Dear Families,

The summer term at Snowfields has been especially joyful. We have met all of the new children who will be joining us in Year 7 in September, said goodbye to our first ever Year 11 leavers, had two very successful sports days with fantastic family support and have had our special awards events. That’s not to mention our first ever Year 11 exams, we are so proud of all of our students for taking part and eagerly look forward to their results in August. And of course Ofsted! 

The Year 11 leavers family celebration was a particular highlight for me; almost all of our Year 11s came together, along with many of their families, to say goodbye to each other and to us as some move on to new destinations and others to return in our new 6th form. It was heartwarming to see so many, and hear stories from family and students themselves of the difference Snowfields has made to their lives. The true celebration lies not just in the exam outcomes, although of course these are very important to help our students reach their next destinations; but also the stories of growing confidence, life long friendships, trust, laughter and somewhere our wonderful students have felt accepted and celebrated for who they are. Almost all of our Year 11s joined us in Year 9, 10 or 11, after a challenging school experience. That they have achieved so much in their time with us brings all of the staff at Snowfields pride and joy. Whether returning to us or going onto new pastures, may they live well with their autism and aspire to a bright future. 

Sports days were wonderful. An opportunity to come together as a school community and have some fun together. Huge thanks to Mike and his team of very willing helpers for leading a day which was about much more than winning and losing. We saw great effort, friendship, celebration and kindness. One of our students gave up his medal to a friend who lost the race because he had fallen. That’s what sports day is about. Thank you to everyone who was able to come along and enjoy the days. 

Year 11 exams went really well. Our students had been very well prepared and had worked hard in the run up to them. They were so kind to and supportive of each other. Since the end of exams almost all of them have enjoyed two fabulous activity weeks. Thanks to Emily Stone for leading this. Our first ever Post 16, Year 12, will be at Bearsted in September 2023, then the following Year, September 2024 all of our Post 16 offer will be at Cranbrook where specialist facilities are being developed. 

We have been sad to say goodbye to a few staff who are moving on. In almost all cases when staff leave us they are moving on for promotion positions, and we warmly congratulate them on their success. We have appointed some excellent new staff for September and I look forward to them joining our team. 

As you know Ofsted came on 27th and 28th June. Thanks to those of you who supported us with your many lovely comments. This was an opportunity for our students and staff to shine through the two day inspection, Snowfields’ first, and they all rose to the occasion. I can’t reveal our outcome yet but look forward to sharing the report with you all in due course. 

As we come to the end of the year it is a good opportunity to reflect across the year on some of the experiences had, and progress made, by your wonderful children. Thanks to all of you who have supported us this year; it is always a pleasure when home and school work so well together.

Have a wonderful summer, to quote two of our values: stay safe and be happy. 

Best wishes,

Dee Pickerill

Code of conduct - September 23

We have 3 simple rules in the academy that we expect students to follow at all times. These are:

• to be ready (wearing the correct uniform, ensuring chromebooks are charged and taken to lessons, have the correct equipment for lessons), 

• to be respectful (using polite and appropriate language to staff and peers, giving everyone the space to learn and succeed in lessons, engaging with school equipment sensibly and carefully)

• and to be safe (being mindful with our words and body around others, using the strategies offered to help manage your feelings).

By doing these three things, you will then be able to show the five Snowfields core values.

When supporting pupils’ behaviour for learning, staff will look to offer regulation strategies to help themselves - and their peers - access their learning. Staff work to identify any possible antecedents and support pupils with these. This does not mean that there are no consequences for behaviours, instead we seek to identify the most appropriate consequences for the behaviour and offer our students the opportunity to learn about what is appropriate and how they could better manage themselves. 

Coffee Mornings

Our next round of coffee mornings have been focused on families meeting each other and hearing from Fi Bradbrook, Vice Principal at Cranbrook. Fi discussed how Snowfields supports personal development - both what is covered in the PSHE curriculum as well as the wealth of opportunities on offer to students including co-curricular opportunities, clubs at school, trips, visits and careers. It was great to see so many families at each event and we look forward to hosting more of these in the next academic year!

Year 7 - Shakespeare and Poetry Galore!

As the Year 7s come to the end of their first academic year here at Snowfields we look back at the progress they have made this year.  Our students have looked at a range of different topics and developed a full range of skills this module.  This module, Year 7 looked at poetry from around the world and read their first full Shakespeare text.  We have even seen students acting out the Bard's most famous lines in classrooms across the school.  Well done Year 7!

Year 8 - Around the World in a range of Short Stories…

This module, Year 8 have been looking at a range of short stories and stories from around the world.  Students have developed their reading skills as well as their cultural awareness.  They have worked really hard developing these skills and we are really proud of the work the have produced.

Year 9 - Plays, Plays and Plays…

Year 9 have been busy preparing for their transition to Key Stage 4, by studying a modern play during module 6.  They have shown their textual analysis skills by breaking down texts and linking ideas to the context in which they were written.  This module has also seen Year 9 produce some really high quality essays around their chosen plays.  Keep up the hard work Year 9!  

Year 10 - The Halfway Point

This module has seen our Year 10 come to the halfway point in their Key Stage 4 journey.  They have studied a range of texts from ‘An Inspector Calls’ to ‘A Christmas Carol’.  Some students have also spent this module developing their presentation skills and have been showing off these skills in their spoken language assessments.  We are looking forward to moving on to our poetry module in the next academic year.  Watch this space. 

Year 11 - Good Luck!

As we say a fond farewell to our Year 11 students we look back at the journey they have had since starting with us back in 2020.  They have worked so very hard especially in these last few modules,in the run up to their exams.  The English department are extremely proud of them and wish them all the luck for their results this Summer! 

Finally the sun has come out and summer has arrived. Students have moved from the sports hall to utilise our fantastic sports fields. 

Students in module 5 worked on their Athletics skills, running, jumping and throwing. They were all looking forward to and preparing for Sports day events.

Module 6 has been all about striking and fielding.  Students have enjoyed Cricket, Rounders and some of the older students Softball. They have also had the opportunity to try some Tennis as well as a little “Frisbee” Golf and “normal” Golf too!

In giving students the opportunity to try new activities and sports, our hope is they may discover or become interested enough to create lifelong healthy habits and realise all of the physical and social and emotional benefits from sport (and have fun!!).

Music -KS3

Students across years 7, 8 and 9 have experienced a varied year of music. Taking inspiration from a range of starting points, students in Key Stage 3 have explored classical music, blues music, the history of rock and roll, pop music, and much more! Developing contextual understanding, theoretical music knowledge, as well as some basic performance skills, we hope that some students will continue to harbour and expand a love of music outside of Snowfields whether that be through picking up a musical instrument, or just curating a killer Spotify playlist!

Art - KS3

Students have taken part in a range of arts activities and been exposed to the work of practitioners the world over. 

Year 7 were introduced to the ‘formal elements’ of art, and spent multiple terms building and then refining their skills across topics like ‘line’, ‘shape’, ‘tone’ and ‘texture’. In the final module of the year, they learnt about abstract artists like Bridget Riley, Joan Miró and Jackson Pollock so as to begin to understand how modern artists innovated and rebelled against established art rules.  

Year 8 spent much of their year developing their understanding of hybrids and fusions, through personal explorations of creature and objects fused together in weird and wonderful ways. The year group took some of these initial experiments and used them to build an understanding of the surrealist art movement, before going back in time to understand how characters from folklore such as the Green Man could be considered early examples of surreal art. The year concluded with students exploring how technology has and continues to influence the art world, exploring digital tools and cameras.

Year 9 explored a range of starting points this year, beginning with a deep dive into the traditions and Calavera art associated with the Mexican Day of the Dead, going on to learn a little about the history of portraiture, and finally creating pop art work inspired both by the masters of the art movement as well as modern popular culture. The independence that students have gained in Year 9 will put them in a great position to continue art into Key Stage 4 if they have chosen this option for Year 10.

GCSE

Snowfields’ first ever GCSE cohort have now completed their art course, and we couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve accomplished and produced.

Exploring artists as varied as René Magritte, Libby Simpson, David Miller, Kyffin Williams and Caravaggio, students have created fantastic outcomes that explore the themes set by the exam board such as ‘Our World’, ‘Aged’ and ‘Objects.

We wish them every success for their summer results!

Students in Year 7 have been completing two new topics: Incredible Iceland and Beliefs around the world!  Students have learnt about Iceland.  The topic zooms in on Iceland and links back to the previous topic on tectonic plates, but introduces the idea of sustainable energy and working with natural resources without depleting them. This final assessment also allows students to compare the UK's use of renewable energy to Iceland's use of it. 

The topic of beliefs allows pupils to explore the key similarities and differences between religions as well as to understand the importance of these beliefs to key communities in the UK and elsewhere. 

In Year 8, students have continued with their topics from Module 5: China and Industrial Britain.

The topic of China allows students to investigate and  evaluate the process of demographic change and urbanisation which creates challenges and opportunities for people and places.

Industrial Britain enables pupils to build on their understanding of the role of the Empire in the industrialisation of Britain. They are furthering their understanding of the declining power of the monarchy and the growth of the middle class. The plight of the working class and the reforms to working conditions as a result of the efforts of protest groups and MPs will feed into their Year 9 module on democracy.

In Year 9, students have also continued with their topics from Module 5, The End of the Empire and the development of Africa.  This topic of the End of the Empire allows pupils to develop their understanding of the evolution and establishment of modern Britain, drawing on their knowledge of exploration and colonisation in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras. They will build on this by exploring the reasons for, nature of and impact of the British Empire, and focus on case studies in India and Australia. They will deepen their understanding of the nature of colonialism as well as use sources to explore the attitudes towards race and Empire that were prevalent at the time.

For the year 9 topic, it is important to show pupils how the world has developed very differently across regions and by continent. The consequences of uneven development can be observed clearly by examining different regions and countries of the world. The reason for choosing the development of Africa as the area for our case study teaches students how environmental, economic and political challenges have restricted Africa’s development. You are going to think about some of the challenges that Africa has faced which have affected development.

For the final module we have covered a range of topics in Communication. The Year 7's have explored how their communication style might change across different environments, the differences between formal and informal communication and how they can apply this to real life situations. 

Meanwhile, the Year 8's have furthered their understanding about communicating in the community. They have learnt about communicating whilst shopping, travelling and in the workplace, which will support their growing independence. 

The Year 9’s have now completed their final module of Communication and have produced some excellent presentations. They learnt skills about planning a good presentation, before applying these skills to present to the class. Many students presented excellent work about Snowfields and future careers, a huge well done!

Young Farmers

The young Farmers have been busy  moving livestock to new cooler pens. Cleaning out hutches and pens. Providing fresh water for the pigs and other animals.  They have weighed, groomed and got the    Dairy calves used to being led on a halter to be turned out, on a regular basis.  Students assisted with the clearing of the trailer used to take the pigs to be sold at the  Livestock Market. Mr Cooper has explained about the process and how the pigs reached Top selling price as they had been so well cared for. 

“X is like a different child since moving from primary school, he is much happier and enjoys school. X benefits from the relaxed environment, small numbers in class and level of TA support.”

“He’s grown and flourished so much in 8 months, it really is unbelievable. He had a great day, thank you again for everything” 

“X has settled into Snowfields well and enjoys coming to school. X struggled in his previous school and was often regarded as behaving badly especially on days when he wouldn’t take his medication. We have seen a huge improvement in X since attending Snowfields.”

“Transitions were always a challenge previously which was a big concern. X has joined Snowfields as though he was always here, he has gone from being a boy to being a man now. There isn't a great need for interventions offered at primary, as the setting helps him to succeed and meet his needs.”

“Snowfields has really enabled X to embrace his Autism and truly be himself without judgement or ridicule. Although mainstream does its best to work around students like X it just cannot compare to the support and guidance provided by Snowfields. It’s a wonderful school and we all feel blessed that X has been lucky enough to be supported by fantastic teachers and the academy in general. He loved his recent trip out which was a perfect example of a trip that was arranged truly with the students in mind. As well as the recent swimming that has been arranged. I only wish that other children were as lucky as X to be able to join in with this experience. Before Snowfields, X had very negative feelings towards school, but I do believe if you asked him today that it would be a completely different story!... We are astounded by how X behaviour has improved in these last few months particularly, and this is in part due to maturity but definitely because he feels comfortable and supported in the Snowfields’ environment.” 

“We are so proud of X and all the staff. I know it’s taken time but what a difference since September. No more tears in the morning either. Thanks to all of you continuing to be patient with X and respecting her as a person, by putting in place strategies to help her. “