Latest News

Governing Board Day

Tue 05 Mar 2024

We were proud to welcome our Governing Board to school recently to spend a day working alongside us and meeting/interviewing pupils and staff.

Governors were grilled by the School Council - who asked some very indepth questions and were thrilled to learn about the various roles our governors hold in the real world, and how they could impact on their work experience or glean knowledge from their expertise.

Governors toured the school - guided by Blue and Kian, and were blown away by the work being produced.

Every governor interviewed both pupils and staff across the day and a full report has been produced.

Thank you to everyone for making our day so exciting and purposeful.

Oak Lodge is open!

Tue 09 Jan 2024

As our community will be aware, we had made plans prior to COVID 19 to alter the house on our site into a base for pupils who may find even a smaller, SEMH environment complicated to manage, but COVID 19 and the world wide crisis in obtaining building materials (which had sky rocketed in price) meant that the plans had to be re-evaluated and an extension on our funding stream had to be sought.

Finally we have been able to move forward and with the assistance of our Premises Manager and Royal Borough of Greenwich Council, we have completed Oak Lodge.

Oak Lodge has two teaching spaces on the ground floor (Vista and Horizon)- for use by pupils who may have been out of school for long periods of time, for pupils who need additional support in order to gain qualifications (academic and vocational) and for targeted support for current in-house pupils who need additional input in basic skills in a smaller environment. These spaces are utilised by our outreach worker and in-house staff.

On the first floor we have two therapeutic spaces (Canopy and Outlook), where our trained Trauma Informed staff can work with identified pupils - either through Trauma Informed practice or giving them a safe space to talk and work through their concerns.

There is a smaller space outside (The Croft) for pupils who may find even a classroom type space difficult to manage due to their previous experiences.

We are pleased that the Royal Borough of Greenwich have recognised the importance of this work, and moving forward in 2024 will commit to an SLA to support the most vulnerable within the system.

Christmas Traditions - Japan

Wed 14 Dec 2022

Today's Christmas Traditions come from Japan. Christmas is the time for friends and couples to have parties, make plans to meet up for dinner and celebrate as much as they can. And New Year is the time of the year when all members of the family come together, visit the temple, and usher-in January 1st, with food and drinks.

One fun fact about the holiday season in Japan is that Christmas Eve (december 24) is the most romantic day of the year. It’s the Japanese version of Valentine’s Day. As a matter of fact, if you don’t have a date on Christmas Eve, you won’t want to be seen alone in public. Japanese couples, especially the youngest, book dinners at romantic restaurants, the stores sell romantic Christmas gifts, and the streets are decorated to perfection to embody this most romantic day. Oh and if you did the quiz, you will know that Japanese people celebrate Christmas Day by having a KFC ( seriously! - you can read about that here)

Key Vocabulary (you can pop here to Google Translate and they can say them for you) :

メリークリスマス Merīkurisumasu - Merry Christmas

サンタクロース Santakurōsu- Father Christmas

ケンタッキーフライドチキン Kentakkīfuraidochikin- Christmas Lunch

贈り物 Okurimono- Present

人参 Ninjin- Carrots

スプラウト Supurauto- Sprouts

クリスマスの靴下 Kurisumasu no kutsushita- Stocking

雪 Yuki- Snow

Silent The First Christmas Back Number

Christmas Traditions - Germany

Tue 13 Dec 2022

Today's Christmas Traditions come from Germany. Germany has a VERY long association with Christmas and many of the traditions that we, within the UK have claimed as our own, actually started in Germany. They also don't believe that Father Christmas delivers your gifts! You can find out more here , here and here.

Key Vocabulary (you can pop here to Google Translate and they can say them for you) :

Frohe Weihnachten - Merry Christmas

Weihnachtsmann - Father Christmas

Weihnachtsmittagessen- Christmas Lunch

Weihnachtsgeschenk- Present

Möhren- Carrots

Sprossen- Sprouts

Weihnachtsstrumpf - Stocking

Schnee- Snow

O Tannenbaum Kling! In der Weihnachtsbackeri

Christmas Traditions - Wales/Cymru

Mon 12 Dec 2022

All last week, the staff at both schools were playing a quiz where they had to match the lyrics to the Christmas song/carol printed - and win a £5 gift voucher. This week we thought we would do different Christmas traditions from around the world. It therefore seems fitting that Mr Griffiths would share some of his own nations traditions and language for you first.

There are many odd Christmas/New Year traditions depending where in Cymru you hark from, some are listed here. The Mari Lwyd (which is towards the bottom of that link) is VERY peculiar to Wales although you see elements of it within other cultures around the world. If you fancy going on the Mari Lwyd Walk, you can - here in London, starting at the London Welsh Centre (near King's Cross) ... if you want to learn the words to the song (it NEVER changes), I can send you a copy!

Key Vocabulary (you can pop here to Google Translate and they can say them for you) :

Nadolig Llawen - Merry Christmas

Sion Corn - Father Christmas (or literally John Chimney Pot)

Cinio 'Dolig - Christmas Lunch

Anrheg - Present

Moron - Carrots

Ysgewyll - Sprouts

Hosan - Stocking

Eira - Snow

It would be odd for me not to include some element of Cymru's heritage in music so please enjoy!

Llef Suo Gan 'Dolig Diwethaf/Last Christmas Hiwangerdd Mair Blwyddyn Arall Torri'n rhydd

Strep A Update

Wed 07 Dec 2022

Dear Parent/Carer,

As you know, we wrote to you earlier this week about the rise in cases of Strep A within both London and the UK. At that time, we had no cases of Strep A within the Federation.

Unfortunately, we have received confirmation that we have a case of Strep A and the pupil is being treated with anti-biotics.

We have already sent you a copy of the latest information from HSA. We had already complied with all their recommendations prior to being notified and had already informed all the necessary authorities.

Can I remind you that it is vital you are vigilant and look for ANY signs that are related to Strep A. I attach a handy diagram to this message.

IF your child is unwell, please seek medical advice at the earliest possibility, especially as at present there is an uplift in Chicken Pox which mirrors some of the Strep A symptoms and also inform school if you have received a diagnosis.

We will be reminding everyone about infection protocols throughout the school - including hand hygiene and ventilation as set out by the HSA.

We will also keep you up to date on any further infections and any further guidance we have received.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.

As ever

Meic

Our visit to pay tribute to HRH The Queen

Mon 19 Sep 2022

Part of our work as a federation, is to give our children experiences that they may have missed whilst in a mainstream setting due to their anxieties and behaviours, to give them the same opportunities to explore, question and learn...but this requires us to think outside of the box.

On Friday, we closed early in the afternoon (after ensuring that all our community was happy to do so and ensuring that everyone had lunch) to give our pupils, their families and our team, an opportunity to explore the atmosphere of the build up to HRH The Queen's funeral. An event of such exception it would be remiss of us not to pay witness to this historic period in our collective history.

During the afternoon some of our team worked with pupils on interventions in school - having the space to revisit key skills that have alluded them ; some of our pupils and their families met staff at key landmarks so that they had a familiar face to help guide them. Throughout the week, our community (and wider as we used our social media platforms to help), had received full briefing notes and guidance so that they could get to the key areas without stress ; some of our team took time to train teaching staff from other schools in behavioural management as schools had contacted for support and some, as shown here, supported our pupils to expand their GCSE Art portfolio using one of the most unique events in our history, to do so.

We haven't published all their images here, as they will be used to create a body of work based on flowers and floral creation, but from all who made the journey - which for some of our families - going into Central London in less unusual times would be stressful, the feedback has been extraordinary.

They truly appreciated the opportunity to visit the floral tributes knowing that our team were on hand to support, or visit key landmarks around the city which would play such a central part in the funeral, but have done in our history.

As a federation, we would like to thank our Governing Board for their support for this piece of work and our school community as a whole, who showed such commitment to ensuring that our pupils were able to access, explore and understand this nationally and internationally significant moment in our history.

Update on Arrangements for HRH The Queen's Funeral

Tue 13 Sep 2022

IF you wish to visit to pay your respects to HRH The Queen, please find details below:

HRH Queen Elizabeth's coffin will move today from Buckingham Palace at 2.22pm to Westminster Hall. Westminster Hall will be open to the public from 5pm and will be open 24 hours until 6.30am on Monday morning.

The update on queuing times etc is that it is expected to be between 8 and 15 hours with an expectation that most will be queuing overnight. There will be little opportunity to sit down as the queue is expected to continuously move forward.

Please find below the route for queuing to pay your respects in person. This has also been sent to parents via Parent Mail. There is a wrist band system, but you will not be guaranteed entry just a right to join the queue.

Items you can and cannot take and how to prepare including how to get a wrist band : Government Website

Transport for London : The updates below still stand but please be aware that congestion is expected to be great.

Tube services are running as normal however, there will be changes to busier stations (Green Park ; Victoria ; Piccadilly ; St James' Park ; Westminster ; Charing Cross ; Embankment ; Waterloo ; Hyde Park and Marble Arch - as to accommodate the amount of visitors expected. Exits and entrances may change and may be subject to trains not stopping/ access not granted if there is overcrowding. Please ensure you know where you can exit either before or after so you can make your journey.
The Elizabeth Line (which has a reduced service usually) will be running a special service throughout the week and weekend with 12 trains per hour on Sunday.
There are already road closures within Central London and these are escalating. Buses may stop before their destination at short notice or be on divert - so please check your route.
Santander cycles will be available but some docking stations (near key buildings) will be out of use.
Some cycle routes will be closed due to road closures.
London River Services will operate as normal but will be busier than usual.

Please use the TfL or City Mapper apps to ensure you have the most up to date information.

Travel Arrangements for the Funeral of HRH The Queen

Mon 12 Sep 2022

Transport for London : We received notice of the expect difficulties - not just on the day of the funeral, but leading up to it - for trains, buses and cars. Below is the latest information and is subject to change:

Tube services are running as normal however, there will be changes to busier stations (Green Park ; Victoria ; Piccadilly ; St James' Park ; Westminster ; Charing Cross ; Embankment ; Waterloo ; Hyde Park and Marble Arch - as to accommodate the amount of visitors expected. Exits and entrances may change and may be subject to trains not stopping/ access not granted if there is overcrowding. Please ensure you know where you can exit either before or after so you can make your journey.
The Elizabeth Line (which has a reduced service usually) will be running a special service throughout the week and weekend with 12 trains per hour on Sunday.
There are already road closures within Central London and these are escalating. Buses may stop before their destination at short notice or be on divert - so please check your route.
Santander cycles will be available but some docking stations (near key buildings) will be out of use.
Some cycle routes will be closed due to road closures.
London River Services will operate as normal but will be busier than usual.

Please use the TfL or City Mapper apps to ensure you have the most up to date information.

Some of our team are taking pupils to visit the flowers on Friday as part of their GCSE work. If you need support to get there, please contact us directly.

Arrangements for the funeral of HRH Queen Elizabeth II

Sun 11 Sep 2022

Funeral of HRH The Queen Arrangements
Dear parent/carer/guardian, As I have no doubt you will have seen on the news and via your social media interactions, the funeral date for HRH Queen Elizabeth II has been released. Over the weekend, the SLT (Senior Leadership Team), Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Board have been in discussion on how best we can accommodate the wishes and needs of The Royal Family, the expectation from His Royal Highness' Government and yours as the Imperium Federation Family. To this end, please see below our arrangements as well as the public time table published by The Royal Family. If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me at school.
Friday September 16th
Following discussions with the SLT, Chair and Vice Chair, we will close both Waterside and King’s Oak Schools on Friday September 16th from 12.30pm. This is to enable you and your family (if you wish) and the staff at both schools to pay tribute to HRH Queen Elizabeth II - either by attending her whilst she lies in state at Westminster Hall or marking her life in your own way. As you know for such historic events, we would have organised a visit (if you as parents agreed) but due to the discussions with the Royal Palace and Cabinet Office, we are unable to guarantee an end time (due to the expected crowds wishing to pay their respects) and so it was agreed that by closing early on Friday and seeing that as a school journey opportunity, it gave you, as families, flexibility. School transport has been informed and we will provide a packed lunch for pupils to leave school with on Friday. To assist you, we have placed directions from Plumstead, Greenwich and Eltham to Westminster Hall - where HRH Queen Elizabeth II is lying in state, if you do wish to take your family. If you wish to see the flowers that the public have left (or wish to take some of your own), you will need to stay on the Jubilee line and exit at Queen’s Park. Please find attached photos from Saturday when staff visited.
Monday September 19th
As declared by The Royal Family and His Majesty’s Government on Saturday, Monday September 19th will be both HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and a Bank Holiday. Both Waterside and King’s Oak will be closed and parents will be informed. Tuesday will see a full return to school time table and expectation.
Other Notable Timings/Events
Like ourselves, our pupils are very interested in the ceremonial/constitutional and pageantry of the week ahead, and to this end - please find an overview of what has been published. Timings will be released via all social media channels.
Monday 12th	King Charles III will meet both Houses of Parliament for them to express their condolences. King Charles III, with Queen Consort, will fly to Edinburgh to begin Operation Spring Tide - his tour of the home nations. HRH The Queen’s coffin will move to St Giles’ Cathedral accompanied by King Charles III and members of the Royal Family. HRH The Queen will lie in state for 24 hours so the public can pay their respects. During the evening, King Charles III and the Royal Family will hold a vigil at the cathedral.
Tuesday 13th	Princess Anne will accompany HRH The Queen on her final flight back to London. King Charles III and Queen Consort, will fly to Northern Ireland as part of Operation Spring Tide. HRH The Queen will be taken to Buckingham Palace - welcomed by King Charles III upon his return from Northern Ireland.
Wednesday 14th	HRH The Queen will move from Buckingham Palace - carried on a gun carriage (from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery) and will be followed by The Royal Family. HRH The Queen will be placed on a platform (called a catafalque) and her coffin will be draped in the Royal Standard and topped with the State Crown, orb and sceptre. Westminster Hall (following a service) will be opened to the public to pay tribute to HRH Queen Elizabeth II.
Thursday 15th	This is the first full day of lying in state.
Friday 16th	This is the second full day of lying in state. King Charles III and Queen Consort will travel to Wales as part of Operation Spring Tide. Waterside and King’s Oak will be closed from 12.30pm
Saturday 17th	This is the third full day of lying in state.
Sunday 18th	This is the fourth and final day of lying in state.
Monday 19th	HRH The Queen’s Funeral
Tuesday 20th	School re-opens.
How to get to Westminster Hall
Greenwich	Bus: 422 / 188 / 129 towards North Greenwich Tube : Jubilee and exit at Westminster. Exit through Exit 4 - Bridge Street North - Westminster Hall is 2 minutes walk.
Plumstead	Train : take any overground from Plumstead/Woolwich exit at London Bridge. Tube : Take the Jubilee to Westminster. Exit through Exit 4 - Bridge Street North - Westminster Hall is 2 minutes walk.
Eltham	Train : take any overground towards Charing Cross exiting at London Bridge. Tube : Take the Jubilee to Westminster. Exit through Exit 4 - Bridge Street North - Westminster Hall is 2 minutes walk. Or Train : take any overground to Charing Cross. Walk : it is a 12 minute walk from Charing Cross to Westminster Hall.