Barbara Priestman Academy December Newsletter 2019 Message from the Head of Academy Inside the Issue Message from HOA 1 Safeguarding 2 Much Ado About Nothing 3 It has been very busy in the build up to Christmas this half- Ceramics Course 4 term, with Christmas jumper day, parties, cheeky elves, Safety Works 4 Book Fair 5 celebration assemblies, a festive sing-a-long event and a Winter Trick-or-Treating 5 Wonderland. In amongst the many festive events the school Jack - Darling Class 5 has been part of, there has been excellent learning taking 6th Form Residential 6 place. Derwent Hill 6 Reading through this newsletter I have been reminded of the MacMillan/St Benedict’s 7 many wonderful opportunities that students have been Duke of Edinburgh 7 involved in over the whole autumn term and feel enormously Children in Need 8 proud of the whole school community for both the Dramatic Enquiry 8 opportunities and the achievements. At Barbara Priestman we Climate Action 9 have developed a Curriculum that sparks students’ curiosity Challenge Partners 10 and interest to learn about the World around them and know Genesis School 10 how to make it a better place for themselves and others. I hope Communications App 10 that when you read through the newsletter you will see Work Experience 11 many examples of how we do that. Café Ascent 11 MKM Building Supplies 11 As we come to the end of the Autumn Term, I would 1 Dance 11 like to wish you a very peaceful and happy Christmas. Concert 12 Having worked hard all term, the students will be KS3 Christmas Party 12 ready for a break and the opportunity to recharge Christmas Jumper Day 13 their batteries in readiness for the New Year and we Winter Wonderland 13 look forward to welcoming students back to school What’s on! 13 on Tuesday 7th January. Attendance 14 - Rachel Hargreaves Medication 14 School Meals 14 Diary Dates 14 Contact Details 14

Safeguarding at Barbara Priestman Academy

Barbara Priestman Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our students and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. Safeguarding concerns are handled sensitively and professionally by appropriately trained, designated staff who are committed to supporting student well-being.

The Safeguarding of our young people is of a paramount importance to us, particularly taking into consideration their ASD and additional needs. We recognise that although holidays are an opportunity for fun, rest and relaxation, this isn’t always the reality for all of our families. If you do need any additional support during the holidays and are unable to contact us at the academy, then please contact Children’s Services for support on (0191) 5205560.

Our Safeguarding leads are:

Rachel Rebecca Blyth Carolyn Bird Natalie Preece Hargreaves Designated Designated Designated Designated Safeguarding Safeguarding Safeguarding Safeguarding Lead Deputy Deputy Deputy

On 5th November, thirty of our students performed ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Northern Stage Much Ado Theatre, Newcastle, as part of Shakespeare Schools Festival. This is the biggest cast we have ever had with About students from all Key Stages representing each year Nothing group. The cast included veteran performers and some for whom it was their debut performance. Team work, determination and resilience were echoed throughout the experience of the play. This is an extract from our show appraisal written by Martin Leonard, Stage Director from Shakespeare Festival: “This company had a fantastic grasp of the language. They spoke loudly and clearly and ensured that every line was heard by the audience. I loved how they stressed certain words - ‘Benedick will NEVER fall in love’ - in order to emphasise the meaning. The cast also did well in using their physicality and body language to represent different characters and events. There were rigidly bumbling watchmen, pompous potential lovers and some scheming dastardly villains. I particularly enjoyed the energy and movement used in the final party scene - a fitting finale to a fantastic production. This was a fun and fast paced production of Much Ado About Nothing, performed with gusto by a talented cast.”

A huge thank you to everyone involved for their support during the rehearsal process as well as on the evening of the performance. We could not do it without you. A huge well done to all of the cast, for your amazing team work and dedication. We’re so proud of each and every one of you.

Ceramics Course

During the autumn term students and families joined together on a Friday morning to enjoy creating together. It gave families and their children an opportunity to come and spend some quality time together and be creative. Families and students from all 3 Key Stages worked together in a relaxed atmosphere to make items from clay and enjoy social interaction. Thank you to Frances and Margret for running the course and thank you to those who took part.

Safety Works

13 students from Year 8 visited the SafetyWorks facilities in Newcastle, where the students experienced a range of interactive safety scenarios in true-to- life settings, helping them learn how to prevent danger and live safely. The students visited purpose built replicas of a police station, a park set up for Bonfire Night and a kitchen area. The dangers of each area were lighted and the students were able to identify these for themselves and come up with solutions. In the police station they learnt how to call the police and what to say if they needed help. They saw the inside of a cell and tried on police uniform. The park had a mock bonfire and pretend fireworks and the students were given safety advice about Bonfire night. The students came up with sensible solutions to the problems presented, they were a credit to the school!

We would like to thank all families for their support with the book fair. Thanks to you, we have reached our target and will receive at least £300 worth of free books for the school!

Trick-or- Treating

Darling class have been learning about the difference between how Halloween and Day of the Dead are celebrated. We looked at the similarities and differences between the two, then on 25th October we decided to go trick or treating around school as part of the Halloween celebrations.

Jack has been doing really well with his swimming outside of school and was at a competition in November. He won a silver Jack - and gold medal. Jack attends Special Olympics Darling under the supervision and instruction of Tom, his swimming Class coach. Tom has been coaching Jack for over a year now. Jack has reached a number of personal goals some of which were seen during the competition. His achievements highlighted how important it has been for Jack to develop not just as an athlete but as a child. Tom's coaching and invaluable lessons have enabled Jack to focus on becoming the best that he possibly be. Jack has also swum with Paralympian swimmer, Matt.

We are offering an opportunity for Sixth Form students to go on a residential to the Scottish Highlands. This residential is open to all Sixth form students; however, this Sixth Form is particularly relevant for students who are wishing to Residential complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, as there is a requirement to complete a four night residential, therefore these students will get priority. Students would depart Barbara Priestman Academy on Monday 27th April and return to school on Friday 1st May. The cost of the residential is £235.00 and will include all meal and entry fees for attractions. This cost includes a non-refundable deposit of £75.00. Students will be staying in bunkhouse accommodation in Grantown-on- Spey.

14 students visited Derwent Hill in October as part of a multi outdoor activity week developing independence, Derwent resilience and team work. The highlights of the week were canoeing, hill walking, climbing, death swing, night walks Hill around Derwent Water and Castlerigg stone circle. The students were brilliant; their behaviour, manners, independence skills and can-do attitude were a credit to themselves, their families and BPA. We had mixed weather, however the staff at Derwent Hill commented on how positive and resilient our students are and that we as a school embrace the benefits of outdoor learning for our students’ health and well-being. Well done all! - Dave

On 25th MacMillan/ September, St Benedict’s Sixth form students hosted Hospice their third coffee afternoon to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and St Benedict’s Hospice. These are charities close to the hearts of many staff, students and families and thanks to those who attended and donated we managed to raise a total of £275.23! Yummy handmade cakes, biscuits and cuppa’s were enjoyed by all, as well as there being kindling, apples and badges on offer as donated by the employability groups. In addition to this was the spectacular dance performance, created and showcased by a group of extremely talented students for the entertainment of our guests. The students certainly excelled themselves and the weeks of preparation definitely paid off. Even better, this fundraising event will be counted as part of the volunteering section of Duke of Edinburgh for those striving for Bronze, Silver or Gold this year.

The Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Award is a prestigious award for Sixth Form Edinburgh students. The award allows young people to develop a wide range of skills for life and work. It aims to help students develop life skills, emotional intelligence and resilience. The expeditions provide a range of opportunities for students to develop independence skills away from the home environment; encouraging students to push themselves outside of their natural comfort zone, but within a supportive autism friendly environment with staff who are familiar with the needs of the students. More details on the expeditions will go out in the new year however the dates, locations and costs are as follows: Bronze 23rd - 24th June – Durham, £50 per person Silver 29th June - 1st July – Northumberland, £70 per person Gold 6th - 9th July – Lake District, £90 per person

On Friday 15th November we held a number of activities to raise money for Children in Need. Children Students were invited to wear non-uniform in in Need school for a contribution of £1.00. There was a cake sale in the cafe from 50p each. We also had a karaoke session, where students and staff were invited to sing a song for 20p. We had a visit from Sunderland AFC and Samson the mascot, who hosted a speed cage challenge to see who could score penalties in the fastest time, and we also had carnival games in the hall too. Thanks to the amazing support from students, parents/carers and staff, we managed to raise £217.99!

Stewart Class had a scavenger hunt for yellow leaves to make Pudsey!

This term, the focus of our Dramatic Enquiry was climate Dramatic change. Students took part in a range of activities and explored the various ways in which the earth is being Enquiry affected by climate change. Students looked at the impact this is having on people in different countries and considered whether the effects were the same for everybody. We discussed whether we were all equally responsible or whether some had more responsibility than others. As well as discussing the impact of climate change on people, we also looked at how animals and their habitats were being affected. We discussed ways in which we could make a positive impact both in school and at home.

Climate Change

Our students have enthusiastically taken part in a wide range of activities designed to raise awareness of the threats to our environment, and to empower them to do something about it. This has included P4C topics on pollution, plastic waste and climate change, which encouraged students to develop their thinking and questioning skills. This term’s dramatic enquiry delved even deeper, asking questions such as: ‘are we all equally responsible for pollution?’ Students took part in heated debates, thinking activities and suggested some solutions that the wider world could learn from.

Eco Schools We are currently working towards the Eco Schools Bronze Award, many of our sustainability and environmental awareness projects will contribute to this. This has been a key focus for our 6th form Duke of Edinburgh Award Volunteers. Practical projects currently include the production of kindling using what would otherwise be waste wood, and a large scale plastic reuse initiative which enables us to reuse unrecyclable plastic packaging to create‘ eco bricks’.

Climate Strike

The autumn term included two days of climate strike, global events designed to raise awareness of the climate crisis. As a school we decided that it was vital our students were aware of the events and had the opportunity to take part. Special events were planned for both days and included everything from P4C debates to the construction of our first worm farm. Students surveyed the animals that make their home around forest school with a focus on birds and invertebrates. Students were tasked with coming up with some solutions, making the word better in any way possible. This has already resulted in a focus on recycling, new composting plan and the removal of single use plastics which were identified by student surveys. This will form the backbone of our Eco Code which will combine the ideas put forward by our students.

We are part of the Challenge Partners Network who quality assure everything we do in school. As part of this Challenge process, schools are able to apply for an Area of Excellence and if they feel Partners practice is a) established and embedded b) an area others will want to know about and c) is transferable to other schools; then schools are given that endorsement. We completed our 3-day review just before October half-term and our application for Thinking Skills to become our area for Excellence was granted without question. They were ‘blown away’ by everything they saw in school. Their verbal feedback included that what they'd seen was "special and unique" and it ran through the school "like a stick of rock!" which is a lovely comment and testament to everything we do. Thank you to all the staff for their hard work.

We have a new international link school in Singapore. It is called Genesis school and is a school for students with ASD aged 2.5 years to adults. Some of our KS3 and KS4 students have been researching Singapore and have just sent their first set of email letters off to the school. They are eagerly awaiting a reply.

Communications App

We have been working really productively to ensure families receive communications that include you in your child's school life, keep you up to date with school, events and alert you to information in a timely way. We have a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account, we are using the letters page on the school website and emailing news and updates. We have worked with our IT team to develop the content on an app called OurSchoolsApp. This is a free to download app and a free service for us to use. It enables you to have one area to go to see and link through to all key contacts, a calendar, news updates. It sends you reminders and push notifications which we hope will be useful. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. To download the app simply search for OurSchoolsApp (logo top right). You can then click on settings and add a school by finding the school nearby or searching using the postcode SR2 7QN.

Students have continued to enjoy a range of work placements and we are working hard to set up new Work partnerships. If your workplace would provide a work Experience placement please get in touch with us. We have lots of success stories of other employers we have worked with and how experiencing work has a positive impact on students.

Cafe Ascent was set up over a year ago and provides work placements Café for our students across the trust. The cafe is open to Ascent the public 9am-2pm each day in term time and can also be booked out for functions. Our students enjoy working in the cafe each Monday - pop down in the New Year for a coffee and homemade cake. Café Ascent, Unit 2 Rivergreen Industry Centre, , Sunderland SR4 6AD

We would like to say a big thank you to MKM Building Supplies in Durham! They have donated a large amount of block paving and some sleepers to help us develop our outdoor area.

As part of their Duke of Edinburgh physical project, sixth form dance Dance students are currently working on choreography for 'An evening of Dance' which will take place in the new year. The performance will include a range of contemporary and physical theatre techniques, to explore a range of feelings using 'Adult life' as a stimulus. Students will work with guest practitioners to develop their skills, receive information about working in the industry and have the chance to perform in a professional setting. When asked to describe rehearsals, one student said, 'I can show what is going on and how I feel, I can't always to do that with words.'

On Wednesday 11th December our Key Stage 4 band and 6th Form dance group participated in the annual Sunderland Special Schools’ evening of Christmas music, which took place in Holy Trinity Church in Washington. The Concert band performed ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’ by Band Aid and the dancers danced to the Christmas classic ‘Jingle Bell Rock’. The students performed with confidence and bags of enthusiasm, doing themselves, their families and our academy proud. Also on the bill were students of all ages and special educational needs from across the city who performed some much-loved Christmas songs and carols to a packed out hall consisting of staff, parents/carers and members of the public. It was a fantastic night of entertainment and a highlight of the school calendar.

Thanks to all staff and students involved for a job well done.

KS3 Christmas Party

On Friday 6th December we had a party for 27 KS3 students, with a view to getting them used to staying longer in school as part of their preparation to access school residentials. The students played old fashioned party games, ate pizza and watched a Christmas movie - all rounded off with a reading of ‘The Night Before Christmas’ poem. The students joined in with the activities and everyone involved had a great night. A big thank you to the staff for giving up their time - great team effort!

Christmas Jumper Day We raised £43.50 in school from our Christmas Jumper day, on Friday 13th December, for Save the Children. Thank you for your support!

Sixth Form students celebrated their first Christmas in the new Sixth Form centre and hosted a Winter Wonderland. The Sixth form was Winter decorated and stalls set up with festive handcrafted goodies all made by the students Wonderland in their enterprise groups. We raised £607.73 in total! The event was supported by Friends of BPA and Grace House, as well as St Benedicts Hospice who also support the students to gain work experience in their charities. Students from KS3 and KS4 visited in their tutor groups and loved the new building. They enjoyed festive shopping and toasted marshmallows. Students will be hosting an Easter Craft Fair next, watch this space!

What's on!

21st November to 22nd December, FESTIVAL OF LIGHT at . Sparkling lights, live music, street theatre, craft workshops and visits from Santa’s reindeer. 21st November to 5th January, ICE RINK at . 1st December to 24th December, WASHINGTON OLD HALL see the gardens and hall illuminate. Be guided by colourful lights and ribbons through the terraces and gardens. 13th December to 5th January, CINDERELLA PANTOMIME at Sunderland Empire, featuring sparkling sets and lavish costumes. For more festive activities visit https://www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/

Happy Holidays! Every School Day Counts

THANK YOU SO MUCH to those families who have been working hard to ensure student’s punctuality and attendance is high. Thank you for getting these important habits established early on in your child’s life as it will make a difference in their futures. Since I started my role as Family Liaison and Attendance Worker, I have had the pleasure of meeting many families and seeing the fantastic support networks our students have. Whole school attendance is currently at 93%, next term’s aim is to get it closer to the Trust’s target of 95%. The school as a collective are working on reducing the amount of Persistent Absentee’s (students with below 90% attendance) over the coming term. I would like to thank everyone who came to the Parental Engagement sessions and it was a pleasure to see parents communicating with one another. I look forward to seeing you all in future sessions that will be continuing into the next academic year. Julia Hall

Reminder: Students’ medication needs to be collected by Parents/Carers at the end of every term.

Day £2 Week £10 Up to Easter holidays £116 Thank you for supporting Craig, Debbie and the catering team. Meals must be paid for in advance.

Diary Dates

Wednesday 18th December 2019 School breaks up for Christmas break Thursday 19th & Friday 20th December 2019 Inset days – School closed to students Monday 6th January 2020 Inset day – School closed to students Tuesday 7th January 2020 School reopens for Spring term Friday 14th February 2020 School breaks up for half term Monday 24th February 2020 School reopens Thursday 2nd April 2020 School breaks up for Easter break Friday 3rd April 2020 Inset day – School closed to students

Address: Barbara Priestman Academy, Meadowside, Sunderland, SR2 7QN Head of Academy: Mrs Rachel Hargreaves | Tel: 03339991453 Email: [email protected] Web: www.barbara-priestman.org.uk