Newsletter, 3rd December 2023

Good afternoon, 

I hope that you and your family are well. The freezing weather that has marked the start of December has not stopped lots of exciting things happening at Westfield School this week. 

White Ribbon Day 2023 

Over the last few weeks, we have been working closely with our staff and students around White Ribbon Day (which was 25th November) and our attitudes and approaches to women and girls, encouraging students to reflect on their treatment of their peers and the language we use in school. 

White Ribbon Day has been marked by a wide range of organisations including the Military Police, Sky Sports, Manchester Utd, Serie A in Italy, and councils up and down the country. The organisation seeks to engage and work with people around the world to bring about real and lasting change in a key area of society. 

Our students have worked in form time, PSHE lessons and engaged in focus group discussions, and they have responded fantastically, questioning where appropriate, and responding in mature ways. They have, as a result, played an integral role in clarifying and establishing our expectations in this area, and we are proud of their responses throughout. As a school, we have made a pledge that we will never use, excuse, or remain silent about men's violence against women and will be seeking to become a supporting organisation. 

If you would like any further information about the organisation, or wish to make the above pledge yourself, you can find it here. 

Rewards Trips 

Congratulations to those students from Years 8 and 9 who earned a richly deserved place on this week’s rewards trips. Students from Year 9 enjoyed an energetic day at Air Haus inflatable park and Year 8 students had a fantastic time ice skating. The trips for students in Year 10 and 11 will run in the run-up to Christmas, with the Year 7 trip running in the new year. We continue to listen to feedback regarding our use of rewards in school – particularly feedback from students – and will use this to continue to ensure all students are rewarded when they show a great attitude to learning and earn stamps. 

Geography Field Trips 

Our Year 11 students have braved the wintry weather to join field trips into Sheffield City Centre. The students have conducted environmental and land-use surveys focusing on the entertainment and leisure sector. The students’ work will support their GCSE course, and we are confident that with continued hard work they’ll achieve incredible results.  

Year 11 Parents’ Evening 

Parents/carers of Year 11 students will soon be receiving an invite and booking information to attend a crucial parents’ evening on Thursday 11th January. The evening will allow very important opportunities for teachers to share feedback from our recently completed mock exams and to support in planning revision. We expect an extremely high level of interest and look forward to seeing families on the day.  

Year 10 Mock Exams 

Mock exams for our Year 10 students are now only five school weeks away and will commence on Monday 22nd January. Our Year 10s have made the most fantastic start to their Key Stage 4 courses, and we know that with continued hard work and the right support they can be incredibly successful. This will be the first time these students have sat formal exams together as a year group, and we will be working with students to ensure they are well-prepared for the demands of the exam period.  

Flu Vaccinations 

We will welcome colleagues from the School Age Immunisation Service into school on Friday 15th December to administer a flu vaccination via a nasal spray to all students with parental consent. Parents/carers will receive further communication on how to complete the online consent soon. You can find more information here.   

‘Reverse Advent’ for the S20 Food Bank 

We are once more supporting our local S20 Food Bank through ‘Reverse Advent’ this festive season. Form teachers have encouraged their students to either:  

• Bring one item for the food bank every school day in December to their form room, or: 

• Bring in just one item for the food bank during December to their form room.  

The food bank are particularly in need of non-food items, for example toiletries, toothpaste, washing powder (small boxes), washing up liquid and toilet rolls). Any donations that families can make would be very gratefully received. 

With many thanks for your ongoing excellent support. 

Joe Birkbeck 

Head of Westfield School