Year 4 visit to Jarrow Hall

19th June 2025Leah Hockings

This week year 4 were lucky enough to visit Jarrow Hall, which links in with our new theme “Saxon King”.

We completed 3 exciting workshops, learning lots of different things about Anglo Saxon life and what this would have been like. We had a go at making our own wool to create fabric for clothing and had a competition on which group could spin the longest piece.

It was then time to carry out an immersive drama experience, re-enacting what crime and punishment was like during Anglo Saxon times. The children loved taking on their roles as villagers, judges and witness’… They enjoyed handing out the sentences even more!

Finally, after lunch we enjoyed a walk through the farm and Anglo Saxon replica village and were lucky enough to enjoy the story of “Beowulf” by a roaring fire inside a great Saxon hall. We even had time to enjoy the sunshine in the park on site!

We were very impressed with the behaviour and maturity of our year 4 children and the amazing questions they asked throughout the day.

 

 

Phonics Superstars!

13th June 2025N Sikka

1 Red have been truly magnificent this week showing resilience, grit and determination whilst carrying out their phonics screens, Not one child was phased and they all worked their socks off and were simply amazing!  As a treat Mrs Sikka had a little party for them to celebrate all their hard work.

Active Futures- Futsal

9th June 2025ashleigh clark

We have been so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Amy who was from a company called Active Futures. Active Futures run a range of sporting activities around the North East and have been running some of these in our local area. This week the children engaged in an activity called Futsal which is like a smaller scale game of football. Amy showed the children some tricks to do with the football and then played lots of games. The children really enjoyed their sessions and even received a leaflet to take home with all of the information about the activities that Active Futures run. Please feel free to have a look and sign up to the activities!

Sibs Newsletter

6th June 2025R King

 

Mental health awareness week 2025

This month we have been supporting mental health week, which has focused on the theme of community. Our latest spotlight blog for young siblings talks about how having people around you or looking at our YoungSibs pages can support you as a sibling.

Here are some useful links to explore.

How can I help them play together? – Parent tip

As a parent, it can be difficult to know how to support your disabled or neurodivergent child and their sibling to spend positive time together. Finding games and activities that all of your children can enjoy can sometimes feel tricky – especially during half term break.  Check out our recommendations here. We would love to hear about what has worked well for your family, do let us know.

Last call – Sibling Group Leader training (young siblings)

Our next training session will run online on 16th June for anyone who wants to run a sibling group for children.  This session will give you all the information you need to plan, run and evaluate your own local siblings group. It is also an opportunity for those already running a group to gain new ideas.  To find out more and book your place, check out our webpage here.

Final Opportunity to Take Part in the OASIS Sleep Study – Focusing on Children with Complex Needs and Their Siblings


Researchers from the University of Birmingham are in the final month of recruiting families for the OASIS Sleep Study, a fully remote research project exploring sleep and wellbeing in children with intellectual or complex needs and their same-household siblings (aged 4–15 years).
The study aims to better understand how sleep affects both children with additional needs and their siblings, with the goal of supporting family wellbeing more effectively.
What’s involved?

  • A brief online questionnaire and a follow-up phone call with a caregiver
  • 10 days of sleep monitoring using a small wrist-worn movement tracker for both children
  • Completion of a simple sleep and behaviour diary by caregivers

Each family will receive a personalised sleep and behaviour report for each child. These reports have proven helpful for gaining insight into children’s sleep patterns and for sharing with schools or health professionals.
This is the final opportunity to take part in the study.
If you are interested or would like to learn more, please email the research team at: [email protected]