Dear Parents and Carers,
What a jam-packed and wonderful week it has been at school!
On Monday we began our Reception playdates, which continued into Tuesday and Wednesday. This was the first stage of the transition process where our new Reception children stayed with us without their parents, and they managed it brilliantly. Alongside Miss Barrett and Miss Hughes, I have been really pleased with our extended transition programme this year. The addition of the Stay and Play sessions, Meet the Teacher events, playdates, the official transition morning and home visits has created a purposeful and supportive transition period for both children and families.
One of our school values is Belong, and this process really helps our youngest children feel that they are already part of our school community. It also allows those all-important positive relationships to begin developing early, naturally creating a strong sense of belonging for everyone involved.
Monday was also a very exciting day as we welcomed Sam Usher, author and illustrator, to school to work with our EYFS and KS1 children. Sam led an inspiring assembly where he demonstrated his illustrating skills and later supported children in workshops where they had the opportunity to create their own artwork.
Sam Usher Visit
Later in the day, the wonderful Bronnie and Bob from Bookwagon arrived for another magical KS2 assembly. They shared a fantastic selection of new books from a range of authors before finishing the day with their popular pop-up bookshop. Thank you to everyone who was able to support this event. Bronnie and Bob kindly provide the school with commission from the book sales, which allows us to purchase even more books for our children to enjoy.
On Monday and Tuesday evenings, our Year 6 children performed their leavers’ production, Sherlock and Cinders. Entering the wonderful world of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, the audience was treated to a hilarious mystery involving a missing person… whose identity was itself unknown! I know I speak on behalf of our Year 6 families when I say it was an outstanding production. There was plenty of laughter, thanks to impeccable comic timing and witty one-liners, but there were also moments where the children’s confidence, teamwork and outstanding singing left us in awe. Huge thanks must go to the Year 6 team for all they have done to support the children and provide them with such a wonderful opportunity to shine.
Wednesday brought our whole-school transition day. The morning began with an assembly and, as I mentioned previously, the atmosphere was absolutely electric as children eagerly waited to discover who their new teacher and teaching assistant would be next year. As I visited classrooms later in the morning, it was lovely to see how quickly the children had settled into their new environments. They already looked at home and had clearly impressed their new teachers.
On Thursday evening we hosted our New Reception Parents’ Information Evening. This is always a valuable opportunity for staff to share key information and help families feel prepared for September. During the evening, I spoke about the importance of nursery rhymes and early language development, sharing the following piece of research:
“Experts in literacy and child development discovered that if a child knows eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are four years old, they are usually among the best readers and spellers in their class by the time they are in Year 3.”
This highlights just how important early language experiences are and the significant impact that singing, talking and sharing rhymes can have on children’s future literacy development.
Elsewhere in school, 1S enjoyed an incredible trip to Bisley, while our Reception children visited Sardar’s Café, where they confidently ordered their own drinks and experienced a taste of café life for themselves.
I would also like to congratulate Ethan in Year 6 on an outstanding set of swimming results. Ethan achieved:
- Gold in the 100m Butterfly
- Silver in the 50m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 100m Individual Medley and 50m Breaststroke
- Bronze in the 100m Breaststroke, 50m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle
A remarkable achievement and a testament to Ethan’s hard work and dedication.
We have also had some fantastic successes in dance and gymnastics. Three of our pupils compete with Cody Crew, and at a recent competition:
- Mya achieved 1st place in a solo dance.
- Indie achieved 2nd place in a solo dance.
- Both Mya and Indie then went on to secure an impressive 3rd place in their group dance.
- Everly achieved 3rd place in a group dance category.
The sporting success didn’t stop there. Later that same afternoon, Everly won Gold in a gymnastics competition, while Sophia won Bronze. What an incredibly successful weekend for these talented young people – we are very proud of them all.
Pupils’ Success
As we head into the weekend, I hope you are able to enjoy some time together with family and friends. Looking ahead to next week, the warmer weather appears to arrive again, so please remember that sports kit will be needed.
Have a lovely weekend.
Warmest regards
Georgina Flooks
Headteacher