School Newsletter

04.09.26

Good morning,

Welcome back to a new academic year at Westfield School. I hope that all our families enjoyed a relaxing and enjoyable summer break, and that our students have returned feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead.

We have made a very positive start to the new school year. We began the week with two days of staff training to prepare and reflect on our priorities.

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome our new Year 7 students to Westfield. It has been wonderful to see them settling in, finding their way around school and beginning to build new friendships. We have also welcomed our Year 11 students back as they begin their final year of study. This is an important year for them, and we are looking forward to supporting them as they work towards their examinations and their next steps beyond Westfield.

Today, all other year groups have returned, and the school is once again full of the energy and enthusiasm that comes with the start of a new academic year. It has been lovely to see students back in lessons, reconnecting with friends and getting back into the routines of school.

A very warm welcome back to everyone, and especially to our new Year 7 families. We hope you have a happy, successful and rewarding year at Westfield.

Information for Parents/Carers of all years

School Uniform

Please can you support your child by having the correct uniform and jewellery in line with our policy. Please see website link below for further information:

Uniform at Westfield School

We have highlighted the uniform policy to all children in assembly this week and are committed to supporting everyone to have full uniform. We have pre-loved uniform available in school – just drop us a line or give us a call.

We have reminded all children today about our policy on jewellery and facial/body piercing; this policy is based on health and safety in school. Over the next week we will work with everyone to make sure that jewellery and piercings are safe. Please ensure that any facial piercings are replaced with a suitable retainer and that large items of jewellery are not worn. We have asked everyone to wear a stud earring/s only.

Thank you in advance.

Lost property

We are receiving an increasing amount of lost property. To help us return items promptly, please ensure that all personal belongings are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Please be aware that due to limited storage space, lost property will only be kept for two weeks. After this period, any unclaimed items will be disposed of.

We would also like to remind you that student lockers are available at a cost of £10, which covers the entire duration of your child’s time at the school. Lockers can be purchased via Arbor and offer students a secure place to store their belongings throughout the day. Anyone in receipt of Free School Meals should contact enquiries if they need support with this cost. There are enough lockers in school for every child.

Thank you for your support in helping us manage lost property effectively.

Attendance Matters

At Westfield, we know that every school day matters. Regular attendance gives students the best possible opportunity to learn, make progress, build positive relationships and develop a strong sense of belonging within our school community. We want every student to be able to thrive and achieve, and good attendance is an important part of making this happen.

This year, we are determined to improve on last year's attendance and work closely with students, parents and carers to ensure that all children attend school regularly and on time.

We are also pleased to have a larger attendance team this year, meaning we can provide even more support to students and families. Our approach is always one of partnership: if there are barriers affecting your child's attendance, please talk to us. We are here to help, listen and support, rather than simply identify concerns.

You can contact our attendance team at: attendance@westfield.chorustrust.org

We ask parents and carers to support us by:

Ensuring students arrive on site by 8:20am so they are ready for the start of the school day.
Helping students to be punctual to school and to every lesson, every day.
Where possible, arranging medical and other appointments outside of school hours. Where an appointment during the school day is unavoidable, please provide the school with the appropriate information.
Encouraging your child to attend school every day unless they are genuinely too unwell to do so.

Punctuality is also important. Missing the start of the school day or individual lessons can quickly add up and can have an impact on learning and progress. School will be closely monitoring attendance and punctuality throughout the year, and we will communicate regularly with parents and carers where we have concerns or where additional support may be helpful.

Attendance is not simply about responding to absence — it is also about recognising and celebrating success. Throughout the year, we will celebrate students who demonstrate high levels of attendance and punctuality, recognising the commitment they are making to their education.

Most importantly, we want every student to feel that they belong at Westfield, that they are valued and that coming to school every day matters. Strong attendance helps students build friendships, feel connected to their school community and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

We look forward to working closely with you throughout the year. Thank you for your continued support in helping your child attend school regularly, arrive on time and make the very most of every school day.

Together, we can make this a year of improved attendance, greater engagement and even more opportunities for our students to thrive and achieve.

School Drop Off and Collection

Following the success of our Active Travel Ambassadors initiative we have been keen to implement several of the recommendations coming from the police, the council and our students to support safe and active travel to school which includes reducing the number of cars that come into the school car park.

We have therefore agreed to the following changes to support this as we return to school in September:

The tram gate at the Waterthorpe stop (that backs onto our school field) will be open 8.10am – 8.25am. This gate will continue to be open again at 3pm when students leave school.
Staff will be on the crossing at Direct Cars from 8.10am – 8.20am to allow for students to be dropped off on Eckington Road (behind direct cars). There is lots of parking here and we would encourage parents/carers to use this area to drop off and collect students to reduce traffic in the car park. A map is attached showing suggested parking areas in red and the walking route in green. The walk to and from this road is only a few minutes, so provides a perfect location to drop off and collect.
For pedestrian safety, there will be cones in the school car park to slow the flow of traffic. Only the right lane will be useable. The lane nearest the building will only be accessible to the bus and staff.

We know how many parents and students have commented about the school car park, and we hope you will support us in the introduction of these new arrangements.

Schools are Mobile Phone-Free Environments- Statutory Requirement

From 1^st September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) expects schools to implement a policy whereby pupils do not have access to their mobile phone throughout the school day including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools/mobile-phones-in-schools

All schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default; anything other than this should be by exception only, for example, for the monitoring of diabetes.

Our policy has always been that phones are out of sight and switched off. This is part of our ‘Westfield Way’. This means that phones must be in a bag and off. Phones should not be in trouser pockets. At the end of the day, children can use their phone outside the physical building.

We will continue to confiscate phones if they are visible and take them to reception where they can be collected at the end of the day.

If there are repeated breaches of this rule, we will contact parents/carers.