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Newsletter 9
Wednesday 7th February
Dear Parents/ Carers,
I am pleased to state that there are lots of exciting things happening at Tudor at the moment. Whilst I recognise that I often say that during newsletters, it is an actual fact! From new activity play areas being built for early years to sports festivals for a number of year groups, the energy and enjoyment remains high. The school community should also be delighted with the recent report we received from our county advisor. The ‘spring visit’ that occurs at the mid-way point of the year is an important part of our school evaluation and the focus this year was how we support our most vulnerable learners. The term ‘vulnerable’ is certainly an important and appropriate word to use as it is able to help focus our approaches for many of the children at Tudor- and it’s not simply related to economic disadvantages. There are many factors that can hinder our progress or create additional challenge and I truly believe that our biggest strength at Tudor is how we commit to knowing our school community- in a range of ways too. Trust builds partnership and that is vital for our children. The county report makes incredibly positive reading and we are delighted to share the comments which can be read below:
-Ethos established by the leaders in the school promotes a whole staff commitment to full participation and inclusion
-Leaders demonstrated a detailed knowledge of the children and families in their care
-Children were fully engaged and making good progress
-A supportive and celebratory climate of learning
-An ethos of care and nurture
-The school’s approach is empathetic and solution focused
-An ethos that works to ensure that no child faces exclusion from any activity due to economic circumstances
-Children spoken to on the visit all described their school as a very happy place, they love playtimes and talk about having lots of friends
-Playtimes are purposeful and well organized; children are active, busy and happy
-Staff go above and beyond
-Pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning and good social skills
We should ALL feel extremely proud about what is being said about OUR school. EVERY day matters…
Suggested next steps? As part of any school evaluation or inspection, we must look for further ways to refine and enhance our approaches. The county advisor was highly impressed with the wider opportunities that we provide including our ongoing commitment to financially subsidise EVERY activity that we offer. The fact that EVERY child is able to benefit from such an approach at Tudor makes us different from most schools- every club and visit has a price cap and careful consideration is given regarding the financial pressures that we all face. Going forward, Tudor may introduce a yearly plan for each year group. This would include sharing the extra opportunities on offer for the complete year and enabling parents to pay for the trips over an extended time period. To provide an example how costs have increased for schools, we have been quoted in excess of £1000 for coach travel for a planned day trip. This means that travel costs (before any entry cost/ workshop, etc) would equate to nearly £20 per pupil if it goes ahead. As the year 6 parents would know, Tudor worked incredibly hard to keep the costs for the (subsidised) residential to £300 for the 5 days- some local schools are quoting over £500 for such experiences. We are very proud of how we work together- it is not just the educational provision that is a key factor, it’s the joint recognition of the struggles that we all face. EVERY child and every family matter…
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Assistant Head for Inclusion:
If your child has an 'Individual Support Plan', your child's class teacher will be contacting you to arrange a meeting to review current plans and jointly create new targets. If the date and/or time of the meeting is not convenient, please do contact your child's class teacher to arrange an alternative appointment. It is vital school staff, parents/carers and children work collaboratively to discuss the support and provision required to enable your child to be happy in school and fulfil their potential. Please remember to look at the 'SEND and Family Support Links' section of our school website, you will find a wealth of information about a range of current parent support networks, as well as parent workshops and training. If you cannot find what you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
The Hangout- do take advantage of this awesome offer!
Has your child been able to experience the Hangout after school provision yet? It gets super feedback and we continue to be impressed with what the children experience.
Find out more at https://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/the-hangout-after-school-care
Consultations are taking place on Tuesday 13th February and Thursday 15th February. Through the hard work of the school office team, we believe that EVERY child is likely to be represented. Please do ensure that you attend your meeting. The mid-year report will be shared and there is little doubt that, whilst Tudor is a place where your children come to school, the role of parents is significantly more important in the progress and engagement of the children. Thanks for all you do. Class assemblies are also re-starting soon and the assemblies for this term are as follows:
2Q on Thursday 8th February
2R on Thursday 15th February
5W on Thursday 14th March
5X on Thursday 21st March.
THANKS TO THE FRIENDS OF TUDOR!
Our new EYFS activity trail will be ready soon and we can share some screen shots of the new exciting development for our youngest learners. We introduced the ‘Tudor Towers’ a few years ago for the full school community but our nursery and reception children will now also be swinging, balancing and jumping their way across the new equipment.
The school continues to be upgraded and we hope you recognise the effort that goes into making the site as amazing as possible! Thank you to our awesome FOT for making this happen!
Nursery Applications are now OPEN
In our last newsletter I was able to share the RECORD numbers of applications to our school for reception. Interest is also looking strong for our wonderful nursery provision.
Follow the links on our website for information:
https://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Pupil+Admissions&pid=116
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you all of the problems that can arise if children are allowed to use WhatsApp. Despite guidance stating that such social messaging should not be used by under 16s, we recognise that many children do have access to it. Tudor will always try to be pro-active in our support of the children in such areas but please do recognise the risks.
We hope you are as excited as we are about the success that Tudor continues to experience and we look forward to seeing all children represented by their families at our consultation evenings next week.
It is so evident that the potential for progress increases when we work in PARTNERSHIP! Attendance is also looking super at the moment and, as we all know, a consistent experience of school is a TRUE indicator of wellbeing. Well done EVERYONE…
Mr Weightman
#TeamTudor