Our Year 1 and 2 Indoor Athletics team competed at St. Andrews last week (Thursday 2nd Feb) against 7 other teams and WON! Our team of 8 children each received a certificate and Gold Medal to take home, as well as a trophy to display proudly in school! We are immensely proud of the children's efforts and the way they represented the school. They should be feeling extremely happy for their amazing win!
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As you are probably aware, the Government would like improving school attendance to be a focus of development for all schools. This is because good school attendance leads to better outcomes for children.
Currently, our attendance is just below the national expectations for primary schools.
We know enjoying school improves attendance. Staff are always thinking of ways to make learning very enjoyable for all children. We would now like to offer a further incentive to encourage all children to come to school every day; apart from when they are too unwell.
We will be giving the class, from years one and two, with the best attendance for that week, an extra 10 minutes of play time on a Friday. Their class will also have a certificate displayed in the hall and one for their classroom.
We will also be giving out most improved attendance certificates to the class whose attendance has improved the most from the previous month.
We are very keen to involve children in improving their attendance and hope that the above incentives will help children to begin to understand the importance of coming to school every day.
I am confident that all children will have extra play regularly, as a result of this initiative. We will begin allocating extra playtime next week!!
The school football team achieved the runners-up position in the Worthing Schools' year 2 competition losing in narrowly in the final after winning their previous six games. Congratulations team - you were amazing!
Dr Jones
Dates for the diary
Friday 10th - Christmas jumper day for staff and children. Click here to see our gallery of Christmas jumper photos.
Mrs Campbell is organising this and would like to ask for donations to Cancer Research UK. She has also set up a Just Giving page, link is below.
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/sharons-giving-page-1229
Monday 13th - Winters Evening Choir at 6pm
Tuesday 14th – Reception Christmas Performance at 9.30am & 1.30pm
Nursery Christmas Party (BOW)
Wednesday 15th – Year One Christmas Performance at 9.30am & 1.30pm
Nursery’s Sing a Long at 11am
Children’s Christmas Lunch. If your child does not normally have a hot lunch but would like to on this day, please let the school office know by this Friday.
Thursday 16th – Year Two Christmas Performance at 9.30am & 1.30pm
Friday 17th – Christmas Parties + Nursery (EOW)
Mufti Day
Visit from Father Christmas
Last day at school.
Dear All
The big news from this week, apart from the fantastic return to school by all the children, is the publication of the report from the recent Ofsted inspection. You will all be receiving a copy of the report this week. Although, the staff are obviously disappointed that the headline is that we are still deemed to require improvement, there are a great deal of positives in the report to suggest that the school is on a trajectory of improvement. Although the new partnership with Orchards Junior had only been in place for two weeks at that point, the work over the summer and the first two weeks could clearly be seen to be having a positive effect.
Key elements to be proud of are:
The areas for improvement had already been identified in our whole school review over the Summer before the inspection and form part of our School Improvement Plan for the next year. Key points for action are:
1. To develop the curriculum in the foundation subjects so there is coherence in the planning and delivery to help all learners improve
2. To continue with the positive development of improving behaviour consistently across the school
3. To increase the opportunities in personal development provision building high cultural capital for all children
So, all in all, we have a clear road map for the future and I am extremely excited to be part of the team that will bring about these positive improvements. Your confidence in us is much appreciated and it warmed my heart to see that parents and children want to be part of this journey too. Strap in for an exciting mission to the stars!
Best wishes Dr. Jones
I cannot believe we are at half term already – it has been such a positive experience being part of Field Place this term and I cannot thank you all enough for the welcome I have had. As the term has progressed, I have been delighted with the progress the school is making and I hope that when you receive the Ofsted report you will be able to recognise the optimism about the future in the comments. We have a clear plan for the future which is very exciting and whilst challenging, perfectly manageable. If the progress we have made this half term is anything to go by then we will absolutely smash those targets!
Next half term brings us closer to Christmas so you will receiving information about the celebrations we will be having and of the opportunity to be part of the fun! It is my intention going forward to combine the solid learning experiences with a real sense of fun about school. We want the children to really enjoy school and have a FAB time with a FAB approach (Fantastic Attitude & Behaviour).
It has been so enjoyable being part of the school community this half term but if I were pushed, I would say my three favourite things so far:
If I could have one thing better…………………………
I have talked to a few parents about the importance of setting a positive example to the children as adults, so let’s keep the high standard of how we are in front of the children showing courtesy to others, especially people like Linda the Lollipop Lady who does such a great job of keeping us all safe each day. Give her a thank you now and again – I am sure she would appreciate it.
Thank you all again for making this a wonderful half term and let’s all work together to make the next one even better – as the aforementioned Buzz Lightyear would say – to infinity and beyond!
Best wishes Dr. Jones
Well it has been one busy and productive month and there is a lot to report upon as we reflect on the start of the school year. The biggest news for me has been how well the new Reception children have started and it is a real pleasure to see them in class and in particular, the lunch hall where they have been setting the standard for fantastic eating! In fact, I was coming over from Orchards and thought I was early as I could not hear any noise but they were all in there!
I have loved showing parents around the school and it is with great pride that I share with them the good things that are going on at the school. The happy faces and welcome of the children is heartwarming and I really appreciate that a great deal.
Thank you to the parents who have supported our Key stage 1 and Early Years Reading meetings – this partnership is so important to your child’s progress and judging by the numbers we have lots of you on board for this particular journey.
The Ofsted Inspection visit was a bit of start to the year and although I am unable to share the details with you until publication, I would make the following judgements:
1. The children were magnificent and I could not have asked for more from them
2. The staff were brilliant and so were you parents – your positive comments in the survey and on the gate were a significant feature
3. There were no new things to improve upon that had not already been included in the School Improvement Plan devised this month, which has been put together with views from all stakeholders, so we can be confident we are evaluating well.
A few things I have noticed so far:
We began the partnership with Orchards Junior under the ‘Stronger Together’ maxim and I have no doubt we are already seeing the fruits of this union. It is a real pleasure and privilege to be part of the Field Place team and I thank you all for your continued support.
Best wishes
Dr. Jones
Dear Parents
Well, it has been a wonderful first week at Field Place and I would like to thank you all for the way that the children have been prepared for school, making it a very smooth start to the school year. In fact, I saw a little girl crying because she could not come to school! The good news was that we finally enjoyed a bit if summer so the sunshine (a bit late really!) and the smiles certainly made me feel welcome at the school. I have been lucky enough to meet so many wonderful children and I am sure we will be great friends for a long time! The children have got down to work quickly so I am very optimistic for a successful year for the school. We have been planning some great activities for the children in the coming months and, taking advantage of the restrictions being lifted, should bring a real sense of enjoyment to the children’s learning. Speaking of restrictions, please always be considerate of others in your movement around the school vicinity as well as ensuring that your leave your car with due regard to the homeowners of houses nearby.
We really value the importance of good communication and to this end please make sure you speak to us about anything you wish, either at the gate or through the class teacher e-mail. Please be considerate of when you would expect a response though. We all write e-mails at all different times but I have made it clear to the staff that we should be checking our e-mails at the beginning and end of each working day but not 24/7 as this is not a reasonable use of time. The e-mails are for your child’s class so Fox class is foxclass@fieldplace.org.uk and so on.
As a person who has just started, I can highly recommend working here! You may be interested to know we are currently looking for a Midday meals supervisor for 10 hours per week Monday to Friday. If you are interested in this position, please contact the school office by telephone or e-mail: office@fieldplace.org.uk
We have also agreed to have the same Inset days as the Orchards so we will publish all the upcoming dates next week so you are kept fully informed. Have a lovely weekend and stay safe.
Dr Jones
Dear Parents
We have had a lovely first week back in school and all the children have enjoyed the sunshine and our broader curriculum. Year two have been looking at the design of healthy fruit salads ready to develop and make their own. I am sure they would then love to make them at home for the whole family to try.
The children have been developing their drawing and painting skills since returning to school in March and their flower drawings and paintings are stunning. A small gallery of this work is being prepared for the website and I will let you know when this is ready.
Star Reader
Please find attached this week’s star readers and their book recommendations.
Holiday Forms
As the restrictions are beginning to relax, I am beginning to receive requests for time off school for holidays. I would like to clarify the school’s policy on this. I am not able to authorise time off from school for holidays and these days will therefore be registered as unauthorised. If a child accrues 5 days unauthorised absence, this must be referred to the pupil entitlement team who can then issue a fine.
I am aware that many families have had holidays cancelled due to the pandemic and that holiday companies are not always being flexible about when these can be rebooked. If you can prove that you originally booked a holiday out of school time and are now only being offered dates within the school term, the school will consider whether this constitutes exceptional circumstances and may be able to authorise up to 5 days.
With thanks
Theresa Alford
We look forward to welcoming the children back to school this week and hope that you all had a lovely Easter break.
The Government guidance for schools has not changed since the return to school on March 8th, so we will continue under our current risk assessment. Although numbers of positive cases have fallen significantly, please continue to follow both Government and School protocols to ensure we keep the whole community as safe as possible.
We will be broadening our curriculum for the Summer term and children in key stage one will begin with a topic called, ‘Food Glorious Food’. They will be learning about healthy eating and making the most of the school allotment to grow vegetables.
As the term progresses, we will let you know how the transition to Junior school will be managed to support the year two children as best we can in the current situation.
Those of you who have children starting school with us in September, we will be watching guidance carefully to see how we are able to welcome you and the children to the school later in the term.
Staffing Updates
We will be welcoming Mrs Payton-Butcher back to school and she will be supporting children in Reception. Mr Robert Gill is looking forward to teaching Mouse Class for the rest of this year. Mr Grant Smith will be moving to a new job in the next few weeks, and I am sure you would join me in thanking him for all his work to keep the premises safe and tidy over the last few years.
Term dates for your diary:
Monday 19th April – start of the Summer Term
Monday 3rd May – Bank Holiday
Week Beginning 31st May – Half Term
Thursday 22nd July – Final day for children
With thanks
Theresa Alford
Dear Parents
It has been wonderful to have the children back in school this week. They settled fantastically and clearly enjoyed seeing their teacher and meeting with all their friends. We will continue next week with a curriculum that supports their emotional wellbeing while we finish assessing any significant loss of learning.
A couple of general reminders
With Thanks
Theresa Alford
Dear Parents
We are all looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school tomorrow. Our first week’s curriculum has been developed to ensure we support children to settle back into routines and spend quality time with their friends.
I have been asked by the home learning team of teachers to say a huge thank you to all our parents who have been home educating their children. Teachers cannot sing your praises enough in terms of the effort and dedication you have put in. I have been told many examples of how parents have upskilled themselves and worked tirelessly to support their children, often learning strategies that are quite different from those used when they were at school. I hope that one of the positives that can come out of this situation is that parents feel they have a better understanding of how to support their children’s learning. I know many people will worry about whether their child has fallen behind, but there is no doubt that with your dedication the children have been progressing. We will be assessing the children carefully over the next couple of weeks to ensure any additional support can be put in place if needed.
Trainers
Because the children are often doing the golden mile and additional physical activities outside of their PE lessons, we are happy for children to come to school each day in trainers. Please do not send your children to school with boots or any shoes with a high heel as this will mean they cannot access the playground equipment safely.
Lovely News
I am happy to announce that Mrs Gunner is expecting a baby in June. We will let parents in Swan Class know the school arrangements around this as soon as we are able. Swan Class will now be located in what was Squirrel Classroom. This is the room just opposite the one they have been used to.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in the morning and please let your children know how excited teachers are about seeing them again.
With Thanks
Theresa Alford
