HEADLINES
By James Saunders
SAFEGUARDING AT HONYWOOD
Prior to half term we received our annual external safeguarding audit. This important annual visit allows us to obtain an independent audit of our safeguarding processes and practices. I have just received the report and thought it would be nice to share some of the lovely comments about our school:
Overall summary
Honywood School exudes a strong culture of safeguarding, with well-established systems and leadership ensuring high levels of vigilance and intervention. The staff’s professional curiosity and commitment to safeguarding underpin an environment where pupils feel safe and well-supported. The strategic use of CPOMS and YouHQ facilitates realtime monitoring and targeted interventions. Robust training programs for all staff, including volunteers and external contractors, ensure compliance with KCSIE 2024. The school’s multi-agency collaboration supports vulnerable students effectively, while proactive attendance monitoring and early intervention strategies mitigate risks. Pupils spoke highly of their experiences at Honywood and they feel safe and cared for. Pupils appreciate the positive relationships that they have with staff. Staff in turn speak positively about the support that they receive from the safeguarding team in particular placing great value on the update training they receive each year. This training gives them the confidence they need to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are noticed and reported appropriately.
Comments:
• Staff are happy and stay at the school for a long time, with the average level of service being 9 years. Staff and pupils confirm they feel supported and listened to in a trusted environment.
• There is a family feel throughout the school and an in depth knowledge of their families and contextual safeguarding
• Staff and pupils spoke about a calm, safe and purposeful environment
• Behaviour is good at the school, especially in the last few years.
• There are consistent processes that are clear for all pupils. Incidents are few and far between. A calm culture comes with these systems and processes however they are underpinned by strong relationships between pupils and staff. The culture of kind, polite and respectful learners is embedded in the micro interpersonal relationships. Model it and give it back.
• Pupils are well known and understood. Staff know the children, and the children know the staff. A key priority for the school is relationships. Everyone knows everyone’s name.
• Pupil voice indicated that most pupils felt that they had a key person that they could talk to, and that they knew they would be taken seriously if they had a problem.
• Pupils were able to speak articulately about their PSHE and RSE curriculum
• There is a robust online safety programme and pupils were able to talk about how they have been taught to keep themselves safe on line and not to accept friend requests from people they don’t know.
• Pupils felt well supported in being able to report concerns. Pupils felt that concerns would be
addressed promptly if they were raised. All pupils felt that they knew how to get help if they needed it
• Pupils did not feel that there were any particular issues with prejudicial comments or discrimination.
• Pupils feel safe at the school and although they feel that the school is very strict they appreciate that there is good behaviour as a result.
• There is a high level of understanding across the school that there are different triggers and reasons behind behavioural incidents. There are high levels of pupils who have experienced trauma and Aces as well as a high proportion of pupils with EHCPs and complex needs.
• Alongside high expectations for behaviour there is carefully thought out SEND support and Emotional Wellbeing support.
• There are robust anti bullying approaches and pupils spoke positively about the measures in place if there are any episodes of bullying.
• It is clear that the school works hard to build strong relationships with parents and the community. This enables them to have difficult and challenging conversations as required. The school do not shy away from working with and challenging multi agencies if they need
• TPP is used for vulnerable pupils and staff have clear strategies and places to support pupils to deescalate
I wish you a lovely weekend
EVERYONE LOVES PIE
James Saunders
The British love a pie, in fact the pie is our unique contribution to International Cuisine. We have developed this delicacy more than any other nation to give us the range and styles of pies that we know and love today. One of them, the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (a sure favourite of our own Leicestrian, Mr Munro), has even gained official PGI protected status in the European Union along with its cousins the Cornish Pasty and the Forfar Bridie.
Whilst the start of March was dedicated to British Pie Week today (March 14th, aka 3/14) represents a different kind of Pie. Today is the international day of
mathematics - also know as pi day
“Probably no symbol in mathematics has evoked as much mystery, romanticism, misconception and human interest as the number pi” - William L. Schaaf
Pi (represented by the Greek letter π), one of the most well-known mathematical constants, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. For any circle, the distance around the edge is a little more than three times the distance across. Typing π into a calculator and pressing ENTER will usually yield the result 3.141592654, not because this value is exact, but because a calculator’s display is often limited to 10 digits. Pi is actually an irrational number (a decimal with no end and no repeating pattern).
This brings up a rather interesting question: If pi is the number of diameter lengths that fit around a circle, how can it have no end?
Pi is the most studied number in mathematics, and for good reason. The number pi is integral to our understanding of geometry. Pi has uses in physics, astronomy, and mathematics. Pi is used in architecture and construction as well, and has been a vital part of everything from arches and bridges to the Pyramids of Giza.
Here are a few pi facts:
• Since the exact value of pi can never be calculated, we can never find the accurate area or circumference of a circle.
• The record for reciting the most number of decimal places of Pi was achieved by Rajveer Meena. He was able to recite 70,000 decimal places, which took an astonishing 10 hours!
• Pi is actually a part of Egyptian mythology. People in Egypt believed that the pyramids of Giza were built on the principles of pi. The vertical height of the pyramids have the same relationship with the perimeter of their base as the relationship between a circle’s radius and its circumference. The pyramids are phenomenal structures and are one of the seven wonders of the world.
• The calculation of pi is a stress test for a computer. It works just like a digital cardiogram since it indicates the level of activity within the computer’s processor.
• The number pi is literally infinitely long. But the number 123456 doesn’t appear anywhere in the first million digits of pi. It is a bit shocking because
if a million digits of pi don’t have the sequence 124356, it definitely is the most unique number.
• Many mathematicians believe that it is more accurate to say that a circle has infinite corners than it is to say that it has none. It is only reasonable to assume that the infinite number of corners in a circle correlates to the infinite number of digits of pi.
• The Greek letter π is the first letter of the word periphery and perimeter. And as we all know, pi is the ratio of a circle’s “periphery” to its diameter.
REPORTING ATTENDANCE
Please inform the school early in the day by 8.30am if your child is going to be absent from school. You need to call the attendance line on 01376 561 231 option 1 or email attendance@honywoodschool.com to report a child’s absence. This number has a 24 hour voicemail service. If you need to speak to someone because you need extra help or are worried, please contact your child’s Cohort Leader and we will make sure someone contacts you. We may ask for a letter to confirm medical appointments to explain absences or other suitable medical evidence.
If you receive a Groupcall message regarding your child’s absence please contact the school as soon as possible. If your child has not arrived at school or left the premises and you are not aware, we need you to help with finding him/her and ensuring s/he is safe. It is a safeguarding concern if no-one knows where your child is.
You need to make sure your child is in school by 8.30am in order for them to register and prepare for the day. A rushed arrival can make a child feel unsettled and lead to a difficult day in school. They may also receive a late mark and possible consequence.
We need parents to keep us up to date with contact details. Please let us know if your mobile number changes and make sure that, wherever possible, we have another two named contacts on the system we can call if we cannot get hold of you. This is important if there is any kind of an emergency.
Thank you for your support.
As part of our continued commitment as a school to inclusion and diversity, alongside improving our students' cultural capital, we will be celebrating British Sign Language Week (17th -23rd March 2025). We will be embedding an element of sign language into all our lessons this week.
Dates for the Diary
Mon 17 March
Tues 18 March
Wed 19 March
Wed 26 March
Thurs 27 March
Fri 28 March
Parents Evening 3.30 - 6.30
C8 Creative Careers Event at Mercury Theatre
C11 Scavenger Hunt in London
C8 Guided Choices Deadline - 9am
Fri 28 March C8 Creative Careers Day in school
Mon 31 March C10 Mock Exams commence
Fri 4th April End of term