December 2014
Dear Parent/Carer,
We are coming towards the end of another busy Autumn Term as you can see from the
Winter Edition of Willowfield’s World. I hope you enjoy reading about what we have
been doing during the Autumn Term.
The rebuilding programme continues to make good progress. Now that the external
structure is complete and most of the windows have been installed, the contractors are
concentrating on the internal infrastructure such as heating and ventilation. At school
we have started to plan for the move to the new site and will be contacting parents
with the details in due course.
We will be closing for the holidays on Friday 19 December at 1.00 p.m. School
dinners will be available for those who have booked them. Please note there will be no
break-time service on this day. The Spring Term will start on Monday 5 January 2015
at the usual time.
Staffing
After many years of distinguished service as the Head of Maths, Mr Evans is stepping
down from his post at Christmas. Generations of Willowfield students have benefitted
from Mr Evans’ teaching and I am delighted that he has agreed to remain in the school
as a maths teacher.
Our new Curriculum Leader for Maths is Mr. Bimpeh who will join us at the beginning
of the Spring Term in January. He is currently Head of Maths at a secondary school in
Ealing.
Leaving us at Christmas is Mr Pinnell. In common with Mr Evans, Mr Pinnell has been
a magnificent servant to the school initially as a Science teacher and Head of Year then
latterly as our examinations officer. He leaves with our very best wishes for a long and
happy retirement.
I would also like to thank Ms Hussain ( Maths) who has been helping us out this term
prior to Mr Bimpeh’s arrival.
Governing Body
As you may be aware there were 2 vacancies for parent governors created this term
which have now been filled. I am delighted to welcome Suzanne Parker & Stephen
Radley to the governing body and hope that they find the experience enjoyable and
worthwhile.
Academic Review Day
We were delighted to see so many parents on Academic Review Day which took place
on Wednesday 26 November. Around 96% of you attended on the night. We value the
opportunity to talk to parents/carers during these meetings and I hope you find the
update on the progress your child is making helpful.
Free School Meals
You will be aware that if your child is eligible for free school meals and you register
for this, the school receives extra funding. Currently this amounts to £2135 for each
child registered. I have attached a copy of a notice about free school meals and how to
apply. If you are eligible, please apply so we can take advantage of this extra
funding.
Late Gate
Our late gate continues to prove a successful aid in ensuring our students arrive at
school on time and ready for learning and I am grateful for your support with this.
Parents, Carers Staff Association
Willowfield Parents, Carers, Staff Association was formed in 2013 with the aim of
encouraging the development of social activities for parents, carers, children and school
staff and to fund raise for the benefit of all pupils.
I hope you and your children enjoyed our second Winter Fair which the WPCSA
organised on 4 December 2014, raising £291 for the school in the process. I would like
to thank everyone that helped, made a donation or made food for the event. I would
also like to thank the following for making a contribution to our raffle prizes: Tesco,
Yasar’s, Empire Cinema, Laser Mayhem and Waterstones.
The WPCSA are a small group of volunteers who are delighted to welcome new people
to join in their activities. There are many ways that you can help such as providing
refreshments at parents’ evenings, volunteering to assist on a stall, making food, helping
to planning activities and coming to our events with your child /children. Please get in
touch with us if you can help in any way - big or small. You can email us at
willowfieldpcsa@gmail.com or phone or text 07929 709718.
The next planning meeting will be in January so please get in touch with the WPCSA
if you can help.
Calendar 2015
I am attaching the calendar showing the terms dates for the Spring and Summer Terms
and the other important dates for 2015.
Holidays in Term Time
I am pleased to report that attendance continues to be good (95.6% for this term). Well
done and thank you for making sure your children gain maximum benefit from their
education!
I would like to reiterate again the policy on taking students out of school during term
time.
The law says that parents do not have a right to take their child out of school for
holidays during term-time and the government has been encouraging schools to put
measures in place to discourage families from doing this.
In line with government guidance, Willowfield school WILL NOT GRANT leave of
absence for holidays taken in term time to any student.
If you take a child out of school for a holiday this will be recorded as unauthorised
absence (truancy), and will be noted on your child’s school record. The school will then
inform the Education Welfare Service who may issue a fixed penalty notice for
unauthorised leave of absence. The school will also take steps to remove the child from
the school roll, which will result in you having to apply to a different school for your
child.
You should also be aware that visiting sick relatives is also classed as a holiday for
school attendance purposes. The new policy allows a maximum of three days for
attending a funeral abroad.
There are only 190 statutory school days in one year. There are 175 days (weekends
and school holidays) available to use for holidays, which would not have a negative
effect on your child’s education. Every school day counts!
WILLOWFIELD SCHOOL WILL NOT AUTHORISE LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR
HOLIDAYS TAKEN BY STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL TERM
Uniform
Our school uniform is designed to be flexible, well suited to the modern curriculum and
capable of accommodating religious and cultural requirements and I hope you will
support me in ensuring that students are dressed appropriately for school.
Currently a number of girls are wearing Leggings or Jeggings to school. These are not
part of the uniform and are not allowed. The school’s uniform policy states that:
“Plain black trousers, (no jeans, culottes, shorts or ¾ length trousers), or shalwar or
skirt or jilbab”.
If your daughter wishes to wear trousers they must be plain black trousers as specified
in the policy and of a conventional style.
I would like to remind you that students who are not in correct uniform or are not
wearing it conventionally, may be asked to go home to change.
I am attaching a copy of the Willowfield School Uniform list as a reminder. Our
authorised uniform supplier is Speedstitch – Tel No: 020 8531 4446 and I am attaching
a copy of their flyer with their contact details and opening times, prices etc.
As advised in my September Newslettter, we are aware of an unauthorised
company selling the Willowfield uniform and would ask that you purchase items
such as blazers and school jumpers from Speedstitch only.
We do expect students to keep warm in the colder weather and have adopted a more
flexible policy on outdoor coats. However hoodies or sleeveless coats are not allowed
under any circumstances and coats or jackets must be of a plain, dark colour. Jackets,
hats & gloves are not to be worn in the building.
Each term, items of school uniform (and other personal belongings) are handed into the
main office and end up in lost property. So that we can reunite these items with their
owners can I ask that you please ensure all your child’s belongings have names inside
them. At the end of each term, items of lost property which are not reclaimed will
be disposed of – if your child has lost anything during this term, therefore, can you
ask them to please go to the main office to look through the lost property before
the end of term.
If you have items of uniform that have been outgrown and are in good condition, we
would welcome them – clean and ironed – so they can be recycled. These items of
uniform can be left with the Receptionist.
Parking at the School
Can I remind you about parking when collecting your child from school. Cars should
not park on the yellow “Keep Clear” lines outside the school reception area. These
markings are important in helping to keep our students safe as they leave
school. Parking on them reduces visibility for other vehicles and can be dangerous, as
other vehicles cannot clearly see students crossing the road. Our Safer Schools Police
Officer will be enforcing this parking restriction and cars continuing to park on the
markings will be issued with a parking fine. Can I also ask parents not to park across
the car park exit gates from the school as these are constantly in use. Finally, can you
please be aware of our local neighbours when collecting students and ensure you are
not causing them inconvenience when waiting to collect your child. Thank you for
your support in ensuring these areas are kept clear and our children kept safe.
Keeping in Touch
I hope you have used and like the Willowfield website. If you have any comments on
the site or would like us to include anything else, do please let us know. If you do not
have internet access and would like to receive a copy of our regular student bulletins,
please speak to Ms. Moore in the Main Office who can arrange this.
Finally, may I send you best wishes for the holidays, for Christmas if you will be
celebrating it, and for a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2015.
Yours sincerely.
John Hemingway
Headteacher
Did you know … just registering your child for Free School
Meals means that the school gets extra money?
Register now to make sure we don’t miss out
The Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income
families do their very best.
For every child registered, Willowfield gets £2135 this year.
Please register to make sure your child and others in their class don’t miss
out.
How does it work?
1. First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, so please
look at the list on the next page.
2. Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify, contact
Ms. Holmes in the school office who will help you to register.
3. If you want your child to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime that’s
great – they will get the free meal (saving you more that £350 a year), extra
benefits and the school gets £2135 extra.
4. If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can
continue as normal – as long as you qualify and are registered, the
school still gets £2135 extra.
No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other
benefits you are claiming.
Please talk to Ms. Holmes or Ms. Moore in the Main Office
about registering your child today.
Do you qualify?
Your child will be entitled to free school meals if they go to school in Waltham
Forest, and you or your partner get one of the following incomes:
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Income Support
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Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
The Guarantee Credit element of State Pension Credit
Support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS)
Support from the local authority Social Services Asylum Team (SSAT)
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o
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Child Tax Credit, provided that:
you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit
your annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) is £16,190
or less
How to Apply
To get free school meals, you must first make an application. You can do this in any
of the following ways:
o
Filling in a Local Authority free school meals online application form
o
Downloading from the Local Authority’s website and filling in the free school meals
application form (200KB Word doc) and returning it to their offices
Calling the Local Authority on 020 8496 8550 Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. They can
then take your application over the phone
o
Visiting one of the following libraries:
o
Leyton High Road, Leyton E10 5QH
o
Leytonstone 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG
North Chingford The Green, Chingford E4 7EN
Walthamstow High Street, Walthamstow E17 7JN
o
o
The libraries are open: Monday to Friday: 9am to 7pm, Saturday: 9am to 6pm,
Sunday: 12pm to 4pm. (Walthamstow library is open from 10am on Sundays).
Visiting the Local Authority’s Customer Service Centre:
o
137 Hoe Street, Walthamstow. E17 4RT. Opening times: Monday to Friday: 8.30am
to 6pm, Saturday: 9am to 1pm.
You can also apply for free school meals when you claim Housing Benefit and/or
Council Tax Benefit. Just make sure you answer the free school meal questions when
filling in the form.
Please come and talk to Ms. Holmes or Ms. Moore in the School office if you are
not sure or have any questions.
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2014-15
SPRING TERM
Monday 5 January 2015 – Thursday 2 April 2015
Friday 23 January is a Training Day – School closed to students
Half Term Holiday
Monday 16 February – Friday 20 February 2015
Easter Holiday
Friday 3 April (Good Friday) – Friday 17 April 2015
SUMMER TERM
Monday 20 April 2015 – Wednesday 22 July 2015
Monday 20 April is a Training Day – Students return on Tuesday 21 April 2015
May Day Holiday
Monday 4 May 2015
Half Term Holiday
Monday 25 May – Friday 29 May 2015
End of Term Holiday
Commences Thursday 23 July 2015
Examinations

Year 11 The main GCSE examinations commence on 11 May and will end on 20 June,
2015.

Year 10 GCSEs – There are some GCSE controlled assessments in French which take
Place in January (w/c 19 January 2015). Controlled assessments will also take
place at other times throughout the school year.
Please note that throughout Year 10 there will be deadlines for coursework which
cannot be missed.
Internal exams – 27 April – 8 May.

Year 9 KS3 Exams - Core Subjects 27 April – 8 May.
- Foundation Subjects 15-19 June.

Year 8 Exam week – 22 – 26 June.

Year 7 Exam week – 22 – 26 June
Parents’ Consultation Meetings
N.B. Full reports will be issued at the end of the week preceding the Parents’ Evening
Parents also receive a short progress report termly.
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Year 11
Year 10
Year 9
Year 9
Year 8
Year 7
Parents’ Evening
Parents’ Evening
Parents’ Evening/Options Evening
Transition Interviews
Parents’ Evening
Parents Evening
Thursday 29 January 15
Thursday 14 May 15
Thursday 12 February 15
Monday 29 June 15
Tuesday 24 March 15
Thursday 18 June 15
Other Important Dates
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Year 10 - Work Experience – Mon 22 June – Fri 26 June 2015
Years 7-10 – Sports’ Day – Thurs 2 July 2015
WILLOWFIELD SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY - TRANSITION
A high standard of personal appearance is expected of all students and includes the need
to wear the official school uniform and nothing else.
Year 7 students will wear the uniform below:
Black school blazer with Willowfield logo
Plain white long sleeved school shirt with collar and Willowfield school tie or plain
white kameez
Black Willowfield jumper with school logo (to be worn beneath school blazer only)
Year 8 students will either wear the uniform below or the year 7 uniform:
Royal Blue polo shirt (with school logo) or Royal Blue kameez
*Royal Blue Sweatshirt (with school logo)
It is expected that as students grow out of the royal blue uniform they adopt the year 7
uniform.
All transition phase students will wear:
Plain black trousers, (no jeans, culottes, shorts or ¾ length trousers), or shalwar or skirt
or jilbab
Trousers must be worn conventionally. Skirts must be at least knee length and skirts and
jilbabs must not drag on the floor.
Plain black headscarf (if required)
Flat black shoes (no boots, sandals or canvas)
Plain dark coloured jacket or coat
WILLOWFIELD SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY – UPPER SCHOOL
Currently upper school students wear the uniform below:
Royal Blue polo shirt (with school logo) or Royal Blue kameez
(Prefects – white shirt & school tie)
Black Willowfield jumper with school logo
As students grow out of the royal blue uniform they will be required to adopt the new
school uniform of:
Black school blazer with Willowfield logo
Plain white school shirt with collar and Willowfield school tie or plain white kameez
Black Willowfield jumper with school logo (to be worn beneath school blazer only)
All upper school students will also wear:
Plain black trousers, (no jeans, culottes, shorts or ¾ length trousers), or shalwar or skirt
or jilbab. Trousers must be worn conventionally. Skirts must be at least knee length and
skirts and jilbabs must not drag on the floor.
Plain black headscarf (if required)
Flat black shoes (no boots, sandals or canvas)
Plain dark coloured jacket or coat
P.E. and Games Kit (All Students)
GIRLS
*Navy blue polo shirt with school
logo
Navy blue jog bottoms
Trainers
Navy blue sweatshirt (optional)
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BOYS
*Navy blue polo shirt with school
logo
Navy shorts
Navy socks
Trainers/Football boots
Navy blue jog bottoms
The only jewellery allowed in school are earrings.
Earrings, if worn, must be small, plain studs, worn only in ears, maximum one in each
ear.
Apart from earrings, piercings including nose piercings are not acceptable
Hats, caps or bandanas are not to be worn anywhere in the school building
Hoodies, cardigans or sleeveless coats are not permitted in or out of school