Hello and welcome to this week's Wildern Weekly!

 

At Wildern, we understand that sometimes students are genuinely too unwell to attend school, and when that’s the case, keeping them at home is the right thing to do, both for their own recovery and to protect others. However, medical advice is clear that for many mild illnesses, such as a cough or cold without a temperature, most children are well enough to attend school.

 

To support your decision-making, the NHS has produced helpful guidance titled “Is my child too ill for school?”, which we encourage all parents and carers to refer to. You can find this guidance on the NHS website.

We also know that when students miss school, they can fall behind their peers, not just academically, but socially and emotionally too. At Wildern, we are committed to reducing the amount of missed learning, because being in school helps to build vital life skills, long-lasting friendships, and the foundations for future success.  Please see this weeks Spotlight for more information..

'Wonderful words' will be showcased in Reception as well as here on the Wildern Weekly. You can recognise staff by scanning the QR code or clicking the link to our new staff recognition form.

Whole School

Monday 16 June Week A

Thursday 19 June Summer Music Concert

Friday 20 June  Inset Day - School closed for students

Monday 23 June Week B

Wednesday 25 June Big Summer Clean

Monday 30 June Week A

Thursday 3 July Summer Dance Showcase

Friday 4 July Non-Uniform Day

 

Year 7

          Tuesday 1 & Friday 4 July - Arundel Castle Trip - History

Year 8

           Tuesday 17 + Wednesday 18 June - HPV Vaccinations

Year 9

No Key Dates

Year 10

Monday 16/Tuesday 17 June  or
Tuesday 17/Wednesday 18 June - Experience of a Workplace

Monday June 23 - College Taster days commence

Wildern Music Academy - Summer Concert - Thursday 19 June 2025

Tickets for the Summer Concert are on sale from the littleboxoffice website here

Music Lessons - September 2025

If your child is interested in learning an instrument or in having singing lessons in September 2025, please see this google form for information and to sign up. 

Summer Celebration of Dance - Thursday 3 July 2025

VERY LIMITED availability - Tickets can be purchased here. 

Paultons Park - Wednesday 16 or Thursday 17 July

Last Chance to sign up on ParentPay.
Closing date is Midnight Tonight Friday 13 June 

If this deadline is missed, your child will not be able to attend this trip

Thursday 25 September - Open Evening

5.30pm - 7.30pm

For information & to book your space click here

Friday 3 October - Open Morning

9.45am - 10.45am

For information & to book your space click here

Monday 13 October - Open Morning

9.45am - 10.45am

For information & to book your space click here

Year 7 English

We would welcome any donations of our Autumn term set text ‘The Graveyard Book’ for our new cohort of Year 7’s to enjoy. If you have a copy that you would like to donate, please bring it up to the English office. Thank you!

Year 8 English

We would welcome any donations of our Year 8 set text ‘The Woman in Black’ for our new cohort of Year 8’s to enjoy. If you have a copy that you would like to donate, please bring it up to the English office. Thank you!    

No letters for Year 9

No letters for Year 10

Year Books

Please click here should you wish to order a Year Book.  When the Yearbook company have 10 orders the books will be printed and delivered to school. As such the delivery date cannot be confirmed.

We believe our community is stronger when all our students are in school, on time, every day. We want to work together with you to make this a reality for your child.

 

How You Can Support Us:

• Call the school before 8.30am each day your child is absent or report this on INSIGHT.
• Inform us in advance of any medical appointments and provide an appointment card or letter where possible. Where possible try and arrange these outside of school hours or for morning appointments if your child has attended tutor they will receive a present mark and in the afternoon if they are either back before 2 pm or leave after 2.15pm they will receive a present mark for the afternoon.
• If you're unsure whether your child is well enough to attend, send them in, many children feel better once they’re in the school environment.
  Have a backup plan for unexpected issues with transport, consider family, neighbours or friends who may be able to help.
• If your child is finding it difficult to attend school, please talk to us. Your child’s tutor is the first point of contact, and we are all here to help.

How We Will Support You:

• We will check your child’s attendance daily.
• We will call home to discuss any unexplained absences.
• We will speak with your child in school to hear their views and offer support.
• We may invite you to school for a meeting to explore ways to support your child’s attendance.
• If we cannot establish a reason for absence, we may carry out a welfare home visit.
• Where appropriate, we will help you access additional support and will follow our Attendance Policy in partnership with outside agencies when needed.

Half-Termly Attendance Updates

As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, we send out half-termly attendance updates for all students. These updates are designed to support positive conversations at home and to reinforce the importance of regular school attendance. While the vast majority of parents and carers value these updates, we understand that a small number may find them frustrating, especially where there are known reasons for absence. Please be assured that where valid reasons for your child’s absence exist, we are already aware and working closely with you. However, it remains essential that attendance is treated as a priority. These updates allow us to keep communication open, transparent, and focused on supporting every student to thrive.

Understanding Attendance Codes:

In your child’s attendance record, you may see certain codes. One such code is ‘U’, which means your child arrived after the register closed and it is classed as an unauthorised absence for the session. Missing tutor time or and arriving after 9am, similarly arriving late to P5 after 2pm will result in a U code. A pattern of U codes can have the same impact as other types of unauthorised absence, so it’s important to ensure punctuality each morning.

 

At Wildern, we aim to make school unmissable, a place where every child feels safe, valued, and part of something special. If you’re struggling with any aspect of your child’s attendance, we urge you to reach out. Let’s work together to ensure your child gets the most out of every day.

 

Request for leave of absence:

School will only grant leave of absence from school for exceptional reasons and this will be at the Headteacher’s discretion. Parents will often book holidays during term time due to cost and will also ask for staff to set work for their children to do whilst away.  Whilst we understand the differences in costs for holidays in and out of school time, we cannot authorise a holiday whilst school is taking place. We will not ask staff to set additional work for students that are away on holiday or to help them to catch up on return.

 

Please see the website for the form needed for requesting exceptional leave of absence from school. 

 

Please contact your child’s tutor in the first instance if you need support or have any questions. Thank you for your continued support.

Leigh Johnstone, The Beardy Gardener is working with Wildern School to create our very own wellbeing garden. He will be coming into school during July to begin planning the garden with students and over the summer his landscaping team will be laying the path reading to start planting in September.

 

Leigh Johnstone is hosting a Garden Gathering. If you would like to attend this event please see the detail below:

 

When: Sat 21st June 2025
Where: Garden for Mind, Longstock Park Nursery, Waitrose & Partners, Leckford Estate, SO20 6EH

 

Please click image for more information and to book tickets.

 

We are looking forward to joining our students and community for the Big Summer Clean, taking place on Wednesday 25 June. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to get involved in caring for our school grounds and the local environment by helping to reduce litter and plastic pollution. 

 

Litter can have a serious impact on wildlife, local waterways, and the overall beauty of our school. By coming together this summer, students can learn how small actions lead to big positive changes. Not only does this event help improve our surroundings, but it also encourages kindness, respect, and pride in where they live and learn.

 

We would like to warmly encourage you to speak with your child about joining the Big Summer Clean. It’s a great way for students to spend time outdoors, make a difference, and be part of a community effort. I look forward to seeing many members of our Wildern community there ready to roll up their sleeves and help out!

 

Miss A Williams and the Eco Focus Group

Eco Focus Group Coordinator and Science Teacher

 

Now that the Summer evenings are in full swing it is great to see people outside enjoying the great weather. It is now a good time to remind everyone about keeping safe when out and about and enjoying the sunshine.

 

Next week is Rail Safety Week. This time of year sees an increase in accidents and fatalities on our rail networks, and so it is always a good thing to remind everyone of how to avoid danger on our railways.

 

Please click here to see more information on Rail Safety. There are some great resources and interactive applications that are worth looking at with everyone at home!

It looks like the warm weather is approaching which is really exciting. Just some things to think about to be ready and prepared to learn when it gets a little hotter:

• Water bottles: maybe bring additional water to school and remember to fill up bottles at break times from one of the many points around school
• Sunscreen on in the morning, especially if you are outside for PE during the day
• You can wear shorts to school, they cannot be sports shorts and must be "tailored" in style
• Conserve energy during your break times, find shade and sit and relax. rather than run around

The presentation from the recent tutor session has been shared with students via the Careers Google Classroom, and they may find it helpful to refer back to these slides for guidance. Students will have until 7 July to complete the associated self-study assignment.

 

The Careers Team is available to provide support throughout this period—students are welcome to visit the Careers Hub, located opposite the LRC, for any assistance they may need.

 

 

Year 11 students -

We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming South Hampshire College Group Welcome Day Events for all new full-time students starting in September 2025. All students holding an offer with South Hampshire College Group will be sent an invitation to Welcome Day via email with full details this week.

 

Date: Wednesday, 2  July 2025
Time: 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: Southampton College, Eastleigh College, Fareham College or CEMAST

 

The Welcome Day is designed to help students make the best possible start to their studies at college. During the event, students will have the opportunity to:

• Meet their teaching team and fellow peers
• View student facilities and teaching areas
• Participate in course-related activities
• Meet teams from Learning Support, Safeguarding, and Student Finance

While there is no strict dress code, we ask that all students dress appropriately and wear non-slip, covered shoes.

Please see the menu for our hot food options for next week.

 

The main school meal deals are £3.20 which is in line with all Hampshire schools. In a meal deal, students can get one of the meal choices below with a bottle of plain water and a cookie or piece of fruit.

• either of the hot meal options,
• a jacket potato,
• a pasta pot,
• a chicken or beef burger,
• a salad pot (from the salad bar)

We encourage all families to use the free school meals eligibility checker, which can be found here, to determine if they qualify for this entitlement. 

 

Please remember, we can adapt the majority of meals to any dietary needs if we know in advance (your child can speak to kitchen staff by visiting the kitchen before 8:30am that day). Main A/B vegetarian options are always available - just ask Dan and his team.

 

* correct at time of sending, but may be subject to change

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Ofcom Media Report 2025

 

This edition takes a closer look at Ofcom’s latest Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. With children embracing social platforms and livestreaming from increasingly younger ages, the guide highlights some critical areas of concern for educators and families – including online exposure, peer interactions and content-sharing habits.

 

Whether it's the rise in unsupervised screen time, the popularity of gaming with strangers, or the emotional toll of negative online exchanges, the 2025 findings are a timely reminder of the risks that continue to evolve in children's digital spaces.

 

We've highlighted the key statistics to help you navigate this complex landscape, stay on top of emerging trends, and identify where to focus your online safety efforts. 

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts

 

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Wildern School

Wildern Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

Hampshire

SO30 4EJ

 

01489 783473

 

#WeAreWildern