Our weekly message: Thursday 21 May 2026
This week’s message is a day earlier because of the training day tomorrow.
Your views matter
Every year, we invite you to complete a short survey. Your views matter. They help to shape what we do in the forthcoming year(s).
This year’s survey features a series of questions closely related to what Ofsted might ask parents during an inspection. Towards the end, we’re asking just a few extra questions about mobile phones – we really want to hear your views.
Complete the Scholes (Elmet) Primary survey here. We’ll send a few reminders before the closing date, which is Monday 15 June at noon.
It’s worth bearing in mind that if you raise in the survey something very specific that needs to be addressed, we can’t easily act on this without your child’s name. In fact, the survey isn’t the best place to raise individual, specific concerns – hopefully, you’re comfortable to speak with your child’s class teacher or Miss Hague about these instead.
You said, we did
Last year, you shared some concerns about school dinners and food at wraparound care. We’ve talked with other catering providers but weren’t convinced their offer would be any better or value for money. We’ve also raised your concerns with Catering Leeds and since then we’ve seen some improvements – we’ll continue to monitor this.
School meals prices
To enable Catering Leeds (our school meal service provider) to ensure the financial sustainability of the service, we’ve been informed that, unfortunately, school meal pri
From September, the price of a school meal for children in Nursery and Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be £3.20 per day. (Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to receive Universal Infant Free School Meals.)
As you’ll 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.
Relationships and Sex Education
Nationally, all primary schools are required by law to teach Relationships Education and Health Education. In Sphere Federation schools, we’ve provided RSE lessons successfully as part of Living and Learning for many years.
In the first three weeks of Summer 2, children from Year 1 to Year 6 will take part in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) lessons. Please be assured that RSE is delivered at a level appropriate to both the age and development of pupils. Lessons are led by children’s class teacher and take place in a safe learning environment.
In the latest update to the statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education, we welcome the inclusion of correct terminology for body parts, including genitalia. This reflects established best practice when it comes to giving children the knowledge they need to stay safe, including the ability to identify and report signs of abuse. We’ve been teaching the anatomical names for body parts for many years.
We refer you to these sections of our RSE policy:
- Section 9 provides alist of the vocabulary that will be used (pages 7 and 8)
- Section 11 includes anoverview of the topics that will be covered (page 11 includesa table to show the learning across each year group)
We know that you may have some issues / concerns. If you’d like to find out more, discuss any concerns, or speak to someone in more detail about the teaching and learning planned for this important aspect of your child’s education, please contact your child’s class teacher or Miss Hague.
Similarly, you have the right to request that your child be withdrawn from some or all of the lessons that can be regarded as ‘sex education’. For our school, this comprises lessons in Year 6 on what human reproduction is and how babies grow. Please see the government’s factual guide to RSE for parents: Understanding Relationships and Health Education in your child’s primary school: a guide for parents. If you wish to withdraw your Year 6 child from RSE, please contact Miss Hague to discuss the matter. (See page 6 of the RSE policy for more information about your right to withdraw your child.)
We’re committed to working in partnership with parents. Parental feedback indicates that the overwhelming majority of parents are highly supportive of our Relationships and Sex Education programme.
Staying safe
This week has been our Staying Safe themed week in school. Check out our Class News for more about this.
One of the most important ways to help your child stay safe is when they’re online. Gov.uk has a site dedicated to online safety for children. Find practical information from trusted places to help you feel more confident on the steps you can take to protect your child online.
Have a happy and healthy half-term.
Our weekly message: Friday 15 May 2026
First this week, a big well done to our Year 6 pupils. This week has been SATs week. It can be a tough week, but the children have approached the week with a happy and healthy attitude.
Next week is our Staying Safe themed week. Due to the rising costs of visitors to school, we are asking for a voluntary contribution of £2 per pupil to go towards paying for visitors. This can be made on Arbor. Thank you for your support with this.
Talking about staying safe…
Does your child have a squishy, squashy toy?
We’ve heard of reports that children and young people are microwaving squishy silicone toys after seeing online videos claiming this makes the toys softer and more pliable. When the toy is squeezed afterwards, it can burst and spray boiling material – this can lead to children’s hands and faces being seriously burned.
We’ve two pieces of advice…
- Obviously, don’t allow your child to use a microwave to heat up any toys like this.
- Make sure you supervise your child if they’re online so you can review messages such as this one.
Are you struggling to get your child to see a dentist?
The Leeds Dental Institute Student Clinic has introduced a scheme in which they’re accepting parental referrals for children to receive a course of treatment. This means they’re able to offer appointments to children on
a first-come first-served basis. (It’s not intended for emergency treatment.)
Find out more and access the referral form.
The Big Future
It is the Children’s Commissioner’s role to promote the views and interests of children in England. To build on two previous surveys (The Big Ask and The Big Ambition), she’s launched her final survey: The Big Future.
I am asking children about the changes they want to see in their communities, their biggest concerns, and their hopes for the future. More than anything, I want to know what they think a good childhood should look like today.
Your child can complete the survey here.
Family hub support
Family hubs are support families by bringing together a range of services into one easy-to-access space. Whether you need parenting advice, health support, education guidance, or help navigating local services, family hubs might be able to help.
You can drop in during opening hours or contact your nearest family hub to schedule an appointment. Some services may require booking in advance, so it’s best to call ahead if you need a specific service.
Call 0113 535 0185 or email family.hubs@leeds.gov.uk to find out more.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Holiday Clubs in school
PE Partner OFSTED registered May half-term & summer holiday clubs
PE Partner are back with their holiday clubs, giving children the chance to enjoy active, exciting and positive days during the school holidays.
Their holiday clubs are designed to keep children moving, smiling and engaged, with a fun mix of sports, games, challenges and creative activities.
They’re a brilliant way for children to burn off energy, build confidence, make new friends and enjoy time away from screens in a safe and supportive environment.
Whether your child loves football, dodgeball, team games, creative activities or simply being part of a fun and friendly group, PE Partner holiday clubs offer something for everyone.
May half term and summer holiday club dates are available, including wraparound hours from 8am to 5pm.
Places can fill quickly, so parents are encouraged to take a look at the clubs available nearby and secure their child’s place early.
Book here:
https://pepartner.coordinate.
Our weekly message: Friday 08 May 2026
Now that we’re into the Summer term, please remember to make sure your child is protected from the sun: sun cream, hat, plenty of water.
We kick off this week’s message with a question…
Have you thought about becoming a governor?
We have vacancies on our Governing Board. The role involves acting as a ‘critical friend’, providing support and challenge at a strategic level. There are six core Governing Board meetings in the year, three online and three in person, plus occasional additional meetings. There are also visits into school, the focus of these would depend on your role as governor.
If you’re interested, please contact the Chair of Governors, Rachel Cooper: rachelcooper@spherefederation.org
Read more about the Sphere Federation Governing Board.
Book fair
Our annual Book Fair returns on Monday. It is a 3 for 2 event – buy 2 books and get the third (cheapest) for free. Books can be purchased either with cash or by following a QR code which we will have on display during the Book Fair. This event will run straight after school every day from Monday until Thursday. It will be held in the school reception office area – access school via the front doors. All books sold during the Book Fair earn money for school to spend on new books for our library. We hope to see you there! 🙂
Staying Safe themed week
Our next whole school themed week, based around Staying Safe, is from Monday 18 May 2026. The key message is how to be safe in a range of situations – at home, at school, online and in the environment.
A variety of events and visitors are planned to help us deliver this key aspect of education including water safety (Canal and River Trust and RNLI)); fire safety (West Yorkshire Fire Service); first aid; safety in our community (PCSOs) and drug education (d:side).
On Wednesday 20 May from 3.00pm – 3:30pm, there’s a drug education drop-in information session in the playground. A representative from d:side, a health education provider, will be available to discuss details of your child’s drug education learning in the themed week.
Can you help? Does your job involve an aspect of safety? If you’re able to support our Staying Safe themed week by coming into school to speak to children, please contact us via the office or your child’s class teacher.
Due to the rising costs of visitors to school, this year, we are requesting a voluntary contribution of £2 per pupil to go towards paying for visitors. This can be made on Arbor. Thank you for your support with this.
We’ll keep you up to date about events during the week on the Class News pages.
Thank you for your support to keep Scholes (Elmet) a happy, healthy and safe school.
Relationships and Sex Education
We like to encourage you to be aware of our Relationships and Sex Education Policy…
Later in the term, your child will have Relationships and Sex Education lessons. In those lessons, we’ll talk about anatomical terms and different relationships – it’s a good idea to be prepared for any questions at home.
(We might need to use the terms at other times, too, and we’ll talk about lots of different relationships at any time of the year, too.)
We welcome questions, comments and concerns about this policy. If you have any, please do speak with us.
Parking on Morwick Grove
The long strip of grass down the side of Morwick Grove, adjacent to the school boundary hedge, is not owned by us or Leeds City Council or the Parish Council. It’s actually privately owned by residents.
Access to the Nursery and Out of School Club is granted to us by them as a goodwill gesture to the school – it’s not a right.
If you use Morwick Grove to drop off your child, please park safely and respectfully. Don’t park on the double yellow lines or grass verge. Don’t block residents’ driveways.
To our Year 6 children: All the best for your end of Key Stage 2 SATs assessments next week.
And to everyone: Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Our weekly message: Friday 01 May 2026
Don’t forget Monday is a bank holiday, so we’ll see you next week on Tuesday.
Most of this week’s message is about our topic this half-term. Before that…
Mini-marathon
Last Friday saw the sun shining and our children take part in their very own Mini London Marathon.
The aim of the event was not only to link in with the real London Marathon but also to get children to be active and to promote our ethos of ‘a happy and healthy place to learn’. Children completed a 2 mile course around the school and they did a fantastic job. There were lots of smiling (and red) faces as they crossed the finishing line.
Well done to everyone!
And more happy and healthy news…
Fab football first
A huge well done to our Year 5,6 girls who represented Scholes (Elmet) Primary in our first ever girls football match today. The girls showed a team spirit, togetherness and resilience that was nothing short of inspiring. Having had no training or match experience before, they made us incredibly proud. Well done, girls and we’re excited for many more matches in the future!
The rest of this week’s message is about our Summer 1 topic…
What is this half-term’s topic?
This half-term we are geographers. The topic is called Explorers.
In this geography-driven topic, we’re comparing a place in the United Kingdom with a place in another country. Y1,2 children are heading to Kenya in Africa, Y3,4 children are having a mini-break in Venice, and finally, Y5,6 children are trekking through the Amazon Rainforest in South America.
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). It is separate from people’s perceptions and experiences.
- Place = location + meaning. This will include the physical and human geography that make a place unique. Importantly, place is not rigid. It is changing and can be perceived in different ways.
- Scale is defined by the relative sizes of places. This could be differences in area, population or distances. Scale can also be defined by our view of the world. For example, we may consider an aspect of geography on a local, national and international scale.
- Interdependence is the idea that the world is connected and that countries or individuals do not act in isolation. Our actions here affect people in different countries around the world, for example, food, energy, holidays, climate.
Check out our Topic Curriculum Guide for more information about key concepts (page 17) and age-related expectations and vocabulary (page 20 and 21).
Year 1,2
Children have begun the topic by learning about the different continents and oceans in the world. They’ll learn about the equator and how it splits the Earth into two hemispheres. They’ll then focus on a specific continent, Africa, and a specific country within that continent, Kenya. They’ll compare a city in Kenya, Nairobi, to Leeds with a focus on the physical and human geography of these two places. They’ll then take a visit into the countryside and compare features of the Yorkshire Dales with a National Park just outside Nairobi.
Year 3,4
Children will develop learning about the equator and hemispheres by learning about the tropics and climate zones. A focus on European and world cities and countries will follow and will link to climate zone learning. They’ll then focus in on Venice in Italy and its physical and human geography which they’ll compare with York. They’ll learn about the positives and negatives that tourism brings, putting themselves in the shoes of both tourists visiting the places and locals who live there. Finally, they’ll learn about the problems posed by flooding in both localities and the solutions introduced to limit the consequences of flooding.
Year 5,6
Children will learn about the different types of biomes found on Earth and how these are linked to climate. They’ll then focus on the biomes found in Brazil and the UK. They’ll then focus on Brazil more generally, building their understanding of it as a place. Next, they’ll focus on the Amazon Rainforest and its importance to Brazil in terms of the economy as well as its importance ecologically. They’ll learn about the threats to the rainforest and the impact that deforestation is having. Finally, children will learn about what Brazil needs to do to slow deforestation and what we can do to slow deforestation.
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 in. 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. Try the street view option and you can walk along a street in Nairobi and a street in London. Take a drive through the lush Yorkshire Dales and compare this to the Kenyan countryside. You could wander down the Shambles in York and compare this to the streets in Venice. You can also compare images of the same street from different points in time.
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?
If you can, 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 Ordnance Survey Mapzone. I especially like the jigsaws in the Map Puzzles section of the Games.
Also for KS2 children, there is lots of information and some tasks and quizzes on BBC Bitesize.
Have a happy and healthy long weekend – see you on Tuesday.
Staff vacancies at Scholes (Elmet)
Would you like to work in our happy and healthy place to learn?
We have a number of part time opportunities available in school. All of these are term time only positions.
Further information on them can be found on the vacancy page of our website: https://www.scholeselmet.leeds.sch.uk/join-in/vacancies/ or on the DfE website (links below each role).
Out of School Club Assistants – various hours/days available
https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/jobs/out-of-school-club-assistant-playworker
Cleaner – 12.5 hrs per week (2.5 hrs per day)
https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/jobs/cleaner-scholes-elmet-primary-school
Nursery Lunchtime Assistant – 10 hrs per week (2 hrs per day)
Please contact scholesfinance@spherefederation.org if you have any questions about the roles.
Our weekly message: Friday 24 April 2026
We hope you had a good break over Easter.
A quick reminder: if you’ve got any new contact details for you or other contacts, please remember to let us know. We need up-to-date details for the people on our lists in case of emergencies. (The people on our lists are the ones you gave us when your child started school – in most cases, this will be three different people.)
Living and Learning
Next week’s Living and Learning theme is an important one: I know that a person’s body belongs to them.
The NSPCC’s Speak Out, Stay Safe message is an important one. It helps children understand more about this week’s theme and supports them to speak out if they have any concerns. At home, make sure your child is aware of Childline.
Attendance matters
The national attendance rate so far this year for primary schools is 94.8%.
At Scholes (Elmet) Primary, the attendance rate is the same as the national figure: 94.8%. We’re really pleased to see the figure has crept up to match the national figure because by the end of Spring 1, we were trailing. Thank you for helping your child attend school and get the best start in life.
Brushing teeth
We love this new guide all about brushing teeth. Even though it’s part of a series of guides for younger children to give them the best start in life, it’s full of good advice for everyone.
For example, one of the top tips is to try different flavours of toothpaste or brushes of varies sizes and textures.
Y5,6 jobs
Our Year 5s and 6s have the opportunity to give back to the school community by taking on a job. The process begins with completing an application before being invited to interview. The successful candidates then give up some of their time each week to complete their job. There are several, important jobs that children have in school:
- Play Leaders who lead lunchtime play on the KS1 playground
- Librarians who keep our library tidy and well-stocked
- Journalists who keep you up to date with news posts on the website
- Community Ambassadors (pictured below) who keep our local community tidy and litter-free
- Assembly Assistants who prepare the hall for assemblies
- School Support Assistants who help the office staff through the busy period of lunchtime
- Lunchtime Supervisory Assistant who help the lunch staff ensure lunchtimes are happy and healthy
Our weekly message: Thursday 02 April 2026
This week’s message is a day earlier than normal. First up, here’s a repeat of part of last week’s message, in case you missed it…
Easter
With Easter on the way, please see this list of free and low-cost things to do over the Easter school holidays in Leeds.
Also (and not in last week’s message), check out this Child Friendly Leeds guide to help children and families in Leeds navigate their way through the Easter holidays.
Shakespeare Rocks
This week, Shakespeare really did rock! The Y3,4 production, Shakespeare Rocks, was a smash hit. The children had a great time putting on their show. The songs were fantastic, the acting was brilliant and the jokes were hilarious. A big well done to all involved and a big thank you to everyone who came into school to enjoy the show. Thanks also for your generous contributions to our school charity: Woodland Trust.
400 words for Leeds
Did you know Leeds is celebrating 400 years since Leeds received its Royal Charter from King Charles I back in 1626? Leeds Lit Fest invite your child to get involved in the 400 Words for Leeds 400 writing competition.
Forest school
Children in Year 3 and Year 5 have loved accessing the forest school this term. Born of the Forest have been delivering the sessions and they’ve so far proved incredibly popular. Thank you to all the parents and carers who have given us such positive feedback. The sessions are varied and led by the children. As the year goes on, the children will develop the forest school area but they’ve been incredibly busy so far. They’ve created paths using wood chip, built dens, practised their tightrope walking and cooked over an open fire.
SEND parent carer monthly drop-in sessions
Are you a parent or carer of a child with special educational needs and/or disabilities or waiting for your child’s needs to be assessed? You might like to join one of the monthly drop-in sessions at the Reginald Centre or Moor Allerton Community Hub.
Have a happy and healthy Easter holiday.
Our weekly message: Friday 27 March 2026
First of all… Thanks for your donations for last week’s Comic Relief. We raised £303.02.
This week’s message centres around working with us in a constructive way. It’s prompted by a recent guide from Parentkind and a recent blog from Ofsted, both of which we talk about here.
We want Scholes (Elmet) Primary to be a happy and healthy place for all. Your views are important – they can help us to get better and better. Our Questions, Comments and Concerns page sets out how you can help with this.
Parentkind
Parentkind can support your child’s learning and wellbeing. They offer parents free webinars, practical toolkits, and a Be School Ready guide to support new starters, alongside a wide range of expert resources and practical guidance.
Working alongside the Department for Education and Ofsted, they’ve recently produced a guide to school complaints – it’s more of a step-by-step support to help you resolve any concerns quickly, easily and positively.
You’ll notice the first piece of advice is What kind of issue is it? They highlight feedback, concerns and complaints. This matches our Comments, Concerns and Complaints Policy which follows best practice guidance for schools from the Department for Education.
Ofsted
Ofsted has recently published a blog called How we consider complaints about schools – it’s an interesting read.
In the blog, they make it clear that it’s important parents follow a school’s complaints policy:
Before contacting us, a parent should:
- contact the school informally – for example, by talking to a teacher about the problem
- if things cannot be resolved this way, consider making a formal complaint to the school
- if they’re still dissatisfied, follow the next steps in the school’s complaint procedure – for example, making a complaint to the governing body or another organisation
When a parent comes to us directly, we encourage them to approach the school first. We will continue to stress to parents that we can’t resolve differences between them and a school or affect the results of a school’s complaints process.
This matches the advice in Parentkind’s guide to school complaints.
Ofsted receives hundreds of complaints each year, but very few of these are investigated because they don’t meet the criteria for Ofsted to investigate (in the last year, only about 1 in 10 were investigated).
School
Here are a few ways you can express your views here at Scholes (Elmet) Primary…
- After various school events, such as our recent Topic Review session, we like to gather your views on how the session went with a short online survey.
- Towards the end of the school year, we invite you to take part in a longer survey, too – there’s typically a final question or two which are more open-ended so you can comment on anything you like.
- Don’t wait until these surveys, though! We’d like to hear from you. You could send us an email (scholesoffice@spherefederation.org) or simply have a chat with your child’s class teacher or one of us at the start or end of the day at the school gate.
Thank you for supporting the positive relationships between home and here at Scholes (Elmet) Primary.
Easter
Finally this week, with Easter on the way, please see this list of free and low-cost things to do over the Easter school holidays in Leeds, including Story Explorers at the Central Library; a hat exhibition at Temple Newsam House; a Roman-themed Rabbits Trail at City Museum; newborn animals at Temple Newsam Home Farm; a dragon egg quest at Lotherton; and various activities (alongside the usual delicious food stalls) at Kirkgate Market.
Enjoy a happy and healthy weekend.
Super Scholes Swimmers
A huge well done to our super Scholes swimmers.
On Tuesday, these fantastic four went off to The Grammar School at Leeds to enter the English Schools Swimming Association NE division competition.
They came second in the freestyle relay and third in the medly relay! They now have to wait to see if they qualify for the primary school national finals in June!
Well done – we’re really proud of you.
