Hello!
The Autumn term absolutely flew by here at Ashwood.
The team have been super busy, and here's some of the highlights:
Christmas Celebrations - celebrating all our children's creativity
Lots of inclusive sporting opportunities with Wickersley Partnership Trust (WPT) and throughout Rotherham
Further SEN reviews to ensure all our children have the 'plan, do, review' cycle.
We can't wait to see what Spring term brings!
Ms L Hartley
Rawmarsh Ashwood SENDCo
lhartley@ashwoodprimary.org
We are delighted to share that Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School has been awarded the Career Mark Certificate for Commitment, recognising our inclusive approach to careers education across the whole school.
This award reflects our work to raise aspirations for all pupils, including those with SEND, by helping every child understand the world of work and the opportunities available to them. Our careers programme- running from EYFS to Year 6 - introduces children to a wide range of roles, skills and pathways in an accessible and engaging way. Through meeting professionals, exploring different jobs and linking learning to real-life experiences, pupils are encouraged to recognise their strengths and see themselves as capable, confident future achievers.
Our commitment to inclusion is further strengthened by the work of our outside professionals, including our Specialist Inclusion Teacher, who regularly supports children to explore their interests, understand their strengths and begin thinking about their future aspirations in a meaningful and personalised way
Introducing Our New Phonics Scheme: Little Wandle – Early Success and a Strong SEND Pathway
We are delighted to share that our new phonics scheme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, has now been fully implemented across the school. This structured and evidence-based programme is already having a positive impact on early reading skills, supporting children to develop confidence, fluency and a love of reading.
A particularly exciting feature of Little Wandle is its dedicated SEND pathway, designed to ensure that all learners—especially those who may need additional support—receive targeted, manageable and well-sequenced teaching. This pathway allows staff to tailor sessions to each child’s pace, ensuring progress through smaller steps with regular consolidation and revisiting.
For more information please visit: https://www.littlewandle.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Beatboxing & Breakdancing Workshop
Last month, we were thrilled to welcome visiting artisst for an exciting beatboxing and breakdancing workshop. The energy and enthusiasm quickly spread throughout the school, with children across all year groups eager to join in, watch, and celebrate the fun.
From creating rhythmic vocal beats to trying out some impressive dance moves, pupils showed confidence, creativity and a willingness to try something new. It was wonderful to see so many children stepping outside their comfort zones, encouraging one another and embracing the challenge with huge smiles.
A real highlight of the day was how inclusive the workshop was. Children with a range of strengths, interests and additional needs were fully involved, adapting the activities in ways that suited them and receiving support from both staff and their peers. The atmosphere was warm, encouraging and joyful—every child had the chance to take part, express themselves and feel proud.
Celebrating Our Site Manager – WPT Staff Award Winner
We are incredibly proud to share that our wonderful Site Manager has been recognised at the WPT Staff Awards, receiving the award for Technical Operations.
This is a truly well-deserved achievement and a reflection of his outstanding commitment to our school community. Every day, he ensures that our school site is safe, welcoming and well maintained - often working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. But his impact goes far beyond general site management. He regularly designs, adapts and creates bespoke solutions to support our SEND children, ensuring that every pupil can access the school environment confidently and safely. Many of these adjustments go unseen by pupils and parents, yet they make a huge difference: from modifying spaces to improving accessibility, he is always thinking ahead and responding to individual needs with care and creativity. His dedication helps ensure that our school is a place where all children can learn, thrive and feel included.
We are delighted to share that a number of our pupils have been offered part-time places at Oldgate Lane, the new alternative provision within WPT. These placements allow children to benefit from additional support while continuing to attend Ashwood Primary.
Oldgate Lane provides a nurturing environment with specialist staff, tailored programmes, and structured routines designed to help pupils build confidence, develop positive behaviours, and experience success in their learning. This part-time opportunity is particularly valuable for some of our more vulnerable children, especially in supporting behaviour and emotional regulation. We are incredibly proud of the children who have been offered places and look forward to seeing how this additional support helps them thrive. As always, we will continue to work closely with families and WPT to ensure every child receives the support they need.
We are pleased to share that all SEND reviews for the autumn term have now been completed.
A huge thank you to all the parents and carers who attended. It is always a pleasure to sit together, celebrate the wonderful achievements of your children, and plan the next steps to support their continued progress.
As you can imagine, SEND reviews require significant preparation and scheduling. Missed appointments are very challenging to rearrange due to the SENDCO’s workload and limited availability. We kindly ask that families give as much notice as possible if they are unable to attend. Where this is not possible, please understand that the appointment may need to be rescheduled for the next review cycle.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support in ensuring the best outcomes for our children.
Here are some links and resources to help support children with SEND/SEMH.
Useful Links
The Worry Tree App- Worry Tree helps you to take control of your worries, transform your thoughts and feel better using CBT techniques and sensory practices.
Chill Panda - Something new I have found to support anxiety, worries, and calming strategies. May be a good one to support some of the children to develop strategies. Available on GooglePlay and AppStore.
Worry Monsters - these are recommended by psychologists and teachers to act as a 'waste bin' for fears, troubles and woes that children don't always talk about
Rotherham 0-19 Service - 01709 423333
Alex Gill - School Inclusion Team, part of Rotherham's Inclusion Support Services
Dr Lisa Nelson, Education Psychologist
With Me in Mind Rotherham - one of the nation Mental Health Support Teams based in Doncaster & Rotherham
Rachael Hunt - Speech & Language Therapist
Rotherham SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service