Luddenham School Newsletter Service Spring Term 2012
A copy of all our newsletters is available from this page
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER TWO
Storm Warning
The weather forecast predicts snow over the weekend and the early part of next week. Although our intention is of course to remain open, if the wind blows and the lane disappears then we may need to close. When considering closure the following factors are given careful consideration:
Updates can as usual be obtained from:
If you have given us an address we can also send you an e-mail.
School Dinners
We have had quite a few instances recently of children changing their dinner arrangements without any prior notice. We ask for a weeks notice of any changes so that our caterer can order the correct number of meals. Mrs Wenn can accommodate the odd emergency but finding an extra meal for 5 or 6 children is rather more difficult.
Parking
Last week I had a meeting with our immediate neighbour to discuss parking outside his house. He showed me some photographs that he had taken of cars parked across his driveway. These were date stamped and demonstrated that parents were parking well before the school opens at 8.30. In one instance a lone car was parked across his driveway with no visible occupants at 8:20am. Where did they go?
Personally I find it very irritating when people park across my driveway and I suspect most people feel the same way. Consequently I am asking for your consideration. If you arrive before 8.30 please do not park in the lay-by at all, and when you do park please do not obstruct our neighbours driveway. I can also add a further request here- please do not obstruct the school lane and then leave your vehicle to bring children in to school!
Our neighbour has asked me to publish these photographs, which clearly display the number plates, to name and shame the miscreants. If things do not improve that may well be the next step!
Academy Status
Last Tuesday's meeting for parents, to consider the possible conversion of our school, proved to be a constructive dialogue, raising some interesting questions. Following from this and the few enquiries I have had on an ad hoc basis, I thought it would be useful to share these questions and answers and any further matters as they arise. The following is a flavour of the questions raised so far.
Q: Will the pattern of the school year change?
A: In our case No. All schools already have the opportunity to do this, although Local Education Authority (LEA) schools must consult the LEA and parents first and this can take up to one year. Academy schools can do this autonomously.
We have no plans for alterations, although we may look at adjusting the date we break up for Christmas, as we did recently. Curiously, the LEA dates for next year have the term ending on the 21 December already, so we need take no action!
Q. Will admission arrangements change?
A: No. Academy Schools are required to "Continue to participate in the local arrangements for admission." This means that the LEA will continue to administer the allocation of places for children entering our reception class, as they have done for many years. Some parents were surprised to learn that schools take no part in the allocation of places. The LEA will continue to apply the same admission criteria to Academy Schools as they do to their own and prospective parents will still be required to complete the LEA common application form.
Academies do have control over casual admissions, i.e.. admissions that occur during the school year in to any year group. All schools had this authority until September 2010 when LEA's were required to undertake this. Casual admissions, whether conducted by the LEA or the Academy, are still subject to the same national legal admission criteria
Q: Will entry in to the Kent Test be affected?
A: No the entry procedure is not affected.
Q Will Kent Test appeals procedure be different?
A: No
Q Will the school uniform change?
A: No, and neither will the school name which would render the existing uniform out of date.
Q will the school curriculum change?
A Academy schools are not required to follow the National Curriculum. We have already instituted some changes by introducing the formal teaching of grammar and teaching history in a chronologically coherent manner. We do not envisage wholesale changes, although nips and tucks, possibly.
Q Will the school be able to expel more pupils?
A No. This is a rather curious question which I think arose from newspaper reports that expulsions from academies were higher than from LEA schools. There is still a formal procedure to follow and parents retain their right to appeal. Given that in the last 25 years only one child has been expelled from our school, I do not see an avalanche of dismissals arising!
Q Will the school be completely cut off from the LEA?
A No. There are still quite a few LEA services we shall probably continue to use, providing they give value for money. The more important ones are in any case free! For example we shall continue to participate in the "Managed Move" programme where the LEA acts as an honest broker helping children move schools when there is a risk of exclusion. This works very well and is a great help for families. Over recent years our school has helped a small number of children in this way, both entering and leaving our school. We have also admitted looked after children and children who have been expelled from other schools, enabling all these children to successfully complete their primary education. These arrangements will not change. (Please note this does not mean that every child who has joined our school has entered vis these routes!)
We shall also continue to use the School Personnel Service. Staff contracts, pension rights & union rights will also not change.
Q Is this the head teachers decision?
A No The decision to consider this proposal can only be taken by the Governing Body. It is the Governing Body who confirm the decision to convert and it is the Chair of Governors who signs the Funding Agreement, which is the final instrument of conversion..
Q Are Academy schools still inspected by Ofsted?
A Yes- there is no change in these procedures.
Q What will change?
A I am sure that parents will not notice any significant difference from how the school operates now. Parents with secondary age children already have their children at Academy Schools and this does not seem to have caused undue anxiety. The major change should be financial and although this is not immediately obvious, I hope this will become visible as we are able to complete our building project (Extension on to class four), employ a caretaker, further classroom assistants and plan for future development we know we can fund.
Q Will this lead to a growth of the school?
A No. The school will remain a seven class, one form entry school,- which I still believe is the ideal size for a primary school.
No doubt further questions will arise and I will address these in subsequent Newsletters.
Holiday Leave
The LEA has stopped producing the parental holiday leave request form, which I think is saying something about the future of this privilege. Governors are to discuss the schools approach to holiday leave at our forthcoming meeting. I shall let you know the outcome in due course.
Reminders:
Wine and Wisdom: Saturday 25 February If you would like to reserve a table please contact Mrs Fox our Secretary.
Swimming sessions for class one
We have had a number of children arriving late at the swimming pool and arriving without the fee of £1:50. We have also had promises of money to be sent to school later, which have not materialised !
We already subsidise the cost of swimming and I would be very grateful if you ensure that your child arrives on time and with the necessary funds!
Half Term
The school closes for the half term break on Friday 10 February and reopens on Monday 20 February
Of Cakes and Ale
Some time ago we agreed to let children bring a cake to school to celebrate their birthday. I do not wish to stop this but please remember:
We have decided to let children, where appropriate, eat the cake with the birthday child at the end of the afternoon . Happy Birthday
School field
The school field was returned to the children this week. It was wonderful to see children enjoying grass underfoot for the first time in three and a half years.
The juniors ran around and the infants hid in the hedge. Of such is the kingdom of Heaven
Tuesday 17 January
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER ONE Spring Term 2012
Happy new year and welcome back to what promises to be an exciting new term.
New Member of Staff
We are very pleased to welcome Mr J Moore to our school. Initially Mr Moor will be supporting junior children.
School Field
Although we have a few trees to replant our field should be returned to full use by the end of this term- just in time for the cricket season. The Friends' Association have generously agreed to provide a proper cricket net and with our new flat surface we can have a reasonable cricket pitch.
Academy Status
Since my last letter the conversion process has moved forward with surprising speed and we are now waiting for the DFE to issue the Academy Order, which in effect gives a school formal permission to convert. This should be issued within the next week and then the legal and financial matters can be addressed.
As I mentioned in my last letter, conversion to an academy is a rather complicated process to explain in newsletter, consequently assuming that we do not encounter any terminal errors, I have arranged a meeting for parents on Tuesday 31 January 2012 at 7pm to explore the procedure. Although we have been on a fairly steep learning curve in school, I hope to be able to answer any questions you may have.
Christmas
Christmas seems like a distant memory, so DVDS of the Christmas production are instant reminders and are now available.
The sale of tickets raised just over £200 and having spoken to the children we thought it would be appropriate to make a donation to Demelza House a local children's charity.
School Caretaker
At the end of last year I mentioned my intention to appoint a part time caretaker. I still intend to do so, however due to financial considerations this will now not take place until Easter.
I was quoted out of context...
"A headteacher must be getting something right if staff morale is at an all time low"
Each time that someone in the public eye puts their foot in their mouth the usual first recourse is to explain that this was of course a contextual error. Having read this statement attributed to Sir Michael Wilshire, the new head of Ofsted, I assumed a swift contextual correction would follow. However to date no such correction has emerged. Ofsted under his stewardship is clearly going to be an interesting place to work and the new framework a joy to implement in schools.
Thumbnail Guide to our Wine and Wisdom Saturday 25 February 2012
Please note due to "unforeseen circumstances" this is not the date in the yearbook!
Friends' Association WINE AND WISDOM Saturday 25 February
Please reserve a table for...............................People
Contact Name (Please Print).....................................
NEWSLETTER TEN
Is it time to jump off the fence?
I have written to parents several times over the last eighteen months concerning the merits of the Academy Programme. With the conclusion of the remedial work to our field and drainage system we are now in clear enough water to give this serious consideration. This was achieved last week when our Governing Body met with representatives of legal and accountancy firms who have already had extensive experience of guiding schools through the labyrinthine process of converting. As these processes are rather arcane and extensive I shall not attempt any outline here. What I can say is that this is a proposal worthy of serious consideration for two main reasons.
First there is the matter of independence- our school will be free from the Local Education Authority (LEA). This is qualified freedom as our relations with the LEA are very good and our school has never experienced the level of interference cited by others as a reason to escape. My concern is that as more schools become academies, LEA's will become progressively impoverished and ultimately not viable. I feel it is much better to jump before we are pushed by force of circumstances, particularly so as currently the school should be financially better off if we convert. Our building grant (£36K) will be reinstated and we will also receive our share of the financial delegation retained by Kent County Council to provide services for schools that in the main, because of the nature of our school, we do not have access to. This financial inducement, will almost certainly disappear as more schools convert. This is exactly what happened when the Grant Maintained Programme, which is virtually the same as the current Academy Programme, was introduced in the early 1990's. Early birds really did get all of the worms.
Governors have therefore agreed to consider the merits of the programme by registering an interest, applying for the transition grant and taking the initial necessary legal steps. No school is committed until the funding agreement is signed, which is a long way down the road from where we are now, consequently conversion will not take place until April at the earliest. It is also important to bear in mind that from the perspective of parents, the school will not suffer some form of radical change. The school will run in precisely the same manner as it does now with exactly the same staff and governors and the school name will not change. A useful source of information concerning the Academy Programme can be found onThe Department for Education website:
www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies
One important early part of the process is to consult various interested bodies, the most important of which are our parents. To this end if you wish to make any representations concerning this proposal please write to:
Richard Woodroofe Chair of Governors, care of Luddenham School by Monday 6th February 2012.
This is the first of many letters concerning this proposal and I shall keep you informed as matters unfold.
E-Safety
Yesterday I listened to a discussion concerning "what is the most important invention ever made." This concluded with the view that Tim Berners Lee has the prize for his invention of the world wide web. Having read the attached letter concerning E-safety I am not so sure. This letter has been sent to schools by the LEA and contains some essential and straightforward advice to protect your family.
Do you know which sites your children are visiting? Do you know who they are talking to?
Parent Governor
The closing date for nominations is this Monday 19 December.
Lost property
We have a large number of unnamed sweatshirts and other items of school dress in lost property. If your child has lost any items do please come in and have a look. This is also a good point in time to remind all parents to name everything!
School Clubs
Clubs close this Friday and will reopen next term.
The beginning is nigh...
2011 has not been a vintage year for our country and 2012 looks as if it will be just as difficult Before then there are one or two highlights to lift the gloom...
Tuesday 13 Infant production
Wednesday 14 Infant Production
Tuesday 20 Junior Carol Concert
Wednesday 21 Christmas Parties: last day of term
Interim Report issued
Children return to school on Monday 9th January. On Behalf of my staff may I wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER NINE
Nativity Play? That will be four pounds please
Tinsel and tea towels will be much in evidence next week as our infants perform our annual nativity play. I can well remember the excitement of being third camel in a production at my primary school, while dreaming of being Joseph, or even second tree. I can also remember that entrance was free and a free for all as parents fought over the best seats.
Back in 1991 tickets for productions in our new hall were free. However we found that parents were asking for many more tickets than they actually needed on the off chance that distant friends and relatives may decide to come along. For this reason we introduced our nominal charge of 50p which had the desired effect, parents only bought tickets they were certain to need. So I was amused to hear that in Surrey the going rate for a ticket to see the nativity play is currently four pounds, plus two pounds to park the Range Rover. Perhaps in leafy Kent we should consider the same tariff.
Tuesday 13 December 2pm
Parents may take their children home at its conclusion
Wednesday 14 December 7pm
Children should be here by 6.30pm
Tickets for both performances cost 50 pence and are available now.
Parking will be available on the playground for both performances and is currently free, even if you have a Range Rover.
Class Four Open Evening Tomorrow 8 December 3.30 - 5pm
An opportunity to see what the boys and girls have been doing this term which includes the Film Premiere of This is Class Four! which will be shown at 4pm and probably a few times after that as well. If you arrive before 3:20pm you should be able to negotiate the lane and park on the school Playground. If not parking will still be available after 4pm, which is the next recommended arrival time!
School Bus Fare
Once again Arriva, who operate the evening bus service, have raised the fare without informing us. It now stands at 85p
Friends' Association Christmas Fair
Following the cancellation of last years event due to snow it was good to see the return of Father Christmas, and on Saturday rather than Sunday. This change seemed to work very well and the event was very well attended. Thanks to the efforts of the organising committee and the many parents who helped Just over £1400 was raised.
Next Friends' Association Event: Wine and Wisdom- February.
Early Departures.
Recently we have had a few requests from parents to collect children early. In most instances this is to enable children to attend tuition for sports and musical activities although a few requests were clearly concerned with little more than personal convenience. Whatever the reason please remember parents have no legal entitlement to do this.
Consequently before entering into any arrangements of this nature, particularly if this involves pre payment, please discuss this with us. In some instances we have agreed and in others we have said no, particularly if it means leaving significantly earlier on a regular basis, or if the child has a poor attendance record.
This is our second electronic newsletter. Have you given us your email address?
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER EIGHT
Welcome to our first electronic newsletter, although parents who have not yet provided an email address will still receive a paper copy.
A few Reminders
Porridge
The stories of Norman Stanley Fletcher and his time in Slade Prison are classics of television. Less well regarded is the sequel series Going straight, although this does start with rather a good gag. On release Fletcher discovers a receipt in his jacket pocket for the shoes he had left for repair just before his arrest four years previously. Fortunately the cobblers shop was still trading and Fletcher presented his receipt to the surly shopkeeper who studied it intently and responded "They will be ready on Thursday."
It is a human characteristic to leave things to the last moment and this certainly seems to have afflicted the parents I have recently spoken to concerning late arrival. As far as I am aware no other school has as late a start as we do at 9.15, (This is because of the bus timetable!) and yet children are still late for school. We ask for children to be here by 9.10 at the latest for a good reason- if cars arrive in the school lane after 9.10 children are going to be late, it really is that simple.
I have also noted that some parents who have arrived late still wish to engage their child's teacher in discussion about domestic arrangements or school matters. Please do not do this. If you need to discuss anything with your child's teacher please arrange to be here in good time. Your children's teachers are responsible for their classes from the time that the whistle is blown at 9.15, which is also the time we expect parents to leave so that our security gate can be locked. Additionally please consider that that even if you do arrive in good time, if this discussion is likely to take a long while, it would be better to make an appointment for a meeting after school. Before school is a very busy time for staff preparing for the day ahead!
Parking
We have had a few instances in recent weeks of poor parking that has prevented the school bus negotiating the local roads. Please remember when parking think BUS, and if you ask friends or relatives to collect your children can you brief them on our rather arcane system.
Poor parking award of the week: The mystery parent who parked their car in the middle of the road this morning and then accompanied children in to school, thus blocking the Lane in both directions.
I cannot think of any action more certain to generate complaints from our local residents - as it indeed proved to be this morning!
Yellow Lines: Please leave these clear, particularly when collecting children after clubs.
Christmas
The Festive Season starts in school on Thursday 1 December. Our Post Box will be open, Christmas trees and decorations will appear.
Christmas Fair : This will take place on Saturday 3 December 1-4 pm- NOT Sunday
I do hope you can join us. Parking will be available on the playground NOT the Field!!!
Our Christmas events are:
Friday 2 Choir visiting residential homes in Faversham
Non uniform day: Bottles please!
Thursday 8 Infants visit to Gulbenkian Theatre
Tuesday 13 Infant production
Wednesday 14 Infant Production
Tuesday 20 Junior Carol Concert
Wednesday 21 Christmas Parties: last day of term
Interim Report issued
Strike Action
I am pleased to confirm that school will be open as usual tomorrow. This may be only the first of such days of action as we enter a possible winter of discontent. The last time I can remember such widespread belligerence, flares and tank tops were the height of fashion, ABBA were number one and a sophisticated night out was a meal at the Bernie Inn featuring steak, Black Forest gateau and Mateus Rose. Porridge was also a rather popular television programme at the time.
Friday 18 November 2011
Newsletter Seven
Gracefully surrender the things of youth...
Unlike many other schools we have never had a caretaker. Many parents will remember Mrs Friar who gave sterling service which included some caretaking even though she was officially designated "Cleaner in Charge." Likewise even though my official designation is "headteacher," I too have undertaken some caretaking over the years. However the years are beginning to catch up and I am finding keeping the school site tidy just a bit too demanding. For this reason we would like to appoint a part time caretaker to undertake these duties. The following is a rough idea of the kind of duties involved..
Keeping the following areas tidy & clear of leaves/Litter
Initially this would be for two mornings per week, although as funding allows this may well extend further.
As you can see this is not going to provide an income to live on! However it may well suit someone who has retired and doesn't want to spend all day doing the crossword or watching Dave and Countdown on TV!
If you know of someone who may be interested do please ask he or she to contact me for further information. Naturally the post is subject to a full CRB check
Please!
If you have any rolls of unwanted wallpaper they will be gratefully received in our reception class where they will no doubt be transformed into something strange and magical.
Harvest DVD's
Harvest seems a long while ago now, however DVD's for the infant and junior harvest Festival are now available.
Home email addresses
Have you sent us yours? Our email service is about to go online....
Friends Association Christmas Fair. 1-4pm NB Saturday 3 December (Not Sunday as mentioned in the Year Book)
To support our fair we have two non uniform days with a small fee to pay:
Friday 25 November: Groceries
Friday 2 December : A Bottle of something
Children in Need
Class six arranged a splendid variety of events and we had a visit from Pudsey which the children thoroughly enjoyed!
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER SIX
Slate and Chalk
I have spoken to several parents over the last two days concerning our recent development day . It seems that news of our closure did not reach everyone! We sent a newsletter home on Friday 21 October which included this information and a reminder on Friday 4 November. Having looked in the trays of the relevant children and usual suspects, we found a large number of school letters that had not made the journey home, amongst which in many cases were both of these missives!
This did give me a small pause for thought. This is hardly a new issue but I do feel we have an obvious remedy available now. As we have just commissioned a new school email system, sending school letters electronically seems an obvious solution, all we need is an email address for each family. Of course it is entirely possible that this newsletter may join many of its relatives in book bags, trays, or the school drive and letters and reply slips are also lost on the way to school. For these reasons, if you do receive this letter, in the spirit of the digital age please reply by email. This is not a creative writing exercise, all that this email need contain is your child's name, we can electronically capture the address. Please do reply even if you do not have an email address, as we shall be writing directly to families who have not replied to clarify the correct method for future correspondence. I have attached a reply slip for this particular purpose.
Naturally families who currently do not have an email address will continue to have Newsletters delivered by their children. For those receiving newsletters electronically please be assured we shall not pass email addresses on to any third party.
Admission to Primary School in September 2012
If you have a child due to start school next year you need to complete a formal application now. (NB this applies to all children, even if siblings are already in school) The information booklet "Admission to Primary School 2012" is available from the school, or may be viewed on the KCC website: www.kent.gov.uk/primaryadmission.
Online application has proved to be a secure and reliable method and is achieved by visiting the KCC dedicated website:www.kent.gov.uk/ola.
If you do not have access to the Internet we have a supply of paper forms. Please contact Mrs Fox.
Closing date for applications: 14 January 2012
Absence from School
Please remember that if your child is absent or late for school we need an explanation. This can be achieved easily by telephone or brief note.
We are also required to monitor absence and in our latest exercise a few matters did arise.
Name of child...................................................Please print
I do not currently have an email address and would like my child to continue to deliver school letters & Newsletters
Please return to school!
Friday October 21
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER FIVE
Staff Development Day
Please note the school will be closed on Monday 7 November for a staff development day.
School Uniform
Children do enjoy testing boundaries and in this pursuit they are not that unlike most grown ups. School uniform is often an area of friction as the parents of children attending Herne Bay High School recently discovered when they were advised that pupils skirts were too short. In fact this is something that we had noticed amongst some of our pupils and this generated an interesting staff discussion concerning our existing uniform and dress rules. The following are not new rules, it is just that we have not had reason to remind parents for quite a few years. Consequently I trust the following is not a surprise!
School colours These are dark blue for sweatshirts & jumpers, (grey is also fine) white or dark blue for shirts and T shirts and grey/black, skirts and trousers. Our uniform is supplied by Lea Ray Sports and although this is not a compulsory arrangement, if you do buy from other suppliers please adhere to these colours. I have spoken to several children recently about strange coloured sweatshirts!
Girls skirts These should be just above the knee. Some of our older girls seem to be involved in a hemline arms race. Staff will speak to girls who are attempting to grow up far too soon, and where necessary parents as well.
Foot wear: Shoes not boots: No trainers to be worn to school, these are for PE only
Hair: Children with long hair (boys and girls) should have this tied back to keep the face clear. This is not just for the sake of appearance. Constantly having to clear hair from the face is an unnecessary distraction and we also had a minor accident in school last week when a child's loose hair was trapped in a door. Children should not need full scarves to achieve this, A hair band or tie is perfectly adequate.
Please avoid hair topiary and what ever the length of hair, it should be well groomed.
Costume Jewellery: Children should not wear any jewellery to school, neither should they use nail varnish, stick on tattoos or make up. Watches are acceptable.
Earrings :Our advice remains for parents not to have their children's ears pierced. This not necessary for children at this age and earrings are not allowed in school as they are a safety hazard for children playing and participating in PE. I am required to allow studs, however this term we have already had three incidents involving children with studs.
Bags: Please aim to equip your child with the smallest bag required to achieve the purpose. I am aware that Lea Ray supply some bags with our school logo that look like polar expedition equipment, but does your child really need a bag this size to bring a few books to school? Our cloakrooms are quite small and large bags can be a great nuisance.
Mobile phones: These should not be brought to school. In some instances where children are going home on the school bus, there may be a valid safety reason and in this case phones should be left at reception.
Finally Please ensure your child's name is on everything!
Oratory Prize
Our poetry celebration concluded today with the presentation of awards. Many children recited their poems and all can feel justifiably proud. Deciding on the awards was not easy and I cheated a little by asking the staff for their opinions. In the end I awarded a prize to a child from each class and from these four children I chose the child who I thought had presented their poem in the most effective manner.
The award winners were:
Class Three: Ellie Fuller
Class Four: Paul Sowrey
Class Five: Lexie Smith
Class Six: Esther Turnland
Of these, after much thought, I presented the Oratory Cup to Esther Turnland.
Books, free and otherwise
Box Tops for Books: If you eat Nestle cereals please collect the tops and send them in to school. (brands included in the scheme may be found at www.boxtops4books.co.uk) We can then exchange these for books.
Scholastic Books: Deadline for purchases is the 14 November.
Tuesday 18 October
Dear Parents
Newsletter Four
Procedure for Entrance into Secondary Education
As you are probably aware the results of the eleven plus were released yesterday and parents with children in year six should now complete The Secondary School Common Application Form (CAF) for submission before the end of October deadline. I do have a few (very few!) paper forms for parents who do not wish to use the online facility.
School Admissions Direct!
Just as the last Government was about to lose the election they enacted new admission regulations. This took the whole process of managing casual admissions (admission during the school year) away from schools and placed this responsibility with local education authorities (LEA). With limited staff LEA's did not wish for this change and many found it a logistical nightmare. At school level casual admissions now take the equivalent of a minor ice age to conclude.
This leads to a small request! Following a family move we currently have a place in year R and Year Two. If you know of any families looking for places in these year groups please let them know! If they contact me I can then deal with LEA Admissions directly, which should save about half an ice age.
Harvest Festival
The Junior Festival held at our local church was once again a delight. We had several strangers in our midst on walking holidays who were delighted to find a traditional festival in an English country church.
We now look forward to our infant festival to be held tomorrow at 2pm in the school. (Parents may take children home, including juniors, at its conclusion. Parking will be available on the playground)
Harvest boxes may be brought in to school in the morning. Thank you once again for your splendid generosity.
Friends nature ramble at the Gunpowder Works
I am very grateful to all the parents who helped with the planning and arrangements for this inaugural highly successful event last Sunday. The weather was spectacular and the children all enjoyed the rambling and the attractions at base camp.
Next Event Halloween Party this Friday Infants 6.30 7.30 Juniors 745- 9.00pm Tickets are available from the office and cost £1.
Half Term
School closes for the half term holiday this Friday 21 October and we reopen on Monday 30 October. Do have a peaceful break.
Tuesday 4 October
Dear Parents
NEWSLETTER THREE
Cycling Proficiency
For the first time that I can remember Kent's cycling proficiency course has been postponed for our children as tutors currently cannot be found. We have been advised that the search will go on, however this opportunity seems to be on a receding horizon. Fortunately our sporting partnership SSCO have come to the rescue and they will be organising some similarly structured courses later this school year.
Junior Harvest Festival Wednesday 5 October in Luddenham Church
We are looking forward to the second Harvest Festival to be held in our lovely local church. Harvest boxes can still be brought in to school tomorrow morning and we shall then take them to the church.
If you can help with the distribution of the boxes please contact Mrs J Greenwell Green, chair of the Friends' Association, or Mrs Fox our school secretary.
The Infant Harvest Festival will be held in school on Wednesday 19 October. Further details will follow in due course.
Parents Evenings
As you may have gathered from the calendar published in our Year Book, we have revised the structure of parents evenings. Parents with children in more than one class will know that it is difficult to choreograph the timings of appointments and that quite long waiting times are a regular and unwelcome feature. By having consultations that separate our age ranges we hope to make the evenings more comfortable. It also means that we can fine tune the dates of consultations to relevant events during the course of the year. Parents' evenings for class five for example are timed to coincide with the Kent Test Cycle.
Having lived through many, many variations on this theme we shall see how well this current model works over the course of this year.
Friends' Association AGM Tonight at 8pm in the School Hall.
Following the election of officers for the Association forthcoming events will be considered which will include a social event involving a nature trail, BBQ and gunpowder.
Do please come along!
Reminders
Free School Meals: Are you eligible? If you are not sure contact Mrs Fox. All enquiries are naturally confidential.
School Photographs: Orders Please!
National Poetry Day Thursday 6 October
To mark this day we are holding our inaugural oratory competition. Our children will recite poetry for the delight of their class who will then elect three representatives to go forward to a celebration to find our leading Orator.
We intend this to become a feature of the cultural life of our school and not just a celebration of National Poetry Day. In the coming terms the brief will gently expand to include outstanding pieces of prose, which in their own way are also poetic.
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
A. Lincoln
Thursday 22 September 2011
Newsletter Two
School Photographs
Our photographer is visiting tomorrow. The following is the first of a series of thumbnail guides to school events for parents new to our community and a reminder for everyone else!
All about school photographs...
Reminders...
Some of these are outlined in the Old Chestnut section of the year book you should have received last week, however they are worthy of repeat-often!
Leave for holidays during term time
Please remember you have no legal entitlement to any leave during term time. Governors may agree discretionary leave up to ten school days a school year (September to July). Please note this is not two weeks ie14 days, neither can you put days in the bank from last year, or store for next year!
I am reliably informed that our school is the last in the area to consider leave of absence and that it is looking increasingly likely that this discretion will be removed this year. This leads to the consideration of some interesting alternative term arrangements which I will outline below.
Admission to School
There are national legal criteria governing admission to state schools. Of most relevance is the sibling rule- if you already have a child at a school subsequent children have priority. However there is an important addendum to this rule. If you move house more than two miles away from a school following the admission of a child, the sibling rule does not apply to subsequent admissions. This was introduced a few years ago to prevent parents buying convenience homes to gain entry, particularly to secondary schools, which were then sold.
Do you have a sibling due to start school in September 2012? If so do we know about it?
As I do not like open days, I spend a fair amount of time this term and next, meeting prospective parents . The one question they all ask is "what are the chances of gaining a place?" In reality this is an impossible question to answer as schools now have no part in the admission process. We simply do not know who has applied, where they live, or who has been given a place -until letters offering places are sent to parents in the Spring.
However knowing how many siblings to expect is a crucial piece of information and for this reason I would be very grateful if you could let us know. If you are not sure that we know just ring Mrs Fox and she will check.
Registering with us also helps parents, as we write to all registered parents concerning the admission system and what to do and when. A few years ago one of our families did not register and were oblivious of the admission system and the requirement for all parents to complete an admission form. As we were unaware of their sibling we could not advise and consequently the parents applied too late.
Nits, worms, and any other infectious ailments
If your child suffers from any of these please let us know so that concerted action may be taken. Please remember that these are dealt with sensitively and there is no stigma attached to these ailments in school. Any child, any family can suffer!
Scholastic Book Club
If you are interested in buying books from this club , which we use in school, please use the following online link:
www.clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/luddenham-c
Every book you buy this way generates points for the school to buy further books.
Free School Meals
Many families are unaware of their child's entitlement to free school meals, or that sandwiches can be provided if children do not like school dinners! If you are eligible please apply, even if you do not wish your child to have sandwiches or a dinner! This may sound odd but there is a very serious reason for this.
The Pupil Premium introduced this year is a financial grant credited to schools in respect of each child eligible for a free school meal. The value of this grant is set to rise over the next few years from its current value of £430 per child to £1600. At a time of budget stringency this is a very significant sum for our school
Are you eligible?
To be eligible for free school meals a child must be attending a state-maintained school and the child's family must be in receipt of one of the following benefits.
Please note all applications are dealt with in strictest confidence. Children are unaware of eligibility and no child is treated differently in respect of lunch arrangements.
For further information please contact Mrs Fox
Term Dates and Holidays
Over the years we have sent many parental surveys home covering all manner of aspects of school life. However none has generated more response than the recent survey concerning the proposed alteration of term dates! The overwhelming majority of parents wanted a later finish, which I have to say I rather expected.
A few parents with secondary school age children, did mention that different dates would be inconvenient, however due to the use of discretionary development days, schools already have different term dates . Consequently in light of this outcome our intention is to adhere to the revised calendar published in our Year Book.
Academy Schools already have the authority to decide their own term dates and times the school is open to children and Mr Gove, our Education Secretary, intends to extend this freedom to all schools. As outlined in my last newsletter, this was the reason Paul Carter, Leader of KCC, wrote to schools about this matter which in turn prompted our survey.
With the probable demise of discretionary holiday absence during term time, I wonder if there will be scope to adjust the school year so that the main summer break does not fall exclusively in August.
Naturally this is the most expensive time to take a holiday, a very common reason for requests for holiday absence during term time.
To achieve this a radical realignment of the school year is necessary entailing a shorter main break of four weeks rather than the current six, which also makes educational sense in terms of the phenomenon of learning loss. The six week holiday is a legacy of the representations made by land owners when compulsory state education was introduced in 1870. Helping with the harvest is hardly germane now!
If we did do this we could arrange to have a two week break at Whitsun, which is relatively off peak and just right to avoid the heat of August in the Mediterranean and Florida, although Skegness may remain bracing. Curiously this was something most primary schools enjoyed until the introduction of the Educational Reform Act in 1987, which also reformed the Whitsun holiday!
We could also look at adjusting February half term, which would help winter sports enthusiasts. The difference in price between term time and half term time winter breaks is currently villainous!
In theory schools will be able to make any of these changes without parental consultation. However should we decide to look at this seriously we shall consult, by survey of course.
School Field
And so after three and a half years of endless meetings, e-coli scares, press shock horror, understandably concerned neighbours and parents, disappointed children, litigation, procrastination, excavation, exploration, installation, cogitation, exasperation and a bill for around £230,000 (Not paid by us !!!) we at last have our field.
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Dear Parents
AUTUMN TERM 2011 NEWSLETTER ONE
Welcome Back!
We are very pleased to see all of our children old and new back to school this week. We return to see that our school field has been transformed from the wasteland it has been for the last three years, with the promise that if all goes according to plan the turf should be laid by the end of next week and our children should be able to use the field after half term.
Term Dates and school Year Book
Our Year Book should be with you by the beginning of next week and as usual it will contain a school calendar.( This is also outlined in our reading record and contact book) At the end of last term Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, wrote to all headteachers concerning KCC's attitude to academy status. This was a balanced outline which contained the following interesting assertion:
This certainly is appealing as for reasons that are not entirely clear for the last few years the end of this term has drifted further away from Christmas. This year, for example, the published KCC end of term is Friday 16 December. We feel this is too early particularly when we consider the scheduling of our usual Christmas festivities. I am also not convinced that parents really want their children home 9 days before Christmas!
For this reason we have arranged for our term to end on Wednesday 21 December, which is much closer to previous end of term dates. This will not increase the number of days children attend school, (192 days) as we have adjusted the return date in January accordingly.
I have discussed this with several KCC officers who have been unable to agree this change as they were unaware of this particular freedom outlined in Paul Carter's Letter, consequently I am still waiting for confirmation and consequently it is possible these dates may revert. In the meantime I should be interested to hear what you think. To this end I have attached a reply slip.
Miss G Everett
Following interviews held at the end of last term I am pleased to inform you that Miss G Everett has been appointed our new reception class learning support assistant.
Alice in Wonderland
Our summer production was very well received and I am pleased to announce that the Official DVD is now available. Prices remain £1 or £3 for a boxed set.
National Poetry Day Thursday October 6.
Shortly before his death Ted Hughes published By Heart a selection of poems he believed all children should have the opportunity to learn. I can still remember many poems learned and recited during my time at school and I have taken the above lines from one of my favourites- Shakespeare's masterly rendition of Henry V's speech before Agincourt. To celebrate National Poetry Week we intend to introduce our own version of By Heart by inviting our children to learn verse for recitation and the enjoyment of all.