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.