Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the final term of the school year - and for the Year Six children, the final term of their time at High Bickington. I have no doubt I will talk about the twelve of them often in the next few weeks and so will not say too much about them now. However, I do know that the inspection team were incredibly impressed with them as role models and for how well prepared they are for their next steps. They have been a fantastic group and I don't want to think about them moving on just yet!
Wonderful Class Four
A big thank you to all of the children in Class Four for the perseverance, resilience and excellent learning that you have displayed this week. This has been especially the case, because we have focused more than usual on Maths and revision of work ready for Y6 SATs in a couple of weeks time.
Ofsted Inspection Report
The whole process, from the start of the inspection to the release of the final report to parents and carers is a long one, but it is moving along. This week, I received the draft report and have now responded to this. You can therefore expect the final report to be with you in a few weeks. I think in the meantime I am allowed to say that it is extremely positive.
Beginning and end of the day
If you are using a vehicle for dropping in the morning or picking up at the end of school, please do drive away from the school sites slowly and super-carefully. This obviously applies at the new site where our very smallest and youngest children may be walking near or in the road. It is also most important at the old site where we know children and their adults are in the road and where there are no pavements. Although Mill Road is technically a 30 mph road, this is crazy with its narrowness; right angled corners and houses. Please do drive along past the school and around Mill Road at a speed much less than the 30 max. Again, we know that children use this route to walk / scoot / cycle to and from school and their safety has to be paramount.
Some key dates for the term
Tuesday 28th April: Swimming starts for Class Two
Saturday 2nd May: Exmoor Challenge
Monday 4th May: Bank Holiday - no school
Monday 11th May: Year 6 SPaG SAT
Tuesday 12th May: Year 6 Reading SAT
Wednesday 13th May: Year 6 Arithmetic and Maths Reasoning 1 SATs
Thursday 14th May: Year 6 Maths Reasoning 2 SAT
Friday 15th May: Class Three Egypt day
Sunday 17th May: Y6 leave for Bude Residential
Friday 22nd May: End of residential week. Last day of the first half of term
Monday 25th May: Half term holiday week begins
Monday 1st June: Non-pupil day
Tuesday 2nd June: School returns. Swimming starts for Class Four
Thursday 11th June: Class Four Greek lesson with the British Museum
Friday 12th June: Kwik Cricket (team) at Instow
Monday 15th June: TEAM transition event for children going to GTS
Tuesday 16th June: Swimming starts for Class Three. Year 5 taster day for CCC
Wednesday 17th June: TEAM transition event for children going to PCC
Thursday 18th June: TEAM transition event for children going to CCC. Vision Day
Monday 22nd June: Year 6 Bikeability week begins
Thursday 2nd July: Head of School out at the Festival of Education
Friday 3rd July: Head of School out at the Festival of Education
Monday 6th July: ND Hospice session in school
Tuesday 7th July: CCC transition day. Class swap day in school.
Tuesday 14th July: Swimming for Class Four
Wednesday 15th July: Class Two Lyme Regis trip
Thursday 16th July: Alex and Dawn's music pupils' concert (provisional date)
Monday 20th July: School Sports Morning
Tuesday 21st July: Leavers Service 2:00pm
Of course we will be adding to these as we go along and hoping not to have to change too many!
Exmoor Challenge
It is not long now until our team of Evelyn, Esmay, Freddie R and Daniel will be pounding the hills of Exmoor. We are making final preparations and I am confident they will work together as a great team and all complete the course.
Collective Worship
This half term our core value is Respect. In CW we thought about how it is easy to respect some people for the roles that they have in our society and yet others don't have the same respect. We heard the story from the book of Matthew about how Jesus exemplified respect for all by befriending Matthew and giving him a chance to mend his ways. The children at HB are unerringly respectful, living this value out every day. Our prayer was: Dear God, Help us to love everyone, whoever they are. Help us to include everyone in the things that we do. Help us to be thankful for the people who help us. Help us always to treat people with respect. Amen.
Have a lovely weekend in the sunshine,
Rob Norton
Head of School
