I do realise I often say that it has been a busy week in school during a large number of my web updates but this week really has been one that has stretched our capacity to the limit!

This time of year brings a number of additional activities and one of the more 'formal' ones is the organisation and delivery of the Statutory Assessments Tests- better known as the SATs. Children at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are tasked with completing a number of tests to find out how much they have learnt. Whilst we do not know the results as yet (and will not for some weeks), one thing we are confident of is that the children really did give their all. What was also pleasing was that a number of staff (and visitors) commented that they would not have known that such tests were being completed in school unless they had been informed. As Headteacher, I must ensure that, whilst we want the children to do as well as they can, we must not put the children under undue stress- they are children after all and, in many ways, it is the school that is being assessed more than them. We hope to see more of the improved results in year 6 that we had last year. As the data in the public domain shows, the results of Tudor Primary in Year 6 are the envy of many schools and we want to be recognised as a school that has happy children who have been taught incredibly well! It is all about getting the balance right and I firmly believe we are on the right path. When we talk about our own favourite memories of school, I doubt many us say, 'Oh I loved it during test week!'

Next week brings a number of special activities for some of our year groups. Year 6 will be off to Chessington World of Adventures and Year 1 and Year 2 will also be enjoying the sunshine (hopefully!) during our Tudor Beach Day. The staff in year 1 and 2 have ordered over 2 tonnes of sand, some donkeys, a Punch and Judy entertainer and more- the one thing we could not order in advance was the sunshine... fingers crossed!

This web update does provide me with an opportunity to highlight the reasoning behind some of our trip choices at present and I hope to clarify why it is not always easy (or appropriate) to have a termly 'trip out'. Prior to a single entrance fee (or a pencil in a gift shop!), it costs well over £10 for coach travel (per child) to many of the (often fairly local) venues. I will endeavour to subsidise trips (and experiences) as much as I can as I want to ensure that experiences are affordable for all. I have lost count of the number of amazing (and memorable!) Tudor events/ experiences that have occurred recently. To see how the staff in all year groups have been creative in bringing the thematic curriculum to life has been super. Next up- on Monday we have Mike Mullen (BMX World Champion) coming to Tudor to provide a trick demonstration to all the children... 

Here is a picture of our next visitor...

Whilst children in year 2 and year 6 have been completing their assessments, the children in year 5 have been learning how to cycle safely on the roads. Cycling Proficiency is always a popular activity and I hear the children have shown super control on their wheels.

As per usual, the feedback about their behaviour and conduct has been pleasing. Visitors and other adults who work with our pupils consistently speak of how they are well behaved and a credit to the school. That should make us all feel very proud indeed.

It is 'Walk to School' week from Monday to Friday next week! Rewards are available to the children and we hope that as many families as possible experiment with trying something different in getting children to school. As well as helping with health and fitness, walking to school can be a far more relaxing experience than battling with traffic at the start of each day.

The ease of getting to school at 7.45am is one of the added benefits of our Tudor Breakfast Club. Feedback from the children who use this daily provision has been great and we are keen for lots of children to use it. If you are undecided whether to use it or not, come and see what is on offer in our Breakfast Club open day on Friday 25th May. You can drop in from 8.30am until 9am or 3.15pm-3.45pm- we are sure that you will be impressed at what is available at a very low price.

To conclude, all of the Tudor team would like to say another big well done to all those children who completed their tests this week. As always, a big thank you to all those parents that continue to support the school by ensuring that their children attend school regularly and on time. We truly want all children to get the full experience of what Tudor has to offer...