Following the threat of heavy snow which failed to materialise in the end, we’ve all been on weather alert this week. There was snow to be found on the tops, however, and in his usual adventurous manner Mr Taylor did not disappoint his group..

Here’s a little quiz for everyone. Who is this messing around in the snow?

Answer in next week’s blog!

We’re all getting a little bit closer to nature at the Learning Centre. Mrs Thornhill and her E-Base group are taking part in the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and the display is looking fab, I look forward to bringing you all the news. For those who have been around the Learning Centre building recently, you’ll be aware that at around 5 o’clock thousands (well, a lot anyway!) of starlings can be seen roosting in the trees. We have our very own murmuration display, although it’s a little unnerving when it’s getting dark and all you can hear are loads of tweeting starlings.

I was asked this week if we still have our very own resident Learning Centre crows, ‘Hitch and Stitch’. The answer is a definite yes, and they can be seen regularly ripping the tinted covering off windows, eating window putty and generally being nosy. I think we need to include them in the Birdwatch survey, Mrs Thornhill.

Our students have been hard at it again this week, as evident in Mrs Robinson’s reading lesson where Jacob, Covy, Ellearna, Kamran and Ryan are really enjoying reading ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by Michael Morpurgo. Keep up the great work guys, I’m looking forward to hearing all about it next week.

Many of our Learning Centre students are accessing work placements for the first time and they seem to be really enjoying themselves. This week Sophie and Nathan were based at the RSPCA shelter. Here’s a report from their Job Coach, Bethany Fletcher..

Their job there is to nurture the cats to make sure that the cats are used to human interactions when they are rehomed to their new owners. Sophie and Nathan have done really well settling in and knowing their routine. They know when they are to come that they have to change into their volunteer T-shirts, this is so that staff and visitors know they are volunteering for the RSPCA. After they have done this Sophie and Nathan go and choose which cats they are going to nurture. They know to look at the board to make sure that they choose a cat which they are able to spend time with. Sophie and Nathan make a special effort to take into account the cats’ needs. They know that some cats might be scared, some may want to have a stroke and a cuddle and others like to play. As you can see from the pictures, Sophie and Nathan have been doing really well..

Our food industry students have been busy again this week. Thanks to Sabiha for my delicious veggie curry, just what’s needed on a chilly Monday..

Monday afternoon saw another meeting of the Learning Centre Parents and Carers Group. These meetings are proving a great success. This week Shamin Akhtar, our Family Liaison Officer, joined parents and Mr Barker for a really supportive and positive afternoon, sharing experiences and discussing common issues. It was interesting that in the course of the conversations, a common theme that arose again was the power of working together rather than individually. This links directly into the next meeting on 11th February where professionals from the parent support groups POINT and SENDIASS will be joining us.

This week colleagues and myself met for the initial meeting of the Learning Centre one-to-one iPad project which is being gradually rolled out across the MAT. This is a really exciting time as we start developing a plan that will see all our Learning Centre students have their very own iPad. There is of course a lot of work to do to ensure this is an all-inclusive project, accessible by all but with the help and enthusiasm of colleagues I know this is going to be a huge success. I look forward to sharing this journey with you during the forthcoming months.

Have a lovely weekend,

Dawn

You can find Gavin’s blog for the school site here

For news on our Key Stage 5 pathway groups at Medtia Square please click here

Click here to read this week’s news from Graham

You can find my previous blog posts here