Friends fo Stanmore say welcome back!
The FoS want to say "welcome back" and "where did that summer break go?"!
We hope you have settled back into the school routine and are ready to support us with all our events.
We also want to say "hello" to all our new parents and carers. Shortly you will be receiving a Welcome! letter from the FoS, with details on who we are and what we do. We are also in the process of setting a date for a coffee morning so you can come along and find out more. We hope that you and your children enjoy being involved in the FoS community and see the benefits and rewards that come with supporting us. We look to seeing you soon!
The first date for your diary is our world famous(!!?) cake and uniform sale. It's on Thursday 26th September from 3pm onwards. Please can Year R and all KS1 classes provide us with lovely cakes and bakes! All donations must be NUT FREE AND INCLUDE A FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS. If any bakes do not have a list of ingredients then we cannot sell them. You can drop off your bakes into the office on the morning of the sale and pick up any named tupperware the next morning, again from the office. Thank you for your support with this.
We have lots of other dates to tell you about but you'll have to wait til next week to find out what and when they are!! Thanks and see you around, Rachel D, Rachel W, Hayley, Jen and Amy.
Stanmore Post - 13th September 2019
Dear Parents,
Thank you for coming in to ‘meet the Teacher’ on Thursday. If you were unable to attend, there will be further opportunities during the year to keep in touch with how your child is progressing. You are able to speak to the teacher at the end of the day or make an appointment to see Mrs Taylor, Miss Norris or Mrs Fenton. By now, you will have seen the new reading diaries which should come to and from school on a daily basis. Promoting reading is one of our key areas of improvement this year. Homework will also be coming home on a regular basis.
At our school, everyone is welcomed every day as a valued member of an inclusive community, where everyone feels safe, secure and happy. Behaviour and attitudes are important to us and a calm and orderly environment within our school is essential for pupils to be able to learn. As a result of the feedback from the parent survey, we have revisited our behaviour policy in order to ensure we have clarity and consistency.
We are really proud of being an inclusive school, and of the success of our Ready to Learn Room in supporting our children with particular needs. This is just one part of our raised expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. The setting of clear routines and expectations is important for all of our children in the classroom and around school.
This week we have been speaking to the children about our high expectations for maintaining a respectful school culture. We have simplified our language around expectations, rules, rewards and sanctions. There is a clear and simple structure that you can read more about at https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/behaviour
Best Wishes
Sharon Taylor
Online Payments and Communication
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to Scopay. We are really pleased with how supportive everyone has been and are excited about the benefits of the new system. We have introduced a text message service to advise parents if their child has had a minor injury or accident. The messages advise what has happened, how a child has been treated and that they have been sent back to class. If anything more serious were to occur, we would, of course, always endeavour to contact a parent verbally. Please ensure we always have the most up-to-date contact details for at least 2 people, as well as a parent, to help with our communication of any issues. Thank you.
Coffee Morning with Miss Norris
Parents are invited to pop into the hall after dropping their child/ren off at school on Thursday 19th September for an informal chat. A member of the admin team will also be available to discuss any issues with the new payment/communication system, to answer any questions you may have, or to take your details to complete a free school meal eligibility check. We will have tea, coffee and biscuits and everyone is welcome.
School Dinner
Can we remind our Year 3 parents that your child is no longer entitled to a universal free dinner. Your child will still be eligible for free school meals if their parent or carer receives one or more of the benefits detailed here https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/lunch
Nut Free School
We would like to remind our current parents, and inform new parents, that we are a nut-free school. We have children and staff in school with life threatening allergies and we cannot allow them to be put at risk while in our care. We must ask you not to send your child to school with any food items containing nuts or nut traces. This includes snacks. Any item of food found to contain nuts or nut traces on our school site will be removed until the end of the day and an alternative snack will be provided. Thank you for your support.
Year 6 Transition
Year 6 parents are now expected to apply for the secondary school of their choice. Kings’ School is linked with Stanmore Primary School and they are holding open mornings on the following dates:
Thursday 19th September, 9.30–11.30am
Friday 20th September, 9.30–11.30am
Tuesday 8th October, 9.30–11.30am
This is a great opportunity to have a guided tour of the school on a typical working morning.
They will also be holding an open evening on:
Wednesday 18th September, 6.30–8.30pm
You will be able to see their splendid facilities, speak to teachers, staff and pupils and also see the fabulous displays of their work.
It is recommended that you take your child to both events.
KINGS' SCHOOL
Matthew Leeming, Headteacher of Kings’ School, will be coming to our school on Wednesday 25th September 2019 to hold the Yr 6 transition talk to parents starting at 6pm. This will be held in the hall and Mr Leeming will be supported by other members of staff and children from his school.
Street Dance at Stanmore Primary School
Street Dance is back to Stanmore Primary and we have some spaces available!
Come along to learn all Street Dance styles including Locking, Popping, Breaking, Hip-Hop and House! In each class the children will take part in energetic warm ups, street dance routines and also have a chance to develop their own style.
All of our Integr8 Teachers are DBS checked, insured, fully trained and experienced street dancers.
Children in the class will get to take part in performances throughout the year which will build up over time from performing in class, assemblies, school shows and in front of parents.
Tuesday – Juniors (Year 3 – 4) in the Hall between 3:15pm to 4:15pm starting September 10th
Tuesday - Seniors (Years 5 – 6) in the Hall between 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm starting September 10th
Wednesday – Minis (Years R – 2) in the Hall between 3.15 pm to 4.15 pm starting September 11th
Is there a cost?
Street dance costs just £5.00 a class. We do ask you to pay for a term in advance. More on this will be explained once you have signed up.
How do I sign up?
The easiest way to sign up is to email natalie@integr8dance.com You just need to send us your child’s name, age and school that you attend. We will then send you all the information and forms that you need.
Alternatively you can call our office number on 01962 808398
Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis... so be quick! You must sign up before attending the first session.
Stanmore Post - 6th September 2019
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the new school year. The children have already settled back into the routine. I hope that you are all well and had some time to enjoy a summer break.
We welcome five new members of support staff to school; Mrs Johnson is working in Hazel Class with Mr Read; Miss Elkin is working in Aspen with Mrs Ruddick Smith and in Willow Class with Miss Hurley; Miss Bondar is working in Rowan Class with Mrs Jones; Mrs Riches and Mrs Griffiths, who joins us on September 16th, are working across Year 6. We wish them well and look forward to working with them all this year.
There are a couple of improvements to the school environment. The library and Ready to Learn room (R2L) have been brought into the main school building. This means that both these resources are now more easily accessible. From September 16th children will have weekly timetabled access to the library. Each child now has a reading/home school diary. These need to travel to and from school each day, and they will be checked at least once a week by the class teacher. In KS1 we have new reading books as part of an investment in an early reading scheme called Read Write Inc. Please help us to get the best out of this wonderful resource by reading with the children regularly and helping children to be respectful of the books so they remain in good condition. Mrs Jones will be providing further information to KS1 parents. A meeting to find out more is planned for Tuesday 8th October. See the Calendar for further details. Homework will still go home on Thursday to be returned on Wednesday. More information can be found at: https://www.stanmore.hants.sch.uk/homework
Our Keys for Success are: Confidence, resilience, co-operation, persistence, organisation and respect. This year we will celebrate one key a week in our Friday assembly and children will be awarded ‘Keys for Success’ Certificates’. BEST certificates and trophies will still be awarded termly in recognition of our school values: Belonging, Excellence, Support and Trust.
Best wishes
Sharon Taylor
Online Payments and Communication
Everyone should now have received their unique code to access Scopay. The new banking and communication system is now up and running, and the expectation is that every parent/carer will use this system. If you have any issues, please contact May in the office for help.
All dinner debt and credit has been moved to the new system. You can easily see if your child’s account is in credit: which is a requirement for ordering a school lunch. If your child is not in credit, they must be sent to school with a packed lunch from home. There is no minimum limit on the new system, so parents can pay for one day at a time if preferred.
Year 6 Transition
Matthew Leeming will be coming to our school on Wednesday 25th September 2019 to hold the Yr 6 transition talk to parents starting at 6pm. This will be held in the hall.
After school clubs
Stanmore School’s in-house after school clubs will commence week commencing 23rd September and will run through one full term. A full list of the clubs on offer will be sent out on Monday. These clubs will only be available to book online through ScoPay. The clubs available to your child will show in their account. All clubs will have a maximum number of children allowed, and these places will be given on a first-come first-served basis. Once the club is full, it will be closed.
Year R
Our new reception children will be joining us on Monday 9th September. Parents of older children entering Catkins class are invited to join their children for lunch on Wednesday 11th September. Younger children will get their opportunity on Wednesday 18th September. This lunch will be free of charge. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate siblings in the hall, but we would like as many parents as possible to join us. If your child has a younger sibling, we are happy to look after them in another classroom over the lunch period. If you wish to join us for lunch, please let the office know so that May can order your meal. Thank you.
Medication in School
Any medication must be brought in to the school office to be registered. Thank you.
Pupil Details
Next week we will be sending home pupil details forms for parents/carers to update. We will also be sending home new ‘image consent’ forms to ask for permission to show your child’s image. With new curriculum requirements we have added another permission request. Staff will be taking photos of children ‘at work’. This might be in pairs or groups, and is necessary to record a child’s development. At the end of the academic year it is a very special keepsake for parents, however, your child’s book may contain images of other children – this can only happen with the consent of that child’s parent, and with the acceptance that this cannot be shared on social media. Thank you.
100% Attendance Last Year
The following children were awarded a certificate for achieving 100% attendance for the academic year 2018 – 2019. That is a fantastic achievement, and we are thrilled that you wanted to come to school every day. We are also hugely grateful to your wonderful parents for supporting you to get here whatever the weather!
We've won a Bronze medal for our sporting achievements this year!
We are delighted to announce that we, have achieved the School Games Bronze Mark Award for the 2018/19 academic year.
The School Games Mark is a Government led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our success.
Our sporting achievements this year include:
With a number of young people competing in local inter-school competitions this year, we are extremely proud of our pupils for their dedication to all aspects of school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our competitions possible.
As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce and clubs, and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.
A special thanks to all the staff who have supported the children in their sporting activities this year, but particular thanks to Miss Kingshott our PE co-ordinator.
We look forward to applying once again in 2020!
Our 90th anniversary celebrations
On Friday 19 July 2019, over 200 past pupils, members of staff, friends of the school and local dignitaries assembled to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the opening of the school.
A big thank you to all who came and to the children and staff for hosting our guests so wonderfully.
Introducing our new Friendship Ambassadors
We have introduced a new scheme to help our children with friendships and play.
As part of our wider Ready to Learn provision our first Friendship Ambassadors have graduated from their training programme and are already at work supporting children on both the Key Stage 1 and 2 playgrounds.
The Ambassadors are there to help with strategies and but they are not problem solvers. They have a code of conduct that they follow and are aware that the adults on the playground remain in place to keep the children safe.
Friendship Ambassador Code of Conduct
We recognise that we are strategy givers NOT problem solvers.
We understand that if a child has been hurt either by hitting, swearing or name calling, then we must tell an adult immediately.
We understand that if we have any issues or concerns about a problem that we must speak to an adult immediately.
We shall always work in pairs.
We shall design our own timetable and be responsible for keeping to it.
We shall have a Friendship Ambassador meeting every other Wednesday during singing assembly.
The Friendship ambassadors launched their role by presenting a fantastic assembly on 25th June where they explained their role to the whole school.
The aim of the program is to select and train a group of Year 5 students each year so that there will always be a peer support mechanism on the playground. This initiative is also in direct response to a request from our school council - SPEAK.
Year 1 - Exploring volume with water
Another lovely week weather-wise and Year 1 have been working extremely hard.
We have been very excited about the summer fayre; it was lovely to see so many of the children participating in the fun and games on the field after school today.
In maths, we have been using our knowledge of fractions to learn about capacity, and investigating how many half or quarter litres are in a litre, 2 litres etc. We were fortunate to be able to use our outside area during the beautiful summer weather to explore the capacity resources and water.
Following last week’s visit from Witch Sims, the children wrote a ‘thank you’ letter to her for coming to see us. We have also revisited using ‘ed’ to show the regular past tense and worked on our editing skills. Next week, we will be planning our letter that we will be writing to a family friend or relative, to showcase the incredible grammar, vocabulary and punctuation that we have learned this year.
In Geography, we reminded ourselves about the different maps and why we use them. We went outside and made a 3D map of the route the Jolly Postman took, then acted out the story. Thank you to Nora for being an excellent narrator! We have started to map out our classroom and create a key for some of the features.
The children have been learning about the importance of following instructions in our ICT lesson, which is an introduction to algorithms. I was particularly impressed with the speed that most children are able to log in with – this is a huge improvement and allows us to get through more learning within the lesson. Many thanks to everyone who has supported their child in learning to type in their password!
We continue with our phonics and reading daily. We are concentrating on the alternative spelling of different phonemes in phonics, as well as learning to read and spell tricky words.
Stanmore’s Got Talent
At the end of each academic year, the children are invited to audition for Stanmore’s Got Talent, to be held in the school hall.
Each class will be holding auditions, with the children voting which act they would like to send forward (1 act per class). If your child (or a group of friends) would like to audition, that would be great! We ask that we have no fighting or wrestling acts, and acts must be suitable to be performed safely on the school stage.
Breaking News!
Juniper Class have won the £100.00 prize for selling the most raffle tickets! Many thanks to everyone who has supported this. The money will be spent on the class party which will be on Monday 22nd July in the afternoon. A letter about the arrangements for the end of term and class parties will be issued shortly.
Dates for your diary
Thursday 11th July – Meet your child’s new teacher straight after school. The teacher will be in their current classroom.
Friday 12th and Monday 15th July – INSET days
Tuesday 16th July – Ukulele concert in the hall. Exact times to be confirmed, but the provisional times are doors open 2.15pm, Y1 concert from 2.20pm – 2.40pm, Y2 concert from 2.40 – 3.00pm.
Thursday 18th July – Stanmore’s Got Talent class auditions (Y1)
Friday 19th July – stamped addressed envelopes to a family friend or relative to be handed in today
Friday 19th July – Trays cleared and PE kits sent home (please bring in a large, named carrier bag!).
Monday 22nd July – Home learning due in (map of your route to school)
Monday 22nd July – Stanmore’s Got Talent (morning), class parties (afternoon)
Don’t worry, be happy!
We all get worried from time to time. Sometimes they are little worries, and sometimes they feel a lot bigger. Whether it is to do with friendships, growing up, someone close to us not being well, or that we just don’t know what to do about a situation. A worry can become, well, worrisome.
That is why we have the Worry Box. Located in a prominent position within the school, children are encouraged to share their worry with the little worry monster by filling in one of the simple forms. Our trained staff check the worry box each day. Once they’ve picked up the worry, they formulate a plan. They’ll arrange some time to speak to the child with the worry and then talk it through with them.
The idea is that our children get the help and support they need. So sometimes things can be solved by working out a new strategy to tackle the issue. Other times people need help to resolve things, or they just need to know that someone is able to listen to them and understand.
Having a worry is perfectly normal, but we want to help our children through it. Whatever the worry, we are here to help.
Class structure from September 2019
Dear Parents,
It was good to see many of you at the School Improvement Meeting last night. This was a very positive meeting where we heard from the staff at Stanmore about the significant positive steps we have taken on our school improvement journey.
We are determined to deliver our purpose of being committed to purposeful and irresistible learning where our children are inspired to thrive and everyone is the BEST that they can be.
As I said in the Stanmore Post last week, at the meeting last night we also announced staffing and class arrangements for the school from September 2019.
With the financial pressures that all schools are facing across England, the significant improvements in the quality of teaching in our school and the desire to keep the staffing structure as stable as possible for our children, we have decided to introduce mixed aged classes from September.
This change will allow us to:
Provide a quality education for all children throughout the school with minimal disruption caused by staff changes
Give children the opportunity to mix socially with a wider group of friends to help build a strong whole school ethos
Provide well-resourced additional help and support to children with special educational needs, or who have social, emotional or behavioural issues
Build our rich balanced curriculum over two-year cycles, allowing children to experience more irresistible learning opportunities
Allow us to invest in better resources to allow support our children in their learning and their outcomes
Structure the classes in line with our published admissions number (PAN) of 45
Allow us to balance the school’s budget and to continue to invest in the improvements we are making
Many schools in Hampshire have mixed classes, we are not breaking the mould and there are good support and structures in place for schools that are planning and assessing in mixed age classes.
From September the class structure will be:
Year R - Miss Day (Catkins)
Year 1/2 - Mrs Askwith (Maple), Mr Read (Hazel), Mrs Jones (Rowan)
Year 3/4 - Miss Hurley (Willow), Miss Evers (Sycamore), Mrs Horkan (Birch)
Year 5 - Mrs Ruddick-Smith and Miss Norris (Aspen)
Year 6 - Mrs Kempson (Elm), Mrs Laver (Oak)
Please note that Years 5 & 6 will not be combining in the 2019/20 academic year, but they will in 2020/21. They will however follow the same curriculum for foundation subjects.
Miss Young and Miss Kingshott are both leaving Stanmore for new opportunities at the end of term. We would like to take the opportunity to thank them for everything that they have done for the children at Stanmore and wish them all the best for their future.
We appreciate this is a change for many people and so we have included more details with this letter. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the changes we are making please do come and speak to me in the mornings at the front gate, or please do make an appointment.
Sharon Taylor
Headteacher
Frequently Asked Questions about mixed age classes
Why are you mixing different year groups?
The government funds schools according to pupil numbers. Our published admission number (PAN) is 45 which creates a 1.5 form entry school. A fall in our roll, alongside ongoing pressure on school budgets has meant that the school is no longer in a position to financially support a 14 class structure. We have considered a range of options and have balanced these against factors such as infant class size limits and the challenges of teaching across Key Stages. Following research, and after taking advice from the Local Authority, having discussions with colleagues in other schools and undertaking a number of meetings involving Governors and school leaders, we feel that the best option to allow the school to continue on its improvement journey is to combine Years 1 and 2 within KS1 and to combine Years 3 and 4 within KS2 from September 2019.
How will two year groups be taught alongside each other in one classroom?
All children develop at different rates. It isn’t automatic that the oldest child in a class will achieve better than the youngest child. Children will be taught to their individual academic needs and not simply to their age. All classes in the school have a large range of maturity and attainment. Teachers will choose work appropriate to the standard a child is working at, ensuring that all needs are catered for. In the majority of lessons, the children will start the session together on the carpet with the teacher targeting questions at individuals or groups of children at an appropriate level.We refer to this as ‘flexible grouping.’ Children will then be provided with appropriate tasks to consolidate or practise what they have been taught, with the teacher and / or Teaching Assistant working with children who require additional assistance or who need to be challenged to explore concepts in greater depth or learn something new. On occasion, groups of children may be removed from whole class teaching in order to facilitate this.
How will teachers plan, ensuring coverage of both the year group curriculums, and preventing repetition of content?
With the exception of Maths, English and Science, the curriculum content isn’t split into separate Year group content, rather, there is an expectation for the end of the key stage. Subject Leaders at Stanmore are developing a progression of skills for children to work through in each year group. Curriculum areas such as History and Geography will be taught on a two year cycle, ensuring that content is not repeated unless it needs to be built upon. In the case of Maths and English, the two curricula are completely aligned, with the majority of objectives being matched with a similar but slightly trickier objective for the older year group if appropriate. Ensuring coverage of national curriculum objectives for both year groups in the same classroom will therefore be easily facilitated by normal classroom practice.
How will we ensure the highest academic expectations for all children?
Both national and local data for performance of children at the end of KS1 and 2 suggests that being placed in a mixed age classes has no negative impact on children’s academic achievements. This is supported by educational research, with some studies suggesting that children often perform better when placed in classes with a bigger age range. A mixed age classroom means that the children will have greater flexibility to learn with children of their own standard. Children who find aspects of the curriculum more challenging will be supported in the same way they have been in single year classes. Children working above the expected standard will be provided with work which both deepens their understanding and moves them on to explore new concepts. As part of our curriculum, learning will continue to be focussed on explaining reasoning and problem solving both of which extend children’s understanding without them having to access a separate curriculum. Rich texts will be carefully chosen ensuring that they are easy to learn but contain the relevant sentence structures and vocabulary to stretch children at the appropriate level.
How will we ensure that children cope socially and emotionally with changes in their current class structures?
Our previous experience of mixed age teaching shows us that children thrive in a mixed age class. Children learn to form wider friendships and relate to broader groups of children, creating a classroom atmosphere where children are enjoined to help others and seek support from their older peers rather than simply relying on adult support.
How will we ensure that Year 1 children cope with the transition into a more formal classroom environment?
The EYFS and Year 1/2 teachers have been working closely together to ensure that EYFS children are well prepared for the formalities of a KS1 classroom. The transition from Year R to Year 1 will be managed particularly carefully for those pupils who have not achieved a good level of development by the end of Year R as these children will still need more access to play based activity.
How will we create the new classes?
We will consider a number of factors when creating classes for next year. In order to ensure equity of provision for all children, we will be creating 3 mixed Y1/2 classes in KS1 and 3 mixed Y3/4 classes in KS2. In doing this we will consider pre-existing friendship groups, the current attainment of children and any other social or emotional concerns. Where possible, family members will not be placed together. This will be done in close liaison with class teachers, who have a strong understanding of how different groups of children work together.
How will we manage statutory testing in KS1?
As you may be aware, children in both Years 1 and 2 are subject to statutory testing, with Year 1 children undertaking the Phonics Screening Check and Year 2 undertaking SATS tests. At Stanmore Primary School we are committed to achieving the best possible standards for our children without teaching to the test. Year 1 children will be prepared for the Phonics Screening Check in the same way they would be every year, with planned improvements in place to raise the quality of phonics teaching, enabling the children to confidently decode when it comes to the assessment. Equally, preparation for SATS testing in Year 2 will not sit outside of normal classroom practice. Year 1 children will not be expected to sit the Year 2 papers and they will be taught their usual curriculum during KS1 SATS week, with Year 2 children being removed in groups to sit the papers.
How big will the class sizes be?
All infant classes will have 30 pupils or less, and junior classes will have 30 pupils.