New beginnings – Building futures together
A new academic year has brought about new beginnings. Introducing our new provision in the form of our brand new Fury class – a Year 12 class-based at Enfield College – a class of either students, one teacher and two teaching assistants. Since embarking back on this school journey Fury Class have been busy getting stuck into lots of wonderful new things together and learning new practical skills. Part of their journey includes an exciting new project ‘Building BloQs’. Building BloQs is a practical work experience day where the students learn how to upcycle unloved furniture in a real professional working environment. On a typical day, students will sand and repaint furniture, giving it a new lease of life. Once finished, these furniture pieces are put up for sale in our charity shop Life in the Town in Enfield. Students have fed back that they thoroughly enjoy this activity and this is evident in the effort and care they are putting into their work. If you are looking for a unique item of furniture to brighten up your home then why not visit Life in the Town to see what’s on offer?
Ticket to independence
Despite the recent pandemic and outbreak of COVID-19, independent travel training for our students has continued following the easing of lockdown measures and return to school in September. Our independent travel training takes place on the TFL network of buses specifically reserved for school children, allowing our students to experience day to day traveling with other students whilst ensuring they are safe. Our students have adapted well to the new way of traveling on public transport and regularly sanitise their hands and wear masks whilst traveling.
A number of students have successfully completed their travel training in recent weeks so congratulations to all of those who have become independent over the summer holidays and since the start of term. We remain committed to supporting our students’ independence and thank all of our staff who have chipped in to make sure we can continue running this service for students and other Enfield residents. We also welcome our newest travel trainer Grazia, who has already begun supporting a number of students to achieve their ticket to independence since the beginning of term!
Outdoor Activities
This term KS4 students are taking part in fantastic outdoor activities at Hertfordshire Young Mariners Base. Canoeing and kayaking are low impact activities that can improve your aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. Specific health benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness and increased muscle strength, particularly in the back, arms, shoulders and chest, from moving the paddle. It is also a lot of fun and great leisure activity that can be enjoyed as a whole family.
From intern to work coach
Jack Mills enrolled onto the internship program in September 2019, he was job matched to the mobile caretaking team at the LBE Housing & Regen in November and started working there immediately. Jack soon showed his competency at the tasks given and quickly gained confidence in his new role. His manager was impressed by Jack’s excellent timekeeping and how much effort he put into the job at hand.
Jack wanted a full-time job so in the new year his hours were gradually increased until he was doing full time hours four days a week and one day on campus in class upgrading his math and english levels. As the COVID-19 situation worsened and the national lockdown was approaching Jack’s manager didn’t want to lose him and managed to get him a permanent paid position.
Enfield Council’s Housing & Regeneration Department have continued to support West Lea’s Supported Internship Programme offering another work placement this academic year. We have since matched another intern to the team who has been added to Jack’s team and Jack himself is now training and showing the new intern how to do the job! Jack’s competence has not only shown what a great candidate for the programme he was, but also what he has achieved overall and how he can now pass on that knowledge and understanding to the next young person – well done Jack – we are extremely proud of you!
Maynard Class were very busy baking for the Macmillan Coffee morning on Friday 25th September.
Mrs Goodwin and Mr Heracleous tried out the latest style of PPE.
Staff and students have enjoyed playing on the new table tennis at Ponders End. Especially Mr Heracleous.
Note from a Parent Governor
Like myself I am sure many parents and children found lockdown challenging. Throughout lockdown, I was incredibly impressed at the efforts made by the school and individual teachers to keep parents and children informed of latest developments and the plans for children to reattend school in the autumn. Regular themed zoom calls were especially welcome and kept myself and my son Eren connected to the school. They also helped to solidify bonds with other parents and keep children in contact with one another. Eren transitioned from Haselbury campus to the Learning for Life campus in September. I would be untruthful if I did not admit to be filled with a sense of anxiety at this prospect due to the amount of time we had spent away from the school. What I found very reassuring and comforting was just how flexible and accommodating the Learning for Life centre was. They allowed familiarity through virtual visits where Eren and myself could be acquainted with the new environment and visualise how the new set up would work. Suffice to say Erens transition back to school and the new campus has been seamless and very smooth. He very much looks forward to attending school and this fills me with a sense of comfort and ease.
Shen Necati, Parent Governor at West Lea’s Learning for Life Campus
