Latest news
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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What does School Fund Cover
Wed 23 Mar 2022SCHOOL FUND
How much does it cost? JUST 30p A DAY
What does it help to pay for? ALL OF THIS – AND MORE!
After School Activities and Equipment
Wet Play Time Games and Equipment
Dinnertime Activities and Equipment
Trips and Transport throughout the year
Golden stamp awards 400 children receive rewards throughout the year
Visitors in to School-Animal man, Science workshops, Storytellers, Theatre companies etc
Attendance and Achievement Certificates and Rewards
Chocolate Easter Eggs
Holy Communion and Confirmation Celebration Breakfasts
Christmas Treats and Gifts
Christ the King Fun Day Treats and Entertainment
Help provide your child with the best education in Birmingham
- don’t delay, pay today!
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Youth Club at 610 Community Centre
Tue 22 Mar 2022Youth Group for Years 4, 5 and 6 is held every Wednesday 4.30 – 6.30pm (during school holidays too)
At the 610 Community Centre on Kingstanding Road, B44 9SH
For further information call 0121 250 0777
Or email info@bsettlement.org.uk
www.birminghamsettlement.org.uk
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NSPCC Speak out.Stay safe parents/carers letter
Tue 08 Mar 2022Speak out. Stay safe. parents/carers letter
8th March 2022
Dear Parent/Carer
RE: NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme
I am pleased to tell you that this term we will be participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme. This consists of an online assembly delivered in school on 17th March 2022 and supporting classroom based activities. Speak out. Stay safe. is a safeguarding programme available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands. It aims to help children understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse in a child friendly way. Children are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a trusted adult or Childline.
In the online assembly, the Speak out. Stay safe. messages are delivered in a fun and interactive way with the help of their mascot Buddy as well as special guest appearances from Ant and Dec.
We have studied the content of the materials and are extremely confident that they are appropriate for primary-school-aged children. By the end of the programme, we’re convinced children will feel empowered – knowing how they can speak out and stay safe.
If you would like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme you can find information on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout or I would be happy to discuss any questions that you may have.
The NSPCC has also developed an adapted version of their assembly for parents/carers to use at home with their children. This can be found here: www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/safety. With the help of celebrities, the film focuses on how a child can get support if they have any worries or concerns.
To complement the assembly, there are some resources that can be used to enable further discussion whilst doing activities with your children. These are hosted on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/activities.
Childline Under 12’s Website
Childline also have a website with age appropriate advice for primary school children on topics such as bullying. It also has games and other interactive tools. Your child can visit it at www.childline.org.uk/kids.
If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website www.nspcc.org.uk/parents.
Talking PANTS with your children
Talk PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep your child safe from sexual abuse. From P through to S, each letter of PANTS provides a simple but valuable rule that can help keep your child safe. You can find out more and download the free resources at www.nspcc.org.uk/pants.
Penguin and Ladybird have partnered with the NSPCC to create a brand new Pantosaurus book aimed at children ages 4 - 8. You can find copies of the new book on sale, either in Matalan’s selected stores and online, selected SPAR stores or at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/. All profits from the sale of this book will support the NSPCC.
Support the NSPCC
You may be interested in the NSPCC’s new selection of BUDDY goodies available from the NSPCC shop at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/collections/buddy which make perfect gifts for children - and all profits go to help keep children safe.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Breslin
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NEST Launch Event
Fri 18 Feb 2022Good Afternoon
With thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, we are excited to announce a new community response project covering the Kingstanding and North Birmingham localities.
The NEST Project is part of New Height’s portfolio of projects, aimed at tackling local deprivation and encouraging positive lifestyle changes. Based at New Heights community café in the heart of Kingstanding, the NEST project will provide domestic abuse counselling and welfare support to enable our community to flourish.
N –Nurture
E – Empower
S – Support
T – Transform
To celebrate the launch of our service, we will be holding an information event on Tuesday 1st March between 10.00 am - 12.00 noon at St John’s Community Centre. Please see attached poster for further information.
From the 1st March, we will also be accepting referrals for information and advice appointments (please note counselling referrals are not currently being accepted). Please find attached the service referral form.
We hope you can join us on the 1st March.
Kind regards
NEST Project Team
New Heights Warren Farm Community Project
108 Warren Farm Road
Kingstanding
Birmingham
B44 0QN
Telephone: 0121 384 2333 (office)
E Mail: advice@new-heights.org.uk
Website: www.new-heights.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewHeightswarrenFarm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/New_Heights_UK
Charity Reg. No. 1120869
This e-mail is confidential and intended for the addressee only. Any dissemination, distribution, copying or use of this communication without prior permission of the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error please notify New Heights Warren Farm Community Project immediately by telephone (0121 384 2333), return the message to the sender and delete it from your hard drive. New Heights Warren Farm Community Project has taken reasonable precautions to ensure this communication does not contain viruses. We cannot accept liability for any damage your system sustains due to software viruses. You should carry out your own virus checks before opening any attachments.
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Email from Tracey Baker PCSO Kingstanding Neighbourhood Team
Wed 12 Jan 2022We have been asked by the Kingstanding Neighbourhood Police Team to send the following message:
During the holidays we have seen an increase in anti-social behaviour around Conker Island, Warren Farm Road and McDonalds. We have identified some of those involved and parents have been spoken too. However, recently and especially over the weekend, this group has grown in excess of 15 very young males, primary school age. Their behaviour has now gone from silly ASB to serious offences such as Arson, Racially Aggravated Assault and Vehicle Crime. We are extremely concerned that someone is going to get hurt or a life is lost. We are also concerned that these young males maybe a victim of grooming by the older males in the group.
We ask every parent/guardian who live in the Kingstanding area and whose child/children go out with the friends during the evenings and weekends to please speak with them about the consequences of being involved and especially about peer pressure.
Thank you
Kingstanding Police Team
30172 Tracy Baker | PCSO Kingstanding Neighbourhood Team
Birmingham East NPU | West Midlands PoliceT: 101 (ext. 846 6006 - M: 07391019423)
Preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need.
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Water Safety
Tue 17 Aug 2021Birmingham City Council: Focus on water safety 30th July 2021
With recent events of drowning across the UK during the hot weather now is a good time to remind parents of water safety.
- 90% of the most serious preventable accidents to under-fives fall into five main categories; drowning is high on the list of preventable accidents.
- 700 people on average die in water in the UK and Ireland.
- A stark fact is a drowning child can’t speak or control their arms; they slip quietly under the water.
- Younger children are most likely to drown in the bath or a garden pond.
- Children can drown in as little as 5cm’s of water.
Providers can play their part in supporting families to keep their children safe with topical newsletters, online briefings, posters and chats.
Some tips and reminders you can pass onto parents/carers:
In the home
- Babies and young children should never be left alone in the bath even for a moment, it takes seconds for a baby to slip under water and drown- they do not have the ability to right themselves.
- Never use a bath seat as a safety aid, they can easily upturn with a baby in it when your back is turned
- Never leave a toddler or young child in charge of a baby in water, they are too young to understand or keep a baby safe in your absence
The Garden
- Always empty the paddling pool
- Cover any garden ponds
- Ensure children can’t get into any neighbour’s ponds
- When visiting friends and family if there’s a pond or paddling pool, always watch children, don’t allow yourselves to be distracted whilst chatting.
- Teach children to swim from an early age
At the beach or any open water
- The water is colder than it looks and the stronger than it looks
- Don’t use inflatables in open water, they can very quickly get carried away by a strong current.
- Follow the instructions of a lifeguard if there is one if a sign says not to go into the water DON’T.
- Always follow the safety guidance of any flags- a red flag spells danger, an orange windsock flying indicates strong winds
- Ensure an adult is watching children near water at all times
- Stay together
- In an emergency dial 999 for the coastguard
- Always agree with your child a meeting point beforehand in case you do get separated.
- If you are staying in accommodation where there is a pool do not leave children unattended, accidental drowning can happen in moments. If there is a gate leading to the pool, make sure it’s locked when there are no adults about.
Useful links to share with parents on water safety:
www.rnli.org/beach/safety Video on the beach and in the sea
www.rlss.org.uk lots of useful water safety advice
www.youtube.com The danger age video depicting 3 children and how easily they end up in water alone
www.capt.org.uk watch out in water poster and other free downloads on water safety
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Your Mental Health & Wellbeing - 10 Top Tips for Parents | SSS Learning Ltd
Tue 18 May 2021In our previous resource we identified that looking after your own mental health and wellbeing can have a hugely positive impact on your child’s mental health and wellbeing. There are simple ways to help you do this. This is all about looking after you: 1. Follow our Top Ten Tips for supporting your child’s mental health & wellbeing.
1. Follow our Top Ten Tips for supporting your child’s mental health & wellbeing.
Being a parent is wonderful. There’s no doubt, parenthood brings joy and fulfilment into our lives, but it also brings its own set of challenges and stressors that we have to manage. Unlike any other job there is no rule book, no job description, we just have to grow and develop our own set of strategies to cope with what parenthood throws at us, the good and the not so good. One thing is certain though, if we take positive action to promote our children’s mental health and wellbeing, this in turn will reduce our stressors and help maintain our wellbeing. So, if you haven’t already watched our tips here’s the link to get some great advice.
2. Recognise when you feel overwhelmed
We are all really good at recognising when our physical health is poor but not so effective at recognising when things are emotionally overwhelming us. Being overwhelmed can lead to:
- feeling tired all the time;
- poor sleep patterns;
- headaches;
- being irritable and impatient,
- worry, stress and anxiety;
- lack of motivation;
- trouble concentrating;
- poor eating habits;
- general negative thinking and responses e.g., thinking “I’ll never be able to do this” rather than “how can I do this”;
and/or
- feeling tearful.
The stress caused by these indicators may then impact on our physical health, often triggering or increasing illnesses, particularly those associated with the stomach.
So, our next tips focus on a few simple suggestions to help combat that overwhelmed feeling.
3. Focus on the here and now
In a way this is ordering all the things causing you to feel overwhelmed, identifying the immediate stressor. Take a few minutes to write down all the things that are causing you stress and anxiety. Once you have your list, identify what things you can tackle immediately, in the short term and those that might take a bit longer. For example, let’s look at this list. Say you:
- are worrying about you or your partner’s job security
- have difficulty getting off to sleep
- have money worries
- find it difficult to manage your child’s behaviour
- are stressed because your child is bedwetting
Thinking about all of these will no doubt cause a sense of anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed but if we separate them out, we can clearly see what’s easy to tackle and what might take longer to resolve. So, looking at the list again in a more ordered way, we can prioritise and start to make a positive difference.
Difficulty getting off to sleep:
This is something you can tackle immediately, and we have some simple tips coming up to help do this.
Managing your child’s difficult behaviour:
again this is something you can tackle immediately by putting new strategies in place. Have a look at our last resource for ideas. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to staff at your child’s nursery / school- they manage difficult behaviour on a daily basis and have a wealth of advice and solutions. Positive outcomes may take a little while to show results but the impact of taking action will have an immediate positive effect on your mental health and wellbeing
Your child is bedwetting:
bedwetting is common, especially in children under the age of five, and most children will grow out of it. Following advice from organisations such as the NHS offers support on what to do and what not to do to help manage your child’s bedwetting. There is also other support available too. Ask school for an appointment with the school nursing service who again can provide practical advice and support or discuss your concerns with your G.P.
Money worries:
worrying about money can make us feel low and when our mood is low, we find it more difficult to manage our finances, it’s a cyclical thing and can quite quickly become overwhelming. So, we need to break that cycle. The good news is you don’t have to try and do this alone. There are great free support networks online and available locally that will help with auditing your spend, setting a budget, managing debt and getting your budget back on track. Most schools will know what provision is available in your area, but if you feel uncomfortable asking them then check out other resources e.g. what’s available from local voluntary sector organisations and / or your Local Authority, or online services such as the Money Advice Service
Worrying about you or your partner’s job security:
there are lots of factors out of our control that affect job security, particularly in this period of global economic change. Ongoing fears about you or your partner losing their job or having contracted hours reduced negatively impacts on anxiety and depression, so it’s important first to acknowledge that, being realistic, this is not something you can solve in the short term. However, there are steps you can take if worried about job security that may also support you mental wellbeing. Speak to the employer and ask what the current position is. Even if they say your job is at risk or they are unsure about what might happen in the future, talking will give you the opportunity to ask them what the next steps are and when they will be able to give you a clearer picture of what the actual position is. Get expert advice so you know what your rights and options are, e.g., the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) who offer free confidential advice. Make a plan so you are prepared and have some steps to take should the situation become real. This might involve exploring what benefits & welfare will be available, other job opportunities or further retraining opportunities.
So, you can see, we’ve reordered the list to prioritise what we can tackle effectively first, which will help reduce some of the stress and / or anxiety and that feeling of being overwhelmed. Recognising what is causing stress and anxiety and creating a sense of order means you can think clearly and plan action, tackling one thing at a time.
4. Think positive thoughts
try to refocus the negatives to positives. I call this gentle reframing. For example, say I have a deadline of 5 days to complete a task. Instead of thinking ‘I’ve only got five days to do this, how will I ever get this done’ think ‘I have five whole days to get this done. Ok, I can do this’. Reframing in this way positively changes your way of thinking and this ‘can do’ message will help prevent you feeling overwhelmed.
5. Be body aware
Being overwhelmed, causes physical changes. Breathing becomes shallower, posture slumps and muscles tense, all of which drive an increased feeling of stress. Straightening your posture and taking deep cleansing breaths really helps to combat the effects of stress. So, pick something you do regularly throughout the day, say making a cup of tea. Whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil stand up straight, relax your shoulders and take 10 deep breaths like this.
6. Say no
Saying yes is so much easier than saying no and we often agree to things even when we know this will negatively impact on us. It took me a long time to realise that saying yes to all requests really wasn’t good for my wellbeing as I just got stressed trying to fit additional tasks into an already busy schedule. Saying no is okay- it can be said in a nice respectful way and be a positive.
7. Sleep
We all know how important sleep is for our children, but a good sleep pattern is also vital for your overall physical and mental health and general wellbeing. Not only does it enable your body to repair and restore for the next day, rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease and prolonged illness.
Sleep has a huge impact on how our minds and bodies function. Impaired or lack of sleep affects our mood, alertness and negatively impacts on our ability to concentrate. Research also shows that long-term sleep deprivation may contribute to serious health problems e.g., diabetes, strokes.
We need sleep for our prefrontal cortex, that’s the part of the brain that thinks rationally, to work well. This helps us to make effective judgements, choices and be able to consider other people’s points of view.
Just one night’s poor sleep may leave us feeling tired, irritable, tearful and unable to work or function well. So, to sleep well try:
- not to worry about getting to sleep as stress negatively impacts on your ability to sleep;
- reducing your alcohol and caffeine intake;
- before bed, writing a “things to do” list. Creating this list orders tasks and creates a sense of time management, helping your mind to relax that you have a plan. Research shows this prevents feeling overwhelmed;
- having a regular sleep pattern- fix a bedtime and stick to it;
- not to look at any devices e.g., mobile phones, tablets or laptops an hour before bedtime and switch them off when you go to bed;
- having a bath before bed. Bathing helps lower your core body temperature which helps you to sleep;
- regulating the room temperature, lower temperatures (approx. 16 degrees) aids sleep
- If you wake during the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep do something which will calm your mind e.g., reading a book, mindfulness exercises.
8. Eat well
Ever heard the saying you are what you eat? Well our mind, just like the rest of our body, is affected by our diet. It needs the fuel from a healthy diet to function well. For example, a balanced regular diet will help the prefrontal cortex of the brain I mentioned earlier, preventing irritability and enables us to concentrate. Research shows that if you eat a diet high in processed meat, fried foods, refined cereals, pastries and high-fat dairy products, you're more likely to be anxious and depressed. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables have great healing, restorative powers. So here are a few foods that can boost and maintain your mental wellness:
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries contain antioxidants which help improve the symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Strawberries and blueberries also contain a compound which can help improve your attention span, concentration and memory. You can also get an antioxidant boost by snacking on walnuts which studies have shown also amazingly promote the growth of new brain cells;
Probiotics found in yogurt and yogurt drinks assist in lowering levels of stress, anxiety and depression;
DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid found in oily fish such as salmon, trout and prawns can help improve short- and long-term memory and reduce anxiety. Don’t like fish or seafood? Don’t worry, you can get these benefits from taking a fish oil supplement;
The amino acid found in wholegrains helps us produce serotonin often referred to as the feel-good hormone, which helps us to improve our mood, calm our mind and maintain a healthy sleep cycle;
Chickpeas, lentils and kidney beans are full of fibre and antioxidants. They not only keep your blood sugar stable, they also enable you to burn more energy, essential for good mental health. Beans also contain a vitamin called thiamine which helps us to produce a neurotransmitter essential for memory.
9. Limit alcohol
Alcohol affects the chemicals in your brain and the central nervous system. The central nervous system controls most functions of our body and mind and alcohol slows our ability to function. Alcohol can affect the part of the brain that controls inhibition, which is why we often feel less anxious after having a drink but, although in the short term we may feel more relaxed, regular or heavy drinking negatively impacts on mental health and can contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety and make stress harder to cope with. So, if you do drink alcohol, try to keep to NHS guidelines, that’s not drinking more than 14 units per week spread over 3 days and have at least two alcohol free days per week.
10. Talk about how you are feeling
There’s an old saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’. As adults we often see ourselves as failing if we’re not coping with what life is throwing at us and we internalise our feelings. This is really unhealthy. As human beings we are designed to feel and express our feelings, so bottling them up has a negative effect on our mental health and wellbeing. There really are benefits in sharing how you’re feeling whether that’s with someone you trust or as we detailed earlier to support organisations. Sharing can help:
- reduce the intensity and power of a feeling e.g., reduce anxiety levels;
- get a new perspective on difficulties;
- make problem solving and decision making easier;
- reduce the sense of isolation and help restore a balanced sense of reality.
We’ve covered lots of topics in this resource which hopefully, as we’ve worked through them, has enabled you to reflect on how you are feeling. That’s a good thing, it’s not self-obsessing! By reflecting in this way, you will better tune into your feelings and question how you are coping with life. Often when stressed we feel that’s the norm, just the way things are and we can be unaware of its negative impact on our health, mental and physical, and wellbeing. So, here’s my bonus tip- regularly reflect on how you are feeling even if it is only once a week, set aside some time to reflect on what went well that week, what not so well. Start by examining what helped make things go well e.g. I achieved lots of things this week because I managed my time well. Then think about the things that didn’t go to plan. Are there any actions from your ‘worked well list’ that would have helped make these things work better? e.g. If I managed my time better in the evening, I’d be more relaxed when going to bed and might sleep better.
We hope you find these practical tips helpful. They are general tips designed to help but as ever, if you have any concerns about your mental health or wellbeing please don’t hesitate to contact your GP. There is also lots of good information via the NHS website and through other support organisations.
Sam Preston
Safeguarding Director
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New Local Offer Website - SEND
Wed 28 Apr 2021The Birmingham Local Offer website The Birmingham Local Offer website is now launched. It includes information about the wide range of services that are available to support all areas of a child’s life (0-25 years) especially those with a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). This includes support with education, physical and mental health, social care, leisure activities and moving towards independence and adulthood. What is the Local Offer? Every Local Authority in England has a duty to provide children and young people, (0-25 years) with support if they have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities - this is known as the Local Offer. Every Local Authority has to publish what support is available on a website: this is called the Local Offer Website. This Local Offer website gives information about the support that the local authority expects to be available across education, health and social care. The information on the website is clear and easy to find. It says who a particular service is for, how to apply, and how decisions are made about who gets that service. The information you should be able to find on a Local Offer Website includes: Sources of support, advice and information for children, young people and families including support groups and forums. Special educational, health and social care provision for children and young people with SEN or disabilities Arrangements to identify and assess children and young people with SEN, including how an assessment can be requested. Other educational provision, for example leisure activities, sports or arts provision, Information about provision to assist in preparing children and young people for adulthood including post-16 education and training provision Arrangements for travel to and from schools, post-16 institutions and early years providers Childcare, including suitable provision for disabled children and those with SEND Support available to young people in higher education, particularly the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and the process and timescales for making an application for DSA Arrangements for resolving disagreements and for mediation, and details about making complaints In Birmingham, we have been updating our Local Offer website to make the information in it clearer and easier to find. We have done this with the help of the Birmingham Parent Carer Forum and the Youth Forum, but this is just the start. We really want to keep adding to the information on the Local Offer Website in order to make it the one stop shop for young people and their families. To do this we need your views and ideas. Please visit our new site www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk and give us your feedback using the feedback form on the site.
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Vegtastic Lunchbox Hacks
Tue 20 Apr 2021Vegetables are a key part of a healthy diet but it can be a real struggle to get kids to eat enough of them. Adding an extra portion or two to their packed lunch will help to up their intake.
Top tip: Know your portions – a child’s portion of veg is roughly 50g or what fits into a child
For recipes, tips and free downloads visit vegpower.org.uk
For more information please see poster under Newsletters.
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Trutex - School Uniform Shop
Mon 19 Apr 2021Dear parents,
We are proud to have been appointed a new supplier for Christ the King School as a uniform provider for the School.
Trutex school wear is made to last, giving our customers real value for money. We extensively test our fabrics and design all our garments to be comfortable, durable and maintain their outstanding looks.
Our closest Store to the School will be:
Trutex Erdington
71 High Street (Opposite Co-op)
Erdington
Birmingham
B23 6SA
Opening hours: 9.30am – 5pm Mon-Sat
We will open on 12th April 2021.
You can also order online by visiting:
When purchasing from our website
- Select SHOP tab from the top of the main page
- Select Schools A-C
- Click on School Logo, where you will find all products relating to your School.
We also stock a large selection of Trousers, Skirts, Pinafores and Tights.
We look forwarded to meeting with you all soon.
Managing Director
Trutex Erdington