Meadowside Magazine Issue 30

Welcome to the 30th edition of the Meadowside Magazine.

It has been an incredibly busy term and I am so very proud of the achievements of all of the pupils.

There is a wonderful team at Meadowside School, who work tirelessly to provide the best opportunities for all pupils, enabling them to achieve positive outcomes and work towards their personal goals.

This magazine is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the Meadowside community and I hopeyou feel as privileged as I do to be a part of these young people’s stories.

Have a great summer and stay safe. See you in September, when we will be striving to ‘Make Every Moment Count’ .

Thank you

Paula

Wareing Head Teacher

Student Council

Our student council went to St Helens Town Hall to showcase the work they have done over the year. All schools were invited and the members had the chance to look at what the other schools had done, This event was also attended by Local Mayors, Mayor of St Helens and the High Sheriff who spoke with all members about their school and the work they've done over the year. Members voted to support the Recycle with Michael charity, run by the Salvation Army.

Claire Albertsen

Attendance Update

There have been 4 pupils with 100% attendance this year: a huge well done to James, Tomasz, Demi and Connor! Praise is also due to those who have significantly improved their attendance this year, well done Luke S-H, Connor, Adam and Shannah.

Unfortunately,our whole school attendance is 84% this school year, which is lower than the Wirral, North West and National averages for special schools! The nextschool year will see some significant changes introduced by the Department for Education in relation to schoolattendance. I will share further details on this in due course, but for now it is essential for you to know the following:

 We are no longer able to be flexible with our morningregister, so pupils arriving after 9:20 will be classed as having unauthorised absence, which could ultimately lead to a fixed term penalty notice.

 Reduced timetables, where pupils attend for shorter or fewer days have to be declared with the Local Authority and include a time bound plan to return to a full week.

 Families should take advantage of adjustments in airports etc. and consider travelling to quieter resorts, in order to avoid taking term time holidays.

 We are now lucky to have Laura, working as our FamilySupport Worker, who can support families with attendance related matters.

Mrs Dunn

Summer Fair 2023

Our Summer Fair was held mostly indoors this year, due to the persistent rain that has dominated our summer. There was a great turnout and it was lovely to see members of the Meadowside Community from years gone by in attendance. The Fair made over £1400 profit and was thanks entirely to the team effort from Meadowside staff, guided by the Association (HSA). If any parents would like to get involved with the HSA, please contact the school and ask for Debbie. HSA funds many whole school events and activities, with the summer fair being their main source of income.

We also raised money for Claire House, promoted by a visit from Claire Bear herself!

The Summer Fair was honoured to host performances from Jacqui’s Tai Chi groups, the Sing Me Merseyside Choir and Russ Beaufort on the ukulele.

Mrs Hughes

To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, we held a street party in the playground, with a delicious lunch, spectacular cakes, and fun and games for everyone. Mel, our Midday Supervisor, organised a scavenger hunt and a quiz as well as the lunch itself.

Pupils especially enjoyed the outdoor disco and having their photograph taken with the Green Screen effects that placed them alongside the Royal couple!

All pupils were given commemorative seed packets, to grow their own red, white and blue flowers.

Mrs Hughes

Woodchurch Inclusion

Aidan has completed his GCSEinArtand Design at Woodchurch High school this term and is looking forward to receiving his result in August. For his Externally Set Assignment Aidan drew upon the wisdom he developed throughout the course to create an outstanding final piece supported by his research and experimentation with integrity.

Well Done Aidan!

Jenny Wilson

English

This term during English lessons, KS3 and KS4 classes have been reading and watching the plays Archie Dobson’s War, written by Rob Jobson, and Our Day Out, by Willy Russell. Whilst studying Archie Dobson’s War, pupils have been exploring what life was like before and during WW1. Pupils have been comparing the different type of work civilians did within the countryside, compared to factory work within the town.

Pupils have also been considering what life was like in the trenches for soldiers. Howthey ate, slept and were on guard with their rifle at all times. They have been busy making gas masks and wearing WWI helmets to re-enact the life of a WWI solider.

We have also been making model zeppelins and studying how they were used to bomb targets.

Pupils had lots of funwatching Our DayOut and finding the naughty behaviour of the children in the play very funny. We have been planning our own day out and re-enacting the bus scenes.

Ms Roberts

Endeavour and Enquire making gas masks and wearing a WWI helmet.

Aspire and Endeavour making Zeppelins and re-enacting Our Day Out.

Drama

This term during Drama, we have been studying the playwright Willy Russell, and his play Our Day Out The pupils have been studying and practising speaking in a Liverpool accent, and acting out scenes from the play. The pupils have had lots of fun acting like the children on the bus, including being disrespectful to other passengers in other cars. They re-enacted the handing the animals back to the zoo keeper scene and being on the fun fair.

Whilst studying the play, we looked at what life was like in Liverpool and why Liverpool was so deprived. Pupils understood that Liverpool was in the middle of a recession and was a deprived area. Hence, why the pupils were so happy to be on a day out.

MFL

This term during French, we have been learning about he different names for food and drink. Pupils have been practising ordering drinks and food from a cafe. We set up a classroom café, where pupils were provided with menus. They took turns at being the customer or the waiter/waitress. Each pupil was provided with Euros and had to ask and pay for their order inFrench, exchanging the correct amount of money. We had lots of fun ordering our food and eating our snacks!

The French options group in our classroom French café.

Ms Roberts

The Drama options group, re-enacting the bus scene from the play Our Day Out.

Flair class have loved the introduction of our Motor Activities Training Programme (MATP) in our class PE session. This Special Olympic led, non -competitive programme, gives everyone the chance to shine as athletes in their own right, developing four key skills of Striking, Kicking, Mobility, and Dexterity.

Throughout the summer term we have been working on these skills in our class sessions, leading up to our MATP ‘come and try’ event on Sport’s Day in June. We loved showcasing our development alongside our peers and had fun trying out new activities.

We love the high energy and dynamic atmosphere of our MATP sessions, and can’t wait to continue developing our skills next year!

Focus KS3

Focus KS3 have had a really busy Summer term. We have continued to enjoy our weekly cookery lessons as part of My Independence where we have explored the preparation of fruits and vegetables. In Myself and My Body we have been exploring British Values, especially Democracy and Rule of Law. In My Thinking and Problem solving we have been learning about plants and animals where we have grown sunflowers and cress as well as looking after our edible garden. In The World About Me we have been learning about Noah’s Ark and the message behind the story.

We have particularly enjoyed our Read Write Inc. phonics sessions this term and have explored a wide range of stories, especially our focus book Dear Zoo.

Mrs O’Connor

Semi-Formal Curriculum

During Summer Term, the learners in Copper (Focus 14-19) have enjoyed our topic of Animals and Plants. This topic has led to our trips to see animals at Knowsley Safari park and Alpaca farms, as part of Future’s Week.

The children thoroughly enjoyed Futures Week (Careers), as they were able to learn about working with animals .

As a class we have been reading the book Dear Zoo (English My Communication), which has inspired their learning about animals. The children have written and sent fantastic letters to the Zoo and they have collaboratively designed a working zoo!

We have also watched the classic 1970’s TV ‘Play for a Day’ film called ‘Our Day Out’. The children were in hysterics when in the film the school children pinched the zoo animals!

Since our last Magazine update, the children have covered a wide variety of topics in our My Thinking and Problem Solving lessons. They have more proficiency in telling the time, sharing (division) between friends to make it fair, plus understanding temperature and how it changes and impacts on it’s environment. As staff we are very proud of how the children have progressed and developed this year.

The children in Copper have a very close bond with each other, inspiring healthy competition to improve in their daily tasks and to work collaboratively. They have all improved their verbal communication, their problem solving and ability to handle situations.

It has been a pleasure teaching the class this year. So from myself, Tracy, Grant, Jess and Fiona we hope they enjoy their summer, ready for new exciting challenges in September!

Mr Brown

Computing

Within the Summer Term there has been a focus on ‘Netiquette’, with the pupils learning about how good etiquette also applies to the online world. They have learnt about suitable and unsuitable behaviours and that they still should practice good manners and behaviours when using technology, applying this to use of phone calls, video calls, social media and emails.

We have also been learning about data and information storage, considering how organisations gather and manage data. Pupils have created forms for gathering data. They have particularly enjoyed considering how the police store and filter data to identify key suspects in crimes based on large databases ofpeople.

Mrs Charmley

Maths

During the Summer Term all pupils have revisited their understanding of Time. This has been through the use of classroom practice clocks, purple mash and a variety of games.

Key Stage 3 have also focused on multiplication times table recall through practical activities and online activities. They have also learnt about position and direction, with some pupils developing their knowledge of co-ordinates.

Key Stage 4/5 have focused on Statistics, gathering informationand management of graphs and charts to display and structure information.

A big well done to those pupils who completed their AQA Entry Level Certificate papers for submission.

Mrs Charmley

Science

The Summer Term has been action packed with lots of practical activities to help the pupils visualise scientific concepts.

It's been a fun term for pupils in Key Stage 3 who have been learning about forces in their Physics lessons. They have investigated air resistance as a counter force to gravity, making paper aeroplanes, helicopters and parachutes. It's been really impressive watching them make amendments totheir designs to achieve slower descents.

Key Stage 3 have also tested toy cars driving on different surfaces as they investigated friction and, in Chemistry, have looked at physical and chemical reactions while solving a crime: which member of staff stole the cake?

Our Key Stage 4 groups have learned about how materials can change, and whether these changes were physical or chemical. They have also learned about plants, covering growth, pollination, photosynthesis and transpiration.

Parent Showcase Afternoon

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon with parents, carers and families coming to join pupils for the afternoon. This was an opportunity to meet the staff and pupils , whilst trying a few taster activities together.

Activities included making fruit skewers, planting tomato plants and a media/photography session on Green Screen technology.

It was lovely for parents and carers to see their young person in the school setting and for everyone to share in the fun we have at Meadowside!

Mrs Hughes

Careers

Pupils have been looking at Career Ladders, identifying what skills they would need to develop for different roles and jobs. The highlight if the term, following Futures Week, was the VR experience, provided by the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub.

Pupils in every class had the opportunity to engage in virtual work experience scenarios, seated in their classrooms! They were able to visit KnowsleySafari Park, Regenda Housing and Shawton Engineering.

The VR experience transported pupils directly into the world of Engineering, the Visitor Economy and Housing, guiding them through how each sector works. Pupils virtually met managers, owners and young people on work experience!

Mrs Hughes

Futures Week

world of work. The theme this year was Animal Care and Horticulture and whilst we were not able to have a whole week, for various reasons, we packed a lot in!

Forty pupils went on a visit to Knowsley Safari Park and learned about the different roles involved in caring for wild animals and running a local tourism attraction.

We visited local farms and colleges, looking at opportunities that help pupils plan their next steps in life.

Animal Care & Horticulture

The Alpaca Farm in Prenton was amazing: everyone had a hands on experience, feeding and walking the animals.

AtRoyden Park wejoinedinwithsome work tasks, such as log splitting and planting strawberry plants. We got to meet their owl, called Roy.

The police horses visited school and everyone enjoyed coming out to see them in the playground.

Two animal charities visited schoolDogs for Good and Jackson’s Animal Rescue. Pupils enjoyed meeting the service dog and finding out about the work of both charities.

We visited Tam O’Shanter’s Farm, Acorn Farm and Woodchurch High School’s farm.

Mrs Hughes

World Cultures

We have sped through a lot of countries this term, selecting a new one each week, from pupil interests. We play a weekly game of Globle, building our knowledge of country locations with every guess!

Pupils have enjoyed finding out about some of the countries who entered the Eurovision Song Contest, including Estonia and Finland.

We have studied some lesser known countries including Tokelau and Lesotho. We usually identify the flag, the politics, tourism and history for each country and where possible, taste some of the food enjoyed in each country. One of the best snacks was the Finnish Pancakes known as Kropsua.

Mrs Hughes

Fusion class has continued to make progress in literacy and numeracy skills, as well as develop our social/communication and life skills, across a range of subjects and activities this term.

Learners in Fusion are also benefitting from being given additional responsibilities in order to help become more independent as we begin transitioning into early adulthood.

Continuing our 14-19 Options has helped us to carry on developing our understanding of the ‘world around us’.

This term we have particularly enjoyed being a part of ‘Futures Week’, visiting the different animal tourist attractions and animal based education centres around Merseyside, was very enjoyable and gave us a good insightinto some of the options that might be available to us, when we move onfrom Meadowside.

In addition, we also enjoyed the experience of the Showcase Day, where we had the opportunity to join in some new activities, in some new environments, with unfamiliar staff. This was a little challenging for some of us at first.

But, with lots of support and encouragement from our usual and familiar staff, mixing and working alongside some new people, became possible and proved to be a huge obstacle that we successfully managed to cross.

Mr Pemberton

At Activities 4 All, 14-19 learners have continued to developtheir climbing skills, along with their confidence, teamwork, coordination and many other skills.

As well as having great fun, we are also completing important challenges each week, that will contribute towards us gaining our unit accreditations at the end of the year.

At the end of our climbing sessions, we have recently been playing full sized, 11 a side football, against a team of service users who also use the centre. We wonour last game 3-2! Mr

Pemberton

Play & Leisure 14-19 options group has recently been enjoying visits to local parks to enjoy playing outside in the sunny weather.

As well as playing in the play area, the group has been enjoying visiting the café, to buy drinks, snacks and ice creams.

Visiting the park has been great fun and has also helped us to continue to developour social play and communication skills, as well as helping us experience the world around us in the local community.

Mr Pemberton

Sensory Cookery

We have continued to develop and refine our skills in SensoryCookerythis term, with some pupils even working towards being totally independent in the kitchen!

Everybody has been willing to work with new ingredients this term, even those which have been challenging from a sensory point of view. I am proud of how all members of the class were willing to engage with different smells, textures and flavours, with some pupils extending the range of foods they would try.

We have enjoyed using pastry in a range of ways this term, making upside down tarts in different flavours, including banana and tomato...separately of course!

Pupils were able to work as a team on a production line when we made gourmet choc ices to sell at Sports Day. We even managed to do it without touching the melted

14-19 options groups

Rebound Therapy

The benefits of rebound therapy are :- Improves flexibility and coordination, Promotes core stability and head control, Helps increase spatial and body awareness, Increases confidence with movement, Improves communication and concentration skills, Develops the child's independence.

Multi-sports

Pupils have taken part in various physical activities/sports including tennis, dodgeball, golf, football, table tennis and cricket. Pupils have been working on their physical skills, teamwork, tactics in games and communication skills.

Pupils have taken part in a few special PE events this term including :-

Football Event at Woodchurch High School—2 teams from Meadowside took part and did the schoolvery proud by coming 2nd and 3rd in the round robin tournament against some very strong opposition. Well done

Pupils also took part in the annual Everton in the Community Olympic Legacy event at Archbishop Beck Tennis centre in Liverpool, where they took part in games including archery, football, athletics, kin-ball, curling, table tennis and volleyball

P.E.

Key stage 3 pupils have been learning about Dance, learning about street/hip hop dance in particular. Pupils have looked at the 4 different aspects of dance including actions, space, relationships and dynamics. Pupils have taken part in following and designing their own street dance to a set piece of music ‘Ice, ice baby’. They have learnt the set moves each week and put them into a set routine.

KS4 and P16 pupils (14-19) have been learning about golf, looking at the physical aspects of golf including grip (hotdog), aim (laser), stance (equal steps) and position (ball drop) using the acronym GASP. Pupils have also been looking at the cognitive aspects including Positive Self Reflection, Focus and Visualisation , Emotional Control , Positive Body Language , Positive Self-Talk and Self Compassion and Goal Setting and My PB (Personal Best) to help pupils with strategies outside of golf and PE that they can use in other lessons or at home.

Sports Leaders– 14-19 Options

Pupils in Sports Leader have been working on a programme to help develop their leadership skills, looking at communication, rules, planning games, warm ups, research, equipment and attributes of a leader.

Mr Stubbs

Key Stage 3 pupils have been learning about British Values, looking at the 5 British Values (democracy, individual liberty, rule of law, tolerance and mutual respect), What does it mean to be a British Citizen?, being British now, Racism, Prevent, British Values and Homophobia and The Law – rule of law

Key Stage 4 and Post 16 (14-19) have also been learning about British Values, describing their personal identities, the contributions of other cultures in helping to form Britain today, racism including xenophobia, extreme nationalism and racism , extreme ideas and radicalisation, British values and Homophobia and understanding of the Criminal Justice System inrelation to British Values

ASC—After School Clubs

Meadowside School pupils have been offered the opportunity to access and engage in various After School Clubs this term including Small Animal Care, Digital Photography, Swimming, Edible Playground and Dance, where pupils took part in a special dance event at the Floral Pavilion theatre, organised by Shadow Dance & Clare Mount School.

Mr Stubbs

KS3 -Festivals was the topic, with pupils learning about some of the many festivals both religious and non-religious and how and why they are celebrated. Festivals includedHoli, Diwali, Wesak, Eid-ul-Fitr and Pentecost, with pupils having the opportunity to find out about other festivals from around the world and why they were celebrated. Festivals pupils wanted to find out about included Groundhog Day, Canada Day and the Moon Festival.

Making and tasting Karah when learning about Sikhism

KS4 and Post 16

What is a charity? Who do they help? What do they do? Why do religions have charities? These are some of the questions from the Religion and Charity topic this term. Pupils learnt about the types ofcharities, religious beliefs about charity, why charity adverts are emotional and how they make you want tohelp, with pupils finding out about local and national charities and took part in charity voting. Christian Aid, Tear Fund, Salvation Army and Red Cross Charities and why celebrities such as Paul O’Grady become involved with a charity and finding out about nonreligious charities was also part of this topic.

Post 16 pupils and some of the KS4 pupils participated in a three-day fundraiser for charity. Pupils and staff who were involved running the Maroon Café or who visited and spent some money in the café who all helped make it a success. £154.91 was raised for Christian Aid charity.

Liz Jones

KS4 & Post 16 Christian Aid Fundraiser

Horse Riding with the Foresters Horn RDA Group at Larton Riding School

14 - 19 Options

During the Summer term the group have been working towards their Countryside Challenge. This has been in both the indoor arena and the outside arena.

The challenge incorporates jumping over small jumps, stretching and balancing while on their horses, rein control whilst doing a figure of eight and trotting in the arena.

Many thanks as always, to the Celia Parry and her team of volunteers from Foresters Horn RDA.

Meadowside pupils shone brightly at this year ’s ZILLO Awards. ZILLO is a website created by Wirral Council Children’s Services, in partnership with students and staff at WirralMet College. ZILLO is a place where young people can get the lowdown on the latest events, arts, culture, news and expert health and wellbeing advice.

They launched the Youth Awards, earlier this year and four pupils from Meadowside had their nominations accepted and put forward for consideration at the awards evening. The event, organised by the ZILLO Young Reporters, aimed to recognise the outstanding accomplishments young people in Wirral are making in their lives, inspire others, and create a culture of excellence among young people here in Wirral.

Our winners included:

Toby– the Environmental Champion Award

Tyler– the CommunityEngagement Award

Luke L-the Animal Care Award

Mrs Hughes

Life Skills

KS3 Cleaning activities, safety games, making snacks and using money to add values and to buy items to play with in shop and online games have been part of KS3 topic.

KS4 Pupils have been learning and participating in some of the cleaning tasks linked to household cleaning that has included; washing and drying,dishes, setting the table, cleaning floors, sorting and washing laundry and making drinks and snacks then cleaning up afterwards.

Sandwiches, cakes, pizzas, sausage rolls, pasties and making picnic foods are some of the things we have made and enjoyed eating in lessons. 4V also made cakes to sell in the 3 day Maroon café fundraiser for their RE accreditation.

Post 16 Using electric mixers, kettles, blenders, food mixers, induction hobs, microwaves and gas and electric cookers are some of the kitchen equipment Post 16 have used to make food. Pupils have made egg dishes, pasta dishes, curries, cakes and biscuits including running the Maroon café by making, selling and serving food and drinks items and using money skills of the 3 day fundraiser for their RE accreditation. Liz Jones

14-19 Options

Festivals & Celebrations

In this Option pupils learnt about some of the Festivals and Celebrations that have occurred during this term.

St Georges Day, Africa Day, Family Day (for Father’s Day) and Eid are some of the celebrations we looked at. Pupils learnt about what it was about, the countries and the people involved and how it was celebrated. Pupils tasted or made foods that included Giant Cookie Cake, the exploding African Lime Cake (although this wasn’t meant to happen but the cake tasted great), Coconut Barfi to celebrate Eid and making scones for an afternoon tea for St George’s day.

Cookery Snacks

Grating, mixing, rolling and cutting to make scones, raspberry buns, chocolate cakes, biscuits, twisty cheese straws and pasties happened in cookery options. This option is lots of fun with many pupils enjoying getting messy, singing along to songs when making food and then tasting some of the food they made as a snack

Liz Jones

Celebrating Family Day (father’s day) making a giant cookie cake

Humanities

New York versus Zermatt! Vikings versus Anglo Saxons

This term’s work has been one of contrasts !

KS3 have been having fun ‘visiting’ The Big Apple via tourist videos. Most felt inspired to visit New York so they may need to start saving their pennies ! Lots of pupils recognised some New York tourist attractions from Home Alone, the zoo in Madagascar and Hop . Zermatt, near to the Matterhorn in Switzerland offered the most amazing contrast to NY. The pupils were busy choosing what they would like to order from the mountain cafés . Hot chocolate was the most popular choice !

The classes have loved finding out all about the warring Vikings and The Anglo Saxon. We practices our battle cries and we have joined the great debate,did Alfred The Great deserve his title of being great or not ?

Mrs Brown

Music

The Summer Term topic has been SeaShanties. Pupils have enjoyed joining in with singing sometraditionalsongs and thenplaying the melodies on the keyboard.

Pupils especially enjoyed playing along to the Tik Tok hit the Wellerman with the Boomwhackersticks.

The highlight of the summer was the Merseyside schools’ Music Festival, held at Bluebell Park School in Liverpool. Pupils enjoyed singing along with the other schools and performing their own song to the audience.

Mrs Hughes

Japanese Cherry Blossom and the artist Hokusai ( best known for the woodblock series Thirty views of Mount Fuji)

KS3 pupils used aJapanese brush to paint brush strokes for bamboo leaves, they used watercolours to paint a branch with blossoms. They learned about the Cherry Blossom Festival celebrated by the families picnicking under the trees.

Endeavour, Discover, Enquire and Aspire have been working towards building a 3D pictureinspired by Hokusai

Ms Hoffmann

Endeavour,

Discovery, Aspire, Enquire and the Textiles Options groups have all been exploring Textiles. They watched the Mexican Festival of the Dayof the Dead to study their brightly decorated and embellished Skulls/Masks.

Pupils have used the resist method of decorating and dyeing fabrics using hot wax and brightly coloured dyes called Batik. They have learned different ways on how to join fabrics together ; by using pins , hand sewing and machine sewing .

Ms Hoffmann

Leavers’ Residential

Some of the Meadowside School Leavers attended the Barnstondale Residential from 12th—14th July 2023

Pupils were able to stay overnight in the Meadow Lodge, where they organised all of their own food, bedding and also took part in lots of indoor and outdoor activities including archery, climbing, abseiling, indoor obstacle course, cross the river ‘zip line’, camp fire and orienteering.

The outcomes for the residential for pupils were:-



To develop independence skills through a 3 day, 2 night residential experience

 To celebrate their attainment at Meadowside with their peer group before they leave school in July 2023

 To build their tolerance and understanding of individual liberty

 To build self esteem

ALL pupils successfully achieved their outcomes. Well Done, Mr Stubbs

We’ve had a wonderful term hereat Meadowside School and look forward to next term, welcoming students present and new back to school.

We are sad to say goodbye to three members of staff but wish them all well in their new ventures. Mrs Liz Jones, Jack Liddell and Alan Collins are all moving on. We are very grateful for all that they have done for the school. Sign up to ClassDojo for all of the latest inside school information, with regular news and updates.