Good afternoon,

It has been another busy week in school, with our Year 11 Parents’ Evening taking place and providing a valuable opportunity for parents and carers to discuss progress and next steps with staff. As always, we appreciate the strong partnership between home and school. We are now turning our attention to preparations for the Year 9 Options Parents’ Evening taking place next week, which will support students and families as they begin to make important decisions about the next stage of their education.

We are also pleased to share that our extra-curricular activities timetable has been updated and is now available on the school website, offering a wide range of opportunities for students to get involved, develop new skills, and enrich their school experience.

 

Information for Parents/Carers of all years

 

Year 9 Options Process

This is an exciting time for our Year 9 students as they make plans for their future studies. The following information should provide you with an overview of the options process and the different stages and deadlines involved.

Options assembly

On Wednesday, all Year 9 students received an assembly about the options process. This assembly will include detail on the process for selecting their options, as well as the pathways available to each student. Students can study different pathways, as recommended by staff, these will either be Yellow, Pink or Blue. During the assembly, the differences between these pathways were explained to students.

Options Booklets

Students will receive their options booklet this Friday in form time. They will also receive the booklet corresponding to the pathway they will be following in Year 10 and 11. Please take the time to read your options booklet in full. Focus, in particular, on the information about the subjects you may wish to select, but do consider all options before making your decisions.

Options Forms

This is a vital part of the process – it is your way of telling us what your preferred subjects are for KS4 study. The options form will be a separate paper form, handed out with the main options booklet. Please complete the form in full, and hand to your form tutor once complete.

The final deadline for submission of all Options Forms is Friday 6^th February.

Year 9 Parents’ and Options Evening

This will take place on Thursday 22^nd January, from 3:30-7pm. The evening will follow the format of a normal parents evening. However, there will be an opportunity to discuss the KS4 courses with each teacher, during your appointment. There will also be displays available on Main Deck that outline each course and provide examples of students’ work. Bookings can be made using the remote login link on the school website or by clicking this link:  SchoolCloud - Westfield School

What happens next?

Once all the options forms have been received and collated, we will build options groups for September to fit, as closely as possible, students’ preferences. Please be aware that courses will only run if we have sufficient numbers.

Should we need to contact you to discuss your preferences, we will do this later in the Spring term or Summer term.

If you don’t hear from a member of staff regarding your options after you have successfully submitted your form, you can assume that you have been allocated the preferences you selected on your options form. A final letter of confirmation will be sent out at the beginning of June.

We hope this process will be as useful and manageable as possible. Should you have any questions about the options process this year, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Personal development time (PDT): 

Year 7 and 8 received an assembly on 'National Obesity Awareness Week' from Mrs Halliday and a follow up session on 'healthy bodies, healthy minds' to promote small changes to lifestyles to improve health and well-being such as: Replacing fizzy drinks with water, reducing time on screens including social media, leaving devices outside of bedrooms at night to avoid distractions and  supporting a good night's sleep. More information can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/

Year 9 had an informative assembly with Mrs Hassall regarding Year 9 Options in preparation for making choices about which GCSE subjects they will choose to pursue, please have your questions ready for teachers at parents evening on Thursday 22 January.

Year 10 had an assembly on Work Experience led by Mrs Halliday and Mr Rastall which is scheduled for May 18 - 22 2026 incorporating the use of UNIFROG to enable students have access to relevant careers information.

Year 11 have been provided time during PDT to work on their Sheffield Progress and UNIFROG in preparation for the next steps at Post-16 provisions.

During PSHE lessons this week all students are learning about 'Emotional and Physical Changes' at an age appropriate level.

Careers Corner

Year 11 Sheffield Progress: The deadline for both sixth form and college applications is the 31 January. To ensure that the careers team can support students with their applications, students should aim to complete their personal statement and choices as soon as possible. The Careers team check all applications before they are sent off and will pick up students to help them during this process. There are currently a large proportion of students who have not yet completed their personal statement. There are help sheets available in the careers office for students to collect and form tutors are also available to assist. Any questions please do get in touch with the careers team: careers@westfield.chorustrust.org

 

Sheffield Progress Important notice - students must provide a personal email address and a phone number to ensure contact from providers once students have left school.  Parents/carers contact details are also required - applications will be returned to school if these details are not entered which could be result in a delayed application.

Year 11 Post-16 Applications

Year 11 Sixth Form Applications – if any students are wishing to apply for sixth form, please visit careers asap – the school deadline for applications is 16 January to give the careers team time to ensure your application can be submitted and processed. Each student can apply for up to 3 Sheffield sixth forms on Sheffield Progress.

Year 11 College Applications - The deadline for college applications is the 31 January 2026. There is no limit to the number of college applications a student can submit.

 Still undecided where to go?

Year 11 Apprenticeship Advice 

Websites

• Nationwide - Find an apprenticeship - GOV.UK www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
• Local – www.sheffieldapprenticeships.com

Sheffield Council Apprenticeship service

General advice and queries

If you have any questions or need assistance with your apprenticeship, please contact: apprenticeshipready@sheffield.gov.uk. Contact is Harry McGregor.

Virtual event - Apprenticeships: Build Your Future Today

Date: Wednesday 21^st January 2026
Time: 4:30 – 6:00pm
Location: Online (link provided before event)

This event is the perfect opportunity to find out more about apprenticeships and prepare for the Be Inspired: Apprenticeships event on Thursday 6^th March 2026. You’ll hear directly from employers and current apprentices about:

• What apprenticeships are really like
• How to get ready and stand out in applications
• The skills and qualities employers are looking for

Register now to secure your place: Apprenticeships: Build Your Future Today - Universe

Any questions about the event please feel free to get in touch at apprenticeshipready@sheffield.gov.uk or harry.mcgregor@sheffield.gov.uk

Year 11 January 2026 Post-16 Open Events

Sheffield College - Thursday 22nd January General Open Day 4pm – 7pm

• City Campus (A levels, Beauty/Media Make up, Business, Catering & Bakery, Childcare/Early Years, Construction, Dental Technology, Hair, Health & Social Care, Hospitality, IT, Science, Travel & Tourism)
• Hillsborough Campus (Animal Care, Art, Business, Games Design, Health & Social care, Media, Music, Performing Arts, Science, Sports and Uniformed Public Services)
• Advanced Technology Centre  (Automotive/Motor Vehicle, Plumbing, Engineering and Electrical)

Rotherham College – Saturday 24^th January 9:30am – 12:00pm

North Notts College – Saturday 31^st January 9:30am – 12:00pm

Thomas Rotherham College – 19^th March 4pm – 7pm

Year 10 Work Experience

Students have had an assemble today to introduce them to the work experience offer at Westfield. Year 10 will be invited to take part in one week's work experience during the week commencing: May 18th -22nd 2026. Students will be given help, guidance and support from January onwards to help the secure a placement, all the documentation for this process will be introduced via an online platform called UNIFROG from January, more information to follow in the coming weeks.

Unifrog (All Years)

We have invested in an online career’s platform called UNIFROG, there is a short presentation attached to the newsletter. All year groups have started their induction to the programme and next week we will continue to complete the induction into the programme over the coming weeks. Students are free to explore the platform at home on computers and all devices using their Microsoft login for school. We will continue to familiarise students with the platform over this half term and expand the programme over the coming term to include this in our wider curriculum. Please see the parent guide attached to the newsletter, any questions please contact Mrs Halliday Assistant Headteacher for Personal Development jhalliday@chorustrust.org 

Food Bank Donations

The team at Hopian would like to extend a big thank you to the teachers and pupils of Westfield School for their kind donation of food goods and toiletries for their charity. The donations will make a huge difference to the adults, young people and children they support. Every donation received helps them to continue and improve the work they do and it’s thanks to these thoughtful contributions that they’re able to make a real difference in the community.

 

 

Good news stories

Year 9 Student Supports the Little Princess Trust

Fiz in Year 9 has shown incredible generosity and kindness by taking part in a very special charity challenge. Fiz recently had an amazing 14 inches of her hair cut off to be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real-hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment and other conditions.

Alongside donating her hair, Fiz has also been fundraising for the charity and has already raised approximately £200 — a fantastic achievement that will make a real difference to the lives of others. This thoughtful act demonstrates compassion, courage, and a strong sense of community, and we are incredibly proud of her.

If anyone would like to support Fiz further and contribute to this wonderful cause, donations can be made via the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/felicitylittleprincesshaircut?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WA

Well done, Fiz — an inspiring example to us all.

    

Dancing Success

Alice in Year 10 has recently achieved a fantastic Dance Award at her dance club, Stepping Out with Michelle, in recognition of her positive contribution and outstanding commitment. This award celebrates not only Alice’s dedication to developing her dance skills, but also her enthusiasm, teamwork, and consistently positive attitude during sessions.

Alice’s achievement is a wonderful example of how hard work beyond the classroom can lead to success, and we are extremely proud of her efforts. Well done, Alice, on this well-deserved recognition

Dates for your diary

22/01/26 – Year 9 options parents evening

22/01/26 –  Futurebound educational visit (selected students)

03/02/26 – Photography exam trip to Rother Valley

12/02/26 – Educational visit, Bodyguard Lyceum Theatre

 

Reminder of our contact emails

safeguarding@westfield.chorustrust.org

attendance@westfield.chorustrust.org

enquiries@westfield.chorustrust.org

sendadmin@westfield.chorustrust.org

 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

Mrs G A Jones