Good afternoon,

As we reach the end of another busy and successful school term, I would like to thank our students, staff and families for their continued hard work, commitment and support. This term has been filled with learning, progress and many moments we can be proud of, and it has been a pleasure to see our school community come together in so many positive ways.

As we now break for the Christmas holiday, I hope this time provides an opportunity for rest, celebration and time with loved ones. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school as usual on Friday 5 January, ready for an exciting new term ahead.

On behalf of everyone at the school, I would like to wish you a very happy, peaceful and safe Christmas break.

 

Information for Parents/Carers of All Years

School Contact Information

We would like to inform parents and carers that our school phone lines are extremely busy, which may result in delays when trying to reach us by telephone.

To help us respond to your queries as efficiently as possible, we kindly ask that you make use of the following email addresses where appropriate:

• General enquiries: enquiries@westfield.chorustrust.org
• Attendance matters, including absences and upcoming medical appointments: attendance@westfield.chorustrust.org
• Safeguarding concerns: safeguarding@westfield.chorustrust.org, or directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Dan Griffiths, at dgriffiths@chorustrust.org

Using these dedicated email addresses will help ensure your message reaches the correct team and is dealt with as promptly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Morning Gate Opening Reminder

We would like to remind all parents and carers that the school gates are unlocked each morning at 8.10am. From this time, students are welcome to enter the school grounds and prepare for the start of the day.

For safety reasons, children should aim to arrive after the gates are opened, as supervision is not available prior to 8.10am. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a safe and orderly start to each school day.

Changes to Free School Meal (FSM) Eligibility and Protections

There have been important changes to the national guidance on Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility, which may affect your child now or in the future.

You may be aware that in previous government guidance, it was announced that from 1 April 2025, children who became newly eligible for FSM would only be entitled to support until the end of their current phase of education (eg, primary or secondary school). This meant that eligibility would need to be reassessed when children moved to a new school phase, potentially leading to loss of entitlement if household circumstances had changed.

However, we are pleased to advise that the Department for Education has now confirmed that all pupils who become eligible for free school meals on or after 1 April 2018 will continue to be protected until at least September 2026, regardless of a change in household circumstances. This means:

• If your child becomes eligible for FSM at any point up to the end of 2025/26 school year, they will continue to receive free school meals until at least September 2026, even if your circumstances change in the meantime.
• From September 2026, these transitional protections will end, and all eligibility will be based on current household circumstances at that time.

We believe that there could be up to 80 additional families that may be eligible for Free School Meals in our school. If you think you may now be eligible for FSM and have not yet applied, we encourage you to check your eligibility and apply online at https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schools-childcare/school-meals Any extra families receiving FSM would also bring more Government funding into school to support those families.

If you would like us to apply on your behalf please email at enquiries@westfield.chorustrust.org and a member of staff will be happy to help. Applications for free school meals must be made to the local authority where the school is located, not the authority where you live.

Applying for FSM could provide your child with a daily meal at school and also allows the school to access additional funding to support your child’s education.

If you already receive FSM for your child, you do not need to do anything at this stage. Your child’s entitlement is protected until at least September 2026.

 

Good news stories

Art Club Highlights

A big thank you to all the students who have attended Art Club this year. The atmosphere has been fantastic, with students showing enthusiasm, creativity, and a real enjoyment of learning. Behaviour throughout the sessions has been exceptional, making Art Club a positive and welcoming space for everyone involved. It has been wonderful to see students working together, supporting one another, and taking pride in their artwork. Well done to all who took part—we look forward to seeing even more creativity in the future! 🎨

Year 9 GCSE Photography Trips to Sheffield

A belated thank you to our Year 9 GCSE Photography students for two fantastic trips into Sheffield earlier this year. These visits provided valuable opportunities for students to develop their photography skills in a real-world setting and explore a range of inspiring locations. Student behaviour throughout both trips was exceptional, and they were a true credit to the school. Well done to all involved for representing the school so positively and making the most of these enriching experiences.

Matilda Cast Workshop Success

Well done to the Matilda cast for taking part in an amazing cast workshop led by a professional, RADA-trained working actor. The session was both inspiring and highly valuable, giving students the opportunity to develop their performance skills and gain insight into the professional acting world. The cast showed tremendous commitment, focus, and enthusiasm throughout, and their hard work is already shining through. If this workshop is anything to go by, it is going to be a truly fantastic show—we can’t wait to see it come to life on stage! 🎭

Year 11 GCSE Drama – Outstanding Commitment

Amazing work by the Year 11 GCSE Drama class, who have been working extremely hard on their Component 2. As part of their preparation for the Component 3 written exam, students also had the exciting opportunity to take part in a 1984 workshop led by a professional actor who played Winston in the touring production. The workshop provided invaluable insight into the play, characters, and performance choices, greatly supporting their understanding of the text. Students approached the session with maturity, focus, and enthusiasm, and their commitment has been fantastic to see. Well done to all involved and best of luck with the upcoming exams!

The Big Challenge: Young Entrepreneurs in Action

This term, we are delighted to celebrate the enterprise and creativity of our students who have signed up to take part in The Big Challenge. We have an impressive 14 groups of students involved in this exciting enterprise competition, which is open to Year 7–9 students across Sheffield.

Each team has been given the opportunity to design, develop, and grow their own business, starting with a £25 start-up loan. From researching ideas and budgeting, to marketing and sales, students are gaining valuable real-world skills and experiencing what it takes to run a successful enterprise.

On Tuesday, our budding entrepreneurs put their hard work into practice by hosting a festive Christmas market in school. Teams proudly displayed and sold a range of products they have designed and created themselves. The event was a fantastic success, showcasing students’ creativity, teamwork, and confidence, while also spreading plenty of Christmas cheer.

We are incredibly proud of all the students involved and look forward to seeing how their businesses continue to grow as the competition progresses. Well done to everyone who took part!

    

 

Year 9 Guest Speaker

We welcomed Ross Musgrove from Bravand, a digital design and build agency based in Sheffield on Wednesday 17^th December. The students engaged positively and listened to Ross with interest, as advice was given about future careers, skill identification, CV writing and being ambitious. This formed part of the ‘Build My Skills programme’ that we are currently delivering alongside the ESH group to Year 9 students. Details regarding checkpoint 3 will appear in the newsletter in the new year.

 

Dates for your diary

06/01/26 – Photography mock exam (Y band)

09/01/26 – Photography mock exam (X band)

13/01/26 – Futurebound educational visit (selected students)

15/01/26 – Year 11 parents evening

15/01/26 – Higher level maths achievement programme educational visit

22/01/26 – Year 9 options parents evening

 

Reminder of our contact emails

safeguarding@westfield.chorustrust.org

attendance@westfield.chorustrust.org

enquiries@westfield.chorustrust.org

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

Mrs G A Jones