Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Headteacher Letter
Thu 06 Jun 20246 June 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Thank you for those of you who attended (6 parents) our annual cheese and wine evening yesterday. It was great to see and speak with some of you last night. I hope that more will attend next year. I would also like to thank Daniel Chantler the Chair of Governors, Josh Payne and Katie Reeves senior leaders who also attended.
We discussed the recent cabinet committee meeting, you can find a recording of this using the following link Children's, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee - Thursday 16 May 2024, 2:00pm - Kent County Council Webcasting (public-i.tv). We also discussed the potential impact of the proposals on Laleham Gap School in the future. I shared with you that the local authority will have a special school consultation which will be launched on the 17 June 2024. This will have more detail and information than the cabinet papers from last month. The cabinet papers regarding the special school consultation can be found using this link https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=124983.
I will write to you again as soon as the consultation is live and share my professional opinion of the consultation proposals.
I wish to thank Danielle Dunn for all her support and contributions in the last five years as a co-opted, and then parent governor. Her contributions have been of the highest calibre and greatly appreciated by us as a governing body. This is an exciting opportunity for you to become our next parent governor.
The role of a parent governor at Laleham Gap School is to provide a parental perspective on the matters that we discuss. It is also to have a positive approach to learning and training. We expect each governor to attend the six full governing body meetings per year. We prefer that a parent governor participates in at least monitoring visit per year. But it is not essential. We will provide support, an induction and training.
If you wish to become a parent governor at Laleham Gap School, please email secretary@lgs.kent.sch.uk so that we can discuss further the role, expectations and the election process.
Term six brings lots of fun activities for pupils including Wellbeing trips to Thorpe Park and Legoland. We will celebrate again this year with a Pride day and Year 11 Leavers Day which will both be on Friday 28 June.
Our Primary Summer Fair is on 12 July and Secondary sports day and Summer fair is on 17 July. We will provide more details and reminders closer to the time.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Headteacher Letter
Fri 17 May 202417 May 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Exams
GCSEs started this week. This can be an anxious time for our pupils, and we will do all we can to support them. From what I have seen so far, pupils have managed the exams and themselves brilliantly. We wish them every success.
Childrens, Young People and Education cabinet committee meeting
When the proposals are sufficiently detailed by the local authority for public consultation, I will write to you again informing you of the school’s position regarding the proposals. There may be comments in the local papers regarding yesterday's meeting. Please remember that yesterday’s cabinet meeting was simply an agreement to consult, and no detailed changes have yet to be made. You can see a recording of the meeting and the document that was discussed at Children's, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee - Thursday 16 May 2024, 2:00pm - Kent County Council Webcasting (public-i.tv).
If you would like to discuss this matter with me, please contact me at the email address above.
LGS Music Showcase
On 2 May 2024 we had our LGS Music Showcase. This was an opportunity to share a range of the work done in class, in clubs and also from outside of school that students have been working on. This was a wonderful evening for pupils, parents, carers and staff. Many thanks to everyone involved in this event.
Save the date – Cheese and Wine Eve.
Wednesday 5 June at 6pm in the TISS building is our annual cheese and wine evening. We hope to see you there. Term five will bring our new Year 7 cohort in for taster and transition days before fully joining us in September.
We have new chicks in the school for the last few weeks. The pupils thoroughly enjoy looking after and spending time with them.
I hope you all have a lovely May half term.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Music Showcase
Thu 02 May 2024
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World Book Day
Fri 08 Mar 2024February 2024
Dear Parents/Carers,
World Book Day (WBD) is nearly here! We shall be having our WBD on Friday 8th March (which is a day after the National WBD). Your child is encouraged to dress as their favourite book character for the day if they should wish. If your child wishes to dress up and is due out on a trip for part of that day, please ensure they have a suitable change of clothes with them.
We are also running a whole school ‘Book swap shop’ to celebrate our World Book Day this year. We would welcome pupils to bring in a book(s) they would like to donate to the ‘swap shop’ and in return they will be able to choose a book from the swap shop in the afternoon of our WBD.
The day will also include:
Bring in a favourite book to share an extract with the class in class time/tutor group time
Prizes for best dressed character
A range of art and craft, writing and reading activities relating to World Book Day
A poet and author visit
Kind regards,
Fran Eastwood/Alice Carey
English Lead/Primary Lead
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School Aged Immunisation Service
Tue 05 Mar 2024REMINDER: The School Aged Immunisation Service is coming to school soon to carry out the TdIPV and MenACWY vaccinations for students in Year 9, as well as a catch up offer to Year 10 & 11 students. Don’t forget to consent or decline before the cut-off date via their website https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/imms
You can also phone the team 0300 123 5205, text 07401320923 or use their web chat if you have any questions about your child’s immunisations.
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Headteacher Letter
Wed 07 Feb 20242 February 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Drama Club Production
7 and 8 February 2024 at 7.00pm
Our Drama club will be presenting their very own adaptation of the Lion King. Not to be missed! You should have had a letter and slip to book tickets. If you haven’t received and would like to attend, please talk to Natalie or Helen in reception. There are still tickets available.
Use of social media within our community to include WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please see our updates on the website. PowerPoint Presentation (primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com) it is important that you take the time to read this document as it outlines our communities’ expectations around use of social media. There are other updates on the website, if you have suggestions for further updates, please let me know.
I am pleased by the initial impact of the recent changes in secondary regarding the use of mobile devices. Pupils have quickly adapted to the change. Many thanks for all your support with this.
Just to let you know that we will be marking Safer Internet Day (6 February 2024) with a number of lessons and activities around internet safety.
Wellbeing Day
The last day of term, Friday 9 February 2024 is our next wellbeing day. The theme for the day is ‘Your Voice Matters’ and positive mental health.
Our wellbeing team are working hard behind the scenes to put together another great day for pupils. It will be a non-school uniform day and pupils will be off timetable so that they can enjoy the numerous activities available on the day. They can choose from Art sessions, aromatherapy, football coaching and Ping Pong competitions.
Save the date - Coffee Morning 26 March 2024 at 9.30am
Please join us for the next coffee morning where our Head of Therapies, Jon Deslandes, will be talking about The Balanced System. A whole system approach to planning and delivering services for children and young people.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Notice of Annual General Meeting
Wed 31 Jan 2024Notice of Annual General Meeting of the Thanet Endeavour Learning Trust
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General meeting of the Thanet Endeavour Learning Trust will be held at 4pm on Wednesday 31 st January 2024 at Garlinge Primary School and Nursery, Westfield Road, Margate, CT9 5PA.
Company number: 09355006 Registered office address: Bromstone Primary School, Rumfieldsf Road, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 2PW Tel: 01843 867010 Email: office@bromstone.kent.sch.uk
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Mobile Phone Policy Changes
Tue 12 Dec 2023Tuesday 12th December 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
Subject: Updated Student and Parent Mobile Phone Agreement
We are writing to inform you about important changes to our approach to using mobile phones and devices in school.
As you are aware the Department for Education made an announcement earlier this year that there were plans to ban students from using mobile phones in all schools. This is due to the impact devices can have on attention, behaviour, and safeguarding issues. However, there is yet to be any legislation published around this.
In response to the announcement, the Senior Leadership Team at Laleham Gap have been reviewing our existing approaches surrounding the use of mobile phones and personal devices. This was the focus of our recent coffee morning and we have continued to consult members across our school community about this.
Many schools have chosen to ban mobile phones entirely; however, as a communication and interaction provision, we recognise the importance of these devices in our students’ lives, particularly in aiding communication and addressing anxieties related to school, transitions, and transport. At present, our approach remains that we wish to educate our students about safe and responsible use, rather than imposing an out-right ban. Our ethos has always been that we are happy for children to use their devices providing they adhere to the conditions below:
- The school is not responsible for loss or damage to mobile phones and other personal devices.
- Phones must not be used during lesson times unless permitted by the teacher.
- Inappropriate use of phones will result in parental contact and could lead to phone safety interventions or a ban
Following feedback from our school community, we will also be implementing a number of changes within our policies to ensure that our students use their devices responsibly. Some of these changes will take effect from January 2024:
- To support our policy and our safeguarding procedures, we are requesting that all parents provide us with the make, model, and mobile number of your child's device using the slip attached to this letter. This is information we have routinely requested in the past and will be securely stored and used only in cases of loss or if there are concerns about inappropriate calls or messages. Please rest assured that we will respect your privacy and only use these details in safeguarding scenarios. We ask for these details to be sent to us by Friday 12th January 2024. Failure to provide this information by the deadline will require your child to leave their phone at home.
- There will be no changes to the Primary Age Phase routines for phones and devices.
- The second break (10:50 am) for the Secondary Age Phase, will be a phone and device free break to encourage all students to engage with others. There will also be no use of phones and devices during the first part of lunch until to allow all students to interact while eating together.
- Children using phones in school will be asked to do so in designated areas. For Year 7 to 10, this will be within their designated hub. This will help us to monitor and address safeguarding issues swiftly. Year 11 and upwards will be allowed to use their phones around the school, providing they do so responsibly.
- We will be encouraging all students to use our Guest Wi-Fi when in school. This offers the same level of filtering and protection as our main network, helping to keep student safe.
- It will be an expectation that all students follow the school charters and student acceptable use policies, else they will receive a phone ban. We have included a copy of the Student Acceptable Use Policy to review.
- We are encouraging all parents to look at the EE Phone Smart license with their children. This will be particularly helpful to children new to using mobile phones and may be useful to any child receiving a phone over the holiday period. The site can be accessed at: https://eephonesmart.co.uk/
Please note, the additional changes from September 2024:
It is our intention that all children entering Year 7 will follow a model that aligns with our Primary Age Phase. This means that devices will be available for transport and in case of emergencies but will be handed in at reception and stored securely until the end of the day.
Students entering Year 8 and those identified as needing additional support will be required to complete a Phone Smart License and work within the curriculum, before being allowed to use their device throughout the day. This will help to ensure that all students understand how to use their devices responsibly and respectfully and know how to seek support if it is needed.
There will be more allocated time in Personal Development, Learning for Life and Computing Lessons to explicitly teach online safety. We are also asking our staff to role model a culture of reducing the frequency of mobile phone use.
We appreciate your support in these changes and believe that they will contribute to a safer and more focused learning environment. Our goal is to prepare our students to use technology responsibly and effectively in their academic and personal lives.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Kind regards,
Mr J Payne Mr Les Milton
Assistant Headteacher Headteacher
Safeguarding and WellbeingMobile Phone Details and Agreement
For the attention of Mrs S Sullivan Please return by Friday 12th January 2024Student name:
Mobile Phone number:
Make and Model of mobile phone:
Signed Date
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Headteacher Letter
Fri 24 Nov 2023November 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
I trust this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Mr Danny Ralph, who has been our Deputy Headteacher since 2017 will be leaving at Christmas.
Danny has supported the school extremely well in the last six years. He has contributed significantly to the school’s improvement. I wish to thank him for all his service to our community. I am delighted for him that he has secured a promotion and will be working at Broomhill Bank School, next year. Your children have been told today that Mr Ralph will be leaving on 15th of December 2023.
On a separate note, I would like to thank all the families and carers who attended our Coffee Morning last week. I felt we had a comprehensive debate regarding pupil use of their phones. I was pleased that all who attended could acknowledge the complexity of this topic and appreciated the need for change. Thank you to the parents who emailed their thoughts which I shared. I am continuing my discussions with staff groups. I will write again separately when decisions have been made, regarding our routines and expectations of pupil phone use.
Many thanks for your support.
Best Wishes
Les Milton
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Minster Playhouse Christmas Play
Mon 20 Nov 2023
