Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope you are well.  I find it hard to believe that there are only three weeks until the Christmas break.  This week, I wanted to share a real life example of how we are developing our curriculum.  As a staff team, we have spoken at length about wanting story to be at the heart of our curriculum.  There is a wealth of research that supports this line of action with a particular drive from Daniel Willingham, a cognitive scientist.

“Research from the last 30 years shows that stories are indeed special. Stories are easy to comprehend and easy to remember, and that's true not just because people pay close attention to stories; there is something inherent in the story format that makes them easy to understand and remember. Teachers can consider using the basic elements of story structure to organize lessons and introduce complicated material”

An example of this is below;

Year 1 are developing their historical knowledge by looking at toys from the past.  They have been to visit a museum and now, their learning is being supported by reading this book. It is a wonderful story that looks at all the toys that have fallen through the floorboard of a house from the Victorian times to the present day.  Ms Hayward reported that her children were so enraptured by the book that they spent an hour reading through it this week.  Some children then chose to create some of these toys and you can see the results below,

There are two major reasons why I am doing this.  Firstly, to thank you for your support of PSA events.  We are now going to spend over £1000 further enhancing our curriculum with the acquisition of high quality books.  Thank you to Sumru and the PSA team.  Secondly, because I would like you to try and read a story to your children this extended weekend.  REMEMBER NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY. Wrap up warm and have a lovely weekend.

Joe Porter   

Communications Sent Home 

• Year 5 - Swimming letter
• Year 5 - National Archive Trip 
• KS2 Choir - Kew Sparkle google form
• KS2 Choir - Care home performance trip
• Boy's football team - morning coaching invite
• Whole school - safeguarding training
• Head lice Letter - Reception
• Lost property reminder 

Wellbeing Corner

We know parenting isn’t always easy. Although it’s often amazing and rewarding to watch your children grow up, and to help them learn to be independent, it can also be really hard work. It can feel especially hard if your child's mood and behaviour seem different and you're not sure why, or what you can do to help. But you are not alone.

We have lots of practical advice and tips on supporting your child - from how to encourage your child to open up about their feelings to dealing with mental health services. No matter what you and your child are going through, things can get better. 

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/?acceptcookies=#main-content

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