In the next few weeks, different statutory assessments take place. They kick off next week with the end of Key Stage 2 assessments (the SATs) which Year 6 children will sit. Early next half-term, Year 4 pupils do the Multiplication Tables Check and Year 1 pupils (and some Year 2 pupils) do the Phonics Screening Check. We wish all the best to all our pupils.
Cooking lessons
This term, your child will enjoy preparing a snack or meal – it’s the third opportunity in the year to develop food preparation skills.
- Years 1 and 2: Children will prepare fruit bars, practising skills such as weighing, mashing and mixing
- Years 3 and 4: Children will sieve, knead and glaze (amongst other skills) to make savoury scones
- Years 5 and 6: Children will use similar skills to make bread
Please alert us to any allergies your child has. We’ll do our best to adapt recipes.
For more about our Cooking curriculum, please check out our Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum Guide – they include the recipes and background information including the food preparation skills children will practise. (We’re in Year B this year.)
School meals
We’ve been informed by Catering Leeds, our school meals provider, that school meal prices are going to significantly increase from September. We’re told the increase in prices is to cover rising food costs and increased labour rates for all frontline catering staff. Catering Leeds has also taken the decision to charge a management fee on top of their school meal costs. This also has a knock-on effect to the prices that we need to charge parents/carers for meals.
As a result of this, we’ve had to make difficult decisions. From September, the price of a school meal for children in Nursery and Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be £3.10 per day.
Children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 will continue to receive Universal Infant Free School Meals (unless there’s any new legislation on this).
As you will no doubt have heard in the news, school budgets are becoming increasingly tight. We have no choice but to pass on the cost increases to parents/carers to ensure we have as much money as possible for teaching, learning and providing a varied curriculum for our children.
Here are some actions we’ve taken to try to limit the burden for you:
- Last year, we explored school meal costs, comparing with average costs across the country. The conclusion was that prices charged by Catering Leeds were reasonable.
- On hearing the news about the increase, we’ve checked prices with local schools but in a different local authority – the prices they charge are in line with the £3.10 per day costs we’re having to introduce.
- Next year, we’ll explore whether an alternative catering provider would provide better value for money.
Travelling to school consultation
This comes from Tim Taylor, Director of Transport Services for West Yorkshire Combined Authority and is mainly for parents of children in Years 5 and 6..
We are writing to make you aware and encourage your input into a public consultation.
As a parent or carer, you will know the importance of good transport options including public transport, walking, wheeling and cycling, to connect children and young people to education and opportunity. This should be convenient, safe and affordable, no matter where you are in West Yorkshire.
Here at the Combined Authority, we are working hard to deliver an integrated, sustainable and reliable transport system that connects all parts of our region so everyone can access the places they need to live fulfilled lives, including access to education.
We are therefore undertaking a consultation to get your views on how we can best support travel to school. This includes our policy regarding dedicated bus services to secondary schools, and how children and young people travel to their place of education in the future.
As a parent or carer of a child currently in primary school and likely to be considering options for secondary school, we want to understand you and your child’s needs, to help shape our future plans.
Your views will help us create a new, sustainable travel to school strategy, with any resulting changes to secondary school services not expected to be introduced until September 2026 at the earliest.
Transport for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and school bus services to primary schools are not part of this consultation and will remain unaffected.
We want to understand what’s most important to you when choosing a secondary school and learn more about your future travel arrangements. It’s important to share your views whether your child walks, wheels, cycles, travels by bus, car, train or uses a dedicated school bus.
The consultation opens on 23 April and you’ll have until 11 June 2025 to participate.