Welcome to Torfield School

New to Torfield this year are Parker Road’s Sensory Music sessions with Mr Thompson and Mrs Jagot. These engaging and enjoyable lessons provide children with the opportunity to explore a wide range of musical instruments, sounds, rhythms, and sensory experiences in a fun and supportive environment. The sessions encourage curiosity and creativity, allowing pupils to express themselves through music while developing their confidence and independence. As well as being great fun, Sensory Music sessions help children practise important social skills such as sharing, turn-taking, listening, and working alongside their peers. Through group activities and interactive musical games, pupils learn to cooperate with others, wait patiently for their turn, and celebrate each other's achievements. The sessions also provide valuable opportunities for children to develop their communication skills, respond to different sensory inputs, and engage with learning in a way that is meaningful and motivating for them. Whether they are exploring new instruments, joining in with familiar songs, or creating their own sounds and rhythms, the children are always enthusiastic participants. It is wonderful to see the joy, excitement, and creativity that these sessions bring at Parker Road.

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Today, Europe Class enjoyed their first school trip, and we could not be prouder of how well all the children represented the school. Throughout the visit, the children behaved brilliantly, listened carefully, and followed instructions exceptionally well. Their positive attitudes helped make the day enjoyable and successful for everyone. We were especially pleased to see so many examples of our Rainbow Awards in action, particularly Being a Kind Friend and Being Safe. The children showed kindness and consideration towards one another through their encouraging words, helping hands, sharing, and looking out for their friends throughout the day. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves, learning new things, and making happy memories together. Every child should feel incredibly proud of their achievements, and we are extremely proud of them too. Well done, Europe Class. Here's to many more exciting adventures this year!

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } We are delighted to share that Mrs Norman will be covering PPA sessions this year, providing pupils with the opportunity to take part in LEGO Therapy activities. LEGO Therapy is a structured and highly engaging approach that uses collaborative building projects to help children develop important social, communication, and teamwork skills. During each session, pupils work together to complete a LEGO model, with each child having a specific role and responsibility. Success depends on listening carefully, sharing ideas, following instructions, and supporting one another to achieve a common goal. The sessions provide a fun and motivating environment in which children can practise a wide range of skills, including: Communication and conversation skills Listening and following instructions Turn-taking and patience Problem-solving and flexible thinking Cooperation and teamwork Building confidence in social situations One of the great strengths of LEGO Therapy is that it gives children a natural reason to communicate with their peers. Rather than communication being taught in isolation, children are encouraged to use language purposefully as they work together to design, create, and solve problems. This can help pupils develop stronger relationships with others and increase their confidence when interacting within a group. The structured nature of the activities also helps children learn how to manage disagreements, negotiate solutions, and celebrate each other's successes. These are valuable life skills that can support learning both within and beyond the classroom. Mrs Norman has already begun delivering sessions, and it has been wonderful to see pupils engaging enthusiastically with the activities, demonstrating excellent teamwork, creativity, and perseverance. We look forward to seeing the positive impact these sessions will have on pupils' communication, cooperation, and social development throughout the year. We are excited to have Mrs Norman leading this provision and know that pupils will benefit greatly from this enjoyable and rewarding experience.

There was a special moment this morning when we welcomed our first new Reception pupil into the new classroom at Croft Road. You will be assured to know the classroom didn’t stay this tidy for long as the new children had lots of fun exploring during their taster session!

Pupils from Wales Class enjoyed a fantastic day out at Bodiam Castle , making the most of the beautiful weather and exploring one of the area's most iconic historic landmarks. The children had great fun discovering the castle's towers, walls, and courtyards. There were plenty of opportunities for learning, curiosity, and adventure as everyone explored the site together. To round off a wonderful day, pupils were treated to an ice lolly, which was very much appreciated in the warm weather! The trip was a great success, and it was lovely to see so many smiling faces enjoying the fresh air, history, and time spent together outside the classroom. We are very proud of how well all of the children represented the school and would like to thank all the staff who helped make the visit such an enjoyable experience. We look forward to sharing more exciting trips and experiences throughout the year!

Please see the attached flyer for details of a course for parents of children aged between 2 & 6 who are on the pathway or are diagnosed with Autism. There are 7 sessions to attend and are hosted on Microsoft Teams, which can be accessed on a computer, tablet or mobile phone. If you wish to attend, follow the link on the flyer or send your child's class teacher or the office a message if you would prefer we book you a place.

We were very grateful for yesterday’s rain, as it gave Parker Road’s new reading garden a much-needed drink! Staff have carefully chosen herbs with interesting scents to help bring this special part of the playground to life.The reading garden is just one of a number of improvements made across both sites during the summer holidays, ready to welcome pupils back for the new school year.

A Positive Start to the School Year As we begin the new academic year, I wanted to take a moment to thank our staff, pupils and families for such a positive start across Torfield and Saxon Mount schools.

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } This year’s Year 5 and 6 residential did not go to plan. After several successful years at Bewl Water, we were saddened to hear, just before Christmas, that they had to cancel our booking as they were no longer operating as an outdoor learning centre for children. Mrs Love and Miss Booth persevered and found alternative activities based around the Cuckmere Valley. However, shortly before these were due to take place, we were informed that they too had to be cancelled due to an outbreak of algae in the water. Providing these opportunities for our pupils is so important to us that Mrs Love and Miss Booth looked at the situation creatively and identified a range of different ways for pupils in Years 5 and 6 to enjoy activities such as rock climbing, alongside a variety of activities delivered in school. It wasn’t how we would usually run our residential, but we were proud that, thanks to our dedicated staff, the children were still able to enjoy a week of exciting new opportunities to develop their teamwork and resilience. We are already making plans for next year’s residential and hope that, this time, everything runs according to plan!

As part of our broad and balanced curriculum, we are proud that children learn about the importance of the Battle of Hastings in a range of lessons, including art, where Oceania Class used their stitching skills to recreate sections of the Bayeux Tapestry. You may have seen in the news that the original Bayeux Tapestry is going to be on temporary display at the British Museum. We are delighted to share that, in September 2026, we will be arranging a special visit to London for our Year 6 pupils (those children currently in Year 5) to see this world-famous artefact. We are very grateful for the support of Helena Dollimore MP in making this trip possible. Like us, she is committed to enabling our pupils to access this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the tapestry in the UK. Over the next few weeks, we will be contacting families with details of this trip and answering any questions you may have. If your child will not be in Year 6 next school year and you would like to arrange your own visit to see the tapestry, you can sign up now to the British Museum’s newsletter in order to book tickets when they become available.

Each Year in term 6 we choose a new book for each class to focus their learning on. This year the children have loved the story ‘Don’t Trust Fish’ by Neil Sharpson. They found the book so funny and engaging and loved writing their own version of the book by choosing their own animals. We have used it to explore writing for different purposes and the children are beginning to understand how their style of writing changes for each. If you haven’t read it this is a wonderful book which combines humour with non-fiction.

Today, we are proud to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our pupils at the annual inter-school golf tournament. As the only special school competing, Torfield students showed incredible enthusiasm, teamwork and sporting spirit throughout the day. The event is a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to experience competitive sport in a fun and supportive environment alongside children from schools across Hastings—and they certainly made the most of it coming back to school with lots of smiles on their faces. We are especially proud to share that one pupil achieved an outstanding six hole-in-ones—a brilliant accomplishment! To round off an already fantastic day, we also want to congratulate Torfield’s very own Mr Dobson, who won silver in the teacher mini golf tournament. Well done to everyone involved—what a great day for the Torfield Tornadoes!

This week, Oceania and Antarctica classes enjoyed a truly special trip to London to see a West End performance of The Lion King. It was a fantastic day out, full of excitement and memorable moments. As well as being great fun, the visit helped bring their learning to life, linking beautifully to the story they have been exploring in their literacy lessons and giving them a real insight into the world of theatre. The children also loved taking in some of London’s famous sights on the journey to the theatre, making the whole experience even more special. Trips like this play an important role in supporting not just the children’s learning, but also their confidence, independence and personal development. This starts with our local trips for our youngest children and builds to experiences like this. We are incredibly proud of all the children, who were a real credit to the school throughout the trip, and of the staff who helped make such a wonderful experience happen.

We are proud to be able to share our spring newsletter with you. It details all the experiences and opportunities each class enjoyed during terms 3 & 4, as well as things to look forward to when the children return on Monday 13th April.

“It’s gone from a wasteland to a garden” – Torfield School Councillor Last year, our School Council played a key role in helping to decide the features of our new outdoor learning space. Today, they visited the area to see the elements they had chosen and to plan the next stages of the space’s development. The changes we have made to this part of Torfield mean that all of our classes have been able to access outdoor learning throughout the winter. Now that spring is here, we are enjoying the opportunity to observe the changes of the season and look forward to a summer of inclusive outdoor education at Torfield.

Each term at Torfield, our children enjoy lessons based around a carefully chosen text. This ensures all our pupils benefit from accessing high quality literature across a broad range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. While most texts are set each year, we always leave one term’s choice open so that our school community can select a book they feel is important for our pupils to enjoy. Last year, we chose a new book, The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please, and we are proud to see that it was such a hit in our school that one pupil chose to celebrate World Book Day by coming to Torfield dressed as Glumfoot, one of its characters. Another pupil chose to dress as Hilda from Luke Pearson’s Hilda and the Hidden People. This was an exciting choice, as it is a new book we do not yet have in school—and it may even become one the children study next year. Today’s optional costume day has been just one part of our week long World Book Day celebrations at Torfield. Other activities have included book hunts around the school, tours of book themed classroom doors and, of course, lots and lots of opportunities to enjoy books and reading!

This week, we ended the term in style with our annual Dance Showcase, where each class took to the stage to share the dance techniques they’ve been developing in their PE lessons. It was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to perform, celebrate their hard work, and enjoy the excitement of presenting their learning to an audience. From our younger learners exploring simple rhythm and movement, to our older pupils demonstrating more complex choreography and control, the showcase highlighted the clear progression of skills throughout the school. Watching how pupils’ coordination, confidence and creativity have grown from year group to year group was truly impressive. The atmosphere was full of energy and enthusiasm, and it was fantastic to see children taking part, supporting one another, and showing pride in what they have achieved. Events like this not only celebrate physical education but also help pupils develop teamwork, resilience and a love of performing.

To mark Safer Internet Day, all pupils have taken part in age and stage appropriate lessons and activities focused on using the internet safely. A key theme this year has been the safe and responsible use of AI, helping pupils understand both the opportunities and the potential risks associated with new technologies. At Torfield, we recognise that keeping children safe online is a vital part of our safeguarding role. Online safety is therefore taught regularly throughout the school year, not just on Safer Internet Day. Pupils are supported to use technology safely, responsibly and confidently as part of their everyday learning. To help you continue these conversations at home, class teachers will be sharing class specific ideas and resources on Class Dojo. Please remember that if you ever need support or advice—particularly around setting up safety controls on new devices, staff at Torfield are always available to help.

Don’t worry – we haven’t posted this picture upside down! This week, pupils from Oceania Class took part in an exciting and highly active circus skills workshop, giving them the opportunity to try a range of new physical activities in a fun, inclusive environment. Led by experienced instructors, the session introduced pupils to a variety of circus disciplines and each activity was carefully adapted to ensure that all children could participate, succeed and be challenged at their own level. The workshop broadened our pupils’ experiences of physical activity beyond traditional sports by exploring alternative movement skills, pupils developed key aspects of being active, such as balance, coordination, agility and core strength — all essential foundations for lifelong participation in physical activity. Importantly, the session also promoted confidence, resilience and perseverance. Pupils showed great determination as they mastered techniques that were completely new to them. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience and left feeling proud of their achievements — and perhaps a little like circus stars themselves!

As part of our science curriculum, Oceanian Class began the new term with a visit to Bedgbury to observe seasonal changes in nature. This is regular visit at the start of each term, gives the children the opportunity to see firsthand how the natural world transforms throughout the year. Today’s visit was particularly special. Bedgbury was beautifully icy, offering the perfect setting for a true winter observation. It provided an ideal backdrop to deepen their understanding of how plants and wildlife adapt during the colder months. These visits are an important part of our learning journey, helping pupils connect classroom science with real-world experiences. We look forward to seeing how Bedgbury changes again when we return in spring!