Friday 20 December 2013


The last day of term is finally here and I have to say I do not think that the children could have lasted any longer as their excitement builds for THE big day next week. It has certainly been action-packed in school this week with all the shows and parties, and indeed, as I am typing this there is laughter coming from the hall as the children are enjoying ‘Peter Pan’. A lot of them have come dressed as a pantomime character. I want to thank everyone for their contributions for wearing the costumes - it is most generous of you all. Thank you also for your kind donations for the Great Ormond Street Hospital during the Carol Concert and the Christmas Shows. We have managed to raise an amazing £303 and I know they will be most grateful for this donation.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May I also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has sent me gifts.  I hope you all get what you want for Christmas (what I want is for someone to cook Christmas dinner for me) and I  look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday, 7th January – all refreshed and willing to embrace the new year.

The last day of term is finally here and I have to say I do not think that the children could have lasted any longer as their excitement builds for THE big day next week. It has certainly been action-packed in school this week with all the shows and parties, and indeed, as I am typing this there is laughter coming from the hall as the children are enjoying ‘Peter Pan’. A lot of them have come dressed as a pantomime character. I want to thank everyone for their contributions for wearing the costumes - it is most generous of you all. Thank you also for your kind donations for the Great Ormond Street Hospital during the Carol Concert and the Christmas Shows. We have managed to raise an amazing £303 and I know they will be most grateful for this donation.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May I also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has sent me gifts.  I hope you all get what you want for Christmas (what I want is for someone to cook Christmas dinner for me) and I  look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday, 7th January – all refreshed and willing to embrace the new year.

Friday 13 December 2013


Just one week to go until the end of term. I normally say at this point that we can all look forward to a rest but with the Christmas holiday that usually does not happen – certainly not for the adults anyway. This week we had the first of our Christmas events which was the school Christmas lunch. The children all appear to really enjoy this - especially as all the staff serve them their meal. I would like to thank the PTA for donating the juice and crackers and I would also like to thank all the parents who volunteered to do playground duty so the MSAs could join the rest of the staff for their Christmas Lunch –it was much appreciated.

We have had the figure through for how much was raised at the ‘Frost Fayre’ and I am pleased to announce that we raised an amazing £4018.  This is a fantastic amount of money and I would once again like to thank all the PTA who helped to raise this – we will certainly put it to good use for the benefit of the children.

I had a visit this morning from some very concerned parents. They were very upset that while they were walking their children to school a parent, while reversing their car, mounted the pavement. This is very dangerous behaviour. I have asked on numerous occasions for parents not to drive their cars up to the school during dropping off and picking up times but some parents just choose to ignore it. Let us not wait for an accident before everyone starts following this request.

Next week is an action packed week in school which is why in my last newsletter I republished the December dates to make sure that nobody misses anything. Remember that on the last day that children can come dressed as a pantomime character but if they do they must pay a pound for the privilege and then any money that we raise will be matched by Barclays Bank. If they choose not to dress up that is fine but then they must come in school uniform. On the last day remember we also finish at 2.00pm.

I look forward to seeing to seeing many of you at our Christmas shows and Carol Concert next week. I am certainly going to rest this weekend as I have very little voice left at the moment (seasonal hazard) and I am definitely going to need it next week for all the singing and cheering that I will be doing. I look forward to seeing many of you then.

Monday 9 December 2013


There is lots of excitement in the air as Christmas fever starts to spread among the children. Preparations are going very nicely for our Christmas shows and carol concert and I know many of you are looking forward to coming to see them during the last week of term. December got off to a cracking start for us on Sunday with our Frost Fayre. After judging the ‘Bake Off’ I did not need any lunch after tasting all the delicious cakes and it is something I look forward to judging in the future. Once again I would like to thank all of the PTA and volunteers who helped to organise and run the event and as I stated in the newsletter I will let you know exactly how much money has been raised when all the expenses from the fayre have been processed.

Also included in my newsletter was the information that Mr Hill is leaving us. He has really enjoyed his time with us and we have really enjoyed having him in the school.  The new music teacher, Mrs Keany, will be visiting the school before she starts in January to liaise with Mr Hill to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible for the children.

That is all for now. I am trying to build up my energy reserves to ensure that I can keep up with all the extra activities that Christmas brings. Still, it is just once a year and it is a great time for the children so I should not complain too much.

 

Friday 29 November 2013


I am going to have to start my blog this week with a little moan because it has come to my attention that too many children are not bringing their PE kit into school. PE is a compulsory part of the curriculum and unless we have a doctor’s note it is a legal requirement that children participate in the lessons. We do ask that children bring their PE kit to school on a Monday and take it home on a Friday so that if there has to be a change to the PE timetable it does not matter.  KS2 children are also required to have outdoor PE kit with outdoor shoes and football boots so can you ensure that your child has these in school. In the past children have been allowed to borrow items from other children but we are now stopping this practice and if a child does not have their PE kit in school we will be contacting parents directly.

 Whether or not we like to admit it Christmas is fast approaching. From Monday we will have the post box out so that if children want to post Christmas cards they can do. To make it easier for them to be delivered I would ask that both the class and the name of the child is written on the envelope. The post box will be situated at the entrance the children walk through in the morning and the cards will be delivered to the classes by the Year 6.

There has been a lot of hustle and bustle in school today as preparations for the Frost Fayre have gathered pace so that everything is ready for Sunday. I would like to thank everyone who has already sent in donations for the event and all those who have given their time to help organise it. All we need now is for lots of people to attend on Sunday so that the event can be a real success. There is certainly going to be lots of things to do, eat and buy so I am sure that if you do attend it will be a most enjoyable occasion – I look forward to seeing all of you there. 

Friday 22 November 2013


There has been a certain buzz in the air today which there always is when there is a ‘Mufti Day’ in school. Thank you to everyone who sent in donations for the Frost Fayre. I know they are much appreciated and will help make the event on Sunday, 1st December a great success. All the children are starting to get very excited about it and I know that it will be the enjoyable event that it always is. If anyone is able to help set up the fayre on Friday night after school next week or give some of their time on the Sunday 1st December, please contact a member of the PTA or the school office who will inform the PTA that you are able to help.

Last week, as you know, it was ‘Children in Need’ day and we had a small change collection in school. We managed to collect £38.73 and if you include the money that Years 3 and 4 contributed to the fun run we raised a total of £97.73 for the charity.

It may seem a long time away but on the last day of term we are having our usual Christmas show for the children and this year it is going to be ‘Peter Pan’. This time we are going to let the children come dressed as a pantomime character but they will have to pay a penalty of a £1 to do so. ‘Barclays Bank’ have then promised to match any money that we raise which we will then donate to the PTA fund so that we can buy more items for the school. I am letting you know now, because it will give you plenty of time to put a costume together. I am sure that if the children do come dressed up it will help them enter in to the spirit of the show but if they do not dress up they will still be able to watch the pantomime.

That is all for now. I am savouring the calm at the moment because I know that as soon as December comes we will be hit by ‘Christmas fever’ and all the children will be very excitable. Still – it is a very enjoyable time of year and I am sure that I will see many of you in the weeks to come at one of our Christmas events.

Friday 15 November 2013


With the drop in temperature we certainly know that winter has arrived but there have been some very bright mornings so I am not complaining too much. We were certainly lucky with the weather last weekend when we had the firework display. Although it did rain during the day it managed to clear up for the event and the evening. We were a little worried about holding the event after the official Bonfire Night date but we had almost a capacity crowd so hopefully this will be reflected in the money raised – it also reflects the popularity of the event.  It takes a while to find out the actual total raised but as soon as we know I will let you know. I would like to thank all of the people who gave up time to help run the event because without that support we would not be able to host it at Little Heath. That would have a big impact on the resources that we can provide for the children which would then impact on the quality of the learning.

The firework event at Little Heath was co-ordinated by the outgoing chair of the PTA, Carole Tilsley. Although she is going to remain on the PTA she is no longer going to be chair so I would like to thank her on behalf of the school for all the hard work that she has put in over the last four years. The treasurer Jo Haynes is also stepping down from her position so I would like to also thank her for all her work as well. The new chair is Anna Holden and our new treasurer is Sara Hawkins. I would like to thank them for taking on the roles and I hope you show them the same amount of support that you have shown Carole and Jo.

This morning it was the Year 4 assembly which was based on their work on the Second World War. After a most enjoyable assembly all the parents who attended were allowed to attend a ‘VE’ day party which was held in the dining room afterwards. All of the food was prepared by the children (with Mrs Onley’s assistance) and all those who attended said what a great event it was. I know all the children and the Year 4 staff are pleased that all their efforts were appreciated.

Next week in school it is ‘Anti-Bullying Week’. This year the theme is based around cyber-bullying although all aspects of bullying will be covered during the week. The children will be designing and bringing home wrist bands based around this theme and we will also be sending home leaflets for parents that give information about the different types of bullying and how to support your child.

Friday 8 November 2013


I hope you are all feeling refreshed after the half term break. I had a lovely break but it is a shock to my system having to get up early in the morning again. When my alarm went off on Monday I thought it was a mistake as it was so dark I thought it was the middle of the night – unfortunately it was not and I had to get up for work! I soon got back into my routine though and as this half term is packed with exciting events it is not too bad being back at school.

Our first big event is this Saturday when we hold our annual firework display with the Rotary Club. This is always a popular event and a great fundraiser for the school. The gates open at 6.00pm with the bonfire being lit at 6.45pm and the fireworks are at 7.30pm. If you have not already purchased a ticket they will be on sale in Darkes Lane on Saturday morning or they can be purchased from the gate on Saturday evening. I hope to see many of you there.

Most of the children have returned after half term looking very smart in their uniforms – especially KS2 in their winter uniforms. However I was disappointed to see a few girls with nail polish on, one or two KS2 children without ties and some girls wearing earrings. Can you please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately before they come to school.  Remember that earrings can only be worn if ears are newly pierced and they must not be worn in school once their ears have healed which takes approximately 6 – 8 weeks. Children who wear earrings to school will be asked to remove them. If earrings are lost then I am afraid it is not our responsibility as they should not be in school in the first instance.

We know that next Friday is ‘Children in Need’ day but as we have just had a collection for poppies and we will be asking for donations for the Christmas Fayre we will not be holding a special school event for ‘Children in Need’ but we will be doing a small change collection so if your children want to bring some money in for that they are welcome to do so. Year 3 & 4 have been invited to a fun run at Chancellor’s School which is being organised for ‘Children in Need’ and they are being asked to donate a £1 to participate so they need not contribute to the small change donation. As it is for  charity Little Heath will pay for the coach to transport the children to and from the event. More details will be sent via a letter for the classes involved.

Before the half term I tweeted that we had raised £432.45 at the harvest festival but that the children had not decided which charity to send it to. At the School Council meeting just before half term it was decided that the money should be sent to Cancer Research.

That is all for now. I hope to see many of you on Saturday at the fireworks display.

Friday 25 October 2013


At last it is half term– it has been a very eventful half term even without including the Ofsted and I know everyone at school is looking forward to the break – we will certainly have to get our energy reserves built up for the next half term which includes all the excitement of Christmas (I do not like mentioning that word in October). It was a long day for everyone in school yesterday because of the parent consultations but I have had lots of positive feedback from my teachers and all the parents I spoke to appeared to be happy with the work we are doing so that is always reassuring for us.

We have seen a change in the weather recently and I think we can say that autumn is definitely upon us so this is a good time to remind everyone that all KS2 will need to be in winter uniform after half term. Some of the children do not like the ties and tend to try to wear them more casually so it would be a great help to us if you could ensure that they do up the top button of their shirt and have the tie pulled up to the collar before they leave home. It does make a difference when all the children are smartly presented. We are also having an increasing amount of children coming to school without their PE kit which is not acceptable. PE kits should be brought to school on a Monday and taken home on a Friday so can you please make sure that your child brings their PE kit to school when they come back after the half term.

After the holiday the Year 6 will be selling poppies in the classrooms all week so if you would like your child to have one, please make sure they come to school with a donation - we at school all think that the Royal British Legion charity is a most worthwhile one to support. We will also be having our annual Bonfire Night with the Rotary Club on November 9th. The winner of the poster competition was presented with their prize this morning (this year the winner was Roxy in Year 3).  If you have not purchased your tickets yet make sure you get them quickly – it is always a great night and not one you would want to miss.

All that is left for me to do now is to wish you a great half term – I hope you all manage to get some rest and relaxation and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 4th November.

Friday 18 October 2013


I am now returning to normal service with my blog after the disruption that has been caused over the last couple of weeks. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about I am referring to the fact that two weeks ago due to a technical fault my blog was not published and then last week I was at the Head Teacher’s Conference so I was out of school at the end of the week.

In school this week it has been a much more normal week although I have had to attend a lot of meetings so I have not been around some mornings to stand on the gate. Our school improvement partner visited us this week.  He was helping us set the targets for the coming year to ensure that we achieve the best from the children and also assess our performance over the past year. As we have just had Ofsted this was quite a straight forward exercise but it was still good that he confirmed their findings. Our job is now to get the school to outstanding and although it will still be just as challenging as before I am sure with everyone’s support it will be achievable. I do not think that a school should be solely judged on its Ofsted report but I do hope that the recent inspection has given parents the confidence to realise that we do know what to do to move the school forward.

I am sure that all the Year 5 parents who could attend this morning will agree with me that the assembly that we saw this morning was very good. I thought that the children’s interpretations of the fairy tales were very amusing and their performances were very entertaining. I would like to thank all the children for the hard work they put into their performance and also Mrs Richardson, Mrs Clarke, Mrs Ranzetta and Miss O’Brien for all their efforts in putting the assembly together.

We have a good start to next week because the Sharing Assembly is now on a Monday morning which is always enjoyable. We have changed the day of the Sharing assembly in response to a request from the Parent Council who asked that we do not have the assemblies all on the same day to help working parents.

Next week is also parent consultation week so I will see a lot of parents in school which will be nice. I would like to remind everyone that the consultations only last 10 minutes (15 minutes for Year 6) so do please keep to your time because if only a couple of sessions run over it can have a big impact on the smooth running of the event. If you feel there is a need to discuss something with the class teacher in more detail please make an appointment to see them at a separate time.

Monday 14 October 2013


It has just been brought to my attention that my blog did not get published onto the website last week. I thought I had published it and it showed up on my laptop as having done so, so obviously there must have been a technical error. One of the main items of my blog last week was to explain that I would be out of school for half of the week as I was at the heads’ conference and that Mrs Zegallo would be in charge but obviously that is old news now as I am now back in school. Normally, when I attend this event I do not write a blog but because of what has happened I am producing a sort of ‘2 in 1’ with an explanation of what has happened and also some of the content of what you should have seen last week as there were some important thanks in that.

I would like to finish this week’s blog by asking that as I always publish my blog on a Friday that if people notice it is not there, and I have not given any explanation the week before that I am out of school, please do come and tell me. I will not be offended and will be very glad that I have been made aware of an error in the system.

Items from last week’s blog that should have been published on 4th October 2013.

I am writing this after a busy morning helping out with the Harvest Festival. This event has become a bit of a tradition in Little Heath and I look forward to it as it gives me an opportunity to meet up with many parents. It also serves a good purpose because we raise a lot of money for charity. I would like to thank the PTA and all the parent helpers who ran the event and I would like to thank all the parents who donated cakes and who attended the event because without all the support this event would not be possible.

Even more thanks are due because of the ‘Book Fair’. We have not got the exact total in yet but we sold just over a thousand pounds worth of books and whatever the final total is we get to spend 60% on books for the school. The generosity of Little Heath parents never fails to astound me. Again I would like to thank everyone (and that includes the staff) who helped to run the Book Fair after school.

We are having an increasing amount of requests to put invitations and letters into the children’s book bags so they can be sent home. We have a policy that we do not send any leaflets home via the book bags and that has been in place since before I arrived at the school. I have been informed that on a number of occasions, to try and help a parent, staff have overlooked this policy but this will not happen again. If your child has party invitations or thank you letters to give out they should do it themselves -particularly as one of our action points is to encourage independence in the children. If there is a class event you would like to advertise you can display it in the class window but we cannot guarantee that everyone will see this.

 

Friday 27 September 2013


Obviously the news of the week is our latest Ofsted report which was published much quicker than our inspector led us to believe. We are, of course, very happy about it although we will still strive to do even better next time. I would like to publicly thank all my staff for all their hard work and commitment that they have given the school – without their support my job would be impossible to do.  I would also like to thank all the parents who continued to support the school over the last two years because when things have got a little tough that has meant a lot.

We did have a little excitement today as the ‘Book Fair’ was delivered and I know that many of the children are looking forward to being able to purchase a book next week. Remember that the ‘Book Fair’ is open from Monday – Thursday from 3.15pm -3.45pm.

Some of you will have noticed that underneath my picture on the web page is an e-mail address. This is in response to a request from the parent council to make it easier for parents to contact members of staff. If you use this e-mail you make contact me with any information or events that you think I should be informed about. The staff e-mails are also available so you can contact them directly with information you think they need to know about your children. The system has been set up for parents who sometimes find it difficult to come in and talk to the staff personally and we do hope it helps them. What I would ask is that it is not used for complaints because if you do have a complaint to make (and we certainly hope that you do not) you should follow the normal process.  

I was a little saddened this week to hear that some parents have been upset as they have heard their children’s behaviour being discussed by other parents in the playground. When parents first come to the school I do ask them that if they have a problem they should come in and discuss it with either the class teacher or myself and then leave us to sort it out. I know it can be upsetting if your child comes home and tells them about something unpleasant that has happened at school but very often this is resolved the next day. If you think there is a real issue then do inform the school and if you think we have not resolved it then come back and talk to us again.  It is not pleasant if you think your child is being given a bad reputation by adults because children pick up on this (no matter how discrete people think they are being) and it has a negative impact on the class.

A lot of parents have been contacting the school office to see if any of the teachers are taking industrial action on the 1st October. On this occasion none of the teachers have decided to strike but let me assure you that if there is any industrial action which affects the running of the school in the future I will contact parents as soon as I know what is happening.

Next week on Friday morning we have our Harvest Coffee Morning which is one of my favourite occasions as I get the opportunity to see so many parents (I also quite like eating a lot of cake). I did send details in the newsletter of when to send in all the cakes and biscuits. When the children have decided which charity they would like to send the money to I will inform you.

I look forward to seeing many of you next week.

 

 

Friday 20 September 2013


I think I should start this blog with the heading ‘That was the week that was’ because with Ofsted visiting us this week I feel it has all passed by in a bit of a blur. However we have now returned to our normal timetable and we are all looking forward to a relaxing weekend. The inspectors themselves were very perceptive and pleasant and they told me to inform the parents that the report should be published in approximately 3-4 weeks when we will ensure that you are all sent a copy. Unfortunately we cannot share the result with parents before then so please do not ask us how it went because we cannot tell you.

On Monday the photographer will be in school to take individual photographs and he will also take family groups of children who are in school so remind the children to take extra care with their appearance on Monday because they will not have another photograph taken for a whole year. We also recommend that the children wear winter uniform as we feel this looks better in photographs.

Next Friday the ‘Book Fair will be arriving in school and the books will be available to buy the following week. We do hope that as many of you as possible will be able to visit the fair and purchase a book because the more books that are purchased by parents means  the more the school can purchase which means that the children have a higher quality reading provision in school. The Book Fair will run from Monday September 30th until Thursday 3rd October from3.15 – 3.45pm each day. We would like some volunteers to help run the Book Fair so if you are able to assist at one of these sessions please give your name to the school office with the day that you are able to help.

I hope you all have a pleasant weekend – I know I certainly will!

Friday 13 September 2013


Your children will have probably told you about the ambulance they saw at school this week and unfortunately it was due to a member of staff being injured and requiring assistance. Mrs Gregory slipped at work this week and has badly broken her left arm. She is going to be off school for a few weeks while her arm heals. We are going to try and keep the office running as efficiently as normal (Mrs Byrne is even coming back to do a few hours for us) but if we are a little late in dealing with any of your enquiries please be patient with us at this difficult time.

One of the good things about the beginning of the year is that the children all look smart in their new uniforms and it is always amusing to watch the Year 3 managing their ties and collars. I would like to thank everyone that has made an effort to get their child into the correct uniform but I do need to highlight that some children are wearing canvas shoes and some are coming in wearing jewellery. The rules are that the children must wear formal, non-casual smart, waterproof shoes which are not sneakers or canvas and the only jewellery they are allowed to wear is a watch. If children have ears which are newly pierced they need to cover them in tape until they are properly healed and after that they should not wear earrings in school.

Last night we had the ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions in school and it was good to see so many parents in school. Although it was only a brief meeting to outline the class expectations for the year, everyone that I spoke to found it a very positive experience which is the reason why we hold them.  As I explained last week if anyone was unable to attend they will be kept informed of what is happening in their child’s class via the class blogs.

Friday 6 September 2013


Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a great summer and you are all feeling refreshed and invigorated. Although I think it is amazing how quickly the holiday passed I always enjoy coming back in September because it is great to catch-up with everyone and there is always a great buzz around the school because everyone is full of energy. Let us hope that we can sustain this until at least half term.

Next week all the after school clubs commence, which the children always look forward to. We have our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions on Thursday evening. This is to give parents the opportunity to meet their child’s new teacher and to learn about the teacher’s expectations for the year. Children are not invited to these sessions to give parents the opportunity to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking if they were present. Last year most parents respected this and I would like to thank them but unfortunately one or two thought it would be all right if they waited outside of the classroom or in the library. This year this will not be acceptable but to help parents who do have problems with child care ‘Kids & Clubs’ have offered to look after children for a one off payment. Parents wishing to use this service must let ‘Kids & Clubs’ know of their request by Tuesday, 10th September to ensure they have adequate staffing. This arrangement will only cover the 4.30pm session.  For parents who are unable to make these meetings you will be kept informed of what is happening with your child’s learning via the class blogs which are updated at least weekly.

I look forward to seeing many of you next week.

Friday 19 July 2013


It seems really hard to believe that the end of term is finally here. Although we are all looking forward to the holiday it does not seem like a whole year has passed since the last Year 6 were leaving and now we have another group going as well. I would like to thank them for their gift of a clock and barometer and wish them all well in their new schools.

 It is great that after all the rain we have endured we finally have sunshine and it actually feels like the summer. Mind you – people are complaining about that now after months of complaining about the cold and the rain – I am beginning to think that we British just like to have something to moan about.

As usual at the end of term everyone has been very busy to make sure that everything gets finished in time and of course all the children have been very excited because the holiday is coming which does make our job a little more difficult. However before I become typically British and start to moan I would like to thank everyone who has helped to make this a great year in school. I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication to the school and I would like to thank all the parents for their continued support. I would also like to thank all the pupils who come to the school because without them there would be no Little Heath Primary.
All that is left for me now is to wish everyone a great holiday. I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday 3rd September for what I know will be another successful year.

Friday 12 July 2013


I am preparing this blog in the middle of a little bit of mayhem as Year 6 prepare for their ’Dragon’s Den’ afternoon. Year 6 always enjoy this activity at the end of term and all the other children love to walk around and see what it is that they have prepared. The Year 6 have really used their imagination in coming up with ideas and although there will be a winner I think they can all feel very proud of themselves for all the effort and commitment that they have put into their projects.

I know everyone is looking forward to the summer holiday but it is a slightly sad time for us as we lose our Year 6. I know we have prepared them well for the challenges that they will face in secondary school but as a large majority of them have been with us for 8 years they do leave a hole in our community when they leave us. We do wish them every success for the future though and we do hope that they keep in contact with us so we know how they are doing.

It has been a slightly unusual summer term for the teachers because we have not had to write reports as we normally do as we sent those out in the spring term .Today we have sent out the results of our phonics, KS1 and KS2 SATs results and as a school we are very pleased with them . I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that if they would like the levels of their child’s attainment you are able to get these from the class teacher although I know some parents received these at ‘Parent’s Evening’. We do not put levels on our school reports because we think it is more important that they focus on future learning as opposed to where they are now which soon becomes the past.

Just before I finish I would like to remind everybody that as next Friday is the last day of term we will be finishing at 2.00pm. This is always a frantic time in the summer because we have a leavers’ parade for our Year 6 and it is always very busy and crowded at the school gates as all the children leave via the main entrance.  All the staff are there to ensure that the children are safe but please be aware that it may take a little longer to pick up your children than normal.

Friday 5 July 2013


The end of term is coming and with it the usual whirl of activity. I know they say that as you get older the years appear shorter but I cannot believe the end of the school year is nearly here  - I can remember what happened in September  like it was yesterday.

Luckily for us the weather has slightly improved so our Sports Day could go ahead. As I mentioned in my blog last week the children really enjoy this event and it was great to see so many parents there to support their children. I think it would be a fair comment to make to say that some of the parents get more excited than the children about winning but it was a great day enjoyed by all with Osborne ending up the eventual winners.  I would like to thank Mr Mills for all his hard work which helps make the event such a great success.

I do not like to moan too much in my blog but unfortunately it is our age old problem – parking, which I am going to have to discuss. We have had another complaint from a neighbour in Rosemead Drive to say that someone parked across her driveway. Not only is this inconsiderate it is also against the law so can parents please not do this. I know it is tempting to think that you will only be five minutes and it will not matter but it does and it gives the school a bad reputation in the local community which is never good.

As you know two weeks ago we had our Summer Fayre and although we have not got the final figures for the amount raised I am delighted to tell you that it is over £3000 which is a £1000 up on last year so that is really good news. I also now know that we raised £680 at the ‘Talent Evening’ so this is all great for the school. I would like to thank again the PTA and all the people who supported them in raising this money and when we have decided what to purchase for the school with it I will let you know.

Yesterday two teams from Little Heath took part in the local school rounders tournament . Both teams played really well and our ‘A’ team were runners-up in the whole tournament. Congratulations to everyone who took part and I would also like to thank Mrs Robinson and Mr Mills (again) for coaching them.

Next week is a relatively quiet week in school for the pupils although the Year 6 are visiting their secondary schools on Thursday and so the rest of the school will be meeting their new class teacher for next year. A letter will be going home on Thursday with the staffing for the classes for next year for the parents. Year 6 are also taking part in a Dragon’s Den event in class and next Friday afternoon the rest of the school becomes involved  as the Year 6 will be trying to sell their products to the children and depending on how successful they are at selling this will decide who wins the competition. We do ask parents to provide children in the other classes with a small amount of money to purchase some of the items from the stalls.

 

Friday 28 June 2013


As you all know we had our Summer Fayre last Friday night and I would like to start my blog by thanking all the members of the PTA and the people who supported them for making it such a success. I do not have the exact figures of how much was raised but regardless of that I am sure that all those who attended will agree that it was an enjoyable evening. One of the men who was running an external stall said that it was the best event of its kind that he had attended and he said that he goes to a lot. Part of my contribution was agreeing to go in the stocks and for those of you who missed it I have posted some pictures below which were kindly taken by Mrs Lambe. I am thinking of giving them the title ’It Shouldn’t Happen to a Head Teacher’

 

As I informed you last week some of the KS2  girls were taking part in a football tournamnet and I am glad to inform you that the teams finished 3rd and 7th in their section. On Wednesday evening some of the pupils took part in an inter schools athletics event and after a close fought contest we were just pipped at the post into second place by Brookman’s Park. I would like to congratulate all those who took part and thank Mr Mills for all his work in coaching our teams. I am also delighted to announce that Katie in Year 6 broke the record for the 600m race.

This week has been Parent Consultation week. It has been nice to see so many parents in school and to receive so many positive comments. I also had a display with our present school aims on so people could offer suggestions of any alterations they would like to make or any ideas for new ones.If you had your parent consultation during the day I am going to leave some clipboards out in the reception area with the present aims on  so  you can also have the opportunity to come and look at them and offer any suggestions.

Next week in school it is Sports Day  on Wednesday. All the children get very excited about this so let us pray for sunshine. The KS1 event is in the morning and should start at approximately 9.30am and the KS2 event is in the afternoon and should start at approximately 1.30pm. We love to see parents and friends at our sports day but I would like to remind you that you need to stand behind the tape when watching the running races at the end. Most people are very good but one or two people every year like to try an sneak under the tape  to try and get a photograph from behind the finish line but I would ask that you do not do this for the safety of the children.

Thursday 20 June 2013


I am publishing my blog a day early this week as I am out of school during the day tomorrow and then when I return I will be busy at the School Fayre. As I have mentioned in some of my earlier blogs everything seems to pass by in a blur at this time of year because so much is happening in school.

We were very fortunate last week in that the weather was good for the annual Potters Bar Schools  Cricket tournament. For the last couple of years every time cricket has been mentioned the rain has come down and one year they had to pick the winner of the tournament by tossing a coin (which we incidentally won). This year fortunately, the sun shone and all the matches could be played. I am delighted to announce that we took 2 teams with us and we were actually so good that ‘Little Heath A’ played ‘Little Heath B’ in the final. ‘Little Heath A’ were the eventual winners and ‘Little Heath B’ were the runners – up so well done to all who took part and many thanks to Mr Mills for coaching them. This afternoon we have some girls taking part in a football tournament at Wroxham and next week is the district sports so I will let you know how we do in those in next week’s blog.

Next week is also parent consultation week. This will give parents an opportunity to see the progress their children have made since the reports were issued in February. The consultation mornings and afternoons are very busy times for the teachers and I would ask that you keep to your time allocation. If you feel there is something you would like to discuss in more depth please make an extra appointment for a different time. We are also reviewing the school aims and mission statement this term so there will be a display out on Thursday night for you to review these and also offer suggestions. For those of you who are not there on Thursday I will leave the aims in the office area for a couple of days after Thursday night to enable you to offer your suggestions.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the summer fayre. I will be in the stocks at 6.00pm.

 

Friday 14 June 2013


I have certainly had an action-packed week in school. On Wednesday I joined the Foundation stage for their trip to Whipsnade Zoo. We were all slightly worried about the day because the weather forecast was so bad but fortunately the dry weather just about managed to last while we were there and a good time was had by all. There were lots of different animals and shows for us all to see – I was really pleased to see some hippos because they are one of my favourite animals.

Last night we had a talent night in school and everyone who attended thought it was a fabulous night.  Each time we hold an evening like this I am just amazed at the amount of talent that we have in school and all the children who took part should be very proud of their performances. I would also like to thank the staff and the PTA who all contributed to make this a successful event. When I know exactly how much money has been raised I will inform you – I may even do that via a tweet!

We also had some very good news this week. A while ago some of the children in KS2 entered the junior section of the Rotary Club’s Young Writer competition which had the theme of peace. There were entries from schools in Brookmans Park, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Potters Bar and I am pleased to announce that we had a clean sweep in the competition with pupils from Little Heath finished finishing first, second and third. The pupils who won were Sophie from Year 6, Ben from Year 5 and Zoe from Year 6 respectively. Their entries were then put into the next round of the competition which included entries from Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and I am delighted to say that Sophie finished runner-up in this section. Well done to everyone who took part.

As is always the way in the summer term every week seems to be jam-packed with different events. Next week we have some children taking part in cricket and football tournaments and then as you all know we have our Summer Fayre on Friday night from 6- 9pm. This is always a great fundraiser for the school but as well as that it is also a great night out. I hope to see lots of you then. You will find me in the stocks for part of the evening!  

Friday 7 June 2013


Isn’t it great how sunshine can make you feel good! At last summer appears to have finally arrived although I am almost too frightened to discuss it just in case I scare it away. It is hard to believe that the ‘Oakmere Mini Marathon’ almost had to be cancelled just before half term because of the rain. We had some success in the mini marathon with 3 of our Year 4 boys finishing in the top ten for their age range. Charlie, James and Raphael finished 3rd, 8th and 9th respectively so our congratulations go to them although all the children deserve praise for completing the course. Let us hope the good weather lasts until the end of term so that all our sporting fixtures can happen without the endless cancellations that we had to endure last summer – just mentioning the word ‘cricket ‘ last year seemed to be a catalyst for rain.

We have had some disappointing news in school this week. As I informed you yesterday we have had to relocate our cockerel to a farm as it was becoming increasingly aggressive towards the children. Even though he was just trying to protect the hens he pecked at a couple of children with his beak and we could not take the risk of him causing serious injury to anybody. We still have the hens though who seem very happy in their abode.

Next week there will be great excitement in school as we have ’Talent Night ‘on Thursday. A lot of children are taking part and it is always an entertaining evening so I hope to see many of you there. If your child is involved and you have not returned the letter for the tickets remember the closing date is Monday. If there are any tickets left after that they will be on sale from the school office. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Friday 24 May 2013


I t has been a bit of a manic week for me this week which is why you have not seen me at the school gate much as I have had to attend lots of early morning meetings – thank goodness I have the half term to recover. Of course the big event in school for us this week has been Mrs Byrne’s retirement –it is still hard to believe that when we come back after the holiday she will not be in the office. She has had a great last week and with the money we collected from staff and parents we gave her an iPad. She was delighted with the gift and would like to thank everyone for their kindness and generosity.  As you already know Mrs Pepper is taking over her role and I know you will all treat her with kindness and patience as she settles into her new position.

As we have had so much on this week we were unable to hold our half termly open evening for parents to look at pupils’ books so we will be holding that the first week back after half term on Wednesday, 5th June from 3.00pm – 4.30pm. Although the Year 6 will be in Kingswood their trays will be left out so parents can look at their work if they so wish. ‘Parent Consultation Week’ will be in the week commencing June 24th which will give you another opportunity to see their work then. More details about this will follow after half-term.

Let us hope for better weather over the half term. I have just returned from the ‘Oakmere Mini Marathon’ which the children ran in sunshine last year and this year they ran in the rain.  I would like to thank all the parents who braved the weather to support their children and I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday June 3rd - let us hope the sun is shining then! Have a great holiday everyone.

Friday 17 May 2013


As I discussed in my blog last week we have had quite a quiet week in school because of the Key stage 2 SATs tests. The Year 6 children appeared to cope with them very well and although the tests are never as bad as they imagine they are going to be, they are certainly all very happy now they are over. However, as we keep reminding them, there are still quite a few weeks of the school year left.

I would like to thank all the parents who have contributed towards Mrs Byrne’s leaving present. As you know she will be leaving us next week after working at the school for 27 years. We are all going to miss her terribly and although I am sure she will pop in from time to time to see us it will take some time to get used to not seeing her every week. We have organised the gift and once she has been presented with it we will let you know what it is (this is to ensure that it stays a surprise for her).

We have a fabulous reception assembly this morning which was a presentation of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. The hall was packed out with lots of families and friends and everyone agreed that it was a magnificent performance – some of those young children had an incredible amount of lines to remember and they all presented them beautifully. I would also like to thank Miss Jaeger, Mrs Beadle and Miss Sofjan for all their hard work in preparing the children for the assembly.

Just a quick reminder that half term is the week after next . I cannot believe how quickly this term is going – it will be the summer holidays very soon and then the start of a new academic year all over again. How time flies!

Friday 10 May 2013


There has been a real buzz in school this week as the pupils have been taking part in lots of extra activities outside of the normal school day. As I mentioned last week some of the pupils were Maypole dancing last week at the Brookmans Park May Day event on Saturday and they put on an excellent performance.  Those of us that were watching them were all very proud and I would like to thank Mrs Richardson and the pupils themselves for all their hard work in preparing for the event.

Yesterday we had pupils scattered far and wide. Some pupils from Year 4 took part in a technology challenge at Oakmere School against other local primary schools and although they did not win they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. At the same time some Year 5 girls were taking part in an enrichment day at Queenswood School and by all accounts everyone had a great time.

Then, after school, both our ‘A’ and ‘B’ netball teams took part in the ‘Le Gros Primary Netball Tournament’ at Mount Grace School. I am delighted to say that the ‘A’ team won the tournament after a very close final against Brookmans Park in which the girls had to come from behind twice to win 4-3. I am also pleased to say that they were the winners of their league. The ‘B’ team did well by winning two out of four of their games in the tournament and they finished 2nd in their league. All of these good results would not be achieved without the hours of practice that the girls do and the brilliant coaching of Georgina Parkinson and Joanne Munn who give up their own time to run the netball teams. Without their dedication and commitment none of the above success would be possible.

Today we had one of our ‘Sharing’ assemblies which I always love because I think it is really good for children to share learning that they are proud of. It also pleases me that so many parents take the time to attend these events as it means a lot to the children that they are there to celebrate their learning with them.

Next week will be a slightly more formal one in school as the Year 6 are taking their SATs tests and we have a quieter atmosphere in school to help them concentrate. Although the tests are only one form of the assessment that we do with the children I would like to remind the parents of the Year 6 children to ensure that the children are relaxed outside of school and have no late nights to ensure that they perform to their full potential in the tests. School clubs will be running as normal during the SATs week.

Friday 3 May 2013


I have had a couple of late evenings this week so I am certainly glad that it is the weekend – I am pleased that it is a long one. I had the school improvement committee on Wednesday evening and last night I was at the E-safety evening which was presented by Mrs Zegallo who is our ICT co-ordinator.  The intention of the evening was to inform parents of the best way to make the most of all the wonderful aspects of the internet whilst keeping their children safe from unwanted sites or people and I certainly think that everyone who attended found it very useful and informative. I am sure that all those who attended would join me in thanking Mrs Zegallo for all her efforts.

It has come to my attention that a pupil has had their scooter taken from our bike shed. This has happened in the past and when someone has got home they have realised that they have taken the wrong scooter and then returned it to its rightful owner the next day. However this time it has been quite a few days since the scooter has disappeared and it has not been returned. May I ask everyone to check that their child has the correct scooter and also to ensure that their child’s name is on the scooter so it makes them easier to identify as a lot of scooters do look the same.

I hope to see many of you at the May Day event at Brookmans Park on Saturday 4th May which has been organised by the Rotary Club. Some of our pupils are taking part in Maypole dancing and it is always a lovely thing to watch. Other schools are also dancing and there will be lots of stalls as well so if you are free this weekend pop along. Let us hope the good weather lasts because it had to be cancelled last year because of the rain – the forecast is certainly very hopeful. Our school will be dancing at approximately 2.45pm and 3.30pm. I look forward to seeing you there.

Friday 26 April 2013


At last we have had some sunshine this week and although it did not last all week let us hope that it is a sign that spring, if not summer, is on its way – it certainly makes you feel better about the day when you wake up to sunshine and a blue sky. Another good thing about the sunshine is that it encourages more people to walk to school and we have also seen an increase in the number of children riding a bike or scooter to school which is great.

 However I have to say that I am disappointed at the number of parents who are still parking too close to the school – even parking on the zig-zag yellow lines outside the school and with more children coming on foot or by bike because of the fine weather this is even more worrying as it increases the risk of a child being injured or worse! Twice on Wednesday I was out of school helping to transport children to different events and I could not believe how difficult it was to get in and out of the school. In the morning somebody had parked across the staff car park and even though the driver had remained in the car it is really not acceptable to do this. I then returned to school in the evening when the school clubs were finishing and it was really difficult for me to get into the car park because there were so many cars parked in front of the school. Everybody always looks very sheepish when they see me but looking sheepish is not enough – we need people to park away from the school and walk a short distance to pick their child up. I have also had more complaints this week from neighbours and parents complaining how many parents park inconsiderately and to be honest I should not be spending the amount of time I do dealing with complaints about cars – it takes me away from educational issues which should be my focus. All I hope for is that the change in the weather for the better brings a change of attitude in some people and everyone parks and drives considerately around the school. 

As you all know now Mrs Byrne is leaving us after 27 years dedicated service. It is certainly not a decision she has taken lightly but she is also a very busy lady outside of school and I know that after she leaves us she will still have very active days.  Mrs Pepper, as you know, will be replacing her and even though she has very big shoes to fill I know she is looking forward to the challenge.

I hope to see many of you at the E – Safety evening next week. As I said in the newsletter I know many of you will be vigilant in monitoring your children on the computer and internet at home but the idea of the evening is to give you some ideas of how your children can use the internet to its full potential and get great enjoyment from it and you have peace of mind that they will come to no harm through using it. I look forward to seeing you then.

Friday 19 April 2013


I hope everyone had a really great break and is looking forward to the summer term. I know it is the summer term because there have been definite moments of sunshine so I am hoping that these moments actually become whole days and then we can at last enjoy some warm days.

We having quickly settled back into our routines here and school is as busy as ever. As well as all the clubs starting again next week we have a couple of extra events in school. On Tuesday there will be a presentation by the school nurse on head lice. Unfortunately, whilst your child is in school, they will probably get head lice at least once but we have had some cases of recurring head lice in some classes so if you would like some advice on how to treat head lice I would recommend that you do attend. If you have not returned your slip saying that you want to come to the meeting just contact the school office to say you will be going.

On Thursday we are also hosting a maths challenge in school after the end of the school day. You will have read in the school newsletter that all the children will be leaving school via the infant playground on that day and I have asked parents not to park in School Road. This is to make it easier for the participants to access our KS2 playground and it will also make it safer for the Little Heath pupils as they walk home. I do thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter.

Thursday 28 March 2013


Well the holiday has finally arrived but the warm weather has not. I cannot believe how cold it is and it is even starting to make the children go a little stir crazy as we have had to bring them in for part of the lunchtime because it is so cold. Let us hope the weather improves over Easter so they can get outside and run off some excess energy. Apart from the weather  it has been quite a fun week in school thanks to the Year 3, 4 and 5 production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Everyone who has watched it has said how great it was and I would like to thank all the staff, pupils and parents who helped make it such a great success. It takes a lot of time and effort to put on a school production but the end result was certainly worth it. In the foyer at the moment you can see pictures from the show courtesy of Mrs Zegallo - they are certainly worth a look.

All that is left for me now is to wish you all a Happy Easter -   I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 16th April.

Friday 22 March 2013


Well, spring has arrived but I think that someone forgot to tell the weather-my body certainly thinks that is in the throes of winter. There are many winter viruses around still and unfortunately some of the staff fell foul to some of them this week. I think everyone needs a good holiday and thankfully it will arrive next week. I still cannot believe that it will actually be Easter next week as it has been such a short half- term. I cannot wait for Easter Sunday as every year I give up chocolate for Lent and feel that I can really indulge myself on that day since it was the middle of February when chocolate last passed my lips.

Even though next week is a short week we still have a lot happening in school. Next week many of the parents and family friends in Year 3, 4 and 5 will be coming to see ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and I can guarantee, from what I have seen in rehearsals, you are all in for a treat. We also have our half termly book viewing session on Wednesday from 3.00pm – 4.30pm so I look forward to seeing many of you then. I would also like to remind everyone to fill in the parent questionnaires that we sent out last week. The more people that fill them in the better the representation we have of the parent body.

 Please remember that as Thursday is the last day of term, school will finish at 2.00pm.

Friday 15 March 2013


As I expected there has been great excitement in school today amongst a sea of red noses and funny feet– we have also had a two headed monster wandering around the school. This is all down to it being ‘Red Nose Day’ and everyone getting into the spirit of the occasion. Although this day brings great merriment in a primary school it does have a serious purpose behind it and I would like to thank everyone who bought a nose or made a contribution towards this day as all the money goes towards many good causes and supports those who find themselves in difficult times. I do not know exactly how much money has been raised but as soon as I do I will ‘tweet’ the amount and you will be able to see it on our website. I have to admit to being a little excited as this will be the first time I will have tweeted for our website  - I am very easily pleased!

A lot of you will have also seen our new site manager today. His name is Craig James and I know that you will all make him feel very welcome. He officially starts on Monday. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our temporary site manager Rosario Di Francia who I am sure you will all agree has done an excellent job for us. He has been very happy working here and has told me that he thought the parents and children here the nicest he has ever worked with.
I find it hard to believe that we will be breaking up for Easter in less than 2 weeks. This term seems to have flown by. We still have the Year 3, 4 and 5 production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to look forward to and then we will have a two week break. Let us hope that it brings us warmer weather

Thursday 7 March 2013


As I am out tomorrow I am ‘blogging’ a day earlier this week. This has been our first week without Mr Berridge as site manager and it has been a little strange without him there in the morning. Saying that, our temporary caretaker Rosario Di Francia (or Mr D as some of the children have started calling him) is doing a sterling job and we are very lucky to have him. I have appointed a permanent replacement now and when all the paperwork and clearing processes have been completed I will let you know who he is and when he will be joining us.

Following on from our ‘Writing Week’ (as some of you will know the egg has cracked open and there are some mysterious footprints on the playground) we have had ‘World Maths Day’ and ‘World Book Day’ this week. For ‘World Book Day’ the children have designed some lovely badges and I am sure that they will enjoy talking about their favourite book characters with the other pupils in their class. Next week we have ‘Red Nose Day’ on Friday and as you will know from the newsletter that was sent out the children can come in with funny feet that day (as long as they can walk in them). They are also allowed to not wear uniform and wear a red nose which can be purchased at school. There has been a lot of different activities in school recently but we believe that these ’WOW’ experiences enhance the learning of the children- not least by making school an exciting and fun place to come to so the children really want to be here.

Before I leave you I would just like to inform those of you who do not know that we now have a ‘Twitter ‘ feed which can be viewed on our website. This will be used to inform the Little Heath community of our sports results almost instantly and any other information that we think you would find interesting.

Friday 1 March 2013


It is hard to believe that this time last week I was on holiday because you very soon forget about all that when you return to work. I had a very enjoyable half term and came back to work feeling quite energised on Monday. Unfortunately one of the winter viruses caught up with me on that day and I started to lose my voice and it has not really returned all week. Although I have been struggling to speak I have to admit that until Wednesday I sounded a lot worse than I felt. I must say that parents and children have shown me a lot more sympathy than the staff. There have been a few remarks such as “it is a lot more peaceful now” and “at last we can get a word in edgeways”. I will get my revenge next week though when my voice returns to its full force!

This has been quite a sad week in school though and not because I have lost my voice. As you probably all know Mr Berridge retired as our site manager this week after 21 years at the school. Fortunately we are not losing him altogether as he will still be working at lunchtime for us but I know all of you will miss seeing him at the start and end of the school day. Thanks to your generosity we were able to give him some lovely leaving gifts. As he will now have more time to himself he wanted to get a dog for himself so the staff helped him to purchase a greyhound and we also bought him a sweatshirt which had a logo of a greyhound on it. With the money from the parents and pupils we purchased a print with some chickens on it (because everyone knows how he loves his chickens) and we used the rest of the money to purchase some garden vouchers as he really enjoys working in his garden. He was very touched by all the good wishes and gifts that he received and I would like to thank everyone who helped make his last days as site manager so special.   

Everyone (apart from those with a child in Year 3) will have received the annual school report for their child today. We are sending them out halfway through the year as opposed to the end of the year in response to parents’ requests last year. As we are sending the reports out now there will not be the usual spring parents evening as this has now been moved to the summer but if you would like to discuss any part of your child’s report with their class teacher you can make an individual appointment to do so. Remember as well as the report we also have half termly sessions when you can look at your child’s work and the next session for that is on March 27th. There will also be two more sessions in the summer term.

Next week I have to be out of school for a lot of meetings but I can assure I am still working. If you would like to see me and I am not in school you can either see Mrs Zegallo or make an appointment to see me on my return.

Friday 15 February 2013

As I predicted last week it has certainly been a busy week with lots of events and meetings for me to attend which means that I have not been seen around school as much as I would like although I can assure you that I have been working. It is also the reason that I was not at the Foundation and KS1 disco until the end as I had to attend a meeting outside of school.


On Tuesday I spent the day in school with our Hertfordshire Improvement partner Martin Tuck. He comes in every term to help us assess how the well the school is progressing and to help us set targets for ourselves to ensure that we continue to improve. He was very pleased with what he saw and was extremely happy with the progress the school has made since the Ofsted inspection so, hopefully, Ofsted will be equally impressed when they return to visit us. I do not know when they will arrive but since 5 schools in the Potters Bar area have been inspected in the last 2 months (and 4 of those were in the last 3 weeks) I do not think that it will be long but you never know with Ofsted.

As some of you may know Mr Berridge had his retirement party this week although he does not officially retire as site manager until February 28th. We will still see him every day as he is going to continue with his role as midday supervisor. I have yet to appoint a permanent replacement for him and will be re-interviewing for his position first week back – he is a very difficult act to follow. A temporary caretaker will carry out the role until I find a permanent replacement.

When we return after half term we are having a writing week in school. As part of this week the children’s author Dan Freedman will be visiting KS2 on Tuesday 25th February. A letter telling you about this in more detail has been sent home to KS2 parents today but at the end of the day after his visit he will be selling signed copies of his books which all cost £5. All his books have a football theme. All parents and children are welcome to go into the hall and have a look at his books and meet him – there is no obligation to buy anything.

All that is left for me to do is wish you all a great half term and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 25th February.

Friday 8 February 2013

We have had quite a quiet week in school this week. Tuesday was E-safety Day so everyone did some work in class on the importance of keeping themselves safe whilst using the internet. We think this is a very important aspect of the children’s education and we will be organising an open night for parents soon to give them a better understanding of how to keep children safe when they are using the internet at home.


I have been a little disappointed this week with the uniform that some of the children have been wearing. A number of KS2 children have been coming to school without ties and too many girls are wearing earrings to school. If a child has just had their ears pierced they are allowed to wear stud earrings to school as long as they are covered with tape. After their ears have healed though which takes a maximum of 10 weeks they should not be wearing earrings for school at all – even if they are covered with tape. Please ensure that your child follows the uniform code.

Next week is a busy week in school. On Tuesday some of the Year 5 and 6 pupils are taking part in an indoor athletics tournament. Then on Wednesday hopefully lots of parents will be able to come and look at their children’s books so they can see what they have been learning this half term. Some of the girls will also be taking part in a football tournament organised by Arsenal Ladies and this will take place in the Arsenal training ground in London Colney. On Thursday we have the Valentine Discos which have been kindly organised by the PTA. The children always enjoy these events but to be a success we do need some parents to volunteer to assist with the organisation. I know that the PTA still need volunteers to help with both discos but in particular with the Foundation and KS1 disco. We finish this busy week on Friday with one of our sharing assemblies and you will be informed by letter if your child is taking part in this.

After all that I think we will all be looking forward to our half term break. School will finish at the normal time next Friday.

Friday 1 February 2013

I am speaking to you this week after the school’s performance at the 02 and I have to tell you I am feeling pretty elated. It was a wonderful experience for the pupils involved (and me) and for a short time we got to experience what it must feel like to be in a rock band. Although we all felt tired the next day everyone involved agreed that all the effort had been worthwhile. We had some super support at the 02 from friends and families and I would like to thank everyone involved who helped make it a fabulous day. As I said last week most of the credit must go to Mr Hill and Mrs Richardson for all their hard work in preparing the choir and praise must also go to the children who performed - they were a credit to the school.


We have also experienced some warmer weather this week (thank goodness) and it is good to see more children walking and coming on their scooters and bikes to school. However I must remind all children who use scooters or bikes that they must dismount them before they come on the school premises. I have had a couple of complaints from parents this week about children riding their scooters in front of the bike shed while they are waiting to come into school. This is extremely dangerous and I want this to stop. It has also come to my attention that some children are on the school premises at about 8.15am in the morning. We do not open the school gates until 8.40am and pupils (apart from the Year 6) should not be arriving on the premises much before this time. We will be contacting the parents of children who persistently arrive before this time.

Let us hope that the better weather lasts with us through February. We have managed to complete a few football fixtures and hopefully the netball programme will be able to start soon. I will probably see some of you at these events soon.

Friday 25 January 2013

What a week it has been or rather not a whole week, because of the snow. I know all the children get very excited at the sight of snow but it no longer has that magic for me because it means that I have to make very serious decisions. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this difficult time. It is not an easy decision deciding to close the school but I have to think of the safety of everyone and also try to give people enough time to make alternate arrangements so I do apologise if any inconvenience was caused. Let us all pray for sunshine this weekend or at least temperatures warm enough to melt all the snow.


The weather unfortunately has also had an impact on some of our after school clubs but one thing it has not affected is the performance of our choir at the O2 on Tuesday night next week (unless the snow returns and we cannot get there). The choir is going to be joining many other schools to perform in a ‘Young Voices’ concert. They have been rehearsing for weeks and I would like to thank Mrs Richardson and Mr Hill for all their hard work and preparation in readiness for the concert. I am sure it will be a memorable event for all concerned (Including me) and I will let you know how it goes next week.

Let us hope that next week returns to normal and there are no more disruptions. If there have to be any changes I will inform you as soon as possible.

Friday 18 January 2013

I think we can all agree that winter has well and truly arrived this week. I am sorry that the school had to close today but even before I made the decision I had parents arriving at the school to take their children home because of how dangerous some of the side roads were becoming. When we checked the weather forecast last night it showed that the snow was not due to arrive until lunchtime so I hoped that we would be fine but unfortunately the snow started falling just after 9 am meaning there was a thick covering by 11 am. I would like to thank all parents for their prompt response in collecting the children. I know it was not easy for some of you to make arrangements but I am sure you all agree that the safety of the children must come first. Unfortunately I have had another complaint about traffic this week. Apparently somebody drove rather recklessly through the church car park and then pulled out into School Road without looking before pulling up in front of the school to drop their child off for school. We have asked time and time again for parents to exercise caution whilst driving in the school area but it would appear that some people choose to ignore this advice and are putting the safety of others in jeopardy. I have informed the police who tell me that they are going to be doing a spot check around the school in the near future. I hope the weather sorts itself out over the weekend so that school can return to normal on Monday. If I need to close the school hopefully I will be able to inform you the day before but, as happened today, we cannot always predict the weather so I cannot guarantee that I can let people know the day before. If I do have to close the school I will inform you by text message. Information about the school status can also be found on ‘Hertsdirect.org’ or BBC Three Counties Radio station.

Friday 11 January 2013

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas and feel well rested after the break. Although the festive period can be quite hectic it was nice that we had a few days after the celebrations to try to get back to normal before we returned to school. It is still hard though getting used to the early starts again and I know one or two of the children have found it difficult getting up in the morning but I am sure they will be used to it again by next week.


Apart from the tiredness everyone seems happy to be back in school. The children will probably be even happier next week when all the clubs start up again – we already have some sporting fixtures planned so let us hope we can enjoy the sporting success that we had last year.

As some of you know we offer individual music tuition to our pupils through a service in St. Albans known as ‘Musicale’. Unfortunately their guitar teacher has left and they cannot find a replacement for him. I am able to get another music teacher to come to the school to continue with the guitar tuition from the Herts Music Service but they would like a couple more pupils learning how to play the guitar to make it viable for them. If your child would be interested in receiving guitar tuition please inform the school office by Thursday, 17th January.

I know it is the start of the year but I am afraid that I am going to have a little moan. The gates to the school car park are not working and it is apparent that something has hit the mechanical device that operates the gates. We know that it most likely happened on Thursday morning between 8.00am – 8.30am and I feel very disappointed that whoever hit it just drove off and did not inform the school.

Anyhow I hope that that will be the only issue we have this term and we have a very successful and enjoyable time. I hope everyone has a great 2013 and that everyone can stick to their resolutions for the whole year!