Welcome to our final Newsletter of the school year At the time of writing it is almost the end of another year. They say that time goes more quickly the older you get and of course I am very old! This time last year we were all anxiously awaiting an inspection from OFSTED, and we all knew what happened then! In the intervening twelve months we have all been working very hard and achieving some great things. We have had numerous outings, some like Farm School and Forest School have been on a regular weekly basis and others such as residential visits and specialised outings have been on a one off or annual basis. From my office at the front of school I have the perfect position to see and hear the daily comings and goings of our children and young people. It is a fantastic privilege to witness their enjoyment and to feel the commitment of the adults. In my day-to-day responsibility one of my proudest times is when I show prospective parents around the school. On returning to my office I always ask if they have any comments on what they have seen. Invariably feedback is positive and often describes the relaxed atmosphere and the great relationships between our children, young people and adults. I always take the opportunity to explain that this ‘relaxed atmosphere’ is not accidental but something that we have all worked extremely hard to develop. I also remind our visitors that this is the climate that we believe best supports effective learning and that this is exactly what we are here for. Churchill Park is a thriving, stimulating and sometimes exciting environment BUT first and foremost it is a school and schools are where people go to learn. I am happy to say that even at my age I have learnt an awful lot this year! Wishing you all a good summer,

Paul Paul Donkersloot Head Teacher

Everyone in lower school celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with a street party! We made decorations, prepared food, waved flags, dressed in red, white and blue and all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Queen!

Seahorse Newsletter Wow this half term is really whizzing by – we have been sooooo busy! The year 10s have started their sailing at Snettisham Sailing Club, they are all doing brilliantly – having so much fun and learning a new skill. The year 11s are so excited and have worked hard planning their Prom – We are sure it’s going to be an amazing evening! Seahorses had a brilliant day out at Hunstanton Fun Fair courtesy of the Hunstanton and District Lions and Vegas Chip Bar. We really cannot thank them enough for giving us such great day – free goes on all the rides and fish and chips for lunch! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support throughout the year. Many thanks, Seahorse Class team

Occupational Therapy at Churchill Park School - One year on Hello Everyone, Since May 2015 Churchill Park School have bought in my services as an Independent Occupational therapist (OT) to support students and staff one day per week. As an occupational therapist I am concerned with how people function in everyday life. I work to help people to do things that they need to do, but can’t do. I have helped students learn new ways of doing activities. Equipment or materials used every day have been adapted, i.e. using weighted cutlery and pens. Pupil premium funds have been used to purchase equipment for specific pupils. I have recommended changes to the learning environment to improve circumstances for specific students. I am delighted to report that students are now able to access one of three sensory circuits, four mornings per week in school. This provides students with a series of physical activities known to have a positive effect on their learning in the classroom. Students and staff appear to thoroughly enjoy this physical activity and are showing improvement in their control during movement, balance and coordination. Feedback from staff report that students are better able to sit and concentrate in class afterwards. Additional sensory and movement experiences have been built into the timetables of students with profound physical needs during Sensology. I have delivered training for HLTA’s on a number of areas. Across the school, handwriting programmes are being carried out on a regular basis to develop students pencil control. A number of these are used with great affect, according to the needs of each student. Specialist support has been provided to assess individual students sensory processing; advice has been provided to home and school. Working at Churchill Park School is …Rewarding, Challenging, Diverse and A privilege. I look forward to coming back in September 2016.

Sarah Marshall Occupational Therapist

The cost of a school meal remains at £2.20 per day or £11.00 a week for the new school year. We are happy to receive either cash or a cheque as payment. Please could cheques kindly be made out to ‘Churchill Park School’ with your child’s name and class on the reverse side. Thankyou!

Turtle Class - A visit to Ely

Class of 2016 Prom A Night to Remember… On Thursday 30th July Churchill Park students, staff and parents joined together to say farewell and to celebrate our Year 11 and 6th form students as they move on to the next stage of their educational journey. A red carpet greeting was followed by a disco, buffet and barbeque. A fantastic evening was had by everyone who attended. Our grateful thanks go out to everyone who helped make the evening so memorable and such a wonderful success!

Diary Dates 2016/17 2016 5th September - Children return to school 19th September - Parents Evening, ‘Meet and Greet’ * 19th October – Parents’ evening * 21st October – School closes for half term 31st October – School re-opens for pupils 14th December – Christmas Lunch * 15th December – EYFS, KS1, KS2 Christmas service- St Faith’s church, Gaywood * 16th December – KS3, KS4, KS5 Christmas service- St Faith’s church, Gaywood * 16th December – Christmas Disco * 16th December - End of term

2017 3rd-4th January – Staff Professional Development Days 5th January - School Re-opens for pupils 10th February – Valentine’s Disco * 13th February - School closes for half term 30th March – EYFS,KS1, KS2 Easter service– St Faith’s church, Gaywood * 31st March – KS3, KS4, KS5 St Faith’s church, Gaywood * 31st March – School closes for half term 18th April – School re-opens for pupils 26th-28th April – D of E Expedition - Year 11 students * 1st May – May Day Bank holiday 26th May – End of half Term 5th June – Children return to school 28th June - Parents’ evening* 6th July – Leavers Prom * 7th July – Year 11 and 6th Form Leaver’s Day * 17th-21st July – Jump up week * 21st July – End of Term * *More details to follow * Proposed dates

Trust Norfolk-SEN Transition Conference A free conference for parents and carers of children with additional and complex needs.

Friday 14th October 2016 10 am – 4pm

The King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich NR1 1PH

Come and join us for bitesize information sessions and stands about everything to do with transition from school to adult life.

Further details available from your child’s special school or via www.trustnorfolk-sen.co.uk/events You can also email

FREE ENTRY

[email protected]

Please could all parents/guardians park in the playground before/after school. The playground will be open from 8:30-9:30am and will re-open again from 2:45-3:30pm. As this is a working playground used by our pupils, please respect these times. Also please can all visitors park responsibly in or around the school and remember to respect our neighbours and the local community.

Just one final reminder to kindly please label or re-label your child's clothing and any other belongings that come into school with them each day in readiness for the start of the new school year in September. Class teams often have real difficulties at the end of the day reuniting children with their un-named sweatshirts and personal effects prior leaving to go home which can often cause distress at the end of what has been a really good day. Your help with this matter would be very much appreciated. Have a great summer!!