Let's keep working in partnership to help the children make GREAT strides forward...
Newsletter 11
Thursday 4th May 2023
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Our school newsletters can share how busy (and exciting) life is at Tudor Primary and this one will certainly be no different. The summer term is always rewarding as it helps bear the fruit of all the effort that has been put in previously. The standard of work is SUPER and there is a (VERY) steady stream of children that are sent to my room to help share the fantastic work that clealry makes them all so proud. ‘INSPIRING the MINDS’ of our learners is a key part of our school vision and this is why our Thematic Curriculum is so important for our success. I continue to be amazed at how creative the members of the teaching team are and how they remain determined for EVERY child to succeed.
We have lots of experiences lined up for the children and these range from sporting opportunities to tea parties in celebration of the King’s coronation. It’s always good to see outdoor learning and year 5 enjoyed their recent river studies. We also look forward to the results of the inter school maths challenge for year 3. The children in Early Years had a wonderful time enjoying some Eid related activities and the staff team were very thankful to receive wonderful food from members of the Muslim community for Eid. What an awesome community we have! I really love this sketch from a child in reception of one of our visitors:
Budgets in education are becoming MUCH harder to balance and monetary decisions impact upon the development of the children. Please be assured we will do all that we can to provide high levels of adult capacity (and talent!) in all classrooms- after all, the teaching team is the key resource in any school. Please do continue to work in partnership with your child’s classteacher and we hope all parents accept (and take up!) any additional offer of support. I continue to find it incredibly difficult to understand that some parents do not want their children to attend additional learning opportunities when they are offered. When the school leadership created our ‘vision’, the BUILDING of aspirational FUTURES was something that united us all. Tudor Primary has become a school that is recognised widely for high standards- academically and socially- we must all be committed to maintaining that success.
The Hangout- New after school provision!
Feedback so far for our new after school provision has been incredibly positive. What is proving popular is how the provision is led by structured activity that keeps the children entertained. The team work well to evaluate and refine what the children are offered each night.
It is fair to say that some of the parents have struggled to persuade their children to leave! Mr Denny (Hangout Manager) and Miss McGee (Activity Leader) are on hand to answer questions and provide further detail about how AMAZING the provision is. Every evening the children are given a ‘Hangout Snack Box’ to help keep them fueled for the fun!
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Leader for Inclusion:
The latest ‘DSPL8 Parent/Carer Newsletter: Summer Term’ & ‘Dacorum Parent/Carers courses and support' newsletters are available to download from the DSPL8 website via the following link: https://dacorumdspl.org.uk/online-resources-for-parents-and-carers-2/ , they can also be found in the SEND/Family links section of our school website. This fortnights newsletter includes information about: Navigating Transition, SEND Surgeries, Emotional Based School Avoidance Coffee Morning, Dacorum Parent/Carer courses and support from various local providers, Dacorum Parenting Brochure - Summer 2023, SPACE - Upcoming Workshops, Parent Support Group at Woodfield Coffee Shop, SEND Parent Café Dacorum, BeeZee Bodies classes, Parent and Carer Feedback regarding their Young Person’s School Avoidance, Parenting when Separated Programme and Autism Strategy Events. This half term's 'Tudor Coffee Morning' will be taking place on Friday 19th May at 9am. As always, this will be a welcoming group, where you are able to ask any questions, discuss any concerns you may have or simply enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee and some biscuits!
Summer Activity- INCLUDING FREEWHEEL FRIDAY!
The children are now enjoying the range of clubs that have started for the summer. Freewheel Fridays has RETURNED. Do remember that this club will be weather dependent and we will aim to give you as much notice as possible about any changes in plan. Like before, children from Reception to Year 3 require (appropriate) adult supervision. ENSURE bikes and scooters are in suitable condition and PLEASE provide your child with the right safety equipment. We are proud of this club but it only works when we have good cooperation from the parent community! Speaking of activity, what a TALENTED set of footballing parents we have.
Whilst the (very) lucky ‘Tudor FC’ took the trophy home, there is no doubt which team played the more impressive football. The teachers look forward to defending their trophy next year- but that will be HUGELY dependent on whether the multitude of ‘muscular’ injuries have cleared up by then. It’s not looking too positive at present!
On a serious note, the event raised £1000 for the Friends of Tudor. The next FOT event is BINGO on Friday 19th May at 6.30. Also make sure you SAVE THE DATE for our SUMMER FETE on Saturday 8th July. How exciting!
Attendance Update- Is YOUR child a PERSISTENT ABSENTEE?
A consistent experience of education in vital in your child’s academic and social achievement. Whilst all at Tudor must work hard to offer a high quality education, the responsibility of ensuring a child accesses this is with the parent/s. Do check your ARBOR app to check that your child is being enabled to enjoy a full experience of school.
97% is our school target. Anything under 90% means that your child will be considered a ‘persistent absentee’- about 1 in 10 children nationally are persistent absentees. As you can imagine, the impact of such low attendance on children’s development is huge and there is clear evidence of this at Tudor. Simply put, when children do not attend regularly, they are not enabled to succeed. The short and long term impact is damaging…
Even though the weather has been rather disappointing recently (!), I hope this newsletter has given you some extra Tudor sunshine. Despite huge difficulties of balancing budgets (for all schools!) we want the children to enjoy a wide range of experiences.
There is little doubt that we have to be more creative in our approaches though as the huge increase in prices for coach travel, etc is likely to restrict more ‘traditional’ experiences. However, I believe Tudor has always set the standard in the offer of ‘additional opportunities’ and we pledge that families who choose Tudor (and there is a LOT of them!) can be confident that their children will enabled to FLOURISH! Thanks for your support…