Thursday 20^th November

Dear Parents/ Carers,

Exploring Academy Status – Beginning Our Due Diligence

I am writing on behalf of the Governing Body to let you know that we are beginning a due diligence process to explore the possibility of Oaklands School applying to become an academy and, if appropriate, joining The Mead Educational Trust (TMET).

At this stage, no final decision has been made. Governors are committed to ensuring that any future decision is taken carefully, openly, and with the best interests of our pupils, families, and staff at the centre.

Over the last 2 years, the Governing Body has spent considerable time looking into different academy models, gathering information, and considering what academisation might mean for a specialist school like ours. Oaklands is a unique community with a distinctive ethos, and we are determined that any change must have a clear and positive impact on pupil experience, outcomes, and long-term school stability.

As part of this early exploratory work, we have been learning more about TMET, a local multi-academy trust comprising 15 schools including primary, secondary, and specialist provision. TMET has Designated Specialist Provision units in several of its schools and already works closely with a number of Leicester settings. We have also taken time to understand how our school’s values, curriculum, and approach might align with theirs, and where collaboration could be beneficial.

Entering a due diligence process means that we will now explore this potential option more thoroughly. This includes examining how joining a trust could support school improvement, professional development, succession planning, and the sustainability of specialist provision in the long term. It also allows us to consider potential risks and whether academisation is the right strategic direction for our school community.

A full and formal consultation with parents, carers, staff, and other stakeholders will take place later this academic year. This will include meetings and opportunities to ask questions, offer views, and understand the implications in more depth. Your feedback will be an essential part of the Governing Body’s considerations before any decision is made.

In the meantime, we will continue to keep you updated as this exploratory process progresses.

Thank you for your continued support of Oaklands School.

Yours faithfully,

Sonia Barnes
Chair of Governors

Information sent to all parents from Leicestershire Police

Tuesday 10^th September 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Road and Pedestrian Safety – Operation Syphon 2025

I am writing to you on behalf of the East Leicester Neighborhood Policing Team to raise awareness of important road safety issues affecting our school communities. As part of Operation Syphon 2025, we are working proactively to improve road and pedestrian safety across East Leicester, with a particular focus on the areas surrounding local schools.

We are asking for your support in the following key areas:

Parking Safety

Please avoid parking on double yellow lines, zig-zag markings, or blocking pavements near school entrances. These actions create dangerous conditions for children and other pedestrians, including wheelchair users and those with pushchairs. Illegal parking not only endanger lives but also causes disruption to the local community.

Road Safety Statistics

Recent figures from the Department for Transport show that 25% of car fatalities involved individuals not wearing seatbelts. This figure increases to 41% during night-time collisions. Seatbelts are a legal requirement and remain one of the most effective life-saving measures in vehicles.

Child Car Seat Requirements

Children must use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first. After this, they must wear a seatbelt. Booster seats must be EU-approved and correctly fitted. Failure to comply can result in a £500 fine and penalty points and significantly increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

E-Scooter Legislation and Safety

We would like to remind you that privately owned electric scooters (e-scooters) are, under current UK law, classed as mechanically propelled vehicles. This means they require a valid driving license and insurance to be used legally on public roads. It is illegal to use them on pavements, parks, or roads without meeting these requirements.

Sadly, we have seen significant injuries and, in some cases, fatalities involving the use of e-scooters in our local area. These incidents highlight the serious risks associated with their misuse.

As part of Operation Syphon, we will be taking proactive enforcement action. This includes the seizure of e-scooters being used illegally and issuing fines of up to £300 and 6 penalty points on the rider’s driving license. Please ensure that children and young people are aware of these legal restrictions.

Stay Informed

For further updates and information about road safety legislation and local enforcement activity, please follow our East Leicester Police Facebook page. We regularly share important safety messages and community updates.

We appreciate your continued cooperation in helping us keep our school communities safe. By working together, we can ensure that every child travels to and from school in a safe and responsible manner.

We will shortly be releasing a survey to the public to help us fully understand the communities’ concerns surrounding road and pedestrian safety.

Yours Faithfully

Sergeant 2239 Chris Hall

East Leicester Neighborhood Policing Team

We have our first parent forum of the year on Thursday 11th September at 10:30am. This is an opportunity to meet with other parents, our family support worker and senior leaders for a cuppa and a chat.

All parents and carers are more than welcome to come along

Hope to see you then

Friday 29^th August 2025

New School Year 2025-2026

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been a wonderful first week of the academic year for all pupils at Oaklands. We have been thrilled to see children settling into their classes so smoothly, getting to know the staff and meeting their new peer groups. Attendance this week has been very good. Thank-you for preparing children well and getting them on the bus/taxi or ready in the car to arrive at 8.45am.

We have welcomed new children across the Nurture, Willow and Elm pathways who have all been smiling and playing alongside their peers already. We are very proud of the way in which they have started their new school! Welcome also to our new families, who we look forward to getting to know.

This term, all children will be exploring a variety of learning experiences from reading traditional tales and exploring a forest environment in our immersive room, to preparing food and practicing valuable life skills. There will also be whole school Big Days about the Lights and Sound, Magnetism and floating and sinking

as well as fund raising for Children in Need. We look forward to learning about Diwali just before half term.

Diary Dates: Attached to this letter, you will find diary dates for the first half of the school year. We hope this will be helpful for you to plan ahead. Some dates are for parents/carers to join us in school - we look forward to welcoming you. Parents workshops are open for all parents to join us and Vicky Bland will send out reminders about these on ClassDojo.

During the summer break there have been a number of improvements made to our school environment. We have had a fantastic new canopy area created outside three of our classrooms in the Willow pathway providing much needed additional learning spaces that can be used all year round. We have also had a barefoot walk created in our spinney area. There are many proven benefits to barefoot walking for autistic pupils, and for all of our children, this will provide a stimulating new way to widen their world through experiencing new textures outdoors. In addition, there are other exciting new areas to explore in the spinney; a mud kitchen, digging area, herb garden and a new swing!

Transport: The car park arrangements have worked smoothly again this week. Thank-you to parents who bring your children. We appreciate your patience and understanding, supporting us to keep everyone safe at the start and end of each day. The buses and taxis have also arrived in good time. Whilst we do not co-ordinate the bus or taxi transport (it is a city council service), if you experience any issues and would like our support, please do not hesitate to call the school office.

Communication: Please do continue to check Class Dojo and the school website for any updates. New parents/carers should have been sent a link by email to join Class Dojo. You receive regular updates about your child’s activities and progress through Class Dojo and it also gives you the facility to message the class team if you need to let them know anything. There is a translate facility if this is helpful to you. If you need any support or further information about this, please contact the office.

You can also find us on You Tube, Facebook & Twitter

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBZ9amxpU6NJ3OM9_dPioA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OaklandsSchoolLeicester/

Twitter: @OaklandsSchool_ 

Oaklands School Lettings: Oaklands has a wide range of spaces that we let out to Local Community Groups. This supports us with revenue that we can then put back into buying teaching and learning resources. If you are aware of any groups or societies in the local community who are looking for a venue, please do ask them to check out our school website for the Lettings Policy for more details or call our school office on 0116 2415921 to speak to Ashleigh Haines, our School Business Manager

Family Support Worker: Mala Chohan is our family support worker. She is a valued member of the Oaklands team who can support parents/carers with advice on a whole range of issues including DLA, other benefits, grants and financial support, as well as housing and community groups. If you would like to speak to Mala, she can be contacted through the school office. Mala works Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm and Friday 10-1pm

If you have any questions, queries or comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch through Class Dojo or the school office. We look forward to seeing every child grow and progress in their learning this term. They are all a joy to work with!

Many thanks for your support,

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Summer Holiday 2025 Activities:

Children with disabilities who live in Leicester can take part in free activities over the summer holidays.  Activity sessions will take place at:

Please note siblings are welcome to attend, and parents/carers are required to accompany and support their children during the session.  A food hamper / Voucher will be provided to those families attending where their child is receiving benefits related free school meals.

No booking is required, however, those attending will be asked to complete a registration form on arrival.   Full details can be found at:
families.leicester.gov.uk/disabled-childrens-activity-programme

Summer Scheme for neurodivergent children who might struggle to engage in a much bigger, louder summer scheme. It is being run by The Grove, in partnership with, Heads Up.

The FREE scheme will take place on 4 Fridays for 2 ½ hours, with a ‘build your own’ sensory-friendly lunch included.

For more information or to book go to tinyurl.com/headsupsummer  

• Mosaic are running some activities, see link for families 

https://www.mosaic1898.co.uk/childrensservices

• Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre’s Holiday Scheme

Are you looking for a safe, supervised and affordable way to entertain your children during the school holidays? If so, look no further than Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre’s Holiday Scheme.

https://lopc.co.uk/childcare/#holiday-scheme

• Jumpin’ Fun, Nottingham

One of our parents has passed on information about SEN Sessions at Planet Bounce; reduced lighting, noise and lower capacity. Adult monitors support with supervision. 1 parent/carer goes free with each booking. The next session is:

Sunday 27^th July 9am-10am To book go to the link https://planetbounceinflatablepark.com/events/

There are also Wednesday sessions 5pm-6pm with the next one being 9^th July and then in the Autumn term on 10^th September.

Aldi has launched a new voucher scheme to help families with school holiday costs. This initiative will provide families with a chance to receive a £50 voucher, to be spent in-store, every day over the six-week holiday period.

The vouchers can be used on anything from healthy snacks and essentials to toys and garden activities from the Special buy aisle

To apply, parents/carers simply need to email their name and email address to SummerSupportScheme@aldi.co.uk.

Asda Cafés

• Kids’ meals available for just £1 
• Includes vegan and healthy options.
• Comes with a free piece of fruit.
• Available all day, every day, with no minimum adult spend required. Check out the menu online.

Morrisons Cafés

• Kids eat free at Morrisons cafes with the purchase of an adult meal (£4.50 or more).
• Offer applies to children under 16.

Dunelm Pausa Cafés

• Kids eat free when an adult spends at least £4 at a Pausa cafe. Includes a main, drink, and two snacks.

IKEA Restaurants

• Ikea can always be relied upon to have affordable options, such as kids’ pasta with tomato sauce and a drink for 95p.
• Other kids’ meals available for £1.50.

Offer available daily from 11 AM.

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been another very busy, yet successful year at Oaklands. We are immensely proud of each and every one of our Oaklands superstar pupils. They all coped particularly well with changes to the school building at the start of the year, with lots of new pupils (and families) also settling into school routines and becoming part of the Oaklands family. Pupils and staff have all worked incredibly hard during the year, with our successful Ofsted visit in February acknowledging the wonderful progress that we see learners achieve. This week, staff and children will be celebrating the friendships they have made and reflecting on the learning they have done together as they get ready for the summer holiday and a new academic year ahead.

This term finishes on Friday (11^th July) at 2.30pm

Diary date: children return on Tuesday 26^th August

You will all be receiving your child’s End of Year Report with this letter. These are always a delight to read, to reflect on achievements and progress during the year. I do hope that you will enjoy reading about your amazing child! In the envelope you will also find a transition booklet that tells them about the class they will be in next academic year. This can be helpful to share with them over the summer holidays to help prepare them for the return to school, telling your child the class name and staff members’ names during the summer holiday and before they return next term.

Leavers’ Assembly: On Wednesday and Thursday, we have our Leavers’ assemblies. Nurture children’s assembly is on Wednesday and Willow, Elm & Cherry on Thursday, both assemblies starting at 1.15pm. We will be saying Goodbye to 22 pupils who are moving on to new schools. This will be a special time to celebrate achievements and to wish the children and their families, good luck for the future. We are proud of every one of these children and will miss them all, but know that they have been well prepared for life beyond Oaklands School. If your child is leaving us this year, we do hope you will be able to join us for your child’s special assembly, and that you will stay in touch with the school to let us know what your child does in the future.

Keep Enjoying Reading!: Starting Saturday 29 June until the 15 September, children aged 0 to 15 years in Leicester City can sign up to take part and complete the six-book challenge.  A prize of £100 of books will be awarded to the Leicester school with the highest percentage of children finishing the challenge (numbers recorded by Leicester libraries staff).

In Leicester, there is also a challenge for adults to promote good role modelling.  Adults, you can participate by reading six books for a chance to win £30 worth of books!

Leicester libraries’ offer is enhanced with a range of free activities for the whole family, all designed to promote reading for pleasure and the joy of sharing books and stories.

For further information about these activities visit leicester.gov.uk/summerreadingchallenge.

Attendance: We know that good attendance has a positive impact on learning and outcomes. Thank-you for supporting your child to get ready each day and being prepared for school. We appreciate that this is not always easy, but we know that good routines help our pupils. Whole school attendance for this year was 89.5% (with 1 week to go). Next year, we really need to get our attendance figures back up to 92%. Please continue to try and ensure that your child attends school every day.

Keep Your Child Safe from Measles This Summer: Unfortunately, we have been notified that cases of Measles are on the rise in Leicester City again this summer. Measles is a serious illness that could be prevented by having both doses of the MMR vaccination. It spreads very easily, especially in schools, parks, and busy places. Cases of measles are rising in the UK, increasing the risk to children and communities. Measles can make children very sick. It can cause a high fever, rash, cough, and sore eyes. Some children get very ill and may need to go to hospital. Measles can have serious consequences, sometimes fatal, to help prevent children and those around them from becoming unwell with measles this summer please check your child’s Red Book or with your GP Practice to see if they have been fully vaccinated.

The MMR vaccine protects your child from: ✔ Measles ✔ Mumps ✔ Rubella

The vaccine is safe and has been used for many years all over the world. Children need two doses of the MMR vaccine for full protection. If your child has missed a vaccine, it’s not too late. You can ask your GP or school nurse for help.

Online Safety: We recognise that many children will be using devices over the summer holidays. Please do be vigilant about what your child is watching or doing online. We have had alerts about ‘Sextortion’; where someone threatens to share embarrassing or intimate pictures of another person unless you comply with their demands. If children are not appropriately supervised we know they could be particularly vulnerable to this kind of online harm.

Your well being: If you feel particularly overwhelmed during the summer break, there are a range of people who can help. Please do keep these numbers somewhere safe. You are not alone.

For Social Care or Early Help support- if you are having a crisis, please contact this number-

Duty and Advice Service 0116 4541004

Samaritans 116 123- Free from any phone

Crisis Team 0808 800 3302

Text ‘Shout’ to 85258 

To speak to our Designated Safeguarding Lead; 07549084022

This number will be checked weekly and

FamilyLine Free emotional support, information & guidance on family relationships-including siblings, conflict, parenting, caring, financial worries and more Mon-Fri 9am-9pm 0808 802 6666

School Communication: Please also let us know of any changes to your address, Emergency contact numbers or your phone numbers by calling the office on 0116 2415921

If there are any updates to send to parents during the summer holidays and particularly the week before we return to school, these will be sent via ClassDojo and posted on the school website. If you do not yet have access to ClassDojo, please call the school office for help with this before the end of this week.

Have a wonderful summer break,

Regards

Sarah

(Headteacher)

Last week we had our sponsored colour walk and our Autism fair.  Thank you to everyone that supported these events in any way - we raised a massive £4572!

To find out more click the link below

 https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/oaklands-school-leicester/UploadedDocument/507d8797-6bba-4d06-8d82-bc2e8c8ae8c2/autism-newlstter.pdf