Headteacher's Update 30th January 

Dear Parents and Carers, 

It's been another busy week in and around school.

This week, I met with Mr. Gaston-Nash and Miss Davies our school's Writing Leads.  As shared previously, we are currently on a professional learning journey aimed at improving the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment in this core subject. Our goal is simple: to ensure every child develops strong, secure foundations in writing so they can progress with confidence.  We continued our in-depth discussions regarding how we drive this curriculum area in our school, starting with the implementation of a new handwriting progression for all learners after half term. What I love most about these types of days is seeing just how genuinely passionate our staff are about the subjects they lead. Their depth of knowledge and skill allows them to draw on the very best, evidence informed practice, which ultimately means our children get the very best.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with our revised Attendance Policy.  By introducing meetings with parents who request leave of absence for holidays, we hope to create opportunities for open and informal conversations around decisions, while continuing to strengthen the relationship between home and school.  

On Wednesday 28th, we held an event led by PAPAYA exploring the negative impact that smartphones can have on children. This event grew directly from the parent survey sent out in November, which showed an overwhelming response from parents keen to learn more about this important topic.

As a parent of a nine-year-old myself, the session prompted me to reflect on my own views and experiences. One message that particularly resonated was the idea that, as adults, we have often overprotected our children in the real world while under-protecting them online.

We are at the very start of our journey towards becoming a smartphone-free school. A key part of this commitment is learning how we can best support parents in supporting their children, and this event marks the first of what we hope will be many opportunities to work together in this way. I would strongly encourage parents to keep talking to one another and to continue these important conversations beyond school.

If you were unable to attend the talk, and would like to have a look at the information that was shared, then please follow this link.

During assembly today, I spoke to the children about the importance of belonging and how we all work together to ensure that everyone can learn, laugh and grow alongside one another. We discussed how the choices we make each day matter. When a poor choice of behaviour is made, there is a consequence - not only for ourselves, but for those around us too.

    I used a visual to help the children understand this: when a small drop of food colouring is dropped into water, it spreads and changes everything it touches. In the same way, our actions - both positive and negative - can create a ripple effect, influencing what goes on in our classrooms, our playgrounds and our whole school. Even small choices can impact others in ways we may not immediately realise.

We reinforced the message that it is everyone’s responsibility to contribute positively to our school community. This means showing exemplary learning behaviours in the classroom and making positive, respectful choices around school and on the playground. By working together and holding ourselves to high expectations, we can ensure our school remains a place where all children feel safe, valued and ready to learn.