Author: Mr Roundtree

As we return to school, we begin our Living and Learning theme with a focus on manners: I can greet someone politely.

We’ll then continue by thinking about the ‘8 Rs for learning’. This theme is about promoting good learning behaviour for your child.

Each week, we’ll focus on two different ‘Rs’. We use an animal to symbolise each ‘R’, which might help your child remember all eight – can your child remember which animal matches the correct ‘R’?

You can support your child at home – we’ve listed a few ideas to help you below. Ask us if you’ve any questions or comments.

Download top tips for promoting the 8Rs for good learning behaviour.

I can show I am ready to learn.

Make sure your child is at school for a prompt start of 08:50.
Make sure your child has had plenty of sleep so they are alert and ready to learn at all times.
Encourage your child to ask lots of questions – that shows they want to learn!

I respond to feedback.

Ask your child if they remember their ‘stars’ and ‘steps’ in English and Maths.

I take a safe risk.

Talk about the difference between a safe and unsafe risk.  At school, we want your child to take a safe risk by having a go at answering, even if unsure; trying something new and attempting harder learning.

I take responsibility for my own learning.

Provide time and space at home so your child is able to organise themselves: their PE kit, reading book, homework, spellings and tables… Don’t organise everything for them!
Make a link between rights and responsibilities: your child has the right to a great education, but needs to be responsible for their own learning.

I am resourceful.

Encourage your child to be organised so they can play with a range of different toys.
Encourage your child to try new ways to solve a tricky problem.

I am resilient.

Encourage your child to keep going! Set a tricky challenge or puzzle for your child to do.
Encourage your child to think of different ways of doing things.
Don’t let your child win when they play a game – they need to experience losing, too!
Celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn – be happy that your child found some learning hard and encourage them to ‘bounce back’ and learn from the experience.

I remember.

Make sure they have time to learn spellings, number bonds and times tables – a little practice daily is best.
Play memory games:

Kim’s game: show them objects for 30 seconds… can they remember all the objects?
Can they build up the sequence, ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple and a bike.’… ‘I went to the shop and I bought an apple, a bike and a cucumber.’ etc … Take turns!

I reflect about my learning.

Talk with your child about what they’ve learnt, asking questions about:

how they learnt
why they learnt it
when they’ll use their learning
how they would teach this to someone else
what learning might link with what they’ve learnt today etc

As well as covering the 8Rs for learning, pupils will also learn about their rights and responsibilities.

Finally, we end the half term learning about democracy (one of the British Values).  All children have the opportunity to experience democracy in our annual School Council elections.  More details to follow.

Our full Living and Learning long term plan is available on the health pages and you can keep up to date with our weekly Living and Learning statements on the parent noticeboard in the playground and also on the school calendar.

Thank you to all of you who completed the Summer 2018 parents’ and carers’ survey. This news post is a repeat of one published at the start of the summer holidays, in case you missed it then.

This year, the number of responses more than doubled: 23 of you gave us your feedback, and these spread very evenly across all the classes. This means the information we gather from the survey is more reliable.

Below is a summary of what you’ve said. We’re delighted that for so many statements, 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed – this is even better than last year when 91% of respondents was a typical figure.

Lots of you added some comments after each question; we’ve included here just one or two that represent typical responses.

Please do remember that what you say is important to us. We can’t guarantee we can accommodate everyone’s wishes or opinions expressed in the survey, but we do guarantee we consider each one. And don’t forget: if you have any questions, comments or concerns, do speak with your child’s class teacher or to Miss Beatson, our Head of School. They’re often around at the start and end of the school day.

1. My child is happy at St James’ CE Primary School.
100% agreed or strongly agreed with this (up from 91% last year).
Typical feedback includes:
‘Both my children love getting up and heading to school. It’s not just excitement to see their friends but excitement of what the day will have in store for them.’
All of the comments for this statement were positive, although one respondent did comment on some incidents with other children which occasionally spoil this – please, everyone, make sure your child is aware that they should always alert an adult in school if there are problems in the playground.

2. My child feels safe at this school.
Again, 100% agreed or strongly agreed with this.
There were two positive comments relating to this statement, including one from the same respondent (above) who noted the incidents with other children, and goes on to say here: ‘There have been internal issues with other children however these were resolved’. That’s really good to hear – we’re glad that we were told so we could deal with these effectively.

3. My child makes good progress at this school.
It’s the same again: 100% agreed or strongly agreed with this.
Comments were typically positive, including:
‘My son has made excellent progress and I have enjoyed keeping up to date with all his work.’
Both my children have made excellent progress within the school since day one…I couldn’t have given them a better education if I tried.’
One comment did mention an occasional lack of challenge – we’ll keep aware of this to make sure all our children continue to make progress and reach their potential.

4. My child is well looked after.
We’re delighted that 100% of you also agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
‘The school does an excellent job of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the children under their care.’
‘I feel both my children are 110% looked after within the school. The teachers have time for every pupil and this is reflected in the behaviour of all…’

5. My child is taught well at St James’ CE Primary School.
Here, we’ve another statement with 100% in agreement.
‘I think the teaching has become much better in the school over the last few months…’
‘My children could not be taught better, and thanks to the frequent parent class visits to see how they are taught I know how the day is structured and how the teachers teach… Teaching has changed a lot since I was at school so knowing how I can follow on at home with homework is a great help.’
Thanks for these and the other comments – all positive.
One parent / carer mentioned (s)he would like to come into school and see some teaching – next year’s sessions for you to do this are: Watch us while we work (13 November 2018 and 27 February 2019); homework review (22 November 2018); and topic review (25 March 2019).

6. Adults in school make sure pupils are well behaved.
91% of you were in agreement here.
‘Teachers and staff seem to be on the ball with behaviour and standards seem to be high. This is a bonus.’
‘The techniques that the teachers use for calming children down, ensuring they are all listening and ready to learn are amazing.’
The remaining two respondents indicated they didn’t know; this may be because they’ve not encountered any particular problems: ‘Unable to comment as I am not entirely familiar with the positive behaviour model at St James.’

7. St James’ CE Primary School deals effectively with bullying. (Bullying includes persistent name calling, cyber-bullying, racist and homophobic bullying.)
For this statement, 70% agreed, 9% disagreed and 22% were unsure*.
We’re really pleased that the proportion who agreed has gone up by 15 % points; likewise, we’re pleased the proportion who disagreed has dropped by 18 % points.
However, we’re not complacent. If your child feels that they are being bullied, please do alert us. At St James’ CE Primary, we use this definition of bullying:
when someone is hurt physically or emotionally Several Times On Purpose
and we promote this solution:
Start Telling Other People before it becomes a problem
Please help us reinforce this message at home, too. Check out our Positive Relationships Policy, too.
Despite the lower proportions agreeing to this statement, the comments we received were good overall:
‘…there is now much more awareness amongst staff of the issues.’
‘Any question or niggle about bullying is dealt with straight away. It is not tolerated. There are teachers children can talk to and even (child) peer mediators in the playground that children can approach if they have a concern or even if they don’t have anyone to play with.’
*Quite a large number of parents / carers said they didn’t know. It’s often the case with this question to see a high proportion saying they are unsure – comments indicate that this is because parents / carers are happy they’re child hasn’t encountered bullying, so they are unsure as to how well the school deals with it.

8. The school is well led and managed.
100% agreed or strong agreed to this statement – a big jump from last year’s 82%.
‘Since the new Head, Miss Beatson, has arrived I feel she has really picked up the school. I feel it is far better run and you can feel a much happier vibe around the school.’
‘Recent changes within the school have really upped the school’s whole performance. I never had a problem with the school in the past but even now I see it is growing from strength to strength for all the best reasons.’
Thanks for these – and other – encouraging comments (and well done, Miss Beatson!).

9. The school responds well to any concerns I raise.
83% agreed or strongly agreed here – that’s a rise of 10 % points from 73% last year. Two respondents disagreed and two were unsure (perhaps a result of not having raised concerns).
Nearly all comments were positive:
‘If I have any concerns regarding my child at school they are listened to and dealt with effectively…’
‘School staff and in particular Emma Coster have been excellent in assisting me…’
We’d love to be able to respond directly to the two people with concerns – contact us to talk things through, please!

10. I receive useful information from the school about my child’s progress.
Whilst we’ve not changed much in terms of information about progress, this year 78% agreed or strongly agreed (a drop of 13 % points) and the remaining five disagreed.
Of the five comments, three raised specific issues: special education needs, reading and the timing of parents’ evenings. We’ll review the first two points more over time; regarding parents’ evenings, we’re going to tweak this so that parents’ evenings are still towards the end of Autumn 1 and Spring 1, but we’ll supplement this with the Learning Updates being sent home in Autumn 2 and Spring 2 rather than during the parent-teacher meetings. This means parents / carers will be updated on progress every half term in Autumn and Spring, and then the annual report in Summer (and you’re welcome to make an appointment to discuss the report, too).

11. The school promotes its Christian ethos effectively.
Here, 91% agreed and the remaining two respondents were unsure.
‘The school promotes Christian ethos perfectly in my mind. Children are taught in a way that’s fun but informative…’

12. Would you recommend us?
We asked if you would recommend the school. We’re so pleased that 100% indicated they would – that’s great news!

We asked you to tell us about things you like and the things we could improve on. With a lot of praise and some constructive suggestions, it’s great to read these.

Communication was mentioned as an area to improve, although another respondent commented that this had improved considerably. The closure of the Out of School Club was also mentioned as something that has disappointed you; we’re sad about this, too, but at the moment we simply can’t provide this expensive service without impacting on the provision for all children in school – we’ll keep considering whether we can re-introduce this at some point.

The things you like include the progress children are making, the warm relationships between teachers and children, and – similarly – the good relationships between teachers and parents / carers.

Comments also referred to the new leadership and the improvements we’re making:
‘I would recommend St James highly. It may not have the same Ofsted rating as the other Wetherby schools…my children are extremely happy (and so are we!) with all aspects of St James.’
‘Yes. Over the last few months there has been a great improvement in the school and I would definitely say to other parents to look around. I think the school has so much potential…’

Don’t forget that the extended services team (EPOSS) have organised two drop-ins for parents / carers:

• Friday 10 August, 10.00am – 12 noon, Wetherby Children’s Centre
• Friday 17 August, 10.00am – 12pm noon, Boston Spa Children’s Centre

The long holidays can be a tricky time for families. These drop-in sessions are an opportunity to come in and chat with the team about any difficulties, ask advice or look at problem solving together, to try and help the holidays be an enjoyable time for all the family. Or, just a chance to have some adult
conversation and a cuppa!

There’s no need to make an appointment. Just drop in at any time during the session.

The School Games Mark is a government-led awards scheme launched in 2012 to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community.

This year, we’ve won gold!

Each School Games Mark application is divided into four sets of questions. They cover the following basic topics…

• Participation – how many young people at your school are being engaged in sporting activity?
• Competition – how many different sports are being played and how many competitions are being entered?
• Workforce – how many pupils are involved in leadership activities alongside taking part in competitions?
• Clubs – how many local links does your school have with clubs or establishments from the area?

Thank you to all of you who completed the Summer 2018 parents’ and carers’ survey. This year, the number of responses more than doubled: 23 of you gave us your feedback, and these spread very evenly across all the classes. This means the information we gather from the survey is more reliable.

Below is a summary of what you’ve said. We’re delighted that for so many statements, 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed – this is even better than last year when 91% of respondents was a typical figure.

Lots of you added some comments after each question; we’ve included here just one or two that represent typical responses.

Please do remember that what you say is important to us. We can’t guarantee we can accommodate everyone’s wishes or opinions expressed in the survey, but we do guarantee we consider each one. And don’t forget: if you have any questions, comments or concerns, do speak with your child’s class teacher or to Miss Beatson, our Head of School. They’re often around at the start and end of the school day.

1. My child is happy at St James’ CE Primary School.
100% agreed or strongly agreed with this (up from 91% last year).
Typical feedback includes:
‘Both my children love getting up and heading to school. It’s not just excitement to see their friends but excitement of what the day will have in store for them.’
All of the comments for this statement were positive, although one respondent did comment on some incidents with other children which occasionally spoil this – please, everyone, make sure your child is aware that they should always alert an adult in school if there are problems in the playground.

2. My child feels safe at this school.
Again, 100% agreed or strongly agreed with this.
There were two positive comments relating to this statement, including one from the same respondent (above) who noted the incidents with other children, and goes on to say here: ‘There have been internal issues with other children however these were resolved’. That’s really good to hear – we’re glad that we were told so we could deal with these effectively.

3. My child makes good progress at this school.
It’s the same again: 100% agreed or strongly agreed with this.
Comments were typically positive, including:
‘My son has made excellent progress and I have enjoyed keeping up to date with all his work.’
Both my children have made excellent progress within the school since day one…I couldn’t have given them a better education if I tried.’
One comment did mention an occasional lack of challenge – we’ll keep aware of this to make sure all our children continue to make progress and reach their potential.

4. My child is well looked after.
We’re delighted that 100% of you also agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
‘The school does an excellent job of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the children under their care.’
‘I feel both my children are 110% looked after within the school. The teachers have time for every pupil and this is reflected in the behaviour of all…’

5. My child is taught well at St James’ CE Primary School.
Here, we’ve another statement with 100% in agreement.
‘I think the teaching has become much better in the school over the last few months…’
‘My children could not be taught better, and thanks to the frequent parent class visits to see how they are taught I know how the day is structured and how the teachers teach… Teaching has changed a lot since I was at school so knowing how I can follow on at home with homework is a great help.’
Thanks for these and the other comments – all positive.
One parent / carer mentioned (s)he would like to come into school and see some teaching – next year’s sessions for you to do this are: Watch us while we work (13 November 2018 and 27 February 2019); homework review (22 November 2018); and topic review (25 March 2019).

6. Adults in school make sure pupils are well behaved.
91% of you were in agreement here.
‘Teachers and staff seem to be on the ball with behaviour and standards seem to be high. This is a bonus.’
‘The techniques that the teachers use for calming children down, ensuring they are all listening and ready to learn are amazing.’
The remaining two respondents indicated they didn’t know; this may be because they’ve not encountered any particular problems: ‘Unable to comment as I am not entirely familiar with the positive behaviour model at St James.’

7. St James’ CE Primary School deals effectively with bullying. (Bullying includes persistent name calling, cyber-bullying, racist and homophobic bullying.)
For this statement, 70% agreed, 9% disagreed and 22% were unsure*.
We’re really pleased that the proportion who agreed has gone up by 15 % points; likewise, we’re pleased the proportion who disagreed has dropped by 18 % points.
However, we’re not complacent. If your child feels that they are being bullied, please do alert us. At St James’ CE Primary, we use this definition of bullying:
when someone is hurt physically or emotionally Several Times On Purpose
and we promote this solution:
Start Telling Other People before it becomes a problem
Please help us reinforce this message at home, too. Check out our Positive Relationships Policy, too.
Despite the lower proportions agreeing to this statement, the comments we received were good overall:
‘…there is now much more awareness amongst staff of the issues.’
‘Any question or niggle about bullying is dealt with straight away. It is not tolerated. There are teachers children can talk to and even (child) peer mediators in the playground that children can approach if they have a concern or even if they don’t have anyone to play with.’
*Quite a large number of parents / carers said they didn’t know. It’s often the case with this question to see a high proportion saying they are unsure – comments indicate that this is because parents / carers are happy they’re child hasn’t encountered bullying, so they are unsure as to how well the school deals with it.

8. The school is well led and managed.
100% agreed or strong agreed to this statement – a big jump from last year’s 82%.
‘Since the new Head, Miss Beatson, has arrived I feel she has really picked up the school. I feel it is far better run and you can feel a much happier vibe around the school.’
‘Recent changes within the school have really upped the school’s whole performance. I never had a problem with the school in the past but even now I see it is growing from strength to strength for all the best reasons.’
Thanks for these – and other – encouraging comments (and well done, Miss Beatson!).

9. The school responds well to any concerns I raise.
83% agreed or strongly agreed here – that’s a rise of 10 % points from 73% last year. Two respondents disagreed and two were unsure (perhaps a result of not having raised concerns).
Nearly all comments were positive:
‘If I have any concerns regarding my child at school they are listened to and dealt with effectively…’
‘School staff and in particular Emma Coster have been excellent in assisting me…’
We’d love to be able to respond directly to the two people with concerns – contact us to talk things through, please!

10. I receive useful information from the school about my child’s progress.
Whilst we’ve not changed much in terms of information about progress, this year 78% agreed or strongly agreed (a drop of 13 % points) and the remaining five disagreed.
Of the five comments, three raised specific issues: special education needs, reading and the timing of parents’ evenings. We’ll review the first two points more over time; regarding parents’ evenings, we’re going to tweak this so that parents’ evenings are still towards the end of Autumn 1 and Spring 1, but we’ll supplement this with the Learning Updates being sent home in Autumn 2 and Spring 2 rather than during the parent-teacher meetings. This means parents / carers will be updated on progress every half term in Autumn and Spring, and then the annual report in Summer (and you’re welcome to make an appointment to discuss the report, too).

11. The school promotes its Christian ethos effectively.
Here, 91% agreed and the remaining two respondents were unsure.
‘The school promotes Christian ethos perfectly in my mind. Children are taught in a way that’s fun but informative…’

12. Would you recommend us?
We asked if you would recommend the school. We’re so pleased that 100% indicated they would – that’s great news!

We asked you to tell us about things you like and the things we could improve on. With a lot of praise and some constructive suggestions, it’s great to read these.

Communication was mentioned as an area to improve, although another respondent commented that this had improved considerably. The closure of the Out of School Club was also mentioned as something that has disappointed you; we’re sad about this, too, but at the moment we simply can’t provide this expensive service without impacting on the provision for all children in school – we’ll keep considering whether we can re-introduce this at some point.

The things you like include the progress children are making, the warm relationships between teachers and children, and – similarly – the good relationships between teachers and parents / carers.

Comments also referred to the new leadership and the improvements we’re making:
‘I would recommend St James highly. It may not have the same Ofsted rating as the other Wetherby schools…my children are extremely happy (and so are we!) with all aspects of St James.’
‘Yes. Over the last few months there has been a great improvement in the school and I would definitely say to other parents to look around. I think the school has so much potential…’