Newsletters

Spring 2 - Week 5

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Dear parents and carers,

Playground

Our playground works are slowly reaching completion.  This week, new goals and basketball nets were installed.  It has been wonderful to watch the pupils enjoy these and to know that there is still even more to come!

National Autism Acceptance Week

As part of Autism Acceptance Week, we hope to have a speaker from the Sycamore Trust coming in to assembly next Tuesday to tell us about the work they do locally and within the borough with children and young people. We would like to support this local charity in their work by holding a fundraising activity after Easter - so watch this space! If you would like any information about the Sycamore Trust and the advice or support they offer, please contact the school office.

Homework

Having worked in five different schools, with five very different approaches to this topic, it is clear there are a lot of different views.  I also know that if I speak to five different parents I would get five very different responses!  I have also been very active discussing this topic on some educational leadership forums which also sparked a lot of interest.

Those of you who follow the news will be aware that pay is only one small part of the current teacher strikes. These also cover school funding and teacher workloads.  The government are very clear that it is not good for teachers to be working at home after working hours. So why do we expect children to do this?  We all expect to be able to leave work at our place of employment then be able to relax - spend time with families and friends at home.  So again, why do we not provide this for our children? Are we bringing up children to think that home is an extension of the workplace? The school leadership spends time looking at how we can protect teacher work-life balance.  It is time we also did this for our pupils.

I have thought about this long and hard and have informed staff that we will not be sending any work home.  The only exception is reading (as this should be enjoyable - and research shows this becomes enjoyable if encouraged at a young age) and revision before SATS tests - although this should be minimal.  We will not be sending spellings home to learn.  Times Tables Rockstars will still be active, but this is optional.

There is no educational research that shows that homework has a significant impact on pupil progress at primary age.  Most schools who responded to my post on the forums had either already stopped setting homework or only did this because parents expected it.  If you are a parent who expects homework, let me list some more beneficial activities to undertake with your children:

  1. Having a conversation - asking them about their day.  We recognise that a lot of our pupils struggle to talk to adults and to justify their views.  How much practise are they getting at this incredibly important life skill at home? Again research shows that families where parents are not constantly on their mobile phones, or place their earbuds in on the school run have children who are more articulate, have better vocabulary and achieve higher outcomes.  As a parent, I do understand the temptation to disengage from the world at times but do consider the impact this could have on your child.
  2. Take them shopping with you.  Let them pay for items and count the change.  They will learn much more about money from being in a shop or market than from any worksheet.
  3. Throughout your conversations, regularly ask them what the time is.  What time does their favourite TV programme start, when does it finish?  How long is it on for?  Our whole curriculum is based on 'purposeful learning' - this provides a purpose for learning about time.
  4. Cook with them.  This involves weighing and measuring, reading recipes, setting timers etc - all examples of purposeful learning along with teaching a life skill. Again, far more engaging than a worksheet.
  5. Encourage an out of school interest.  This could be sport, music, drama or fitness based, or could be attending a local church youth group.  All of this promotes mental wellbeing, fitness, social skills, team work and problem-solving.  

Of course, we know that some children actually really do enjoy working at home or want to practise a certain skill. Some families love completing projects together.  Maybe your child was inspired by a recent science unit on space or wants to learn more about volcanoes.  Maybe they really want to write at home in order to practise their handwriting.  If that is what your child would like then by all means let this happen. If children want ideas from a teacher then I am sure they will oblige.  All we are trying to do is ensure that all children have a healthy balance between work, rest and play - something that is important for all of us! We also hope this takes the pressure off working families to complete homework but please, do still read with your children!

The bible verse for the week I have selected below reminds us that God rested on the seventh day.  He did not continue working. We are encouraged to rest on the Sabbath rather than to reach for the worksheets or textbooks.

Spellings

Whilst I am being slightly controversial and speaking about research, I would like to point out there is a lot of research that shows spelling lessons and teaching spelling rules improves children vocabulary, spelling and writing.  There is no research that shows spelling tests help. I have also just spent some time in the lunch hall speaking with pupils about this.  The only children who actually like spelling tests are the ones who regularly get full marks.  Even they admit they would feel very differently if they were a child who found spellings difficult.  

In an age where we, rightly, focus on children's mental health, having the weekly anxiety of facing a test situation is not fair.  We do have children in tears when they get a lower mark and sometimes even have to speak to parents about the consequences children face at home when they get a low score.  This just isn't right.  We also notice that those children who do get full marks in their spelling tests have not necessarily spelt the same word correctly in subsequent pieces of work. In other words they have memorised the spelling for a short time rather than learnt it. 

So, to be clear, spelling lessons will continue.  We will teach the rules of spellings.  We will look to see words spelt correctly in work and support children where this does not happen. We will not be testing children with the exception of Year Six SATS papers and practice SATS papers which we are required to administer by law. 

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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Genesis 2:2-3

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

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Next week is Autism Acceptance week and to celebrate, we will be having special assembly on Tuesday run by a member of the Sycamore Trust. 

The Sycamore Trust is a charity based in Barking and Dagenham which supports parents, carers and individuals for whom Autistic Spectrum Disorders and/or Learning Difficulties are part of everyday life. They offer a range of specialised services designed to support families, educate the community and empower individuals of all ages to flourish and be valued members of society.

We will be raising money for The Sycamore Trust on Friday 31st March with a non-uniform day. Any donations are welcome via Parent Pay. 

Don't forget the last chance to get tickets for Wednesdays event and receive a FREE raffle entry. Purchase on ParentPay until Monday at 4pm. Tickets will be available on the day but these will not include the FREE Raffle entry.

This week there will be some changes to our normal lunch menu

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Year Three

Iustin 3N

Year Four

Violet 4B

Year Five

Frankie 5N

Year Six

Evie-Grace 6T

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl has been suggested this week. This is a great book which is really funny. It has even been made into a film! 

By Rosie 3P

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Special Assembly- Sycamore Trust
9:45am – 10:15am
28
March
Easter Breakfast Event - Re telling of Easter Story -Yr4
8:30am – 10:00am
29
March
Bikeability Y4 am and pm
All Day
30
March
SATS Parents Coffee Afternoon
3:00pm – 4:00pm
30
March
SATS Parents Coffee Afternoon
3:00pm – 4:00pm
30
March
EASTER finish 1.30pm
1:30pm – 2:00pm
31
March
Pupils Back to School
8:00am – 8:30am
18
April
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24 Mar 2023
St John's Ambulance CPR training
Mario from 6T writes about CPR training that year 6 undertook from St John's Ambulance
Read more
24 Mar 2023
Year 5 Astrodome Visit
Discovering the world of Space
Read more
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Year Three

This week, Year Three have returned to looking at newspaper reports. They have been thinking about the features of this kind of text in preparation for writing their own newspaper report next week. 

In maths, the children have started a unit of work looking at fractions. They have been introduced to unit fractions and vocabulary such as denominator. I wonder if they can tell you what it means.

Geography has seen the children writing a letter to the inhabitants of their volcanic island with advice for preparing for an eruption. In science, we have been learning about the contents of soil and how it is made. In RE the children have been looking at the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and the story behind this celebration. Maybe they can retell you this story.

Year Four 

This week in Year four, the children have completed their half-term writing assessment by planning, writing and editing a diary entry from the perspective of the lead character of the novel 'Journey to Jo-burg'.  In science, the children have learned about how states of matter can change state.  The children have completed their length and perimeter unit of work in maths this week and moved onto their new unit about fractions.  Each afternoon this week, many of the Year Four children have been practising for next week's Easter production which they are performing next Wednesday morning.  We look forward to seeing you there to support the children and the school.   

Year Five

Year 5 have continued to work exceptionally well this week. In English, we continued our exciting study on rap as performance poetry. The children enjoyed listening to, reading and comparing different examples of rap which they recognised from TV and well-known children’s poets. We explored the clever use of figurative language in these raps and were inspired to use these to create our own class rap.  Next week, our pupils will be following the structure and features of rap to write their own for their upcoming performance.

In Maths, we continued developing our understanding of decimal place-value in order to compare and round decimals with a different number of decimal places. The children have shown confidence to compare measurements in decimals such as different heights and distances. Next week, pupils will continue their work on rounding decimals and will be introduced to percentages.

In History, Year 5 enjoyed being historians; analysing historical sources, including photographic images of items from a burial site and mediaeval manuscripts. We learned more about the Anglo-Saxon times and how such discoveries changed people's views of the Anglo-Saxons. Next week, we begin our unit on a study of the Vikings. 

Year Six

It has been test week, so it has been busy in year 6, it has been great to see how much progress the children have made. Keep it up! This week in maths the children have been learning about how to find the area and perimeter of rectangles and squares, have found the area of triangles and parallelograms and ended the week with finding the volume of cuboids, applying their knowledge of timetables to answer questions. In English, we have revised a range of punctuation and grammar rules. In our reading comprehension lessons the children have continued to look at a range of texts to deepen their knowledge and understanding. In geography, we have had a blast ranking a range of South American landmarks in order to ensure they have the right information for their travel agency websites they will produce next term. In PSHE, the children learnt about the recovery position, giving first aid and how important the NHS is. 

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Each week, staff select three children from each class who have shown effort and commitment to upholding an aspect of our school vision, shown at the bottom of the page. Congratulations to this week’s ‘stars of the week’ for their tremendous endeavours!

 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Three

3M

Name: Muna

For: a diligent and focussed approach to her tests. 

 

Name: Liyanah

For: kindness with her friends.

 

Name: Gregory

For: a calm approach to his learning this week.

3N

Name: Iustin

For: working diligently in all lessons and for demonstrating a fantastic understanding of what he has learnt.

Name: Julia

For: always being kind and helpful in the classroom and for helping her friends.

Name: Muhammad

For: a calm and positive approach to all work and being a good influence on his friends.

3P

Name: Mia

For: showing consistent diligence throughout all of her lessons.

Name: Abdullah

For: working collaboratively with his peers and always showing generosity.

Name: Samuel

For: for promoting peace in class, encouraging a safe and kind atmosphere.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Four

4B

Name: Zain

For: working hard to improve the presentation of his work.

 

Name: Priscilla

For: always working well with others in all her lessons.

 

Name: Dara

For: having a calm and hardworking approach in all lessons.

4D

Name: Milana

For: Working with greater independence in English

Name: Zechariah

For: being helpful when working with a partner

Name: Nyima

For: Always having a calm but hardworking attitude towards her learning

4W

Name: Emmanuel

For: excellent effort and working diligently when rehearsing for our Easter performance. 

Name: Jordan

For: putting a lot of effort into Maths and Literacy, making good contributions.

Name: Tilly

For: showing kindness and thoughtfulness, as well as writing a great diary entry.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Five

5A

Name: Deborah

For: consistently working diligently across the curriculum.

 

Name: Robert

For: being a thoughtful member of the class.

 

Name: Aiden

For: always being a calm influence in the classroom.

5H

Name:  Aaban

For: taking a more active role in group work and discussions this week.

Name:  Zara

For: supporting and assisting others during Design and Technology.

Name:  Joy

For:  always working collaboratively and peacefully during group activities.

5N

Name: Natasha

For: her commitment to doing well and her self-motivation.

Name: Mikel

For: his consistently excellent attitude and being a role-model to others.

Name: Jasmine

For: working peacefully, cooperatively and kindly with others.
 

Working diligently

 

Acting generously

 

Promoting peace

Year Six

6I

Name: Pola

For: contributing in class and always working to the best of her ability.

 

Name: Ronnie

For: being generous in sharing his jokes and always being helpful.

 

Name: Mercy A.

For: being a role model and always doing what is expected of her.

6P

Name: Dhiyan

For: working diligently in his booster group, showing improved focus.

Name: Gabriel

For: acting generously by helping others and sharing his ideas in his booster group.

Name: Joanna

For: always being a calm presence in class and around the school.

6T

Name: Jessica H

For: fantastic effort and progress in learning her times tables.

Name: Toby B

For: always being willing to help and share his time with others. 

Name: Tobe N

For: having a calm and dedicated approach to his learning. 
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