Free dance and drama workshop in half term
Bernie Grant Centre is offering free dance and drama workshops in the school holidays for children aged 7 and above.
Follow this link if you would like to book.
Information about our organisational changes
Dear Parents / Carers,
You will know from our newsletters and our campaigning around school budgets that our school has experienced significant cuts. We are not alone in this and for some time schools both nationally and locally have been expected to meet increasing costs whilst their budgets have either remained the same or reduced each year.
Here at Earlsmead, we are looking at potential cuts of £121,564 in 2018-19 and our financial projections show that this will increase each year unless we make significant changes to our spending now.
When considering what changes to make, our main priority is always to ensure that the school is a safe and positive environment for children to learn and grow in and to achieve excellent learning outcomes.
Over the last 18 months we have made a number of changes to reduce our costs but unfortunately these have not been enough and we now have to look at reorganising the school’s staffing structure in order to meet the financial challenges all schools are facing. With this in mind, this week we began a process of Organisational Change at the school. Obviously in any school the largest part of our spending is on staffing and therefore we have had to make the difficult decision to propose to reduce the number of support staff on our team so that we are able to achieve the necessary savings.
This decision has not been taken lightly and is driven entirely by difficult financial realities. It is in no sense a reflection on how we value our support staff or the valuable contribution that they make to the life of the school.
Within the proposed new model we are committed to ensuring that we have enough highly qualified staff to ensure that the needs of children are met and that the school achieves the ambitious outcomes it has for every child.
The process of Organisational Change is a formal process and involves a consultation period for those staff who will be affected by the changes. During this time it is only affected staff who are invited to comment on the proposal and ask any questions that they might have in response to it.
I will write and let you know exactly what the new staffing model looks like early on in January.
Yours sincerely,
Hina Shah
Headteacher
Update from Pendarren
Some of our Year 6s are currently in Wales staying at Pendarren House. Today they are on their way to the beach! So far two groups have been caving and one group went canoeing and had some time on the high ropes. We hope they are having an amazing time and we are looking forward to seeing them return on Friday.
Secondary Transfer Information for Year 6
The Haringey secondary transfer booklet is now available as a digital version online.
Earlsmead School Parent Application Workshops
Parents, you will need to apply online, there is free internet access in all
libraries and we will also be running free application workshops at
school every morning next week 16 th – 20 th October between 9:00 –
10:00 am. If you’re attending a workshop please make sure you bring
your child’s birth certificate, a council tax bill and another utility bill
with your current, correct address. You must also be able to login to
your email account. If you have previously made an application through
eadmissions you will already have an eadmissions account so make
sure you have the username and password details to hand.
Secondary School Open Events
Download the open days for Haringey secondary schools here
All completed applications must be submitted before Tuesday 31st October 2017. The eAdmissions website is www.eadmissions.org.uk
If you would like to find out your home to school distances to Haringey schools, you can email Haringey at schooladmissions@haringey.gov.uk
The Haringey secondary transfer booklet is also available at www.haringey.gov.uk/schooladmissions
If you do have any questions or queries about applying for a secondary school place, please don’t hesitate to contact Miss Horbury or Mrs Drummond for advice.
Haringey Young Savers Scheme
Changes to Year 5 Swimming Sessions
As you know Year 5 will be going on their RE trips to Palmers Green Mosque over the next couple of weeks. This will have an impact on the classes swimming times. Swimming sessions will be swapped around a little bit to avoid any classes missing out on their weekly sessions. The details of the swapped sessions are given below:
Wednesday 4th October - 5 Lilac go swimming 10:50 – 12:25 (swapped with 5 Lime)
Thursday 5th October - 5 Lime go swimming, leaving school at 9:00 am for their 9:30 am session (swapped with 5 Lilac)
Blue class stays the same on Thursday morning, leaving school at 8:35 am for their 9:00am session.
Wednesday 11th October - 5 Blue go swimming 10:50 – 12:25 (swapped with 5 Lime)
Thursday 12th October - 5 Lime go swimming, leaving school at 8:35 am for their 9:00am session.
Lilac class stays the same on Thursday morning, leaving school at 9:00 am for their 9:30am session.
These changes will only affect swimming sessions for the next couple of weeks. Swimming sessions on Wednesday 18th October and Thursday 19th October will return to normal.
Walthamstow Wetlands - Coming Soon!
We’re excited to announce that the Walthamstow Wetlands will be opening very soon on Friday 20th October. We have worked closely with them over the last academic year. Pink and Yellow class created amazing works of art inside glass jars that will be displayed in the main engine house as part of the ‘Vessels’ installation. We’re looking forward to visiting with our classes in the future months.
Walthamstow Wetlands will be open to the public all of Half Term week and at any point in time families can pick up activity packs for nature trails or self-guided activities. There will also be 5 set event days:
Monday 23rd October, 10-3
Under 5s Activity Day: Leaves
Join us for storytelling sessions, wildlife activities and an afternoon of arts & crafts all about leaves.
Tuesday 24th October, 10-3
Family Fun Day: Hibernation
Come for a fun morning of stories and crafts, and an afternoon of building homes for hibernating mammals.
Wednesday 25th October, 10-3
Under 5s Activity Day: Birds
Join us for storytelling sessions, wildlife activities and an afternoon of arts & crafts all about birds.
Saturday 28th October, 10-3
Wild Weekend: Hungry Hedgehogs
Learn all about hedgehogs during this day of stories, talks, hibernacula making and arts & crafts.
Sunday 29th October, 10-3
Wild Weekend: Brilliant Bats.
Join us for a family friendly day with storytelling, talks and arts & crafts all about bats.
All events are held at the Marine Engine House, Walthamstow Wetlands, 2 Forest Road, N17 9NH.
All events are FREE, but registering is advised to avoid disappointment- all the links to register are on the website www.wildlondon.org.uk/whats-on.
Our October Newsletter
Macmillan Coffee Morning and Bake Sale - Friday 29th September
Earlsmead School’s Macmillan Coffee Morning and After School Bake Sale - Friday 29th September at 8:55 – 10:00 in the hall.
Friday 29th September will be our parents/carers and friends of Earlsmead community coffee morning to support Macmillan Cancer Care.
Parent/Carers are invited to bake delicious bakes to donate and share with each other whilst having a chat and a giggle over a cuppa raising money to support Macmillan Cancer Care together.
We’ll also be voting for our very own Earlsmead ‘Star Baker’.
All cakes and bakes donated will also be on sale again at the end of the school day to raise even more money for such an amazing cause.
Bring your cake contributions in on Friday morning ready for the event.
We’ve all been affected by cancer in some way, so dig out your cake tins and muffin trays and get baking!!!
Remember: NO NUTS as we have a number of children and adults with severe nut allergies.
Earlsmead Ballet Club Starting Next Week
Earlsmead Ballet Club starts again next week on Tuesday and Wednesday after school!
Tuesdays from 26th September – KS 2 Ballet Club
Wednesdays from 27th September – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Ballet Club
- Ballet club aims to be:
- Fun for both boys and girls
- Involve fun, energetic & expressive dance
- Learn traditional ballet movement technique & real ballet terminology from Leonie our very experienced and accomplished ballet teacher
- Improve posture, co-ordination, confidence, balance and more
- Become stronger and learn to dance all at the same time
Letters have been sent out to those children who returned their initial interest letters. If you would like to join ballet club please speak to Miss Horbury or collect a letter from the office.
Be Internet Awesome!
When our kids are young, we do our best to help them get the most out of the Internet while protecting them from the online worldʼs risks and downsides. But as children mature into teenagers, our role shifts to helping them learn to make their own safe and ethical decisions as they navigate their digital lives.
At Earlsmead, we believe this means preparing our KS2 students to:
- Think critically and evaluate online sources.
- Protect themselves from online threats, including bullies and scams.
- Get smart about sharing: what, when, and with whom.
- Be kind and respectful toward other people and their privacy.
- Ask for help from a parent or other adult with tricky situations.
This year these efforts will include Be Internet Awesome, a multifaceted program designed to teach kids the skills they need to be safe and smart online. One of the resources, Interland, is a playful browser-based game that makes learning about digital safety interactive and fun—just like the Internet itself. Developed by Google in partnership with the educators and online safety experts at iKeepSafe.org, Be Internet Awesome provides fun, age-appropriate learning experiences built around five foundational lessons:
- Share with Care
- Donʼt Fall for Fake
- Secure Your Secrets
- Itʼs Cool to Be Kind
- When in Doubt, Talk It Out
Smart, safe technology usage can help students learn better, and help our schools function better. We believe the Be Internet Awesome program will mark an important step toward our goal of ensuring that all our students at Earlsmead are learning, exploring, and staying safe online.
If youʼre interested, weʼll be happy to share more information about this new program, including introductions to some of the resources your kids might start using at home. We encourage you to ask them about what weʼre doing in class; you might pick up a few privacy and security tricks yourselves!
Coffee Morning Friday 22nd September 9:00 am
Earlsmead Primary School has a positive inclusive ethos. We want our young people to come to school without the fear of being bullied. We want everyone in the school community to know that bullying is not tolerated or accepted.
As part of this work we are working towards the ABQM award (Anti bullying quality mark) this year.
Please come to our coffee morning to meet and talk to Mrs Drummond (lead on Behaviour and Anti-bullying) and Arta and Yvonne (Learning mentors). There will also be information on how to help protect your child from cyberbullying.
Our September Newsletter
New Security Measures
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you for your support around the security measures we introduced last year that were aimed at preventing strangers from entering the building and to ensure that pupils were able to enter and exit the school building safely.
Over the last year these measures were constantly under review in order to establish how successfully they achieved the desired outcome and to identify any additional weaknesses in security.
Our commitment to keeping your children safe from the moment you leave them in our care is of fundamental importance to us. At the same time, we fully appreciate that parents and carers need to have access to the school office during the school day. As a result we will be implementing the following measures from today:
You will notice that there are no longer any buzzers on any of the playground entrances. This means you will not be able to enter the building through any of these doors or to use the Nursery as a cut through to the main office. The only access point for parents and carers and any visitors to the school is the main side entrance on Broad Lane.
Only pupils accompanied by their parent / carer will be allowed to play in the playgrounds after school. Children will be the responsibility of their accompanying parents / carer. A bell will be rung at 3.45 p.m. when you will then have to leave. This enables safe supervision of After School Club children and other Clubs that use the playgrounds
Lost property will be stored in a labelled, weather proof container in the junior and infant playgrounds and not in the school building
All Club leaders have asked that parents and carers make arrangements for siblings or other relatives of club participants to be collected after school at 3.15 p.m. They will not be allowed to watch sessions as club leaders can no longer take responsibility for their supervision
Please ensure that you send your child in with all the equipment / kit / snacks that they need for the club that they are attending in a bag. Let the class teacher or member of support staff know you have done this.
Parents and Carers will no longer be permitted to watch their children during sessions. In these circumstances you are welcome to wait for your child in the playground. Club leaders will accompany club participants to the junior playground at the end of the session where you will be expected to collect them punctually
Club leaders will invite parents and carers to attend showcase performances at different points in the year as we are all keen for you to enjoy and celebrate your children’s accomplishments
If it is your child’s class assembly you are very welcome to come in and watch their performance
If you wish to make an appointment with your child’s class teacher or any other member of staff, please come to the school office or telephone on the number above, leaving a message and contact number. We will always call you back.
Please keep in mind that the reason for implementing these measures is to keep children as safe as possible whilst they are in our care and please do support staff who are working hard to ensure that we achieve this.
Over the next couple of years we will continue to monitor and evaluate the measures taken and will also look at further improvements we can make including increasing CCTV coverage around the school building and its grounds.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, it would be good to hear from you. If you have any queries please contact me or any member of the senior leadership team through the school office.
Best wishes,
Hina Shah
Headteacher.
Free athletics sessions from top UK coaches
Carnival Against the Cuts Sunday 16th July
Summer 2017 Parent/Carer Survey
We'd love to hear how you think we are doing at Earlsmead. Please take the time to fill in our very quick parent and carer survey.
Parent Information: KS1 and KS2 SATS Results
What is the new system for primary school test results?
In 2014 the Department for Education (DfE) announced changes to the National Curriculum.
As part of the changes, the ‘levels’ system previously used to report on children’s attainment was removed. From 2016, SATs results were reported using scaled scores.
What is a scaled score?
Each child is given a scaled score as a number. This is based on his/her raw score – the number of marks he/she receives in a test. Children may achieve a score of:
- Below 100, meaning they have not achieved the ‘expected standard’
- 100, meaning that they have reached the ‘expected standard’
- Above 100, meaning that they have exceeded the ‘expected standard’
For children in year 2 taking the Key Stage (KS) 1 tests, scores range from 85 to 115. In year 6 (KS2) they range from 80 to 120. A child who reaches the expected standard (100 or above) is considered to be ready for the next stage of his or her education.
Why use scaled scores?
Scaled scores help test results to be reported consistently from one year to the next.
For example, if two children achieve the same scaled scores in different tests in different years, they will have the same level of attainment.
How will results be reported in year 2?
Most children in year 2 will have taken tests in maths and reading. Teachers will convert children’s raw scores into scaled scores to see if they have met the national standard. They will combine this information with what they already know from teaching your child. You will find out whether your child has met the standard of the test, but the scores won’t be published. If you would like to see your child’s score, please contact the school.
How will results be reported in year 6?
Most children in year 6 will have taken tests in maths, reading, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Your child’s end-of-year report will include their scaled score and clear confirmation as to whether they have met the national standard. Some schools also took ‘sample’ science tests. However, these results will not be reported.
FAQs
Should I be worried if my child does not meet the expected standard?
There is no reason to worry. The tests are designed to help identify where children may need extra support as early as possible.
Your child will also receive teacher assessment results which help to give a broader picture of how well they are doing. If you have any concerns, please speak to your child’s teacher.
Is it true that the tests have been more difficult since the curriculum changes?
Yes, it is true that these tests have been more challenging than the tests based on the previous curriculum, and that the new expected standard is higher. This means that, across the country, fewer children have met the expected standard in the past 2 years than previously.
Can we compare the results with previous years?
This is the second year of the new SATs tests, and the second time results will be reported using scaled scores. The results will therefore be comparable with last year’s tests, but will look very different from years prior to that.
E-safety message: Snapchat
We are issuing a warning about the popular social media app Snapchat. This follows a new update to the app called Snap Map. Snap Map lets users share their exact location with people on their "friends" list in real time. While location information is shared only with people on your "friends" list, that could include people you do not actually know, such as friends met on other apps and websites. We do not recommend letting your children use Snapchat until they are at least 13, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
For more information and a short guide explaining how to switch off location sharing, take a look at this CBBC article.
We live in an exciting age of digital technology but must put the safety of our children first. E-safety and safe use of the internet is something that we place at the heart of our school curriculum. More information can be found by clicking on the e-safety page on our school website earlsmead.haringey.sch.uk/internet-safety.
As always we recommend you keep an open dialogue with your children about the websites and applications they use online, and if needs be ask them to no longer use it, explaining to them the potential dangers. If you have any concerns around other games and apps that your child uses at home please come in and talk to us about them.