Welton Primar y School February 2016 SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM NEWSLETTER SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM Nikki Pidgeon Head Teacher Sarah Millar Lead for Behaviour, SEAL and PE Laura Leitch Specialist Leader in Education, Leading Practitioner for Teaching and Learning (maternity leave) Jo Seddon Mentoring and Coaching, Parents supporting learning Michael Lomas Assessment Lead and Lead for Maths Jayne Patrick School Business Manager Another busy half term completed and pupils have con nued to work extremely hard to produce a very high quality of work across the curriculum. Thank you on behalf of the school staff for your con nued support in ensuring pupil outcomes are excep onal. School Improvement We con nue to engage in staff training and monitoring ac vi es to drive forward our current school improvement objec ves. In mathema cs we are focussing on the two targets below to ensure the mastery approach to teaching mathema cs had high impact on pupil progress: Implement an effec ve system of target se ng in mathema cs Embed marking and feedback in mathema cs As explained in the last newsle er the pupils will all have the same big idea target with the small steps to achieving this iden fied as a learning journey, which will ensure pupils are supported and challenged at a level appropriate to their understanding. For example: BIG Idea Use ra o and propor on to solve problems Use ra o to produce scale drawings To use and simplify the nota on of ra o To use ra o to solve problems involving the rela ve sizes of two quan es To solve problems involving propor on To solve problems involving ra o and propor on To use ra o nota on in the context of scale drawing A er half-term these will be emailed to you via parent mail. To provide pupils with opportuni es to respond to marking and feedback we have developed the following code to use when marking- Ch I R P. Each le er represents a follow up ac vity for the children: Challenge Problem solving and applica on Open ended tasks Inves ga ve maths Using maths in different contexts Write a word problem Calcula ons with missing digits Improvement Correc ng work Improving layout and presenta on of work Improving organisa- on (prac cal work) Reflec on Concept maps Meaningful mistakes Ques ons (What would happen if? Would you always get the same results?) Thought stems (I was successful today because ) Prac se Prac se for extra consolida- on Further modelling/guided prac ce Prac se using jo ngs Mark some work with deliberate mistakes Social networking Parents have recently reported to us that some pupils in Upper KS2 are sending explicit and inappropriate messages to each other via social networking and WhatsApp in par cular. Obviously this is not acceptable and pupils found to be doing this will be reported to the relevant authori es and will not be given permission to bring their phones to school for a term. Workshop A er half term Y4, Y5 and Y6 are par cipa ng in a workshop by Spin off produc ons. Click Clever is an e-safety learning ini a- ve aimed at KS2 pupils. Developed and wri en by Gerald Fox, Click Clever addresses key issues of cyber bullying and staying safe online in the world of social media.
Page 2 February 2016 In January, Year 1 visited the Castle Museum in York as part of their history topic that looked at Toys through Time. The children spent the half term looking at toys from the present and toys from when their parents and grandparents were li le and used their skills to discuss similari es and differences between the different toys. The trip to the museum enabled them to explore and play with toys from the past, in order to enhance their learning. We finally got a visit from the Science Dome in January, where Foundation, Year 5 and Year 6 covered different areas of the curriculum, including light and dark, space and even maths. The children were in awe of the dome when they entered it, looking up at the clear night sky filled with stars! Half of Year 6 took part in a transi on event at South Hunsley School yesterday, where they spent the morning baking bread! They all had a great me and came home with a dozen breadcakes. Mrs Beharrell congratulated them all on a successful morning and the other half of Year 6 are all looking forward to their morning a er half term. Year 4 stepped back in me in January as well, when they visited Murton Park in York and became Romans for the day. Equipped with their uniform, helmet, spear and shield, the young recruits were put through their paces learning how a fort was built and laid out before going on to learn the skills of weapons training (using dummy weapons!), guard duty, cra work, and parade ground drill. The staff and children always thoroughly enjoy the visits to Murton Park, even in the cold months! Founda on Parents /Grandparents enjoyed a lovely morning in school this week, taking part in different cra ac vi- es to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Thank you to those that a ended and we hope you had a lovely me. Year 4 took part in Pedestrian Training yesterday where they were taught road safety skills both in the classroom and outside school, on the road side, under strict supervision. DIARY DATES Monday 22 February Back to School Tuesday 23 February KS2 Swimming Gala Wednesday 24 February Foundation Pre-Pedal sessions start - in school time Thursday 25 February Bread Making at South Hunsley - half of Year 6 Friday 26 February Cyber Bullying Workshop - KS2 (in school) Monday 29 February Year 2 visit to the National Coal Mining Museum Tuesday 1 March Year 5 Winter Festival of Sport Thursday 3 March Tennis Dome - Years 1 and 2 IT STEM Festival - Years 5 and 6 (in school) Foundation - recycling talk Tuesday 15 March Year 5/6 rugby tournament at Hull Ionians Tuesday 22 March Year 5/6 Orienteering at South Hunsley Thursday 24 March Break up for Easter Tuesday 12 April Back to School Tueaday 19 April Year 4 Benchball Competition at South Hunsley Tuesday 26 April Year 5/6 Football League starts DIARY DATES ARE UPDATED REGULARLY ON OUR WEBSITE, WWW.WELTONPRIMARYSCHOOL.COM, AND HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION ATTACHED IF NECESSARY. Parentmail The new parentmail system is up and running - thank you to all parents who have registered for doing so promptly. We now only have a couple of children who aren t on the system. Have you downloaded the app? If you download the app, you will get no fica ons when you receive new emails. If you have any problems, please speak to the school office and we will do everything we can to help you. We have now also signed up for the forms element of Parentmail, which only started this week. We have the facility to create a form so that parents can complete them online and return them to school electronically. We will gradually be phasing out paper correspondence and would therefore encourage parents to keep checking for communica on from the school so that you don t miss anything!
Page 3 February 2016 What is Talk for Wri ng? Talk for Wri ng English at Welton is taught through Talk for Wri ng approaches. This enables children to imitate the key language they need for a par cular type of text orally before they try reading and analysing it. Through fun ac vi es that help them rehearse the tune of the language they need, followed by modelled and shared wri ng to show them how to cra their wri ng, children are helped to write in the same style. The beauty of Talk for Wri ng works with any genre of wri ng and each term children will work with a fic on (story) and nonfic on (instruc ons, diary, explana on etc). Some mes, this will be linked to their current topic. A Talk for Wri ng unit is based on 3 key stages: Imita on phase - a typical Talk-for-Wri ng unit would begin with some engaging ac vi es warming up the tune of the text. This is o en followed by talking model text, supported visually by a text map and physical ac ons to help the children recall the story or non-fic on piece. In this way the children hear the text, say it for themselves and enjoy it before seeing it wri en down. Once they have internalised the language of the text, they are in a posi on to read the text and start to think about the key ingredients that help to make it work. This stage could include a range of reading as-a-reader and as-a-writer ac vi es. A er this, the children box up the text and pull out all the features that the writer has used to cra it well. The children love this phase of the process and there is always lots of buzz in the classroom. Innova on Phase - Once the children have internalised the text, they are then ready to start innova ng on the pa ern of the text and planning their own version. This could begin with more advanced ac vi es to warm up the key words and phrases of the type of text focused on so the children can magpie ideas. Younger children and less confident writers alter their text maps and orally rehearse what they want to say, crea ng their own version. The key ac vity in this stage is modelled wri ng, helping the children to write their own by doing one together first. This could begin with using a boxed-up grid (innova ng on the exemplar plan) to show how to plan the text and then turning the plan into wri ng. This allows the children to see how you can innovate on the model text and select words and phrases that really work. Constantly reading your work aloud to see if it works is important here. This process enables the children to write their own versions through developing their ability to generate good words and phrases and also, hopefully, develops the inner judge when they start to decide why one word or phrase is best. Once they have finished their own paragraphs, children are encouraged to swap their work with a response partner. Then with the aid of a visualizer, the whole class can also discuss some of the more successful work. Time is then spent allowing the children to dra their own versions of the text, with lots of opportuni es for re-dra ing and reflec on. The children will then produce their final polished presenta on work. The children are always very proud of what they have produced! Independent applica on Once the unit has finished, we ensure that the text types are visited regularly, through WOW sessions, to enable the children to master their learning. Bri sh Values The Governors and Head teacher a ended a partnership training event this week to support the Governing Body in their duty to ensure the school is developing the skills, knowledge and understanding of the pupils in regards to the four core values: Britain stands for democracy Values the rule of law Respects individual liberty Promotes respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs It was very encouraging to evaluate the work of the school and iden fy all the ways the school s ethos, values and approaches to nurturing, metacogni on and developing the whole child underpins Bri sh Values.
Page 4 February 2016 PE/SPORT This half term we welcomed two visitors from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Sports and Development team to come and teach Year 1 and Founda on classes some mul -skills ac vi es. Mul -skills provide a fun, challenging and enjoyable star ng point for children s involvement in sport. Sessions include a wide variety of games and ac vi es, all involving the development of skills and a ributes that can be applied to a range of sports and physical ac vi es that a child may subsequently choose to par cipate in. Congratula ons to our Year 3 Dodgeball Team In January our Year 3 dodgeball team won the cluster group compe on at South Hunsley High School. This means that they now go through to represent the school in the next round which also will be played at South Hunsley later in the year, against other schools from a different cluster group. Well done to Ruby Pi er, Gabriella Smith, Spencer Wray, Adam Rowe, Archie Gargon, Ka e Pipes, Harrison Bickers and Max Kneeshaw! Coming Up! Year five will travel to South Hunsley High School to take part in the Winter Fes val of Sport with other Year 5 children from the primary cluster group a er half term. This is their chance to get to know other children that may be in same year group as them when they go to High School. They will take part in benchball, dodgeball, swimming, climbing and fun fitness games We have been invited to use a tennis dome provided by the LTA (Lawn Tennis Associa on). Children in Years 1 and 2 will have a fun session where they can have the speed of their hit measured, as well as take part in various drills and games. Year four will create a dance over the next few weeks under the theme of carnival. They will make masks and musical instruments with Mrs Andrew, which will be used in the dance. The children will work in small groups to create parts of the dance. Miss Richardson and Mrs Millar will select those groups who have created the most successful dance element to represent the school and they will take part in a compe on against children from other Year 4 classes in the cluster group. Whether the girls and boys succeed in represen ng Welton school or not, all of the Year 4 children will travel down to watch the compe on. There are quite a few KS2 tournaments organised for next half term - these are on the diary dates sec on of the newsle er A endance at School The Behaviour and A endance Partnerships in the East Riding of Yorkshire have approved guidance regarding the procedures for medical appointments and illness absence. This is aimed at suppor ng school staff in managing pupil absence due to recurring illness and medical appointments and to ensure consistency. The a endance register is a legal document and every absence from school has to be recorded and classified by the Head Teacher (not the parent) as to either authorised or unauthorised. When you contact school on the first day of an illness/absence, you should provide a clear descrip on of why the child is absent, their expected date of return and any medical advice received or appointments/visits made. You should then contact the school on the third day of absence if your child is s ll unwell. A er 5 days absence, you will be required to support the absence by providing medical evidence eg appointment card, dated medica on, prescrip on etc. Please endeavour to make medical appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. A endance is monitored when a child s a endance drops below 95% and they become classed as persistently absent. This is when the school may intervene and will share their concern with parents and may be invited into school to discuss the situa on. If support from the school has not resulted in a child s a endance improving, a referral may be made to the Educa on Welfare Department and if absences become a safeguarding issue, a child protec on referral may be carried out.
Page 5 February 2016 SATS As you will probably be aware, the end of this academic year will see the first me that pupils are tested on the new Na onal Curriculum, which became statutory for schools in 2015. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) will take compulsory tests provided by the government in May. We have found two really helpful videos that outline the major details of these tests, and these can be found on our website, www.weltonprimaryschool.com under learning, assessment and is called Test Informa on and Links. Here are some of the most important points you might need to know: Year 2: The tests can be taken any me in May 2016. They will take place in a familiar environment, such as your child s usual classroom. They can be completed as a whole class, or in small groups. There will be two reading tests las ng approximately 30 minutes. Pupils will be expected to read non-fic on and fic- on extracts and answer ques ons about what they have read. The second reading test contains slightly longer and more challenging text extracts, with ques ons that require pupils to retrieve informa on and explain the meaning of words they have read. There will be a spelling test based on spelling rules pupils have learnt throughout KS1. The grammar test will assess your child s knowledge of various aspects of grammar such as word classes (nouns, verbs etc.) and their ability to use punctua on correctly. In maths, there are two tests - the first of which is an arithme c test where pupils will be expected to perform calcula- ons out of context. The second test is a mathema cal reasoning test, where pupils will be expected to solve problems and perform calcula ons in context, o en be accompanied by a diagram or picture. The tests will be marked in school and the marks converted into a score. A score of 100 will represent the expected standard for a child in KS1. A higher score will indicate that a pupil is working above the expected standard; and a score lower than 100 will indicate that a pupil is struggling to reach the expected standards. This informa on will be communicated in your child s end of year report. Year 6: In Year 6, pupils will take six tests over the course of the week beginning 9 th May. The first test is a reading test, which will last 60 minutes, and will test pupil s ability to answer ques ons on a number of texts (including non-fic on, fic on and poetry). The second day of tests will focus on spelling, grammar and punctua on. There will be a wri en grammar and punctua on test and a spelling test. There are three maths papers. The first is an arithme c test (calcula ons without context). In this paper pupils will be expected to use approved, formal methods to answer addi on, subtrac ons, mul plica on and division calcula ons. Aspects of maths such as mul plica on of frac ons and decimals will also be tested in this paper. The remaining two maths papers will test pupil s ability to reason mathema cally and solve problems in context. In Year 6, the papers will be sent away to be marked externally, with results being returned to school in July 2016. The results will be presented using a scaled score. A score of 100 indicates that your child in mee ng the na onally expected standard for a pupil in Year 6. Pupils who have not yet reached this standard will be awarded a score lower that 100, and pupils exceeding the expected standard will a ain a score greater than 100. Results will be communicated to parents and be accompanied by a separate teacher assessment. In the next newsle er, we will suggest some ways in which you can help your child with these tests. Remember we are currently collec ng Sainsbury Ac ve Kid Vouchers at Welton Primary School! Please ask friends and family to save vouchers for us. These can then be exchanged for cooking and sport equipment at the end of the academic year. Thank you!