Weekly Bulletin Summer Term 2025
Weekly Bulletin 19th May 2025
One more week and it will be half term. Where has this half term gone?! Here are a few snippets from last week at Southbrook School.
Firstly, thank you to those parents and carers who attended the introductory sessions about our plans for year 10 work experience. Progress is being made behind the scenes to locate placements and complete necessary checks. Placements can include in-school experiences, supported placements, group placements and individual ones, with the aim of providing meaningful experiences of various forms of employment. If your child is in year 10, Mrs Ewart will be in touch shortly to keep you informed about the plan for your child. If you would like further information but were unable to attend one of the virtual meetings, please do get in touch with Mrs Ewart using the main school number.
Police Visit: PC Lindsey Dell visited KS4 last week to talk about the work of the police. Giving the pupils a chance to share their own experiences and expand their understanding of the wider work that is done by the police, enabled them to see how they might interact with them positively in the future. They were able to explore the uniform and equipment, and role play scenarios. Year 10 and 11 listened very well, asked insightful questions and some even re-evaluated their preconceptions about the police.
Bushcraft: As part of Outdoor Education, LG class had the opportunity to do some Bushcraft last week, making fires in tin cans. They sustained these fires and were able to cook hotdogs, make hot chocolate and s’mores. They had a wonderful time, working together, cooperating and communicating well. It was a lovely, calm morning for all.
Cheerleaders: The Southbrook Sapphires have gone from strength to strength. What started as a small group of pupils asking for a lunchtime club has resulted in visits from the Exeter Emeralds, the cheerleading squad from Exeter University. The Southbrook Sapphires were very excited to be offered the opportunity to perform in a showcase at Exeter University alongside a huge group of cheerleaders, where the large, all-inclusive Southbrook cheerleading squad showed off their hard work, sharing a new routine. Despite a slight hiccup with the music, which meant restarting their routine, our cheerleaders performed brilliantly. Of course, the crowd went wild and there was overwhelming support from the public and the Emeralds. I have been told by a number of people, staff and the public, that they were a credit to the school. Very well done Southbrook Sapphires.
Year 7: It is always a pleasure to pop in to see the year 7 classes hard at work. They have been working on a number of key skills over the last fortnight, including fine and gross motor skills, communication and social skills as well as independence. It is always amazing to reflect on how far they have come, and it has been lovely to share this at the Annual Reviews being completed this term. Thank you to all Year 7 parents and carers for attending these reviews, helping us to celebrate the successes and providing us with valuable feedback on your child’s experiences.
Transition visits: The attention of our year 11 pupils is on their transition to the next phase of their education, as they approach their last day at Southbrook on 26th June. The transition visits are a very important part of their support plans. Last week, pupils destined for Bicton College and Exeter College engaged with visits, gaining further understanding of what they can expect next year, and removing some of the anxiety that such a big change can cause. Over the next few weeks, the pupils will engage with further transition visits, targeted education sessions in school to prepare for college and will also receive pastoral support where this is needed.
Expressive Arts: Year 10 pupils have been exploring genres within Expressive Arts, demonstrating their abilities to create character and plots cooperatively together. Pupils have skilfully applied drama strategies and elements to enhance their own storytelling ideas for a mystery detective story. Through effective use of music, costumes, still pictures, role play, thought tracking and improvisation, their ideas have been excellently brought to life. They have all worked with confidence, control and shown fantastic support for one another.
I hope you have a wonderful half term break, and we look forward to seeing your child back in school on Tuesday 3rd June.
Simon Winward
Weekly Bulletin 12th May 2025
Just a short bulletin this week to share the news of two big events from last week...
Jubilee Challenge: Wow! All of the preparation, practice walks and planning culminated in a truly incredible event. As you may know, we took 20 pupils from KS4 to the camp on Friday evening where we settled in, visited the entertainment village and had fish cakes, sausages and chips for dinner. As the night turned a little chilly, everyone settled into their tents before getting up early on Saturday morning.
The pupils were extraordinary. They supported each other, behaved well and were determined to cross the finish line to receive their medals. There are numerous wonderful stories of pupils developing social skills, overcoming adversity, showing resilience and, of course, there was the huge sense of achievement at the end. All of this was made possible by a large team of wonderful staff, who gave up their time to make sure these pupils had the opportunity to be successful. The pupils deserve huge congratulations- for many it was not easy. It was worth all of the effort and preparation when we saw the pupils collect their medals. Thank you to all of those parents and carers who were able to come to meet the pupils on the finish line to celebrate their achievement. We are very proud of this group.
VE Day School Tea-Party: This was another triumph. It was so lovely to see the whole school together and enjoying the celebrations, building on some of the learning they had done in tutor sessions relating the 80th anniversary of VE day. For entertainment, the cheerleaders did a great job, and the pupils enjoyed all of the food that had been prepared so well.
It was incredible to see the amount that you contributed including cakes, sausage rolls, fruit, sandwiches and scones- all of which were delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by the pupils.
Thank you very much for your generous donations and amazing enthusiasm with supporting the event.
Both of these events really highlight the wonderful sense of community at Southbrook School and how much we value working together with parents and carers. Thank you for your ongoing support of all the work that goes on everyday in and out of school. It is very much appreciated.
Best wishes for a fantastic week ahead.
Simon Winward
Weekly Bulletin 6th May 2025
Dear parents and carers,
I hope you enjoyed the Bank Holiday. Here are a few snippets of information about last week at Southbrook School.
Year 11 Pastoral transition sessions: A group of Year 11 pupils have just embarked on a series of workshops to smooth the transition to the next stage of their education, complimenting the planned transition visits to colleges that have, and continue to take place this term. The students made brave, kind, supportive and insightful contributions. Future sessions will address friendships, relationships, self-esteem, online safety, and their place in the broader community. The programme will be rolled out to all Year 11 pupils before their departure.
Vocational learning: The year 10 and 11 pupils are entering the final part of their rotation through this year’s vocational learning curriculum. In catering, they made a one-pot spaghetti bolognaise. Both year groups rose to the challenge and showed off their skills and talent in the kitchen, making a delicious meal.
The first of four sessions took place last week for new groups of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils at Dawlish Garden Trust. During their visit they encountered a range of animals including sheep and their lambs and pigs. They also found out more about the tasks they will complete over the next three sessions as part of their unit of work on Animal Care. Many showed a very keen interest in learning about how to care for animals of different types and found the session very rewarding.
Conversation Chess: As you know, we host conversational chess sessions that teach our pupils about strategic thinking and encourage them to use their voice to raise important issues. We also contribute towards Devon’s Champions for Change, who make a valuable contribution towards Devon’s latest initiatives. Already we have seen the impact of their work in the amount of travel training we have the opportunity to access. Last week saw the Youth Voice Awards, and our Champions and those who took part in Conversational Chess were awarded a certificate as well as a medal for the school. Here is a link to the video played at the Youth Voice Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZPhmlmjYWE
It gives an overview of the work young people have been involved with over the past 12 months in Devon, including Stand up Speak Up (SUSU for CiC and care leavers), the Devon Youth Council and SEND Network for Change, which the Champions and Conversational Chess groups are part of.
Therapy groups: Therapy groups continue to be an important part of our provision, and we have seen that direct intervention has had a very positive and long-term impact on our young people. As part of the Occupational Therapy groups last week, pupils used interesting and engaging resources to develop fine motor skills, tie shoelaces, improve coordination and work on gross motor skills, while also showing resilience and independence. We also have a group who visits the Community Café and Lucerne House care home. They are doing a wonderful job. It is great to see them grow in confidence as they develop their communication skills, and they have even invited some of the residents of Lucerne House to come into school for a visit. Well done to the therapy Team and all of the pupils involved.
Year 7 Thrive: As part of their Thrive session last week 7NHW went on a sensory walk to find the signs of spring (even though it felt more like summer). They did incredibly well, working as part of a team, showing curiosity and engagement in the task whilst socialising with their friends. It was lovely to see so many smiles!
Southbrook Sapphires: Well done to Southbrook’s cheerleading squad, who have been practicing their latest routine in preparation for a visit from the Exeter Emeralds next week. They looked very smart in their new outfits and are looking forward to performing at the various events coming up in school this term.
VE Day: On Thursday, the whole school will be coming together to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE day with a street party in the playground (weather permitting). Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to provide an item of food. All food items will be shared so no-one misses out. If you wish to donate anything, please get in touch with Anna Bruen at abruen@southbrook.devon.sch.uk
Jubilee Challenge: This will take place on Friday. The 20 pupils involved and 18 staff will be heading up to the camp after school on Friday, camping overnight and will complete the walks on Saturday. If you have any questions or need further information before the event, please contact Antony Blackmore ablackmore@southbrook.devon.sch.uk
During the event itself, you will be able to contact Lucy Gezink at base camp on 07534944682
I hope you have a lovely week.
Mr Winward
Weekly Bulletin 28th April 2025
Hello! I hope you had a wonderful Easter break and made the most of the nice weather. It has been great to welcome the pupils back. Despite it being a shorter week, we have crammed a lot in already. Here are a few of the highlights...
Jubilee Challenge preparations: There has been a lot of work going in to the preparation for 20 pupils to access the Jubilee Challenge in about two weeks time. Friday saw another successful practice walk and pupils are getting very excited (and in some cases a little nervous) about the event. If you have any queries about the event itself, please do get in touch with Antony Blackmore using the school phone number.
Bobbie (the therapy dog) is back: Last Friday saw Bobbie's return to school after his Easter break. It is always lovely to see how much the children enjoy seeing him on site and he continues to work with key pupils to support them in their physical and mental health. This week he enjoyed a walk in the woods with a few pupils and playing with his ball on the field with another. Alongside the individual work, he regularly pops in to visit classes to ensure that all pupils feel they have chance to interact with him across the term.
Forest School: Last term the focus in Forest School was around using tools safely for garden maintenance and bushcraft activities. 9NPCS showed their creative skills and talent, with one pupil showing off her precision with whittling. Well done to all the classes for their sensible approach to this important unit of work – true skills for life!
Y7 Science: This term the pupils will be learning about electricity, a very popular topic and plenty of opportunities for hands-on investigations. On Friday, the pupils were given the chance to explore the new 'Electro-snaps' sets which have recently been bought by the Science department. The focus and determination was fantastic to see from all pupils and many managed to put together a working circuit to either light a bulb or play a tune!
PE WJEC Moderation: As part of the WJEC accreditation process in Y11, an external moderator attended the school to observe a learning session and verify our assessments. The moderator described the pupils’ performance as ‘outstanding’ and said they were ‘a delightful bunch of students’. The pupils did themselves, and Southbrook, proud.
Masks: Last term, AW class made some fabulous felt masks in Design Technology, showing off their creativity and sewing skills. The results were brilliant, and they were rightly very proud of their work. Well done AW class!
Uniform: Thank you for all your support with ensuring that our pupils are wearing the correct uniform. It has made a huge difference, enabling them to come into school ready to learn and feeling as though they belong to the school community. We really appreciate your help and ongoing support with this aspect of school life.
Leaver’s tops: don’t forget that Year 11 can now order Leaver’s tops using the following link, which they can wear for their remaining time at Southbrook. LINK: Stitch2Print | Collection
Lastly, school reports were sent out by email immediately before the Easter holiday. If you have not received the report or would prefer to receive a hard copy, please get in touch with your child’s tutor.
Next Monday is a Bank Holiday so the next bulletin will land in your inbox on Tuesday 6th May.
Have a lovely week.
Simon Winward