On Friday 28th April some of our Year 5 children took part in a ‘Planting and Growing Workshop’ at the Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre. We planted a variety of seeds including sweetcorn, peas, squash and a variety of herbs. We are delighted that we will be continuing to work closely with Chicken Town who are providing a programme of gardening opportunities for our children over the coming weeks of the summer term.
We have some exciting job opportunities at our school for an English Subject Leader, two Class Teachers and a Site Services Manger.
If you would are interested in joining our team and would like more information please visit our Vacancies page.
Dear Parents and Carers,
After our very rigorous and much anticipated Ofsted inspection I am delighted to inform you that the school was judged as GOOD. We have now received the official report which you can read here. If you require a hard copy, please ask the office and they can print out a copy of the report.
The report acknowledges our strong drive to ensure that every child makes good progress and succeeds academically whilst also experiencing a wide range of enrichment activities that make such a strong contribution to their personal development.
We were very pleased that this was acknowledged as a strength as we believe that young children deserve and need to experience diverse learning opportunities that excite and motivate them. As a result we have always maintained a commitment to ensuring that we provide these within the curriculum and through extracurricular activities particularly in relation to sport and music.
Positive recognition was also given to our shared vision of creating a community of lifelong learners and the way in which staff are keen to improve their own effectiveness by sharing best practice in the school and collaborating with colleagues in other schools. As a result, the quality of teaching was seen to be improving and leading to even better outcomes for pupils.
The inspector recognised that the changes we have made to the teaching of reading, writing and maths are the right ones and are already resulting in improvements in all of these areas.
The report also praises the way in which we keep pupils safe and the strong culture of vigilance in the school, with every member of staff being well aware of potential risks and leaders being experienced and well trained to take appropriate actions when concerns arise.
It was great to see the strong emphasis we have placed on e-safety and social media being recognised as a strength and most importantly that it was clear to Ofsted that as a result, pupils understand how to stay safe.
Thank you to those parents and carers who were able to respond to Ofsted’s online survey despite the technical glitches they experienced and for the support you all continue to show the school.
Despite being very pleased with the inspection result, staff and Governors are not complacent and will continue to work hard and strive for excellence by working with you to ensure that the pupils of Earlsmead have the very best educational experience possible.
Yours sincerely,
Hina Shah
Headteacher.
Articulation of phonemes(youtube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhXUW_v-1s
Phonics games http://www.familylearning.org.uk/phonics_games.html
Games http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html
Phonics games http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Games http://www.starfall.com/
http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/literacy/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1literacy.html
http://www.iboard.co.uk/activities/path/phonics
Online books https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading-owl/find-a-book
Free online stories for children http://www.trilingualmama.com/online-stories-for-children/
We currently have two teaching positions available from September 2017, one for a full time class teacher and one for an NQT.
Take a look at our Vacancies page for the adverts, job descriptions and information on how to apply.
We're not yolk-ing when we say our annual Easter egg decorating competition brought some egg-ceptional entries. Take a look at the pictures below.
We believe that children should be seen and even more importantly heard! At Earlsmead, we aim to deliver an English curriculum that is motivating, innovative and accessible for all. Through good and outstanding teaching, we hope that children will develop a love of - and confidence for - all aspects of the English curriculum.
For a wealth of information on how we teach English at Earlsmead please see our special website.
Students from 6 Green and 6 Amber were taken for a high-wire tree top adventure at the brand new Go Ape course in Alexandra Palace. Many of the children managed to conquer their fears of heights and it was fantastic seeing how supportive and kind they were to each other. Well done Year 6!
The scholastic book fair can be found in the KS2 playground after school until the Tuesday 28th March. Come and take a look at some fantastic books at great prices!
Please read the document Responding to the National Funding Formula consultation – a guide for parents
Please remember: THIS CONSULTATION CLOSES ON 22ND MARCH 2017
Year 6 Green and Year 6 Amber spent an incredible week in South Wales, staying at Pendarren House Outdoor Education Centre.
Pendarren House stands on the southern slopes of the Black Mountains overlooking the Grwyne Fawr valley within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The location offers an amazing contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city and following in the footsteps of previous cohorts, our Year 6 classes stayed a week in the historic country house. The students took part in a wide range of adventurous outdoor activities such as mountain hiking, canoeing, gorge walking and rock pooling.
Learn more about Pendarren House Outdoor Education Centre on their official website.
Have you seen our new Class Pages? Each class has its very own website which will be regularly updated throughout the school year with photos and information about what your children are doing in their class. We hope you enjoy them!
At Earlsmead we regard regular attendance and punctuality with great importance. Take a look at our Attendance page to learn more about attendance at Earlsmead, read important documents on leave of absence and to find out which classes have the best attendance and punctuality.
Aboubakary, Chris and JJ from Year 6 have brought a bit of spring colour into our quiet area.
Being the keen gardeners they are, they planted some colourful flowering plants which we hope will continue to grow and be enjoyed by our whole school community.
We really hope that everyone enjoys them and works together to look after them.
Ibrahim in Year 1 Aqua wrote this amazing piece of writing all about dinosaurs during some free time in his class. He showed his teacher Miss Heynan who was extremely impressed!
Ibrahim really enjoyed sharing his fabulous writing with others around the school and we'd like to share it with you too!
If you've also done a piece of work you're really proud of at home or at school, we'd love to share it with everybody too!
Dear Parent/Carer,
The NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. programme is visiting our school to make sure our pupils have the knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse.
I’m pleased to tell you that we will be working with the NSPCC, the UK’s leading children’s charity, who’ll be delivering their Speak out. Stay safe. programme on Monday 13th March. This is a nationwide programme for every primary-school-aged child in the UK and Channel Islands. With the help of their friendly mascot Buddy, they’ll be presenting an assembly to the children in our school as well as a workshop for Years 5 and 6.
"NSPCC has helped me to build the confidence to tell people about my worries and problems." Child’s feedback
Through child-friendly, interactive assemblies and workshops their specially trained staff and volunteers will give our children information about how to keep themselves safe from harm and how to get help if they have any worries, sensitively discussing issues like bullying and sexual abuse, without using scary words or adult language.
We have studied the content of the materials and heard from other schools who have participated and are extremely confident that they are appropriate for primary-school-aged children. By the end of their visit, we’re convinced children will feel empowered – knowing how they can speak out and stay safe.
"This service provides important information in a child-friendly way – it should be made mandatory in all schools. A brilliant service!" Teacher, Wistaston Primary, Crewe
If you would like any more information about the NSPCC Speak out. Stay safe. programme, including frequently asked questions, you can find it on the NSPCC website nspcc.org.uk/schools or please come into speak to me and I can provide more information.
The NSPCC’s work in schools will help encourage conversations about staying safe – and they have a number of child-friendly materials to help you carry on the conversation afterwards. That includes ‘The Underwear Rule’, a simple way for parents to help keep children safe from sexual abuse – without using scary words or even mentioning sex.
The guide uses the rules of PANTS to teach children that their body belongs to them and them alone. You can find out more and download the free resources at nspcc.org.uk/pants
If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/
Yours sincerely,
Hina Shah
Headteacher
