Newsletters

Newsletter - 17 May 2019

17 May 2019

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to congratulate our Year 6 children for all their hard work and the maturity they have demonstrated throughout SATs week. You may have seen that there has been some negative publicity surrounding the year 6 SATS test with schools accused of narrowing the curriculum and making children stressed and anxious in the run-up to the tests. I can assure you that this is not the case at Bramhope. We continue to teach a broad range of subjects throughout KS2 and year 6 children participate in high quality, enriched projects such as Shakespeare in Schools and an activity-based residential visit. Next week many of the Y6 children will be participating in their first ever triathlon!

As you may know, the SATs tests require children to learn and apply knowledge learnt in year 3 to year 6 and are therefore a culmination of their key stage 2 experience based on firm foundations established in reception and KS1. It is therefore impossible to simply 'cram' for the tests. Last year we also introduced termly, low stakes testing in reading and maths from Y1 and this regular practice helps prepare children for their final SATs tests.

The morning of each SAT test has begun with a 'SATs breakfast' so that children start the day relaxed, in good spirits and with a genuine sense of camaraderie. Having invigilated in every test this week, I can assure you that children have been neither anxious nor stressed about the tests and it has been great to see them demonstrating such a good work ethic. Well done to all our year 6 children, you should all be proud of your efforts and we look forward to receiving your results in July.

Have a lovely weekend,

Rachel Colbourn

School Closes

3:15pm

May

School Closed for Half Term

All Day

May

School Opens

8:50am

June

New Date for PTA Spring Dash!

We hope you'll join us after school on Friday 19th July. Our professionally organised fun run will take place on the school field after school.

The fun run is a fantastic feel-good event for participants and spectators alike - entry £5 per person and includes a medal!

There will be refreshments available as well as the races themselves. All monies raised will go towards our ambitious 'Great Outdoors Project' to transform our outdoor spaces.

Year 6 set a great example during SATs week!

Some excerpts from e-mails sent home to parents during SATs week:

"The SPaG paper was definitely fair with a large focus on word classes and conjunctions. The spelling was also reasonable. Y6 have approached both papers with a calm and yet determined attitude." Day One - SPaG SAT.

"Certainly tougher than yesterday but everyone showed resilience right to the end." Day Two - Reading SAT.

"The arithmetic was definitely straightforward with no surprising questions. The reasoning paper was fair with a couple of interesting questions towards the end! Again, Y6 have impressed us with their resilience and also in the way in which they check their answers if they have finished ahead of time." Day Three - Maths SAT.

"The final paper was a real mix of questions to test our reasoning skills. However, Y6 were not phased at all and yet again showed maturity and perseverance. The morning was finished off by tennis in the sunshine!" Day Four - Maths SAT.

We are all very proud of how Y6 have conducted themselves this week. They have been calm, considerate and a credit to Bramhope Primary School and to all of you as parents.

We're now looking forward to our residential at Edale after half term.

Mrs Laws & Mr McKeown

Under 9's Footballing Success

A fantastic result for our Under 9's football team at home in the Semi-Final of the Cup earlier this week. The team won their game 9-1.

Today, Mr McKeown is accompanying the team to the Final of the Cup. Good luck everyone we can't wait to hear how you get on!

Mr Bradley who stopped by to watch Monday night's match reported "The match was an absolute pleasure to watch. The players played together as a team with a first-class attitude. Well done!"

We need your support!

We are fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful, open outdoor spaces. Unfortunately, the open nature of our site means that anybody can gain access to our resources and school equipment. In recent weeks we have suffered from unwelcome visitors accessing and spoiling school property and we would welcome your support in encouraging them to leave our lovely site. Thank you!

Can you walk to school for National Walk to School Week?

Next week is National Walk to School Week and our Eco Councillor Prefects will be talking to the children about it in Monday's assembly. Please can you help us by making a special effort to try and walk to or from school next week? Our school target is to increase numbers of children walking and reduce car usage by 3 percent. Please join us if you can!

Kidzclub are looking for new members - trial session!

If your child would like to come along on Tuesday 21 May to our friendly Kidzclub (free after school club) we would be delighted to welcome them! It is actually our last session for the summer so we will be having a little party but we thought it a good opportunity for interested children to come along and say ‘Hi’. During the session we will be playing games, listening to music, playing our clubbers game of choice “the chocolate game” - there will be snacks and drinks and a short bible story. If your child is in KS2 or will be in KS2 from September and would like to come along for a taster session please let us know. The children meet in the main reception at 3.15pm and the session finishes at 4.30pm. Children must be collected from the KS1 hall.

Please let the school office know if your child would like to come along on admin@bramhopeprimaryschool.co.uk.

Many Thanks, Lisa Wright (parent and Kidzclub leader)

Year 2 Leeds Skipping Festival Workshop

On Tuesday, Year 2 had their second skipping workshop in preparation for their skipping festival in June when they will be competing against other local schools. They worked with great determination and enthusiasm to further develop their skills.

More Swillington Organic Farm Fun and Learning!

What a difference a week makes! This week it was Mrs Flower and Miss Harrison’s
Year 1's turn to visit Swillington Organic Farm and the weather was absolutely
gorgeous. We collected eggs, met a 1 day-old calf, bottle fed a lamb and walked up the fields to feed the pigs, cows and sheep. We also spotted a duck and her ducklings as we sat in the walled gardens eating our picnic lunch. We then spent the afternoon sketching nature before heading back to school.

We would like to thank Harrison Catering for subsidising this fantastic annual Year 1 trip.

New House Water Bottles

We are pleased to introduce our new House Water bottles.

Is your water bottle past its best? New bottles can be purchased from the school office admin team for £1.50 and feature the school logo and your house crest!

All bottles are made in the UK from LDPE and any old bottles can be recycled in your normal recycling bin!