Author: Kirsty Baker

Date: 27th January 2023

Dear Families,
January is almost over and we can look forward to some lighter evenings and brighter days!
Looking to the future, we are a step closer to opening our own kitchen in term 6 (this will only be viable if we think the hot meal uptake is sufficient to support the kitchen). This is an exciting development for the school and will mean that we have full control over lunch menus and processes; we even plan to cook and eat produce from our own polytunnel with the children’s input.
We would very much value ideas and suggestions from as many parents and children as possible. Please click here https://forms.office.com/e/szLFinfhHw to have your say!
There is also a chance to have you say about our school in general on the Ofsted Parent View site. Please see page 4 for a summary of responses already received and the link to add your own thoughts and comments.
Bookings for the parent/teacher meetings are now open via the My Child at School app. Please logon and make an appointment to see your child’s teacher on either 8th or 9th February.
Have a good weekend—happy birdwatching (see page 3)!
Mrs Dance
Home learning: it has been great to see the home learning taking place this week— sock designs, counting in twos and up to 20, and writing practice. There are some bear hunt themed activities on the sheet that we sent out on Monday (and attached with the newsletter) which all children could try; it would be fantastic to see a few more photos of your children’s work
Staffing next year: we have been very lucky to appoint some fantastic new teachers for September and, as you may have seen in our last newsletter, are now recruiting for support staff. Interviews will take place next week and we will be inviting candidates to come into the playground to read a story to the children at a 2 metre distance.
Just a reminder that if your child or anyone in your household, is unwell and presenting with any symptoms that they stay at home and let school know as soon as possible, even if it is a day when they would not normally be in school.
Mrs Fraser Mrs Dance
Executive Headteacher Head of School

Nursery:
This week, Apple Tree have continued learning about traditional tales and explored ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. We made porridge together and voted to see if we like sweet, salty or banana the best! We decided that porridge with banana was our favourite.
The children have also been showing us everything they know about numbers to 5. We learnt how to recognise them, order them and counting out the right amount of objects to match.
Staffing next year: we have been very lucky to appoint some fantastic new teachers for September and, as you may have seen in our last newsletter, are now recruiting for support staff. Interviews will take place next week and we will be inviting candidates to come into the playground to read a story to the children at a 2 metre distance.
Just a reminder that if your child or anyone in your household, is unwell and presenting with any symptoms that they stay at home and let school know as soon as possible, even if it is a day when they would not normally be in school.
Mrs Fraser Mrs Dance
Executive Headteacher Head of School

There has been lots of outdoor exploration and we have been noticing lots about the weather, including lots of wonderful ice.

Date: 27th January 2023

Reception What a fantastic few weeks Ash Tree and Oak Tree class have had! The children were visited by Sergeant Wayne who spoke to them about the army, answered all of their brilliant questions and even let the children try on some of his uniform. Then the children had a visit from a paramedic who taught them how to apply a bandage and how to put someone into the recovery position. The children got to try out what they had learnt on their friends and teachers!
Staffing next year: we have been very lucky to appoint some fantastic new teachers for September and, as you may have seen in our last newsletter, are now recruiting for support staff. Interviews will take place next week and we will be inviting candidates to come into the playground to read a story to the children at a 2 metre distance.
Just a reminder that if your child or anyone in your household, is unwell and presenting with any symptoms that they stay at home and let school know as soon as possible, even if it is a day when they would not normally be in school.
Mrs Fraser Mrs Dance
Executive Headteacher Head of School

We have also been learning about keeping our body and minds healthy. The children made fruit kebabs, carefully cutting the fruit first and then enjoying their kebab as a delicious snack. They had a go at writing some instructions and designed their own dinner plate, full of different foods to keep a balanced diet.

Just a reminder that if your child or anyone in your household, is unwell and presenting with any symptoms that they stay at home and let school know as soon as possible, even if it is a day when they would not normally be in school.
Mrs Fraser Mrs Dance
Executive Headteacher Head of School

Year 1/2 Beech class have been thrilled with the weather this week! The frosty mornings have meant we’ve been able to observe some lovely signs of winter, and the heavy rain has made mud puddles in Forest School! Many of the children chose to work together to build a bridge over the ditch to safely cross the muddiest patch without losing their wellies, and we saw some lovely collaboration and teamwork.
In English we’ve been retelling the story, ‘The Kiss that Missed.’ Mrs Cannings and Mrs Christmas are both thrilled with the amazing writing and can’t wait to share at parent’s evening. In Maths we’ve continued working with numbers to 20, finding fun ways in and outdoors to make number bonds, doubles and halves.

Pine Tree Class have continued with our Geography project. We have explored map symbols and keys, foraged in forest school and then used our findings to create our own maps with symbols. The children enjoyed creating their maps in teams, we think they are fantastic!

We have enjoyed finishing our art project in Yew Tree class. We looked at the artist David Hockney and have been inspired by a picture of the Richard Jefferies museum to recreate our own seasonal picture. We sketched the picture, then painted it and recreated it on PicCollage. We have enjoyed our maths outdoor learning this week looking at equal groups. We could identify which groups were equal and not equal and then we were able to make our own groups using pine cones.

Year 3: The learning continues to erupt out of Maple Tree Class as we explore volcanoes. In English, the children have been researching information about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the effect on Pompeii in preparation for writing their newspaper reports. In addition, we have looked at the structure of a volcano and how they are formed which has led to some wonderful outdoor learning where they have created their very own volcanoes. With their scientific hats on, Maple Tree Class have planned an experiment linked to the human skeleton which involved planning a question to investigate equipment needed, variables, method, fair test elements and a prediction. Once planned, the children conducted their experiments, recorded the results in a table and wrote a conclusion. Finally in Maths, we have focused on multiplying and dividing by 3 and 4, looking at the links between the operations. To support their learning, the children have used counters and other manipulatives to create arrays and to demonstrate grouping and sharing.

Date: 27th January 2023

Operation Encompass
Children’s safety and wellbeing is at the very heart of everything we do in our school.
We are part of Operation Encompass, a national scheme that operates jointly between schools and police forces. Operation Encompass is the reporting to schools, prior to the start of the next school day, when a child or young person has experienced domestic abuse. Children are negatively impacted by experiencing domestic abuse and without early intervention and support this negative impact can last through a child’s life. The aim of Operation Encompass is to
Secure better outcomes for children
Enable schools to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has upon children
Help schools to better understand a child’s lived experience and to therefore be able to support and nurture each child
As a school we have ensured that a member of our staff, (Designated Safeguarding Lead) known as a Key Adult, has been trained in the Operation Encompass procedures allowing us to then use the information that has been shared, in confidence, to support the child/ren in our care.

Big Garden Birdwatch
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are asking as many people as possible to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual event to record the number of garden birds that land in gardens or local green spaces. This helps RSPB create a picture of how our feathered friends are getting on, as well as highlighting which species most need our help.
How to take part:
Sign up on the RSPB website https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/birdwatch-take-part/ and submit your results by 19 February 2023 online at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch, — even if you saw nothing, it still counts.
This is a fun activity for the whole family. Simply gather everyone together for an hour during the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch weekend and count the different birds that land in your chosen green space – this can be your garden, local park, or bird feeders on your balcony.
There is a bird guide and handy check list on the RSPB website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/biggardenbirdwatch/2023/bgbw23-free-guide-pack_english.pdf?from=sign-up-TY
We would also love to hear at school what you have seen; share your results with us via Interactive Learning Diary or email.

Date: 27th January 2023

Parent Voice
We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to complete the parent survey last term—the results of all the answers we received are summarised below:
For anyone who would still like to participate in the survey, please click on this link: https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/. The questionnaire can be completed at any time and only takes a few minutes to complete.

	Strongly agree or Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
My child is making good progress at this school.	95%	5%	0%
This school responds well to my concerns.	93%	5%	2%
This school meets my child’s particular needs.	95%	5%	0%
This school deals with any cases of bullying effectively. (Bullying includes persistent name-calling, cyber, racist and homophobic bullying).	90%	10%	0%
This school helps my child to develop skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics.	93%	7%	0%
This school ensures my child is well looked after.	93%	7%	0%
My child is taught well at this school.	98%	2%	0%
My child feels safe at this school	95%	5%	0%
This school keeps me well informed.	90%	5%	5%
This school helps me to support my child’s learning.	95%	5%	0%
There is a good standard of behaviour at this school.	93%	5%	2%
My child’s lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour.	88%	10%	2%

Date: 27th January 2023

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Dorcan Recreation Complex and the Link Centre are running Holiday Swimming Lessons for children during the Half-Term. They are offering a discount of 25% with the use of this discount code: HAPPYHOLIDAY
The code can be used until Friday 10th February and can be used for weekly Swim School Lessons as well as the Holiday Swimming Lessons.
To book the lessons, please visit this website https://www.better.org.uk/what-we-offer/lessons-and-courses

January 2023
3rd January : TD day—no school for pupils
4th January: Start of term 3. All children return to school
9th January : Curriculum meetings at 5pm Reception-Y3

February 2023
8th & 9th February: Parent/Teacher meetings
13th—17th half term holiday (no school for pupils).
27th—Pine Tree class trip to Oxford Castle
28th—Yew Tree class trip to Oxford Castle

March 2023
1st—Beech tree class to Oxford Castle
2nd—World Book day. Dress up as a favourite word
17th—Comic Relief. Non uniform/red nose for a donation
30th—Open house from 2.30pm
31st—last day of term 4

Teacher Training Days 2022/2023
Friday 7th July 2023
School closure day
* Thursday 4th May 2023 (Polling Day)