A range of 'Tudor News'- from super attendance to making the right uniform choices...
Newsletter 6- Friday 23rd November
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Some good news stories to share
The school recently received a review of the progress we are making and it was rewarding to be able to share the positive progress information that the school is currently enjoying. To give you some headlines, the attainment and progress results in 2017-2018 were higher in every key area of the school and the progress data for key stage 2 (year 6 SAT results) puts the school in the highest performance brackets nationally. Whilst our main priorities will continue to be about the wellbeing and safety of the children in our care, to see that we are achieving such fantastic outcomes show that we are right to have such high aspirations for the children at Tudor. A big well done must go to all at Tudor in this success because it really is a team effort.
The team that helps Tudor work is not just those that attend each day: the governing board is also a committed group of professionals that give up a large amount of their time to be ‘critical friends’ of the school. I would like to introduce our newest two members who were successful in a recent parent governor election- Mrs Susannah Arje and Mrs Nicola Cree. I know they will enjoy being part of the ongoing development of our school. They certainly have a super colleague to work alongside- Mrs Jenny Howard, our Tudor Chair of Governors has just received an award for Outstanding School Governance. A MASSIVE well done to Jenny who is such a vital part of ‘Team Tudor’- we would not be where we are at the moment without her…
It’s not just assessment data that is looking positive- it is also ATTENDANCE…
Whilst our academic results were very pleasing, the school was still below the average attendance rate nationally (and in Dacorum). However, recent evidence suggests we are really turning our fortunes around here. Our attendance rate from Sept 1st until 20th November highlights a fantastic improvement- so much so that we have an attendance rate of 97.2%. This would put Tudor Primary School as above average and it also meets the aspirational target that I set some time ago.
Aspiration is vital and we are determined to ensure all children are able to reach their potential whilst enjoying a fun and rewarding curriculum. The themes that were introduced at Tudor just over two years ago do inspire the children to make strides forward in their learning- I hope you all enjoy finding out about what the children are learning about too! In relation to the curriculum, you may have heard in the press that curriculum will have a central focus in the future of school inspection- I certainly believe we are already doing the right things…
Our ATTENTION TO DETAIL…
I have been really pleased to receive the continued support of our parent body when there have been some slight changes in policy. One change was when I set expectations for black footwear- to see the children looking much smarter in their black shoes is a ‘step forward’ from what was on show before. I have noticed that some children are pushing the boundaries a little here again. As our guidance on the website states, shoes are to be black and if children prefer to wear more of an action shoe/ trainer, then there must not been any additional colours or coloured logos on show. As the weather becomes colder, if children want to wear something more substantial (a boot for example) then please ensure that they are not too extravagant and/ or covered in studs/ chains or similar ‘extras’.
In respect of this ‘creativity’, please ensure that any hair extras (styles/ bands/ clips/ etc) are also appropriate for school- the other morning I looked out of my window to see a number of cat ears and unicorns walk past. Please also make sure that school jumpers are also correct and they have the school badge- if you would like a replacement jumper, do come and see the school office. In the spirit of not wanting to sound like Scrooge, I would appreciate your support in ensuring your children are ready and suitable for school. Thanks in advance!
Christmas concert letters coming out soon! (And sports club info)
Each child will bring home a letter soon giving additional details about the festive concerts that will take place in the penultimate week of the term. Attached to each letter will be two coloured (numbered) wristbands- these will be your entry tickets for the show and you will need to be wearing them to gain entry. CONFIRMED dates/ times for Christmas performances are:
Tuesday 11th December- 10am- Reception performance
Tuesday 11th December- 6pm- Year 3 and Year 4
Wednesday 12th December- 11am- Nursery 'sing-along'
Wednesday 12th December- 6pm- Year 1 and Year 2
Thursday 13th December- 6pm- Year 5 and Year 6
Information about after school clubs for the Spring term will also be released soon. Mr Higgins is keen to ensure we continue to provide high quality extra curricular activity. Do look at the @TudorSport twitter page. We are enjoying some real sporting success!
FOT continue to set the standard for school events…
The Frost Fayre is on tomorrow and we hope to see as many of you as possible at this fun event. The FOT certainly like to put on something special! From the hours of 12pm-3pm, there will be hot/ cold snacks, festive decorating, craft activities and more. I hear some of the children are excited about the ‘Escape Room’ (see pic below) that will be in operation.
Next Friday (30th November) it is eyes down for a full house at the popular FOT bingo night. A fun night (and a few laughs) is guaranteed!
The Tudor School Library
Remember that the library is open from 3.15pm from Monday to Thursday each week. We have updated many of the books on offer and we hope that families are able to benefit from the investment (and importance) that we continue to place on reading.
Tudor Owls Cake Sale:
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Tudor Owls- Friday (30th November) is cake day. This time it will be the turn of the children in Year 1 to provide biscuits and Y6 to provide cakes. Tudor Owls charge 20p for each cake or for two biscuits. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN CAKES/ BISCUITS THAT CONTAIN NUTS- THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! |
Despite a little concern over some ‘uniform choices’ I must say that this has been a really positive newsletter to share. Let’s keep moving forward…
Mr Weightman/ Headteacher