Friday 18 December 2015


The end of term has finally arrived. It has been an extremely hectic time in school with all the shows, parties and Carol Service and although they have all been enjoyable I must admit I am glad the holiday has arrived. Christmas is a very busy time so I do not think that I will get a proper rest until after the New Year celebrations –at least we have a few days off before we have to return to school.

As I said earlier there have been lots of events in school and I have seen many of you there. It does make all our work worthwhile when the events we run get such great support from our parents and I would like to thank you all for that. I would also like to thank all my staff for all the amazing effort they put in to make these events such a success – they all go way beyond what is expected of them and I think we should all appreciate that.

The children are all due back on Wednesday, 6th January. Some parents have been enquiring about that because in some earlier dates I made an error and said the children were due back on 7th January. It is definitely the 6th January and I look forward to seeing you all again on that date in 2016.

I would also like to thank everyone for the gifts that the teachers and I received – they are all wonderful. All that is left for me to do is to wish you  a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Friday 11 December 2015


The countdown to Christmas is upon us and the children become more excited every day as the arrival of Father Christmas gets ever closer. Although it is a very busy time of year it is also a very enjoyable one because they are lots of fun activities which occur in school. Last Saturday we held our Frost Fayre and it was a huge success. One of the outside stall holders who came said it was the best Christmas fair that she had been to. Once again I would like to thank all the members of the PTA and the parents, staff and family who supported them in making it such a success. I would especially like to thank Emma O’Brien and Simon Hall for co-ordinating the whole event. At this stage we do not know exactly how much money we raised but as soon as we do I know I will inform you.

On Thursday we had our Christmas Lunch which the children always enjoy because we serve them. When the children finished their lunch the staff had their lunch served to them by the Year 6. While the staff were enjoying their lunch, the children had Christmas music in the playground and were taken care of by parent volunteers who I would like to personally thank for giving their time. I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as the children enjoyed having them in the playground.

Next week is extremely busy with concerts, shows and parties. I have sent the dates out twice of when all the events are taking place but if you are unsure of anything you can check the ‘1st December’ newsletter on the website or contact the school office. With so much going on I know that next week will just fly by and it will be the end of term and Christmas before we know it. I hope you can find some time to relax this weekend before all the madness begins.

Friday 4 December 2015


The school is a hive of activity today with preparations for tomorrow’s Frost Fayre. All the children are very excited in anticipation of the event and I know it is going to be a great afternoon. I will be assisting Mrs Zegallo in the photo room where you can have your picture taken to put into a fridge magnet, key ring fob or a photo frame so I hope to see lots of you there. May I also take this opportunity to thank in advance the PTA for all their hard work and preparation in organising the fayre.  Just in case you have forgotten the fayre runs from 12 noon - 3pm.

With only two weeks to go until the end of term Christmas fever is certainly spreading throughout the school and we have noticed a change in the children’s behaviour. We do not want to dampen their spirits because Christmas is a magical time of year for children but it has been brought to my attention that some of the children are coming into school more tired than usual. I know that at this time of year it can be more difficult to get the children to sleep because of their excitement and they are often attending extra events which disrupt their routine, but can you try to ensure that they still go to bed at their normal time. There are still two weeks until the end of term and the children have a lot of learning to do and we do not want the children tiring themselves out and being ill for Christmas.

Next week in school we have our Christmas lunch on Thursday, which the children always enjoy. They love the fact that the teachers serve and sing to them and the fact that they have music in the playground. Apart from that we have quite a routine week.

I hope you all have a great weekend which includes popping into our Frost Fayre. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Friday 27 November 2015


I am typing this blog after watching the Year 4 assembly. It was based on Little Red Riding Hood and it presented the story as a court case from the perspective of the wolf as well as the traditional format. It was very enjoyable to watch and certainly highlighted the fact that there are usually two sides to every story. I would like to thank all the children in Year 4 for giving us such a lovely assembly and I would also like to thank Mr Taylor, Mrs Onley and Mrs Reusch for all their effort in putting the assembly together.

Today has had a very casual feel about it as it is a ‘Mufti Day’. Thank you to you all for your kind donations of chocolate and wine for the Frost Fayre. A lot of the chocolate is being stored in my office at the moment and it presents a very tempting sight. If there is no chocolate at the fayre you will all know where it has gone.

 Preparations are well underway for this and I know it is going to be a fabulous event. The PTA are still looking for support to help run the fayre so if you are able to give up any time to help make this event a success please complete the slip that was on your Frost Fayre information letter and put it into the PTA box which is on the counter in the main entrance. If you have lost your letter you could simply put a handwritten note into the box.  Just in case you have forgotten the ‘Frost Fair’ is on Saturday, 5th December from 12noon – 3pm.

Standing on the school gates in the morning I have been amazed at the amount of children who are coming to school without any coats. I know a lot of them do arrive by car but when they are at school they do have to go outside and so they need a warm outer garment for breaks and lunchtime – we do not let them stay in just because the temperature has dropped. Can you also make sure that the coat has a name inside because I am also finding a lot of clothes abandoned around the school without names in (or they are not in obvious places) and they cannot be returned to their rightful owners.  

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Friday 20 November 2015


I am glad to still be here after all the wind we have had this week. Although I was not blown away by it (it would take a very strong wind to do that) I did have my journey to school disrupted by a fallen tree across the road but I suppose if that is the worst that has happened to me I should not complain.

It has been another busy week in school because as well as all the usual lessons we have had Anti –Bullying Week and preparations for Christmas are underway. Rehearsals have started for our Christmas productions and all the preparation for our Frost Fayre on Saturday, December 5th has started. As was explained in the letter that was sent out to you this week we are collecting teddy bears on Monday,23rd December  and then on Friday, 27th November the children are allowed to come to school in their normal clothes as long as they bring in some chocolate or wine for a tombola stall at the fayre. We are also asking for a donation to be brought into class on any day to put into the Christmas food hampers which will be raffled on the day of the Frost Fair. The last day for bringing in these items is November 27th.   I know we are relying on your generosity to make the event a success but you have never let us down in the past and remember, the more money that we raise the more your child will benefit. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the ‘Friends of Little Heath’ for all the hard work they are putting in to organising the ‘Frost Fayre’.

This time last week it was ‘Children in Need’ and although we do not make a big deal of it in our school I am pleased to inform you that we raised nearly a hundred pounds from our collection. Thank you again for donating your small change to such a worthy cause.

I am going to help prepare for the ‘Anti-Bullying Bake Sale’ and also watch the surprise the children have prepared for you. By the time you read this you will have seen the surprise so I hope you all enjoyed it. Things are starting to get a little hectic in the build up to Christmas so perhaps everyone should try and take it easy this weekend because it may be the last opportunity to do so until after Christmas. I have heard rumours that there will be snow so that will please all the children. If it does come I hope that all the roads are clear by Monday so everyone can get to school easily. Have a good weekend.

Friday 13 November 2015


It has seemed like a slightly longer week in school because many of us were here at the weekend at our annual fireworks event which we held last Saturday. Thankfully, the weather was kind to us in the evening and there was a very good turn-out ensuring the event was a big success. I would like to thank all the PTA members and the people who supported them for all their hard work in making it such a success, especially those that had to build a bonfire and put up gazebos in monsoon conditions. I think the ticket sellers in Darkes Lane, who continued to sell tickets even after their gazebo collapsed on them, also deserve a special mention. As yet, we do not know how much money we raised but as soon as we do I will let you know.

Our next big event with the PTA is our ‘Frost Fayre’ which is on December 5th from 12noon – 3.00pm. A separate letter about this has gone out from the PTA so we hope to see lots of you there. I cannot thank the PTA enough for all the fundraising they do for the school. It makes such a big difference to the quality of resources that we can provide for your children’s learning. I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to Emma O’Brien and Simon Hall for co-ordinating all the PTA events.

May I also thank you for your donations of small change for ‘Children in Need’. We do not make a big fuss about this event because with all our other events and charities at this time of year I feel that you are already giving out a lot of money to school but every penny received makes a difference to charities and I know  ‘Children in Need’ will be grateful for our donations.

Next week is a special week in school because it is ‘Anti- Bullying’ week. This is an important week in school because it reinforces to the children how they should treat others. We have lots of special events taking place including a bake sale and some quilt making and, as part of it, we would like all parents to pick their children up from the main entrance on Friday, 20th November at 3.10pm. All will be revealed then!

Apparently the weather is going to change from now and it is going to be colder, much like it is today. May I remind you that your children need to be sent to with a coat. Some children are coming in without them and I think they are going to find playtime and lunchtimes very uncomfortable without the appropriate outdoor protection.

Have a good weekend and I will see you all again next week.

Friday 6 November 2015


I hope everyone had an enjoyable time over half term. I was fortunate to spend my break somewhere hot so it has been a bit of a shock coming back to the British weather and the dark mornings. The good thing about the second half of the autumn term though is that it is filled with lots of exciting events and indeed, we have our first one this weekend because it is our ‘Bonfire Night’ tomorrow night. This is one of the main events in our social calendar and as well as being a most enjoyable night it is a great fund raiser for the school. I am sure I will see many of you there and I hope that the weather is kinder to us than it was last year when it rained throughout the whole event. We still did have an impressive turn out despite the bad weather.

It has been good to see all the children in KS2 in their winter uniform. I think that wearing a tie makes them look extra smart but unfortunately I have had to pick up a couple of children for not wearing ties. Can I ask you to check that your child is properly dressed before they come to school. Can I also ask you to check that all their uniform is labelled with their name because I have also found a few items of uniform around the school and have had to put them in lost property.  It also helps that the name label is somewhere that is clearly visible because unless it is we may not be able to return the item to its rightful owner. 

As I said earlier I hope to see many of you at the fireworks this weekend.  I will be serving on the barbeque so feel free to come over and say hello to me.

Friday 23 October 2015


I know I have said this before but I cannot believe it is a whole week since I was writing my last blog. It has been so busy this week that I am really glad it is half term. As well as the parent consultations a lot of the teachers have been out on training courses and we have had Sharing Assembly and the Year 5 Assembly.

I have had only positive comments about the consultations. During the autumn consultations I am involved with Year 6 meetings so it means that I do not get out and about to talk to parents as I have to remain in my office. Hopefully you are all happy with how your child has settled into their new school year and with how their learning is progressing but if you do have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher or myself.

Unfortunately, due to a meeting I had to attend, I was not present for our first Sharing assembly of the year but Mr Spring informed me that it went very well. I do hate missing these because they are totally organised by the pupils which I think is a great thing for them to do and I also like to know which aspects of their learning that the pupils feel proud of. I hope I do not have to miss the next one which will be near Christmas.

Luckily, I did get to see the Year 5 Assembly which was an assembly totally written by the children based on some of the activities they covered during ‘Maths Week’. I found it very informative as well as entertaining and I would like to thank all of Year 5 as well as Miss Kenwell and Miss Davison for all their efforts in putting it together. Mrs Fordham also helped out a little bit and we have been glad to have her back in school as she has been absent for half a term. After the holiday she will be returning to Year 5 as the class teaching assistant and Miss Davies will be moving to Year 1 due to Mrs Holden’s departure which I mentioned in my newsletter.

After the half term break we will again be selling poppies in school for the Royal British Legion charity. This is something that we always support as we think it is a most worthwhile cause and this year as well as the usual poppies they have provided us with items more suited to children such as wristbands, slap rulers and reflectors. These items have all been priced between 50p and £1 so if you would like your child to purchase any you will need to provide them with money from Tuesday onwards in the first week back. The children will be able to see what is available to purchase on the first Monday back.

All that is left for me to do now is to wish you all a lovely half term and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, November 2nd. As I have to attend a meeting out of school on that morning I will not be at the gate to greet you all on your return but I will catch up with you all later. We have lots to look forward to when we get back starting with the Bonfire Night on Saturday, November 7th.

Friday 16 October 2015


It has been an exciting week in school as we have been holding a ‘Maths Week’. All the children appeared to love the maths show that we brought in for them which was called ‘Cap’n’ Half-Inch’, and those that attended the after school maths events loved carrying out the different activities with their parents. In school the children have all enjoyed the maths related tasks and certainly seem excited and enthused by maths which was the aim of the week. I would like to thank Miss Kenwell for co-ordinating the event and Mrs Hopkins for organising the after school maths activities.

Unfortunately in school this week we have been joined by a sickness bug. A lot of the children have had to be sent home after being sick which is not pleasant for either them or you. Thankfully most children seem to be recovering quite quickly which is good but may I remind you that if a child is sick they should not return to school until 48 hours after they were last sick. So, for example, if your child vomits on a Monday and they are sick no more they should not return to school until Wednesday.

As you will know we are holding our ‘Bonfire Night’ with the Rotary Club on Saturday, November 7th. There is a letter coming out from the PTA for you to order your ticket and to see if you are able to volunteer to help run the event. To help advertise the ‘Bonfire Night’ to the whole of Potters Bar we always put up posters around the town which have been designed by a child in the school. This morning the Rotary Club came into the school to present a framed copy of the winning poster to the child who designed it and this year the winner was a Year 1 child who created his design on the computer. I am sure you will join me in offering congratulations to him on his winning design.

Next week we are holding our parent consultations. This is an opportunity for all the parents to look at the learning their child has completed in this half-term and to discuss with the class teacher how their child has settled into the new academic year. I know all parents look forward to this event and are eager to get as much information as possible about their child but can I gently remind you that each appointment lasts ten minutes and that if everyone goes over by just a couple of minutes it can cause long delays as the consultations progress. Rather than delay the teacher if you feel that there is something you would like to discuss in detail please contact the school to make another appointment at a later date.

That is all for now. I cannot believe that at this time next week we will be breaking up for the half term holiday. That has to be a good sign because they do say that times only flies when you are having fun.

Friday 9 October 2015


As I informed you last week in my blog I have had to attend a lot of training out of school this week so I feel a little distanced from school life.  Next week I am in school all week so it will be good to feel ‘back in the loop’ again.

Next week in school is a special one because we are holding a ‘Maths Week’. The theme for the week is ‘Record  Breakers’ and we are beginning the week with a maths show called ‘Cap’n  Half-Inch’ which all the children in KS1 and KS2 children will watch. Throughout the week Mrs Hopkins will also be holding maths sessions for parents and children to carry out maths activities together. KS1 will be on Tuesday afternoon from 3.10pm – 4.30pm and KS2 will be on Thursday from 3.20pm – 4.30pm.

Many of you attended our ‘Harvest Festival’ which we held last Friday. I am pleased to announce that we raised an amazing £537 which we are donating to 'Hand to Hand for Syria'. Thank you once again for the generosity of your donations.

We also sent out the slips this week for our parent consultations which commence the week beginning October 19th. If you have not done so make sure you return your slip to the school by Monday  because the appointment times are going fast. The staff will do their best to give you a time as close to your selected one as possible but if a lot of people want the same time slot it is very difficult to please everyone. If you cannot make your allocated time you may have to make an appointment to see the teacher at another time.

Have a good weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again next week.

Friday 2 October 2015


I am typing this blog after a very busy morning. As most of you will know because you were there, it was our Harvest Festival this morning. As usual it was quite hectic but very enjoyable and the children do love to share experiences with you in school. The main reason that it always is such a success is down to your kind generosity as you send in so many cakes and donate so much money. I would also like to give huge thanks to the PTA for serving all the refreshments at the Harvest Festival and to Mr Taylor for working with the children on their songs. As yet I do not know how much money has been raised because the leftover cakes are being sold this afternoon but all the money raised is being donated to ‘Hand to Hand for Syria’, which we believe to be a very worthy cause. I will let you know next week how much money was raised.

Another area where the school has benefitted from your generosity has been with the ‘Book Fair’. We raised an amazing £920 which means that we can purchase many books for the school. Having a huge selection of reading materials in good condition really encourages children to want to read and once children can read it benefits all other areas of their learning - so thank you all again.

Next week I have a lot of meetings and training to attend out of school so it means that I will not be around a great deal. If you need to see me for any reason and I am not around you can make an appointment to see me at another time but if you feel there is something that you need to discuss urgently my deputy, Mrs Zegallo will be able to speak to you.

Our ‘Indian Summer’ appears to be lasting so I am sure we will all have a pleasant weekend. I look forward to seeing you all again next week.

Friday 25 September 2015


It has been a fairly straightforward week in school this week with everything running very smoothly which is always good. However, next week the pace really picks up as we have lots happening in school.

On Monday the ‘Book Fair’ begins. Every night until Thursday the book fair will be open after school in the main hall (we are also opening it on Wednesday lunchtime at 11.45am for nursery parents). There will be a wide variety of books to select from and your children will already know what is there as they are viewing the books today. This is a good opportunity for you to purchase some early Christmas presents. As a school we do get a percentage of the profits to use on books for the school so remember, the more you spend the more the school will benefit.

On Wednesday the school photographer will be in school to take individual photographs. This also includes family groups within the school so you may want to make sure that your children look ‘extra smart’ on that day because it will be a whole year before they get the opportunity to have an individual picture taken in school again.

On Friday we are holding our annual ‘Harvest Festival’ coffee morning. I have already sent out details about this in a couple of newsletters but we hold this so we can donate money to a worthy cause. There are a couple of charities that we are considering this year so I will let you know on the day which one the school has decided to support. As well as enjoying a drink and a cake with your child the classes will also be singing a couple of Harvest Festival songs to entertain you.  Remember that you may start sending in your cake donations from Wednesday, 30th September and if you are sending them in a container you would like returned to you please remember to put label it with your name. We have always had lots of donations in the past and I am sure that this year will be no different.

The football team also have their first match against Oakmere on Monday so let us hope that they will be successful. With all that is going on in school it will be next Friday before we know it. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Harvest Festival next week.

 

Friday 18 September 2015


You can tell that we have been back for a while now because the weeks are starting to fly by - I cannot believe that it is almost the weekend again. This is because all the extra- curricular clubs have started this week and for some reason the weeks always seem to pass more quickly when we are running the clubs.

I have been in reception this week and I am amazed at how settled the children are considering they have only been with us for a couple of weeks. May I remind reception parents that now the children have been here for a while they should be coming into school themselves so if parents can leave them at the gates where I stand the children can make their own way around to the classroom. If any of them are a little unsettled Mrs Aldridge or I will take them round but I am sure that if they can have it explained to them at home how they are going to come into school they will be fine. Some parents do think that their children will not come in without them but they do manage at break and lunchtime when parents are not present.

Next week appears to be quite a straightforward week in school next week. I have to attend a meeting about the firework display which is on November 7th. This is always a great event in school and I know that the PTA will soon be asking for volunteers to help with this event.  If you can organise your diary so you can help out for even an hour that will be greatly appreciated. More details about this event will be following shortly.

Have a great weekend everyone and I will see you all again next week.

Friday 11 September 2015

We have had some sunshine this week so I feel that summer is still with us which is great but I do feel that it is on borrowed time. The nights are already starting to draw in and before long it will be back to coats, gloves and scarves. However, before I get too gloomy let us think of better things. The good news is that all the after school clubs start again next week which will really mean that school is back to normal. All the letters have been sent out and hopefully you will have signed up all your children for the clubs they want to attend. I think after school clubs are an important part of school life because they help enrich the learning experience for children which is why I am glad that we run such an extensive programme at Little Heath. May I just remind you that if your child cannot attend a club for any reason you inform the school so that we can let the adult running the club know and we do not waste time trying to see why they have not attended. Can I also ask that if your child is attending an after school activity that whoever is picking them up is on time. I know that sometimes everyone can be delayed due to no fault of their own but I do feel that if people are persistently late that this impinges on the goodwill of those running the clubs. Last night I know many of you attended the ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions. I hope you found them useful as I know the teachers put a lot of work into preparing them and I do know that many of you feel that it is good to ‘touch base’ with the class teacher early in the year. We deliberately make these sessions ‘adult only’ so that parents do not feel inhibited asking questions they do not want their children to hear. However, if you were unable to attend the sessions all the information that was presented can be found on the class blogs which are always updated at least weekly by the class teachers. The forecast is quite good for the weekend so I hope that you can enjoy some of the last rays of summer sunshine. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Friday 4 September 2015


Welcome back. All the children appear to have come back very relaxed and all of them have settled very well back into the school routine. However, they have only had a two day week so let us hope they are still as eager next Friday when they have completed a full week.

As you will know we have been having some renovations completed over the holiday. We have been having some of the heating updated in the older part of the school, we have had some more work completed on our drainage system and we are also having a new boiler installed. Hopefully when all this work is completed it will mean that we will not experience any more floods and will not have to close the school at short notice which is inconvenient for everyone. I was a little worried last week at how the school was going to look for the children coming back but fortunately nearly all the internal work has been completed and the workmen are now based mainly in the boiler room. This is why the children are entering the school through the main hall in the morning. Hopefully all the work will be completed by the end of September but I will keep you informed.

Next week we are holding our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions on Thursday 10th at 4.30pm and 6.00pm. These are for the parents of children in Years 1-6 and are an opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher in person and find out about the expectations for the year and how you can best support your child with their learning. As I explained in my newsletter these sessions are for parents only so you will have to make alternate arrangements for your child if you want to attend. Our after-school club is offering a one-off session at 4.30pm to look after your child while you meet the teacher. If you wish to take up this offer you must inform the school office by Tuesday, 8th September. Parents who do turn up with their child will be asked to leave which causes embarrassment for everyone. If you are unable to attend these sessions all the information that will be discussed will be posted on the class blogs. Although there will be an opportunity to talk to the class teacher informally at the end of the sessions you will not be able to discuss the progress of your child. You will have the opportunity to do this at the parent consultations in October.

That is all for now. Have a great weekend and I will see you all again on Monday.

Friday 10 July 2015


At the end of another busy week in school I must admit that the prospect of a long holiday is certainly a welcome thought. Just one more week to go and the dream can actually become a reality. I have to admit that it does not feel like a whole year since the last summer break  - they do say that the years appear to pass more quickly as you get older so that does bode well for me – when the seasons all start to blend into one I will retire.

Last Saturday, as you know, was the Summer Fayre. Good fortune smiled down on the school because the weather was beautiful so the fayre was very well attended. Everyone I have spoken to has said what a brilliant day it was and I certainly agree with them. The PTA did an excellent job in organising the event and I have to give special thanks to Simon Hall and Emma O’Brien for co-ordinating the whole event. I would like to also thank everyone who contributed some of their time to help run a stall because without all that help the event would not have been possible. We do not know yet how much money has been raised as the silent auction only closes tomorrow but as soon as we have a total we will let you know. Early indicators about the amount raised have been very positive.

We have had a lot of people in school this week as all our new children who are joining us in September have been visiting us. Even though some of them are only a year younger than some of our other children they all appear very small but once they join us they soon become part of our community. All the other classes – with the exception of Year 3 and Year 4- have been in their new classrooms and have met their new teachers. Everyone appears to be very happy and looking forward to the new school year. Year 3 and Year 4 will meet their new teachers in their new classes next week.

The focus for the last week of term will all be on the Year 6 because they will be leaving us on Friday. They will be putting on a show for their parents, they are having a leaving party and they will have their Leavers’ Assembly on Friday morning. It is always sad when pupils move on  but we do wish them well in their new secondary schools.

Have a great weekend.  I will be spending most of my time sittting in front of the television as I love tennis and it is the finals at Wimbledon this weekend.

Friday 3 July 2015


None of us can complain that summer has not arrived this week. It has certainly been hot and keeping the focus on learning is definitely challenging in these conditions. I was a little surprised to discover that some of the children were coming to school without water bottles or hats during the hot weather because they are essential in helping the children cope with the extreme conditions –the children should be bringing water bottles to school every day because drinking water frequently helps them to focus in lessons. During sunny weather the children should also come to school wearing sunblock and bring their own supply with them to reapply if you think it will be necessary for them to do so. We do take precautions to try to ensure your child’s welfare during the hot weather so please support us by sending your child in with the correct provisions to help protect them from the extreme conditions.

As you will remember last Friday was our Sports Day and some of you were kind enough to send in donations of cakes and biscuits to help the School Council raise money for playground equipment. I did say I would inform you of how much was raised in my next newsletter but unfortunately I did not have the total in time for that letter so I am delighted to tell you now that we raised a £100 from the sale of cakes (there was £230 raised in the total sale of refreshments but the rest of the money has gone to the PTA fund from which the school also benefits). I would like to thank everyone who sent in the donations of baked goods which allowed us to raise this impressive amount of money.

I have seen many of you in school this week because of the parent consultations. I hope you found the consultations informative and are pleased with the progress your child has made.  I know that the teachers enjoy being able to share your child’s learning with you and I know they will tell you that I do not say it enough but they have worked very hard this year to provide your child with a stimulating and enjoyable learning experience. The school is very lucky to have them as well as all the other staff who give their all to make Little Heath a great place for your children to learn.

I am typing this blog amongst big preparations for the summer fayre which is going to be tomorrow. I cannot believe it has come around so fast and I know it is going to be a great day. There are loads of stalls and fairground attractions as well as a barbeque, bar and lots of other foodstuffs so there is no need to have lunch before you come. I will be there supporting Mrs Zegallo as she take pictures of people with the Mustangs which we will have on display for the day. I hope to see many of you there.

Friday 26 June 2015


I am only writing a very short blog this week as I have been busy today with Sports Day. It has been a very successful event and I would like to offer my congratulations to everyone in Frampton for winning the trophy. Even though the other houses did not win I could tell that everyone was ‘giving it their all’ and appeared to be having a huge amount of fun at the same time. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making Sports Day such a good day but I would particularly like to thank Mr Mills who has spent all week organising and co-ordinating the event. I would also like to thank everyone who sent in donations of cakes. They were very popular and I will inform you in my next newsletter of how much money we managed to raise for playground equipment.

The next important social occasion that is taking place is our Summer Fayre which is going to take place on Saturday, July 4th from 12.30pm – 3.30pm. This is always a big event in our school calendar and I know that this year will not disappoint. If you can contribute some time I know that the PTA would be very grateful and you can let them know by putting a note in the PTA box which is found in the entrance to the main school. We also want as many people as possible to attend so that we can raise as much money as possible so bring along all your families and friends as well.

Next week is also ‘Parent Consultation Week’ when I know I will see many of you when you come in to discuss your children’s learning with their teacher.  I know there is always a lot to discuss but remember that the teachers have many parents to see so if you feel there is something you need to discuss in more depth please make an extra appointment to see the teacher at another time. If even a few people run over their time by just a couple of minutes it can cause havoc with the timetables and everyone ends up being late. 

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Friday 19 June 2015


I cannot believe I am writing my blog again because it does not seem 5 minutes since I wrote the last one – the weeks are certainly flying by at the moment.  Summer also seems to have finally arrived and I am actually into my summer wardrobe. I do not like to feel the cold and I have to be really assured that it is going to be warm before I cast aside my winter woollies –I hope my optimism has not been misplaced.

Plans for the Summer Fayre on July 4th are now well underway and I know it is going to be a brilliant day – hopefully the weather will be kind to us. I would like to thank everyone for the donations that were sent in last week - your generosity will certainly help to make the fayre a success. Every Friday between now and July 4th the PTA will be putting out a table at the beginning and end of the school day so that people can purchase the wristbands in advance for the fair rides. We still need more support to help run the stalls on July 4th so if you are able to help please let the PTA members know on Friday and they will give you a job. Remember that the more money the school raises the more the children’s learning will benefit through excellent resources and accommodation.

Next week on Friday it is Sports Day. I have had one or two parents who still think it is Thursday 25th June as opposed to Friday 26th June but I have checked my newsletters and I did inform parents on February 5th that it was changed to June 26th. The KS1 event will be in the morning and starts at approximately 9.15am and the KS2 event is in the afternoon and starts at 1.30pm. Parents, family and friends are all most welcome to come attend and support your child. It is run as a carousel event with some track events at the end. I would like to remind everyone that for the track events you need to stay behind the temporary fence that we put up so that we can ensure the safety of the children.

The School Council are in the process of raising money to help purchase more play equipment for the playground. To help them do this they would like to a hold a ‘Bake Sale’ on Sports Day. If you would like to support them with this they would be grateful if you could sent in cakes and biscuits for them to sell on Sports Day. As a number of our children suffer from food allergies we would be grateful if you could list the ingredients they contain. You may send the baked goods into school on either Thursday 25th June or on the morning of the 26th.

That is all for now. Hopefully the fine weather will last over the weekend and I will see you all again on Monday.

Thursday 11 June 2015


I am publishing my blog a day early because I am on an all-day course tomorrow. I find it hard to believe that it is almost the weekend again because I have had a week that has been packed with meetings and appointments so it has just flown by.

The second half of the summer term is always filled with sporting events and since I last wrote my blog the children have taken part in two. Last Friday afternoon we took part in the Potters Bar Primary Schools Football tournament and last night we took part in School Districts Sport. We finished an impressive second in both. In the football final it was just eight seconds from the final whistle when the other team managed to score a goal against us. Although we did not win the District Sports trophy some of the children managed to break the district record in their individual events. I would like to thank all the children who took part in these events and to Mr Mills for all his work in preparing them. In the week we are due to take part in a cricket and girls’ football tournament so I will let you know next week how we do in these.

Enjoy the sunshine and I will see you all again on Monday.

 

Friday 5 June 2015


Summer, at last, appears to have arrived as we enter the last part of the school year. Sunny weather always makes everybody more cheery and energetic so let us hope that it remains this way for the rest of the term. I know some of the children like to think that the school year is just about over at this point but as I reminded them in assembly on Monday they still have seven weeks of work to complete before they start their holidays. We also have an awful lot of events to pack into this time such as Sports Day and Parent Consultation Meetings so we need a long half term to fit everything in.

Some of you may have noticed that we have a new seat in the KS2 playground where you drop off and collect the children. This was bequeathed to us by a lady called Patricia Kirk. She wanted to donate a seat to the school after her death because she had such happy memories of the time she spent in the school during the 1930s. That was before the Second World War so it is a pity we did not know of her existence before her death because it would have been really interesting to talk to her and discuss how the school had changed. It was lovely of her to leave us a gift and I am sure many a tired parent will be grateful for it when they feel the need to sit down while they wait for their children.

One of the first things that I had to do this week was to attend a meeting about the Summer Fayre which, as you know, is on Saturday, July 4th from 12.30pm -3.30pm.  Plans are well underway for this event and all we require is more manpower to help set up and run the stalls on the day. Letters have been sent home to you on which there is a form that you can fill in to volunteer your help. If everybody could just give an hour it would make it a very easy event to run and even if you cannot help during the actual fayre it would be great if you could give an hour on the Friday night to help set up or a little bit of time after the fayre has finished to help clear up. The competition for the poster/programme cover will be judged on Monday and we will be announcing the winner of that next week. We are also holding the ‘Mufti Day’ next Friday when the children come to school in their normal clothes if they make a donation to the school fayre. A list of the donations you can send in is on the letter that was sent out to you by the PTA this week.

As I said earlier, the second half of the summer term is always busy and next week is no exception. As well as the ‘Mufti Day’ on Friday there are the ‘Primary School Athletics’ on Wednesday night at Mount Grace and on Friday some of the older children are taking part in a cricket tournament at Potters Bar Cricket Club on Friday afternoon.

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Friday 22 May 2015


I am writing this blog after attending the ‘Oakmere Mini Marathon ‘this morning. This is an event that is run every year by Oakmere Primary School for KS2 pupils and is a mini version of the London Marathon for all the local schools. I love the event and even though some of our children find the run quite a challenge they all achieve a sense of satisfaction in completing the course (as do the teachers who run the course with the children). All the children did really well but I would like to mention James in Year 4 and Caitlin in Year 3 who finished 4th and 5th respectively in their race.

The Year 6 could not join us this year at the mini marathon as they have been on their residential all week at a Kingswood Adventure Centre. From all the reports I have received from their teachers and the pictures I have viewed on the blog that Mrs Zegallo has been keeping, they all appear to be having a great time – I do think they are going to sleep well when they get back. They are returning to us this evening so after half term it will be back to normal in school. I think the Year 5 will be disappointed because they will have to sit on the floor again in assembly.

The Year 5 have actually had a very busy week because as well as taking part in the mini marathon they were invited to a performance of ‘Blood Brothers’ at Queenswood School.  This was after some of the boys had spent the morning taking part in a football tournament. They had to compete against a lot of Year 6 pupils but still managed to finish an impressive 3rd (out of twelve teams). Then, some of the Year 5 had to leave ‘Blood Brothers’ early because they were taking part in a ‘Maths  Challenge’. Mrs Hopkins reported back that the pupils taking part worked together really well as a team and represented the school well. That is always good to hear.

Since I have been at Little Heath I have received many comments over the years about the children’s  lost property and how we manage it. One of the comments is that we do not make any effort to get it back to the children and just leave it to gather. However, I was on the field this afternoon after lunch and found that six jumpers had been left out there. When I went to return them to the children I found that only three had names on them and so I had to put three in the lost property bin. May I take this opportunity to remind you that all school clothing should have the child’s name inside in a form that we can read. If you could check this over the half term it would make returning lost property back to children a lot easier.  

As you all know next week is half term and even though it is just less than five weeks since we returned after Easter I think a lot of people are looking forward to the break. I hope that everyone has a relaxing time because when we return it is seven weeks before our next holiday and we have a lot of work still to be covered. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, 1st June.

 

Friday 15 May 2015


As I mentioned in my blog last week the Year 6 had SATs which has meant it has been quite a quiet week in school. However, they are all complete now and I am just as pleased as the Year 6. Even though I do not have the pressure of sitting the tests it I have to ensure that they are locked up safely and all bagged correctly (which is a harder task than it sounds) and when it is all over and all the tests have been collected I do feel like a small weight has been lifted from my shoulders. However, I am sure that is nothing compared to how the Year 6 children (or Mrs Zegallo) are feeling.

The week has not all been about tests though and there have been some really good events that have occurred in school. The first good thing was that our school netball team won the ‘Le Gros’ netball tournament. This follows on from winning the league so we are feeling really proud of them. They have never been beaten this season which is an excellent record but I was particularly pleased with how they conducted themselves while they played. In their semi-final they went 3-0 down before coming back to win it 6-3 but during the time they were behind they did not panic or get upset but just kept playing as a very tight unit. For those watching it was an excellent example of team play - Real Madrid could learn a lot from watching them. As well as the girls I would like to thank Georgina Parkinson for the excellent job she has done in coaching them. She is leaving us after coaching netball teams for nine years and I would like to thank her for all she has done for netball in the school. She will certainly be a hard act to follow.

We were also fortunate in that Mr Hall and Mrs O’Brien from the PTA took a school assembly on Thursday morning to inform all the pupils about the summer fayre which is on July 4th and has an American theme . The children all appeared very excited by what they heard and saw so hopefully it will be a great success.  Remember, that if you can spare any time to help the PTA they will be grateful. They have a box in the entrance to the school where you can leave any notes or information you would like to share with them.

This morning we enjoyed the lovely Reception assembly. It was all about ‘Red Riding Hood’ and the children presented it well with some lovely songs with actions. I would like to thank them all for giving us such a lovely performance and I would like to thank Miss Jaegar, Mrs Aldridge and Mrs Beadle for all their hard work in putting it together.

After all the stress of this week the Year 6 have a huge treat next week because they are going on their school residential to a Kingswood activity centre.  It will be quiet in school without them but I am sure we will survive. It is also the ‘Open Afternoon’ for parents which gives the parents of children in Years 1 – 6 an opportunity to look at the work the children have covered in this half term. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Friday 8 May 2015


After our long weekend last week I feel like it is just two minutes since I wrote my last blog. It has been a very pleasant week in school despite the changeable weather which unfortunately meant that the ‘Le Gros Netball’ tournament had to be cancelled. The new date for the tournament is next Wednesday and if you would like to go and watch the girls compete it is being held at Mount Grace at the end of the school day.

We had another meeting for the Summer Fayre this week and plans are well in place to make it a great event. What will be needed to make it a success though is support from everyone in the Little Heath community. A letter will soon be coming out to explain what you can do to contribute. Remember that although the day is held to help raise money for the school it is also a big community event in the school calendar and we need as many people as possible to help add to the ambiance. The fayre is being held on July 4th and it has an American theme.

We held our second literacy even this week for the Foundation stage and Year 2. Although those who attended found it very useful and enjoyable there was a disappointing turn out again. As I mentioned last week parents cannot complain that they do not get enough guidance with how to support their children with their learning if they do not attend events put on for this specific purpose.

This week I was informed that some parking attendants did come down School Road at home time and issued parking tickets to those they considered had parked inappropriately. To those who received them they cannot say that they had not been warned. I would also thank people for respecting our cones and not parking near the school. We are not restricting parking to be officious but to make the area a safer place for our children to walk to and from school.

Next week will be quite a quiet week in school because it is the SATs test week. I know our Year 6 children have all been working hard and I am sure they will do themselves justice.  I hope all Year 6 parents make sure they have a relaxing weekend because they will need all their energy for next week.  I will see you all again on Monday.

Friday 1 May 2015


I am writing this blog after watching the Year 1 assembly. One of the best parts of my job is watching the class assemblies and the Year 1 performance did not disappoint. It is great to see children so young presenting so confidently and obviously taking such pleasure and pride in their learning. I know all the parents thought it was great and it is a lovely way to head into the Bank Holiday weekend. As well as the amazing children I would like to thank all the Year 1 staff for their efforts in putting together a lovely assembly.

This week we also had our Literacy workshop for the KS2 parents and pupils. My staff had prepared some lovely activities for the event and all those that attended found it a very enjoyable experience. I was a little disappointed in the number that turned out, especially after all the preparation that had been put in. I hope that next week when we have the Foundation and Year 2 workshops on Wednesday evening there will be a better turnout.  We get asked many times by parents how they can support their children’s learning at home and we run events like this to disseminate this information because we cannot do it by sending sheets home or putting something on the website.

Although it is only a four day week next week because of the Bank holiday we still have a lot going on in school. Wednesday is a particularly busy day as we have some drama workshops for Reception and Key Stage One during the day and we have the literacy workshops that I talked about above after school. We also have the ‘Le Gros’ netball tournament at Mount Grace for the older children and we wish them every success in that. Some pupils from Year 4 are also taking part in a technology challenge on Thursday morning so there is certainly a lot to look forward to.

 I hope you do all have a great weekend. The forecast is not good but that is typical for a Bank Holiday so I am sure we will not let it dampen our spirits. I look forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday.

   

Thursday 23 April 2015

I know I always say this at the beginning of every term but I cannot believe how quickly the holiday becomes a distant memory once you have been back at school for a couple of days. I had a wonderful holiday and actually went away twice but those trips do feel like a very long time ago. Anyhow, at least the weather, another favourite topic of mine, has been kind to us and let us hope that we have fabulous weather to see us through the summer term. Everyone always seems to have more energy when the sun comes out.

Although the PTA still does not have a chair person to organise it we have had some people come forward to help organise the Summer Fayre. This week we held a meeting and it was decided to hold the Summer Fayre on Saturday, July 4th. Some more information will be sent out soon to inform you of what is planned, but for it to be a success, more volunteers will still have to come forward to help run the event. PTA representatives in your class may soon be approaching you to ask if you can spare an hour to either set up, help run a stall or clear up afterwards. Remember, if people do not come forward these kind of events may have to disappear forever and it would be a shame if your child missed out on memorable events that help to enrich the experiences they have at school. 

Next week in school all the extra-curricular clubs start up again and we are also holding the first of our literacy workshops. This one is for KS2 children and will run on Wednesday evening from the end of the school day until 4.30pm. The idea of these workshops is for parents to join their children in carrying out activities which help improve their literacy skills. Younger siblings can attend these events although the activities will not be age appropriate for them. I hope to see many of you there. 


That is all for now. Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Thursday 2 April 2015


Another frantic week in school that just seems to have flown by. The highlight of the week has been the Year 3, 4, and 5 production of ‘Aladdin’. It was a brilliant production and all those who saw it said how much they enjoyed it. The children did themselves and the school proud. I would like to thank all the staff who were involved in putting this show on. It took an enormous amount of effort and time to put this mammoth production together and the end result certainly reflected all the hard work that had gone into it. They certainly deserve their Easter break.

Another high point this week was our girls’ football team who took part in ‘The Potters Bar Girls Cup Final’ last night. They match was against Wroxham girls and I am delighted to announce that we won 3-0. I would like to congratulate all the girls for their excellent performance and also thank Miss Kenwell and Mr Mills for coaching them.

All that is left for me to do now is wish you all a very good Easter break. Remember that we return to school on Tuesday, 21st April. It will be the summer term (even if the weather does not feel like it is) so children can wear summer uniform although please do not get rid of their winter uniform as we like them to wear it for their class photographs which will be on Monday, 27th April.

Thursday 26 March 2015

I am publishing my blog a little earlier this week because I am out on Thursday and Friday attending educational courses. Hopefully everything will be fine in my absence but if there is a problem Mrs Zegallo is in charge of the school.

School has felt quite full this week because there were so many children out on trips last week. Years 3, 4 and 5 have been very busy rehearsing for their school production which is ‘Aladdin’. I have yet to see it as the dress rehearsal for the school is on Monday but I have heard a lot of the singing as I have been moving around the school and it sounds really good. I know that all the parents who are going to be watching it next week are in for a treat and I look forward to seeing many of you there. 

May I remind you again that Little Heath or pre-school children are not allowed to watch the production on Wednesday evening. Last year some parents had to miss the performance because they had not followed the guidance on their ticket letter.

As well as the production of ‘Aladdin’ we have ‘Open Afternoon’ in school next week. As most of you know this is on Wednesday and runs from 3.00pm – 4.30pm. This is an opportunity for parents to come into the school and observe all the learning that the children have covered during the half-term. We start the event during school hours because many children like to share their work with their parents. The ‘Open Afternoon’ is only for the parents of pupils from Year 1 - Year 6 as foundation parents can see their children’s work at any time.

When I write my blog next week we will breaking up for the Easter holiday. Remember that on the last day of term (Thursday, April 2nd) school finishes at 2.00pm and children are due to return to school on Tuesday, 21st April.    

Friday 20 March 2015


After all the excitement of the ‘Talent Show’ and ‘Red Nose Day’ (for which we raised an amazing £676)in school  last week it has been a relatively quiet this week although a lot of the classes have been on  school visits this week. Trips, as the children call them, certainly help to make school life a lot more interesting. The spring term is flying by and I cannot believe that in two weeks it will be Good Friday.

I have to say that this week did not get off to a good start because we had an accident occur as the children were coming into school on Monday morning. There was such a surge as all the children rushed to get through the gates that some smaller children were knocked to the ground and one child had to go to hospital to have stitches to a cut in his head. Although it is great that the children are eager to get into school we do not want them getting injured in the process and we are now ensuring the children walk as they enter the school. It would be good if you could reinforce this for us at home as well. One accident is still one too many.

I have had to go to a lot of meetings this week and as I have been leaving or returning to the school I have noticed that there are still some people who are parking on the zig-zag lines to drop off or collect their children. As I have said many times it is against the law to park on these lines between 8.00am – 5.00pm and if you are caught by the police you will incur a fine. More importantly though it makes the area in front of the school dangerous for the pedestrians who are following the rules and this is not acceptable. Please leave enough time to park your car away from the school and then walk your child into school.

All that is left for me to do is hope that you all have a lovely weekend – the warm weather is not quite with us but let us hope we see some sunshine.

Friday 13 March 2015


I am typing my blog early this week because I am preparing to present the ‘Talent Night ‘ again to all the children in the school. The ‘Talent Night’ went down very week last night and I would like to give a huge thank you to all those people who made last night such a success – my staff for their support, the PTA for providing the refreshments and last but certainly not least  - the children who had the courage to go onto the stage and perform before an audience. Without them last night would not have been possible. We raised £280 from ticket sales last night. £140 will go to the PTA fund and £140 will be put towards the Red Nose appeal.

It is very easy to see that it is Red Nose Day in school today because practically everyone is wearing red - even if it is just a nose. Some children have gone all the way and have followed the theme for this year which is to ‘make your face funny for money’ and have decorated their faces. They look amazing and it is all for a good cause. When we have totalled all the money we raised from selling the noses, the ‘Talent Night’, and the dressing up I will let you know how much we raised for the ‘Red Nose’ appeal. We have also been given a contribution from a group of girls in Year 6 who organised a ’Bake Sale’ at ‘The Hub’ and managed to raise £36 for their efforts. Mary Berry would be proud. I think it is a wonderful gesture, especially as they organised it all by themselves.

Next week in school we have a lot of children going on trips so it will be another busy week with lots of activities taking place – just as it should be in a school. The weather has certainly improved this week so let us hope we see some sunshine over the weekend. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Friday 6 March 2015


It has certainly been a fun packed week in school this week. What with dressing up for ‘World Book Day’, preparing for the ‘Talent Night’ and all the trips to the ‘Snow Centre’ the week just seems to have flown by – it will be Easter before we know it. 

 

All the fun has not meant that we have not been working and indeed I had a very busy day on Wednesday as we had our ‘Hertfordshire Improvement Partner’ visiting the school. This is somebody who comes every term to check the quality of the provision the school provides for the pupils. He does this through meetings with the governors and me, analysis of our data and a learning walk around the school. He was very impressed with what he saw and thinks that we have progressed well with our Ofsted targets of giving pupils more opportunities to develop their independence and take greater responsibility to manage their own learning and improving the way teachers use pupils’ responses to questioning when they check the effectiveness of pupils’ learning. This is obviously very good news and makes me very proud of the staff we have in the school for the excellent job they are doing in educating your children.

 

As I mentioned above we have been preparing for ‘Little Heath Has Talent’ which is on Thursday, 12th March at 7.00pm. At the moment I have only offered tickets to the families of those who are taking part but from Tuesday tickets will be available for anyone who wants to come and watch. It is always a great night so I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Friday 27 February 2015


As I sit here typing this, the phrase ‘That was the week that was’ comes to mind because this week has absolutely flown by but it has been a very busy week in school. We have started our ski trips and we have been holding the auditions for ‘Talent Night’ and it has made the half term break just seem like a distant memory but I hope you all had a pleasant break.

The ski trips have been very popular with most children so far. The actual ‘Snow Centre’ is amazing and when you are inside it you do feel like you in an actual ski resort and not Hemel Hempsted. It certainly fulfils the brief of giving the children an outdoor and adventurous activity and allowing the children to experience something we could not provide at school. For some children it was a totally new experience and although a couple of children did find being in the cold  challenging it means they will be better prepared to cope with it the next time they have to face it.

Although spring is on its way we ae still experiencing winter weather and with it all the bugs and viruses that go with it. My secretaries have informed me that we have received a few phone calls from parents informing them that as their children have had colds they will not be able to do outdoor PE. PE is a core part of the curriculum and if a child is able to attend school they should be able to take part in the whole curriculum and that includes PE. Obviously if there are medical reasons for a child being unable to take part we will respect them e.g a broken limb or if we receive guidance from a medical professional.

As I stated earlier we have been holding the auditions for ‘Talent Night ‘this week. They are nearly all compete and I will be sending letters to all those who are taking part early next week. I always let the families of children in the show purchase tickets first but after that we open them to the whole school. More details about the tickets will come out next week but remember to keep the 12th March free in your diary. We only hold these shows once every two years and they are always great nights.

Have a great weekend and I will see you all next week.

Friday 13 February 2015


I cannot believe that half term is upon us - where has the time gone? When we return it will nearly be March and soon after that it will be Easter. I must be getting old as all the seasons are starting to blur into one.

It has been quite a busy week in school. We had our ‘Open Afternoon’ on Wednesday and last night a lot of children attended the PTA ‘Valentine’s Disco’. I could only attend the KS2 disco as I had to go to a meeting but all those that attended appeared to have a good time. I would like to thank all the PTA and my staff for the effort they put into the disco which helped make it such a success. Our next planned event is going to be a ‘Talent Night ‘which we intend to hold on March 12th. This is the day before ‘Comic Relief’ so it is our intention to donate half the money raised from the ‘Talent Night’ to them as it is such a worthy cause. We will also be selling the red noses after half term but more details will follow about this after we return from the break.

We also had a ‘Parent Council’ meeting this week. Although we would have liked more people to attend there were some very good points discussed and even though some people were unable to be there they e-mailed their suggestions to the meeting so they could be heard. We will be sending a letter out soon to inform all parents about what was discussed. There will be another meeting next term and we will let you know the date and time of this as soon as it has been decided.

I know people will think that I discuss this issue a lot, but there have been complaints about the parking again. Apparently it was really bad during our ‘Open Afternoon’ when some parents were even blocking people’s driveways,  which is illegal. I have even heard about a parent who actually parked on someone’s drive while they collected their child from school –that is just unbelievable. I am advising people to ring the police to make a complaint. The thing that worries me the most is that a child will get injured or even worse because of these irresponsible parking.

All that is left for me to do is to wish you all have a great half –term. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday, 23rd February.

Friday 6 February 2015


We have certainly noticed that it was winter this week – it does seem such a shame that the snow never seems to arrive in time for Christmas. I am still amazed at the amount of disruption a couple of centimetres of snow can cause. I know we have not had to close the school (thank goodness) but I did have staff arrive late because they had been sat in traffic jams due to problems caused by the snow! At least the school has managed to operate better than the roadways.

Apart from the snow it has been quite a quiet week in school. The weather did not stop the girls playing their football match against Brookmans Park which I mentioned in last week’s blog. I am glad to report that they won so their unbeaten record remains intact. I would like to congratulate the girls on their excellent performance and also thank Miss Kenwell and Mr Mills for all their hard work in coaching them. Let us hope they can maintain their great record until the end of the season. 

Mrs Robinson has asked me to remind all those parents who received a questionnaire at our curriculum and assessment evening if they could return them to the school office as soon as possible. They should not take too much of your time to complete and she needs as many copies as possible returned to her to help her complete her research.

Next week is certainly not a quiet week in school. On Monday we have ‘Sharing Assembly’ and if your child is taking part you will already have received the letter to inform you. Then on Wednesday we have the Parent Council meeting at 2.00pm and this is followed by ‘Open Afternoon’ which runs from 3.00pm – 4.30pm. This is your opportunity to look at your child’s books and see all the wonderful things they have learnt. Do remember though that all their learning is not found in their books.   As I also mentioned in my newsletter this is not like a parent consultation and teachers will not be available to give individual progress reports on children.

On Thursday we then have the ‘Valentine’s Discos’ which are always popular events with the children. Remember the KS1 disco starts at 5.00pm and the KS2 one at 6.15pm.  Finally, on Friday, we break up for the first half term of the year. I do not know where the time has gone - it will be Easter before we realise it.

Enjoy your weekend – let us hope that it does not get too cold so everyone is able to get out and about.

Friday 30 January 2015


I have had another week where I have had to be out of school a lot so I find it hard to believe that it is Friday again – where does the time go? I would like to thank all the parents who came to our information evening about the new curriculum and assessment processes on Wednesday night. There was a good turnout of parents and many of those who attended came to tell me how informative they found it. I know as a parent it can be worrying to see all the changes being brought in by government and the impact it will have on your child’s education. I do hope that the evening  reassured parents that no matter what legislation dictates we will always do our best to ensure that all the children in Little Heath develop a passion for learning so they can fulfil their potential. For those of you unable to attend we will be putting the PowerPoint presentation that was used onto our website.

Next week looks quite a normal week for me so I will be in school most of the time (except for Wednesday morning). As far as events goes it is quite a quiet week in school although the KS2 girls do have a football match on Wednesday against Brookmans Park so let us hope they do well. So far this season they are unbeaten which is a record no premier league team can boast. 

So far we have managed to avoid all the large quantities of snow that a lot of the country has had. I am quite happy about that but I know some people are disappointed as they would love to go sledging. All I hope is that if it does snow it comes at the weekend and is the cleared up by Monday so we can have a normal day – snow is not a good thing when you are a head teacher.

Friday 23 January 2015


I have had a very busy week as I have had lots of meetings to attend but I am aware that it has meant that I have been out of school a lot so that is why I have not been on the school gate very much.

It has been quite interesting actually as a lot of the meetings that I have been attending have been about the impact of the new curriculum and assessment which is what our parents’ meeting is about next week. We could have explained about the changes in a letter but we felt it was better to do it in person so that we could answer any questions you may have but it is apparent from all the discussions I have attended that it is still very early days and that no-one is sure what impact the new curriculum or the changes to assessment system will have on children’s learning so we cannot guarantee that we will have all of the answers.

Unfortunately I have had a few parents come and see me recently about feeling uncomfortable on the school grounds. May I remind you that if there an incident that has occurred in school and you need to find out what has happened that you contact the class teacher in the first incident and if you are still not happy, you can contact me.  Approaching parents in the playground to discuss an issue directly can make some parents feel very uncomfortable and harassed and nobody should feel that way when they are picking up their children from school.

This morning we had the Year 3 assembly. I always enjoy watching class assemblies and the Year 3 assembly this morning certainly did not disappoint. It was about time travel and the Stone Age and all those that saw it agreed that it was highly informative as well as being most enjoyable to watch. I would like to say well done to all the children In Year 3 for all their efforts and I would like to thank Miss Kenwell and Mrs Fordham for all their hard work in putting it together.

I hope you all have a pleasant weekend and it does not get too cold to stop us being able to get out and about.

Friday 16 January 2015


I could hardly believe it when I looked at the calendar and I saw that we are half way through January –where does the time go. I should be pleased because they do say that time flies when you are having fun so I must be doing something right. Our younger children certainly appeared to be having fun when they took part in their circus workshops this week. They tried out many circus skills that challenged them mentally as well as physically and it is certainly something we would consider having at the school again – we may even include the older children next time because I am sure they would enjoy it as well.

As you probably know from the news a new primary curriculum was introduced in September 2014. As well as changing the curriculum the government has also changed how children’s progress is assessed so we thought it would be a good idea to hold a parent’s information evening to explain the changes to the curriculum and the assessment process. I hope as many as possible can attend because it will give you a better understanding of the education your child is receiving at school.

That is all for now. I hope the weather is kind to us so we can all have a pleasant weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday.

Friday 9 January 2015


Welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a great holiday and got everything you wanted for Christmas. I know that holidays can seem a dim and distant memory once you get back to work and we can feel like we have never had a break but I think that it is quite nice, after all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, to get back into the normal routine of work. All the children have settled very well back into school and there has been a nice buzz around the place. It would have been nice not to have the all the rain on our first week back but you cannot have everything.

 I have been a little disappointed that I have had to pull up a few children about their uniform. I know people may argue that it is easy to forget things when there has been a break but we have not changed the uniform and everyone should know what is expected. Could you please assist us by checking your child before they leave for school to ensure that they have no jewellery or nail polish on, that they are wearing the correct shoes and if they are in KS2 that they are wearing a tie. Can you also ensure that they bring in their full PE kit every Monday morning and keep it in school for the week. It is better to have dirty PE kit than no PE kit at all.

Next week is quite an exciting one in school. All the school clubs start again (they have not changed from before Christmas with the exception of Robotics) and we have a circus skills workshop coming to the school for the foundation and KS1 children. A separate letter has gone out about this but I know the children are going to have a wonderful time. There is no charge for this because we are using our Sports Premium money to fund this and it is only been offered to the younger children because KS2 went to Stanborough Lakes in September.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and I will see you all again on Monday.