Dear Parent/Carer,
It was lovely to see all the children back this morning smiling, happy to see their friends and looking so smart in their uniform
The children were amazingly well behaved throughout the day and we’re really proud of them all! 😊
We’re looking forward to our new Reception children arriving tomorrow!
Gates
Thank you for your understanding and help at the front and back gates this morning and this afternoon. We’ve tried to make the access and egress at all gates as safe for everyone in the limited space that we have available, so your help today has made a real difference.
A copy of the information I sent out yesterday is below:
Reception to Year 6
Morning.
Breakfast Club (Open on Monday)
Doors open between 8.15-8.25am (North Street top gate)
Classes
Gates open at 8.40am – SLT teachers (Senior Leadership Team) and supporting teaching assistants will be on the gates.
Doors open at 8.45am – Teachers will be on the gates. Children will start to enter school.
Doors shut at 8.50am – The official start of the school day.
Afternoon
Reception – 3.20pm
Year 1/2 – 3.25pm
(Mrs Agland/Miss Bowden’s class will be leaving via the Nursery gates. Please queue downhill, facing upwards towards the Nursery at the end of the day.)
Children with siblings in Y1/2 classes will be dismissed together through the top gate on North Street, from Miss Bishop’s line on the right hand side.
Nursery
9.00-11.30am
12.30-3.00pm
Classes in red are Lower School classes (N to Y2) and they are at the back of the school.
Children from Year 3 upwards are at the front and are in green.
| CLASS | TEACHER | GATE (All gates open at 8.40am) | START TIME | FINISH TIME |
| Nursery am | Mrs Hayes | Nursery | 9.00 | 11.30 |
| Nursery pm | Mrs Hayes | Nursery | 12.30 | 3.00 |
| Reception R1 | Miss Wall | Nursery | 8.50 | 3.20 |
| Reception R2 | Mrs Dickenson | Nursery | 8.50 | 3.20 |
| I/2AB | Mrs Agland/Mrs Bowden | North Street Top | 8.50 | 3.25 (Nursery gate) |
| 1/2JB | Miss Bishop/Mrs Jones | North Street Top | 8.50 | 3.25 (+Y1/2Siblings) |
| 1/2J | Mrs Jones | North Street Top | 8.50 | 3.25 |
| 3/4D | Mrs Davies | Stow Hill Lower | 8.50 | 3.30 |
| 3/4G | Mr Griffiths | Stow Hill Lower | 8.50 | 3.30 |
| 3/4MP | Miss Pretty/Mrs Morton | Stow Hill Lower | 8.50 | 3.30 |
| 5/6B | Mr Bowen | Stow Hill Top | 8.50 | 3.30 |
| 5/6G | Mr Godsall | Stow Hill Top | 8.50 | 3.30 |
| 5/6P | Mrs Parry | Stow Hill Top | 8.50 | 3.30 |
Some Snack and Lunch Information
- Please send your child with a labelled bottle of water to drink throughout the day.
- Please remember that children are not allowed to bring in drinks in glass bottles or cans and that no fizzy drinks are allowed.
- If your child is bringing food from home, as a member of the Healthy Schools’ Network, we ask that children bring in a sandwich or wrap, some fruit and a snack biscuit only. No bars of chocolate or packets of sweets are allowed. Please don’t send in warm food or soup or soup in containers, because of the risks associated with warm food in lunchboxes.
- It is not possible for us to declare ourselves a nut free school, but we want to do all we can to avoid any risk to children or adults, so please ensure that your child only brings in nut free snacks
Dates
The Diary Dates sheet will be sent out with next week’s newsletter once final dates have been confirmed. Also coming out next week will be your child’s class topic letter.
Schoop
A special request. If you are the only one in your family who has Schoop, it would be really helpful if another adult in your family could have it as well. This will make life easier for you so please ask a member of staff for the code when you see them at the gates.
Inspection
For those of you who may have missed the newsletter I sent out in the summer about our recent Estyn inspection, I’m sharing some information again.
Estyn use a set of particular words to denote a percentage so that there is consistency in reports across Wales. The ones which apply particularly to us are:
Nearly all = with very few exceptions Most = 90% or more
Few = below 20%
Very few = less than 10%
The report is available on the Estyn website.
St Woolos Primary School | Estyn (gov.wales)
The full report is below:
Inspection report St Woolos Primary School 2023 (gov.wales)
The parent summary is here:
Parents and carers – Inspection Report – St Woolos Primary School 2023 (gov.wales)
These are some quotes from the report:
Across the school, nearly all pupils’ well-being is strong. Pupils embrace the school’s values, responding very well to the rules, routines and expectations set out for them. In return, they demonstrate care and consideration towards others. In classes and around the school nearly all pupils behave well. Most pupils feel staff treat them with respect and fairness. There are highly effective working relationships between staff and pupils. Nearly all pupils are well mannered and respectful to staff, visitors and each other. As a result, nearly all pupils feel happy and safe in school and know who to turn to for support. This is an outstanding feature of the school.
‘Leaders at all levels (this means Governors and all staff with responsibilities) work as a highly effective team to bring about improvement and secure positive outcomes for pupils. They carry out a range of purposeful activities that help to provide a clear picture of the quality of teaching and learning.’
The school has ‘consistently strong teaching’.
‘Plans to raise pupils’ aspirations are a strength of the school. Leaders and teachers place a high priority on adapting provision to provide a wide range of worthwhile opportunities to learn from, and with, inspirational people in a variety of roles, from politicians to poets. These experiences allow pupils to reflect
on their ambitions and to consider the skills, knowledge, attitudes and ethics they will need to achieve them.’
‘The school is an inclusive community driven by a clear sense of purpose. Its welcoming and caring culture is an outstanding feature. Staff have a strong and shared commitment to developing an environment where pupil well-being is a priority, through the nurture of tolerance and respect for others.’
You will see from reading the report that we have several ‘Nearly alls’ and numerous ‘Mosts’ throughout the report, and they indicate how very good a report it is.
This report is a true refection of everyone in our school community – pupils, parents, staff, Governors and community members, and I feel truly lucky to be the headteacher of such an amazing school!
My very warm thanks and congratulations go to everyone who has made this school, and the report, what they are! 😊
Very kind regards,
H Vaughan Headteacher