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Newsletter – Spring 2026

By March 18, 2026No Comments

PARENTS AND CARERS NEWSLETTER

Spring 2026

Happy Birthday Farney Close School

We are celebrating, throughout 2026, Farney Close having been in existence for 80 years.

Farney Close was founded in 1946 by Rev. Percy and Vera Wallbridge. Originally it was based on the Isle of Wight, then Dorset, before moving to its current 32-acre site in Bolney, West Sussex, in the early 1960s. The school has always specialised in supporting children with special educational needs.

Our 80th Birthday is a huge milestone for which we are very proud. We are planning to host a variety of events at various points of the year, with our present pupils, parents and carers being invited to celebrate with us at our end of the academic year celebrations in the summer, as well as in December when we bring the celebrations to a close with an even better Disco, BBQ and Firework display. More information to follow about both events.

Ofsted

It has been a very busy year with one thing and another. Ofsted Social Care arrived for their annual inspection in January. We are once again hugely proud of their findings. Please follow this link to read our report:
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/10/SC014513?utm_source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=report

Many thanks to those of you that spoke with the inspectors and for all of the wonderful comments so many of you made.

Staffing

We have seen some staff members come and go this term. Most notably, Chris, one of our senior residential workers, retired in January after 35 years working with us. Whilst we are all really sad to see our resident DJ and master of ceremonies leave us, we also wish him a happy, long retirement.

On the 17th of April we will also be sadly saying goodbye to Steve, our Head of Care. Steve has dedicated 21 years to Farney but now leaves us for pastures new. Both Chris and Steve are being replaced with two new positions.

Firstly, a Head of Residential that Jason Maynard will be taking up. Jason is at present a member of our residential team and steps into this position with a vast amount of experience in various establishments.

The other position is that of Head of Behaviour and Attitude. Becky Clements has successfully secured this position. Becky is at present our School Social Worker and, as part of her new role, she will be supporting our newly appointed Social Worker as they settle into post.

The Head of Residential and the Head of Behaviour and Attitude will both sit on the Senior Leadership team.

We have also appointed a Business Manager. We welcomed Alexia Yang in February. She joins us with lots of experience working with charities and finance, and we are already seeing the benefits of having her in our Senior Leadership team.

Prior to Christmas, Carole Johns, Chair of both Governors and Trustees and our Governor responsible for Safeguarding, resigned. She has been replaced by Nicki Batholomew as Chair of Trustees, Philip Hunt as Chair of Governors, and Zillah Webb, who has taken on responsibility for Safeguarding along with being the Prevent and wellbeing lead for Governors.

Christmas

Whilst it may seem ages ago, I feel it important to mention what a wonderful Christmas we had at Farney. Initiated with the Disco, BBQ and Firework evening and followed by all that traditionally happens at our school with a carol service, Christmas lunch, House decorating competition, cake making and decorating competitions, Christmas jumper day, and culminating in our wonderful Christmas show with elements of fundraising being included.

Unique Experiences

Educational school day trips have taken place, with a Year 7 group going to a STEM workshop at Gatwick, a trip to Wisley, and also one to Hampton Court.

We also sent three Year 10 and 11 children on a 10-week Hair and Beauty course over the Autumn term, with two more pupils due to start this course after the Spring break.

Further trips are planned for the summer term, including visits to Goodwood, a local careers fair, and hopefully groups to view the Bayeux Tapestry, visit the Observatory, and possibly the Shakespeare Globe in London.

Swimming lessons have continued, with our Year 7s being the focus for the Spring term. The summer term will see Years 5 and 6 getting this opportunity. These occur at a local swimming pool and are led by one of our care team who is also trained as a swim teacher.

Our Forest School continues to go from strength to strength this year, with it now running for all Key Stages during various parts of the school day. The new shelter has made a significant difference to our ability to offer this subject throughout the winter, although it has still been rather muddy—apologies for all the muddy shoes and trousers you may have found coming home.

Since January 2025 and the introduction of Lesson 6, children have had the opportunity to join in a huge variety of more vocational, wellbeing, and life skills activities. The subjects covered include Forest School, Photography, Lego Club, Debate Club, Driving Theory Lessons, Motor Mechanics, Construction, STEM, Darts, Chess Club, a variety of sports, Cooking, and Fishing.

Year 10 continue to work towards their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award in this lesson, whilst for Year 11, Lesson 6 is used as an opportunity for revision as we move through the year. Now it has been in place for a year, we are undertaking a review of subjects offered and will input changes felt to be appropriate.

Of an evening, our residential pupils have been participating in a range of rewarding and challenging activities, the most recent addition being scuba diving, which we are hoping to cascade into the school day.

Our Year 11s are gearing up for their exams, which fall quite early into the year. Their last day with us is Monday 15th June, but prior to leaving they are looking forward to a visit to Thorpe Park (behaviour dependent).

Children’s Voice

We value the feedback we gain from children about their experiences at Farney Close. Each Autumn we undertake a questionnaire to formally capture the voice of each child. An action plan is formed as a result of their feedback.

Parents and carers get the same opportunity via a questionnaire sent out over the summer term. We do, however, value feedback—including ideas and observations from children, parents, carers, and associated networks—at any point.

More generally, our school council members, who meet twice each half term, have been fantastic this year, offering lots of positive suggestions and supporting us in helping to move the school forward, with the “voice of the child” being at the top of our agenda. Thank you—you know who you are 😊

Communication

I hope that people have enjoyed the opportunity to meet our education team at our various parent and carer consultations.

Still to take place this academic year are our Year 8 parent consultations on the 20th of March and our Year 9 consultation and options evening on Thursday 14th May at 4:30pm.

We are looking to gather dates for next year’s consultations so that you can get them in your diary. Please do remember that you can get in touch at any point if you wish to discuss anything about the education and care that your child receives at Farney Close.

Your child’s end-of-term report is either with you or about to be. Please get in touch with James, our Head of Education (jmills@farneyclose.co.uk), if you have any questions regarding their school day report, and Steve, our Head of Care (stevedesouza@farneyclose.co.uk), with any questions about their social care report.

Attendance postcards are going out to those who have 95% attendance or over for this term. Principal postcards will also go out to those who have been identified as doing really well.

You will note that we have several inset days over the year, and I must apologise, as previously mentioned, for having to swap one around. We will now have an inset day on Tuesday 5th May instead of Monday 1st June.

The inset days this year have enabled us to accommodate the fact that our Teaching Assistants and Higher-Level Teaching Assistants have gained their ELSA awards. The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention is designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils.

We are already reaping the benefits, as they have been shown techniques to further enhance their ability to support children in learning how to regulate themselves.

The staff at Farney Close extend their best wishes to all our Year 11, Year 12, and Year 13 pupils who are busy preparing for exams and attending interviews in readiness for the next stage of their education. Please support your child in their revision as well as their interview techniques, which we are also supporting them with.

End of Summer Term

As previously mentioned, we are yet to define a date for our end-of-year celebrations, as we are considering holding it earlier than usual. Please bear with us, and we will let you know as soon as we have decided.

Fundraising

Should anyone be interested in supporting the school’s fundraising team with events or applications moving forward, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Fundraising enables us to obtain those extra special additions. Any donations for raffles, tombolas, etc. are always welcomed.

General Information and Moving Forward

We are continuing to refurbish our school. Having completed the cinema room, we have focused on the library and the conference room, where children have assemblies and sit exams.

Our newly located school library has provided a place for children to relax, learn, and access a wide variety of books. The conference room has been decorated and modernised with new mounted posters celebrating a variety of musicals, recognising that this is also where school performances take place.

Our primary area had new outdoor play equipment installed over the February half-term break. The climbing frame and balance bars provide opportunities for outdoor play closer to classrooms.

We are now focusing on the bungalow, formerly known as Bomberg House. This building will become our therapy unit and is due to open at the start of the summer term. It will house our Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and newly appointed Drama Therapist.

Our two therapy assistants will work from this unit, with one room dedicated to Lego therapy. Members of the SEN department will also use this space. Our School Counsellor and Art Therapist will remain in the Archway Cottage.

The therapy team will be overseen by our Head of Behaviour and Attitude.

As you can see, we never sit on our laurels and are always looking at ways to improve our offer. If you have any ideas you would like us to consider, please get in touch.

Dates for Your Diary

  • Friday 20th March – Year 8 parents and carers consultation

  • Friday 27th March – Children return home for the Spring break

  • Wednesday 15th April – Children return to school (staff inset days on 13th and 14th April)

  • Monday 4th May – Bank Holiday

  • Tuesday 5th May – Inset day

  • Wednesday 6th May – Children return to school

  • Thursday 14th May – Year 9 consultation and options evening

  • Friday 22nd May – Start of half-term break

  • Monday 1st June – Children return to school

  • Monday 7th September – Return after summer break (staff inset days: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th September)

A gentle reminder to please ensure that you do not book any holidays during term time so that your child does not suffer any lost learning. Thank you.

Thank You

I hope that you will join me in thanking all the staff at Farney Close for their commitment and hard work. Without every member of our team, we could not provide the service that we do.

Thank you for the support you have offered the school and for the dedication that you show your child.

Have a wonderful break, and we look forward to seeing your child back with us after Easter.

Kindest regards,
Sara

Support Over the Break

If you require support or advice over the Spring break, please use the following:

The Senior Leadership Team (Sara, Ray, Steve, and James) will check emails periodically. Education and care staff emails will not be monitored during the break.

Further Support

You can download the newsletter here.

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