DRUMBEAT SCHOOL. Weekly Newsletter. Dates for the Diary. Friday, 13 July Summer Fair from 1pm. Dear Parents and Carers

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1 Issue 55 April 2018 DRUMBEAT SCHOOL Weekly Newsletter Dear Parents and Carers We have had a superb start back to term with beautiful weather and lots of exciting things happening at school. We have had a fantastic outcome from Ofsted and we are delighted that our outstanding practice has been recognised. The report is now on the school website. Our children have been playing football, going to farms and enjoying our new bikes. KS3 will also be taking part in the Shakespeare School Festival for the first time in October with a performance of Macbeth. Watch this space for more details on the date and tickets. Have a lovely weekend. Marie Neave Executive Headteacher Dates for the Diary. Monday, 7 May Bank Holiday Wednesday, 2 May Downham Football Team taking part in South London League Friday, 11 May Coffee Morning at Downham from 10am Topic: Puberty for girls Thursday, 17 May Downham Football Team taking part in Schools Football World Cup Festival Friday, 18 May Coffee Morning at Downham from 10am Topic: Puberty for boys Wednesday 27 Friday 29 June Year 6 residential school journey to Carroty Woods Friday, 6 July Drumbeat Sports Day Friday, 13 July Summer Fair from 1pm Drumbeat School & ASD Service 1

2 Issue 54 March 2018 The following pupil received Headteacher s Star Awards this month: Gaby Whitcombe (Turtle Class) received an award last term for her excellent progress, in particular with her growing maturity and her confidence through speech and symbol at communicating to us what she wants very sensibly. School Bus If your child is moving from the Downham site to the Brockley site then you need to re-apply for the school bus as it is a change in circumstances. Lewisham Travel are hoping to send letters out soon but if you wish to apply now then you can contact Keith Ottaway on ext: or visit the Lewisham Local Offer website for more information. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 2

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4 Issue 54 March 2018 Please see the flyer below for details of a project on sleep in autism, being carried out by researchers at University College London Institute of Education. The team are looking for Drumbeat students years old and their families to work on this project, and some secondary pupils will be getting a letter home about this soon. If you are keen to get involved, you can contact the researcher direct on the number shown. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 4

5 Issue 55 April 2018 Lewisham have advised us that from 1 st May dinners will go up to 2.20 per day. This means you will need to ensure your child has a credit balance of at least per week in their account on Monday mornings. Please see page 6 & 7 for details how to register for Free School Meals and/or Pupil Premium. Challenging Disability Through Outdoor Adventure The Calvert Trust enables disabled adults and children, together with their families and friends, to achieve their potential through the challenge of outdoor adventure in the countryside. They provide a wide range of adventurous outdoor activities, meaningful challenges and adventures within a framework of safety: Skilled, qualified and caring staff able to fulfil the needs of visitors Accommodation appropriate to the needs of the visitors Facilities for families and friends to share the enjoyment and experience Please visit the website for more details and to see the wide range of accessible activities that they have on offer. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 5

6 Issue 54 March 2018 If you are in receipt of any of the following benefits you may be eligible to receive Free School Meals for your child: Universal Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit net earnings threshold of 7400 from April 2018 Guarantee element of pension card Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 To apply for Free School Meals please go to You will need to create an account and submit an online application. To create an account please add the following information: Your full name and date of birth as registered with HMRC Your full address as registered with HMRC Your address Once you are registered an notification will be sent requesting you to verify your account. Click on the link to access the online application. To complete the online form please enter the following mandatory information: Your National Insurance number (NINO) in full as registered with HMRC Your date of birth in full as registered with HMRC Your contact details in full preferably your address and telephone number Please add all your children who are of school age including the following details for each child: Your child s full name as shown on their birth certificate Your child s full address Your child s date of birth in full The name of the school they are attending and the date they started Once your application has been submitted and processed a letter will be sent to you advising you of the outcome of the application. If your application is successful your child s school can claim the Pupil Premium funding of 1320 for Primary pupils or 935 for Secondary pupils to benefit your child. For more information pupil.support@lewisham.gov.uk Drumbeat School & ASD Service 6

7 Issue 55 April 2018 Whilst your child will be eligible for the Universal Free School Meals in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, the school could benefit from Pupil Premium funding of up to 1320 per child if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits Universal Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit net earnings threshold of 7400 from April 2018 Guarantee element of pension card Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 An application for Free School Meals will confirm whether you are eligible and allow the school to claim the funding. To apply you will need to create an account and submit an online application at the link below To create an account please add the following information: Your full name and date of birth as registered with HMRC Your full address as registered with HMRC Your address Once you are registered an notification will be sent requesting you to verify your account. Click on the link to access the online application. To complete the online form please enter the following mandatory information: Your National Insurance number (NINO) in full as registered with HMRC Your date of birth in full as registered with HMRC Your contact details in full preferably your address and telephone number Please add all your children who are of school age including the following details for each child: Your child s full name as shown on their birth certificate Your child s full address Your child s date of birth in full The name of the school they are attending and the date they started Once your application has been submitted and processed a letter will be sent to you advising you of the outcome of the application. For more information pupil.support@lewisham.gov.uk Drumbeat School & ASD Service 7

8 Issue 54 March 2018 South London Special League Last week a team from Drumbeat Brockley took part in the south London special league football tournament. It was the hottest day of the year so far but the students worked extremely well together to keep playing throughout the day. We missed Blessing as our usual goalkeeper but a range of other students stepped in to take his place. We didn t get off to the best of starts, losing our first 4 matches. These were all very close however losing 1-0 each time. After this the students were desperate to improve and did so in the next match drawing 1-1 against a tough opposition. The students finished the day with a 1-0 win to complete the turnaround they had hoped for. The next tournament is on Thursday 24 th May. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 8

9 Issue 55 April 2018 Crocodile Class In Crocodile class, we have been exploring the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children have enjoyed taking part in the story by pretending to try the different toy fruits. We also learnt about the life cycle of a butterfly, with everyone taking turns to be wrapped up like a cocoon! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 9

10 Issue 54 March 2018 Turtle Class As part of this term s topic on exploring the outdoors, this term Turtle Class have started to go on a weekly afternoon visit to Grove Park Nature Reserve which is located within easy walking distance of the school. We have also started to go to Southborough Lane Stables every Thursday afternoon and later on this half term trips out to the seaside and playgrounds are planned. Turtle Class welcome two new pupils to our group, Jomi and Emmanuel who have just started full-time in our class this term. They both have clearly found their new school exciting and fun and the class team can see lots of opportunities for these two boys to make great progress while they remain in Turtle Class. A final mention should also go to Gaby Whitcombe who received an Headteacher s Award last term for her excellent progress since she stated in Turtle Class. In particular we have been very impressed with her growing maturity and her confidence through speech and symbol at communicating to us what she wants very sensibly. Well done, Gaby! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 10

11 Issue 55 April 2018 Zebra Class Hello from Zebra class! Hope you all had a great half term break. Zebras are very excited to go horse riding this term. We have already had one session and the children showed confidence when mounting a horse and riding outdoors in the field. Our topic is Growing and this week we have been looking at different flowers and learning parts of the plant. We had a couple of very hot days last week and the children loved some water play in the outside area. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 11

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13 Issue 55 April 2018 Panda Class Panda class have been enjoying the warm weather and doing lots of fun sensory activities outside their classroom. Here we're doing foot print paintings. Everyone had a great time! We also went on a trip to Newham City Farm. Here are some photos of our trip. Continued on the next page Drumbeat School & ASD Service 13

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15 Issue 55 April 2018 Leopard Class Leopard class went on a visit to Ruxley Manor garden centre. We went to look for seeds, vegetables and flowers to plant. There was a wide variety of plants to choose from. We choose sunflower and carrot seeds to sow, tomato and strawberry plants to grow and lots of colourful flowers to plant. Here is a picture of some of Leopard class choosing the plants. When we got back to school we needed to sow the seeds and plant the fruit and vegetable plants as well as the flowers. We are waiting for the flowers to grow and for the fruit and vegetables to appear. We will keep you updated with our progress. Here is a picture of a member of Leopard class watering the plants. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 15

16 Issue 54 March 2018 KS3 Debate Club KS3 Debate club members spent last half term focusing on a very important aspect of school life, school dinners! They very thoughtfully debated about what was already good and working about school dinners and suggested some ideas to make them even better. The pupils impressed us with their knowledge of and empathy for their peers likes and dislikes and wanted to make sure that some of their friends who only eat plain foods were given more choice. They were very keen to ensure that everyone had something that they enjoy eating. In the last session when the group had collated all their ideas they met with the School Kitchen Manager, Mylinda, to share these. They started the meeting with Mylinda by each sharing something they really like about school dinners, they then each presented one idea about what else they would like to see. These included; plain options, salad bar additions, a weekly special dish, healthy drinks (such as water flavoured with fruit). Mylinda was very receptive to all of the ideas put forward by Debate club and said she could do some things straight away and others she would take back and discuss with her manager. The impact so far (in just one week) has been more choice on the salad bar, fruit flavoured water. We are awaiting Mylinda s response about our other suggestions. A special message Dear Fiona and Drumbeat School, Just wanted to write a note to thank you for the inspirational experience I had at Drumbeat as a placement student working with the music and dance groups for Live At Trinity Laban. I was moved by the engagement of the students and their commitment to each other as well as the energy of the staff in their support of the artistry of the students. During the project I came to feel that special needs education is a field of work that I would like to contribute to in the future either in a musical or non-musical capacity. If you have any advice about how this might be possible I would be very interested to hear your thoughts and if an opportunity arises for me to gain more experience at Drumbeat School as a volunteer, I would be very grateful! With all best wishes to you and the students, Matthew Crisp Drumbeat School & ASD Service 16

17 Issue 55 April 2018 London Cycle Campaign (LCC) will be providing free group rides for adults on behalf of Lewisham Council. All rides will be at a gentle pace with very little in the way of hills to worry about! Cycling into Central London along Quietway 1 is a lot easier, safer and quicker than you may think! If you don t have your own bike or currently have one on loan from the cycle loan scheme contact LCC before you book a ride and request to borrow one of the Lewisham Council pool bikes for the duration of the ride. LCC Ride dates and online booking Sat 19 May - Ladywell to the Thames Barrier Wed 30 May - Ladywell to Waterloo Quietway 1 Sat 9 June - Ladywell to Waterloo Quietway 1 Wed 27 June - Ladywell to the Thames Barrier Sat 7 July - Ladywell to the Thames Barrier Wed 11 July - Ladywell to Waterloo Quietway 1 Sat 4 August - Ladywell to Waterloo Quietway 1 LCC website For families Lewisham Cyclists (local cycling enthusiast group) are currently offering the following rides Sat 5 May Lewisham Cyclists Family Ride First Saturdays Sat 2 June - Lewisham Cyclists Family Ride First Saturdays Sat 7 July - Lewisham Cyclists Family Ride First Saturdays Sat 4 August - Lewisham Cyclists Family Ride First Saturdays Sat 4 August - Lewisham Cyclists Family Ride First Saturdays Visit for more information. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 17

18 Issue 54 March 2018 Bongo Class Bongo class have started the new term really well after enjoying a well-earned break. The students have come back settled and we have been enjoying the sunshine. We have been very busy with birthdays in the last 2 weeks and all of the students have enjoyed celebrating these together. We have been working on different things that we enjoy and expressing opinions on these. We have also been building more exercise into our daily routines, using the gym in the morning and playing different games during PE lessons. The sun has also given us an opportunity to use the bikes in the playground which has been a great way to get moving! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 18

19 Issue 55 April 2018 Brand new semi-recumbent tricycles at Drumbeat Students have been checking out the brand new semi-recumbent tricycles at Brockley campus this week and it s proved to be a great new addition to the playground. The tricycle is perfect for students who aren t confident riding on two wheels and is helping to increase fitness levels and activity throughout the school day whilst giving students the opportunity to experience riding and gain an interest in it. We are also setting up a cycle club, which will run on Friday afternoons during student options time, where they will learn further skills in cycling with a view to getting them ready to cycle on local roads in and around school. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 19

20 Issue 54 March 2018 Drumbeat Family Forum Coffee Mornings The Coffee Mornings are open to all Drumbeat parents and carers. Please attend as many as you feel relevant to you. Date & Time 11 May at 10am 18 May at 10am 23 May at 10am 8 June at 10am Site Theme Led by Downham Puberty for Girls Puberty can be a challenging time for any young person including young women with Autism. At Drumbeat we use tailored made individualized systems to help support students understanding, and the practical management, of the changes that happen to the body. This session will offer practical examples and ideas of tried and tested methods to support families and young people to cope with such changes. Downham Puberty for Boys Puberty can be a challenging time for any young person including young man with Autism. At Drumbeat we use tailored made individualized systems to help support students understanding, and the practical management, of the changes that happen to the body. This session will offer practical examples and ideas of tried and tested methods to support families and young people to cope with such changes. Brockley Mental Health & Teens with ASD Mental illnesses like anxiety and depression are more common in teens with ASD than in the general population, but the mental health of young people on the autistic spectrum is often overlooked or misunderstood. Come along to this session to find out more about how to recognise signs and symptoms of common mental health problems, how to respond to and support your teen if you are concerned, and where and when to seek extra help. Downham Benefits do you know what you are entitled to? A workshop for Downham and Brockley parents looking at Benefits entitlements and how to go about making a claim. Bryony Bowen Head of KS3 Rachel Fisk School Nurse Bryony Bowen Head of KS3 Rachel Fisk School Nurse Dr Emma Mahoney Clinical Psychologist Sheryl & speaker 20 June at 10am Brockley Communicating positively through behavior All behaviour has a purpose and can sometimes be your child's only way of communicating their needs and feelings. Through discussion in this session, we will look at how to get a better understanding of your child's unique behaviours including the ones that can be more challenging. Dr Emma Mahoney Clinical Psychologist Drumbeat School & ASD Service 20

21 Issue 55 April 2018 SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES 2017/2018 WITH STAFF TRAINING DAYS (UPDATED JULY 2017) AUTUMN TERM 2017 AUTUMN TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY AUTUMN TERM 2 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY Monday 4 September Staff Training day Tuesday 5 September Students first day of term Friday 20 October - Students last day before half term holiday MONDAY 23 OCTOBER FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER Monday 30 October Staff Training day Tuesday 31 October - Students back from half term holiday Monday 20 November Staff Training day Wednesday 20 December - Students last day of term* THURSDAY 21 DECEMBER MONDAY 1 JANUARY SPRING TERM 2018 SPRING TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SPRING TERM 2 EASTER HOLIDAY Tuesday 2 January Staff Training day Wednesday 3 January - Students first day of term Friday 9 February Students last day before half term holiday MONDAY 12 FEBRUARY FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY Monday 19 February Students back from half term holiday Thursday 29 March - Students last day of term* FRIDAY 30 MARCH FRIDAY 13 APRIL SUMMER TERM 2018 SUMMER TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SUMMER TERM 2 Monday 16 April Students first day of term Friday 25 May Students last day before half term holiday (MAY DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 7 MAY) MONDAY 28 MAY FRIDAY 1 JUNE Monday 4 June Students back from half term holiday Thursday 19 July Students last day of term* Friday 20 July Staff Training day non attending *THE SCHOOL WILL CLOSE AT 1PM ON THE LAST DAY OF THE TERM Drumbeat School & ASD Service 21

22 Issue 54 March 2018 AUTUMN TERM 2018 SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES 2018/2019 AUTUMN TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY AUTUMN TERM 2 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY Monday 3 September Staff training day Tuesday 4 September Students first day of term Friday 28 September Staff training day Friday 19 October - Students last day of term MONDAY 22 OCTOBER FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER Monday 29 October Students first day of term Friday 21 December - Students last day of term* (School will close at 1pm on this day) MONDAY 24 DECEMBER FRIDAY 4 JANUARY SPRING TERM 2019 SPRING TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SPRING TERM 2 EASTER HOLIDAY Monday 7 January Staff training day Tuesday 8 January - Students first day of term Friday 15 February Students last day of term MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY Monday 25 February Students first day of term Friday 5 April - Students last day of term* (School will close at 1pm on this day) MONDAY 8 APRIL MONDAY 22 APRIL SUMMER TERM 2019 SUMMER TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SUMMER TERM 2 Tuesday 23 April Students first day of term Friday 24 May Students last day of term (MAY DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 6 MAY) MONDAY 27 MAY FRIDAY 31 MAY (SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 27 MAY) Monday 3 June Students first day of term Friday 19 July Students last day of term* Monday 22 & Tuesday 23 July Twilight Staff Training Days non attending Drumbeat School & ASD Service 22