Stay informed with all things #TeamTudor as we start the second half of the academic year...
Newsletter 11
Wednesday 20th March 2024
Dear Parents/ Carers,
What an unbelievably busy few weeks it has been at Tudor Primary. Not only do we continue to have lots of tours for families seeking spaces (or to join our waiting lists!), there have been a lot of extra experiences for the children to enjoy. Our thematic curriculum is one of our biggest strengths and the teaching team like to do what they can to inspire and bring that learning to life. As part of the learning in EYFS for ‘People who help us’, they have been able to meet: firefighters, members of the police force, paramedics and more.
The children were even allowed to put out a ‘fire’ on the Tudor Towers! The pictures below only go some way to sharing recent daily life at Tudor that has also seen World Book Day and Comic Relief fun added to the mix!
We look forward to more EXTRA opportunities in the summer which includes our fantastic year 6 skiing experiences as well as trips to Kew Gardens and more- and that doesn’t even include the fact that more children than ever have been able to represent the school in festivals (for fun and competition!) as part of our super sports provision. The slopes below will soon be filled with children from Tudor's year 6- WHAT a UNIQUE opportunity!
We also believe that more children at Tudor are supported with regular (and free!) learning opportunities outside of normal curriculum time than at any other primary school. When it was shared with other schools how many children have breakfast support at Tudor, there were gasps of disbelief! We should all feel very proud of how we continue to invest in our pupils and families- it makes a REAL difference.
Our commitment to continued improvement…
As shared in our last newsletter, we have also been completing our spring term school monitoring and evaluation. We use a range of evidence (from a LOT of sources) to help us recognise what we do well and how we can improve further. We feel that the following 5 points are our biggest strengths as a school in teaching and learning:
-Assessment for learning! The natural approach to finding out what they know and modellin g what children need to do next.
-The power of the pink pen! The impact on standards when bespoke support has been given in books. This is what the children like best.
-Having a go! With the ‘arts’ it is highly evident when (all) the adults participate (and learn!) alongside the children.
-Sharing the load- It is highly apparent when the children are enabled to support the management and organisation of the classroom environments. At the start, middle and end of the day!
-Knowing the children- The ability and commitment of the full teaching team to truly adapt and adjust their approaches for the needs of individuals- in lessons as well as general engagement.
Having the BEST quality of person with your children!
A key part of my leadership is ensuring the children engage with high quality teachers. I am proud of the team that we have built at Tudor but I recognise my duty to meet their aspirations. A HUGE well done to Miss Sentance who has just secured a promotion to Assistant Headteacher to another Hemel school from September. Whilst she will be a big loss, I have been thrilled with the interest in teaching positions at Tudor- the quantity and QUALITY of the applications has been amazing- teachers clearly want learn and develop at Tudor Primary!
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Assistant Head for Inclusion:
We recently received a visit from a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Adviser, from Herts for Learning. I enjoyed accompanying the adviser on a walk around Tudor School, sharing the support and provision in place for children with additional needs. I am pleased to share that she graded teachers understanding of the needs of children with SEND and how they use distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them as 'exemplary'. Well done to all staff at Tudor, who endeavour to ensure that every child is supported fully.
Family Lives are delivering a range of free parenting groups and workshops for parents/carers who live in Hertfordshire. Workshops include; Bringing Up Confident ADHD/ASD Children and Less Shouting, More Cooperation. For more information about these courses and booking a space, do look at the SEND/Family Links section of the school website: https://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Dacorum+Family+Services&pid=108
Herts Catering- tremendous scores for our amazing kitchen team!
As well as having the best hygiene ratings, Lissa and the kitchen team were proud of the outcomes of their recent (surprise) inspection. You will not be surprised to hear they achieved some of the highest scores possible. HCL meal prices will change when we return after Easter holidays to £3.35 per meal. Please do consider/ check if you think your child may be entitled to free school meals. Do this either online at Free school meals | Hertfordshire County Council or we are happy to check. A new menu for the summer term will be shared by email/ school website. We strongly recommend the choice of our freshly prepared school meals over packed lunches for a number of reasons. The choice on offer at Tudor really is impressive and our kitchen team deliver the highest standards daily…
After-school summer clubs- including some Freewheel Friday opportunities!
Do keep an eye out for a letter which will share our planned provision for after school clubs- it will be released soon. We continue to offer a varied range of activity clubs and, as you know, we subsidise the prices of all of these to ensure that costs are as low as possible for our community.
The Hangout- INCLUDING ‘THE HANGOUT IN THE HOLIDAY!’
The Hangout is our high quality after school provision. Due to the awesome activities that the children love (including woodwork- check out the candle holders for mothers!), it gets great feedback and we continue to be impressed with what the children experience.
More information at:
https://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/the-hangout-after-school-care
We will also be offering 3 weeks of ‘The Hangout’ in the summer break.
We need your votes for 3T to be awarded ‘The funniest class in the country!’
Aidan in year 3 has entered his joke (on the left!) for a national joke award in the Beano. See the joke below. The children think it’s even funnier than my recent attempt at growing a beard! PLEASE take time to vote for Aidans’s joke at beano.com/funniest-class. Voting ends on 28th March. Come on #TeamTudor- let’s win this for Aidan and 3T!
It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of term next Thursday! What an action-packed term it has been. As each term passes, the pace of progress quickens and we remain impressed with the standards on show. The number of children that visit my room (of all ages!) to share their work highlights just how effectively the school is working.
We await a further report from a county inspection in relation to our support of children with SEND and I am looking forward to sharing information from that when it arrives. The word EXEMPLARY was mentioned countless times during the feedback- what amazing work Miss Reading does in her role as Inclusion Leader. After all, EVERY ONE MATTERS at Tudor. THANK YOU to you to all those parents and families who recognise the importance of working in partnership with us…
Don’t forget that term ends at 2pm on Thursday 28th March. There is NOT an INSET on the first day after the holidays and we expect all children to return on Monday 15th April.