This month our focus for rewards is KINDNESS. This is a key part of our school values and was initially put forward by our School Council last year. Every child in school has been challenged to create a #kindnessrocks - a little rock to bring into school, painted complete with a kind and inspiring message to dot around our school grounds.

The Ivan Jones Amazing Poem Award

We are already gearing up for our Poetry Recital Competition, and Ivan Jones Amazing Poem writing competition All poems are to be brought into school by Friday, September 28, so they can be prepared to be sent off to Ivan for judging. The theme for the competition are one of our school values: Kindness, Respect, Determination and Aspiration.

As ever, we are looking forward to our poetry recital. Frances Hutcheon was our winner last year, following in the footsteps of Sarah Crossley. Each child has a booklet of poems to pick from. Finalists can use props, powerpoints, drama, music or costume to gain those extra valuable points. And, if your child wishes to enter but is finding the poem difficult to learn, why not learn part of the poem well? Class poems have been carefully chosen to challenge and allow the children to be as creative as ever.

The best "summer" homework ever challenge

Well done to everyone who took on board the Pobble 30 things to do challenge over the Summer holiday. There were some really fantastic efforts, which I will be judging this weekend. We will announce the winners next week.

School Priorities in 18-19

Each Summer we analyse children's attainment and progress across the whole school to decide upon our priorities for development and training. Here is what we decided to improve:

1.  Maths:  To continue to raise standards in basic mathematical knowledge, while including challenge for all children.

2. Writing: to improve outcomes for the more able children in EYFS and End of KS1 in writing, ensuring a high level of challenge and expectation

3. Reading: Establish consistency of reading evidence for assessment. 

4. Assessment: implement complete assessment approach for foundation subjects. To develop a whole school system for tracking group and whole school progress, taking into account pupils’ starting points.

5. Curriculum: Music - to enable every child increased opportunities to perform musically - either singing or in learning a musical instrument as part of an enriched Creative Arts education for all pupils and to embed Music into the wider Arts and National Curriculum based topics. To embed an integrated PHSE curriculum, underpinned by social and emotional learning principles.

6. Lunch & Break times: develop a whole school approach to the provision of outdoor play:  improving opportunities, choice and engagement in play.

Finally, it was fantastic to see some of our after school starts get into the swing of things this week, particularly Y5 attempting their entries in Meccano for the Great Engineering Challenge and - of course - Street Dance. Watch this space for an exciting new development around music and the creative arts.