From "Impact" - August 2008

The events of the summer term

As I write this we are approaching the end of the summer term, with only three weeks left. Many people will say to us, ‘Oh, you must be winding down now towards the end of term!’ Little do they know that schools wind up to the end of the school year!

Year 6 are currently away on a residential trip at Brenscombe, near Wareham, taking part in activities such as power boating. We are hoping it will not rain all week. Year 1 and year 2 have just taken part in a mini Olympics which was held here for schools from all over the Gillingham pyramid. Years 3 and 4 are going to the Tutankhamen exhibition in London next week, as part of their project on the Egyptians. Next week will also see our first concert from our musicians, including violin, guitar, keyboard and woodwind performances. We also complete our induction process for our new reception children, whose home visits were very successful and who are now about to make their third afternoon visit to school. We look forward to welcoming them again in September.

We will of course be saying goodbye to year 6 over the next couple of weeks: their leavers’ buffet and disco are being greatly anticipated and will be followed by their leavers’ performance and the presentation of Bibles by Canon Gill on the last Monday of term.

This term has, as always, been exciting and busy. Life in a primary school is never dull! This term we have developed peer mediation at St Mary’s. This is a structured process which is aimed at developing children’s abilities to help each other solve problems. All the staff have been involved in training and they then shared this idea with years 3 and 4. Children in those year groups who wanted to be peer mediators could then apply. These children were trained by the local authority advisor, alongside the members of staff who will lead and support them, to be peer mediators. Over two days they learnt skills such as active listening, how to structure the peer mediation conversation, how to be positive and not to pass blame in supporting others. Peer mediation is available to all our children at lunchtime in the Sanctuary. Two children who’ve had a disagreement can come to mediation with two mediators. The conversation follows a set structure and has been very successful. Anything of a more serious nature is handed on by the mediators to a teacher. The whole process is supported by Miss Knibbs. The results of the mediation and the skills the mediators have learnt are truly impressive. For us it is an enactment of our Christian foundation in the every day life of the school.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - July 2008

Healthy Schools Week

The following reports have been sent by pupils describing their Healthy Schools Week.

Here at St Mary the Virgin primary school we had a healthy week and all normal curriculum lessons were thrown out of the window. Our healthy schools week started on Monday 2nd June with breakfast club, which gives children and teachers a chance to have breakfast at school with each other.

We had many visits from several community members including: Police, Fire Brigade, School Nurse, Dentist and a Tae-Kwon-Do pro to teach us some self-defence skills. Well, as you can see, we had a great time building bird boxes, cooking healthy snacks and learning more about how to be healthy and why you should be healthy!

I really enjoyed healthy schools week and so did my friends. I hope I have as much fun next year with everyone in the school!

(aged 10)

On 2^nd June 2008 St Mary the Virgin primary school started their healthy schools week. The week started off with breakfast with your buddies where you were able to have breakfast with your friends at school. On the menu was cereal without sugar, toast and egg or egg on toast. Afterwards the normal day was thrown out the door.

In Mercury class, year 5, the week started off with a visit from our local fire station. When one of the teachers dressed up in a fireman’s outfit they all laughed. Then they were visited by 6 other local heroes such as the police department, dentist, school nurse and Tae-kwon-do. In Tae-kwon-do we were taught some cool moves to defend ourselves.

In Saturn class they made their own healthy lunches like veggie burgers and fruit smoothes.

On Thursday 5^th June it was sports day. We all had a great time and loved all the activities. It was fun!!!!!!

(aged 10)

From Monday 2^nd June to Friday 6^th of June it was healthy schools week for St Mary the Virgin primary school. The week started with breakfast at school with our friends and ended with a short lesson of Tae Kwan Do. In between we did lots more to learn how to keep safe and healthy.

First after breakfast Mercury class had a visit from the fire brigade. They taught us these cool sayings to stop us getting hurt in a fire: in case our clothes caught fire we now know stop drop and roll. If our house is on fire the fire brigade taught us get out stay out then call them out.

On another day the police came in to talk to us. They reminded us to stay away from strangers whenever possible and to phone them if we are in danger. The police ladies also told us that if we see someone who doesn’t look very kind, but you have to pass them to get to school, cross over the road and walk past them.

After the day of the police visit we had the dentist come to see us. They taught us a little more about how we can look after our teeth and how to recognise our teeth. For example, your incisors are normally pointed. They also taught us to brush the front and back of our teeth: the front so you look nicer and the back to fight plaque.

Our final visit for healthy schools week was from our school nurse. She is not the kind of nurse you find at the doctors. She spoke to us about how to look after ourselves in the sun and how to stop us getting sunburnt.

(aged 10)

From "Impact" - May 2008

The summer term ...

At St Mary’s we are now looking forward to the long summer term and all the opportunities for fun and learning that it brings. This week year 4 are going on their first ever residential trip to Hooke Court for three days and are very much looking forward to it. In July year 6 will go on their residential trip to Brenscombe. These events are eagerly anticipated by the children, not just this term, but throughout their schooling. It provides them with experiences that they would not usually get during the school day, such as abseiling. Mercury class (year 5) are planning a night away from home, too, camping on the school field!

We have two curriculum focus weeks this term, one exploring maths and another undertaking activities as a Healthy School. Like Arts Week last term, they enable the children to focus their thinking in one curriculum area for a sustained period of time and to learn about it, perhaps in a slightly different way from usual. In Maths Week we will use maths across the curriculum, for example, in art, using both the outdoor and indoor classrooms. We hope by then that the maths garden, with its human sundial and 100 squares will have been started.

The children will be able to share all their learning this term in a number of ways. All the classes will undertake their class assemblies for families, showing and telling about aspects of their learning. Later in the term we will hold an opening evening for families and the community to come and share in the children’s successes this year. This is usually accompanied by cake or strawberries and cream!

Sports play a major part in school life this term. We continue to play in local football matches, as well as athletics events later in the term. Our own Sports Day is always great fun and this year will be on Thursday 5th June.

I know the Friends of St Mary’s School plan to be very busy this term. The Fashion Show will take place on Friday 25th April at 7 pm and later in the term the summer fair and the disco take place. At the end of last term the Friends helped the school council to organise and run a bingo evening, which was a great success. The School Council raised £400, which the Friends then matched, giving the children £800 to spend on new playground activities.

As always, we would be very pleased to see members of the community at school events and look forward to welcoming you.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - March 2008

The spring term ...

... has been a busy one for everyone at St Mary the Virgin Primary School, even more so than usual as it is so short, six weeks before and just under four after half term.

The children have been travelling around the town for a number of events which we shared with other local schools. Two delegates from our school council attended the pyramid schools council at St George’s, Bourton. They returned full of enthusiasm for collecting further opinions from the children at St Mary’s on a range of issues and ideas on how to acquire funds for the pyramid schools council, which I know they will now share with the school council, staff and governors. Two children also took part in a day focused on architecture with other pyramid schools at Milton-on-Stour Primary, about which they and their parents have given us very positive feedback.

We were very pleased to offer parents and carers the opportunity to listen to and ask questions of Mr Mark Sandercock, Senior Advisor for Early Years, who spoke about supporting children in the learning of reading. This has been followed up by the opportunity for parents to see special sessions in the classroom demonstrating the areas he spoke about.

Staff and children have been focusing on learning in science, exploring in depth different ways of carrying out and recording experiments. Different year groups have investigated various aspects of undertaking experiments; children and staff have provided feedback on the approach from which they have learned best. Year 6 have made an excellent display, giving their opinions of the process.

We are now looking forward to Arts week, starting on the 10th March; our theme is India. If you have any knowledge, relevant skills or would just like to help with the extra cooking, painting, glueing and sewing that Arts week generally entails, please contact the school office (01747 824446). Following this we will be celebrating Easter with a service at St Mary’s church on Wednesday 19th March at 2.00pm and would love to see you there.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - January 2008

St. Mary the Virgin CEVA Primary School has recently won the National School Garden Award 2007 of the Religious Education and Environmental Programme (REEP) in the category ‘Garden and the Arts’, for its project ‘A maze – a symbolic journey’, in particular for its potential to integrate different faiths and their history in outdoor projects. A group of four children and two adults went to the Museum of Garden History in London to receive a prize of £1,000. The award was presented by the broadcaster and journalist Wesley Kerr.

The following account is written by one of the pupils who represented the school at the award ceremony.

Our Trip To London!

On Monday 12th November 2007, Alice, Lorenzo, Rhys, Mrs Christopher, Mrs Vavrecka (David and Jasmin’s mum) and I went to London. We went on the train from Gillingham, Dorset to Waterloo in London first which took 1 hour and 1/2. Then we went on the bus to the REEP garden museum and had some pure orange juice. Not long after we did some activities about gardens. We had a big sheet of paper and it had lots of different images on it, we had to find those images around the museum.

A little while later we got our great award (I think it was some money). The award was for our maze in the school grounds. The maze is part of the outdoor classroom which will help our learning in R.E. Canon Gill has found some bible passages to go on a large stone in the centre. It will help us reflect on our journeys and choices. After we received our award we had lunch. We had a bean sauce with salad potatoes, cheese, and a carrot and seed salad. It was yummy!

We saw big Big Ben and the houses of parliament in London. On the way back to the bus we thought that we should walk to the train because the bus took so long. Finally we got to the train station but we had to take two trains back. On the 1st train back the two boys played Uno then on the 2nd train back Alice and I played Uno. Secondly all four of us played Uno. At the end of the day I felt tired but really excited still.

From "Impact" - December 2007

As I write this it is the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, a commemoration that our children are very keen to engage with, every year we explore what remembrance means for them. We share stories that help us explore this theme. A particular favourite is ‘Badger’s Parting Gifts’ : when Badger dies his animal friends are sad but with time they come to reflect on their happy memories of Badger and the ‘gifts’, like teaching Fox to tie his tie, that he left them. We talk about remembrance in its broadest sense, depending on the children’s age: sometimes this means thinking about people we know but do not see very much, perhaps because they have moved away; we remember animals and pets who have died and of course we remember people who we know who have died. Together we make a school ‘Roll of Remembrance’, which we start in Collective Worship and which the children can add to throughout the week. On the Friday closest to Remembrance Sunday we read the roll in Collective Worship and hold two minutes silence. The reflections from this week are used as a basis for our contribution to the Church service on Remembrance Sunday.

This month we are taking a small group of children to the Museum of Garden History in London to receive an award for our maze, which has a Christian theme focusing around journeys and choosing the right path. The children we are taking designed the prize winning mazes. Also this month we are looking forward to our science day, with its focus on Outer Space, investigation and exploration. The children and staff will be working with staff from Gillingham Secondary School and there is even talk of a rocket launch!

Last week was Book Week, its theme the environment, particularly the issue of waste. The children worked with a number of visitors, exploring composting, drama and researching carbon footprints. Mercury class even worked out the carbon foot print of the school! They informed me it definitely needs reducing. The week concluded with a presentation to parents and families, demonstrating the children’s work for the week.

By the time you read this we will be celebrating Advent and getting ready for Christmas. We hope to see you at our Christmas performance and carol service. The dates are Tuesday 11th December afternoon (toddlers at this performance), Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th December evening performances. We look forward to welcoming you.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - October 2007

Autumn - and plans for a maze

At the time of writing we have just begun the new school term, unbelievably the beginning of our fourth year. It is hard to imagine that three years ago eight staff and forty one children were unpacking boxes and laying out our first two classes. This year we have opened our final class; it is our seventh and means that we have one class for each year group. There are now 34 staff and 165 children. We are very pleased to welcome four new staff, Mrs Williamson as our first deputy head, Miss Clack, Miss Donston and Mrs McKeown.

We are all enjoying being back, seeing old friends and making new ones. The lovely weather means the children can picnic outside and they are having a great time weeding the vegetable beds, which have become more than a little overgrown over the summer, and filling the new planters. We have already begun planning the exciting events for the school year which will enrich our children’s curriculum. We shall, of course, be taking part in the Harvest Thanksgiving at church and we would love to see you at the school’s Harvest Thanksgiving on Tuesday 2nd October.

We are particularly looking forward to the Grounds development we will be undertaking this term. One aspect of this is the development of a maze, which will have a Christian and reflective focus, based around the idea of journeys and choosing the right path. Following the hard work of some of our parents we are very pleased to have been awarded a grant from REEP - The Religious Education and Environment Programme, for promoting Religious Education in the outdoor environment, to develop this project. Rev. Canon Alan Gill has kindly supplied some appropriate Biblical quotes which will form part of the maze. The design for the maze will be researched and planned by the children as part of their RE lessons. Once it is complete we look forward to welcoming you at its opening. We shall also be advertising a number of working weekends for families and the community to come and work together to create other aspects of our outdoor classroom and gardens. We hope you will be able to join us.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - August 2007

Summer activities

It does not seem possible that we are almost at the end of our third year in this school’s life. When we opened we had 41 children, 7 staff and used 2 classrooms; now we have 154 children, 28 staff and use 7 classrooms. This year has seen the establishment of our nursery, who work alongside our Reception Class to form a Foundation Stage unit. The nursery has had a very successful OFSTED report within thirteen weeks of opening and is justifiably popular with children and parents. Like the individual children within its community, this school has grown and matured and yet, like them, it is still only at the beginning, with an exciting journey of exploration and growth before it.

The summer term is drawing to a close and it has had many highlights. We were particularly pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for our parents to take part in writing workshops. These half-day sessions enabled parents to discuss how writing is taught today in school, how they can help at home and then to watch it in practice in the classroom. The Summer Fair was a great success, thanks to the hard work of a group of dedicated parents. We held Sports Day early this year, just after half term; the weather was just right and everyone had a lot of fun. The organisation this year meant that even toddlers could join in and everyone was active the whole time, even some Mums and Dads.

We may be less than four weeks from the end of term as I write this but there are still many events to come which will enrich the curriculum for our children. A visiting artist will be working with Lower School to create some outdoor sculptures to complement the new beach garden. Our Open Evening on Thursday 5th July provides an opportunity both for parents and the community to see what the children have been learning this year; also in that week we will take part in the Gillingham Festival. The following week we will have our first ever summer production, for which we are performing ‘Joseph’, an event about which the children are hugely excited.

I hope children, families, staff, governors and the community can look back on what we have achieved this year with a sense of satisfaction. There will also be some sadness for not only do we lose our current Year 6 to their secondary school, but also our assistant headteacher, Mrs Williams, who has been with us since the beginning and has made a huge contribution towards making St Mary’s what it is today. We thank her for everything she has done for the children; the parents and staff wish her all the best with her new baby. We look forward, as well, to our fourth year, more learning, more excitement, more adventure, and more fun.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - July 2007

A Sarum Pilgrimage

Venus class went on a pilgrimage from Old Sarum to New Sarum (Salisbury Cathedral). We had six stops and we collected stickers and stamps. The first stop explained the meaning of courage and the sticker was of a lion. The second stop was all about hope and the sticker was an anchor.

The third stop explained friendship and we got a smiley face to represent it. The fourth stop explained compassion, and it explained who you need to help you through your life journey. The stamp was of some hearts.

The fifth stop explained humility, it explained that we can listen and learn from others and what other people’s beliefs are, the stickers were of some feet. Stop 6 was thankfulness and how to be thankful. The sticker was a star.

There were no injuries, just tired legs and tired feet. There were some rough roads but the best bit was listening to the Cathedral noises and the service that took place.

From "Impact" - June 2007

A visit to St. Mary's Church

It is the beginning of the summer term and we are looking forward to all sorts of great events and learning opportunities. Last term finished very well, with our Easter service at church, which was well attended by parents and members of the congregation. For the first time everyone walked to Church, which was a bit of an adventure with children, but a great success. It also surprised the kind motorists who let what they thought was a small group of children cross the road until they realised the line went on and on. The children really appreciate opportunities to visit their church and, on this occasion, to admire the banners they had made in situ.

School events this term include our Sports Day on 6th June and our Open Evening on 5th July. We should be pleased to welcome you on these occasions. Tuesday 1st May was a special day for Neptune and Mars classes, who visited St Mary’s church as part of their learning in religious education. They have written about the experience and what they found out, some of which now follows. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed visiting.

Neptune

I enjoyed it most when we got told that if we found the mice we would get a prize.
Sophia

I liked the cushions best because, you kneel on them when you pray
Jasmynn

I liked the eagle best because it was shiny and held the bible.
Josh

I liked seeing the clock best as it told everyone the time and when to pray.
Lewis

I loved finding the mice because we could win chocolate. I think that the building was very special because people go there to pray and the windows are very pretty.
Alice

The pulpit was very special as everyone can hear the vicar.
Adam

I think the tomb was special because they were brothers and they were holding hands and because they were buried together.
Ella

Mars

The church is special because it is God's home, and people learn there. People get married, baptised and buried there.
Henry

The church is special because you get bread and wine, sing songs and pray.
Chloe

The organ is very special because it plays Christian music and everyone sings together.
Jacob

I liked the glass windows best because they were colourful and they shined.
Tyler

I liked the eagle because it was shiny and held the bible.
Brigitte

I liked the font best as it is the place to wash. The church is special because it has stained glass windows.
Jay

The church is special because it is God's home and it is very, very old.
Emily

Headteacher

From "Impact" - April 2007

The role of School Council in St Mary's

Giving children a voice is an important part and way of life in St Mary’s. One successful way of giving this voice is through a child centred school council. St Mary’s has an elected school council, with class representatives from all ages. In September 2006 a new school council was formed for the academic year and it has already made some influential decisions for the school. The council meets fortnightly to discuss whole school issues and to answer concerns raised by individual children in the school. The school council firmly believe that the school is in their hands and this message is portrayed in their enthusiasm and commitment to the role.

During a recent school council meeting, the children told me what being in the school council was all about:

We like being in the school council because we like helping in the school and making things happen for other children. We like making decision, especially buying things to go in the playground.
Imy, Bethany and Isabella

I am enjoying being on the school council, it is fun and I like making decisions for the school.
Rhys

The school council helps change things in the school, it makes things better. We have a book to record all the things that we do.

The school council is important to our school and it makes a difference. The children have a level of responsibility and enjoy taking part in active discussions with other children and adults.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - February 2007

By the time that you are reading this we will be well into the new spring term and all the activities, learning and enjoyment that this will bring.

As we approach spring one of our key focuses is the continued development of the grounds to provide an outdoor classroom. The intention is that the grounds provide a facility to support learning in all areas of the children’s curriculum and development, providing opportunities to be active, explore, develop knowledge and also to respond, reflect and develop their sense of spirituality. We now have a newly formed steering group of staff, parents and governors who are leading us forward in this project. Their enthusiasm and energy are contagious. The children are full of wonderful ideas, including a hide to watch the birds and wildlife across the fields at the back of the school and a beach area, where they can “go on holiday”. We shall be organising a series of working days at the weekends for volunteers to work on the school grounds and would welcome help from anyone who is interested, whether it be in digging, building or making the refreshments.

Years One and Two are working on developing their knowledge of specific aspects of Christianity. They have begun their study with a nature walk, experiencing the wonder of God’s natural world. Canon Alan Gill will be looking at Christian artefacts with them and this will be followed by a visit to the church.

One of the successes of last term was the ‘Children & Communion Club’ that the Rector, Canon Alan Gill and Mrs Sandra Williams developed with a group of children at the school. They worked with a group of our junior children preparing them to take their first Holy Communion. The children involved were truly engaged and motivated by the experience. It was lovely to come together as a whole school community and celebrate their first communion with them in a special service at school with their friends and family. It was especially good to see members of the Church community present. The children who were admitted are so enthusiastic they’ve asked to continue their weekly activities with the Rector and Mrs Williams. In addition this term the Rector and Mrs Williams are running another series of ‘clubs’ to enable more children to develop their Christian knowledge and understanding in preparation for receiving the Holy Sacrament. We are so pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to our children.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - December 2006

Christmas is fast approaching and in schools it comes almost as early as it does in the shops. Whilst it is necessary in school for the children to have had all their Christmas experiences and explored the Christmas story by the time they break up for the holidays, we believe that it is important that they also get to experience the time of Advent, of getting ready for the coming of Jesus. At St Mary’s this begins with our ‘Advent starts here’ day, where we begin the Christmas story and light the first candle on our Advent ring. The whole day starts our Advent activities with a bang, including making decorations and decorating our school tree. Of course this year we will have two trees as we are taking part in the Church Christmas tree festival; this is a good thing as we have even more children this year in school who will all want to help. One of the great pleasures of Christmas in school for me is spending a morning with groups of children decorating our tree.

The children explore the Christmas story in a variety of ways. One of the most important things in school is to give the children the opportunity to experience Christmas beyond some of the commercialism in the world around them. Our younger children have stables in their role play area, so that they can act out and really get to know the events of Christmas. It does involve a large amount of straw but children learn through this active play. Interactive whiteboards are a wonderful medium for exploring works of art depicting the nativity. Our Christmas play is another opportunity for children to understand the Christmas story and is full of music and fun.

The Friends of St Mary’s school are incredibly active at this time of year, both with fundraising and enriching the children’s education. The Christmas Fair will be held on Friday 1st December at 5.30pm, to which you are all very welcome. We are very lucky that we have a group of parents providing Christmas lunch for the children over two days. This is always great fun, involving crackers and all the trimmings.

At St Mary's we like to try new ideas all the time, as it creates a rich learning experience for the children. We are particularly enthusiastic as a new school to develop our role in the community. We were very pleased to be asked to perform some carols at one of the residences for the elderly, which the choir are particularly looking forward to. This year, as well as having our Christmas play, we are holding a ‘Carols and Cocoa Evening’ on Tuesday 19th December at 6.15pm in the school hall. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to share some cocoa and join in the singing.

As you can see Advent and Christmas are at the heart of our learning in December at St Mary's.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - November 2006

We are now moving into the middle of the first term of our third year. It is lovely to see so many familiar faces and welcome so many new ones. We now have 148 children in 6 classes. As a result of our increased numbers we are very pleased to welcome a number of new staff to the school: Mrs Jacqueline Jenkins in Mercury class, Miss Ros Baker in Saturn class; Mr Rob Easby in Neptune class; Mrs Lucy Stevenson in Mars class. The midday team has also expanded with the appointment of Mrs Julie Withell, Mrs Lindsey Cheshire and Mrs Melanie Lake. The children and the school community are already benefiting from their skills and enthusiasm.

We are especially excited by the opening of our nursery. To provide a nursery facility for this end of town was part of the original vision of the temporary governing body when the school was still in the planning stages and it is wonderful to have finally realised that. The nursery team work alongside our reception class team to form a Foundation stage unit, which gives just the right environment and learning experiences for our youngest children.

There have also been some changes to the Governing Body. Mr Andy Robins has stood down as Chairperson, although he remains on the Governing Body. I would like to thank him for all his hard work and commitment as Chair of Governors over the last three years. Our new Chairperson is Mr Graham Lloyd. In addition Mr Stephen Hill has joined the Governing Body as a parent governor and Mrs Ann Buckton has been appointed as the new Clerk to the Governors.

As a Church school we are always exploring new ways of developing this fundamental area of our school life. Recently Revd Canon Alan Gill and Sandra Williams have started a ‘club’ during school lunchtimes for children wishing to prepare to receive Holy Communion. It is wonderful to be able to offer this opportunity to our children and their families and we look forward to their receiving their first Communion on Thursday 30thNovember at 9.00am in a special service at school. As always we would be very pleased to see you at this or any other school event.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - August 2006

We are now entering the last few weeks of term, some of the busiest but ‘fun’ weeks in the school calendar. We have welcomed the new reception children and their families for their series of induction visits which went very smoothly. All of the children in school have ‘changed over’ for the afternoon and met the adults and other children they will be working with next year, and year 6 have been to visit the secondary school. There have been several trips out: to Longleat, the garden centre, an Indian restaurant and there have been many special visitors to school to enrich the children’s learning, these have included the fire brigade and the RNLI. Before the end of term we are looking forward to a camping trip for year 6 as well as a physical education focused day trip.

One of this year’s developments year has been the increased breadth of music provision; as well as the music taught within the curriculum, we now have tuition in keyboard, guitar, violin and woodwind instruments. We hope to have drumming lessons in the new school year (although I may suggest that they practise at the other end of the school field!). To celebrate these developments, we are not only taking part in the Gillingham Music Festival in a shared performance with the three other town schools, but we are also having our own music festival, where our children can demonstrate their skills.

The Friends of St Mary’s school have done outstanding work again this year. The Summer Fête was a huge success not only as a fundraiser but also as a relaxed social occasion for friends and families. Later this month they will be hosting a rounders and picnic afternoon on the school site one Sunday afternoon, as well as organising our final disco of the year.

This is also the time of year for a little sadness for us as our Year 6 students leave us to go to secondary school, but it is also a time of anticipation and a new beginning for them and their families. It is a time for all of us in the school community to reflect on what we have achieved, what we are proud of and what we want to do even better next year. At St Mary’s everyone is involved in this process of review and evaluation, the children, parents, governors and staff. The conclusions we draw will be used to form the basis of our school development plan for next year, when we embark again together on the voyage of learning.

Headteacher

From "Impact" - July 2006

This first half term has been an extremely busy but very successful one for all at St Mary’s.

At the beginning of May the school had its first OFSTED inspection and received an excellent report. In OFSTED terms the school was found to be good with outstanding elements; the inspectors particularly commented on the considerable progress children make once they have arrived here. The outstanding elements include our ability to self evaluate and aspects of school leadership and vision. Team work at St Mary’s was considered to be a major strength, as were the relationships between children and adults. OFSTED identified the very significant role of the children’s voice in the development of the school. Parents told OFSTED that the school had made a real difference in their child’s life and heard comments such as, “ my children have really blossomed since coming here.

Two weeks later we had our inspection by the Diocese, focusing on our distinctiveness as a Church of England school. This was another great success. They summarised that:

St Mary the Virgin Church of England Voluntary Aided primary School is a distinctive and effective Church school with a strong Christian ethos. The vision and values of the school are rooted in Christian belief and principles and there are good and developing Church links.

The inspectors evaluate the whole school and divide their judgements into four key areas, including: how effective are the leadership and management of the school, as a Church school; how well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners; what is the impact of collective worship on the school community; how effective is religious education? The inspectors then use the OFSTED grading system to make overall judgements. The school was very proud to receive a OFSTED grade of good in all areas with outstanding elements, such as in leadership and management. Identified strengths included the vision and values of the school and the strong teamwork between the head, staff, governors, parents and learners. The report highlighted that ‘the school should be commended on continuously and successfully integrating new pupils” and “the impressive plans for the extensive school grounds will offer many valuable opportunities for promoting spiritual awareness through quiet reflection and creativity”.

We are immensely proud of the achievements of our children, staff, governors, families and the Church and its congregation in making this school the great success it is, in just nineteen months. I know you will join me in congratulating everyone involved.

Now we are looking forward to our continued growth and development, particularly the opening of our nursery in September. The nursery will have 20 places for children aged 2½ years and upwards and will work in partnership with our Reception class to form a Foundation Stage unit. It is a very exciting venture, providing a facility for the community that does not currently exist on this side of town. On July 3rd (2-5pm) and July 6th (5-7pm) we will be holding open sessions in the nursery. July 6th (5-7pm) is also the school Open Evening, I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to these events. We look forward to seeing you.

Headteacher