Good afternoon,

Welcome back to a new half term. I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break and was able to make the most of the wonderful sunny weather.

It has been fantastic to see everyone back in school this week. We have an exciting and busy half term ahead, with many opportunities for learning, enrichment, and celebration. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership in helping our children thrive.

Information for Parents/Carers of all years

Be More Elemie

You may be aware that we are approaching the anniversary of Elemie Wainwright’s passing and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and our wider school community at this time. We all feel her absence and think of her as we go about our daily lives. We are mindful that our children and young people may need support and will be providing pastoral support throughout the day next week. Please do tell us if you feel that your child will need extra support at this time as not all children will feel able to reach out for the help available. Please use safeguarding@westfield.chorustrust.org to get in touch.

Our plan is to celebrate Elemie’s birthday in July in school as we did last year.

‘Be On Time to Maximise Learning Time’

Thank you for your support for our ‘Be on Time to Maximise Learning Time’ expectations this week. I am delighted with the way that our children and young people have responded to the expectations.  We are now recording anyone who is late for a lesson and will be communicating this to parents and carers.

Next Week, we will be reminding everyone to be on site by 8.20am as they pass through the front gate.  From Monday 15^th June, we will be closing the front gate at 8.25am. This will support our drive to improve punctuality and make sure that everyone is in class and sitting down to learn at 8.30am. Thank you for your support for this – I know you are all doing your best to arrive on time.

Remember, if your child arrives after 9am they lose a full morning of attendance every time this happens. This soon adds up and could lead to a child being classified as persistently absent (under 90% attendance).

Attendance

Going forward, we will be contacting you if your child is absent on the morning of their absence. This is to ensure that we have the correct reasons recorded and that we can support with any ongoing barriers to attendance. Thank you for support.

Uniform Reminder - Footwear

A reminder to check that children are wearing school footwear that is part of our uniform policy. For example, ‘crocs’ are not in our uniform policy and should not be worn in school. We will contact you if your child is not wearing the appropriate footwear. If you need to request a reasonable adjustment to footwear for a medical reason, please contact enquiries in the first instance. Thank you again for your support.

Early Closure – 30^th June

To provide an opportunity for staff training, we will be closing at lunchtime on Tuesday 30^th June. There will be lunchtime food available if students want to stay in school and students will be free to leave school at 12.15.  We did not take this decision lightly as we continue to promote attendance at school, however our staff training time is essential to ensure that our school improvement journey continues. Thank you for your understanding.

Changes to Free School Meals

We wrote to you before half-term with information regarding changes the government are making to means-tested Free School Meals (FSM) entitlement as part of the roll-out of changes to Universal Credit.

Since then, we have been liaising with Sheffield City Council regarding what this will mean for our pupils and their families.  We have been seeking clarification on:

• if and how these changes will impact Pupil Premium funding for families that currently receive it should their Free School Meal entitlement change
• what actions schools and/or parents/carers will need to take before the end of the school year to ensure that Free School Meal entitlement continues in September for those who eligible

If you think you qualify and your child is not currently receiving FSM, apply online at   https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schools-childcare/school/school-meals.  (You do not need to apply if you are already receiving income-based free school meals in a Sheffield school).

At this time, we have no further details to give you than what we previously communicated, but we would like to capture parent/carer questions about the Free School Meal changes to enable us to produce a Frequently Asked Questions sheet.  If you would like to submit questions about the changes, please complete this form Chorus Trust  - national changes to Free School Meals – Fill in form. We will collate these and share a response with all parents at the end of June.

We will continue to keep parents/carers informed once we have new information to share with you.

Water Safety

This week, our thoughts are with a Sheffield school community following the tragic loss of a young person in a water-related incident. We know this will be deeply felt across our city, and we extend our sincere condolences to all those affected.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have shared a simple but important message for young people:

"Be bold enough to walk away, not just jump in."

Cold water, fast currents, and unseen hazards can make even familiar places dangerous. Encouraging children and young people to stop, think, and step back from risk can save lives.

You may wish to:

• Remind your child about the dangers of entering open water such as rivers, reservoirs, and lakes. Even during summer months, water is still cold beneath the surface so entering the water can result in cold water shock
• Reinforce that helping someone in difficulty should be done by calling for help, not entering the water

Essential Water Safety Resources

• The Water Safety Code: A clear, four-point guide (Stop and Think, Stay Together, Call 999, and Float) available through the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS).

The Water Safety Code

• "Float to Live": This is a critical life-saving technique. The "Float to Live" advice is to resist the instinct to swim hard to safety if you find yourself unexpectedly in the water. Instead, lean back, extend your arms and legs, and float. Tilt your head back with ears submerged, relax, and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and call for help or swim to safety if possible. We recommend sharing the RNLI’s Float to Live campaign, which provides a short, powerful demonstration on what to do if a child or adult finds themselves in difficulty in open water.

Float to Live

Key Safety Reminders for Parents

• Understand the Hazards: Emphasize that open water – such as reservoirs, quarries, and rivers – differs significantly from swimming pools. Dangers such as cold-water shock, unseen currents, and sudden changes in depth are present even on warm days.
• Active Supervision: Always maintain constant, active supervision of children, even if they are confident swimmers.
• Stick to Supervised Areas: Encourage the use of managed, lifeguarded swimming facilities where professional water safety measures are in place.

Details of exams for week commencing 8 June 2026

Monday 8^th June:

AM - Biology

PM - iMedia and Further Maths

Tuesday 9^th June

AM - Spanish (reading and listening)

PM - History

Wednesday 10^th June

AM - Maths (calculator)

Thursday 11^th June

AM - Geography

PM - Food preparation and nutrition

Friday 12^th June

AM - Chemistry

PM - Polish

Good news stories

 

Today, the outstanding efforts of our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants have been recognised by the DofE charity.

Collectively, our students have contributed an incredible 728 hours of volunteering, dedicating their time to supporting local organisations, helping others, and making a positive difference within their communities.

We could not be prouder of their commitment, compassion, and willingness to give back. Their contributions have had a meaningful impact both within school and beyond, demonstrating the values of service, responsibility, and community spirit that we strive to foster at Westfield.

What makes this achievement even more special is that the number of Westfield students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to grow year on year. With increasing numbers enrolling in the programme, we are excited to see this remarkable volunteering figure rise even further in the future.

Congratulations to all of our participants on this fantastic achievement. You are wonderful ambassadors for both the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Westfield community.

Dates for your diary

05/06/26 – Sports leaders kwik cricket festival

17/06/26 – 26/06/26 – Year 10 mock exams

17/06/26 – Asdan group visit to Crystal Peaks

18/06/26 – Sports leaders educational visit to Brookhouse School

19/06/26-20/06/26 – Duke of Edinburgh bronze practice expedition

19/06/26 – Sports leaders educational visit to Halfway Junior School

22/06/26 – Higher level maths achievement programme visit to Sheffield Hallam University

26/06/26 – Sports leaders educational visit to Waterthorpe School

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