Meet and Greet Event - Monday 11th May:

We would love to invite you to join us for a coffee morning and meet and greet with myself on Monday 11th May from 9:30am to 10:30am.

This will be a valuable opportunity to share my vision for the school, outline our next steps and begin to build strong relationships with you all.

During this time, pupils from the Rights Respecting School Council will also have an opportunity to share what they have been working on this year and their plans for the future, alongside input from our Rights Respecting lead, Hayley, who will provide further information about the UNICEF Rights of the Child and how these underpin our work across the school.

We hope you are able to join us and look forward to welcoming you.

Use of Seesaw:

You will notice on Seesaw that we are using this platform to provide more focused daily updates on your child’s learning. These updates will now highlight the specific learning your child has engaged in each day. You may see messages referencing different areas such as Cognition (cog learning), Communication (Comm), SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health), or Physical and/or Sensory development. Each of these updates will link directly to your child’s individual targets and reflect the progress they are making in school. You will see statements use the terminology B, D or S, this refers to the level of confidence a pupil is showing towards that particular aspect of their learning:

• B = Beginning
• D = Developing
• S = Secure

Return to School following hospital admission:

We are introducing a change to our process following a pupil’s return to school after a hospital admission. On the day your child returns, a member of staff will meet with or speak to parents/carers to ensure we have a clear understanding of the incident and any updates to your child’s needs. This allows us to make any necessary adjustments to support a smooth and effective transition back into school, including adaptations to practice, care routines or medication where required. Even where no changes are needed, it is important that we have this check-in in place to safeguard our young people and to provide an opportunity for you to share any information or concerns following what may have been a difficult experience.

3-day Medication:

If your child has been prescribed a short course of medication (for example, a 3-day course of antibiotics), we kindly ask that, wherever possible, doses are administered at home.

Rights Respecting School Council:

Our latest Rights Respecting School meeting took place on Monday 20th April. Students and staff came together to share ideas and plan upcoming events, and I was delighted to attend and listen to some of the amazing ideas our pupils shared. This continues to be a well-embedded and highly valuable part of our school, giving children a meaningful voice and helping them to understand their rights and responsibilities, while further enriching our wider school offer.

During the meeting, pupils discussed how we are supporting the global goal of Zero Hunger, including our progress with the Great Pea Challenge and plans to collect food for the Trussell Trust. Students also shared some fantastic ideas for celebrating Nexus’ 10-year anniversary, including a disco, face painting, dancing and balloon animals, which will be explored further as planning continues.

Thank you to our teacher Hayley for running this aspect of school so beautifully!

You can read the full minutes on our website here:

Fountaindale School - Rights Respecting School Council - April 2026

Bruising Response:

We have recently introduced a bruising protocol for staff to follow in relation to the reporting of any bruising for pupils at Fountaindale School. This guidance has been shared with all staff and is intended to provide clarity and consistency for everyone involved. Due to the nature of our pupils’ needs, this is a particularly important area for us to be clear and thorough in, ensuring that any marks or injuries are carefully monitored, recorded, and communicated appropriately. We are committed to being transparent with parents and carers, and to keeping you informed whenever necessary. We hope this protocol helps to provide reassurance and a clear understanding of our processes. Please find the flow chart below for your reference.

Road Safety Day:

On Wednesday, we celebrated Road Safety Day, with pupils taking part in a range of engaging activities designed to build their understanding of how to stay safe when out in the community. Throughout the day, they developed and practised important skills, helping to strengthen their knowledge and confidence in this important area.

 

 

Toddlers Group:

Below you will see an invitation for our Fountaindale SEND Toddler Group, which we would be grateful if you could share with anyone who may find it helpful. The group is designed for children with special educational needs or disabilities, providing a supportive and welcoming environment for both children and their families. Sessions run on the second and last Friday of each month from 10:00am to 11:30am.

If you are interested in attending or would like to share this opportunity with someone else, please call 0800 058 4274 to express your interest.

Sports Day Dates - Save the Date!

We are excited to let you know that we will be holding two Sports Days this year, both taking place in the afternoon. We have chosen to split the events across two days to better support our pupils by reducing the overall busyness and noise levels.

Wednesday 1st July - 1:30pm arrival:

• Butterflies, Robins, Foxes, Rabbits, Hedgehogs

Thursday 2nd July – 1:30pm arrival:

• Moles, Woodpeckers, Post-16 Owls, Squirrels

Further details will be shared closer to the time, but we wanted to give you plenty of notice so you can add these dates to your diary if you would like to join us.

We may even have a parents’ race this year- so don’t forget to wear your trainers!

Have a fantastic weekend,

Headteacher

bnorman@nexusmat.org