May Newsletter

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

This year seems to be moving very quickly and we now only have one half term left before the end of this academic year! We have a lot going on next half term, in particular we are looking forward to Sports Day and our Family Fun day at the end of term, please make sure you put these dates in your diary.

I would like to thank our school community for their support this and last term. It has not been easy for you with the strike action taking place but you have been incredibly supportive towards the school. The action the staff are taking is about supporting sustainable education in this country, seeking better conditions so that our children get the best education possible.

As always there is a lot going on in the background at school. One of the main changes happening is that we are changing our catering contractors. You will have received a letter explaining the effect of this change and how your child will now order lunch. The change of contract was based on several factors but a big decision for us was price as we are doing as much as we can to keep costs down for our families. I am aware the price is increasing but this is a much smaller increase than if we had stayed with our current provider, it is also only for the next half term. Next year should see a big change as the Mayor of London has agreed to fund all pupils in Key Stage 2 for a school dinner. We will share more information on this at the end of the year.

We have also been working on improving our learning environments and all classes now have an interactive touch-screen board in their class. They are more energy efficient but they also have much better clarity than our previous projectors, allowing for children to have a better view of what the teacher is modeling. The interactive element also allows our pupils to come up and write on the board and share their thinking with the class.

We were very lucky to have had a performance of Oliver Twist delivered at school by M & M theatrical productions for Year 5 and 6. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we are looking to raise money for the Autumn term to invite them back to deliver a pantomime at Christmas  for all our pupils as we think this would be a fantastic experience for them.

If you have experience with working with children, there is currently an opportunity to apply for work with our new afterschool provider, Walkers. They are currently looking for staff for our new after-school club that we are hoping to launch in September. I know many of you are keen for later after-school childcare to support you with work and we are working hard to put this in place fo the start of the next academic year. If you would like to apply, there are hard copies of the application form and the job specification in our School Office.

Finally, I would like to say how proud I am of our Year 6 pupils for their hard work and focus on the build up to and during SATs week. You may have seen in the National Press, the reading paper in particular was very challenging however our children did their best and they all had smiling faces throughout the week. I am very proud of them and of all our staff who have supported them.

Attendance

Spring Term Overall Attendance - 93.2%

Our attendance is picking up - the average for this half term was 93.2%.

However it is vital that every child is in everyday next half term, not just so that we can achieve a good attendance level, but so that they get the most benefit from being at school. Every day missed is a gap in their learning!

Eid Lunch

Another delicious Eid lunch in April. We hope that our Muslim community enjoyed their celebrations after a month of sacrifice and fasting during Ramadan.

Year 1 Trip

Our year 1 children had a lovely day at @Forty_Hall this week to consolidate their learning from their History lessons. They were able to visit the museum, go for a walk around the grounds and enjoy a picnic in the sunshine

King Charles III’s Coronation

Celebrating King Charles III’s coronation at Honilands. Our dining was decorated with Union Jacks galore and the tables were filled with sandwiches, cakes and other treats. Table service was provided and a wonderful time was had by all!!

Poetry Workshop

We were lucky to have a visitor from the Arts Council to talk to the children in assembly. She shared her passion for creative writing and invited budding poets to join the new Poetry Club on Tuesdays. She also told the children about an exciting opportunity for the whole school to publish an anthology of poetry. Watch this space…

Infant Library

As part of our work on reading for pleasure we have set up another library for the infants to use at lunch time. The school librarians support our infants who use this library at lunchtime and help direct them to books that might interest them. This library contains a lot more picture books, many of them newly acquired as part of the schools work with the Literacy Trust.

Oasis Academy Visitors

Year 5 had a visitor from Oasis Academy Secondary School. They were invited to take part in a special Discovery Day session event in the community with a chance to experience languages, food technology and a variety of arts and crafts.

St George’s Day Lunch

In our Headteacher’s assembly, the children learnt about the sacrifice that was made by George and why the Christians called him St George. We decorated the hall and had a fantastic lunch.

Walk to School Week

Our School Councillors, keen to promote healthy lifestyles, planned and performed an assembly to encourage our families to participate in Walk to School Week, this week. #NationalWalkingMonth @livingstreets

Diary dates for term