farm update
Spring is the most exciting time at the farm, warmer days, blossom, fresh grass and newborn lambs make it very special.
This is Snowfield's first experience of this springtime rush. The students have really enjoyed being involved in the preparations for lambing and our Lambing Weekend. They have washed, brushed, cleared and generally tidied everywhere to help make sure the lambing goes as smoothly as possible, which up to date it has!
As of today we have had two singles and six pairs of lambs, an above average crop!
Horticulture
The horticulture students have been very productive as always even in these colder months. Year 7 have been focused on growing herbs and their uses making herb oil and lavender bags.
During the festive season the students had the opportunity to practise their floristry skills make winter table decorations all of which were totally stunning.
Communication
During this module the Year 7s have focussed on developing their understanding of nonverbal communication. They have learnt how although our voices are helpful there are so many other ways that we can communicate with others, including the power of facial expressions.
In Year 8 we have been exploring Executive Functioning skills, from organisation and planning to cognitive flexibility they have learnt just how important the brain is!
Our Year 9s have spent the term learning about Stress. Students have been learning some strategies to notice and manage stressful feelings and situations.
Snowfields Squad
Snowfield Squad have had another busy couple of modules. We have played a major part in the development of the school’s changes to the behaviour system. During this meeting it was so wonderful to see both colleges working together and coming up with great ideas to improve how we celebrate successes of our students in lessons and around the school. Some of their ideas are already being seen in and around both colleges.
We have also been looking at some of the topics in the news in recent weeks - they have been discussing the censorship of Roald Dahl and the importance of communication in the workplace.
They are all looking forward to being a part of the Red Nose Day 2023 and Neurodiversity Week and helping to run events around the school sites for both of these.
There has been a real drive for positive reinforcement at Snowfields this academic year. In addition to our Celebration Assemblies, Shout Outs Boards and reward stamps, our pupils are recognised by staff with a postcard home for displaying Snowfields’ core values. It has been wonderful to see the pupils stretch themselves above and beyond to earn a postcard!
Young Farmers at Cranbrook - This has been very popular over the coming weeks. The students have been learning to halter the dairy cows and get them used to walking on them. They have been helping around the farm to prepare it for lambing weekend. They helped move the new piglets into their outdoor pens and got the lambing shed ready for the arrival of the newborns. Used the power washer to clean the benches and a leaf blower to clear the paths. (photos if required)
Craft Club- We have been learning how to sew, we have made friendship bracelets, googly eyed monsters from pipe cleaners, glittery beautiful butterflies and decorative book marks which are useful for reading in wellbeing time- phew busy Tuesday lunchtimes.
Lego - Students have been enjoying the access to our vast range of Lego that we have here at Snowfields to fully immerse themselves in their imagination and create something from this.
Schools Team Officers and Safeguarding
Student friendly safeguarding policy
In Module 3 we shared a student-friendly version of our safeguarding policy as part of student’s Wellbeing Time focusing on our core value of Stay Safe. The aim of this document is to make the key information of our policy accessible to our young people so they are able to understand how to keep themselves safe, the key members of staff responsible for any safeguarding concerns and what to do if they have any concerns.
The policy can be found on our website under the Safeguarding or Policies section.
Wellbeing & Therapy
Willow, Otis & Max
Max has been growing at a rate of knots, he is now 5 months old and has been training well. He has been out and about greeting children off their taxis in the mornings and walking the corridors.
He has had a few walks with students and has even been attended some lesson.
Next term both Max and Otis are going to be taking part in some training with The Dog Mentor to further embed skills needed to support our young people - we are really looking forward to utilising their expertise - look out of Max and Otis’ snazzy new jackets!
Mental health updates
Mental Health of staff and students is a key focus for Snowfields. We incorporate Mental Health tips in our daily staff briefings and many of the staff Wednesday training afternoons are focused on ways to better understand and support our students’ Mental Health. This term staff have had training on Suicide prevention and Selective Mutism.
Advertising mental health agencies
Some of our students and families have found MindJam a helpful resource. This is an online support which provides 1 to 1 mentorship and guidance to young people who are suffering with anxiety and stress through gaming and IT skills. Dan from MindJam spoke to some of our students as part of Neurodiversity week and shared this link with them: New research suggests playing video games has lots of benefits
Kooth
Kooth is an online Mental Health and Wellbeing website which we have previously mentioned in communication with families. This term students have all had class sessions with a Kooth student engagement lead. The first session was an introduction to what Kooth can offer and students were given business cards to take home. The second session involved a live tour of the website and the various elements that students can access if they choose to sign up. Please have a look at the Kooth website if you would like to join their next parent/ caregiver webinar and have one of these website tours.
Other
We were recently contacted by the University of Kent regarding a research project. If any families or Young people are interested in taking part, please review this letter and contact the researchers.
Coffee Mornings
Coffee Morning & EP Workshop at Bearsted
We were delighted to welcome Bearsted parents on 26 January to a coffee morning followed by a talk by Educational Psychologist, Dr. Alicja Jedrzejewska from Creative Solutions Psychology. Alicja spoke to families about Anxiety and provided some great ideas and resources on how to support anxious teens.
Coffee Morning & EP Workshop at Cranbrook
Dr. Alicja Jedrzejewska joined us again on 16 March to present to Cranbrook families. It was wonderful to see so many people attend the event. Anxiety and supporting teenagers was the focus of the session and we look forward to holding more of these coffee mornings in the future!
The Official Snowfields Academy Facebook Page is up and running.
Please like the page and see what the students do day to day at Snowfields.
Your support will be much appreciated.Facebook
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.
Notice Board
Attendance news
Just a reminder that families should please 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.
At Snowfields we strive and aspire for all student attendance to be above 90% - well done to the following students that have achieved this since September.
Gentle Reminder
Aerosols are not permitted in school.
Celebrating The Great (feedback from families)
‘Everything. I wish this school was the map for all schools, that every child had the opportunity to learn in an environment like this. In my wildest dreams I did not think my son would find a school so good, be supported so well. My son is so, so happy there, and is progressing so much I can see him changing into a young man that contributes to the world and loves being in it. There aren't the words to describe my joy and contentment in seeing my son grow up in such a nurturing environment.’
‘Provides an immaculately presented, nurturing, safe and fun environment with a rich and balanced curriculum and outstanding facilities.’
‘Understanding, Praising and encouraging pupils giving them the chance of a lifetime with great staff that genuinely care’
Happy Easter to you all !