A message from Mrs Allen
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that you all enjoyed a restful half-term break and found some time to relax with family and friends. It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school this week. The school has quickly returned to its usual purposeful atmosphere, and it has been lovely to see the children returning with renewed energy, enthusiasm and readiness to learn.
Before the break, our Year 5 pupils enjoyed a fantastic visit to Burghley House. The children took part in an informative tour of the house, which complemented their History learning about the Tudors, before exploring the Sculpture Garden as part of their Art and Design studies on 3D installations. Educational visits such as these are invaluable in bringing learning to life and helping children make meaningful connections between the classroom and the wider world.
This week, children across the school have been completing their Challenge Week assessments. Regular assessment is an important part of our approach to understanding how well children are learning and identifying the next steps in their education. As these assessments take place routinely throughout the academic year, our pupils now approach them with remarkable maturity and very little stress or fuss. They understand that these are simply another part of school life and an opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do. The outcomes, alongside teachers' ongoing assessments, will help inform discussions at our forthcoming Parents' Evenings on Tuesday 17th November and Wednesday 18th November from 3.30pm until 6.00pm. Further information regarding appointment booking will be shared with families in a separate communication.
On Monday, our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils took part in a First Aid course delivered by Inspire+. We greatly value our partnership with Inspire+, whose work supports our vision of helping children lead happy, healthy and active lives. The course provided pupils with practical skills and knowledge that could one day help them support themselves or others in an emergency. The children engaged brilliantly throughout the day and should be very proud of what they learnt.
As we move further into the winter months, I would also like to ask for your support in ensuring that children are dressed appropriately for the changing weather. Please make sure that your child comes to school each day with at least a school jumper and a warm, waterproof coat. On PE days, children should also bring suitable spare shoes. Unfortunately, a significant number of children are still arriving without a change of footwear, which has limited our ability to use the field for outdoor PE. At this time of year, the field becomes extremely muddy and it is not appropriate for children to wear mud-covered shoes around the school building. Having a spare pair of shoes allows children to continue benefiting from outdoor physical activity while helping us keep the school environment safe and clean. Of course, please ensure all items are clearly named so that they can be returned to your child if they are ever misplaced! Thank you for your support with this.
As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership. I hope you enjoy reading about the many opportunities and experiences our children have enjoyed over the past few weeks.
Kind regards,
Mrs Allen
Headteacher
