PARENTS NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2016
Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been another busy term at STARS as pupils settled into their timetabled lessons which
continue to include English, Maths and Science every morning, together with a short daily reading
time with the addition this year of a brief daily Mindfulness activity and Current news/events
discussion. The afternoon lessons have included a range of activities including PSHE, sports and
activities, community projects, cooking, art, drama and music. Some pupils also study towards
GCSEs in Art and Design, ICT and/or the BTEC Award in Sport, Home Cooking Skills, Photography
and Hair and Beauty. In all subjects pupils enjoy a range of interesting activities in their lessons and
the quality of teaching and learning at STARS continues to be very good.
Early feedback from parents indicates that two new initiatives this term, the academic afternoon being
led by pupils and the revised reporting system and format, have been well received. It was a pleasure
to see so many parents at the recent Academic afternoon and to see the pupils being able to talk
confidently about their learning, their progress and what they are doing to improve. With the new
reporting format parents are informed at the start of each term what their child will be learning about
during that term and this is followed with a report on their progress at the end of each term. We hope
this enables parents to help support their child’s learning at home by knowing what curriculum topics
are being covered. Please remember to feed back to us on the slip sent with your child’s end of term
report.
There have been many trips and visits this term, which are organized as part of the curriculum and
also to help broaden pupils’ experiences and improve their ability to become more confident and
independent. We have also had visitors to Drapers Centre such as the recent Zoo Lab visit. It was
wonderful to see our pupils so enthusiastic and interested in learning about and handling a range of
creatures. So many were brave enough to overcome their fears-and of course that included the staff!
The annual Youth Achievement Awards (run jointly by STARS at RMH and CLIC Sargent) which was
held at the Holiday Inn Sutton was, as always, a great opportunity to celebrate the achievement of
pupils receiving education and continuing their studies whilst having treatment at RMH. One of the
guest speakers at this event was the inspiring Paralympic gold medal winner Hannah Russell.
Our fundraising events have included Jeans for Genes and Christmas Jumper Day for Save the
Children. Following an assembly presentation in October we have been developing connections with
a local charity for homeless people, Sutton Night Watch and items for Christmas parcels have been
generously donated. Thank you very much to everyone who has so kindly supported these causes.
Further to the proposal to merge STARS with the Limes College (behaviour PRU), in their recent
meeting the Children Families and Education Committee decided that more information is needed
before such an important decision can be made. Thank you for all your valued responses to the
Consultation.
Looking forward to the Spring term there will be further opportunities for our Year 11 pupils to explore
ideas for their post-16 transition including some more local college visits. We hope that every Year 11
pupil will have some agreed options and plans for when they leave STARS and that they will also feel
confident that they will be supported when they are eventually moving forward in the summer.
Finally I would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New
Year.
Catherine Baird (Headteacher)
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Juliet Brady’s piece is part of her
artwork on the ‘inside and outside’
project for her GCSE coursework. It
was inspired by zombie films.
(See left).
Mia Gregory –influenced by
typography, she used gold leaf to
create this stunning piece.
(See right).
Gemma Rudgard – Her own
interpretation of Chris Tate artwork,
looking at natural forms.
(See left).
Hollie Von-Berg – inspired by
cave art using tissue paper;
papier-mâché and paint. (See
right).
2
During the term, as part of the curriculum, there have been a number of trips organised.
Blood Brother's theatre trip
On the 18th October 2016 KS3 and KS4 went to see 'Blood Brother's at the theatre in
Dartford. Blood Brother’s is a GCSE text in the Literature exam, so this was a very useful
experience for any year 11 pupil.
My Mother Medea theatre trip.
On 23rd November 2016 the KS4 went to London to see 'My Mother Medea' at the Unicorn
theatre. It was a very unusual production with the audience forming part of the staging. The
production was aimed at young people and STARS pupils participated in a unique
experience.
Anne Farrington
Mayfield Lavender Field
On Tuesday the 6th September 2016 the whole school went to Mayfield Lavender Field to
learn about the production and cultivation of Lavender and socialise after the summer break.
We walked to the Lavender Field on what was a glorious afternoon. Pupils were thrilled to
see each other after the long summer break.
Upon reaching the Lavender field pupils enjoyed running through the rows of lavender. The
field was a vivid purple colour. You could hear and see the bees buzzing and pollinating.
Pupils always thoroughly enjoy going through the Lavender field and they usually come back
happy but exhausted. I'm sure that the lavender has a relaxing, homeopathic effect.
Catherine Wilson
Big Foot Theatre Company
On 23rd September 2016 the Big Foot Theatre Company attending Drapers to provide a
workshop as part of Black History Month, enabling pupils to have an immersive experience
in exploring issues around Black History Month.
Peter Goodright
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Charles Dickens Museum
On 6th December 2016 the KS4 and Year 9 went to Charles Dickens Museum.
What was the learning objective?
To experience a Victorian Christmas and understand the social and historical context of
Charles Dickens’ story, ‘A Christmas Carol'.
What happened on the trip?
Travelling from Morden tube station, pupils made their way into Central London via tube.
Upon arrival at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury, we split into two smaller groups
for our work shop and guided tour of the house. Pupils were able to step back in time and
walk in the footsteps of Charles Dickens. We were able to see where he wrote, where he
dined and where he and his wife Catherine entertained their many guests.
‘My house in town’, as Dickens referred to 48 Doughty Street, was an important place in the
writer’s life: Within these walls his eldest two daughters were born and some of his bestloved novels were written, including Oliver Twist. It was in this house that he achieved
lasting celebrity and universal recognition as one of the world’s greatest storytellers.
We were able to view the world's finest and most comprehensive collection of material
relating to Charles Dickens, with over 100,000 items, including furniture, personal effects,
paintings, prints, photographs, letters, manuscripts and rare editions.
The house was decorated for a Victorian Christmas, providing a visual reference to the
scenes from 'A Christmas Carol'. The pupils were able to contrast Victorian and 21st Century
Christmas celebration whilst looking around the museum.
The workshop provided pupils an opportunity to consider Dickens as a social commentator,
while thinking about his personification of Ignorance and Want in the novella. The pupils
were asked to come up with their own ideas on the two greatest threats to humanity today.
Pupils and staff had a wonderful day to start our Christmas celebrations and develop our
understanding of this 19th Century writer and his novella 'A Christmas Carol'.
Sarah Davies
4
MATHS
On 18th November 2016 all pupils took part in a ‘ Math-athon’ in aid of Children in Need in
order to encourage pupils to consider aspects of social responsibility as well as enjoying and
enriching their experiences of mathematics. The Math-athon comprised of how many maths
questions could all (adults and all pupils) answer in just one hour.
An amazing total of 19, 981 questions were correctly answered; meaning that we had
reached our target and hard won sponsorship money was sent to a deserving cause.
We have been having fun in maths this term – from weekly quizzes and competitions to
special activities including our mornings spent on creating Rangoli patterns and
mathematical snowflakes.
Next term, we have invited a mathemagician to Drapers to show us the real magic involved
in maths and we will be visiting Lingfield Racecourse to discover the maths behind
horseracing.
Breina Carter
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Homelessness talk by Sutton Night Watch
On 11th October 2016 the all pupils at STARS attended a talk by Sutton Night Watch on
homelessness. This was arranged in order to raise awareness of social deprivation and
provide KS3 pupils with a first-hand account of homelessness to enrich the English
curriculum.
Sutton Night Watch were invited to come to STARS to speak to all of the pupils about the
work they do in the local community with the Homeless. The speakers were able to inform
pupils about how they help through a locally run soup kitchen in Sutton and the ways in
which pupils could help in the future.
One speaker gave the pupils an insight into the life of person who finds themselves
homeless. He was able to explain to pupils and staff how people can become homeless and
why people like him find it so difficult to get help. He spoke about how he had turned his life
around and was no longer homeless and had a company of his own.
STARS were able to make a donation of canned goods to the organisation for their soup
kitchen and will be working together to produce shoe boxes of donations for the Sutton Night
Watch shoe box appeal.
Sarah Davies
6
RE
Celebrating Diwali at Drapers
A display of the origin of Diwali was created several weeks
before Diwali to raise pupils’ awareness of the forthcoming
event.
The pupils then spent a morning creating Rangoli Designs,
linking it with the celebration of Diwali. The pupils used
materials such as rice flour and food colours for their Rangoli
designs, creating unique psychedelic patterns.
A Diwali assembly started by introducing them to the story of
Ramayana- sharing the religious element of Diwali and was followed by
how Hindus celebrate Diwali in their homes in the UK. The pupils were totally engaged and
were proactive in asking some very interesting questions based on all the aspects of Diwali.
The pupils also enjoyed some Indian sweets such as shortbread.
Rekha Khosla
Tooting Khalsa Centre
On 17th November 2016, as part of the Religious Education curriculum , KS3 pupils went to
the Tooting Khalsa Centre .
As part of the study of world religions, in this case Sikhism, the trip was organised for pupils
to visit a place of worship and to foster an appreciation of different faiths and cultures.
Pupils travelled by minibus to the Khalsa Centre in Tooting. We were greeted by a member
of the Khalsa who invited us in .We had to take off our shoes and cover our heads. We went
into the Prayer room where we listened to music, saw where the holy book is kept and found
out about the religion. The room was warm and carpeted. It had pictures of the gurus in it
and was decorated for guru Nanak's birthday. We were given prashad to try. After that we
went upstairs to a kitchen area and we were offered traditional refreshments. The people at
the centre were most welcoming.
Caroline Inker
7
Travel Training
During the Autumn term pupils participated in many activities to gain confidence and learn
how to travel independently throughout the borough. We started off the term by visiting the
Sutton Life Centre. The Sutton Life Centre runs a workshop that highlights the various
dangers in the borough of Sutton that some young people may face. Pupils were given
information and made aware of issues around gangs; not using the railway lines as
pathways; e-safety and fire in the home. They also had the opportunity to meet our local
school support police officer. This was an interactive experience that pupils thoroughly
enjoyed and learned a lot from.
The next activity was to travel to Sutton Library by bus. Pupils made sure they had their
oyster zips to go on the bus. All pupils rose to this challenge and were all extremely capable
when negotiating queuing when getting on and off the bus. Some pupils got more out of
visiting the library than others but it was good for all pupils to see the library and know what it
can offer. Our return bus journey was on a smaller more confined bus, but I can say that
pupils manged this situation well and their conduct around the public was impeccable.
The following travel training visit was on the train from Carshalton Beeches to Sutton and to
go shopping on Sutton High Street. Every pupil brought their own ticket and I was extremely
happy to leave the majority of pupils in Sutton to carry on shopping with their friends and
make their way home. I was even more delighted when I came in to school then next day
and they were all in and safe! Hopefully this activity will encourage pupils to organise their
own shopping trips and meeting friends in Sutton at the weekends.
We will continue the local travel training activities next term, each time striving to support
pupils to become more independent.
Catherine Wilson
In principle all pupils must attend on Tuesday afternoons to
participate in the local trip, including travel training etc., in
order to be eligible for extended trips, eg: Trips to the theatre;
museums and rewards trips. The leadership team will
consider appeals on an individual basis.
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On Tuesday 13th December, 10 pupils were treated to a day out at AirHop and Nando’s in
recognition of meeting their attendance targets this term.
The pupils had great fun at AirHop on a variety of trampoline based activities before eating
lunch at Nando’s, having worked up quite an appetite!
The pupils were an absolute pleasure to take out and seemed to have a great time!
On Tuesday 20th December all pupils and staff were treated to a full Christmas lunch. This
was cooked as a group effort with staff and pupils joining in to give everyone a good
Christmas send off before the holidays.
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Social media has many benefits, but the instant nature of posting and sharing means it's
incredibly easy to give too much information away, be it personal information, opinions or
private photographs. Sharing can have negative consequences, including providing personal
details to undesirable people and damaging your online reputation.
Internet Matters, a not for profit e-safety group, has created 12 tips for parents to help stop
children oversharing and use the internet safely.
1. Are they sharing inappropriate selfies?
Discuss the reasons why they feel the need to share such images and the potential longterm impact this could have on them if the pictures are used without their consent. Peer
pressure and the desire for attention can be reasons why some children feel the need to
share inappropriate photos with their online friends.
2. Do you feel they're spending too much time on social media?
Talk together so they understand your concerns. Agree house rules on when and how long
they can go online and which sites they should visit.
3. Are they sharing their location through apps?
Make sure geolocation is disabled to keep their whereabouts private. Explain why it's
important that they never share personal information with people they don’t know online.
4. Have they posted too much personal information?
Talk to them about who they've shared the information with and assess the risk it poses to
your child. You can also ask your child to remove the information from their account and help
them understand how to share safely.
5. Are they chatting to strangers online?
Make sure your child understands that people may hide behind fake profiles for dishonest
reasons and the person they've been chatting to could easily be someone with bad
intentions.
6. Are they gaming with strangers online?
Playing games online can be fun and positive but make sure your child understands people
may hide behind fake profiles for dishonest reasons and learn how to block and report
anything offensive.
7. Do they have hundreds of followers?
Explain that some people may not be who they say they are and tell your child how privacy
settings can put them in control of who they talk to.
8. Have they shared embarrassing images?
Remind your child that these images are their personal digital footprint for years to come and
advise them to use settings that only let them share with friends they know. If they’re not
comfortable wearing it on their T-shirt, they shouldn’t put it online.
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9. Are they at risk of being cyberbullied?
Stay calm, listen without judging and reassure your child that you can help. Discuss any
action you may take together. Encourage them not to retaliate and to save any evidence.
10. Do they understand that what they share online can hurt others?
Talk together about peer pressure and how screens and anonymity can lead to behaviour
that is hurtful. Remind them there’s a fine line between sharing content because it’s funny or
might get lots of ‘likes' versus the potential to cause offence or hurt.
11. Have they been affected by content shared online?
Encourage them to think about why friends may share certain posts. Show them how to
gently challenge their friends if they find their content offensive. Remind them they can
always talk to you about things happening online.
12. Are they ready to share on social media?
Most social media apps have a minimum age rating of 13. If a social network has set an age
limit it means that some of the content may not be suitable for a younger child.
For a comprehensive and easy-to-use resource of the most up-to-date information for
keeping your child safe online, check out Internet Matters.
As technology changes we are changing the ICT expectation for the pupil at STARS. From
January pupils will be allocated their own Chrome book to use in school. This means that
pupils will be able to review work from lessons at home as they will be able to log on to their
pupil area anywhere that has internet.
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Careers Fair
On Monday 10th October STARS held a Careers fair for our KS4 pupils, their parents and
carers. We had guests from local colleges, apprenticeship providers and youth groups
available to speak with.
We had a great turnout for the event and our pupils benefited from the opportunities to
discuss post 16 options in a familiar setting, whilst gathering literature to help support
decisions about their future plans.
Sutton Apprenticeship Hub
On Monday 1st November Tashia Cameron, from the Sutton Apprenticeship Hub, visited our
year 11 pupils.
She spoke to us about her experience as an apprentice and the opportunities that are
available in the borough.
Our pupils had an opportunity to ask questions, sign up to the hub and look at all the current
apprenticeship opportunities. Tashia also spoke to us about CV writing and gave us some
great tips!
Way to Work Taster Day
On Wednesday 7th October, six of our Year 11 pupils attended a Way to Work taster day at
Carshalton College and JACE training.
Our pupils had an opportunity to attend 2 hour workshops in Childcare, Motor Mechanics,
Hair & Beauty and Construction. Not only did these sessions give our pupils valuable insight
into studying each of these disciplines at a college, it also gave them a chance to familiarise
themselves with college life.
Following the taster day two of our pupils have decided to sign up for the programme,
running from January to June 2017, which will result in them gaining qualifications in their
chosen field. Good luck!
Diana Brake
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This term in The Schoolroom at The Royal Marsden Hospital we have been busy with
activities stretching across all areas of the curriculum. We have worked with children and
young people from Reception to Year 13 both in our classroom and at the bedsides. Our
topics this term have included; The Sea, Shape, Jewish New Year, Autumn, Roald Dahl,
Diwali and American Thanksgiving.
We were very lucky to have a visitor from The National Portrait Gallery this term and as
always, one pupil was an absolute superstar and produced a magnificent portrait of Queen
Elizabeth II. He is keen to send it to her for Christmas along with a letter and photo of the
Buckingham Palace Lego model that he has made!
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A nutritious lunch is also provided for all pupils who are entitled to free school meals and on
request for any other pupils.
STARS was awarded Healthy Schools Status and remain committed to the ethos of the
Healthy Schools initiative. Curricular links including enrichment activities and cooking
sessions promote healthy eating and build up skills that pupils will use later in life.
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Jack Petchey
Throughout October pupils and staff were invited to vote for a pupil they felt deserving of
winning the Jack Petchey Achievement Award. Nominations can be for a variety of reasons
from recognising a personal triumph, appreciating someone who has pushed themselves
outside of their comfort zone or for the outstanding efforts of a team player who always puts
others first.
On Friday 4th November our winner and the runner up were announced. Jordan came
second place in the nominations with 11% of the votes and Alfie was the overall winner with
36% of the votes. Alfie was recognised for his cheerful, good nature, being helpful and kind
to others and for his involvement with the school.
Alfie was given £250 to be spent on a something of his choice that will benefit STARS and
has chosen to spend the money on a whole school team building trip.
Autumn Term Attendance Certificates
Outstanding Attendance
Jordan-Lee Bharucha
Tia-Grace Ray
Kenisha Antonvijayarajan
Charis Jackson
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Stars Academic Awards
Science – Alfie Crabb, Faith Garrod, Oliver Occomore & Tom Porter
Maths – Erica Hill, Eve Maidment & Gemma Rudgard
English – Faith Garrod, Eliza Hemphill, Erica Hill & Oliver Occomore
Art – Alfie Crabb, Gemma Rudgard & Freddie Thompson
Cookery – Holly Von-Berg
ICT – Chloe Grimshaw
P4WL – Eve Maidment
Music / Drama - Eryn Pouch
Music – Kaitlyn Edmonds
2017 Dates fo your Diary
4th January – Start of Spring Term
10th January – ICT OCR Nationals Externally Assessed Exam
23rd January – 2nd February 2017 – Year 11 - Mock Examinations
10th February – Break up for Half Term
20th February – Back to school after half term
28th February - Structured Conversation Day
22nd March – Pupil Led Academic Afternoon
31st March – Break up for Easter holidays
18th April – Start of Summer Term
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GCSE Dates for your Diary
Friday 12th May - Preparation for Working Life
Monday 22nd May – English Literature
Wednesday 24th May - Science B 1
Thursday 25th May – Maths 1
Friday 26th May –English Lit
Tuesday 6th June - English Language
Thursday 8th June - Maths 2
Friday 9th June - Science B 2
Monday 12th June - English Language
Tuesday 13th June - Maths 3
More details on GCSEs will be available during the spring term.
STARS WEBSITE
If you want to keep in touch with us and see what we are up to at the moment, then log on to
the STARS website - www.starservice.org.uk
You will find all the information that you need to know from calendar dates to the latest
news and photos.
There is a guestbook section if you wish to leave comments and let us know what you
think…..
NAS Sutton is run by parents of young children on the autistic spectrum. They
are there to support parents, families, carers and professionals who work with
children with ASD.
At the moment, they are a small branch that can provide information and
signposting to both local and national support networks. They run regular coffee
mornings with guest speakers, so members can get together and meet others in
similar positions.
Their branch website contains details of all local organisations who provide
support for families and there is an active Facebook Group that gives up to date
information on everything that is going on in the local area.
http://sutton.webeden.co.uk/
Contact Address
Rachael Phillips, Branch Officer, email: [email protected]
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STARS School Nurse
STARS school nurse is Claire Convey who is part of the Sutton school nursing service.
If you wish to discuss any ongoing health needs regarding your child Claire can be
reached on 0208-296-3089 or speak with Nadia Ward, STARS social worker who will
liaise with Claire.
Arranging Meetings with Staff
Meetings with teaching and non-teaching staff must be made via an appointment.
This is because most teaching staff have a full timetable and are not able to leave lessons to
discuss queries/issues.
Should it be a matter of urgency, please ring reception first to allow time for a member of staff to
be available to speak to you. For non-urgent queries, please contact reception and allow 48hrs
for a member of staff to respond.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Transport Reminder
If your child is receiving special transport to the Drapers Centre, you must
ensure that your child uses the transport provided to and from the Centre.
If a decision is made that your child will not be using the transport on a specific day, then you
must ensure that you have contacted the transport company and then informed Laura with the
details.
Please ensure that Laura is aware of who is collecting your child or if they are making their
own way home.
If necessary changes to transport can be made by Laura, but Laura must have 48 hours’
notice. If the transport is cancelled or not used as intended then borough transport will review
the requirement and transport may be withdrawn as a result.
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Important – Pupil Absence
We are aware that a few pupils have high rates of absence from Drapers.
This is a great concern to us as pupil progress and attainment are strongly linked to their
attendance. Although some of this absence is genuine, occasionally pupils appear to be absent
for things that could be managed in school, such as colds and sprains.
We would like to remind you that it is the legal responsibility of parents and carers to ensure
that their child receives education and, in cases where parents are deemed to not be carrying
out this responsibility, prosecution is possible, so we would like to politely remind you of what
is expected:

If your child is unwell we need to know. Please phone us or leave a message on
the answerphone before 9 o’clock regardless of their start time that day.
Phone number - 020 8404 3124

If your child has transport please contact them before us, and cancel the cab for that
day. Please note it is not acceptable to text the driver and expect him/her to inform us.

Please get a medical certificate from your doctor if you think that your child may be off
for more than three days. Until this is received you need to continue to inform us daily.

If you are becoming aware of a pattern of absence developing please speak to
Barbara and we can look at reasons why the day may be difficult for your child.

If your child is attending a hospital appointment, can you please ensure that a copy of
the appointment letter is provided to reception.
As improving attendance is one of our targets we are now implementing a system whereby
staff from Drapers, in conjunction with the Borough Attendance Officer, will drop in at home if
your child is absent and has missed a lot of their lessons. It will be expected that your child will
be at home if you have reported an absence.
If your child is in Year 11 you need to be aware that significant absence may result in
withdrawal from examinations if work has not been completed. Please note that colleges and
work placements ask for attendance figures and this may make the difference between a place
being offered or not.
Finally we would like to wish you and your family a
very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we
look forward to seeing everyone safely back next term.
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