The second
half of the Spring Term has been a hive of activity as always!
In addition
to Ofsted, as a church school, we also have a SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) inspection
every 3-5 years. Our SIAMS inspection took place at the end of February. The
Inspector had a lovely day chatting with pupils, staff, parents and governors.
We are pleased to say that we were graded as “Good” with Outstanding features. Some highlights of the report are
listed below:
The
commitment, drive and vision of the head teacher, staff and governors have
energised the distinctive Christian character of the school. The impact on
behaviour, attitudes to learning and pupils’ enjoyment of school is very
strong”
“The
school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting
the needs of all learners”
“Strong
links with the church and church community have increased pupils’ understanding
of the Anglican faith and practice.”
“Pupil
behaviour remains ‘impeccable’ (Ofsted 2016).”
“Parents
describe the positive impact of the school’s Christian character on their
children at home and believe that this is due ‘to the staff going the
extra mile’.”
“The
school believes that the rise in pupil self-esteem, promoted by the school’s
Christian values, contributes to the significant rise in attainment. Ofsted
(March 2016) noted the school to be an ‘environment where pupils can
thrive.”
As a school
we continue to appreciate the support of the church and the community and the
time and energy they devote to the school. We have some lovely village
residents and church members who volunteer their time either as Governors, or
by coming in to school to hear children read, or helping during class time. We
always welcome more help if you feel that you could volunteer a little time
each week.
We are
grateful to the church for their input into our weekly assemblies, RE Lessons
and for organising activities for the children to participate in throughout the
year. In February, Gill and Heather from the church kindly organised a Shrove
Tuesday themed activity after school. Children learnt about Lent and the
significance of making pancakes on this day. There was also of course, then the
opportunity to eat some pancakes! The children had a lovely afternoon and we
appreciate Gill and Heather’s efforts!
Pupils
participated in World Book Day, a much anticipated event each year. We had some
fantastic costumes, with characters from Roald Dahl, David Walliams, JK Rowling
and Julia Donaldson proving very popular! The children enjoyed some “Buddy
Reading” where older pupils read to younger pupils. They also swapped a book
from home with each other.
There has
been much eggcitement in Nursery and Reception this month as they have welcomed
some new additions to the class! The class has successfully hatched nine baby
chicks from eggs in an incubator. The children across the whole school have
been enjoying watching the eggs hatch, seeing the chicks grow and getting to
know them! They have very much been the talk of the school!
This term,
pupils have been linking Literacy, our focus for the year, to other topics such
as Art, History, Geography and Drama. Year’s
One and Two have been focusing on their theme of “Jungle” this month. They had
great fun creating freeze frames of “The Tiger who came to tea” in preparation
for writing their own story based around a jungle animal.
Year’s Three
and Four have been reading “Kensuke’s Kingdom” by Michael Morpurgo and
exploring the characters in the story whilst Years Five and Six have been learning
about Monologues.
The end of
term sees our now annual Talent Show “Great Gaddesden’s Got Talent”. All
children are invited to audition for our able panel of Year 6 judges and then
one child from each year participates in the final, hoping to be the coveted
winner!
Our Easter
egg-rolling and Egg Hunt were a fantastic way to finish the Spring term, and we
look forward to the start of the Summer Term later this month.
