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April 2024

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  • Hostess with the Mostess: Woodlands Meed Excel in Hosting Highly Successful Inclusive JOLF Festival!

    Published 18/04/24

    On Wednesday the 27th March, Woodlands Meed hosted our very own JOLF Festival and it was an absolute triumph! 

    Neil Plimmer, our JOLF guru has been working with Woodlands Meed for a number of years, delivering bespoke sessions to meet the needs of all our students; including those in our EYFS and primary departments, those in KS3 and also our students with more     complex needs.

    In partnership with our PE department, Neil and Woodlands Meed delivered an inclusive festival consisting of a range of golf activities for students to explore. 

    Students from other schools were invited to attend, with particular focus being on those with special educational needs.  Five schools in addition to Woodlands Meed accessed the event, with 145 children participating!  The event was fantastically supported by 20 sports’ leaders from Burgess Hill Academy, 12 from our year nines, and 6 from Woodlands Meed College.  It really was a collective team effort!

    Staff and students really enjoyed the event with one student commenting that it was ‘the best thing ever on the planet!’  This positivity was mirrored by staff from the attending schools who said that they ‘had a great morning; there were lots of great activities, and it was great to meet new people’.  It really was fantastic to see all the students from different schools playing together and being able to access an event which they would normally find difficult.  I appreciate that especially for some students in mainstream education it can be challenging to find events suitable for all their students.  At Woodlands Meed, we are so very proud to have given this opportunity to targeted students and they benefitted so much from it.  We can’t wait for next year!!!

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  • Wet weather does not dampen Bikeability enthusiasm as week-long training a resounding success!

    Published 17/04/24

    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!!!

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  • Deputy Head to run London Marathon with six other Emus!​​​​​​​

    Published 15/04/24

    Tom Brown, Deputy Head at Woodlands Meed College, is aiming to break his previous record of running as a Banana in Pyjama in 2019, for a faster group run of 7 Emus all running in costume at this year’s TCS London Marathon.

    Seven emus are taking on the London Marathon on Sunday 21st April to raise money to help fund sporting opportunities and experiences for children and young people with learning, social, physical and communication disabilities at Woodlands Meed School & College in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.

    Tom made headlines in 2019 when he ran the London Marathon in a banana in pyjama costume with running pal Andy.  This year, he will be joined by Andy and five other friends dressed in emu costumes who are keen to support Tom in his fundraising efforts.

    The 7-strong team will be individually dressed as “emu riders’ and are aiming to break the ‘bananas’ previous record of 3 hours 39 minutes.  They’ve recently been spotted taking part in Hove Seafront Park Run and you may well have seen them out and about locally on training runs!

    The Emu’s are hoping to raise lots of money for resources and opportunities to enhance the student’s time at Woodlands Meed, with a special focus on giving the students a summer of sporting experiences - to give the children and young people as many opportunities to try out sporting and physical challenges that ordinarily they might not get a chance to do.

    Tom said he was feeling “unbelievably excited” ahead of this year’s marathon.

     “I am incredibly excited about this year’s London Marathon.  We had such an unbelievable experience last time as the bananas, I can’t wait to unleash the emus on to the course!  The atmosphere and the crowd at the London Marathon is just incredible and I feel really lucky to be able to run to raise money for the inspiring students I teach at Woodlands Meed.’

    As well as running the London Marathon, Tom will also be undertaking a ‘Tomathon’ later in the week at Woodlands Meed on 26 April, where every student at Woodlands Meed will join Tom to run, walk or wheel to be part of the marathon event and help raise money for the sporting activities.

    To find out more or donate to support Tom and friends, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/tom-brown-1710692268145

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April 2024

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