Some important news items in this final week of the first half term...
Newsletter 4- Monday 21st October
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Can you believe we are already nearing the end of the first half term. It has certainly been a positive start to the year and I have to say a big well done to the Tudor teaching team. The new members of staff have made a strong start (as I knew they would!) and the staff as a whole are working well to meet the academic and social needs of the children.
Holding Tudor to account- Autumn Standards Visit
The school received the report from our first major monitoring visit from county last week. Whilst I highlighted some of the positive comments from the initial visit earlier in the term, the standards visit is the first main county focus on the school and it is delivered following the analysis of the results from the previous academic year. The results last year remained positive and there is further evidence that our children attain and progress very well.
The attainment in boys reading is an area for improvement and this is why the county advisor spent a lot of time looking at existing practice. What is pleasing to report is that the school had ALREADY identified this area and a number of improvement strategies were in place. For example, you may have noticed an increase in the involvement of parents and families in the support of reading practice. The reading drive in year 2 has been successful for a few years now but we hope to increase the amount of reading experience when children are not in school. The introduction of our new reading bulletin/ magazine for year 1 and 2 called ‘The Redwood Readers’ will help share the success of those who are further developing that enjoyment of reading that we all know is so important.
Schools will always aim to support and supplement the role of parents
Whilst I will still regard myself as a new head for a few more years yet (!) I become more and more aware of how success at school can only be achieved alongside the consistent support of families. Whilst at a training event for headteachers last week a fact was shared that made me recognise this even more. Did you know that by the time a child has reached 18 years old they will only have spent 18% of their waking life inside the classroom? This just highlights how important schooling is as over 80% of what the children are learning will be from experience away from lessons. I also feel that this is why I remain confident to continually challenge any situation that would result in children missing an opportunity in education. Lateness and poor absence is a major factor in under achievement and limited success in later life- whilst a minority of parents may not actively support that, our duty must remain with the long term interests of the child. We must remain hugely aspirational for the children in our community and long term goals must be prioritised over short term interests…
In relation to the above, it was pleasing that we had some super attendance scores last week. We exceeded our school target of 97%- long may that continue because it WILL make a difference in the futures of the Tudor children. As an end of half term reward for all the children we have a surprise in store for them this week. We know they will enjoy it…
The children do look smart- let’s keep it that way…
A great part of the job is seeing the happy children arrive at school each day and there is so much evidence that the children enjoy being part of their school. They look after their school and they treat the resources with respect and responsibility. Whilst the vast majority of children do wear the correct uniform it has been noticed that some children are not. Please ensure that shoes are completely black (including logos/ soles/ laces) as this will help the children look smart as well as respectful of the school’s aims and dress code. Please also ensure your child has a full PE kit in school too.
Jumpers should also be ‘named’ so they can be returned easily to the right person. I am sure that you get similarly frustrated when your child returns home without all of their possessions!
Accessing further support
Do make sure you keep a close eye on our website. As well as being able to see what the children are up to on the class blogs there is a wealth of information in the SEND/Family support section. Mrs Donley works tirelessly to make sure all our families are supported.
Parent Consultation Evenings- Tuesday 22nd October and Thursday 24th October
We look forward to seeing EVERY child represented at the school consultation evenings this week. These meetings are a vital part of the partnership between home and school and we will be sharing key information about how they have settled into their year group as well as key priorities for the future.
Some other important dates!
-Individual photos for children will be on Wednesday 23rd October
-School INSET is on Monday 4th November- children do not attend on training days
-DON’T forget the fireworks on Saturday 9th November- see the below. It looks like being a real fun event.
Thank you for your continued support of ‘all things Tudor’
I trust the tone of this newsletter has come across in the correct way. We are a school that is experiencing some real success and our aspirations for the children are far more likely to be further enhanced when home and school is working together. I have worked in a number of schools in a number of different areas and I honestly believe that the community of Tudor is the most supportive I have ever experienced.
I do feel it is my duty to ‘push’ things as much as I can because all our Tudorites should be enabled to reach their potential. Whilst we have over 440 individual pupils that make up our school we must regard ourselves as a united team…
The half term will end at 3.15pm this Friday. Whilst we look forward to a short break, this week will certainly be a busy, yet fun full week. I look forward to saying hello whether it is on the playground or at parent consultations.
Mr Rob Weightman/ Headteacher