At The Forest School, we use Edulink to enhance communication and streamline access to essential school information. This powerful platform is designed to help students stay organized, informed, and engaged in their education.

What Can You Do on Edulink?

• View Your Timetable: Keep track of your lessons and stay prepared for the day ahead.
• Homework and Assignments: Access details of your homework, including deadlines, resources, and teacher feedback.
• Attendance Records: Monitor your attendance and punctuality.
• School Notices and Updates: Stay informed with important announcements, events, and key dates.
• Exam Timetables: Check schedules for upcoming assessments and exams.

How to Access Edulink
You can access Edulink via the app or website using your school login credentials. The platform is easy to navigate, and help is always available if you experience any issues.

Using Edulink ensures that you stay connected and organized, helping you to focus on your learning and personal development. Make Edulink a part of your daily routine to get the most out of your time at The Forest School!

We are pleased to offer details of The Forest School’s 121 Chromebook Scheme. The Forest School successfully introduced the Chromebook into the classroom developing the use of the Google suite as well as enhancing the use of digital learning resources to support rapid progress for all our students.

The expectation is that all students have a school approved Chromebook to support their classroom learning every day in school.  It is therefore essential that every student, in this year group, is equipped with the device.  

We have worked with our students to select a device that will be used across the school. This has been selected on the basis of cost and durability. The selected device is the Lenovo 300e, click here to view, and the following purchase options are available:

Orders should be placed via The Freedom Technology portal: https://www.tech4learners.co.uk with the login Username; Forest2024 and Password: S3cure02! which will be open from Monday 11 November 2024 until Friday 10 January 2025.  Direct Debit payments will be taken on Saturday 25 January 2025.  

If you have any further queries regarding the scheme please use the contact us section on The Freedom Tech website or sallen@forest.academy.

At The Forest School, we believe in inspiring our young people; 'our future world leaders'.  The Duke of Edinburgh award is central to our school ethos, as we know that incredible learning and experiences happen through completing the full suite of Volunteering, Skills, Physical, (Residential) and Expedition sections of the DofE award.'

The DofE team are running virtual sessions designed to help parents and carers understand how to best support a young person through their Dof E journey.  Please click here for all the dates, details and how to book.

1. Sign into your eDofE account with the login details sent to you.
2. Complete your contact details to receive your DofE welcome pack
3. Use the ideas for activities via the opportunity finder to help you write your plan and complete the details for your volunteering, physical and skills sections (Gold participants should also complete the details for their residential section), once completed please submit to your DofE Leader, Mrs Deer cdeer@forest.academy
4. Choose your assessor and tell them what you will be doing, your goals in achieving this and how you plan to evidence them. 
5. Download the eDofE from the App Store and start completing your sections, logging evidence for them as you go. 

The DofE at The Forest School provides a balanced programme of activities that develop the whole person in an environment of social interaction and team working.

We currently offer the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. 

We offer an extensive range of extra-curricular activities at The Forest School which can help you to complete each section. Activities you take part in outside of school could also count towards the award. Choose activities that motivate you and go on your own personal journey. 

For more DofE references and guides please click here

Please work through the training links below and answer the relevant questions. 

Every completed training section includes an online quiz. When completed it can be uploaded as your evidence of participation in training. 

1. Expeditions 

2. Cooking - please watch both videos

3. How to pack a rucksack

4. Putting up a tent (Bronze)

5. Compass and Navigation

6. Putting up at tent (Silver) 

Bronze - £200,  Silver- £260. Gold - POA. Please note once your child has been accepted, any monies paid are non-refundable. 

Although students will have regular meetings with our DofE Manager to receive support, we would like to remind you that, as this is an extra-curricular activity, we expect students, as well as parents / carers, to ensure that the different sections are completed and that they are done so on time.

The Physical, Skills and Volunteering sections must be undertaken once a week, with two of these sections to be completed over three months, and one over six months. Although students will be assisted in selecting appropriate activities and monitored throughout the delivery of the Award, completion of these sections will primarily be the responsibility of the students taking part. 

You can find more useful information on the DofE website.

For more information please email Mrs Deer cdeer@forest.academy

The school Finance Office sells:

Satchel One (previously known as Show My Homework) is an online tool that students and parents can access in order to view the homework set by teachers'. Each student and parent has a personal login. 

Homework is regularly set, please check the Show My Homework app daily.

KS3 Homework Expectations (a fortnight)

• English - 2 x 40mins
• Maths - 2 x 40mins
• Science - 2 x 40mins
• Computer Science - 1 x 40mins
• Art/Photography - 1 x 40mins
• Geography - 1 x 40mins
• History - 1 x 40mins
• RE/Citizenship - 1 x 40mins
• Music - 1 x 40mins
• Design Technology/Food - 1 x 40mins
• Languages - 2 x 40mins

KS4 Homework Expectations (a fortnight)

• English - 2 x 50mins
• Maths - 2 x 50mins
• Science - 2 x 50mins
• Computer Science - 1 x 50mins
• Art/Photography - 1 x 50mins
• Geography - 1 x 50mins
• History - 1 x 50mins
• RE/Citizneship - 1 x 50mins
• Music - 1 x 50mins
• Design Technology/Engineering - 1 x 50mins
• Food/Catering - 1 x 50mins
• Languages - 2 x 50mins

KS5 Homework Expectations (a fortnight)

• 5 x 100mins per option subject

Student Guide - www.help.satchelone.com/en/articles/5472638-student-video-guides

 STUDY RESOURCES

Google Classroom

Students have a plethora of study resources at their fingertips. At The Forest we have invested in the GCSE Pod resource. Each student is supplied with details of how to log in.

https://www.gcsepod.com/

SENECA

https://app.senecalearning.com

BBC Bitesize

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Kerboodle

https://www.kerboodle.com/users/login

Which House are you in?

There are seven Houses at The Forest. Their names are all related to large forests in England.

Ashdown, Bramshill, Kielder, Langdale, New, Sherwood and Windsor

Every student in the school is assigned to a House; in Years 7 to 11.

The House system is an integral part of school life at The Forest providing opportunities for our students to engage in a wide range of activities in which they can experience friendly competition and rivalry. 

Commendations constitute ASPIRE House Points and recognised individually and as a House in Celebration assemblies at the end of each term.

Bonus House points are awarded for the following:

• Outstanding punctuality
• Attendance above the school’s 96% target
• 100% Attendance
• Zero discredits
• Working at or exceeding academic target grades

Competitions are provided for the boys to experience camaraderie and a sense of belonging to their House and school. It provides practice in the important life skills of managing “success with humility and defeat with dignity.”

Showcase events include:

• Year 7 Shakespeare House Festival
• Year 7 Music ‘Sing-off’ House competition
• All Years - House Debating Club
• All Years - House Football Tournament 
• All Years - House Rugby Festival
• All Years - House X Country Event
• Years 7 to 10 - House Swimming Gala
• Years 7 to 10 - House Athletics and Sports Day

The House events in blue have a 100% participation rate with equally weighted duel competitions for the more able students and for those who are developing towards these levels. Students who are injured or unwell on the day fulfil one of the following roles to ensure they do not miss out on the engagement opportunity, camaraderie or the chance to represent their House: Marshall, officiator, scorer, or coach.

All House competitions are positively celebrated at the end of each term in our Holistic ‘Celebration Assemblies’ with student voice from team captains and awards for the House with:

• Highest attendance
• Least discredits
• Most ASPIRE reward points
• House Competition placement

Students have use of the school/public Library at both break times during the school day.  They may use it after school from 15:30 for quiet study or reading during the public library opening hours of 15:30 - 17:00 Tuesday - Friday.  Please note the Library closes at 17:00.

Winnersh Library is part of Wokingham Libraries, so your child's library card can be used in any library in the Borough. Obtain a PIN from the library and you can renew your books online.

We are Aspens Services, a market leading contract catering company specialising in school food.   

We only work in the education sector so we know what our customers want.  Mixing this knowledge with an understanding of what’s hot in the food world sparks creativity and excitement in our chefs. Our kitchens provide delicious home cooked food each day and cater for individual dietary requirements.

Menus

Streateries is our secondary meal offer where everyday has a theme. Featuring Global cuisines, customised offers and food on the move, we are bang up to date with the current trends whilst still ensuring that there is a place on the menu for the comfort of our familiar school dining hall favourites. Each day the menu includes as standard a street food dish, a hand held version, vegetarian/vegan choices along with a selection of sides. The Streateries menu rotates on a three-week basis and refreshes for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer seasons.  

Our Deli Kitchen brand is for the popular standard Aspens hot and cold Grab'N'Go offers. This can range from Authentic Italian pizza and pasta, Hacienda Mexicana’s burritos, rice pots and sides and Voulez Poulet’s house rub chicken, dogs and sides through to our range of healthy sandwiches, paninis, wraps, jacket potatoes, salads, fruit and cold dessert pots.

Aspens operates a cashless catering system using biometric authentication to provide the facility for students to purchase meals, snacks and cold drinks. Parents can access ScoPay through an app or online to add funds to their child's account.

Where can my child get their lunch or a snack?

Our cafeteria supplies a range of healthy hot and cold food, snacks and drinks, and is situated near the main entrance. It is open before school and during break and lunchtimes. 

We encourage students to bring in refillable water bottles; as a school we try to limit the use of single use plastic. We have several water fountains in school.  

Catering services in the main school are provided by Aspens.

Streateries Menu 24/25

We don't accept cash at the canteen tills as we operate a cashless catering system.