2015/2016 issue 8
2: 2031
HAMBRIDGE SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
27 November 2015
HEADTEACHER’S ADDRESS
Dear Parents
We are now over half way through
this final half term of 2015 and we
now enter the run up to Christmas.
However, there is much to be done
before we break up on Friday 18
December. We are just concluding
our assessment week so there are
interim reports to write, parent
consultations to attend, choir
performances to be given, finals to
be competed in as well as all the
Christmas activities. This is always
an extremely busy and sometimes
frantic time of the year and the
holidays will be well earned by all!
Best wishes
Iain Crabtree
Headteacher
ACTIVITIES
Please note below the list of events
so far for the rest of term.
27 November – Ilminster Victorian Day
– Choir singing
27 November – Pre-School Bingo
28 November (Saturday) – Wellington
School Maths Challenge
1 December – Sports Hall Athletics
Finals at Yeovil College
3 December – CLP Advent Concert
4 December – FOHSA Christmas Fayre
4 December – Interim reports sent out
7 December – Choir performing at
Wells Cathedral
8 December – Parents Evening
10 December – Parents Evening
11 December – Shopping Mall
15 December – Performance for
children ‘Sword in the Stone’
15 December – County finals for
badminton and sports hall athletics.
16 December – Children’s Christmas
Party
17 December – Children’s Christmas
Dinner
18 December – KS1 Christmas service
am. KS2 Christmas service pm.
Admissions
Do you have a child who is due to
start school in September 2016?
(DOB between 01/09/2011 31/08/2012
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If so, you need to apply for a
school place before the closing
date of 15 January 2016.
For further information you can
view the Starting School booklet
and apply on line at:
www.somerset.gov.uk/admissions
or you can request a paper
application from Somerset Direct
on 0300 123 2224.
Please be aware, even if you
currently have a sibling at this
school, you MUST still make an
application, failure to do so may
result in your younger child not
getting a place at this school.
INSET days
In a previous newsletter I referred
to the possible changing of inset
days this academic year.
We, as a staff, feel we need 2
days at the beginning of the
Spring term so that we can fully
evaluate ourselves and organize
our priorities for improving our
provision. This would mean
replacing the inset day on
Monday 6 June with a new date
of Tuesday 5 January meaning
both Monday 4 and Tuesday 5
January would be inset days.
This would mean for pupils and
parents that the Spring term
would start on Wednesday 6
January and the last half term of
the year would start on Monday 6
June.
We would not like to compromise
parents in any way with regard to
arrangements you may have
already made. Could I, therefore,
please ask any parents who are
affected by this possible change
to contact the office as soon as
possible prior to us making this
decision.
the County Finals at Millfield on
Tuesday 15 December.
Sports Hall Athletics: our team of
18 pupils will compete in the
South Somerset Finals on
Tuesday 1 December with the aim
of reaching the County Finals at
Millfield. Good luck.
Tag Rugby: a year 3 team
represent the school recently at
Perrott Hill Prep School and
performed extremely
competitively.
Staff training
Due to the uncertain educational
times that we live in (new
curriculum, assessment without
levels, new ways of schools
working together etc) both the
staff and myself have had to
attend numerous meetings and
training events. For myself this
will continue until the end of
term. However, I understand the
impact this has, both in the
classroom and on the staff, and
intend to reduce this significantly
from the Spring term onwards.
Reading and spellings
Sainsbury School Games
Friday football
Badminton: congratulations to
both our badminton teams and
Mr Francombe as they were
placed 1st and 2nd in the South
Somerset finals and both teams
will represent South Somerset in
Can I emphasize how crucial it is
that our children do read
regularly and learn their spellings.
These are basic skills required to
make good educational progress
and we would be very grateful for
parental support, in checking that
your children are doing so and
noting this in their reading
records.
As the pitches are now quite
waterlogged it is essential for
health and safety reasons that
pupils have studded football
boots. If children turn up for the
club with only trainers we will
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have to put them into film club
rather than run the risk of them
injuring themselves.
Circus skills will not take place on
Monday 7 December. All other
clubs will run until Friday 11
December.
Parents evenings
Parents evenings are Tuesday 8
and Thursday 10 December.
Booking sheets for parents
evening will be placed in the
verandah on Monday 30
December.
us to do this in years 3-5 by the
end of the Summer term.
We will continue to grade our
pupils in terms of their effort (and
persistent effort is the single
most important driver in
achieving success) and behaviour
for learning.
Reports
Questionnaires
As part of the school self
evaluation we need to seek the
views of pupils and parents in
order to help us prioritise what
we need to improve. You will all
receive a paper copy of our latest
parent questionnaire and we
would be very grateful if you
could find the time to complete it
before Monday 7 December.
At our last Ofsted inspection in
March 2013 the inspector
remarked that she had never seen
such a high percentage return of
parent questionnaires. It would
be marvellous if we could get as
many views again.
We will be seeking the view of the
pupils through a different
questionnaire before the end of
term.
Clubs
Next week will be the last week
for cookery club this term.
Your child’s interim report should
be with you on Friday 4
December. To fit in with current
educational thinking and the new
curriculum we have had to
change our way of reporting your
child’s progress.
Pupils at the end of each
academic year are expected to
have reached the standard for
that year group. We shall,
therefore, be reporting on
whether we think the pupils are
likely to meet that standard. In
the Autumn and Spring terms this
is both subjective and speculative
but at the end of the Summer
term when, all the curriculum for
that year group has been taught,
it would be far more objective.
At the end of year 6, rather than a
level, pupils will receive a
standardized score where 100 is
deemed to be the national
standard and, therefore, scores
above or below that would be
above or below the national
standard. It may be possible for
Drop off zone
I received a vociferous complaint
from a member of the public
driving their car past the school
this morning who felt it was
illegal for parents to park on the
zigzag lines. This is, in fact,
erroneous and I have in the past
been accompanied by the PCSO
and the Highways Agency staff
whilst being on duty.
However, it may appear to
members of the public that
parents are parking, rather than
dropping off if their child is not
ready to get out of the car.
Getting out quickly would also
make life a lot more pleasant for
me.
Pre-School bingo
Doors open at 6.30 pm and eyes
down at 7 pm tonight. Do please
support this fund raising effort for
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our Pre-School. My apologies in
advance that I cannot be there as
it is my daughter’s birthday.
school. As part of our whole school
writing assessment I had written to
the children explaining that, due to
the cost and loss of teaching time,
Christmas would not be celebrated
at school this year. Their letters in
response have convinced me
otherwise.
The Christmas Shopping
Mall
Christmas Fayre
This is being held on Friday 4
December from 6pm by FOHSA
and we do hope that you can all
make it and complete your
Christmas shopping while
listening to the school choir
singing Christmas carols.
The children’s Christmas Shopping
Mall organized by FOHSA will take
place on Friday 11 December. For
those of you who are new to the
school this is an opportunity for all
of our children to do their
Christmas shopping and have the
gifts wrapped. There is a limit of
£5/pupil and each gift costs £1.
… and finally
Choir
Today sees the beginning of a
very busy period for the choir.
Over 30 will be performing at the
Ilminster Victorian Day today, at
the CLP Advent Concert on 3
December, at the Christmas
Fayre on 4 December and at
Wells Cathedral on Monday 7
December.
The very best of luck to our maths
team as they attempt to outcalculate 40 other school teams at
the Wellington School Maths
Challenge on Saturday morning.
Yeovil Town Football Club
Yeovil Town are beginning training
on the Huish Academy 3G for years
2-7 on Wednesdays. Further
details can be found at:
www.ytcst.net or on 01935 706671.
Christmas
The rumours are not true!
Christmas will be celebrated at
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“You have only FAILED if you have GIVEN UP, until then it’s learning” Aristotle