Congratulations Kelly

 A proud moment for the Polygon School community! 

​We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our very own Head of Kitchen, Kelly Crow, on winning Secondary School of the Year 2026!

 

​Kelly’s journey in catering began 12 years ago when she started as a Kitchen Assistant at Oakwood Primary. Her dedication and talent saw her progress rapidly, leading her to become Polygon School’s Head of Kitchen in 2024.

 

​Kelly is an incredibly valued member of our staff. Warm, accommodating, and highly competent, she brilliantly manages one of the most vital roles in our school.

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Huge congratulations, Kelly! We are incredibly proud of you!

Allotment Transformation!

Summer is here and things are thriving at the allotment!!! There have been so many updates in the last few months which have really made a difference to the space. 

Mr Harvey and various staff and pupils have been involved in the installation of the new polytunnel. This has been a huge project and has really taken efforts from the Allotment team and pupils to get it up in time to get planting before the Summer Holidays. 

Miss Thom conducted a whole school survey, to really get some feedback and understand how the allotment makes our pupils feel and how this resource has been helpful. There is a display of the results in the shelter. This has also tied in with year 2 of TAAES (a project designed to help schools become more inclusive, nurturing and responsive to the needs of children who have experienced trauma or have attachment-related challenges)

Fruit and vegetables plants are thriving in the sunshine. and the number of bees and wildlife you can see on the wild flower bed is amazing! 

When starting their journey with us, 3JG planted some sunflowers in their tutor room and as they will be moving up to year 8 , it was time to let the sunflowers grow out in the wild. These have been planted at the back of the wild flower bed and will hopefully continue to grow. 

It's been really great to see pupils from the Classroom Based Pathway & Engagement Pathway utilise the allotment for some lovely outside time and a change of scenery whilst the sun has been out. This has all again reflected the work in the TAEES project. 

In memory of our dearly missed Jane Brobson, we have added a bench which overlooks the whole patch so staff and pupils can remember her and have a lovely place to sit and admire the hard work which has gone into the allotment, and are always welcome to sit and reflect. 

Year 8 War Poems.

 War Poems. 

This half-term year 8 have been looking at World War 1 and poetry. They have started learning to analyse poetry using the acronym FLIRT, and applied it to small poems.  Alongisde this they have all done deep dives into WW1, the impact of it and various key events that happened. To finish the unit, both classes have written a poem each about war, which they are all proud of. 

 

Diversity Day 2026

 

Despite the heat it was amazing to see the whole staff team and pupils out in the sunshine smiling, dancing, enjoying ice poles, and playing with bubbles and just being united after break today. We are so proud of our school community everyday but today was special! 

We had a lovely speech given to us from our lovely Headteacher Mr penfold, which detailed what Diversity Day means to The Polygon and highlighted how important it is to accept others. 

Diversity day is about celebrating the amazing diversity in our school community and celebrating all the wonderful complexities of people that make us individuals. The rainbow flag may represent the LGBTQ+ community but pride is so much more. Pride celebrates all types of diversity. All races, religions, disabilities, genders, identities and socio-economic backgrounds. 

Pride is a celebration of love 

Pride is a celebration of acceptance 

Pride is a celebration of kindness

All people have the right to be treated equally and be respected no matter what background they come from and that is what Pride is a celebration of.

Our staff team are so proud of our pupils!

Enjoy the sunshine!    

Benefits of Fishing with the EP Pupils

 Fishing sessions have been an important part of the Engagement Pathways team’s work, giving pupils the chance to try and build skills in angling. Through regular sessions, pupils are introduced to fishing in a safe and supportive environment, helping them feel comfortable taking part.

As pupils gain experience, many grow from beginners into confident participants who can use equipment, understand techniques, and feel proud of what they achieve. This progress builds confidence and helps keep them engaged.

Fishing also helps pupils develop important skills such as patience, concentration, and resilience. It encourages them to focus and problem-solve, while also supporting teamwork and communication. For pupils who find the classroom challenging, fishing provides a different way to succeed and build self-esteem.

Spending time outdoors also adds to these benefits. The calm, natural environment helps pupils relax, reduce stress, and support their wellbeing.

ASDAN PSHE: Engagement Pathways

PSHE: Emotional Wellbeing

Pupils on the Engagement Pathway have been working through the PSHE Short Course ASDAN award. This has been quite successful through this year, with clear structure and easy to follow activities to support the learning content.

 

Module 1 of this course is Emotional Wellbeing. The aim of this module is to develop young people’s understanding of emotional wellbeing and mental health. It provides opportunities to learn about, and practise, strategies that recognise and support good emotional wellbeing.

 

Firstly, we learned about how being connected to others can improve emotional wellbeing and we explored how we can practice this in our own day to day lives. Pupils created posters on what activities could support improved mental wellbeing.

Next, we focused on common types of mental ill health, where pupils were given space to research different issues and learn more about illnesses which they may or may not have heard about before. Pupils did some great writing pieces about what they learned.

Following on from this, the pupils completed some work around recognising the early signs of poor mental health, and we created checklists on what we signs we can look for in ourselves and other people.

Finally, we looked at activities that can promote positive emotional wellbeing. We explored physical exercise, time outdoors, community participation and volunteering. Pupils were given the choice to then create a short film or a poster of their research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EZA Communications

 EZA car has a arranged an extra special treat for the A-MAY-ZING work this week!

Keep it up, who knows what other treats could be in store!

Offsite Personal Development

 As part of their personalised timetables, pupils on the school’s Engagement Pathways all benefit from the opportunity to engage with some form of Personal Development.

Previously referred to as ‘Engagement’, Personal Development allows pupils to learn new skills individualised to their needs, gain new experiences that will benefit them in their education and future employment and help them to enjoy school in a non-traditional way, which they may have previously struggled with.

Some examples of this include:

 

Pupils going to the shop to buy supplies for future projects, this helps them to learn about budgeting and interacting with others.

Outdoor activities in the New Forest or large wooded areas that helps pupils to learn about and engage with nature in ways they may not have previously had the opportunity to.

Trips to museums and car showrooms which are tremendously beneficial for pupil’s education and building a better relationship with their schooling