Family Information and FOPHS News Friday 8th November 2024
Welcome to 最新麻豆原创 School's Family Liaison Blog!
08.11.24
Welcome back and I hope that you enjoyed half term. The weather was very kind which lends itself to enjoying being outdoors. It鈥檚 been pretty mild this week too. We have poppies and lots more available in school to support the Royal British Legion鈥檚 Annual Poppy Appeal. Thanks to those who have supported this worthy cause.
Preparation for Adulthood
I am working with Hannah Fuller and Louise Finlay on our plans following the surveys done last term. Here is a note from Hannah:
鈥淧reparing for Adulthood (PfA) can seem quite a daunting prospect, and it鈥檚 an important topic both nationally, locally and for our students and their families.听 It can be overwhelming to think about how to begin exploring the options for your child when they leave 最新麻豆原创 School.听 There are so many aspects of PfA to think about:听 Independent Living; Work and Education; Community Inclusion; Remaining Healthy.听 Each of these areas require careful thought when planning for transition from school into the next destination, wherever that may be. 听In the summer term, we asked parents and carers to complete a survey to gather information about how we could support this planning process.听 The responses showed that many of you welcomed the opportunity to meet with other families and the PfA team at school to find out more and also to contribute to the development of a Parent/Carer PfA Toolkit.听 We are inviting parents of students from Y7 to Post 16 to join us for our first Parent/Carer forum on Tuesday, 12th November at 1.45pm.听 This is a hybrid meeting 鈥 you can come into school or join online 鈥 and is, initially, a chance to talk about any anxieties you may have about your child鈥檚 future, share experiences and knowledge, and contribute to our conversation about next steps.鈥
Events
Tuesday 12th November 13.45-15.00: Meeting with parents of students in Year 7 and above to discuss Preparation for Adulthood and the focus group. You may join in person or online.
Friday 15th November: Resilience Day supporting Children in Need. This is for students only and letter has been sent home today. There is a permission slip which needs to be returned for some of the activities. Students may dress in fancy dress, pyjamas or whatever makes them happy and this, as always is optional. We are asking for donations of up to 拢2 per family for Children in Need.
You can download the events calendar from the school website under the heading Parents and Carers, then Events Calendar. You will find the term dates there too.
Bursary: Final call.
- Is your child in receipt of Universal Credit and PIP in their own name?
- Is your chid in, or recently left Local Authority Care?
- Is your household income (not including your child鈥檚 PIP/DLA) less than 拢40,000?
If the answer to any of these is yes and you have not applied for the 16-19 student bursary and your child was at least 16 years old on 31st August 2024, you may be eligible. Please contact me as soon as possible to go through the process.
If your child is not eligible for a bursary and they would like to go on the residential trip, there may be other ways of supporting funding it. Contact me if this is relevant to you.
School Menu
There is a new school menu as of this week
You can find details on the school website or on the link below.
Online Safety
The link to the Online safety information can be found on the school website under the heading 鈥淧arent and carers area鈥, then 鈥渙nline safety鈥 from the dropdown menu.
Learning Disabilities
I thought it might be useful to cover this topic, particularly in light of our work on preparation for Adulthood. My go to resource for anything Learning Disability related is MENCAP and I鈥檒l include a link at the end. Why do I think it is important for our families? A person with a learning difficulty or disability will need more support than others. For those with a diagnosed Learning Disability it is so important that their parents/carers are well informed to enable them to plan for the future. MENCAP has some free online webinars which may help on Planning for the future (Wills and Trusts) Decision Making (Mental Capacity Act)
Top tip from me. If you do investigate anything Learning Disability related鈥ead the 鈥淓asy Read鈥 version. This is specifically to help those with learning difficulties or disabilities to read (if they can) as part of the Mental Capacity Act but it contains all the relevant information in a short, concise way.
What is the definition of a Learning Disability? 鈥 A听learning disability听is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities 鈥 for听example household tasks, socialising or managing money 鈥 which affects someone for their whole听life.
People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new听skills, understand complicated information and interact with other people.鈥
What is the difference between a Learning Disability and a Learning Difficulty?
鈥淎 person with a learning difficulty may be described as听having specific problems processing certain forms of information. Unlike a learning disability, a learning difficulty does not affect general intelligence (IQ)鈥.
So, in essence the difference is cognitive ability.
Why is it important to have a diagnosis of Learning Disability? It can help the person get the support they need. A learning Disability is a lifelong condition, and it is accepted that those with one will need ongoing support. It can help with meeting the eligibility criteria for support from Social Care. As with any diagnosis each person is different, and their needs should be assessed on an individual basis.
鈥淭here are different types of learning disability, which can be mild, moderate,听severe or profound. In all cases a听learning disability is lifelong.
It can be difficult to diagnose a mild听learning disability as the individual will often mix well with others and will be able to cope with most everyday tasks.听However, they may need support in other areas of their life such as听filling out forms.
People with a severe learning disability or profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD), will need more care and support with areas such as mobility, personal care and communication. People with a moderate learning disability may also need support in these areas, but not definitely.
For any parent, the greatest concern will be your child’s wellbeing and their future. As a parent, you听can help your child by encouraging their strengths and getting the right support to help them听overcome the things they find difficult. Every child is an individual with their own needs, but听with the right support children with a learning disability can lead fulfilling lives in the way they choose鈥 (MENCAP)
Want to know more? Visit the links below.
Tim Lamb Centre
I saw this and thought it might be a way for parents to view this centre as you don鈥檛 need a membership for the parent/carer coffee mornings.
We understand how exhausting parent life can be for our families. Our weekly coffee morning for parents and carers is an opportunity to meet like minded friends, no membership required. This is completely free, coffee and biscuits provided.
We meet every Thursday 9.30-11.30. Please see below our planned sessions.
Thursday 7th November 9.30 till 10.30 A talk from Lynn McManus on the Making of the Tim Lamb CC then time for coffee and chat.
Thursday 14th NO CENTRE MEETING DUE TO XMAS OUTING
(We have a few places left)
Coach leaves the centre @ 9.30 to Brockbush’s Xmas Faye (tickets are like gold dust) coach leaves 2pm
Thursday 21st November Coffee & Chat.
Thursday 28th November Christmas Crafts
Thursday 5th December Fun Xmas Craft 9.30-11.30
(please bring a wide neck jam jar)
Thursday 12th December
DR Julie Owens Lead Psychiatrist CAMHS
9.30 -10.30 then coffee and chat.
Thursday 18th December Xmas Jumpers and shared buffet 9.30-11.45
DADLG/Durham and District Leisure Group
There are some new trips on offer including a Pantomime in January.
Arts Centre Washington
A new Special Interests Club started on 5th November for autistic young people, 16-25 years and their parents/carers and is held on a Thursday evening from 5.30-7pm at the Arts Centre Sunderland.
It is free of charge and Pizza is included.
FoPHS News
Christmas cards. I hope that by the time this goes live those who ordered Christmas cards will have received them. I hope you love them. Although this raises a small amount of funding for FoPHS it is as important that your child has the opportunity to do something which you can share with family and friends.
Asda Cashpot for Schools. I鈥檓 rather pleased to see that we have raised 拢314.82 for FoPHS. Thanks to all who chose us and did some shopping there. Every little really does help and we have limited opportunities to raise funds to support classes.
Meeting.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday 5th December from 14-15.00. Do come and join us. Further details nearer the time.
FoPHS 100 Club
With 42 numbers taken we are a long way off previous years. Understandably the cost of living has had an impact. However, if you know of anyone who is willing to join, please share.
Facebook Page
This is a closed group for family and friends of 最新麻豆原创 School, where you can share news and updates about school life.
It is not for external professionals who may be working with families. To join, you need to answer the question stating your link with school.
Please note: this group is for sharing news and updates about school life and is not intended to discuss any issues around individual students, and as such all comments are moderated. If you have a particular issue or concern, please contact school directly on 0191 216 1811.
This week, as Remembrance Day approaches, my thoughts are with all who have lost loved ones because of war.
鈥淭hey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.鈥
Laurence Binyon, 1869 – 1943
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Contact details
Eileen Robinson: Family Liaison Officer
Email: e.robinson@percyhedley.org.uk
Telephone: 0191 2161811 ext. 3260.
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