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Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter. We are very excited to share with you information for home-educating families on a termly basis. We’d love to show work your children are happy to share in our future showpiece section. We would also like to publish great home education ideas you’d like to pass on to other families in our future tips, ideas and advice from elective home education parents section.
In this edition:
Meet the team
Elective home education (EHE) Officers
Sam Barrington – EHE officer
I started here in June 2016, the role was initially an administration post that had oversight of the CME and EHE processes. The EHE role has expanded for the benefit of our customers.
Vicki Kesseru – EHE officer
Vicki is currently on leave. Vicki covers the CME and EHE across the whole of Central Bedfordshire for those children which an educational health and care plan (EHCP) and also our families who are from the travelling community.
Elective home education advisor
Fiona Coskun, elective home education Advisor. I joined the education Engagement Service in September 2020 and currently cover Ivel Valley, West Mid Beds, Houghton Regis and Dunstable. I enjoy working with our EHE families and I am always pleased when I am invited to visit a family at their home or elsewhere and when families share the work that their children have been doing as part of their home education.
Traveller education liaison officers
Demi McLaughlin, Traveller education Liaison Officer for Mid Beds & Ivel Valley. I have been in the role since September 2020. I have been learning the role, building relationships with the GRT community and colleagues and other professionals.
Tracey Pattie, I cover the Dunstable and Houghton Regis Locality as a Traveller education Liaison Officer. I really enjoy seeing the children’s smiling faces when they show me their work that they have been completing.
Olivia Downing, I am the newest Traveller education Liaison Officer. I cover Leighton Buzzard and Linslade. I really enjoy seeing the progress that children make during their EHE journey.
Education engagement officer
Josephine Odjidja, education Engagement Officer. My role is supporting EHE children, where families who have opted to home-educate their children, have decided to re-enrol their children in school. The other part of my role is to offer support when parents decide to deregister their children because of one-off events, the aim being to explore whether the child could remain at school with support.
Business support officer
Anthony Haywood, I am the Business Support Officer for elective home education. I enjoy seeing the samples of work that children have completed that is sent to us with the children’s education reports.
Winter term ideas
English
Seasons. There is a lovely picture book range about seasons and weather by Sam Usher which you can find on YouTube and slideshares free online. Storm is a good one and you could link to kite flying. These books are also great for learning about alliteration and onomatopoeia.
There is also a good Tom Fletcher books for later in the term called Christmasaurus, which you may wish to have a look at. Check to see if your local library has a copy.
Then there is always the old favourites like The Snowman and The Polar Express films. Before or after watching The Polar Express film, you may like to go on a train journey with your children as an outing and to put the film into context.
Another lovely idea for this time of the year is creating seasonal poetry.
There are also some good traditional tales for the younger children, like Little Red Hen (this book is about harvest and also friendship, PSHE link). Another good take for younger children is Country and Town mouse.
Maths
Seasons and time Calendar countdowns days until Halloween, Bonfire night and Christmas Measurement ( kite link)
Science
Autumn walks –seasons how they change – record findings.
Use all your senses, does it smell, fell, look, sound different in the autumn and winter compared to the summer and spring time?
Jelly baby experiment (place jelly babies in ice cube trays and freeze). From this you can look at best way to save energy, design and carry out experiments to investigate how to melt ice in fastest time.
Harvest – You can look at food packaging and nutritional content, sort into the different food groups, importance of a balanced diet.
Look at toys and the materials they are made from.
History
Look at toys through the ages and how traditions have changed throughout the years.
Geography
Look at where is the north pole on the globe.
RE
Research how Christmas is celebrated around the world.
Design and technology
Design, make and evaluate Kites.
Design, make and evaluate Christmas decorations (you could even add a circuit and make them light up – science link).
Art
Create a design to go on a kite.
Firework art – splatter painting or salad spinner (Jackson Pollock).
Pointillism using cotton buds or finger painting to create snowy/winter scenes great on black/dark blue paper (Seurat).
Leaf painting/rubbings.
Autumn walks -collecting objects to create autumn artwork – conkers to create outdoor art sculptures.
PSHE
Fireworks and road safety.
Community engagement
Home education Opportunities at Woburn Safari Park
Join the education Team for a brilliant day full of fun, educational activities and adventures for home-educated children aged between 3-17 years!
These fun educational days will take place each month and are exclusively for home educators and their children.Please visit the Woburn Safari Park website for further details and booking information.
MORE Pre-Drive
Are you aged between 16 and 24 and a non-driver?
Do you live in Central Bedfordshire?
This is your opportunity to drive on a famous test track.
Find out how to book your place
National Citizen Service
The National Citizen Service is running this year. It is a nationally recognised programme for 15-17-year-olds, the course is funded and aims to improve life skills, confidence, and social mixing. It is open to all. Please promote with all appropriate young people. NCS has created a parent/guardian facing and young person facing presentation:
View the young person presentation on YouTube
View the parent/guardian presentation on YouTube
Visit the NCS's website to find out more.
AQA unit award scheme – September 2022 Units
Hand in work to support@littlecraftersboxes.co.uk
Please see the two flyers for more information:
View or download flyer 1 (PDF)
View or download flyer 2 (PNG)
EHE news
We have been contacted by the immunisation and vaccination team to share the following details with you:
We are the immunisation and vaccination team in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. We cover all school-aged children whether they are in schools, the community or at home. We would like the home school parents/children to be able to access the service to ensure they are protected from childhood diseases but do not have direct details of them to offer our services.
View or download the letter from the immunisation and vaccination team (Word) with contact details and information about clinics so families are able to contact them to book an appointment or enquire what your child/children are outstanding.