Headteacher's Update 6th February 

I cannot quite believe we are already halfway through the academic year - time really is flying - and as we head into the final week of Spring 1, it’s a good moment to pause and appreciate what a fantastic term it has been.

As you know, writing is an area of focus for us at present, and Mr Owens and I are working closely together to ensure a consistent and effective approach as we move forward. It is important to us that those learners who join us from the infant school experience continuity in the teaching of writing, whilst also ensuring that we continue to improve teaching and learning for all of our children here at CKJS.

We are currently in the preparation phase of our implementation, where we are developing a clear plan alongside the practical preparations, including staff training.

In the fullness of time, I will be able to share what this looks like in practice, including examples of the children’s work.

2026 has been announced as the National Year of Reading. This nationwide campaign has a clear purpose: to help more children see reading as relevant, enjoyable and a part of everyday life.

The National Year of Reading is a key part of the government’s bid to reverse the dramatic decline in levels of reading for pleasure among children over the last 20 years. For children aged 7-10, when reading drops, confidence, imagination and learning take a hit as well. Reading helps children focus, express themselves, develop their curiosity, and it gives families an opportunity to connect. When children choose books they enjoy, reading becomes something they want to do - not something they have to do - and this love of reading supports learning across all subjects.

Families are being urged to read for 10 minutes a day. By sharing stories at home, talking about books, and encouraging your children to read what excites them, you help lay the foundation for lifelong learning and curiosity.

If you find that your child is really not motivated to read, please do speak with their class teacher. We have lots of gorgeous books in school and teachers are more than happy to recommend books to pique their interest!

For more tips on how to motivate your child read at home – follow these links:

Together, let’s make 2026 a year filled with stories, adventures, and happy readers!

We look forward to sharing our plans to refresh and enhance classroom book areas as part of our World Book Day celebrations.

I would like to gently remind parents that if you wish to contact your child’s class teacher by email, this should be done via our reception@ckjs.org.uk inbox rather than emailing teachers directly.

Please be reassured that any emails sent to the reception inbox are monitored regularly and will be passed on to the appropriate member of staff. This system helps us to ensure that messages are received, responded to appropriately, and managed in a timely way.

And finally, I have genuinely been so appreciative of all the informal feedback I’ve received from so many of you over the last two terms; your openness, honesty, and willingness to share your perspectives have been valuable. I plan to send out a few questions at a time more frequently - after all, we can only continue to improve life at CKJS for our children with thoughtful feedback from you. I would be grateful if you could take the time to answer the following questions.

Many thanks in advance for your time on this.

That just leaves me to say, I hope the weekend brings some well-earned rest and family time.

Mrs. Beccy Andrews