Congratulations from Minister of State for Schools

Letter from Minister of State for Schools

Dear Parents, Governors and friends of the school,

Some of you may have heard that we were in ‘The Times’ recently as one of the top ten primary schools in Derbyshire. I am now delighted and proud to share with you information that I have received a letter from the Rt Hon David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools congratulating us on the excellent performance of our children in the 2014 national key stage 2 tests, published on 11 December.

‘Your results show that 100% of your pupils gained level 4B or above in reading and mathematics and level 4 or above in writing. This makes you one of only 149 schools in the country to achieve this level of attainment.’

The letter goes on to congratulate staff, governors and pupils for their hard work and success and ‘you for your leadership in continuing the drive towards high standards of educational achievement.’

As you will know we remain committed to ensuring that we provide a well-rounded education for our children, one that is not just about academic results. We have recently applied for the Arts Mark – external accreditation to recognise our success in Arts provision across the school and we are also in the process of entering for the RE Quality mark.

We are all extremely proud of what we have achieved together and would like to thank parents for their continuing support.

Julie Dunbar
Headteacher

Our trip to Cromford Wharf

First we got on the bus and travelled to Cromford Wharf, we then got off the bus and looked at the boat. The boat was called ‘Birdswood’. We got onto the boat and sat down on our seats, then the boat started to move. The man told us that along time ago, the boat was pulled by a horse but today it had an engine to make it move. Whilst we were on board, we played ‘I spy’ and did some paper plate weaving. In groups we visited the cabin and saw where the family would have lived, there was a special pull-down bed, a stove for cooking and heating and a place for coal to build the fire, but there was no toilet! Along the way we saw lots of wildlife, and we even saw a dinosaur!
The boat turned around and we went back towards Cromford Wharf. We all had a fantastic time and said a big thank you to the volunteers who had looked after us.

Written by The Woodpeckers.

Big Schools’ Birdwatch 2015

birdfoodThis term Kingfisher Class spent some of their tuck shop enterprise money on a large sack of good quality bird food. They also purchased a bin complete with scoop to keep the food in good condition.

The purchase has certainly helped swell the number of birds visiting the school grounds and the children were rewarded with a very successful Big Schools’ Birdwatch. For the full results of this year’s survey, visit the school’s Wildlife Blog and find out about the new bird on the block!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Christmas Enterprise Fair and Coffee Afternoon

Nativity

Christmas Dinner and Party

Christingle

Early Rider Balance-ability

On Monday the whole class joined in with the’ balance-ability workshop. This is a simpler version for Reception and Key Stage 1 of the ‘Bike-ability’ workshops completed in Key Stage 2. The children completed various activities to help develop coordination, balance and core strength. All the children had a fantastic time and the instructors saw big improvements in all the children as they gained better control and balance of the bike. Well done Woodpeckers!

Reception cooking up a storm!

The Reception children had a great time on Wednesday making a ginger bread house. They have been spending the week looking at the fairy tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and used ideas from the story to mix, measure and bake their own woodland cottage. Very generously, the group offered everyone (even the staff!) a taste of their delicious creation! Well done Reception!!

Getting our hands messy!
Getting our hands messy!

Shoe Box Appeal up-date

   Christmas boxes being collected for the Samaritan’s Purse Shoe Box appeal. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Tubs4tablets campaign – ‘spread’ the word!

Only primary and middle schools can register for this campaign and Sretton Handley CE Primary need your help. We need 50 labels from Stork and Flora to claim a free tablet. PLEASE spread the word to your neighbours and friends. Let’s see if we can get at least one tablet. Thank you very much.