Joe Smith, West Sussex Brighton & Hove Careers Hub, recently awarded PVL CEO Nick Broom the ‘Careers Champion Inspirational Partnership Award ‘.

Joe visited PVL in Burgess Hill with Supported Intern Patrick and Nola Bennet Deputy Head & Careers Lead at Woodlands Meed. The award is recognition of the significant work that PVL and Woodlands Meed have done to establish their Supported Internship Program in 2024.

Supported Internships help young people aged 16 to 24 with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), to gain paid employment through support to develop skills valued by employers, show value in the workplace and develop confidence in their ability to succeed at work. Supported interns are in full-time education and their internships last for six months to one year. The internships are facilitated by an expert job coach and enable young people to gain the skills they need for work by learning in the workplace.

PVL and Woodlands Meed have been working together for several years to help give young people with SEND an opportunity for work experience leading to employment opportunities. The new Supported Internship program means that more local young people with SEND can be given the opportunities to access meaningful work experience and gain skills that could help with future employment opportunities, whilst being supported by an expert job coach in the workplace and continuing their education.

David Hills, Woodlands Meed’s expert job coach, has been working with the team at PVL to ensure both the employer and student are supported in the whole process of taking on a Student Intern from set up through to on-site support throughout the time the student is with the employer. David said of the process ‘This program enables the Interns to be fully immersed in the world of work, learning the soft skills of being an employee/ team member as well as the process of the job itself. Being available and able to offer support to both the Intern and the employer makes the whole Supported Internship program set up to succeed, and I am already seeing the huge benefits this has for both our students and the team at PVL.’

PVL have taken on a Woodlands Meed student on the Supported Internship Program starting in September 2024, and they hope to take more in the future. PVL Managing Director Craig Beresford is a key supporter of the program, he said ‘PVL are proud to support Woodland Meeds School in their remarkable Supported Internship programme. Our partnership with the school underscores our commitment to empowering young people by providing meaningful work experience and personal development opportunities.

Being involved in this program has been incredibly rewarding for all the team at PVL. It aligns with our values of inclusivity and social responsibility, as we help interns build confidence, develop essential workplace skills, and achieve greater independence. The dedication and passion of the students from Woodland Meeds continually inspire us, and we are proud to play a part in shaping their future career paths.

We look forward to continuing this important partnership and contributing to the growth and success of the students, as well as making a positive impact on our local community.’

In an inclusive place of work, every employee feels valued and able to contribute to the organisation. Inclusion goes beyond supporting diverse groups and involves recognising and celebrating the differences that make each employee unique. This means that inclusion is relevant for all employees, regardless of their background or characteristics. Joe Smith from West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub said " West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub are delighted to be working in partnership with Woodlands Meed, supporting their strong careers programme, which includes high expectations for students to have the best possible outcomes after they leave.

The inspiring partnership between Woodlands Meed and PVL was recently recognised by the hub as part of their annual recognition awards. The partnership has seen the launch of a Supported Internship programme, designed to support students with special educational needs and disabilities secure paid work.

PVL are one of the leading organisations across the region who are really embracing what it means to be an inclusive employer and has a deep understanding of all the benefits of having a diverse workforce. It's really exciting to see what this partnership will bring in the future and how it will inspire other organisations to work with a more diverse talent pool." Lastly, we would like to congratulate the Woodlands Meed and PVL teams on winning the Inspiring Partnership Award by the West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub."

Burgess Hill & District Rotary recently invited Woodlands Meed Headteacher Adam Rowland and Fundraiser Anna Hull to give a talk about the new Woodlands Meed College building and fundraising projects at Woodlands Meed.

Adam and Anna joined Rotary President James Gartrell and the twenty other club members for a jovial breakfast meeting at Mid Sussex Golf Club, where the club regularly hold their monthly Saturday morning meetings. After a presentation about the new college build, Adam and Anna answered questions from members about Woodlands Meed, the new build and fundraising projects.

Anna Hull, fundraiser, said "We are very grateful to the club for their interest in Woodlands Meed and were delighted to be able to attend the recent meeting to be able to connect with the members and share lots of local connections and community fundraising goals. We hope we will be able to host a meeting for the Rotary in the future, so members can see the amazing work of our students in their new Inspire Café facility at the new College."

We are so excited to announce that our plain, green shipping container has had a brilliant makeover!  Just before the summer holidays, our fantastic mural was finished and I think you will agree that it is absolutely stunning?!  Jay, a local artist took on board our ideas; initially creating animals to represent all our primary classes.  He then focussed on our students as he painted children of different races and genders, who had different hair colours and needs.  The inclusion of this range of features was not lost on our students who made comments about similarities between themselves, their friends and the characters on the shed.

Each child and animal is expertly painted and it is heart-warming seeing how they are all interacting with one another.  Julian is an extremely talented artist and he has put so much love and care into creating something far beyond our dreams and expectations!

Julian will be returning this academic year to add some inspirational quotes to this masterpiece, and he will also be tackling another project where he will be painting our remaining sheds with natural features such as mountains, lakes, oceans and deserts, to represent our key stage three classes.  We can’t wait to see how it evolves!

On the 3rd July, Waterfall travelled the short distance to The Triangle to participate in a football fun day!  Three schools in addition to Woodlands Meed took part; Grove Park, Cornfield and ‘the red ones’!

The morning focussed on warm ups, stretches, skills and drills, with ‘trucks and trains’ proving to be a popular dribbling exercise and the infamous penalty shootout always a crowd pleaser!

During the afternoon session, Waterfall played each of the schools once, the highlight being a 2-1 victory over ’The Red Ones’ with captain Alfie Russell scoring both goals.  Everyone did amazingly well, with some students representing WM for the first time, some making their football debut and others demonstrating such great support towards their less experienced teammates.  None of this went unnoticed, with volunteers, coaches and also staff from other schools commenting on what a fantastic group of students Waterfall Class are! 

Honestly we could not be prouder of you all; everyone received medals in recognition of all they achieved! Congratulations!

On Wednesday 22nd May, Moles’ class travelled to Palatine in Worthing to represent Woodlands Meed in an inclusive boccia tournament.

For many of Moles’ class this was the first time they have represented the school off site and we are very proud of them!

They enjoyed learning about boccia and playing against the students from Palatine school.  Everyone tried their best and showed great enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout!  Everyone received a certificate in recognition of how well they all did, well-done Moles’ class, we are very proud of them!

Congratulations to our magical Moles: Robyn, Daniel, Pete, Sam, Chloe, Cam, Liam, Phil, AJ and James W

The term started with a bang as all our year 8s completed five days of brilliant Bikeability training.

It is really hard to put into words how fantastic this year’s Bikeability was and it is one of the highlights of our sporting calendar.  Every year we are always so impressed with our students and this year was no different with everyone    excelling far beyond what we could ever have hoped for!  Every child in year 8   accessed some form of Bikeability, be it trying out different adapted bikes, accessing the equipment with greater independence, gaining confidence to try alternative bikes without adult support, learning to ride a two-wheeler on site, or cycling 4 miles on the road! 

Some students who had never ridden a two wheeler before, were (after just a couple of days – in the pouring rain I may add!) cycling independently!  Every child has created their own successes and this week will be remembered and celebrated for a long time!  Congratulations!!!

The weather was not kind to our superstars, but they continued their training with determination and resilience.  When asked if they would recommend Bikeability to others, they gave a resounding yes! They would definitely recommend to other people!

Here are a few quotes where our students explain what they enjoyed most…

I enjoyed learning how to do it properly on the road

I enjoyed doing my hand signals on a busy road

I enjoyed going on a couple of different bikes. I tried loads of two wheelers!

I really liked when I was on the 2 wheeler bike and when I was learning how to signal (a new rider!)

I loved going out on the road with my friends

Having a laugh with instructors while we were cycling!

I enjoyed doing the hand signals

I liked learning how to do the signal

I enjoyed that I finally know how to balance on a bike now.

I loved learning how to ride a bike

We really are very proud of every single one of you!!!