All pupils must be dressed appropriately during school hours. 

The Greenwell Academy will provide each student with two green jumpers, with our school logo on them, as well as two white polo shirts also with the logo on them.  Pupils can then wear dark tracksuit bottoms or trousers with dark trainers or shoes.

Additional school uniform can be purchased through the school office at a cost of £9 for polo shirts and £13 for jumpers. We often have pre-owned uniforms available at a lower cost. Please contact the school office for more information. 

Parents/Carers will ensure students are appropriately dressed for school. This means wearing dark tracksuits or dark jogger bottoms and The Greenwell Academy embroidered tops. Please note that large and/or offensive logos are not permitted.

Hoodies should not be worn.

Coats should be dark and must be handed in at the start of the day.

Only religious headscarves may be worn, and these must be navy blue or black. Other headscarves, caps, hats and du-rags cannot be worn in school. These must be handed in if the student comes to school with them.

Students may wear a stud in each ear. Other jewellery is not safe because we place an emphasis on practical activities, and we do not want students to be injured by wearing chains or large earrings.

Mobile phones and electronic devices may not be used or worn around the school. There is a lockable safe available to store phones and other devices. All phones and devices will be returned to students at the end of the day. This is for the safety and protection of all students and their equipment. 

A day in the life of a Greenwell student… 

The schedule below shows a typical day at The Greenwell Academy for a student on a full timetable. It is important to note that students will be on personalised timetables and these will be reflective of their needs. Students are taught in groups of up to 8 pupils supported by a teacher and 2 teaching assistants. 

Therapeutic work, which includes speech and language intervention and counselling, takes place during the school day when necessary. 

The only reasons for authorised absence are the following: 

• Genuine illness 
• Being prevented from attending school by any unavoidable cause 
• As a result of a religious observance by the pupil's parents – must be requested in writing to the attendance office prior to the event. 
• If the school is not within walking distance of the child's home (3 miles) and arrangements have not been made by the local authority for the child's transport to and from school 
• Medical and dental appointments (a whole day's absence is not acceptable and parents should aim to arrange such appointments to minimise disruption to the school day) – supported by an appointment letter/card 
• Family bereavement 
• To participate in approved public performances 
• Job interviews 
• Suspension

On the first day of absence, the school office should be contacted by 9am stating the exact reason for the absence. Failure to contact the school could result in a visit from a member of staff to ascertain the reason for the absence. This is to safeguard the welfare of all pupils. 

Pupils can access a range of engaging online platforms, including SENECA to support curriculum learning, Giglets to develop reading skills and comprehension, and Times Tables Rock Stars to build confidence and fluency in times tables. To further support early reading, families can also request access to Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics videos, enabling parents and carers to reinforce learning at home in a familiar and structured way.

Our remote provision is designed to be flexible, supportive and accessible, meeting the individual needs of our SEMH learners and their families. All pupils have access to these online platforms, and any misplaced passwords can be requested through the school office. 

Local Authority School Travel Assistance 

Some of our pupils may be eligible for support from the local authority for getting to and from school. This support is usually offered in the form of a taxi to and from school or a parent support budget to assist with the cost of fuel when getting pupils to and from school. 

If you require travel assistance for your child starting in the September term, please ensure you apply through your local council before 20th April. Your SEN caseworker should be able to support you in this process. Please note that transport is commissioned through Essex Local Authority, and the school has no input around decisions and logistics. However, if help is required to complete the form, please get in touch with the school office on 01279 746 845. 

Information that may be required for this process includes the following:

• A medical statement or letter from the child’s GP

• The most recent copy of your tax credits award notice from HMRC

• Evidence of parent's disability

• Name of the child's allocated social worker if the child is looked after by the local authority

• Evidence that the child requires a passenger assistant, such as documentation from the child’s school or from a medical professional.

More information, including information regarding eligibility, can be found on the Essex Local Government Website.

Every pupil is offered breakfast when they arrive at school. This consists of toast, cereal and bagels. Pupils then have a snack, which is served in their classrooms and varies weekly. Fruit and yoghurt are always available.  

Our lunch is cooked in the Moundwood kitchen and delivered to Greenwell via a hot trolley. There is an option of a main meal, jacket potatoes or a sandwich/ baguette daily. Pupils and staff enjoy their meals together as part of our family-style dining. 

Menus will be uploaded shortly, but please contact the school office for further information in the meantime. 

Headteacher and DDSL – Dean Monfires 
Deputy Headteacher and DSL – Lucy Goodman 
Admin officer – Ramona Vincent 
Pastoral lead DSP – Robert Hepworth 
Class teachers – Zuhre Ismail, Andrea Sofroniou and Arti Nischal 

Greenwell Academy Safeguarding Team

All members of staff (including agency staff, volunteers and students on placement) have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn, and they should be aware of systems which support safeguarding and must inform Lucy Goodman, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Dean Monfries, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) of any child protection concerns (i.e. concerns about welfare or safety) about a child or member of staff as a matter of utmost urgency.

 More information about safeguarding can be found on our Policy page. 

Our school works closely with a range of specialist services to support pupils’ health, wellbeing and learning. These include:

• Integrative counselling with Helen
• Mental Health Support from the SEND MHST (Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust), Speech and Language Therapy (West Essex)
• School Nursing provided by HCRG Care Group in partnership with Barnardo’s.

If families have any concerns and wish to make a referral, please contact the school office.

Please see below for further information about each service.

Integrative Counselling with Helen

Hello, I’m Helen!
 
I offer integrative counselling, which means that I combine a range of theories and practices to best suit the child or young person’s needs.
 
This includes:

• play-based therapy
• cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
• dialectical behaviour therapy skills (DBT)
• person-centred talking therapy
• psychodynamic psychotherapy

 My areas of specialism are:

• the impacts of, and responses to, trauma
• victim/survivors of sexual violence
• individuals exhibiting harmful sexual behaviours
• neurodivergence, in particular autistic children and young people
• adoption and looked after children

 I am qualified to level 7 (Masters level) and can work with children from age 4+.
 
I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy).