Wednesday 28 April 2010

Newsletter No: 14


28th April 2010

Dear Parents/Carers,

Following my trek across Europe on trains and ferry, it was great to be back last Thursday for the final term of the year in spite of the delayed start. I am also pleased to report that the majority of families, who were stuck abroad, are now back.

Attendance However, attendance remains a key issue for the school and I would remind all parents to inform the school of the reason for their child’s absence from school. Last week’s overall school attendance was severely affected by the disruption to transport across the globe and the school percentage was extremely low – 88.8%.

The class with the highest percentage – 99.3% - was Year 1 Blue – Well done!
Percentages for other classes were as follows:
Rec Blue 69.3% Rec Green 94.3% Rec Red 99% Rec Yellow 91%
Yr1 Blue 99.3% Yr 1 Green 77.3% Yr 1 Red 94.7% Yr 1 Yellow 95%
Yr2 Blue 88.7% Yr 2 Green 91% Yr 2 Red 85.9% Yr 2 Yellow 88.4%
Yr3 Green 91.3% Yr 3 Red 93.9% Yr 4 Blue 72.1% Yr 4 Yellow 84.6%
Yr5 Red 92.1% Yr 6 Yellow 90%

As the national average is 95%, I would urge all classes that are below that to make every effort to attend regularly.

Pupil Achievements It is a pleasure to congratulate the following pupils for being awarded the Gold Award for their success in class: Amber and Maaria in Reception Yellow and Syeda and Mustafa in Year 4 Blue

I would also like to mention Hannah Ahmed, who recently appeared in an article in the Loughton Recorder, discussing her desire to become a dentist. The article was very impressive and it was lovely to read how proud Hannah is of her school as well.

SATS You may be aware that there has been an on going trade union dispute by 2 of the teachers, unions on the issue of SATs at Year 6 following the removal of SATs at Year 2 and Year 9. A decision on whether SATS will take place this year will be made shortly and I will be writing to parents of Year 6 children tomorrow. However, I would clarify to all parents that at Cranbrook Primary, we are fully committed to ensuring that assessments are carried out and parents receive clear information about their child’s attainment at the end of the year in terms of National Curriculum levels for Maths and Literacy. This information will be provided whatever the outcome of the union action. Please also note that all teachers across the school will be finalising their teacher assessments in readiness for writing the end of year Reports for parents.

Report Format Following consultation with staff and feedback received from parents last year, we have amended the format for reports to shorten the length and to provide clear information about your child’s progress, effort, enjoyment and attainment without using too much educational jargon. I would be keen to receive further feedback following this year’s reports, so that we can make improvements for next year.

Reading Scheme As mentioned in previous letters, a Reading Scheme has been purchased and has been launched with staff today. The purpose is to provide a structured approach to reading across the school by ensuring children participate in both individual and group reading activities that develop their skills further. Use of core books will continues alongside. Before the end of this term, we will provide a short session for all parents on the changes that have been introduced – date to follow in next week’s letter.

Library Update Once all the books have been logged onto the database, we will be able to begin using the school library with classes to enhance children’s passion for reading, general knowledge and use for supporting their learning across the curriculum.

Tea for Local Elderly People Later in the term, we would like to organise a musical session and tea party for elderly people who live locally. If you know someone, perhaps a neighbour or family member, who you would like us to invite, please let the school office know.

Curriculum Overviews Over the next week, we will post information about the curriculum coverage for this term for all year groups and classes on our website (see below). Please do take the time to view these, so that you can support your child’s learning at home.

Behaviour Policy Following feedback from parents and staff, we have recently reviewed the school’s Behaviour and Discipline Policy and clarified sanctions for unacceptable behaviour that have been introduced. Discussions have started with pupils and after the policy has been ratified by governors, we will be sharing it with parents later in the term.

Wishing you all an enjoyable long weekend with Bank holiday Monday!


Yours faithfully

Jas Leverton
Head teacher

Dates for your diary:
Bank holiday 3rd May
Staff training day school closed 28th May
Half term break 29th-6th June
School re-opens 7th June
Summer Fair 10th July
Last day of the school year 23rd July
Staff training days 2nd & 3rd September
School re-opens for pupils 6th September

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