Friday 31 January 2020


I cannot believe that it is the last day of January –where did that month go? Thankfully that means that winter is flying by and before we know it Spring will be upon us –let us hope that it means an end to the dark skies and the rain – I think I can manage anything rather than the endless rainy weather that we have been experiencing recently.

However, enough about the weather and let us turn to more pleasant things. This morning we all had a treat in school because it was the Year 3 assembly. They gave us a great presentation of the learning that they have covered so far in Year 3 – they did an excellent job and should all be very proud of themselves. I would also like to thank Miss Davis, Mrs Reynolds and Mrs Ameen for all their hard work in helping them put the assembly together.

When I was writing my blog last week you will remember me telling you that I was getting ready to go to the 02 with the choir to perform in a Young Voices concert. This year we were lucky enough to be put into two of the boxes to perform so it meant that we all got to experience a little bit of VIP treatment. The parents who came to watch were not so lucky because their seats were high up but they still managed to see all of us. There was a great atmosphere and the children really enjoyed being part of such a large show. I would like to thank them all for representing the school so well and I would also like to thank Miss Bradford, Mrs Lawrence and Mrs Robinson for all their hard work in preparing the choir for this - they have been practising for this since September. The next big thing for the choir is getting ready for a performance at the Albert Hall in March –this showbiz life is very exciting.

You may also remember that we had a Mufti day last Friday to help raise money for those affected by the Australian bushfires. I am glad to say that we managed to raise an impressive £354.29 towards the fund and I would like to thank all of you who gave so generously.

That is all for now. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday morning.

Friday 24 January 2020


I am publishing my blog early this week because I am going to the ‘Young Voices’ event at the O2 with the choir. I have been joining in with the rehearsals in recent times and I know that the children are all very excited about taking part in the concert. They have sounded really good in rehearsals and I know that they will do the school proud this evening. I would like to thank all the children for all the effort they have put into their rehearsals and I would also like to thank Mrs Lawrence, Mrs Robinson and Miss Bradford for all the hard work they have put in to get the children ready for today.

I have been asked to remind parents about the one-way system that unofficially operates around the school during drop-off in the morning and pick up times at the end of the school day. As we are situated in a cul-de-sac we are in a difficult location and if, during busy times, cars try to enter and exit through School Road it can quickly lead to a very congested and dangerous situation. We therefore ask parents during these busy times to drive along Thornton Road, come through the church car park where the church allows parents to park their cars whilst they drop off or collect their children. Then when cars leave they can exit through School Road. If everyone follows this system it means that traffic flows more smoothly. May I also remind parents that they are not supposed to park on the zig-zag yellow lines outside the school from 8.00am – 5.00pm each day. Parents are also not supposed to park in front of residents’ drives – this is against the law and if neighbours contact the police perpetrators will have to face the consequences of their actions and the school will not be able to help them.

I would like to thank everyone who made a donation towards the Australian Bushfire appeal today. As I said last week I think this is a very worthy appeal to support. I am sure that you have seen on the news that areas of Australia have been suffering even more extremes of weather with terrible storms and golf ball sized hailstones whilst other areas are still dealing with the bushfires so they need all the help they can get. I will let you know how much was raised in my next blog.

I hope you all have a pleasant weekend. I am a little disappointed that the weather has become dark and grey again – I really enjoyed those couple of frosty days that we had because it was so bright and sunny but at least with the cloudy skies the temperature is a little warmer. I look forward to seeing you again next week.

Friday 17 January 2020


The term is well underway now and Christmas seems a distant memory although looking at my body that is not the case as I still have the aftermath of Christmas around my waistline. All the clubs have started again and although the weather has not always been our friend we have still managed to run them. I hope we see less rain as all the league matches will be starting again soon and the children do hate to miss a match.

I am sure that the children have told you but we have started doing the ‘Daily Mile‘ in school with the children. This is something that I have not done in the past because we already have a lot of PE in our timetable but I have heard and read about the benefits of it so much that I decided that we should start doing it. Research has shown that it not only has a positive impact on children’s health but also on their general well-being and attainment in school. I know not all of the children enjoy it so I do hope that if your child is one of these that you can discuss the benefits with them – I am sure that the more we do it the more they will get used to it.

Next week you will see that we are having a Mufti day to raise money for those places and people that have been affected by the Australian bush fires. I know that we will all have seen the horrific scenes about what is happening in Australia and I think that it is a really good cause for the school to support. As it is such a worthy cause and because they need urgent help I am leaving it down to individual families about how much they want to donate but it must be a minimum of a £1. Some of the children will also be coming out at the end of the school day to collect contributions from parents so please remember to bring some small change with you on that day.

That is all for now. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at the school gate on Monday morning.

Friday 10 January 2020


Welcome back everyone! I hope you all had a good holiday. I had a lovely break and have come back looking forward to the new term – I always love to watch the change in the weather this term going from dull and grey to bright and sunny as Spring arrives (at least I always hope that this is going to happen but you can never rely on the British weather).

As always, the children have settled back well into school and Christmas appears to be a dim and distant memory to them. They have all come back looking very smart so I thank you for getting them all so well prepared for their return.  However, may I remind you all that jewellery is not allowed and the only accessory the children should be wearing is a watch. I have noticed that some girls have been wearing earrings for a full term and even if they were newly pierced in September the earrings should be able to be taken out now.

All the extra-curricular clubs start again next week which is good because I always think they bring great atmosphere into the school. I have got a couple of early meetings next week so I will not be on the gate on Monday or Tuesday morning but I will be in school later on both days. I hope you all have a great weekend – I am looking forward to a more sedate weekend after all the excitement of the Christmas holidays.