We hope you had a good half-term break. This week in school has been a themed week – Me and My Money. Talk to your child about something new they’ve learnt or considered about money!
Odd socks day
Monday is Odd Socks Day.
The day celebrates that we’re all unique. Children are invited to wear odd socks to school today, marking the fact we’re all different in some way. Part of Anti-Bullying Week, the day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying. It helps us celebrate anti-bullying day in a fun and positive way.
Help at home: Please make sure your child knows that bullying is wrong and damages children’s social and/or emotional health. Check they know our two STOP messages:
- Definition: What is bullying? Hurting someone Several Times On Purpose
- Solution: How can we stop bullying? Start Telling Other People
Bullying is often group behaviour. For older children, it would also be great if you could talk about the different roles people might play. Watch this short clip together, and link it back to Start Telling Other People.
Children in Need
Next Friday is the annual Children in Need fundraising day. Your child is invited to attend school in non-uniform with a donation to the charity. If you wish to donate at school, please donate in cash only.
Please remember that pupils should dress appropriately and respectfully, even on non-uniform days. More details can be found in our Uniform Policy.
Is my child too ill for school?
As winter approaches, schools face rising illness-related absences. We know some are unavoidable, but please refer to NHS guidance to know if your child is too ill for school.
The Department for Education has asked us to share some key messages:
- Always ask: Is my child too ill for school? Use the NHS site for guidance – it’s easy to use.
- Pupils shouldn’t miss school on a precautionary basis and can normally attend with a mild cough or cold, unless they have a fever or diarrhoea or vomiting.
- Book medical appointments outside of school hours where possible. Where this isn’t possible, they should bring their child to school before, and return after, if they are well enough. Pupils can attend appointments in their school uniform.
Our new charity
This week, our children have been voting for a new charity to support. Voted for by the JLT, The Woodland Trust has been chosen. Money raised through various school events will be donated to this charity which create, protect and restore woodland areas around the UK.
Times tables
The government sets out the expectation that children should know their times tables by the end of Year 4. Knowing times tables off by heart makes a huge difference to children’s progress in Maths. It helps them:
- solve harder problems more easily
- work more confidently and quickly
- focus on new concepts without getting stuck on basic facts
Times tables underpin many other areas of Maths, such as division, fractions, long multiplication, algebra and ratio. The more fluent your child is, the better prepared they’ll be for future learning.
At Scholes (Elmet) Primary, children in Years 3 and 4 take part in daily Mastering Number lessons to learn their times tables. Older children continue to practise their times tables.
In school, we chant multiplication facts by saying the smallest number first and we don’t say ‘times’ or ‘equals’. For example, for 4×3=12, children would say ‘3, 4, 12’.
Towards the end of Year 4, children do an online Multiplication Tables Check – find out more about this.
Since this national check was introduced, we’re proud that the average score at Scholes (Elmet) Primary has been higher than national each year. Thank you for continuing to help your child practise their times tables at home.
Finally this week…
Admissions consultation
Leeds City Council is running a public consultation on the 2027/28 admission policy for Leeds community and voluntary controlled schools. You can share your views until 1 December. Find out more.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.