Headlines

By James Saunders

AUTISM AWARENESS

As we approach the end of the Spring term, we also draw closer to April 2nd: World Autism Awareness Day. This year, the date carries even greater significance as the United Nations, in partnership with the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION), observes the theme: “Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value.” This day serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of understanding, acceptance, and inclusion for individuals on the autism spectrum. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on how we can create a more supportive and inclusive society for children and individuals with autism.

At Honywood, this is more than just a date on the calendar. As a school that proudly serves the highest proportion of learners with Autism in Essex, we don’t just “manage” neurodiversity—we thrive because of it.

The 2026 UN observance is a powerful call to action to move beyond old, limiting narratives. It affirms the inherent dignity and unconditional worth of every person with autism. This mirrors our own ethos at Honywood: we believe that when a society—or a school—embraces neurodiversity, it strengthens its creativity and resilience.

“If you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.”

This remains our guiding light. Each of our learners is unique, with their own specific strengths and perspectives. Whether it is through our Enhanced Provision hub or within our mainstream classrooms, our goal is to shift away from “deficit-based” models and toward a school culture where every neurotype is seen as an essential part of our collective progress. Our children with autism have no deficits. If anything, they are superheros, navigating a world with an ability and confidence many of us could only dream of.

To ensure our learners can “thrive as individuals and learn freely,” we continue to focus on the pillars that make Honywood a leader in inclusive education:

• Human-Centred Environments: We continue to refine our approach to ensure our systems create a calm, consistent climate for everyone.

• Integrated Support: Our autism support hub is intentionally integrated into the heart of the school. All our teachers are supported to understand the diverse needs of our ASD population, ensuring that the mainstream curriculum is accessible to all.

• Fostering Peer Connections: Inclusion is a team effort. By promoting kindness and facilitating social groups, we help our learners build meaningful friendships, creating a network where every child feels seen and heard.

• Acceptance Over Awareness: While “awareness” was the goal of autism awareness day back in 2007, the world in 2026 is moving toward acceptance and appreciation. We celebrate the incredible contributions our learners make to our art, music, sport, and academic life.

As we approach National Autism Awareness Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to creating a more inclusive and compassionate society for all. By embracing neurodiversity, promoting understanding, and fostering acceptance, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and be part of a community where they feel seen, heard, and valued for who they are.

On behalf of our ASD population, thank you for supporting the Honywood community to be an inclusive, safe and supportive place for our learners.

SUCCESS

IS 10% INSPIRATION AND 90% PERSPIRATION

As we come to the end of another busy term, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the great achievements and successes that our learners have had. We have seen an incredible amount of hard work and dedication from our learners, and we are proud of what they have accomplished this term. When walking around the school - often accompanied by prospective parents the overwhelming feedback is positive. Parents comment on how quiet it is in school and how focused, happy and polite our learners are. It still remains an absolute pleasure to work at Honywood. Everytime a learner politely says good day to me or asks me how my day is going I feel very proud. I wish you could all experience what I see every day and the joy that school life brings. I always welcome showing anyone around our lovely school.

We aim for our learners to leave us both happy and successful. At Honywood, we believe that success is not just about talent, but about developing good habits and attitudes. I often have conversations with learners who state they are not good at something. The only way to get good is to develop a strong work ethic.

There are of course many things that we can all do to help us be successful. Today I would like to highlight ten things that every learner can do to maintain a good work ethic:

1. Be On Time – This shows respect, maturity and responsibility.

2. Work Ethic – Do they spend every day focusing on the right things?

3. Effort – Talking is easy. Doing the work is where accomplishment takes place.

4. Energy – This is the most valuable thing anyone can bring to learning.

5. Body Language – Do learners look like they are ready to learn and engage?

6. Passion – Are they proud of what they are doing?

7. Doing Extra – Putting more than the minimum in - going the extra mile.

8. Being Prepared – Being organised and arriving ready to learn.

9. Being Coachable – Prepared to listen and learn from feedback.

10. Attitude – It’s up to them. It is their life. The attitude will determine the altitude they fly at.

These are all things that we can all achieve. However, they are not things that we can get complacent about. We must maintain a strong work ethic everyday. I had a chat about ‘taking the easy option’ with someone the other day. I pointed out that the world is full of people who take the easy option. If we really want to achieve our dreams and ambitions it does require hard work - they will not just happen. Cultivating these habits from an early stage really does help later on in life.

By focusing on these ten things, our learners can continue to achieve great things in their academic and personal lives.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our learners, parents, and staff for their hard work and dedication this term. I am looking forward to continuing to work together to achieve great things in the summer term. I hope the weather improves too!

Best wishes for a happy and restful Easter break.

James Saunders

THANKS

Thank you to the following learners for supporting the Governance Day on 26th March:

Jax Gray

Aydin Halil Jaina Erdwin Emmanuel Ojowa Cameron Sullivan Jessica Partridge Adam Coomber

To Ben Irwin in C8. Ben has been accepted into the Essex Golf Union Development Squad for 2026. Ben went for a trial on Sunday 22nd March and has been offered a place. Fabulous news! Well done Ben!

Well done to our C7 netball team who competed in a tournament on Thursday, coming second overall, only losing one game to the overall winners. Well done! Fantastic result!

On Tuesday 24th March, Mr Powell had the pleasure of accompanying ten Cohort 9 learners to Helena Romanes School to take part in a Jack Petchey Maths Competition. We entered two teams of 5 to compete against two teams from HRS, two from Alec Hunter and two from Saffron Walden. The eight teams took part in four different Maths based activities and Mr Powell and our whole school is very proud that Honywood claimed second place (behind Saffron Walden). Well done to everyone who took part.

The Climate Action Group is taking part in an Eco event at Cressing Temple Barns and we would like you to get involved with some creative climate projects to help us with our presentation. We are looking at ways to improve the area at the front of the school by the flag pole and therefore ask for help in completing some of the following over Easter:

1- Flower pressing. Find daisies, buttercups etc. and place them between two pieces of paper. Then put a book or heavy object on top of this paper to press the flowers. Ideally leave this in a warm, dry area. Leave it for 24-48 hours and then remove. Bring these into school after Easter in an envelope or equivalent.

2- Encourage people in your community to donate any of the following: seeds, bulbs, flowerpots, Kneeling pads, organic peat-free compost, tools in a good condition, terrarium tools, secateurs, modular seed trays (small/medium sized only), plant labels, string / twine, garden wire, watering cans. Perhaps you could even create a poster to put outside your house to engage with even more people.

We really appreciate all of your help and support with helping to make Honywood more sustainable. Have a lovely Easter.

Dates for the Diary

30th March - 10th April Easter Holidays

13th April - 27th April

16th and 17th April

C10 Mock Exams commence

C11 Art Exam

Mon 4th May Bank Holiday

5th May to 19th June

C11 GCSE Exams commencew

25th May - 29th May Half term holidays

The Climate Action Team

Whilst in years gone by Easter eggs were made from decorated hen, duck or goose eggs, today the eggs we give and receive at Easter are made for people with a sweet tooth!

The first English chocolate egg was sold by Fry’s in 1873, and Cadbury’s quickly followed them, introducing their own chocolate egg in 1875. These early Easter eggs were made using dark chocolate, and were smooth and plain, but in 1897 the famous Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate was first introduced. Chocolate eggs made with this new recipe were very popular, and soon became Easter bestsellers. Even today, most Easter eggs are made using milk chocolate. There is a huge range available including milk, dark and white chocolate, and even eggs with our favourite sweets and chocolate bars included inside the packaging.

Approximately 80 to 90 million chocolate Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year. Easter egg sales make up roughly 10% of the UK’s annual chocolate spending.

The biggest Easter Egg in the World!

The tallest chocolate Easter egg ever entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2011. It was made in Italy and was a whopping 10.39 metres in height and 7,200 kg in weight. When it was measured at Le Acciaierie Shopping Centre, in Cortenuova, Italy, it was taller than a giraffe and heavier than an elephant!

ALWAYS RECYCLE YOUR EASTER EGG PACKAGING!