What’s on
St John’s ensures that pupils have the opportunity to be involved in enrichment activities to support their mental health and wellbeing. The articles below reflect this.
St John's Receive Artsmark Award
Pupils and staff at St John’s School are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Silver Artsmark Award.
Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England. It transforms teaching through creativity, empowering teachers with the skills they need to embed arts, culture and creativity across the whole curriculum, and is proven to support pupil outcomes and wellbeing.
To achieve their Artsmark Award, St John’s School had to develop their arts and cultural provision to embed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This was achieved by creating an overall plan that was committed to and delivered across the whole school.
Over two years St John’s received professional support through an immersive learning programme from Artsmark’s delivery partner, Goldsmiths, University of London, who are world-renowned leaders in creative pedagogy and cultural placemaking.
On receiving the award, Shannon Poulter, Head teacher said: “We’re extremely proud of achieving our Artsmark Silver Award. We are committed to delivering a high-quality arts and cultural education. Our Artsmark journey has transformed our school by ensuring pupil voice is at the heart of everything we do.”
Dr Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said:
“I would like to congratulate St Johns on their Artsmark Award. Creative activities and cultural experiences enrich our lives, open our minds to new possibilities and help us make sense of the world around us. As an awarded Artsmark school, you’re demonstrating that by offering a broad, ambitious and creative curriculum, your young people will develop character and resilience, increasing their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them through to adult life.”
St John's Celebrates Sporting Success
St. John’s School is thrilled to announce the outstanding achievements of its Boccia team at the recent Bedford Borough Sports Awards.
In October, the school’s Boccia team made a triumphant return to inter-school competitions after a Covid-enforced hiatus. The team, composed of five talented pupils, showcased exceptional teamwork and sportsmanship, securing victory in their category and outperforming several mainstream schools.
The team’s success led to multiple nominations for Bedford Borough Sports Awards, a testament to their dedication and skill. The awards ceremony, held on Monday, December 9th at the Corn Exchange, was a celebration of local sporting excellence.
While the St. John’s team and individual nominees did not claim awards, their nomination itself is a significant accomplishment.
Shannon Poulter, Headteacher of St. John’s School, expressed her pride: “We are incredibly proud of our Boccia team and all the pupils who have represented the school in sports this year. Their hard work, dedication, and positive attitude are an inspiration to us all.”
Matthew Wilmot, PE Subject Lead, added, “The team’s victory in October was a fantastic start to the school year. Their success is a testament to their talent and the supportive environment we strive to create at St. John’s School.”
St. John’s School is committed to fostering a culture of sportsmanship and healthy competition. The school congratulates all its athletes for their outstanding achievements and looks forward to continued success in future competitions.
Trinacria Charity Donates £20,000 to St John's Special School
St John’s School, a leading educational institution dedicated to supporting pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties, is delighted to announce the receipt of a £20,000 donation from Trinacria Charity.
This substantial contribution will greatly enhance the resources and programs available to the school’s exceptional pupils.
The donation will be used to fund specialised educational tools, sensory equipment, and extracurricular activities that are essential in fostering a nurturing and stimulating environment for the pupils. These resources will support the school’s mission to provide a holistic and inclusive education, tailored to the unique needs of each pupil.
Catherine Assink, CEO of the Bedford Inclusive Learning and Training Trust (BILTT), which oversees St John’s Special School, expressed her gratitude for this significant contribution. “We are immensely grateful to Trinacria Charity for their generous donation. This funding will have a profound impact on the lives of our pupils, enabling us to enhance their learning experiences and support their development in meaningful ways. The dedication and support from Trinacria Charity is truly inspiring, and we are thankful for their partnership in our mission to provide the best possible education for our pupils.”
Trinacria Charity has a long-standing commitment to supporting educational initiatives and institutions that cater to individuals with special needs. Their donation to St John’s is a testament to their dedication to making a positive difference in the community and improving the quality of life for those with severe and profound learning difficulties.
St John’s Special School continues to strive for excellence in education and care, and with the support of generous donors like Trinacria Charity, they are better equipped to fulfil their vision of an inclusive, supportive, and enriching educational environment for all their students.
New minibus for St John's
We were delighted to take delivery of a new wheelchair accessible minibus this term.
The new vehicle went in to use immediately allowing pupils to off-site access horse riding and Forest School activities.
Deputy Head Teacher Louisa Heritage commented: “Staff and pupils at John’s School are very excited for the arrival of our new minibus – it will make such a huge difference to our pupils being able to access a range of educational visits, and get out into the community in preparation for adulthood.”
A further new vehicle is due later this term and we would like to thank supplier Red-Kite for providing our new bus in such a short timescale despite on-going vehicle supply issues across Europe.
We were delighted to take delivery of a new wheelchair accessible minibus this term.
The new vehicle went in to use immediately allowing pupils to off-site access horse riding and Forest School activities.
Deputy Head Teacher Louisa Heritage commented: “Staff and pupils at John’s School are very excited for the arrival of our new minibus – it will make such a huge difference to our pupils being able to access a range of educational visits, and get out into the community in preparation for adulthood.”
A further new vehicle is due later this term and we would like to thank supplier Red-Kite for providing our new bus in such a short timescale despite on-going vehicle supply issues across Europe.
Updated Classrooms and Equipment for our Pupils
Our site management and staff teams have worked incredibly hard to complete an amazing and speedy update of some of our secondary teaching areas before half term and, as our pictures show, corridors and classrooms are now inviting learning spaces with clear distraction-free corridors, individual workstations, a common room and a sensory circuit room to support the students to regulate themselves throughout the school day.
The individual impacts of these changes are already benefitting pupils who are settling into their new workstations and routines and making progress with impendence and self-help skills.
In our primary phase P5 are enjoying using a new large Clevertouch screen on an adjustable mount. This allows pupils to access the screen at different heights and in different ways. It can be lowered down to the floor for pupils developing their independent sitting skills and to access it with their feet. It can also be raised up high to enable pupils’ better access when using their standing frames.
We will keep updating you on all the improvements we are planning and delivering to our pupil environment across the school via our regular newsletters.
Meanwhile, if you know of any company or individual who can support us to continue to improve the facilities and equipment in our school via donation or gifts in kind please contact us at sjs@biltt.org
BILTT Pupil Fun Day
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Pupils from all BILTT schools came together early in autumn term to enjoy a day of fun learning activities hosted by Grange Academy.
Primary and secondary classes from Greys Education Centre, St John’s Special School and Grange Academy experienced new activities and workshops throughout the day including drumming and singing, Forest School, crazy science workshops, face painting and outdoor games. Ark-Farm visited with cute and cuddly rabbits and guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, sheep and their friendly and playful Labrador dogs.
Feedback from pupils was hugely positive and one class teacher reported that her class “found the Crazy Scientist show so funny, really thinking he didn’t know what he was doing”.
Grange Academy’s Elm class reported they were especially fond of the free ice-cream van, the animals and the visit from both a police van and fire engine through the day.
Parents also fed back on how much pupils had enjoyed the activities “I heard all about today on the way home. It sounds like a fantastic day and a fun time had by all”
Grange Academy chef Bev and her team provided delicious snack bags for all attendees and planning has already started for our next BILTT Pupil Xmas Fun Day.
BILTT’s First Summer Fayre
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Visitors enjoyed the autumn sunshine at the first BILTT summer fayre hosted by Grange Academy and over £1,000 was raised to be shared across our schools.
Families enjoyed a wide range of activities including a birds of prey display, bouncy castle and a great range of games and craft stalls as well as delicious hot food from Grange’s talented chef Bev.
This first all school family event was only possible thanks to the support of staff, stall holders, families and all our visitors who made the event such a success.
St John’s School is a UNICEF Bronze Rights Respecting School. Ofsted rated ‘Good Provider’ (September 2023).
Telephone: 01234 345565 – Office Email: sjs@biltt.org
St John’s School is part of Bedford Inclusive Learning and Training Trust
Company Number: 08156641