Consultation on changes to the admissions policy for schools in Leeds
Leeds City Council is proposing changes to its admissions policy for schools in Leeds. The main change is to set catchment areas for community and voluntary controlled Leeds schools.
The authority welcomes all your views and encourages you to respond by the deadline of 07 December 2018.
Find out more about the consultation and how to respond.
(Please note the changes mainly relate to Moortown Primary, although parents/carers of all Sphere Federation schools may want to be part of the consultation.)
Trees, Trees, Trees - Help Needed Please!
We have been successful in getting around 40 tree saplings (Dog Rose, Willow, Birch, Crab Apple and Elder) which we are planting around the school grounds. We need some help planting please. If you are available from 2pm on Friday 16 November, please come to the school office. Please bring your own spade, gloves and wellies! Thank you in advance.
Online safety (e-safety) magazine
#DITTO is a free online safety (e-safety) magazine for schools, organisations and parents to keep you up to date with risks, issues, advice and guidance related to keeping children safe online, with a view to enjoying and learning about technology.
The latest edition has just been published. This edition includes:
- Banning pornography
- Talking to a trusted adult
- Fostering an ethos of online safety
- Beware the expert
- Impact of violent and graphic media
We will remember them - Remembrance Day 2018
The children listened to poems and stories, then talked about Remembrance Day this week at school. They made poppies and some wrote messages to the soldiers.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon
Thank you to Mrs Thorne for her artistic input and Peter Smith, from Lyndhurst View, who made the central piece.
Early Maths parent workshop
Thanks to those of you who came along to the workshop earlier this week to find out more ways to help you support your child’s Maths learning at home.
Both teachers were very informative. The session was very interesting. Thank you very much for including parents!
Lots of helpful information presented with passion. It was good to see the thinking behind Maths in F2 and Y1. It was good to be clear about what’s helpful to do at home. Thank you for putting on workshops like this.
Open morning - Monday 12 November
If you’re looking for a Reception place for your child, we’re holding our second open morning next week. This will take place on Monday 12 November, at 9.30am. This is an opportunity for you to come and visit the school, ask any questions you may have, and be shown around by some of our Year 6 children. No appointment needed – just turn up.
Staying safe to and from school
We want our children to be happy and healthy learners. For older children, walking to and from school, perhaps with friends, can be a good way to incorporate some physical activity into the school day. It’s also a way to develop independence as they approach secondary school.
If your child walks, scoots or cycles to and from school without an adult, please do make sure you regularly check that they understand how to stay safe.
Are they crossing roads in a safe way?
It can be easy to become distracted, perhaps with their friends or, even more likely, if they’re using a mobile. Make sure you’re confident your child knows the importance of crossing roads safely.
Do they know what to do if they encounter a stranger who’s behaving suspiciously?
Perhaps when you were growing up, the message was ‘Stranger danger’. However, this message doesn’t recognise that sometimes approaching a stranger is a way to stay safe – if your child were to get lost, seeking help would be better than becoming more lost, for example. A new campaign is promoting a new message: ‘Clever never goes‘. Does your child know to never go off somewhere with an adult (whether a stranger or not)? Does your child have ideas about what to do if an adult is following them?
If you’ve any specific questions, comments or concerns, please do ask.
Parent-teacher consultations
Thanks to all the parents and carers who came along to the first of our parent-teacher meetings just before the half-term holiday. It was great to see so many people attend, taking an active role in supporting their child’s learning.
Thanks also to the 23 parents and carers who spoke to the governors who were around. Here are some of the comments:
Do you feel your child is safe in the school? How do you feel school do this? 100% of parents who were consulted felt their children were safe in safe. Evidence they mentioned included good safeguarding policies, children following rules, a secure site, sharing of information (such as when a child has had a head bump)… even the recent lockdown practice was mentioned.
Do you feel your child is making good progress in school? 100% of parents felt their child was making good progress in school. Comments included: ‘I have just attended parents’ evening and my child’s teacher gave in-depth feedback which was really helpful and evidenced the progress made since year 3.’
Do you have any concerns regarding child progress? Have you discussed this with the school? 100% of parents stated they did not have any concerns.
Do you feel your child is challenged in terms of their learning? All but one of the parents spoken to felt their children were challenged in terms of their children’s learning. Points mentioned included that we’re always promote new learning ideas and we encourage children to learn from their mistakes. ‘My child’s correctly challenged – not too difficult so they lose their confidence.’
Governors also asked about the school library. Parents were positive: ‘There’s has been a huge improvement in the library and the standard and range is good. My children love borrowing the books.’
Governors asked for any additional comments. There are many great pieces of feedback, such as ‘I have seen a massive difference in my child’s confidence and the teacher understands my child.’ and ‘The school maintains excellent relationships with families and the local community.’
…and finally:
Governors spoke to many children during the evening:
- ‘I love my teacher – she is really kind and makes me smile.’
- ‘I know that when you have a green lanyard you are a safe person in the school and if you have a red lanyard you need to be working with another teacher.’ [When asked how the child knew this information she stated her teacher had told her. This was a completely unprompted comment that stemmed from the lanyard the governor was wearing.]
- ‘I love Maths – I am really trying hard. I sometimes get it wrong but I try my hardest.’
- ‘My favourite subjects are reading and writing.’
- ‘I am very happy at school and I love coming.’
We don’t just want to hear your praise. Whilst we can’t act on every comment and suggestion, we do think about them and consider ways to keep getting better. On this occasion, the subject that came up most as an area to improve is the actual parent-teacher consultations themselves: some of you would prefer to have these in classrooms where it’s quieter. Thanks for raising this. There are various reasons to have the meetings in the hall (it seems more and more schools are doing this), but we do accept it can get noisy. We’ll continue to explore what we can do, but in the meantime, do let us know if you have a particular need (eg a hearing impairment) and we can make alternative arrangements.
Thanks to everyone who came to the parent-teacher meetings, whether you spoke to governors or not. Look out for the Learning Update mini-report in December.
Staying safe with fireworks
With the darker nights come a number of events involving fireworks and bonfires, starting with Bonfire night – that’s next Monday, but many people will celebrate over the coming weekend.
Spend some time with your child talking about ways to stay safe. Here’s a list of sites to help inform young people and minimise the risks of harm:
YoungMinds Crisis Messenger
YoungMinds is a charity set up to make sure children and young people get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s difficulties.
The YoungMinds crisis messenger service provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. Young people experiencing a mental health crisis and need support can text YM to 85258.
They also offer support for parents / carers, too.