News and information about all things #TeamTudor
Wednesday 16th March 2022
Newsletter 13
Dear Parents/ Carers,
We continue to refine and develop- a mid-year county review
In the last newsletter, I shared that the school had a focus on monitoring of our current practices. An experienced county advisor was also involved as part of this cycle of evaluation and I am pleased to share some further information about our performance.
As in all schools nationally, there is a major focus on early reading (including phonics) and our approaches were evaluated and assessed for quality. The report is extensive but the following quotes are just a few of the many positive observations made of the school by external eyes. It shares how the children are able to benefit from ‘Vocabulary rich environments and guided reading texts were pitched to extend and develop language and vocabulary beyond what the children might be able to access independently’. There is a strong focus on continued development as ‘Leaders are supporting teachers and teaching assistants across all three key stages to become experts in this subject, through training and targeted support’. It is also reported that ‘Pupils were seen to be enthusiastic and highly engaged in their learning and were able to independently apply their knowledge’. We aim high at Tudor- our learners benefiting from ‘A good level of challenge and complexity, as well as prompting the children to think deeply about the experiences and feelings of others’.
The observations above are just a few of the many positive statements made about Tudor on what was a robust and rigorous (and tiring!) experience. Speaking of reading, remember that reading will always be the most important ‘homework’ of all and parents are vital in the development of their child’s reading skills. 20 minutes of reading a day can lead to children experiencing MILLIONS of words each year (including new ones!) and this is a key driver in widening their vocabulary. Do talk to children about their books and ask them about their reading choices. Please be assured that those children who need additional support are well catered for as we are truly aspirational for all our young learners. Here is the next message from our awesome Tudor Library Leads:
Hello Bookworms - This week we have hidden 13 Easter eggs, each with a letter on them in the library. All you have to do is find all of the letters and unscramble them to find the first and last name of a famous author (very popular at Tudor!). There are entry forms in the library - don't forget to tell us who you are! On Friday 1st April we will randomly choose one winner and five runners up and will present you with your Easter themed prizes (donated by NISA!) in your classrooms. Happy hunting!
Mrs Wash and Mrs Durham
As well as a high focus on hearing the views of the pupils, our monitoring of standards also evidenced how well the team use the learning environments to inspire the children. I really do think that Tudor stands out from the crowd when it comes to creating amazing learning spaces. An example of this is in the Early Years where the interests of the children help direct the learning. When Miss Adams and the team found out that the children wanted an ‘Encanto-inspired’ room they were determined to not disappoint. Check out (just one of!) the areas that the staff created for them in advance of the children’s return on the following Monday.
It is SO pleasing to hear how positively the children speak about their personal experience of Tudor- when school inspectors ask, ‘What is it like for a child at this school?’, our Tudorites have a lot of positive things to say. Importantly, when children do raise questions about things, we LISTEN and RESPOND. We are all #TeamTudor!
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Leader for Inclusion:
Our Family Support Worker, Christina Phillips, will be joining us for our 'Tudor Coffee Morning' on Monday 21st March at 9am. It would be great if you could join us, either to discuss any concerns you may have, ask for some advice or simply to have a cup of tea or coffee with some friendly faces! For information about parenting courses or support available to parents of children in the Dacorum area please look at the SEND/Family section of the school website or alternatively view the Dacorum Parenting Course Brochure via: https://dacorumdspl.org.uk/courses-for-parents-carers-and-professionals/ For SEND courses and support, please visit: https://dacorumdspl.org.uk/online-resources-for-parents-and-carers-2/#
Covid update- The legal requirement to isolate if testing positive is no longer in place. There is also no requirement to isolate if identified as a close contact.
School Meals- For the first time in a long period we are having to increase the price of school meals. They will be £2.80 from the start of the summer term for children in key stage 2 (unless in receipt of free school meals). We have a super catering team at Tudor and I would encourage as many families as possible to consider the school lunch option. There are lots of tasty options that help widen the eating experiences of children.
Fantastic footballers- Mr Higgins continues to ensure our children get a super experience of sport and activity. Our football teams continue to perform well in competition and I know that our reputation in sport is strong. The girls football team did really well in a recent tournament- do look at our school twitter page for more photos as well as an in-depth report on how they got on. GO GIRLS!
Friday Freewheeling! Our popular Friday event will return on Friday April 22nd. Children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 will need to be accompanied by an adult. Children in year 4, year 5 and year 6 can be unaccompanied but they must be on a register. This will be organised soon when the summer club information is shared. In the meantime, please make sure all bikes are ready for action and INVEST in a suitable safety gear for the children. We expect children to wear helmets.
Thanks for supporting our TuesdaySHOESday fund raiser. It was fun to see all the children in a range of shoes (and fashions). Even those who were unable to attend that day (due to ill health) were still keen to join in with raising awareness. Here’s Alyssa’s funky footwear!
We really are delighted to provide a range of ‘extra experiences’ for the children and we remain keen for the children of Tudor to have the best primary experience around. Year 1 had the most FANTASTIC FUN at the farm last week- from the moment they got on the (double decker!) bus they had huge smiles and they learnt lots as part of their ‘From Field to Fork’ topic.
Year 2 and year 5 are off on trips to Aldenham Country Park and Whipsnade Zoo respectively this week and there have been lots of additional visitors to school to help add some extra sparkle to the curriculum. Be assured we continue to heavily subsidise such opportunities and we will always consider the impact of any additional financial pressures on families.
All at #TeamTudor were pleased to see that our high level of partnership with parents was also recognised by the county advisor when she reported that Tudor is ‘Working in partnership with parents to achieve… is also fully embedded into practice across the school’.
We TRULY are stronger together…