After the Easter break Emperor Class have left the cold winter behind and are looking forward to an eventful Summer term. Some students will be moving on to other places next year and new members will be joining the class so 'Transition' will be a constant theme through the term. Taster visits and classes, the 'Post Papillon Options Event' are typical of the experiences that will help students to prepare for and negotiate the changes that lie ahead.

As with every term, the students will be focussing on topic; this term's is related to our range of modes of transport. 'Trains, Planes and Automobiles' will be investigated and studied. It is a rapidly developing feature of today's world as the drive towards greener options, changes to the types of vehicles we use and the need to look at the environmental and health aspects of travel mean that we must give much more thought to things that we have taken for granted.

There will be community visits related to the topic including an exciting offer from Southeast Communities Rail Partnership which includes an experience in school and an opportunity to go on a rail journey. We will be looking at route planning using tools such as Google Maps to help, looking at timetables for buses and trains and the difference between arrival and departure times.

The class will be completing their portfolios of evidence to be submitted for courses such as ASDAN Personal Progress. Their early submission should enable the students to be presented with their certificates before the end of the academic year. In school, they will be consolidating their newly acquired skills and independence as well as making inroads into the courses they will be working on next.

One aspect of this consolidation of skills and knowledge will be the Enterprise Cafe. They have practiced some more complex culinary skills in recent months. This term we hope to focus more on the 'business' aspects of the cafe with calculations of income and expenditure. They will also work on their customer service skills which will include waiting at table, communication with customers and the presentation of dishes. In doing so, the students will need to employ and hone their functional literacy and numeracy skills in a very practical and meaningful way.

Another exciting innovation this term is the opportunity to join the Ebbisham Centre in Epsom and receive tennis lessons from their professional coach. Our first visit was a great success and an encouraging foundation on which to build through the summer.

We will be building our skills in the horticultural area this term and are looking towards growing flowering plants this year instead of the previous years vegetables.

Best wishes,

Anne, John and the Team