Headlines - 9th June 2023

9th June 2023

HEADLINES

By James Saunders

Happy Friday everyone! We return full steam ahead for the final furlong of the term. With one week down already the summer is going to be upon us in no time. There is still much to achieve so it is vitally important that learners maintain the high standards and positive engagement in their lessons that they have demonstrated across the year. I have enjoyed welcoming in the warmer weather, however, I know that concentration can be difficult when temperatures rise, but collectively I know that we can work together to maintain our purposeful and productive atmosphere around school.

I would like to thank Mrs Reece, Mr Bilby, Mrs Hickford and Mr Smith for leading the presentations to families week regarding the C7, C9 and C10 residentials. There are only three more weeks until our trips commence. If you did not make it or if you want to check the information shared on Wednesday I have attached a link to the presentations to these headlines.

Click here for the Parent Information Presentations on the upcoming residentials

There is just over a week to go until all of C11 will have completed a gruelling exam season. They will have one final goodbye at the C11 prom.

Prior to the C11 prom we have our Intake Days for current C6 learners. Currently we are set to have over 160 learners attending Honywood in September. We have seen a lot of positive interest in the school recently and are proud to say that we will be oversubscribed in September.

We know that relationships and the individual learner are important units of currency here at Honywood and in the context of our new intake they couldn’t be any more important. Our cohorts come from over 40 different primary schools. There are many children that are the only child or one of two coming from their school. With so many children in this position it is vital that we support them in their transition to

feel a sense of belonging as quickly as possible. The great thing about this is that it helps us to create our wonderful family culture.

There are two main factors that contribute to a successful transition:

1 - being academically and behaviourally involved in the school

2 - feeling

a sense of belonging in the school

Our intake days and the start of the autumn term are designed to achieve these aims.

Now it’s time to enjoy a weather. Have a lovely weekend.

James Saunders

ESSEX TEACHING AWARDS – NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN

We have some fantastic staff here at Honywood. Everyday they inspire me to deliver even more. Our community would not be this wonderful without our great staff. If you would like to show your appreciation for a particular member of staff or team then why not nominate them for a teaching award?

https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/ essex-teaching-awards

The Essex Teaching Awards 2023 will be taking place in Autumn 2023 to celebrate and acknowledge the outstanding work of the educational workforce in Essex. Anyone can nominate individuals or teams working in educational establishments in the Essex Local Authority Area. Nominations are now open and will close on Friday 21 July 2023. Make a nomination by completing the online form.

How To Nominate

You can nominate an individual, team or school by completing the nomination form by Friday 21 July

2023:

The nomination categories are:

• New teacher

• Non-teaching staff member

• School team

• Secondary teacher

• Special school teacher

• Teaching assistant

Contact

For further information, please email: teaching.awards@essex.gov.uk

PRIDE MONTH

It’s Pride Month, which marks the celebration of and focus on LGBTQ+ communities. It is also an important time to shed light on the difficult everyday situations which many young people who are exploring their sexuality or who identify as LGBTQ+ find themselves in.

In 2021, Childline reported a 29% increase in the number of young people speaking about ‘coming out’ compared to the previous year.

According to the NSPCC, children and young people in the LGBTQ+ community may ‘experience homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying or hate crime’. All children and young people have the right to be protected and kept safe from abuse and neglect. LGBTQ+ children and young people face the same risks as all children and young people, but they are at greater risk of some types of abuse. In addition, children and young people who are discovering their sexual identity may be more at risk of grooming, online abuse and being encouraged to take part in underage sexual exploration (Barnardo’s and Fox, 2016; McGeeney et al, 2017; Xu and Zheng, 2014).

Education is key.  Understanding the context of their lives and lived experiences empowers us all with a greater level of understanding on how we can protect and support them. For some young people who identify as part of this community, there can be extra challenges to face, something that as parents, carers and school staff, we should all be aware of.

How to support a child or young person in the LGBTQ+ community?

Create a safe environment in which children and young people feel they can talk about their gender or sexual identity.  Never force the conversation! Affirm the conversation: Always thank your young person for talking with you, opening up and being

honest.  This may also be a good opportunity to remind them how much you love them.

Active listening: Take the time to stop, listen and acknowledge what they are trying to tell you. Acknowledge you won’t always get it right. We all make mistakes, when we do it’s important to own it and apologise; It’s okay – we all make them! For example, if you accidently use the wrong word or phrase, don’t panic. Correct yourself and apologise. This can help your young person understand that you are listening and trying to support them.

Find age-appropriate resources. The danger of leaving young people to find their own resources is that they may encounter harmful or age-inappropriate content online, sometimes of a sexual nature.

Trusted Adults – Talk to your young person about who their team of trusted adults are and who they can talk to, if they don’t feel comfortable talking to you.

Don’t make assumptions. Young people may not disclose mental health issues, bullying or abuse in fear that their sexual or gender identity will be blamed.

Seek out support for yourself! It’s okay if you need extra support as a parent or carer. There are multiple online and in person resources, including organisations specifically for parents and carers of LGBTQ+ people. We have outlined some of these in the Signposting and Further Resources section below.

Whilst children and young people of the LGBTQ+ Community may face different adversities, it is possible to help mitigate these by providing support and understanding. Research has shown that acceptance and support from peers and family help provide protective factors against depression, drug misuse and self-harm amongst the LGBTQ+ youth. Support, such as family affirmation, can have incredibly positive effects on self-esteem, general wellness, and acts as a ‘buffer’ against poor mental health.

The importance of representation cannot be understated. 52% of LGBTQ+ pupils reported that seeing other members of the LGBTQ+ community around their school makes the most positive difference in their daily lives.

Cohort 11 - Check your email for the login details for the Whole Cohort Photo. C11 leavers photos are on Facebook!

Learners in all cohorts will be required to wear a blazer from September 2023.

Free online events around children with ASD