Newfield school - what can you tell me about it?

[Funky Dave 10]

Do you remember the VOT/NBA rivalry? Was there ever any actual fighting, or was it all bravado? During my day 1990-1995, the only trace of the Newfield Barmy Army was nothing more than some old graffiti on some of the buildings.

 

Anyway, just to start the fights back up.... I hear it's the kids who would have been in the Valley catchment area that have made Newfield so bad. Discuss!

[shelley1 10]

I went to Newfield 10 years ago and there is nothing wrong with it! not perfect but no dump either. My nephew and cousins kids r there now.

 

Go Newfielder!!

[KYeates 10]

Thank you to all who have e-mailed back to me. As Headteacher of the school I listen and read all comments made. Many are interesting, some are ill informed and some seem to be basically malicious. The only way to find out what is going on in the school is to contact us and arrange to visit. All are very welcome to do so as we believe that what we have done over the past 12 months has had a very positive impact.

COME TO THE OPEN EVENING ON 29th SEPTEMBER 2004 for a glimpse of what we are doing and to find out what we plan for the future.

[borninsheffield 10]

I went to Newfield school and it isn't that bad at all. they are about to have all new buildings as well./ Certainly don't send your kid to Mrytle Springs if you want it to get a good education. That school has one of the worste results in sheffield.

[KYeates 10]

Items of interest:

The Science department at Newfield School obtained the highest rise in sats results in Sheffield and against a background of a national fall of 2% actually went up by 8% - this placed them in the top 7.5% in the country.

One of Newfield students was in the top 5% at GCSE for MFL and in the top 5% for RE.

We have been told that we are definitely going to have a new building. It will be state-of-the-art with all ribbons, whistles, bells and sirens you would ecpect from a school built for the 21st Century and the most up to date technology.

[KYeates 10]

Yes I can spell "expect" as I am a teacher. Sadly I am not a typist!

[espadrille 10]

I have just sold my house purely because newfield school is the school that my son went to 3 years ago and had to transfer to King Edward v11 school.He has a special need( epilepsy, dyspraxia and a social difficulty).He did not get the right support at school and he was picked on. Despite being intelligent, he was not pushed to achieve his potential.

I have an 8 year old at Carfiled school who would go there if we still lived in the area.

I am having to take out a bigger mortgage to move to the area where my son attends school as the travel expenses would be too expensive to send 2 children to King Edwards.

My experience of that school is not a good one.

You can have a new building but it takes something much more radical than that to change the way a school is run and managed.

[shelley1 10]

Should'nt your son have gone to a special needs school if that is the case??? or do Newfield have a special needs section?

[Evei 10]

It would be lovely if children could be all educated together (inclusion) but it's hard to work it. There are only so many teaching assistants / professional teaching assistants per year and many children with learning disabilities, many with parents who are demanding and want thier child to have the assistant with them at all times.

 

I have one class (not at Newfield) that has half of the class with SEN, it's hard to teach what is expected when they all have different needs, Teachers cannot plan a lessons for groups like this unless they are given time to plan and make fab lessons that need to also be suited to each pupil. I always wish I could do more for my SEN pupils but I just have to try my best with the resources and time allowed.

 

Many schools have excellent SEN departments, often taking the SEN pupils out to do extra /alternative work and give them strategies to help in class; though as they are taken out of the 'normal' lesson it's not really inclusion, if it cannot be done in the normal lesons, it makes me wonder how good ( there IS lots of goods things i can think of!)it is for pupils with SEN to be in a school as they often do get picked on because they are 'different' in other pupils eyes as they get taken out of lessons to do 'things'

 

I hope your child does well at his new school :-)

[espadrille 10]

My son is really doing well at King Edwards.

The problem is that he has epilepsy, dyspraxia and a social difficulty( on the autistic spectrum) but doesnt want to admit to any of it so he percieves himself as not having any need at all!!which is good in 1 respect but hard from parents views.

 

He will manage, but he did not manage at all at Newfield.

[Plain Talker 11]

Originally posted by shelley1

Should'nt your son have gone to a special needs school if that is the case??? or do Newfield have a special needs section?

 

I have to disagree geently with you, shelley1, about segregating kids with SEN.

 

If at all practicable, i do feel that children with SEN's or disabilities should be taught in mainstream schools, where possible, and I am firmly of the belief that, if a child is physically disabled, and of "normal" intellect, then there should be no barriers to inclusion in mainstream. I feel that, if children with SENs and Physical disabilities are included, the other children get an experience of a more "rounded and diverse society". It helps them be empathetic, accepting, and understanding of People with Disabilities (PWD's)

 

There are always going to be children who have learning disabilities so severe that they would not manage at all in a mainstream school, no matter how much money and resources were thrown theier way. My two youngest nephews are a case n point. one is 15, and functions at the level of a pre-schooler (he is functionally, about 4-ish) and the other is 12, and because if severe brain damage, he functions at about 18/20 months. they would never manage in mainstream schooling. However, they are in an excellent special needs school which is really doing well for them both.

 

It is obvious that maistream would be innapropriate for my nephews, I mean, just visualise it....

 

There's the class of 12 -yr olds, all sat in the chemistry laboratory, learning the periodic table... and there's my nephew, bless him, with the brain function of a toddler, expected to comprehend manufacturing hydrogen with the hydrochloric acid and whatever it was that we reacted it with... Obviously, it would not work.

 

I went to senior-school with a group of four kids who had physical disabilities, who had been transfered into mainstream schooling, from a "special" school. (we also had a Partially-Hearing Unit, or PHU) To a man, the four disabled students all said that, in their experience, the mainstream schooling was preferable to them, as they were getting an education, rather than the emphasis on "physical achievement" that was pushed at the special school. (to the detriment of their academic achievement). I know that four wheelchair users, out of a school of about 1500-odd pupils doesn't sound much, but in the mid-1970's, you have to appreciate, the idea of integration, well! This was a ground-breaking concept!

 

At that time I was not disabled, myself. I think that the "normality" of having the lads who were wheelchair-users around us, helped me be more accepting of my own physical limitations when I acquired a disability, myself, 11 years ago, and had to rely on a wheelchair.

 

25-odd years on, I am still friends with, and still "knock-about -with" at least three of them (the fourth is no longer with us. He, sadly, had a terminal condition, which he would not have survived out of his teens)

 

PT

[espadrille 10]

I agree that where possible, with the right resources(and that is the main problem), that kids with a special need should be intgrated within mainstream schools.

They should not be excluded at all.

They need extra support due to their difficulties but they should be treat in the same way as the other kids.

I work for a charity that helps and supports people to find employment with learning disabilities/mental health problems and autism and I see so much misunderstanding in the workplace, due to employesrs not been eductaed in the rights of people with disabilities.They also jump to conclusions that people are not capable of doing their job due to their difficulties.

I am not sure that the disability discrimination act addresses that, but we are working on it.

Schools need to be managed properly and teachers need to be trained in how to deal with kids with disabilities and special needs,not exclude tham as soon as they misbehave.

The reason(usually) that they misbehave in the first place is usually because they have not been taught correctly The teacher does not know why they are behaving in the way they do, and even if they do know, they do not have time to spend more time with a kid needing extra help.

The Governement has a lot to account for.More money is required.