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.