This week’s message (Friday 03 March 2023)

This week’s message is all about our current topic…

What do we mean by topics?

Topics are the way we teach much of the learning in the foundation subjects (eg history, art, geography, DT). Each half-term topic has a driving subject – the main focus for teaching pupils the knowledge and skills they need. The driver changes with each topic to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum.

Although the learning in each topic comes from the driving subject, there are opportunities for enrichment through other subjects.

Read more about the intent, implementation and impact of our topics.

What is this half-term’s topic?

This half-term, it’s Computing. We’ll be developing our knowledge of computers and computer programming.

Computer programming is super. Creating games, animations and solving real world problems is fun, encourages creativity and is challenging! Importantly, the skills the children will use and develop are easily transferable to other subjects and areas of life. For example, the concept of decomposition in programming is concerned with breaking down a large task into smaller chunks. This concept could be used when writing a story, solving a maths problem or tidying a particularly messy bedroom! Debugging is the skill of identifying and fixing an error in a program. It requires systematic, objective thinking and plenty of resilience.

Each phase has age-related specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they’ll learn, use and apply across the topic. See page 13 and 14 of the curriculum statement document.

Years 1 and 2

Children will learn about how technology is used beyond school in our homes and all around us. They’ll begin to consider what a computer is and isn’t.

In programming lessons they’ll create animations in Scratch Jr by creating and debugging algorithms. They’ll then continue to use Scratch Jr to create an interactive quizzes.

Years 3 and 4

Children will reason about what exactly makes a computer a computer. Is a games console a computer? Is a TV a computer? Is a bedside lamp a computer? Next, they’ll learn about inputs and outputs and identify different examples of them in everyday technology.

They’ll then be introduced to Scratch and will learn how they can add or change sprites and backdrops and then begin to experiment with making their sprites move. They’ll look at programs created on Scratch and use logical reasoning to explain what will happen when these programs are run. They’ll learn about the importance of sequencing in programming when they recreate a well-known melody. Finally, they’ll create their own ‘band’ on Scratch by programming different instrument sprites to play sounds. 

Years 5 and 6

Children will learn about what a computer network is and that the Internet is an enormous computer network. They’ll learn about the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web. In programming lessons, they’ll  be introduced to BBC Microbits – pocket sized computers which they’ll program to do lots of different things. This will allow children to gain a deeper understanding of concepts like sequence, selection and variables. Some of this vocabulary may sound alien to you. However, before the end of the topic your child will be able to tell you what they mean and give examples of how they’ve used them in their projects. Some of the projects your children will be making are:

• a magic 8-ball style program which will give you an answer to all your questions!
• a compass so you can confidently find your way to school in foggy conditions!
• a pedometer to count the number of steps they’re making

How can you help?

Talk to your child about what they’ve been learning in class. The Class News page is a good place to find out more about what your child is doing.

The school library and local libraries have lots of books about coding and computer games which your child will be able to borrow and develop both their reading skills and computing knowledge.

Finally, try programming with your child. There are loads of programming apps and software available to download, often for free…

Key Stage 1

• Daisy the Dinosaur (Apple only)
• Beebot
• Tynker Junior
• Scratch Jr5

Key Stage 2

• Lightbot
• Tynker
• Scratch Jr
• Scratch

Finally, and importantly, talk to your child about our Being Online: Acceptable Use Agreement. (Page 8 is the one for early Years and Key Stage 1 children and page 9 is for older children). Discuss whether the points that are listed apply to being online at home as well as at school.

This week’s message (Friday 24 February 2023)

As a teacher, the year is punctuated with school-related milestones, most obviously the different terms. After just one week away, it’s remarkable how different Spring 2 feels – we’re arriving and leaving work in the daylight, spotting signs of Spring on our way. As you travel to and from school with your child, talk about the changes in the seasons: daffodils, daylight, leaves on trees… Being mindful like this can have a really good impact on our emotions.

Industrial action

Earlier in the week, we emailed you about the forthcoming industrial strikes planned across a series of dates:

• Tuesday, 28 February
• Wednesday, 15 March
• Thursday, 16 March

As it stands right now, it looks that our school will be able to remain open.

However, please remember that all workers, including teachers, have the right to take industrial action without prior notice. This means we might have to close some classes at the last minute. As such, it would be advisable to prepare for some disruption on the days listed here just in case.

Attendance matters

For the school year up to Friday 10 February, our attendance figure was 95.6%. This continues to be higher than national figures – great news!

• Sunshine class: 95.1%
• Rainbow class: 94.1%
• Class 1A (Miss Lowry): 95.5%
• Class 1,2B (Mrs Latham): 95.1%
• Class 2C (Miss Young): 95.1%
• Class 3,4A (Miss Paterson): 96.2% – well done!
• Class 3,4B (Mr Catherall and Mrs Wilkins): 96.7%- brilliant attendance!
• Class 3,4C (Mrs McCormick & Mrs Wadsworth): 96.0%
• Class 5,6A (Mr Robson): 96.1% – well done!
• Class 5,6B (Mrs Hogarth): 95.2%
• Class 5,6C (Mr Lindsay): 96.6%- great attendance!

Good attendance is important:

• regular attenders make better progress, both socially and academically
• regular attenders cope better and benefit from school routines, school work and friendships
• regular attenders find learning more satisfying
• regular attenders are more successful in transferring between primary school, secondary school, and higher education, employment or training
• statistics show a direct link between under-achievement and absence below 95%

Thank you for helping us increase our attendance rate. Please continue to make sure your child is getting to school on time every day.

Morwick Grove

This week, a parent alerted us to parking that is, at best, disrespectful and, at worst, dangerous. Just in case you’ve missed this message in the past…

The long strip of grass down the side of Morwick Grove, adjacent to the school boundary hedge, is owned by neighbours on Morwick Grove. It’s not owned by us, or Leeds City Council, or the Parish Council.

Access to the Nursery and Out of School Club is granted to us by our neighbours as a goodwill gesture to the school. It is not a right. We’d obviously like to maintain the good relations we have. If you have to drive to school and you use Morwick Grove to park up, please make sure to park and use the area respectfully. Please don’t park on the yellow zig-zags or grass verge, and please don’t block residents’ driveways.

Thanks to all parents/carers who continue to respect our neighbours.

Have a good weekend, whatever you get up to.

This week’s message (Friday 10 February 2023)

We’ve reached the end of the Spring 1 half-term. Thank you to everyone for attending the parent-teacher meetings this week.

Staying healthy…

Next half term, our Living and Learning sessions return to the theme of mental wellbeing. MindMate supports mental health and wellbeing – check out the resources and support that’s available for parents and carers.
As always the associated weekly Living and Learning statement can be found on our school calendar.

Sticking to the theme of health, find out more about Play Streets, Junior Parkrun and Park Play in this short video.

Staying safe…

This week’s seen us mark Safer Internet Day – talk to your child about what they’ve learnt about in school. To help support staying safe online, have you got parental controls switched on? Check out this easy to follow guide. Read more information about parental controls.

Does your child have additional needs?

Over the next few weeks, Leeds SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice Support Service) is running some virtual information sessions aimed at providing parents/carers with information, advice and support on SEND topics. These will cover topics that they’re frequently asked about, and there’ll also be the opportunity to ask relevant questions at the end of each session. Dates/times for these are as follows:

SEND support in schools
Monday 06 March, 5.15pm
Wednesday 15 March, 1pm

EHC needs assessments
Thursday 02 March, 10am
Monday 20 March, 5.15pm

Section I appeals
Monday 27 February, 5.15pm
Wednesday 08 March, 1pm

Refusal to assess appeals
Monday 13 March, 5.15pm
Tuesday 21 March, 10am

To book a place or for more information, check out their website.

Village news

On another, very different, note, we’ve been informed about an upcoming village event. On 18 March, Scholes Village Hall is holding a fundraising event with a live band. Tickets are £10 each. Take your own refreshments and food. Check out their Facebook page if you’d like to buy a ticket.

The Village Hall also has a new website: www.scholesvillagehall.org.uk. If you’re looking for somewhere to hold a children’s party, Saturday and Sunday afternoons are available for the hall to hire. Take a look at their website and to see available dates and to make a booking.

Over the holiday, please keep encouraging a love of reading: books, comics, websites, recipes… Have a happy and healthy half-term.

This week’s message (Friday 03 February 2023)

At a recent meeting of headteachers, we did a quick straw poll: which year group has been most impacted by Covid lockdowns? Well over half of the headteachers said Year 3, and to a large extent we’re finding that, too. No matter what year group, the best way to keep supporting your child is to make sure they’re reading every day and practising number facts. This week’s message comes from our Reading Leaders…

Early reading and phonics

We’ve already done nearly half a year’s worth of phonics in Reception and Year 1 – plus two assessments. We’re very pleased with progress and hope you can see how fluent children are when they’re reading to you at home. Year 2 children have been reviewing their phonic knowledge with an increasing focus on writing and spelling.

It’s all about repeated practice when learning how to read. If children are not reading words with fluency and automaticity (automatically), they probably just haven’t had enough practice. Re-reading to increase fluency, add prosody (rhythm, intonation, expression) and develop comprehension is why we read the same book or text in school all week. Extra reading of the same text at home is a brilliant way to celebrate children’s success and for them to continue to refine all these elements.

You really can help at home by ensuring you give your child the opportunity to read their school reading book or eBook. We’re the ‘expert readers’ so reading to them (at bedtime, for example) is just as important.

Reading in Key Stage 2

This half-term, your child is ‘solo reading’. They’ll be bringing home a book to read that they’ve chosen – usually from our school library. It’s really important that your child is reading this book regularly alongside an adult and that they bring their signed Reading Record into school every week.

Whilst regular reading is the most crucial aspect in a child’s development, there are other things you can do to help at home, too:

• talk about reading
• be a reading role model
• visit a local library / book shop
• ask your child what they’ve read at school
• regularly practise spellings (spelling and reading use the same skills – recognising patterns between letters and sounds)

Industrial action

This week saw the first of four days of industrial action by the National Education Union. Our school was unaffected. There are three more planned days coming up:

• Tuesday, 28 February (Northern, North West, Yorkshire and Humber regions)
• Wednesday, 15 March (England and Wales)
• Thursday, 16 March (England and Wales)

Workers don’t have to advise their employer if they plan to strike or not. Our advice remains the same: it might be wise to arrange childcare on these days in case your child’s class needs to close. We’ll keep you updated as much as we can.

We’re looking forward to seeing you in person for next week’s parent-teacher meetings. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend.

This week’s message (Friday 27 January 2023)

I can’t believe we’re almost into February already! Safer Internet Day is coming up on Tuesday o7 February. What’re you doing at home to help your child stay safe?

Is your child a gamer?

Check out this guide to keep safe whilst using online software and games. from SWGfL. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialisation and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful basis for a conversation about staying safe online when gaming.

Is your child a fan of Fortnite?

Since its release 2017, Fortnite has had a mass appeal for children. This means children are exposed to multi-player chatting with strangers, and financial exploitation via the game’s spend-to-gain-advantage operating style – this allows children to use real world money to gain perks and costumes.

Fortnite has the potential to lead to criminal blackmailing and coercion of nude exchanges by online ‘friends’ posing as children. Internet Matters has published a guide to understanding the game and its terms.

Is your child connected to virtual reality?

Research has shown that two thirds of the UK public lack confidence that child safety is a priority in the metaverse, with 71% of adults expressing doubt in tech companies prioritising children’s safety. However, the study also revealed over a fifth of adults would buy their child a VR (virtual reality) headset if they could, despite these concerns.

To help you understand this new, fast changing issue, the NSPCC has published a guide to both the Metaverse and VR headsets.

Is your child happy and healthy online?

It’s become more and more common for people – including children – to talk to strangers online. A small amount of these relationships turn out malicious – we need to be aware of the dangers if they do.

Children and young people may find it difficult to understand when an online relationship turns out to be a bad one. The Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s information rights agency, has published guidance on what to look for when online relationships turn sour.

And finally, remember some advice from last week, too:

• check devices regularly alongside your child – doing this means that your child can moderate their own behaviour and have regular opportunities to talk about things that might be concerning them
• keep the devices downstairs – the more ‘public’ space means that children make the same good choices they would do in ‘in real life’ and have plenty of opportunities to talk about what they’re doing and seeing

This week’s message (Friday 20 January 2023)

Scholes news

Today we did a ‘lockdown’ drill.  This is one of three emergency procedures that we practise in school.  We spoke to the children about this first and explained that there might be times when we need to be ‘in’ school rather than on our playground.  We used the example of a fire in the village generating lots of smoke or an unfriendly animal near our school.

The children were amazing and managed to clear our playground, enter their classrooms and sit silently, in little over a minute.  It was very impressive.

In other news, we’ve been doing really well with school attendance – we had two days last week with 100% attendance!  It would be great if we could repeat this more often.

Have you seen our clothes bank?  If you’re doing a bit of spring cleaning, why don’t you bring your unused clothes to be recycled.  Bags are available from the office.

A polite request to parents in KS1 playground.  Our playground is very busy on a morning and we’ve had a few incidents where parents are unsure if their child has come into the school building and a couple of incidents where children have started to wander back towards the gate, looking for their grown-ups.  Please keep a close eye on your child to ensure you know where they are and what they are doing.

This week’s message (Friday 13 January 2023)

This week’s message is from Mr Wilks, our leader for Science and Foundation Subjects…

We’ve just started a Geography topic in school.Before we dive right in, here’s a reminder about topics and what they look like.

What do we mean by topics?

Topics are the vehicle for delivering much of the learning in the foundation subjects (eg History, Art, Geography). Each half-termly topic has a driving subject – the main focus for teaching pupils the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. The driver changes with each topic to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum.

Although the learning in each topic is provided by the driving subject, there are opportunities for enrichment through other subjects. For example, learning in a history-driven subject may be enriched by observational drawing of an artefact. In this example, the enricher is art.

For more information about the intent, implementation and impact of our topics, click here.

What is this half-term’s topic?

This half-term, your child is a geographer. The topic focusses on either environmental issues or natural disasters. Children in Years 1 and 2 will investigate their locality; Years 3 and 4 children will learn about volcanoes; and Y5,6 children are investigating climate change.

Across the year groups, children will develop their understanding of some key geographical concepts:

• location is a position (eg a country, a city), often described in a clear, precise way (ie using a latitude and longitude).
• place = location + meaning. It is constantly changing. A sense of place is also defined by how an individual perceives it (eg one person’s perception of Leeds or Wetherby as a place will be very different to another’s).
• scale is the relative sizes of different places. This could be differences in area, population, distance or the amount of natural resources. Scale is also defined by our view of the world. We may consider an aspect of geography on a local, national or international scale eg climate change.
• interdependence is the idea that the world is connected. No country or individual acts in isolation. Our actions here affect people in different countries around the world. This can be related to where we get our food and energy, where we go on holiday, or the effects of climate change across the world.

Check out our Curriculum Statement for more information about key concepts (page 17) and age-related expectations and vocabulary (page 22 and 23).

Years 1 and 2

Children begin the topic by learning about the four countries and capital cities that make up the United Kingdom. They then go on to learn about the difference between human and physical geography features. They’ll then investigate human and physical features in their locality. The key part of this topic is to investigate their locality and identify what they like about it and why. They will also investigate something that could be improved and how it could be improved. For example, they may notice that litter is an issue and raise awareness of this issue with their peers in school, local residents and even a local councillor.

Years 3 and 4

Children will be learning about volcanoes. They’ll begin by learning about what lies beneath the Earth’s surface. They’ll investigate plate tectonics and how these move and the different types of volcanoes formed by this movement. They’ll learn about how mountains are formed and name and locate the tallest peaks in the UK – did you know that these peaks are the remains of ancient volcanoes? Next, they’ll move onto some specific case studies: Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland and Mount Vesuvius in Italy. They’ll investigate how volcanoes can be dangerous but also bring benefits to the people who live in their shadows.

Years 5 and 6

Children are learning about climate change. They’ll begin by learning about latitude and the link to world climate. They’ll then learn about what climate change is and what is causing it. They’ll then look at three case studies to learn more about the consequences of climate change across the world: melting sea ice in Greenland, rising sea levels in the Solomon Islands and coastal erosion in East Yorkshire. Finally, they’ll consider how climate change can be slowed and whose responsibility it is.

How can you help?

Regardless of the year group your child is in, Google Earth is a brilliant tool to help develop children’s understanding of space, place, scale and interdependence. Zoom right in on your home and then zoom out to reveal the area of Leeds that you live in. Zoom further out to see what city you live. Zoom further for the county. A little further and you might start to spot some national parks. Further still and you can see the country that we live in. Keep zooming and you’ll see the continent we live in (though this isn’t labelled). Before you know it, you’re floating in space and circling the Earth!

Google Maps is another great tool for comparing places.

• Year 1,2: Can you find your school? Your classroom? Your house? Your local park?
• Year 3,4: Can you locate the two volcanoes you’ll be studying? Can you zoom into the craters? What similarities and differences can you see?
• Year 5,6: Use this mapping tool to investigate how a place has changed over time. We’ll be focusing on coastal erosion but you could find where you live and compare today’s map with one from fifty or a hundred years ago. What has changed and what has stayed the same?

Quizzing your children about some locational knowledge will help them to remember important information. I’ve listed some examples below. Use the age-related expectations to find the right pitch for your child.

• Which continent do we live in?
• Which country do we live in?
• In which hemisphere is our country located?
• Which county do we live in?
• Which city do we live in?
• Which part of Leeds do we live in?
• Which four countries make up the United Kingdom?

Go to the library and get some geography-related books, especially an atlas. You could compare maps of the same place to see what type of information they show. For example, you find lots of maps of the United Kingdom. One might show the countries and capital cities. Another might show the mountains, rivers and National Parks. Another might give information about the climate.

For KS2 children, there are lots of different games and activities on the Ordnance Survey Mapzone website. I especially like the jigsaws in the Map Puzzles section of the Games. Click here for the website.

Also for KS2 children, there is lots of information and some tasks and quizzes on the BBC Bitesize website.

This week’s message (Friday 06 January 2023)

Happy new year to you all – I hope the Christmas break was a happy and healthy one for you. Now that we’ve had one full term in school, this week’s message is a look at attendance for the full Autumn term and information about a parent governor vacancy…

Attendance matters

Up to 09 December across England, the attendance rate was 92.7% for all schools and 94.0% for primary schools (this is based on data for schools reporting their attendance figures to the Department for Education).

Up to 16 December, our whole school attendance figure is 95.3% – it’s fantastic that the Scholes (Elmet) Primary data is above national – thank you for helping to ensure your child attends school.

The attendance figure for each class is very similar:

• Sunshine class: 94.8%
• Rainbow class: 94.7%
• Class 1A (Miss Lowry): 94.9%
• Class 1,2B (Mrs Latham): 93.6%
• Class 2C (Miss Young): 94.8%
• Class 3,4A (Miss Paterson): 96.3%
• Class 3,4B (Mr Catherall and Mrs Wilkins): 96.3%
• Class 3,4C (Mrs McCormick & Mrs Wadsworth): 96.0%
• Class 5,6A (Mr Robson): 95.6%
• Class 5,6B (Mrs Hogarth): 95.0%
• Class 5,6C (Mr Lindsay): 96.2%

Check out this NHS advice about when your child should and should not attend school.

Governor election

We recently wrote to all parents and carers regarding a parent governor vacancy, and to seek nominations. As the number of nominations received exceeded the number of parent governor vacancies, it’s now necessary to hold a ballot.

​We sent an email out this morning giving details about the voting process. Every parent of a registered pupil at school is eligible to vote.​

To vote, use the following link: ​https://forms.gle/KnUTi8DXRFjxitX66

​The ballot closes at 12 noon on 13 January 2023. The result of the election will be confirmed on the school websites.

Have a good weekend.

This year’s last message (Friday 16 December 2022)

Our last weekly message of the year comes from Miss Hague.

The end of a busy term – it’s hard to believe that Christmas is just over a week away. I think everyone is ready for a rest – although I’m not sure Christmas offers much in the way of relaxation!

Some highlights of our first term have been welcoming so many parents back into school. We were thrilled to be able to invite parents to see our Early Years and KS1 nativity plays. The children were really excited to perform for you and we know by the things that parents have said that you were excited to see them, too. A huge thanks to FOSP for putting on hot drinks and mince pies before each performance.

We were also overwhelmed by the numbers who attended ‘Watch us While We Work’ and our topic review.  We’ve got another ‘Watch us While We Work’ on Thursday 26 January at 9.00am and another topic review on Monday 20 March at 1.45pm. We hope you can attend. Our Early Years team have also welcomed parents in for lots of ‘Stay and Learns’.

Speaking of our Early Years team, we’ve got some exciting news. We’re very happy to let you know that Mrs Flynn is expecting her second baby. She’s hidden it very well but it’s getting hard not to notice! Mrs Flynn will be leaving us at the end of January but she leaves the class in very safe hands as Mrs Allen-Kelly is going to cover her maternity leave meaning that she will be teaching full time in Rainbow class. We wish Mrs Flynn lots of luck.

It wouldn’t be a news post without a little nag about parking. I spotted a traffic warden outside school a couple of weeks ago. We don’t see them very often but I know our local residents contact them frequently. As the weather gets colder, we see an increase in parents tying to park as close to school as possible. Just this week, I was alerted to a car pulling right up onto the grass verge as children were walking past. Please park with respect for our neighbours and with the safety of our children in the forefront of your mind.

And a new nag… litter. We’ve noticed an increase in litter around school (and perhaps the village). I see lots of children eating well-earned snacks as they leave school. Please encourage your child to take any wrappers home with them.

On Wednesday, you’ll have received your child’s learning updates for this term. We hope you found them useful. As always, if you’ve any questions, comments or concerns, please contact us. Two weeks’ break is just what we all need but if you can keep reading and practising those timetables and number facts – it’ll make all the difference to January.

Some happy and healthy news… Jeevan (Y4) recently won the sparring TAGB Taekwondo British Championships. He’s now preparing for the English Championships in Jan 2023 and the World championships in July 2023. Well done, Jeevan!

Thank you to everyone for their continued support over the first term at school. It certainly has felt like a happy and healthy place to learn. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I’d like to thank you for your continued support throughout 2022, and wish you happy times over the Christmas holiday period. All the best, David Roundtree.