Spring 2 Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers

Spring Blossoms and School Buzz

Spring is already upon us, with daffodils blooming around the school grounds. Despite the chilly weather, we've been keeping busy with various activities at Honilands Primary School.

Scootfit Fun

Our children had a fantastic time this week participating in 'Scootfit' sessions set to music. These sessions not only taught them to use scooters confidently but also emphasized the importance of staying fit through scooting. It is very encouraging to witness some of our children using scooters as a means of transportation to school.

Library Revamp

I’m very excited to announce that the main school library has undergone significant improvements. The library has had the space expanded to accommodate more books, including a section dedicated to graphic novels which has sparked great excitement among the children. We've also introduced a new computer system for book loans, making it easier to track the children's reading habits throughout the year. We encourage daily reading for at least 15 minutes as it significantly contributes to the development of fluency, a key skill once they have learnt to decode using phonics.

World Book Day Celebration

Looking ahead, we're gearing up to celebrate World Book Day this Thursday. This special day will be dedicated to reading and engaging in fun activities centred around books. We invite parents to join us from 1:50pm and be a part of this exciting event. Please try to be prompt for the 2 pm start; we will keep access to the school up until 2:15 pm. Please can we ask that only one parent or carer attend, as this is such a popular event and classrooms do not have the space for more than one child per adult. Finally, a reminder to please turn phones on airplane mode when in school, and phones should not be out around children – if you need to take a phone call, please go to the school office.

We will also be running a bookshop on the day where children can spend their £1 World Book Day vouchers. We will also have a giveaway in the hall of lots of books that the school no longer needs and that need a new home.

School Improvements and After-School Care

Coming up this term, we also have some further school improvements taking place. We will be enhancing the surfacing in our Reception area to make it more versatile and usable throughout the year, ensuring our little ones have the best learning environment possible. This will mean that there may be disruption for 3 days while the wet pour surfacing is being laid. We will keep you informed of the dates and the change in route for drop-offs.

At Easter, we will also be upgrading our school wi-fi network. With so many children using their Chromebooks regularly in lessons, helping to enhance their learning, we need to make sure we have a fast enough infrastructure to be able to cope with all the demands.

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend to you our after-school provision. Walkers After-School Club, set in our ‘Treehouse’ building, is an excellent option for after-school care for your children if needed. They are fully OFSTED checked, and all the staff have full vetting – not only this but as the building is part of our site it is subject to full safety checks. The club is very competitively priced, and I would ask that you consider it seriously as a strong option for your child if they need after-school care. Many parents asked me to secure after-school care for Honilands; however, if it is not adequately supported, we cannot guarantee its future availability, so please make sure you use it rather than other providers.

Improving Attendance

I am pleased to see that our school attendance level has been improving and want to thank you for your support and diligence. Good attendance at school is vital to pupils getting the best outcomes for learning. Missing school regularly can mean that children have gaps in their understanding; struggle with their confidence; affect friendships; and has a long-term impact on the levels they achieve at each key stage. Our attendance for this year is now 93%, only 1% off the current National level. Please keep working on getting your children into school and we will continue to close the gap before the end of the Summer Term.

Also worth noting is ensuring pupils are punctual, we have had a lot of late arrivals over the last couple of weeks and this impacts our children's reading as reading groups across the school start at 9:00 am sharp. Please ensure children arrive at school between 8:40 am and 8:50 am. 

We are also looking to launch a new app for parents that will help with communication and booking with the school. We are currently just fine-tuning it and will hopefully be sharing details of how to upload it and use it shortly.

Farewell to Mr. Voight

There is some sad news to also share this half term. It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you about the departure of Mr. Voight, our dedicated Site Manager, who will be leaving us at the end of this half-term after an incredible 31 years of service. We are immensely grateful for his tireless efforts in making our school a beautiful place for our children to learn and grow, and we wish him all the best with his plans for the future.

Regular updates on social media

Please look on our school website, Twitter and Instagram page, which are uploaded regularly, to see just some of the exciting activities that our pupils are taking part in. Links are found at on the school webpage: https://honilandsps.schoolzineplus.co.uk/

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.