Latest News

Summer Holiday Activities Programme

Mon 27 Jun 2022

HAF codes now available from school for children eligible for free school meals, please contact School if interested.

Website Information on ORB

Thu 16 Jun 2022

Oxford Reading Buddy

We have upgraded our subscription from the Oxford eBooks Library to the new Oxford Reading Buddy (ORB).

Oxford Reading Buddy is a digital reading service to support children’s enjoyment of reading and their reading development at home as well as at school.

Reading and sharing stories can support our pupils to get to know sounds, words and language, and develop early literacy skills. It can support them to learn to value books and stories, sparking their imagination and stimulate their curiosity. Oxford Reading Buddy contains hundreds of digital books for all levels of reader, including non-readers and emerging readers, where parents can share the stories with their child/children.

It also contains book-quizzes which are matched to each child’s reading ability to support their comprehension skills. Each pupil has their own unique login to access the site. They can earn badges for good reading behaviours, be coached in their understanding by their chosen ‘Reading Buddy’, take quizzes and record all the reading they do. Everything is captured so that teachers can see how they’re getting on.

Oxford Reading Buddy can be accessed on ipads, tablets, PCs and Smartphones.

For more detailed information, go to this address and choose Parent Support:

https://support.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/

or look at the introductory video at https://www.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/uk

Online Safety

Fri 20 May 2022 Ross Ashcroft & Marie Bastable

A horror game character from ‘Poppy Playtime’ named ‘Huggy Wuggy’ has been raising concerns amongst police, safeguarding professionals and parents, therefore we wanted to share this information and make you aware of the issue.

Although Poppy Playtime was released last year, there has been a surge in the creation of Huggy Wuggy related content recently. The Dorset Police Cyber Protection Officer has recently released a statement, warning parents that children may unwillingly be viewing graphic fan-made videos that are popping up on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Due to the name of the character, these videos are ‘slipping through the net’ of platforms’ safeguarding measures like content filtering and age restrictions.

Below are a few tips for helping the children in your care:

Ensure your children are always closely supervised by an adult when they have access to any device which allows online streaming or gaming
If they have not mentioned Huggy Wuggy or Poppy Playtime, don’t name it. You may pique their curiosity which in turn could lead to them searching out content
If you hear a child in your care mention Huggy Wuggy, ask them about the things they enjoy watching and if anything they’ve seen has made them frightened or upset
Remind your child that if they ever feel sad, worried or frightened by anything they see, they should always talk to / show a trusted adult immediately
Use the Guided Access feature on your device to lock sections of the screen, preventing your child from leaving the app or video you have allowed them to use. If you are unsure of how to do this, simply search Google, typing ‘how to use guided access on (insert the type of device) and follow the instructions

For further information about E-Safety (Online Safety) please visit our school website at

https://www.cherryoak.bham.sch.uk/e-safety-online-safety/

Be Empowered Workshops June/July

Wed 18 May 2022

Please find attached the new flyer and booking form for the next set of Be Empowered Workshops (BEWs) taking place in June/July 2022.

The workshops are being held at: Thornbury Centre, Thornbury Road, Birchfield, Birmingham, B02 3DE. Starting Tuesday 7th June and finishing on Tuesday 12th July 2022.

Click Here for the form and flyer

Team Pioneers

Fri 06 May 2022 Jo Gavin

Ten year 6 leavers visited Pioneer adventure Centre for a 2 night residential.

All pupils participated in an action packed trip full of activities and opportunities for our young people to experience the outdoors like never before. All pupils were able to overcome challenges in many different ways, from stepping onto a boulder to flying down the zip-wire. They were able to work as a team and achieve challenges together as well as powering through challenges independently showing their own strengths and determination.

As well as all the adrenaline fuelled outdoor activities, there was also plenty of opportunity to experience the natural environment and have time to relax around a campfire.

We are so proud of all of you and thankful for the lasting memories and experiences which will see you on your journey with future life skills.

For more pictures of this amazing adventure please visit our Physcial Education page of the website:

https://www.cherryoak.bham.sch.uk/physical-education/

Bring it on Brum

Wed 23 Mar 2022

The 'Bring it on Brum' programme aims to provide a range of activities and a nutritious meal during the Easter school holidays for children in receipt of benefit-related free school meals (FSM). If your child receives FSMs and is in Reception to Year 6 they will be eligible to attend for free. Families can visit www.bringitonbrum.co.uk from Monday 21st March to book their children’s free places. To book an activity for free you will need a Bring it on Brum code, these are available from the school office on request.

Please select here for more information

Click here

Mental health and wellbeing links

Tue 15 Feb 2022

YoungMinds https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/.

NHS – Every Mind Matters: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/.

MindEd for Families: https://mindedforfamilies.org.uk/young-people/.

Childline Calm Zone: https://www.childline.org.uk/toolbox/calm-zone/.