Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Talk of Thamesmead Newsletter - the Publication for Thamesmead Residents (Summer 2023)

  Fri 07 Jul 2023

  Please click here to view Peabody's latest Talk of Thamesmead newsletter, the publication for Thamesmead residents.  Thank you.

• Thamesmead Summer SEND Sports Festival

  Mon 03 Jul 2023

  This summer Access Sport are hosting another SEND Sports Festival followed by SEND holiday activities for the family in Thamesmead.

   

  Activities are open to all disabilities/ abilities and all the family are welcome!

  Please find all the information below and flyers below:

   

  SEND Summer Sports Festival

  When: Saturday 22^nd July 2023
  Where: Sports Club Thamesmead, Bayliss Avenue, SE28 8NJ

  Time: 11 – 1 pm
  Age: 6 – 16 years old (5+ welcome) – all the family are invited to attend
  Cost: Free
  Register here: https://bit.ly/TM-InclusiveSportsFest23 - you must be registered to attend. Parents/ carers must stay with their children at the event.

  Sports include Zumba, immersive reality, football, dance, archery, boxing, yoga and much more!

  All activities will be adapted to everyone’s needs!

   

  SEND Holiday Activities

  When: w/c 24^th July – w/c 7^th August
  Where: Waterways Children’s Centre, SE28 8EZ and Sports Club Thamesmead, Bayliss Avenue, SE28 8NJ

  Time: Session times vary but are 1 hour long – parents asked to stay with their children
  Age: 6 – 16 years old (5+ welcome) – all the family are invited to attend
  Cost: Free
  Register here: https://bit.ly/SignUp-InclusiveSummer2023 - you must be registered to attend.

  Sports include Zumba, yoga, sensory football and multi sports!

  All activities will be adapted to everyone’s needs!

   

  If you have any questions, please contact Sophie Epsley (Senior Development Manager, Access Sport) on 0207 993 9883, 07706 416 370 or via www.AccessSport.org.uk

   

  Stand for Inclusion. 

  Registered charity number: 1156819 

   

  

• Bexley SEN Marketplace Event (12th September 2023)

  Thu 29 Jun 2023

  Please click here to find information from Bexley regarding their SEN Marketplace event, which takes place on 12th September 2023.

   

  At this event you can connect with local services supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Bexley.

   

• Reading Eggs Holiday Read-a-thon Leaderboard

  Tue 10 Jan 2023

  Well done to everyone who used Reading Eggs library on line during the holidays. We made it into the top 50 places on the Leader board for all schools using Reading Eggs across the globe. We managed to come 28^th – well done! Let’s see if next holidays we can climb the leader board and get closer to the number 1 spot!

  

• Bexley Moorings Project - Invitation to Parents and Carers

  Tue 29 Mar 2022

  Dear Friends

  I'm delighted to let you know about a Community Event & Marketplace at Bexley Civic Centre on Thursday 12 May, 9.30am - 1pm. 

  The focus of the morning is for parents/carers and professionals to come together to share concerns and advice over youth exploitation and risk. 

  We aim to:

  • Offer a space for parents to share their fears, observations and suggestions.
  • Give clear guidance to the community on what to do if they think a child or young adult is at risk - how to report and who to report to.
  • Provide an opportunity for local organisations to explain the work they do and give an uncomplicated understanding of the support that is currently available within Bexley.

  There will be a number of presentations, including on healthy teenage relationships and sexual health and the work of the borough's Community Safety Team.

  We also aim to showcase both the evolving work of, and opportunity to join, our Parent Champion Network - FLARE.

  We think this event will be relevant to all parents and carers of children and young people and we aim for people to leave feeling empowered and informed.

  A more detailed invitation will follow shortly, in the meantime, we do hope you can come along, and please circulate this email to your networks.

  If you have any questions or suggestions do let me know.

  Alanna Lauder

  Bexley Moorings

• Information for parents and carers on COVID-19 vaccination for at risk 5 to 11 year olds

  Tue 08 Mar 2022

  Information for parents and carers on COVID-19 vaccination for at risk 5 to 11 year olds

  Please share the following information with parents and carers of at risk 5 to 11 year olds.

  Children aged 5 to 11 years who are in a clinical risk group or who live with someone who is immunosuppressed can get the COVID-19 vaccine, in line with advice set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Eligible children include those with diabetes, immunosuppression, learning disabilities, and other conditions as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the Green Book.

  Vaccinations help to increase protection against COVID-19, which is particularly important for those with underlying health conditions.

  Further information is available in the guide for parents of children aged 5 to 11 years published by UKHSA. We have published some frequently asked questions on the vaccination programme including information on eligibility, accessibility and advice for parents of children at high risk from COVID-19. Following advice from the JCVI, healthy 5 to 11 year old children will also be offered two 10 microgram doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April.

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  The information below has not changed since our last update

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  Department for Education COVID-19 helpline

  The Department for Education COVID-19 helpline is available to answer any questions you have about COVID-19 relating to education and childcare settings and children’s social care.

  Department for Education guidance

  Our guidance to support parents during the COVID-19 pandemic can be accessed using the link below:

  guidance for parents and carers

• Current Events in the Media - Advice and Support for Parents

  Fri 25 Feb 2022

  The current events unfolding in Ukraine and the amount of media attention could increase anxiety in children and young people as they try to make sense of such scary images. Some will be able to articulate their worries, whilst others may not. Instead, you might notice changes in behaviour or mood.

   

  Below are some useful links:

   

  https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/tips-look-after-your-mental-health-during-scary-world-events?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin

   

  https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/13865002

• COVID Update for Parents and Carers

  Fri 25 Feb 2022

  Following the lifting of all COVID restrictions, we have been waiting for guidance from Public Health Bexley (PHB) to share with you.

   

  This guidance was expected yesterday (24/02/22), however we are yet to receive it.  In the absence of this guidance,  Dr Mike Robinson (Interim Director of Public Health at the London Borough of Bexley) has provided the following statement: 

   

  PHB is advising schools to continue the self-isolation practices in schools at this time. Anyone with symptoms or who tests positive must self-isolate for ten days (released with negative tests at day 5 and 6 etc).

   

  PHB also advises that children and staff who are sneezing and coughing should stay away from school; whether this is due to Covid or another virus as it will help reduce spread, and shows consideration for others.

   

  School leaders are reminded that they are allowed to send students home, after consideration of safeguarding, should this expectation not be being met.
   

• Community Cafe at Birchmere Hall - 14th February, 10am

  Fri 11 Feb 2022

  Peabody are hosting a Community Cafe at Birchmere Hall - please see the details of this event below:

   

  • Venue: Birchmere Community Hub, Owen Close, SE28 8AG
  • Date: 14^th February
  • Time: 10am – 1pm
  • Description: Come along and take part in arts and crafts and sports activities from 10am – 12pm and join us for free lunch together afterwards!
  • Free open event

• New online support community for parents and guardians

  Tue 08 Feb 2022

  Good afternoon,

  We would like to share some exciting news with you! 

  To mark the start of Children’s Mental Health Week, we have launched our new online community platform, the Parenting Hub. The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on young people with studies pointing to increased levels of distress, worry and anxiety (Barnardo’s, Mental Health Foundation, Strathclyde University), so the launch of the Parenting Hub comes at a crucial time.

  The Parenting Hub is our new online community for parents and carers to get information and access to peer support. It will;

  • provide a safe environment for parents to share experiences, support each other and access expert advice,
  • provide resources for parents to learn about mental health and how to better support their children,
  • and build parents’ confidence to have supportive conversations and talk about mental health.

  The Parenting Hub will be moderated 24/7 by our trained experts so parents and carers feel safe and supported to talk about their children’s wellbeing through our Chat and Forum spaces. We will host bi-monthly Q&A sessions with expert panels on topics related to young people’s mental health including social media and managing exam stress. The site will also include resources with practical information and guidance for parents and carers on what to do if they are concerned about their young person’s mental health, created by the Young People’s Programmes team, who have been running Bloom in schools since 2019.

  You can sign up to the Parenting Hub today and become part of our community of parents and carers, to be there for the young people in your lives.

  Join our next webinar on 17 February where we’ll discuss How to support the young people in your life as a parent or carer and get support for yourself. This webinar will be a chance to learn more about the Parenting Hub and ask any questions to the panel.

   

  Best wishes,

   

  Mental Health UK Bloom Team