A super start to 2020. Make sure you all stay infomed!
Newsletter 9
Friday 17th January 2020
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Happy New Year Everybody- and what a super start of the term/year/ decade it has been. The children have returned and settled amazingly well- it is fair to say, though, that the teaching team have inspired a lot of interest with the new curriculum themes for the Spring term. There is a ‘magical’ focus in Early Years and in Year 1 and 2 it is ‘From Field to Fork’. In Year 3 and 4, ‘Crime and Punishment’ is proving exciting and there is a lot of geographical and scientific interest with the theme of Extreme Environments in Year 5 and 6. When the children enter the rooms like the one on the below each morning, it is not surprising that the children are engaged and stimulated to learn. Do check the school website for dates of class assemblies and it is not long until parents/ carers receive Mid-Year Reports in our Spring consultation evenings (11th/ 13th Feb). Time flies when the LEARNING is FUN!
Feedback is always vital in finding out how well we are doing at Tudor. It is fair to say that the views of the children themselves are the ones we need to focus on most but it has been really pleasing to hear what some visitors to the school have said recently. As part of our commitment to the mental wellbeing of children, we work with the Watford Football Club Physical and Wellbeing Team. Considering that they work with a large number of schools in the South Hertfordshire area, the following feedback was so great to receive:
‘Just brilliant, we cannot speak highly enough of the children at Tudor. They are so respectful and they are keen to learn. They are clearly aware about mental health- we do not usually get responses like we did today.’
‘Making sure we are doing things right’
Due to the fact that I still regard myself as a new headteacher (and I will for a few years yet!), I remain keen to seek the views of the local authority on how we are progressing at Tudor and I have requested a number of external moderations of our practice. The past few years have included audits on: governance, support for vulnerable learners, health and safety, safeguarding. Our latest review was on our systems for supporting children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and this was delivered by the lead SEND advisor for the county. I am thrilled to share with you that the school achieved a ‘grading’ of exemplary in 4 of the 5 areas. Miss Reading has also made a super start to her leadership of this key area at Tudor and we now look to further enhance our work- let’s go for 5 out of 5 in the next review!
We never stop learning!
It is not just the children that enjoy learning. We are committed to growing our staff team and we are blessed with adults that want to develop their own skills too. In addition to our school focus on performance management, staff are also able to continue and enhance their own education. I was fortunate to be invited to a special event last week when Mr Higgins was presented with his ‘Level 5 Certification of Primary School PE’. Well done Mr Higgins- back of the net!
https://twitter.com/TudorPrimaryHH/status/1214966723897634820
Our regular SEND update will appear on each newsletter… communication is KEY!
-We have our first SEND coffee morning of 2020 on Tuesday 21st January from 8.45 am in the school library. It is an opportunity to start to get to know other parents in the school who you may not already know and to meet Miss Reading, the schools new interim inclusion coordinator. It would be wonderful to see you there!
-Please check the SEND part of the school website regularly as we often add new information about courses and training programmes that may benefit you and your family.
-A really useful website to have a look at is the Hertfordshire Local Offer website which has just been relaunched. The Local Offer lets parents and young people know what special educational needs and disabilities services are available in Hertfordshire, and who can access them.
https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/Local-Offer/The-Hertfordshire-Local-Offer.aspx
Message from Miss Reading- I look forward to working with families at Tudor and I am keen to be as accessible as possible. If you want to discuss your children, do not hesitate to get in touch via the school office or via inco@tudor.herts.sch.uk. I will also be offering a weekly drop-in service every Monday morning from 8.45am until 9.30am in the school library. Come and say hello!
Some information from Energy Kidz- a high quality provider of after school care
We continue to get positive feedback from EnergyKidz and I would encourage more parents to consider using this provision that is offered every day at Tudor from 3.15pm until 6pm. The EnergyKidz team provide some great activities and there is always a good atmosphere from the hall each day. Here’s a message about what they can offer at half term:
Energy Kidz will be bringing their fun-packed Holiday Clubs to George Street Primary School in Hemel Hempstead this coming February Half Term. Across the week, our Holiday Clubs will be treated to a selection of adventurous activities as we set upon our ‘Journey to Japan’. Parents may wish to take advantage of our limited time offer of 10% OFF all February Half Term Holiday Club bookings. Enter the discount code: EBFEB20-1 whilst making your booking by midnight, Sunday 26th January to claim a super saving this holiday period.Payments for After School Clubs- Regarding after school clubs at Tudor Primary, parents are reminded that any payments for our after school clubs are due by 7th February. The school remains committed to subsidising such opportunities but the sustainability of the clubs is reliant on prompt payments. Thank you for your understanding.
Can you help our local Brownies? A fantastic group that use Tudor Primary’s facilities each week is the ‘3rd Apsley End Brownies’. Helen and her team would love to hear from anyone who would be interested in helping out with what they offer the children. Some of her team are retiring and it would be a fantastic help if there is anyone that can help in the future.
The Friends of Tudor- parents and pantos! The awesome (and they really are!) FOT are looking forward to sharing the first ever Tudor pantomime. There are still a few tickets left for Cinderella on Saturday 25th January- doors open at 1.30pm. If you would like to become involved with the FOT, you are warmly invited to their next meeting on Tuesday 4th February at 7.30pm.
All the teaching team at Tudor would like to thank you for your continued support. There is good evidence that Tudor continues to progress as a school and attendance data shows more and more children are benefitting too. There is, though, nothing more rewarding than being visited by children eager to share what they have been learning in class.
#TeamTudor.
Mr Rob Weightman/ Headteacher