Our continued commitment to improvement and meeting the needs of YOU children
Newsletter 6
Thursday 18th November 2021
Dear Parents/ Carers,
A school that continues to LEARN…
Ever since the new leadership team has been in place at Tudor, we have been determined for Tudor to be a school that continues to learn. As well as the children, the staff benefit from feedback about their performance and this enables us all to refine and improve our techniques when we teach. There has been a high focus on this in the period of time since the last newsletter and the monitoring activities have included a number of in school tasks as well as a visit from our Hertfordshire advisor. It’s an important time of the year to make strong progress- for ALL of us!
Our Hertfordshire Improvement Partner was able to spend time with the children and find out how effectively they are supported by the teaching team. The focus was on writing and this is an important area for our school following the impact of the school closures on this area of the curriculum. Whilst we await the full report, the initial feedback was really pleasing. Comments such as, ‘Every single adult I saw was supportive, caring to the children’s needs and able to make the children feel comfortable and want to achieve.’ In fact, in a number of classrooms, the teaching assistants were working so well that the advisor was unable to fully tell which adult was the main teacher- it was like having three ‘main’ teachers in each room. What a team we have!
Such ‘inspection’ visits can be stressful but I would like to congratulate the staff team on their efforts. Importantly, the standard was no different to what I see on any ‘normal’ Tudor day. It evidenced the level of education that the teaching team are able to deliver. As a governor (who was present for feedback) shared with the leadership team: ‘I just wanted to congratulate you both (and your team!) on the feedback I heard from the advisor and her mentor. As a parent and a governor it was great to hear such lovely things about the school from external visitors, and it backs up the positive things I've seen on my visits regarding the staff and the children.’
As the above mentioned, the advisor was also being monitored by her own line manager so it was a visit with (extra!) focus. We have now been informed that some headteachers of other schools will be invited to Tudor to view our practice on how we support the children. This really should make us all feel really proud. Well done everyone- especially the children who never fail to impress visitors with their behaviour in class and when they move around school.
It wouldn’t be a newsletter without a reminder on attendance…
Such positive comments from external advisors increases my determination for ALL children to benefit from a good attendance. This time of year does bring extra sniffles and snuffles but as national guidance clearly states, children benefit from building their immunity. If parents choose to keep children at home during such times, they are not allowing their children to build those natural levels of immunity that they NEED. 90- 95% of our parents GET this and their children attend well, the impact of inconsistent education on our persistent absentees is something that we will continue to challenge. Please be assured that we are very aware of children who require additional support with medical needs- it is usually not such children who have problematic attendance though!
And let’s not forget the importance of arriving on time!
The teaching team has noticed that there has been an increase in the number of children who are arriving late to school. We expect children to arrive at 8.45am so that they are able to be FULLY ready for the start of the day which is 8.55am. No child should be arriving after this time and we should not expect the office team to manage the numbers of children arriving after 9am that we are currently experiencing. Please empathise with your children about the feeling they experience when they walk in late to their classroom. Being late is not a comfortable experience and some of our children are less prepared than their peers nearly every day. What is also disappointing is that parents often blame the children for such lateness and poor punctuality- it is the responsibility and DUTY of parents to ensure that their child is ready for school.
The table shows just HOW MUCH poor punctuality affects our young Tudorites!
A focus on sport- and don’t forget your PE kit! Children enjoy an active experience in school. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS A FULL PE KIT IN SCHOOL- INCLUDING JOGGERS AND SHORTS. As well their PE lessons (and meeting an Olympian in school this week!), there is a focus on physical wellbeing during time outside. Skipping challenges (in groups and individually) have become very popular recently. It would not be an exaggeration to say that 5-10 new children EACH day are able to run under a moving rope and then able to skip (and perform) tricks- and our year 1s can do this TOO! There is no better moment than seeing children be successful with challenges that they were insistent that they could not do before. Let’s aim for 60 minutes of activity per day. It is a target that will bring positivity and joy to your children. Talking of PE fun…
The year 2 children were able to enjoy a sports festival this week- we look forward to more year groups being able to take part in such experiences. Frustratingly, our school football team have not been able to play some arranged matches due to the cancellations of other schools. Mr Higgins pledges that we WILL give the children the opportunities they deserve. Friday Freewheels will not return until the Spring term (weather and space related- field will be too wet for bikes) but we are already planning ways to maintain these increased levels of activity.
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Leader for Inclusion
If your child is aged over 5 and is entitled to benefits related free school meals, they can attend HAPpy Holiday Camps this Winter. HAPpy Camps are free activity camps offering eligible children the opportunity to take part in sports and activities, arts and crafts, and enjoy a meal with friends while having fun during the holidays. Camps are a minimum of four hours long and take place all over Hertfordshire. If you are interested, please contact the school office at: admin@tudor.herts.sch.uk to obtain a booking code or alternatively email me at inco@tudor.herts.sch.uk for more information. This week is 'Just Talk Week', I have spoken to all children about the importance of looking after their mental health and sharing any worries or anxieties with a trusted adult. They have also been given information about a 'Five-ways-to wellbeing' competition. For more information, look at the 'wellbeing' section of our website or use this link: https://www.justtalkherts.org/just-talk-herts.aspx
It’s Children in Need day on Friday 19th - wear your brightest non-uniform clothes for a £1 donation. Do keep an eye on our website for news and dates- there is key information about what is going on (and when!) for the end of term. Speaking of Christmas, make sure any orders for FOT Christmas Cards are in by Monday 22nd please! To conclude, I thought I’d share this photo of the children on remembrance day- they observed the silence impeccably. Enjoy the rest of your week…
Mr Weightman #TeamTudor