 Sherwood Foundation School
Weekly Newsletter
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News from Leadership Team
This week, the Hill Campus have enjoyed celebrating World Space Week by building rockets and exploring space. With autumn underway, the students have also been exploring seasonal changes and creating autumn-inspired artwork using a range of materials. Following World Vegetarian Day last week, the focus on making healthy food choices has continued. Assemblies have celebrated Black History Month, recognising the contributions of Black people throughout history.
Sherwood Hill Autumn Term Events
Please note School Photos will be taking place on Thursday 22nd October at the Hill Campus
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Lower School News
 This week Mint Class have enjoyed learning about the number 2 in Maths, exploring sensory trays, developing early mark-making skills and looking for numbers modelled on core board fringe tabs. In Music, the students explored loud and quiet sounds, while Sensory Gym sessions provided opportunities to try different swings and equipment with growing confidence.
Olive Class have had another fabulous week! The students explored the seasons and created colourful artwork. The class also enthusiastically engaged in World Space Week, and enjoyed playing with rockets and space figures travelling to the moon, as well as singing Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Lime Class have been busy exploring a range of exciting topics this week. To celebrate World Space Week, the students used magnetic shapes and blocks to build rockets. In History, they explored prehistoric animals and created animal footprints using paint. During art, the class experimented with vegetable painting, using vegetables to make marks on paper. The week also included a lovely trip to the local park, where everyone enjoyed exploring the outdoors together.
Teal Class have had a lovely week! In Literacy, the students continued exploring The Three Little Pigs, taking turns to blow the house down using a bubble sock. The class also enjoyed using sand, filling diggers and building sandcastles. In cooking, students continued making flapjacks, and trying some healthy fruit salad.
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Middle School News
 Capri Class have had another great week! In PE, the students explored the concepts of “up” and “down” using a large parachute, with everyone joining in and working together. In Literacy, they enjoyed the story 'We’re Going on a Bear Hunt', creating their own bears and a shared story timeline. The class also explored reflections and quantities using mirrors and a ball pit, focusing on key vocabulary such as “more”.
Iris Class have been working hard to recognise characters from 'Supertato' and explore their initial sounds. During a whole-class writing activity, the children identified their favourite foods, linking to the food characters in the story. In Numeracy, we continued exploring quantities, with some students using number lines to add one and take one away. The weekly swim at Waddon Leisure Centre was another highlight!
Sapphire Class have enjoyed adding lighting effects to their sensory stories, particularly 'The Little Match Girl', to explore key moments and changes in the story. During a mark-making lesson, the class worked together to create a shield, demonstrating kindness by sharing resources and helping to tidy up. Outdoor learning was another highlight, with the students practising road safety in the playground and responding to key directions such as “go”, “stop” and “slow-down”.
Ocean Class have had a great week developing their fine motor skills during a cooking lesson. The students practised cutting their own fruit and vegetables, building independence as they prepared and shared a healthy snack together.
Indigo Class have been exploring positions and directions and building towers with large bricks while focusing on key vocabulary such as “on”, “off” and “one more”. They also linked their learning to PE by incorporating positional language into the Cha Cha Slide, moving forwards, backwards, left and right while having lots of fun!
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Upper School News
 Thistle Class have had a wonderful week! The students focused on developing their independence through cleaning and tidying tasks. They each chose a job to help keep the classroom clean and welcoming, before working together to tidy and organise the Life Skills cupboards after Thursday’s cooking session. The class also began their Autumn enterprise project, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and is looking forward to continuing.
Violet Class made the most of the warm weather at the start of the week with extended PE sessions in the playground. The students completed playground circuits, enjoyed walks through Forest School and had fun on the swings, climbing frame and trampolines, helping to build their fitness along the way. In the classroom, students enjoyed working on their Literacy and Numeracy skills and learning about the body in Science. Wednesday’s rocket-themed assembly also inspired some creative fun, with the students painting their own rockets and spaceships.
Lavender Class have had a fantastic week! In Science, the students explored sea and land animals, sorting them into the correct categories. They also enjoyed swimming and taking part in Sports Club in the hall, where they participated in running, trampolining and ball games.
This week, Lilac Class have been focusing on health and the body, exploring different strategies to help them stay healthy and take care of themselves. The students also enjoyed their swimming and PE sessions, keeping active while having fun!
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*Stars of the Week*
Mint: Theo for being curious and confident when exploring new swings in the Sensory Gym and independently moving his body into different positions.
Olive: Breerah for enthusiastically engaging in new activities and enjoying sensory experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
Teal: Boiken for continuing his fantastic start to the year and confidently trying different swings in the Sensory Gym.
Lime: Kevin for showing a good understanding of school routines and building relationships with a range of staff.
Indigo: Kevontae for consistently engaging in lessons, participating enthusiastically in Sensory Circuits, using the trampoline and climbing frame.
Iris: Yusuf for his fantastic engagement in learning, recognising the initial sounds of characters in 'Supertato' and counting bricks to build tall towers.
Sapphire: Fionn for making excellent progress in communication by using his core board and speech to express feelings, make requests and respond to questions.
Capri: Joshua for spending more time in the classroom, focusing on his learning and enthusiastically joining group activities with his classmates.
Ocean: Jacob for showing great independence by choosing his own regulation strategies and confidently communicating his needs to staff.
Thistle: George for working hard on his regulation during learning activities and community trips, and interacting positively with his classmates.
Violet: Lucas for his continued progress with regulation and transitions, and for bringing so many smiles and laughs to the classroom.
Lilac: Kelvin for his fantastic engagement in learning and making great progress in co-regulating with familiar staff.
Lavender: Louis for his fantastic engagement during class activities.
Wellbeing: Harrison for communicating his choices well and building new, positive relationships with staff.
Therapy: Mahbeer for transitioning confidently between environments, exploring new sensory experiences on the platform swing.
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News from the Leadership Team
It has been another very positive week at Park Campus, with lots of wonderful learning taking place across our classes. It has been lovely to see students continuing to develop their confidence, independence and communication skills, supported by the hard work and dedication of our staff teams. We are really pleased with the positive atmosphere across the campus and the many achievements, big and small, that we see each day.
Thank you to all the families for your kind donations of food, which will be sent to Sutton Night Watch, a charity that supports and raises awareness of homeless people in the local area.
A quick reminder to parents and carers that we will have a photographer on campus next Tuesday 13th October, taking photographs of our students.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
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Lower School News
 This week Hebe Class visited the park to make the most of the last warm summery weather and Orchid Class turned their classroom into an autumnal sensory room using the magic carpet.
Sunflower and Bluebell Classes did a lot of work on their 'knights and castles' theme. For Bluebell, this was marked by a sensory story, trying out a medieval wardrobe, and exploring different building materials – wood, metal, and stone. In Sunflower Class, the students explored building castles from homemade moon sand in Science and created tall towers from cardboard boxes in Maths. The class also explored the facts of the Battle of Hastings through a sensory story in History.
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Middle School News
 This week Poppy Class really enjoyed the story 'There’s a Superhero in your book', they acted out the story as it was read and then designed their own superhero. In RE students explored what it means to harvest crops and looked at a range of fruit and vegetables, while working on their independence skills through cutting vegetables.
In Daffodil Class, students enjoyed engaging in sessions related to core words, Yes/no, fast/slow. With a focus on using the regulation strategy of the week with students stretching their learning by using different objects to participate as a group and also individually.
In Tulip class students have been working really hard on recognising Numicon (a multisensory math teaching resource). This was used for counting and addition.
This week, Lily Class have been taking part in their physiotherapy programmes and beginning to build and make words in Literacy. They have also been learning about the body, with a focus on hands and feet. The class finished their sensory story about the sea and have been using their eye-gaze devices.
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Upper School News
 Daisy Class have had another fun-filled week! In maths, the students explored circles by identifying everyday objects with circular shapes. They also enjoyed a trip to the local park to collect natural items for further investigation. The Halloween spirit was in full swing with spooky arts and crafts to decorate the classroom. Lastly, the students enjoyed making a trifle in cooking. The whipped cream was a firm favourite, especially when spraying it onto the desserts!
Marigold Class began celebrating Black History Month by creating colourful batik fabric prints, which they will continue next week. Music sessions included songs and instruments from around the world. The students also continued exploring forest animals and created their favourite animals from cut-outs, focussing on their unique features. Lastly, the class enjoyed making and eating a cheesecake, with plenty left over to share at home.
Peony Class have enjoyed a busy week with some students completing work experience at Point Café while others visited Tesco to buy snacks and ingredients. In Cooking, the class made pancakes chosen by Alfie, enjoying selecting toppings and, of course, eating their creations! A trip to Wallington Library also gave the students the opportunity to choose fiction and non-fiction books to share and enjoy in class.
Dahlia Class have been exploring Ireland through a wonderful session with the Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist, discovering items linked to Irish culture and heritage. They have also started their creative enterprise project, making gifts for Christmas, alongside their regular community visits to buy ingredients for their jacket potato enterprise.
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*Stars of the Week*
Orchid: Theo for intentionally using both hands independently to activate fibre optic lights during a fantastic cause-and-effect switching session.
Hebe: Giorgio for his eagerness to learn and showing wonderful spirit and determination on the climbing frame.
Bluebell: Liza for her excellent focus and engagement during cooking, creating a delicious tortilla pizza and choosing her own healthy toppings.
Lily: Albert for making great progress in shared play with a classmate and exploring a range of sensory stations in specialist spaces.
Sunflower: Elliot for increased engagement in class sessions, exploring resources and participating in Literacy, History and Science.
Marigold: Hassan for participating in all his lessons, particularly mark-making and Art, and communicating his wants and needs clearly.
Tulip: Henry for his progress in writing his name, recognising letter sounds, adding with Numicon and swimming.
Daffodil: Ayaan for spending more time engaging in shared sessions with classmates and developing his awareness of others and independence skills.
Poppy: Aurora for her fantastic engagement in lessons, managing transitions between learning environments and using her core board to communicate her wants and interests.
Daisy: Rayan for engaging positively in lessons and activities, enjoying TAC PAC and exploring the calming environment.
Peony: Jennifer for approaching her work experience at Point Café professionally, taking pride in her appearance and working hard while helping in the café.
Dahlia: Charlie for his fantastic engagement in the Autumn project, visiting the local park, enjoying sensory stories and learning about leaves.
Therapy: Jack for enthusiastically exploring a high-tech AAC device and beginning to use symbol pathways to communicate his interests.
Wellbeing: Romari for showing excellent regulation and listening skills throughout his wellbeing trip to the park.
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Sherwood Park Campus - cake sale | |
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News from the Leadership Team
This week we’ve seen the weather and the leaves turn at Sherwood Manor. This change has provided lovely learning opportunities in both geography and science. In science, students have learnt about the rotation of the earth and revolution around the sun, creating the seasons because of the tilt that the earth is on.
There has been great teamwork in PE, playing cricket. Class groups have joined together in teams and made the most of both the field and brighter weather when we have had it.
The outdoors has continued to provide active learning opportunities for core subjects. In maths, students have measured the length of some of the fences around the site, the longest being 50 meters.
On Wednesday 13th October at 2pm we will have an ‘Autumn Festival’. We welcome parents to attend our assembly at 2pm, where we will have activities based around autumn and harvest. We welcome donations of food, toiletries and hats and gloves, that will be given to the local Food Bank. Please leave these in reception or send them in with your child’s driver.
Please note School Photos will be taking place on Friday 23rd October at the Manor Campus
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*Stars of the Week*
Albatross: Nathan for engaging fully in lessons, listening to staff and communicating more using his core board and visuals.
Robin: Nathaniel for making a great effort to engage consistently in lessons and taking turns to listen and respond during group discussions.
Cardinal: Sean for his excellent participation in learning activities throughout the week.
Kingfisher: Vittoria for her engagement in learning and willingness to give everything a go.
Kite: Ike for managing his transition back to school and starting to build lovely relationships with his classmates.
Hawk: Samantha for her fantastic engagement in a shape artwork lesson and working hard to create a beautiful picture.
Kestrel: Jude for her willingness to try new things and openness to support when developing her regulation skills.
Falcon: Shakur for consistently following instructions and always doing his best, even when faced with distractions.
Goshawk: Niam for his consistent engagement, positive attitude towards staff and classmates, enthusiasm in PE and making a real effort to use polite language.
Therapy: Becky for her fantastic participation in the first therapy AAC group, engaging throughout and spontaneously using her device to share her favourite animals with her classmates.
Wellbeing: Harley for spending increased time in class and making fantastic progress with transitions around school and at home- time.
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Sherwood Foundation Charity | |
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Sutton Mencap Parent Carer Forum
Sutton Mencap is seeking parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND to help establish Sutton's new independent SEND Parent Carer Forum by joining its steering group.
To submit your application for membership of the steering group, please click here. Please note that applications close on 11th October 2026.
If you are a parent or carer who may be interested, or if you work with SEND families, please take a moment to read the information in the original email below and share this opportunity with anyone who may wish to get involved.
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SWLSTG Education Wellbeing Service
The Education Wellbeing Service is offering lunchtime and evening webinars throughout the year to support parents and carers with their child’s wellbeing and mental health. Details of the webinars, including dates and topics, can be found on the links below:
Early Years Webinar schedule 26/27
Primary Webinar schedule 26/27
Secondary Webinar schedule 26/27
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Preparation for Adulthood | |
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More information and bookings can be found Events & Bookings | Sutton Libraries and searching ‘Preparation for Adulthood’.
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