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.