Learn more about the new tests for your child
You’ll be aware that there have been lots of changes in education in the last few years, including a new curriculum with greater expectations and assessment without levels.
There are also new end of key stage tests (commonly called the SATs) coming up in May. Children in Year 2 (end of KS1) and Year 6 (end of KS2) will be the first to sit these new tests.
Find out more about the Key Stage 1 tests: watch this short video and/or read this booklet.
Find out more about the Key Stage 2 test: watch this short video and/or read this booklet.
Another congratulations from the DfE
We’ve had a third letter congratulating us!
On 26 January 2015, David Laws MP (Minister of State for Schools) wrote a letter congratulating us on the results for disadvantaged pupils.
On 27 October 2015, Nick Gibb MP (Minister of State for School Reform) congratulated us on very high achievement for pupils in the 2015 Year 1 phonics screening check.
Now, just over twelve months on, we receive a third letter. This time, Sam Gyimah MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education) sends us congratulations, again for the results of pupils who are entitled to pupil premium – often referred to as disadvantaged pupils. He writes:
It gives me great pleasure to write to you and congratulate your school on winning a local award in the key stage 2 category of the Pupil Premium Awards 2016…
The reason you have been selected is that you are one of the high achieving schools in the country in terms of the attainment and progress of your disadvantaged pupils since 2011. It is clear that you and your staff have provided pupils with a good start in life and prepared them well for secondary school. I would like to congratulate your governors, parents and pupils for their hard work and success, and thank you for your leadership in making such a difference to the future success of your pupils.
We’re very proud of the successes of all our pupils, whether it be those in receipt of pupil premium funding or not. We are always 100% committed to supporting and challenging all pupils in their learning (and in their social and emotional skills, too!). Moortown Primary is a happy and healthy and highly successful place to learn!
Meanwood Park orienteering
This week, linking with their learning about owls, Year 3 helped to create two of the owl markers for a new orienteering project at Meanwood Park.
Further details about the trail will follow once the rest of the owls, from other local schools, are ready and in place.
School dinners
Our school dinner menu was discussed by our School Council this week. They also talked about ways to encourage others to try some of the new meals that are on the Spring term menu.
Did you know the menu is available to view on our website and also displayed on our dining room window. This is a good way to make your child aware of what the daily meals are.
The menu follows a three week cycle and it changed on a termly basis.
Here are the options for today.
School Council elections 11 February
Our current school councillors held their final meeting today as we prepare to elect our new school council. This year’s election date is Thursday 11 February.
Children from every class, including Reception, are encouraged to prepare a speech to present to their class as part of the election process. Our whole school homework before the election date (05 February) will give children the chance to plan their speech.
Thank you to our existing school council who have been involved with many decisions and discussions throughout the year. On today’s agenda, there have been discussions around the new school dinner menu, classroom reading areas, e-safety and general suggestions put forward by children in each class. It appears they have enjoyed the role as they all intend to stand again at the elections.
Borrow a book, borrow a bike
With 100 days to this year’s Tour De Yorkshire, a local bike library has been set up locally at Moor Allerton Library.
Leeds City Council has introduced a new Yorkshire Bike Bank which will allow residents to borrow bikes as well as books from the library.
School charities
Moortown Primary is a happy, healthy and caring place to be.
That’s why we support two charities for two years. In 2014 and 2015, we supported Cancer Research UK and St Gemma’s Hospice.
In 2014 and 2015, we raised £2,205.36 for Cancer Research UK and £2,164.66 for St Gemma’s Hospice. (The amounts are slightly different because of the different fund-raising events over the two years – some are specifically for just one of the two charities.)
Thank you for your support.
Two new charities will be chosen by pupils this month. There will be a Talk Time homework – your child will discuss ideas at home. Following this, each class will discuss ideas so make sure your child can talk about their preferred charities with reasons why they think Moortown Primary should support them. At the end of the discussion, two charities from each class will be nominated. The School Council will then consider the charities from this shortlist and finally agree on the two charities we will support in 2016 and 2017.
Let's get sugar smart
Today has seen a new campaign launch by Change 4 Life, the government’s public health initiative, aimed at reducing the amount of sugar that children consume.
The free Sugar Smart App can tell you the amount of sugar in items by scanning the barcode, and then displaying the result as a number of cubes or in grams. The app can be used as a way of revealing the hidden sugar content in foods and to make us more aware of what children are consuming.
Public Health England, which runs the Change 4 Life campaign, hopes the Sugar Smart app and campaign will help combat tooth decay, obesity and type two diabetes and encourage families to choose healthier alternatives.
New SEAL theme...Good to be me
Our new SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) theme for this half-term, Good to be me, focuses on three main areas of learning:
•Self-awareness – feeling good about yourself, taking risks.
•Managing Feelings – understanding feelings, and why and how they lead us to behave the way we do – particularly the feelings of being excited, proud, surprised, hopeful, disappointed, worried and anxious and standing up for yourself –assertiveness skills, standing up for your views.
•Empathy
This theme explores feelings in the context of the child as an individual, developing self-awareness and helping the child to realise that it really is ‘Good to be me’. The theme is about understanding our feelings as well as considering our strengths and weaknesses as learners.
As part of our current mini topic, What’s the matter?, children will also ask ‘What’s the matter?’ from a social and emotional point of view, understanding feelings and thinking about how they can solve problems.
The key ideas and concepts behind the theme of Good to be me are:
Building emotional resilience
Children need to become resilient if they are to be healthy and effective life-long learners.
Coping with anxiety and worrying
Worry and anxiety are major features in many children’s lives. Many children have good reasons to be anxious. Exploring worries is important.
Calming down
Although getting stressed, anxious or angry are important and useful emotions, sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming.
Assertiveness
The theme encourages children to become assertive – that is, able to recognise and stand up for their rights while recognising and respecting the rights of others.
Understanding feelings and how they influence behaviour
The theme explores the relationship between ‘thinking’ and ‘feeling’ and the way each impacts on our behaviour. It looks at Flight or Fight rapid response to situations of threat and our responses to feeling threatened /under stress.
‘I respond to difficult situations in a positive way’ is the first SEAL statement for this theme.
Latest competitions
We’ve had a busy end to the term with two recent competitions.
Firstly, our Year 5 and 6 cross country teams braved the elements in traditional cross country weather to take part in the Leeds North East competition at Cardinal Heenan. Despite the conditions, all the children were keen to compete and a special well done to Gloria, finishing 14th in her race.
Back indoors was the second round of the Sports Hall Athletics competition at Roundhay School. Unfortunately we didn’t progress to the next round but the children never gave up and there were lots of cheering and encouragement to support the team. Well done to all children who took part. They’ve learnt lots of new track and field events in the process.
We certainly looked the part with our new school polo shirts and hooded tops purchased by the PTA.
