Congratulations Mr Mills!
Congratulations to Mr Mills, who has been ranked 13th in the world, after competing in the Duathlon Championships in Denmark at the weekend. We are all very proud of his achievements. Well done Mr Mills!
Sports Day 2018
Thank you to everybody who came and supported the children at our Sports Day. It was a very hot afternoon, but all the children tried their best and showed great resilience, determination and team-work.
Fab feedback
At St James’ CE Primary, we’re always keen to welcome professionals beyond our own school to provide an additional ‘pair of eyes’, to provide an external view on how we’re improving. This is obviously even more important following the Ofsted judgement of ‘requires improvement’ (March 2017).
One of the people who has visited throughout the year is our School Improvement Advisor (SIA). At the end of June, he visited again and we’ve received his report – it makes for really encouraging reading. Here are some extracts:
It is the view of the SIA that the school has made significant strides from the March 2017 Ofsted RI [‘requires improvement’] outcome…St James’ C of E Primary is now a good school. The Executive Headteacher communicates a clear vision for the school. He quickly and effectively [improved the quality of teaching] and the result is a more harmonious, effective and dynamic workforce. The appointment of an effective Head of School has been instrumental in improving relationships within the school, with parents and the school’s profile in the wider community.
The federation has benefited each of the three schools involved – allowing the sharing of good practices, CPD [continuing professional development], leadership development and moderation.
Since inspection in 2017, the SIA has noted dramatic improvements in the quality of teaching… Subsequently, productivity, higher levels of presentation and standards in pupil’s books have improved significantly.
As the learning walk evidenced, teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The simple yet effective approach of teachers counting down from 3 to gain pupil’s attention is consistent across the school; subsequently, there is very little learning time lost. On this visit, even on a hot sunny day near to the end of a busy school year, pupils responded well to teacher instruction and were keen to engage in the learning activities set. Good teacher modelling of learning allied to systems of drafting and editing and peer-to-peer review and feedback all contribute to improvements in teaching and learning over time. Further to this, as evidenced at an earlier visit, pupils are able to verbalise how their school has improved over time. They are confident to talk about their learning and on how the feedback from teachers enables them to improve their work and understanding further.
Thank you to everyone who have supported and encouraged us this year as we continue to improve.
Health Week Launch
Our health week has got off to a fantastic start. Today, we had a football themed play presented by the Tutti Frutti company, followed by a skip-a-thon and a tennis session.
Summer support
The long holidays can be a tricky time for families. The extended services team (EPOSS) have organised two drop-ins for parents / carers – 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.
- Friday 10 August, 10.00am – 12 noon, Wetherby Children’s Centre
- Friday 17 August, 10.00am – 12pm noon, Boston Spa Children’s Centre
Mosque Visit
Summer Fair
We are looking forward to our PTA summer fair tomorrow. There will be a tombola, bouncy castle, penalty shoot out, toy stall, refreshments and much more. We hope to see lots of you there!
Leeds Youth Summit
Representatives of our School Council visited Leeds Civic Hall today. They attended the Leeds Youth Summit event, along with other schools from all around Leeds.
This half-term's Christian value is...
…honesty.
What is honesty? Honesty is being trustworthy and truthful in our friendships, our relationships, our school and our community. We understand that we need to be honest and truthful with others when working together as a team.
The challenge for us is: How can we be honest in our daily lives? How can we encourage people to be honest? What can we do to fix it if we forget to be honest?
Why did the Church Council choose this Christian value? ‘Everyone needs to be honest because Jesus’ disciple [Peter] wasn’t honest [when he denied Jesus].’ (Year 3 Church Council member)
How can I support my child at home? Talk together as a family about the consequences of not being honest. Encourage your child to write a story or draw a picture to show what happens when people are dishonest – your child can bring the stories in to school to add to our class reflection areas.
Wetherby Library
Wow! What an exciting afternoon F2 have had at Wetherby Library today.
We were treated to a story time of The Great Pet Sale and A Busy Day For Birds. The children got to hold many animals, both cute and cuddly and small and spiky, in an experience hosted by Lion Learners.
We held rabbits, a bearded dragon, a tarantula, guinea pigs, a snake and giant snails!
As a special treat to celebrate the launch of National Bookstart Week 2018 , the children were sent home with their very own copy of A Busy Day For Birds.
The children were all exceptionally brave and brilliantly behaved, both during our careful walk from school to the library and throughout the session. They were a real credit to our school and should feel very proud of themselves, as we are of them.
Take a look at our fun-filled video of our visit below: