ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a very common disorder which affects both children and adults.It has for many years been recognised as a childhood issue that affects focus, self-control and many other important skills.The cause is an imbalance in the brains anatomy and its wiring. The purpose of the month is to help educate people about the condition and its impact. There are various resources available online.These include fact sheets and posters, graphics and logos, together with videos and recordings.Why not take a look..https://adhdawarenessmonth.org
When to seek a COVID test for your child…..
With children back at school and Summer coming to an end, the Autumn weather is bound to produce sniffles and coughs at school. It is going to be difficult for both teacher and parents to evaluate when the symptoms presented might amount to the need to seek a COVID test. To try and help we thought we would publish here the latest guidelines from the Department of Education.
Keeping mentally healthy..
The current pandemic and lockdown has placed enormous stress on a lot of people. Very few of us will have lived through the last few months without our mental health being affected. This is true for both adults and children.
We have found this chart by Banana Tree Log a good simple guide to help is all stay as happy and mentally healthy as possible.
We hope it gives you some good tips.
Encouraging written creativity and expression
For many of our pupils expressing their emotions or thoughts can be difficult.
The use of creative curriculum modules is important to give them a way in which they can develop a creative thought process and learn the simple joy of producing something original.
The picture is an example of an independent piece of writing that one of our pupils is very proud of. He usually struggles to produce even a few sentences , but in this instance he was keen to share his story. Our staff worked hard to capture his imagination and encouraged to produce something he could truly call his own original creation.
Learning to respect others
At Oakwood Community School we ask a wide range of outside organisations to come and talk to our pupils on a number of issues that might affect their behaviour choices.
Recently it was the turn of the local Police force, who gave us a talk on the importance of tolerance, having respect and how these linked together to reduce the incidence of anti-social behaviour.
One of our core values is for everyone in the school to show respect for others, staff and pupils alike.
The talk was well received and we think an important message was delivered.
Showcasing pupil’s work
We believe it’s very important to showcase the results of our pupil’s efforts.
It’s all too easy for pupils to question what they do, if the end result is merely hidden away. We love to exhibit our pupil’s work and showcase their achievements!
Welcome Noah
Our new therapy dog, Noah, has received a terrific welcome from all our staff and pupils this week.
He has already started to bring out the softer side of us all.
This lovely picture shows him with some of our older pupils today.
Therapy dogs are a wonderful way of helping to reduce stress and ultimately hep improve behaviour. We are sure that Noah will be really beneficial for the school.
Oakwood – exhibiting at the nccTc Commissioner’s Conference
United Children’s Services and Oakwood Community School are very happy to be exhibiting at the Children’s Commissioning Conference in Alfreton, Derbyshire today and tomorrow.
We will be showcasing our Children’s Homes and the magnificent development of Oakwood Community School on its new 27 acre site in Leicestershire – opening September 2019.
We have a 3D tour of one of our homes as well as a great video of the school with commentary from staff and a pupil about what makes Oakwood such a special place for its pupils.
Wayne Parkes – Head of Services will be at the show along with Becky Grimshaw – Operations Manager, managers from our children’s homes and one of the Co Headteachers from Oakwood Community School.
We look forward to meeting commissioners and discussing in depth what we can offer to children and young people to help them develop resilience, growth and optimism.
Oakwood on Film!
Last week we were being filmed for a video introduction to the School and our new site. It was very exciting for pupils and they were fascinated to see the equipment being used! They were great at joining in and fully committed to taking part. Can’t wait to see the finished result.
A day out to the Farm!
Learning is not always about classrooms – at Oakwood Community School we firmly believe in the positive benefits of outdoor education.
So this week we took our younger students to feed the animals at our local farm. The children really enjoyed being out in the fresh air, and interacting with the animals, especially the baby goats.
We used the trip as part of our maths lesson for the day and did some work on data collection.When we returned to school we analysed the data to show how many animals were on the farm and how much food they needed a day.
If the weather stays fine we will no doubt continue to explore the benefits of learning outside the classroom.