Dear Parents. Welcome back after the summer holidays. I hope you will find the following newsletter
helpful and informative.

Travel Matters
Are you aware that the rules for child safety in a car are changing? From the 18th September 2006
children who are under age 12 or below 135cm in height must be seated inan appropriate child seat with
seat belt restraint. For full details please visit the following website www.childcarseats.org.uk

As part of the 'Healthy Schools' initiative we are encouraging children to walk to and from school. If you
are able to help walk with our walking crocodile please come and speak to us and we will introduce you to
one of our scheme leaders. If you would like your child to join the crocodileagain please let us know.

Brushwood operates a 'voluntary exclusion zone' for parents picking up and dropping off their children. I
have attached a map and would ask you to avoid driving or parking either in Brushwood Road or Ashfield
Road. In this way we will be good neighbours to the surrounding residents and avoid congestion.
Should you find it necessary to drive or park along Brushwood Road I would request that you do not drop
off or pick up in the turning circle outside of the school as we use this as a 'safe crossing zone'.
Additionally, parking across our neighbours drives is most inconsiderate.

One of our parent has now trained as a tutor for safer cycling. Mr. Kirkpatrick will be running his first
course for Year 6 pupils on the 7, 14 and 28 October and 4 November from 2.00pm - 4.00pm at
Brushwood School. If your child is in Year 6 and would like to learn how to cycle safely please ask for
details at the school office.

Can you share a journey with a friend or neighbour? To cut the number of car journeys to our school we
are asking parent if they would provide a car share for other pupils that travel to Brushwood and who live
near them.

Health and Well-Being
If your child requires medication which needs to remain in school we would ask you to se Mrs. Wyman
so that we can develop a health protocol to cover your child's needs. If your child has an allergy or long
term medical need and you have not already spoken to Mrs. Wyman please contact her as soon as
possible.

Sometimes children require medicines on a short-term basis e.g. anti-biotics. Where possible we would
encourage parents to arrange for doses to be administered at home. We recognise however that this is not
always possible. Should your child need medicines to be administered at the school we have a strict
procedure to ensure your wishes are met. Please bring all medicines to Mrs. Wyman and she will
complete a form with you to ensure correct administration. DO NOT leave medicines with the class
teacher or your child.

We are entering the season of coughs, colds and sickness. we would encourage children to come to
school if they possibly can, but when absence is unavoidable we would ask you to phone the school office
at the first available time. On return to the school please provide your child with a note explaining the
reason for absence.
I would also like to remind you that when a child has been sick or has had diarrhoea then they should not
return to school until 24 hours after their last sickness.

Thank you to all parents for providing the correct school uniform to their children. They all look so smart! It
is good that so many children have school shoes that are not of a fashion or trainer based design. Can I
ask you to help your child to tie their laces as this can be dangerous or embarrasing for them if they are
unable to do so.

To ensure the safety of all children during P.E., we require any pupil with long hair to clip or tie it back to
prevent it becoming tangled in equipment. Additionally, some hair styles are proving a distraction when
long fringes fall in front of the child's face when working. If your child chooses to wear their hair long
please provide them with clips or bands to ensure they keep their faces clear for work. These measures will
also assist us to keep clear of any unwanted visitors.

Parents may not be aware that children should have regular eye tests from the age of around 3.
Eye examinations for children are free under the NHS. These tests are even more important if a family
member has glasses or a sight impairment. Please consult your local optician who, I am sure, will be
happy to speak with you.

Clubs
A matrix of the clubs that are available this term is attached to this sheet. Some clubs are available to
specific age groups but most are open to all. When you discuss with your child the clubs they might wish
to join please be aware that some activities have a limited number of spaces available.

Many of our clubs will begin over the next few weeks and teachers will give details to the children through
the assembly system.

Parent and Pupil Questionnaires
At the end of last term we distributed questionnaires to children and another to parents and carers. We
are please with the overwhelmingly positive responses ad thank everyone that returned their completed
form. Of the total responses 57% were strongly positive and 38% positive. Only 3.5% of responses were
negative with the remainder of returns being "don't know'.

We would however like to be even better and have discussed ways we can improve our provision.

The first area we considered was regarding homework where 10.6% of parents did not agree with the
amount of homework set. Half of the comments made on this subject felt that there was too much
homework whilst the remaining 50% felt that ther was insufficient. In consequence the teaching staff will
indicate either through the worksheets or homework diary the work that is essential and any work which is
desirable. Daily reading and weekly spellings are automatically part of the essential element of
homework. Please expect your child to have at least one piece of Literacy and one piece of Numeracy
'essential' homework each week.

The second and third areas for review concern keeping parents informed and working closely with parent
where 12.7% of parents indicated a wish for information beyond Literacy and Numeracy. To enable this to
happen we will be offering regular half hourly sessions on specific Friday afternoons between 3.00 and
3.30pm. If parents would like to come and discuss a specific issue they will be able to pre-book a 5
minute session with the teacher during this time using a booking slip. Dates will follow later.

Clearly parents evening and these new 'surgery' times are necessarily limited and I would remind all
parent of our open door policy. Our teachers are frequently at the school gates for informal updates and a
phone call is welcome to arrange a more detailed discussion if specific issues arise. Above all, I would
hope parents feel reassured that they are able to contact and speak to the teachers.

Feedback to the children will take place shortly through the School Council representatives regarding the
pupil questinnaire. Again responses were very positive with our aim to be better.

Funding
As a response to parent and pupil requests we are shortly providing a 'sail' shelter to give more shade
during hot weather. Thank you to all parents who have contributed to school fund and enabled this project
to come to fruition.

We have a number of similar projects that we hope to progress this year and would ask if you could
continue your support throught the £10 voluntary family contribution. As you can see, your child becomes
the direct beneficiary.

"Vountary Exclusion Zone"

The walking zone consists of the 'pan handle' formed by Brushwood Road, Hillcroft Road, Ashfield Road,
Nalders Road and Chestnut Avenue as shown below: