Category: News

This is Me: SEND Parent Workshop – Thursday 7th March at 6.00pm

We would like to invite parents and carers of SEND children to a Workshop that is being run by Mrs Rae, one of our parents at Beechwood.

This is Me – is a one page profile of your child that you compile to let the class teacher know at bit more about your child: what they like, their concerns, their specific needs, medical information etc.

This is information that you provide us and the idea is that you will put together this information during the workshop.

We are grateful to Mrs Rae for running this workshop and hope that you will come and join us. We also welcome parents and carers of children who believe the workshop maybe beneficial for their child but are not currently on the SEND register.

Please either return the slip from the attached letter or email admin@beechwood.wokingham.sch.uk to book a place.

Yours sincerely

Mrs R Minter
Acting Head Teacher

Please find attached the voucher email for our next Schools Zone game on Sunday March 3rd at 6pm for all your Staff, Parents and Guardians.

This is our last league game but we will arranging the first Play off game on March 23rd or 24th.

Kind regards
Gemma Plowright & Dave Williams
Bracknell Bees Schools Programme

Bracknell Bees – 3rd March

Dear Parents/Carers,

On Monday 4th and 11th March you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher and you should have already had an appointment confirmed. If this is not the case please contact your child’s class teacher.

Parent/child consultation meetings will take place in the school hall and last for 10 minutes each; we ask that you keep to this time so that the evening runs smoothly. However, if you feel there is more to be said, individual meetings can be set up between teachers and parents on other days.

During the meeting teachers will discuss your child’s progress and will identify specific targets for Reading, Writing and Maths along with ways that the school and you at home can help achieve these.

Children’s levels will not be handed out during these meetings, but will be shared with parents at the end of the Spring Term. We want to make sure that parents receive the most up to date information regarding their child once all our Spring term assessments are complete.

We look forward to welcoming you. I will be available along with members of the governing body.

Please contact the school office if you wish to make an appointment with Mrs Quinn (SENDCo).

Yours sincerely,
Rachel Minter
Acting Head Teacher

Dear Parents and Guardians,

A big thank you to everyone that attended the talk with Frays on Monday 28th of January and the Presentation from Chief Executive Chris Cole.

There were some very challenging questions asked of Chris, and rightly so, and also asked of the IEB/Shadow Governing Body.

A set of minutes from the meeting is also attached and will available soon on the Governor Page of the Beechwood website.

As we head towards April and Academy conversion we have been working with Frays to provide a stable Senior Leadership Team whilst we recruit a new Headteacher for Beechwood and have made the following decision. From February 1st Mrs Rachel Minter will be acting Headteacher until the end of the Summer Term. She will be supported by Mrs Zoe Voisey as Deputy Headteacher until February 24th. We would like to place on record a huge thank you to Mrs Voisey for stepping up to the forefront and keeping the School moving forward.

Also from February 1st Chris Cole will take the role of Executive Headteacher and drive the school improvement strategy supporting the team day to day. We are also looking to provide additional support to the Leadership Team to make the rapid improvements needed.

We would also like to place on record a huge thank you to Miss Sarah Curtis for her role as Interim Headteacher of Beechwood at a very tough and demanding time for the School. She will not be returning to Beechwood but continues her recovery to full health and mobility.

The IEB are working in partnership with your Local Governing Body which will officially take on full Governors duties once the School has converted to Frays.

Your Local Governing Body is:

• Lester Dennis-Chair (staying from IEB) – Co Opted
• Rachel Minter-Acting Headteacher
• Ilaria Warren – Parent Governor
• Kirsty Billington – Parent Governor
• Emma Caswell – Staff Governor
• Vicki Hamer – Staff Governor
• Stephanie Holding (staying from IEB) – Co Opted
• John Ireland – Co Opted
• Richard Skegg (staying from IEB) – Co Opted
• Dave Fisher (staying from IEB) – Co Opted
• Dave Williams (staying from IEB) – Co Opted
• Alison Cowen – Associate Governor as SBM

We would like to place on record our thanks to Louise Connolly and Mark A’Bear (members of the IEB who will be stepping aside in April) for their time and commitment to Beechwood.

We would also like to invite Parents and Guardians to visit the Comments Box in Reception if you have any suggestions that the LGB can act upon and also if you feel a member of School Staff deserves some positive feedback as we would like to celebrate that with them.

Thank you for your continued support.
Beechwood LGB/IEB

Children’s Author and Actor, Grant Koper, will be coming to school on Monday 4 February to read his new book ‘The Day Granny’s Knickers Blew Away!’.

If you would like to order a copy of the book (£6), please complete the attached form for your child to bring in on Monday morning along with payment.

Author Grant Koper’s visit -‘ Monday 4 February 2019

Unfortunately, due to the school closure yesterday we were unable to have the forms printed for children to take home. However, forms can be collected from the school office on Monday morning.

Regards
Beechwood Primary School

Please find attached the latest My Journey Newsletter January 2019.

My Journey Newsletter January 2019

Please see the attached CAN Newsletter: CAN Newsletter – January 2019

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope you managed to all spend some time with your families and friends over the festive season and New Year.

Frays Academy Trust, the IEB and the Shadow Governing Body are currently recruiting a permanent Headteacher to lead the school from the start of the summer term. We hope to make an appointment on, or shortly after January 22, once candidates have completed the assessment days we are currently planning.
We would like to invite parents, guardians and carers to meet with Chris Cole, Chief Executive of Frays Academy Trust, at 6:30 pm on Monday 28 January. This will be an opportunity to talk with Chris, understand more about Frays, and how Beechwood will fit within the Trust.

Assuming the recruitment process is successful, we will also invite your new Headteacher, so that you can meet the appointed candidate.
Members of the IEB and Shadow Governing Body will also be available to answer any questions you may have. We are currently working through the logistics, but hope to be able to offer a creche at school so that parents and carers have every opportunity to attend. Details to be confirmed.

We welcome back Deputy Head Mrs Minter on a phased return and she is working along side Mrs Voisey for the foreseeable future. We are hoping that Miss Curtis will be returning as soon as possible this term. She is responding well to treatment and has been kept up to date with the progress the School and your children are making.

We have been given the details of some great training offered free to any parents, guardians or careers whose child may be affected by autistic spectrum disorder. Please see the attached link for details of when the work shops are in our area:
http://www.autismberkshire.org.uk/workshops-parents-carers/

Kind regards
Beechwood IEB and Local Governing Body

Please be advised the date of the next Coffee Morning has changed to Tuesday 15th January 2019 at 9.00am. 

We welcome any parent/carer to attend who has a child with SEN as the coffee mornings are an opportunity to meet with other parents to provide support for each other, sharing information, as well as an opportunity to have a good natter and a cuppa! 

We are grateful to Mrs Narancic for running this coffee morning, and she looks forward to welcoming you. 

Yours sincerely 

Mrs D. Quinn 

SENDco 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

May we take this opportunity to thank each and every parent and guardian for your support in the School during a challenging year for Beechwood.

On Friday 4th January we have arranged for all the Teaching Staff at Beechwood to receive some training at Keep Hatch School. This means that we need your help in moving resources from the Swimming Pool Area into the main School. If you are able to spare anytime from 10.00 on this day, it will be greatly appreciated and refreshments will be provided.

Can we also thank all the parents and guardians that voted for and got behind, the PTA in winning £250.00 for the School in a local estate agent competition. It was extremely impressive to see the volume of support from Staff and Parents/Guardians alike.

At the start of next term we welcome back Mrs Minter on a phased return in the afternoons to work with Mrs Voisey until such time as an accurate assessment of a return date for Miss Curtis is known. We are extremely grateful to Mrs Voisey for her continued support in Beechwood.

We hope you all have a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Beechwood Primary IEB. 

As you may recall, the May 2018 Ofsted inspection required Beechwood to become an academy and join a multi-academy trust (MAT). 

Since that time the IEB, in conjunction with the local authority, has been researching local MATs, and their suitability to support school improvement at Beechwood while maintaining our community ethos. Several options were explored, and the findings were submitted to the Regional Schools Commissioner for consideration. 

The Headteacher Board met last week and appointed Frays Academy Trust as official sponsor of Beechwood. The remaining legal and technical aspects of conversion are expected to be concluded next term. This is great news, as it provides much needed continuity, along with specialist skills and a track record of school improvement. This is another positive step forward for Beechwood and will allow us to build on the support already provided by Frays. 

As part of the process Frays Academy Trust were required to submit a detailed school improvement plan. This will provide Beechwood with additional capacity and allow us to draw on the many resources available to the Trust. Although the Academy conversion date is not expected to be before April 1, we will be working closely with Frays, taking advantage of the support and resources we need to improve outcomes for Beechwood pupils. 

A shadow governing body has now been formed from the local community and this will meet for the first-time next week, gradually taking responsibility for governance of the school. It will formally become the local governing body when conversion has been completed. 

In the New Year we will arrange a meeting for parents at which we will introduce Chris Cole, CEO of Frays Academy Trust, so that you can hear directly about Frays and ask any question you might have. 

Seasons best wishes from the IEB and thank you for your continued support. 

The PTA invite you along to their last event of the year which is a Family Christmas Movie Night taking place on Friday 14th December.

Elf has been voted as the film to watch and we encourage you to come in your pyjamas with blankets, pillows and anything you need to make yourself comfy.

At the end of the film, there will be a visit from a very special guest who will have a small gift to give to each child.

Tickets are £2 each and include a drink and popcorn. Tickets are on sale now until 12th December.
Adults do not need to purchase a ticket but must still sign the register as we have a maximum capacity in the hall that we need to be mindful of.

Thanks for your support this year Beechwood PTA.