Our weekly message: Friday 06 November 2026
This week has been the first of two themed weeks at Scholes (Elmet) – this one was our Me and My Community week. Talk with your child about some of their highlights of the week.
Some highlights
As part of our Me and My Community week, we’re pleased to celebrate some highlights and successes from within our school community.
Mrs Brown shared her Welsh heritage with all the children in school. Everyone learnt a few Welsh words. Did you know ‘bore da’ means ‘good morning’? Mrs Brown impressed everyone with her pronunciation of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwy
Children in Year 5 and 6 discussed how they could show respect to themselves. They discussed how to do this, such as being proud of achievements or recognising their strengths and weaknesses. They created identity mind-maps about themselves.
We’d like to say a huge congratulations and a big well done to one of our Y5 children. Last week, she competed in the Talent Games, a national competition for the best young divers in the UK.
Here’s what some of our Junior Leadership Team say about belonging to Scholes (Elmet) school community…
- ‘I feel safe in my school community because I feel respected, safe and happy.’
- ‘I love my class because we work as a team.’
- ‘How school helps me feel like I belong is that we always have a say.’
- ‘I enjoy being a part of my school. I feel happy because we are with our friends and kind teachers.’
- ‘I love my school because it’s great to learn and be here.’
Choosing our new school charity
During our Me and My Community themed week, our newly elected Junior Leaders listened to the views of their class and then met together to decide on our school charity for 2026-27. Charities in the shortlist were:
The charity chosen by our Junior Leadership Team is Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
Wee’ll raise money for the charity at occasional events through the year, especially inviting donations during our school productions.
Attendance matters
Our school attendance is currently 96.0%. We’re pleased this matches the national average of 95.9% for primary schools, but let’s see if we can widen that little gap more over the half-term – the more your child is in school, the more they can feel belonging to our happy and healthy place to learn!
Check out this information about school attendance and absence from the Department for Education.
And as always, check the NHS site to help decide if your child is too ill for school.
Children in Need
Next Friday is Children in Need day. To mark the occasion, we have a non-uniform day. We invite your child to make a donation to the charity. Donations can be made on the school fund (charity donations) section on Arbor or by cash on the day.
As with all non-uniform days, we do still expect pupils to dress appropriately and respectfully. Here’s an extract from our Uniform Policy:
Clothes are inappropriate if they, for example, glorify violence, feature bad language, are very short (eg crop tops), or relate to age-inappropriate topics. When consulted (18.03.21), junior leaders described this as ‘setting-appropriate’ clothing and clothing that is ‘well-judged’. Make-up (other than face paints as part of a specific costume) is not allowed. Flipflops or high-heeled shoes are not allowed, even on non-uniform days, because they’re dangerous when running.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Our weekly message: Thursday 22 October 2026
Our weekly message comes one day early this week. That’s because tomorrow is a training day so school will be closed.
Choosing our new school charity
The first week back after the half-term holiday is the first of two themed weeks here at Scholes (Elmet) Primary. This time, the theme is Me and My Community – look back to our Weekly Message from Friday 09 October for more about that.
One of the themed week events is to choose a new school charity.
For this week’s Talk Time homework, we’re asking children to consider a shortlist of five charities. These were nominated by Reception teachers across Sphere Federation. Following a discussion in class, our new Junior Leaders will meet meet to debate and decide the new school charity. Here’s the shortlist:
Alzheimer’s Research
This charity’s mission is support that will help us find a cure for dementia through investing in the best research and powering the most forward-thinking scientists.
Leeds Hospitals Charity
This is to make a donation specifically to the ‘Play Team’ which funds play specialists in Leeds hospitals and provides toys and games in children’s wards
Zarach
Our mission is to end child bed poverty and therefore help children get a good night’s sleep and the chance to thrive at school. Children in Sphere Federation schools have benefitted from Zarach’s work.
Book Trust
Book Trust aims to change lives by getting children and families reading. It recognises that a love of books changes lives: children are likely to do better at school, as well as be more socially, culturally and emotionally prepared for life.
Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
From helping children build confidence and independence to empowering adults with practical and emotional support, Guide Dogs aims to help people with sight loss live the life they choose.
Talk with your child about the merits of each charity.
Free school meals
Did you know that eligibility for Free School Meals has been expanded?
All households receiving Universal Credit now qualify for Free School Meals. You could save up to £592 per year.
Apply using this link or calling in to any Council One Stop Centre or local Housing Office, or phone 0113 222 4404.
For more information, read our guide.
Thank you…
Over the course of the year, your child enjoys three opportunities to prepare food.
Thank you to those of you who have contributed towards the cost of ingredients this year. We’ve received donations totalling £510. This will help to ensure we can continue to offer this opportunity to learn important kitchen skills. It also makes life easier for you by buying the food in bulk rather than asking for children to bring in their own ingredients.
It’s not too late make a voluntary donation. We’ve set up Arbor for quick payments of £6, but you can also call into the office with any donation amount – we’d be grateful for any amount to contribute to costs.
For more about our Cooking curriculum, please check out our Cooking and Nutrition Guide – this includes the food preparation skills children will practise (this is Year B).
We’ve reached the end of the first half-term of the school year at Scholes (Elmet) Primary. As always, have a happy and healthy weekend and enjoy the October half-term holiday. Check out Visit Leeds and We Are Child Friendly Leeds for some half-term activities.
Our weekly message: Friday 16 October 2026
Thank you for your kind words on hearing the news that I’ll be leaving Scholes (Elmet) Primary and Sphere Federation at the end of the Autumn term. After working in schools for 30 years (10 years as a teacher and 20 years as a headteacher), it feels like it’s time for a change and new challenge, although I’ll be very sad to leave my Sphere Federation family.
Earlier this week, our Chair of Governors sent a letter to you explaining the interim arrangements for the Spring and Summer terms. I’m confident that Miss Hague, Mr Catherall and all the great teachers and support staff here at Scholes (Elmet) Primary will continue to help your child to flourish in this happy and healthy place to learn.
Amazing attendance
So far this school year, 210 pupils at Scholes (Elmet) Primary School have achieved 100% attendance. That’s about 2 in 3 of all pupils. That’s great news!
Junior leaders
Our new Junior Leadership Team (JLT) were voted for this week. Well done to everyone who made a speech – we were impressed by all of you.
After a democratic decision, our new junior leaders are:
- Class 1A: Liliana
- Class 1,2B: Harry
- Class 2C: Orla
- Class 3,4A: Keira
- Class 3,4B: Thomas
- Class 3,4C: Henry
- Class 5,6A: Millie
- Class 5,6B: Ruby
- Class 5,6C: Heidi
Congratulations to you all – we’re sure you’ll do a grand job.
AI and safeguarding
As we all know Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making the news for all sorts of reasons. Whilst there’s some amazing things happening, there has to be a constant awareness of safeguarding. We need to make sure that we’re not exposing personal details to the wider world.
At the moment, there’s a lot of posts on social media about AI and school photos pics – perhaps you’ve seen them. Some people are recommending that parents ask AI to remove the watermark from a sample school photo so that they don’t need to pay the price. If you do this, your child’s photo’s ‘out there’ for AI to use in the future, responding in whatever way people ask.
Your child’s digital footprint (including photos) are your responsibility until they’re old enough to give consent; in legal terms that would be 18 years old. Please be aware of this when using social media and AI.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Our weekly message: Friday 09 October 2026
With over five weeks in school, we’re now well and truly settled into the school year. School leaders have been busy doing observations of teaching and learning around school – there’s lots of great teaching and even greater learning going on! You can get a chance to see some of this next week…
Watch us while we work
We’re looking forward to seeing lots of you on Tuesday next week for another of our popular Watch Us While We Work sessions. These are a chance for you to visit your child’s class and see some teaching and learning.
- Start time: 9am (please arrive promptly)
- Focus: Reading and Maths (later in the year, the focus will be Phonics or Spelling and one of our Feelings First sessions)
Teachers will try to make the activities home-friendly so you can continue to support your child at home if you’d like.
There will be two short sessions, each about 15 minutes, and you can attend two classes, swapping half-way, so you can see two of your children if you need to.
The vast majority of children enjoy sharing their learning – it’s a cause for celebration and feeling proud. We recognise there might be one or two who struggle with the change or the extra people – please consult your child’s class teacher if you’ve any concerns.
Parents and carers of children in Reception should look out for Stay and Learn sessions across the year.
Is your child in Year 6?
The deadline to apply for a place in secondary school is approaching: 31 October 2026. Find more information on the Leeds City Council website.
Me and my community
Our next themed week, based around identity, diversity and community, will be take place from Monday 02 November. This is the first of two themed weeks in the year. The rest of this week’s message is a preview of the themed week…
In Me and My Community week, children will learn about what it means to belong to a community, from family to national or even international
communities. Importantly, our children will also learn to respect and celebrate different communities.
A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this aspect of our Living and Learning education. Events and learning during the week will include looking at our own identity including belonging and self-esteem, and the diversity of people around us, including race, age, religion and disability. Children will also be getting out into the community working with local organisations and taking pride in the local area, for example by litter picking.
Active travel in the community
We encourage children to get out in the community in an active way on their way to and from school, with prizes available as part of the themed week. By walking/scooting/biking to school, families will be keeping our community
safer and healthier by reducing congestion at the school gate. Maybe even pick up a piece of litter on the way! Even by parking further away from school, your child could then travel the final part of their journey by foot, bike or scooter. Bike and scooter storage facilities are available to the left of the school gates.
Email us using [email protected] with a picture of your active travel, maybe by a landmark in our community on your route to school, for the chance to win one of three vouchers. Entries to be submitted by 4pm on Thursday 05 November.
New school charity
At the end of the themed week, classes will have the chance to discuss our charity shortlist and the Junior Leadership Team will make the final decision about which charity Scholes (Elmet) Primary will support, replacing our current charity, Woodland Trust.
Can you help?
Maybe you speak another language and you’d be happy to speak to children about this or you’d like to share about your own family culture and heritage. If so, please contact the office to pass on your details. Also, do you have
any local community links that may support our week?
Lots to look forward to. In the meantime, have a happy and healthy weekend!
Harvest Collection
Our weekly message: Thursday 01 October 2026
Tomorrow is one of five training days for teachers – this means school is closed tomorrow. The dates for the training days are:
- Tuesday 01 September 2026
- Friday 02 October 2026
- Friday 23 October 2026
- Monday 07 December 2026
- Monday 07 June 2027
Please remember to keep checking our website calendar for forthcoming events.
Cooking
A couple of weeks ago, we asked if you’d be kind enough to make a voluntary donation to cover the cost of ingredients for our DT: Food and Nutrition sessions each term. This is so we make life easier for you by buying the food in bulk rather than asking for children to bring in their own ingredients. It also means that we can continue to offer this opportunity to learn important kitchen skills.
Thank you to those of you who have made a contribution.
If you’ve not already, please consider making a donation. We’ve set up Arbor for quick payments of £6, but you can also call into the office with any donation amount – we’d be grateful for any amount to contribute to costs.
Here are some Year 3,4 children cracking on with their egg-pots…
Year 5: Bikeability
Bikeability takes place in the Spring term for children in Year 5. This year, it will take place from Monday 15 March to Friday 19 March 2026.
The training has two core elements: basic skills and road safety. If your child is unable to ride a bike, they may be unable to take part in the road safety aspect as they will not be able to cycle outside of school. We’re giving plenty of notice in case your child would like to practise before March.
Dropping off and collecting your child
Do you have to use a car to drop off and collect your child from school? The best way to travel to and from school is to walk, scoot or cycle. If you do drive, please remember to drive and park with respect and care.
If you park on the double yellow lines or zigzags anywhere round school, this causes danger to our children, pedestrians, and other drivers. Please don’t park on them or across the road from them. Read more about these road markings and the law.
Were you aware…?
The long strip of grass down the side of Morwick Grove, adjacent to the school boundary hedge, is actually owned by neighbours on Morwick Grove, not Leeds City Council or the Parish Council. Access to the Nursery and Out of School Club is granted to us by them as a goodwill gesture to the school – it is not a right. Because we would obviously like to maintain the good relations we have, we ask that parents/carers using Morwick Grove ensure that they park and use this area respectfully. Please do not park on the double yellow lines or grass verge, and please do not block residents’ driveways. Our Morwick Grove neighbours are not liable for any injury or damage caused when using this route.
Did you know…?
We’ve just got permission for parents to park in The Buffers car park (we’re looking at other alternatives, too) in the hope of easing congestion and allow walking the rest of the way to school. It’s a great way to get in some steps and get the feeling of walking to school. If you do use either of these car parks, please do so respectfully.
We know that the lack of parking is frustrating, but please help us to keep the environment safe, our children safe and show that we consider the residents who live around school. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
You might want to report a problem to Leeds City Council – the more who do so, the more likely something will be done. We suggest using the link to Report a Traffic Management Issue – it only takes a minute.
Finally this week, another reminder – please make sure you’ve let us know of any allergies your child has, or any other medical condition we should know about. And if you’ve got any updates about emergency contacts, please let us know those, too.
Our weekly message: Friday 25 September 2026
It’s been a testing start to the new school year, what with unexpected fire alarms last week (caused by a fault in the swimming pool building) and plumbing problems leading to running out of water (possibly caused by works off the school premises). Nevertheless, there’s been lots of happy and healthy learning activity from Reception to Year 6…
Check out our Class News pages to find out more about what your child’s been up to.
Gold!
We’re proud to be awarded the School Games Mark recognising our commitment, engagement and delivery of competitive school sport. Just before the summer holidays, we were delighted to be awarded Gold again!
National assessments
There are various national assessments that children in England do – it can be confusing keeping up with them all…
- Reception Baseline Assessment: within the first 6 weeks of entering Reception
- Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment: between April and June of the academic year in which they turn 5 (usually the Reception year)
- Phonics Screening Check: in June of Year 1
- Key Stage 1 tests: at the end of Year 2
- Multiplication Tables Check: in June of Year 4
- Key Stage 2 tests (sometimes referred to as SATs): in May of Year 6
Read more about the assessments. You can always ask your child’s tacher about these, too, of course.
Staying safe: Does your child have a mobile phone with one of these apps?
The NSPCC has published figures (April 2025 to March 2026) showing which platforms children name when they talk to Childline about online sexual abuse:
- Snapchat: 324 mentions in one year (that’s 19% more that the year before)
- TikTok: 234 mentions
- Instagram: 197 mentions
- Discord: 92 mentions
- WhatsApp: 39 mentions
Between them, these five platforms came up in nearly 900 counselling sessions.
Attendance matters
At the start of the year, it’s quite possible your child might pick up a bug or feel a bit more tired than usual. This is perfectly normal and helps to build up some resilience. Check out this short YouTube clip from the Department for Education about illness and attending school. There’s also advice on our new Attending School website page.
If your child really does need to miss a day at school, please tell us as soon as you can.
Did you know that schools have the right to decide if they will authorise the absence or not. In most circumstances, we authorise the absence, but sometimes, we don’t – we make the decision based on one or more of the following factors:
- doubt: if there is a specific reason to doubt the illness
- frequency: if a child misses school very often
- no communication: if a parent/carer fails to give a reason or fails to contact the school, the absence automatically goes down as unauthorised
- no requested proof: if we ask for reasonable medical proof for frequent absences and the parent fails to provide it
Finally, do you know anyone with a child starting school in September 2027? It seems a long way off, but we’ve already had enquiries about starting school then. We’ve three dates planned in for open sessions to visit our school –
- Wednesday 14 October – 6.00pm
- Tuesday 10 November – 2.00pm
- Friday 20 November – 9.30am
There’s no need to book a place.
Our weekly message: Friday 18 September 2026
Thanks again to all those who entered our Summer Competition. Summer might seem a distant memory, but these creations bring a sunny smile to our faces…
Make sure you check the Class News each week. Since the end of August, there have been over 25 Class News stories to read across school, from Nursery to Year 6!
Thank you…
Over the summer, we were delighted to have some new playground markings installed on the KS1 playground. They’ve helped to make the playground a bright and attractive place for our happy and healthy, active playtimes. The markings were paid for thanks to a generous donation from the Barwick in Elmet and Scholes Community Fund to FOSP who then kindly donated the money to school – a huge thank you to all involved in this!
This rest of this week’s message focuses on some specific teaching and learning guides that you might like to check out so that you can support your child at home…
Handwriting
This year, we’ve refreshed the way we teach handwriting. Children have told us that with better handwriting, they feel more confident and proud of their learning! Our Handwriting Guide is easy to follow and a great way to support your child. Check out the guide to letter formation and our three top tips on page 3.
Spelling
We’ve also updated the way we teach spellings in Years 2 to 6. Our Spelling Guide describes how we teach spellings in Key Stage 2, including sequences for teaching different spelling rules and patterns and related lists of spellings to learn.
Feelings First
Last year, some of you attended a Watch Us While We Work session where we showed you a Feelings First session. The feedback from the session was really positive. We’ve prepared this Feelings First Guide to give you an idea of the feelings we cover each half term (page 6) and our simple definitions of each feeling (page 7).
Homework
We’ve made a small tweak to our Homework Guide which reflects a change of routine for children in Key Stage 2: their spellings to learn is now around a two week cycle, with a small test each fortnight.
Relationships and Sex Education
At the start of each year, we like to encourage you to be aware of our Relationships and Sex Education Policy. Later in the year, your child will have Relationships and Sex Education lessons. In those lessons, we’ll talk about anatomical terms and different relationships. However, we might need to use the terms at other times, such as when dealing with incidents of misuse or disrespectful language, and we’ll talk about lots of different relationships at any time of the year, too.
Cooking
Over the course of the year, your child will enjoy three opportunities to prepare food:
- Year 1 and 2: a fruit smoothie, overnight oats, and fruit bars
- Year 3 and 4: egg pot, chopped tomatoes and garlic, and savoury scones
- Year 5 and 6: vegetable and chickpea curry, pasta bake, and bread
We’ve a couple of requests, please:
Most importantly, please alert us to any allergies your child has. We’ll do our best to adapt recipes.
To make sure that we can continue to offer this across the year, please make a voluntary donation. We’ve set up Arbor for quick payments of £6, but you can also call into the office with any donation amount – we’d be grateful for any amount to contribute to costs.
For more about our Cooking curriculum, please check out our Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum Guide – this includes the food preparation skills children will practise (this is Year B).
All the guides mentioned here (and more) can be found on the red Learn More pages of our website.
Finally this week… Please remember to update us with any changes to the information we have about you or your child. This includes any changes in health details and contact details.
Compost donations needed!
Our Early Years children love playing in the outdoor mud kitchen but we’re running a little low on compost!
If you have any spare bags of compost at home that you would be happy to donate, we would be very grateful!
Thank you for your continued support.
Our weekly message: Friday 11 September 2026
Did you catch Monday’s message with news of our Summer Competition winners? Well done to them and to all who entered – we loved seeing all your creative ideas.
At the start of every half-term, children in Years 1 to 6 begin a new topic. This week’s message is all about the new topic so you can chat with your child at home about what they’re learning over the next few weeks.
(If your child’s in Nursery or Reception, check out their Class News page.)
What is this half-term’s topic?
This half-term, we’re historians. We’ll develop our understanding of the past, both in Britain and the wider world.
Each phase has age-related specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary. See pages 26 and 27 of our Topic Curriculum Guide.
Each phase also has key historical concepts which will feature within most lessons. These historical concepts are themes that are revisited, strengthened and deepened during your child’s journey through the history curriculum. See page 23 of the Curriculum Guide.
Years 1 and 2
In this topic, children will learn about a significant British historical event: The Great Fire of London. Children will learn about life at the time of the Great Fire of London. They’ll learn where the fire started and how it spread so quickly and the innovative ways that it was extinguished. Importantly, they’ll learn about the different sources of evidence that have helped us answer these questions, including Samuel Pepys’ diary. Finally, they’ll learn about the significant changes that occurred as a result of the fire, such as legal changes about the way houses were built and the beginning of a fire service in London.
Years 3 and 4
Children in Years 3 and 4 are learning about Ancient Greece. They began by sequencing periods of British history and seeing where the ‘golden-age’ of the Ancient Greek civilisation sits alongside. They’ll then learn about two contrasting city states: Athens and Sparta. Children will learn about the type of government these states had and what the lives of the people living there were like. They’ll then debate which city state was the best.
Importantly, they’ll focus in on the influence that Athens has had on the world: democracy, mathematics, philosophy, literature, culture… Finally, they’ll learn about how the civilisation ended.
Years 5 and 6
In this topic, children learn about Stone Age to Iron Age Britain and contrast it with Ancient Egypt. They begin by looking at and creating timelines which sequence the periods of British history and also placing Ancient Egypt on this timeline. They’ll learn about the advances and innovations that occurred during the New Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. They’ll learn about and understand that the sources of evidence we have are limited to archaeological evidence. They’ll then learn about the Ancient Egyptian civilisation and contrast this with what was happening in Britain at the same time – it’s a stark contrast!
The key concepts for this topic are innovation and power.
How can you help?
Check out the links above. They’ll take you to BBC Bitesize webpages with some really good pages about the different units being studied this half-term.
Talk to your child about what they’ve been learning in class. The Class News pages of the school website are a good place to go to find out more about what the children are doing.
Find some books from the library which match what your child is learning. I’m sure there will be plenty of books about the history your child will be learning about.
Watch television shows about history. Horrible Histories is great (regardless of your age!).
For KS1, there’s an excellent website about the Great Fire of London. As well as a game for children to play, there’s information for adults as well.
If it’s a rainy weekend and you’re looking for something to do, why not spend a morning or afternoon in a museum? A visit to Leeds City Museum (next to Millennium Square) would be great for all children but especially for Y3,4 and Y5,6 children as it has some Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian exhibits, including Nesyamum, the 3,000 year old Leeds mummy!
Have a happy and healthy weekend.