22nd April 2016 - Winton Primary School

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22/04/2016
Assessment Update
Over the next few weeks I want to explain a little of what testing arrangements will take place for different children in the
school.
Reception children
At the start of this year the government introduced a baseline, or starting assessment, for children as they entered
school. It was a trial year and schools were able to choose whether to take part and which “test” to use. None of the
tests looked like what we think of as test, it was more about an adult working with a child to find out what they could do
and what they needed to learn next. For us as a school we chose a test that not many schools used but it appeared to be
the most useful. The data we got from it helped us plan to meet the needs of the children over the course of the year
and it proved worthwhile. Nationally the process did not go as well, chiefly because the data from the three tests that
schools could choose from was not comparable. The government had obviously hoped that it would be, as it would have
made a good baseline to hold schools to account for pupil progress. Therefore it has been announced that the roll out of
this baseline beyond the trial year is on hold and we will have to wait to see what the future holds. As a school we would
consider using the same assessment tool next year to make sure we have a good understanding of what children can
already do and what they need to learn next. This is at the heart of good assessment and helps us improve teaching and
learning.
In the meantime children in this year’s Reception classes will still have a Foundation Stage Profile completed for them at
the end of this year. This is a summary teacher assessment in the different areas of learning. Children will not be aware
of anything or feel like they have undergone any testing, the assessments are made as part of the day to day teaching and
learning in the classroom. As in previous years the parents of Reception children will receive a summary judgement for
each of the areas and this will say whether the child is Emerging, Expected or Exceeding in each area. Parents will receive
this alongside their child’s annual report. We are pleased to say we are being moderated this year by Bournemouth
Borough Council. This means trained moderators will come in and look at our judgements to ensure they are consistent,
comparable to other schools and accurate. Schools are moderated at least every 4 years and it is 4 years since we were
last moderated. The process means we can be confident in the accuracy of our judgements.
Whilst the terms used in the Foundation Stage Profile are slightly different they are similar to the way the new national
curriculum is assessed (see last week’s newsletter). For parents it will now be easier to compare judgements and monitor
their child’s progress. Children across the school will have judgements made about whether they are working in line with
expectations for their age. If they are then it would be reasonable to assume that they should stay within the band they
are working i.e. a child who is working in line with expectations we would hope would maintain this throughout their time
in school.
Next week I will outline the testing arrangements and assessment procedure for Years 1 and 2.
Staffing Matters
Mrs Lofthouse will be leaving us to start a new job after this half term. Mr Coombs will be teaching class 3LC full time for
the last half term of the year. We wish Mrs Lofthouse all the very best for the future and thank her for her dedication to
Winton Primary and all her hard work over the past six years!
Attendance
In it to win it - Don’t forget “In it to win it” runs again this half term to reward good attendance and punctuality. It is a
system that rewards all good attendance in a fair way and means even if a child has a genuine illness they will still have
plenty of opportunities to earn a reward! For every week a child is present and on time for the whole week they earn a
raffle ticket. At the end of half term we will draw out lots of tickets and award prizes to the lucky winners. Last half term
we awarded about 30 books to different children who had a ticket drawn out in Celebration Assembly. Good Luck!
Medical Appointments
Please remember that should your child need to attend a medical appointment during the school day you will be asked
to provide evidence of the appointment, so keep hold of any letters, appointment cards or reminders you
receive. Absence will only routinely be authorised for half a day for such an appointment, it is very rare that appointments
require a full day off school. If at all possible you are advised to ensure your child is here first thing in the morning and
between 12.45 and 1.15pm. This will mean that they get both of their register marks and hence the appointment will not
contribute to their absence figure. Whilst we understand this is not always possible it is worth bearing in mind.
It is also important to remember that children cannot be collected during the lunchtime (11.50-1.10). If you need to take
your child to an appointment you should collect them prior to, or after, these times.
Neil Tarchetti, Head teacher
Whole School Fun Run – Parent Review
It was a fresh morning, cold, with a brisk breeze, and a group of parents eagerly awaited the arrival
of the Winton Athletes. In the distance, luminous jackets became visible, and very soon the classes
streamed onto Redhill Common.
There were some very imaginative costumes being worn, both by students and staff. Mr Tarchetti
looking particularly splendid in his Canadian Mountie costume (what a good sport), and it was very
pleasing to see an abundance of AFC Bournemouth shirts on display.
As the children grouped at the far end of the field, we parents looked on, gripped by the cold, some of us wishing we were
joining in! Suddenly there was a tsunami of children advancing towards us, a mass of smiling, laughing faces, as the
younger ones made their dash for victory.
It wasn’t long before the older children raced towards the line with some serious effort on display from budding Olympic
Champions! From the bustle of the finish line, order was quickly restored and the classes regrouped for their orderly return
to school!
Well done to everyone involved in making this fun run a great success, especially the children!
Mr Richard Scott, Parent Director
Clubs – Spaces still available
Tuesday
Wednesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Thursday
Friday
Friday (Morning club)
School Newspaper
Green Fingers
Python Programming
KS2 Art
Book Club
Minecraft
Gymnastics
Yr5 & Yr6
Yr5 & Yr6 (plus Yr3 & Yr4)
Yr5 & Yr6
Yr3, Yr4, Yr5 & Yr6
Yr1 & Yr2
Yr5 & Yr6 (plus Yr3 & Yr4)
KS2
Please note, Minecraft & Green Fingers are now open to Yr3 & Yr4 as well as Yr5 & Yr6. If your child is interested in
either of these clubs or any of the above clubs please contact the school office and we will be happy to add them on.
PARENT DROP IN SESSIONS
At Winton Primary School we understand that for a child to thrive academically they first need to feel safe,
secure and happy.
Children of all ages will come across many difficulties in their young lives, whether it be a diagnosed condition
or disorder, a learning need or even a short term issue that may be causing a barrier to their emotional wellbeing or academic success. Some children go through periods of needing some additional support, as the
Pastoral Support Leader, it is my role to support the children and families and to work alongside their teachers.
Maybe your family has received Pastoral Support in the past, and you feel that you may benefit from some
further support. Or maybe you would like to see me to discuss any new or ongoing concerns you might have, if
so, I now hold a parent drop in session on a Monday from 9am-10am just ask at reception and they will let me
know that you would like a chat.
Thank you, Claire Cooper, Pastoral Support Leader
Year one will be planting a wildflower garden this term with generous donations
from Heirloom & Perennial - many thanks to them!
If anyone is interested in planting flowers to attract bees and butterflies at home, they have an amazing
selection so do get in contact with them.
https://www.foodforests.eu/
PFA News
Our next PFA meeting will be on Monday 25th April at 6pm in the staff room, everyone is welcome so please come
along and share any ideas you may have over a cuppa and biscuits.
Diary of PFA events.
Monday 25th April:
PFA meeting
Wednesday 25th May: Mufti day and summer term disco (details and posters to follow)
Monday 13th June
Free Mufti-day (Royalty related/red, white & blue) & HRH the Queen’s birthday celebrations;
bbq and games on the field after school (more details to follow)
th
Saturday 16 July:
Summer Fayre 12 – 3pm.
If you or anyone you know would like a stall at the fayre, please contact the PFA by e-mail:
[email protected]
Please read the newsletters or the PFA Facebook page to keep updated.
Children of Achievement
Well done to Maggi in year 4 who achieved her Grade 3 Certificate on the 16th April for progressing in
horse riding!
Foundation
Over the last 2 weeks the children have been reading the story ‘The Bog Baby’ by Jeanne Willis and Gwen
Milward.
This has led to them making their own Bog Babies who have had some very exciting adventures around the
school! The children have turned these stories into
a book which will be going on display in local
libraries.
A big well done goes to Pear class for their
superclass assembly on Tuesday.
Foundation stage are really excited about the start
of their new topic ‘Winton loves Underpants!’
which starts next week and reading some more
funny stories.
Mrs James, Head of School, Reception
Year 1
Wow, what a fantastic week Year One have had! They started work on their wildlife friendly outside area
with lots of planting taking place. The children have also been planning what the outside area will look like.
Thank you for all your hard work on bug hotel plans, the winning plans will be announced next week.
The dates for our outside parent workshops have
been scheduled for Thursday 26th May and Friday
27th May, weather dependent. If you are able to
come into school on either day at any time please
let your child’s class teacher know.
Meanwhile Year Two have been busy learning measures in maths comparing different units of measure and reading scales. In English,
the children are creating their own 'Sound Collector' poem by
observing the sounds around school and innovating the original poem
by Roger McGough. In topic the children took part in a
bee pollination experiment where they used cheesy puffs to show how pollen is transferred from one flower
to another. They have also started to create some artwork based on still life plants using inspiration from the
artist Georgia O'Keeffe.
Mrs Brewer, Assistant Head, Year 1 & 2
Year 3 & 4
All of the children have been immersing themselves in their topics this week and
focusing on learning and embedding their key skills in English and Maths.
We will be asking all the children in Year 3 and 4 to complete a reading
questionnaire this next week to survey their reading habits! Please can you get
involved too by discussing with your child/children which books they like to read
and the reasons why!
We are currently focusing as a whole school on developing our children’s
reading skills, so reading at home is a very important part of this, as it will also
help support children’s writing skills.
This will also help children succeed in achieving age related expectations for their
year group, which will be reported to you at the end of the school year.
Please ensure that your child is reading every day at home. Reading =Sparkle
Points!
Thank you for your continued support with this.
Mrs Lidster, Assistant Head, Year 3 & 4
Year 5 & 6
Year 5 and 6
Thank you to all the Year 6 parents who attended the SATs
information meeting last night. It was a useful opportunity to
discuss the changes to the curriculum and the expectations for the
end of the Key Stage 2. If you were unable to attend then please
refer to our school website for a copy of the SATs Parent booklet.
In that document you will find some example questions from each
of the papers and some useful ideas and websites for revision.
Osmington
A reminder please to those who are coming on the residential visit that we need the forms back as soon as
possible. These include medical and dietary information and a signed copy of the conduct agreement. If you
require a replacement copy please ask your child’s class teacher.
Mrs Houlston, Assistant Head, Year 5 & 6
Dates for your diary
April
26th
14.50pm
Parent Assembly - 5AS
Small hall
M ay
2nd
3rd
Bank Holiday
14.50pm
9th - 13th
Parent Assembly - 4RCa
Small hall
Year 6 SATS Week
10th
14.50pm
Parent Assembly - 3VT
Small hall
17th
14.50pm
Parent Assembly - 1HP
Small hall
17th
1.30pm-4pm
Class photos
Small hall
18th
9am-4pm
Class photos
Small hall
18th - 20th
24th
26th
27th
Year 6 Osmington Bay Residential Trip
14.50pm
Parent Assembly - 2KL
KS2 Sports Day
Last day summer term 1 - normal finish time
Small hall