NewsletterFirbeck Times

What a whirlwind of a term the Spring Term has been at Firbeck Academy. The amount of learning and enrichment we have squeezed into this term has been amazing. 

One of the highlights of the term was our year 6 residential to London. The visit to the Houses of Parliament and having the opportunity to watch a West End show just has to be the highlight of their year, surely!

On a daily basis we have the opportunity to see how hard our pupils work to become the best versions of themselves. This term we have had a big focus on writing. And wow, the outcomes for some of our pupils is wonderful. We definitely have some potential authors and journalists in school. 

The launch of our class coffee mornings next term will give all of you the opportunity to see your child's/children's work too. So do take the time to join your child's class for this event. 

Something that always fills us with pride at Firbeck are the wonderful comments made by visitors about our school. They always comment on how polite our pupils are, that engagement in learning is very positive, how positive relationships are between staff and pupils and most importantly how clear it is to see that everyone at Firbeck is passionate about their role and always go above and beyond for all pupils. We recognise that we may be a small one form entry school but transforming the lives of all of our pupils is what drives us every day. And hopefully our community can see that too. 

 

Earlier this term we had the pleasure of hosting our Loyalty Event. This event was to recognise the dedication of our staff that have worked within this school for five plus years. Our transformational choir sang a fantastic acapella version of 'Walking on Sunshine.' and the video produced by our pupil media team brought a tear to everyone's eyes.

Last week Mrs Watson, Miss Godwin and Mrs Charles attended the Trust long service awards where they were recognised for their loyalty and dedication to Firbeck. 

 

This week staff came together to say goodbye and thank you to Mrs Welbourn, who is moving on to pastures new at the end of this term.  Mrs Welbourn has made a huge impact in Early Years during her short time and this is evident for everyone ot see.  We wish her all the best for the future.

 

We cannot wait to see what next term brings for our school. 

Enjoy the Easter break. 

Thank you to everyone that bought tickets for the Easter Raffle, we raised a total of £127.00.  Miss Stimson drew the raffle in this mornings celebration assembly, congratulations to Andrew (Y4) and Jack (Y5) who won the two Easter Hampers.

 

Below are just a few of the exciting activities that have taken place this term...

Year 6 Food Technology

 

Year 3 Creswell Crags Visit

 

Year 1 Maths

 

World Book Day

 

Year 3 Art, Technology and Computing

 

Reading with Hughie

 

Year 2 Forest School

 

Year 6 Visit St Leonard's Church

 

Aim High Science Day at Radford Academy

Religion and belief have become more visible in public life in recent years, making it important for all pupils to have an opportunity to engage in RE. Within school the focus is around learning about and learning from different religions. 

At Firbeck our RE curriculum enables all of our pupils to learn about different faiths/religions, recognise the similarities and make comparisons.  As a Rights Respecting School we embrace the opportunities that serving a multi-cultural community brings.

Parents may request that their child be excused from all or part of the religious education (RE) provided. 

Parents who wish to withdraw their children from RE will need to put this request in writing, to the school and should make clear whether the withdrawal is from the whole RE curriculum or specific parts of it.  Once your request is received you will be invited to attend a meeting with a Senior Leader so we can discuss your request and any concerns you may have, following this meeting your request will be confirmed. Where a request for withdrawal is confirmed, this will be in place until the parent notifies the school otherwise.

Things to consider when withdrawing your child from RE:
- Schools have a duty to supervise your child during these times, though not to provide additional teaching. A child may be required to work in another area of the school, such as a different classroom/year group. Children will usually remain on school premises where it is feasible and appropriate.
- Whilst parents or carers have a right to withdraw children from RE, they should note that children may also encounter religions and beliefs and wider aspects of faith in other areas of the curriculum from which there is no right of withdrawal.
- On occasion, spontaneous questions about religious matters are raised by pupils or issues related to religion arise in other curriculum subjects such as history or citizenship (PSHE). For example, schools promote community cohesion and help pupils to understand ideas about identity and diversity, feelings and emotions within both religious and non-religious contexts.
- Withdrawing your child from RE does not include the school's Christmas party, as this does not have any religious aspect to it. 
- Withdrawal would include all visits to a place of worship linked to the school's RE curriculum. 

If we do not receive a request to withdraw your child in writing, they will be included in all RE curriculum-based lessons and wider educational visits.

Many thanks for your continued support.

The new lunch menus start on Tuesday 22nd April, they will be added to MCAS over the first week of the Easter break so you can book meals ready for the start of the new term.

Next term Year 2 will be attending swimming lessons on a Tuesday afternoon at Ken Martin Leisure Center, which is a great opportunity for all the children to learn about water safety.

Sessions will start on Tuesday 22nd April and run until the end of the school year, please ensure your child has their swimming kit with them every week.

As part of their swimming kit children will need to bring either swimming trunks or an all in one costume, a towel and a swimming hat.  

Please follow the link below to complete our pre swimming form, so you can specify if your child needs to wear goggles and provide details of their current swimming experience so the instructors can group the children by ability.

https://forms.office.com/e/J7JgpLuKTG

The children will be taught and supervised by qualified instructors and will be transported to and from the leisure center by coach, whilst there is no cost to parents for this provision please can we ask that you log into the 'school visits' section of MCAS to confirm your consent.

Any queries or questions about swimming please do not hesitate to contact school.

Just a reminder that the normal fortnightly wednesday coffee mornings will be changing to class hosted sessions.  

Each class will host a session and parents are invited in to join us for the session and enjoy some refreshments while engaging in tasks and activities with your children.

Sessions will run from 9.00am - 9.45am on the following dates:

23rd April – Year 1

7th May – Year 6

21st May – Year 2

11th June – Year 5

25th June – Year 3

9th July – Year 4

23rd July – EYFS (Nursery and Reception)

 

The following after school enrichment clubs will start from Tuesday 22nd April.

Booking is essential due to limited numbers.

Bookings will open at 6.00pm this evening and can be accessed via the 'Clubs' section of MCAS.

 

Please can we ask that scooters and bikes are not ridden on the school grounds or brought onto the school site past the main car park.

This can cause huge risks in terms of safety for pedestrians especially as we have a lot of young children walking around our site.

We are looking into purchasing a bike rack for the car park area, in the meantime please can we ask that bikes and scooters are left by the front fence line in the main car park at all times.

Many thanks for your support with this.

Thank you for working with us to continuously improve school attendance. We are extremely pleased with how much this has improved. And that is due to school and parents working together. So a big thank you for working with us, we do appreciate it. 

A little reminder that home visits will be carried out for any child not in school by 9.00am, particularly if their current attendance is below 93% and we have had no direct daily contact from parents.

It is a legal requirement that children attend school and as parents/carers it is your responsibility to ensure your child attends school every day. Remember, every day matters.

Daily attendance is crucial for your child’s academic success and overall well-being. Pupils who arrive on time and attend every day achieve better outcomes at all key stages and are more confident. 

Absence during term time WILL NOT be authorised under any circumstances unless there are significant exceptional circumstances supported by documentation and evidence.

We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to identify and address barriers to attendance in the following ways:

- Each day a child is absent telephone calls will be made by the school office to establish reasons for absence and what support could help.

- If a child is absent for 2 consecutive days and no contact is made with parents by 9.15am on the second day, home visits will be made and support from outside services may be sought if appropriate.

- If a child has less than 93% attendance and has not arrived in school by 9.00am a home visit will be carried out.

- Parents will receive regular messages detailing the number of sessions absent their child/children has had.

- Class Teachers will engage in supportive conversations and meetings with families where attendance is an early concern.

- Any child presenting as at Risk of Persistent Absence (10 days absent from school over the academic year) will be placed on a formalised attendance support plan and parents will be invited in for a meeting with a member of the School Attendance Team, the purpose of the meeting is to explore how both parents and school can work together to improve attendance. 

- At the end of each half term parents will receive a copy of their child’s current attendance report and details of any further actions the school may be considering.

- The school will adopt the new National Framework for Penalty Notices in regards to attendance to ensure consistency.

- Penalty Notices will be issued to both parents when a child has had 10 sessions (5 school days) of unauthorised absence in a 10-week period.

Unauthorised absence is any absence from school which has not been agreed in advance or can not be explained and evidenced by a parent.  In the event of a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued this will be sent to both parents.

Late arrivals after the register closes (at 9.30am) are considered an unauthorised absence and count as 1 session towards a penalty notice.

Using an egg (or eggs) desgn and create an Eggs-traordinary person (or people).

Entries need to be brought into school on Tuesday 22d April (the first day back after the Easter Holiday).

Prizes will be awarded for the best entries.

 

We are excited to confirm that Allotment Education will begin working with school next term, and will be in school every Thursday.

To begin with they will be working with Year 1 and Year 2 and also providing an after school club for a small group of children.

Please can we ask that you send your child in with wellies and an old long sleeve top/jumper next term, that they can wear during these sessions to protect their uniform.

More information about Allotment Education can be found on their website: Allotment Education

We are excited to confirm that we will be offering a Year 5, 1 night residential to Wollaton Park to take part in their Nature Camp on the 14th and 15th July.

This visit will involve an overnight camping experience and workshops such as shelter building, and pond dipping.  Followed by hot chocolate and marshmallows in front of the campfire at the end of the day.

We are planning for five members of staff to accompany the children on this visit including Miss Stimson, Mr Denty, Miss Godwin, Mrs Day and Miss Oswin.

The total cost for this visit is £70 per child, however due to being part funded by the Samworth Foundation we are asking for a reduced contribution of £10.00 per child.  Children who do not want to stay over can still attend for the daytime events.

Further information will be sent out after Easter, including consent forms and a more detailed itinerary.  A parent meeting will also be held at the start of next term, so you can gain more information and ask any questions.

Wollaton Hall School Camps

Tuesday 22nd April

- School re-opens for the summer term

- Year 2 swimming lessons start at Ken Martin Leisure Center

- Summer term enrichment clubs start

 

Wednesday 23rd April

- Year 1 class coffee morning - 9.00am - 9.45am

- Year 4 Healthy Lifestyle Programme starts

 

Wednesday 30th April

- St Leonard's Energise after school club - 3.20pm - 5.00pm

 

Friday 2nd May

- Rail Forum Celebration Event (8 children from Year 4 attending - TBC)

 

Monday 5th May

- Bank Holiday - school closed

 

Tuesday 6th May - Thursday 8th May

- VE Day 80th Anniversary Celebrations

 

Wednesday 7th May

- Year 6 class coffee morning - 9.00am - 9.45am

- Year 5 Freedom Factory Showcase Performance (Y5 parents welcome) - 3.00pm - 3.15pm

 

Thursday 8th May

- Year 5 Nottingham University Visit

 

Monday 12th May - Thursday 15th May

- Year 6 SATS Assessments

 

Wednesday 21st May

- Year 2 class coffee morning - 9.00am - 9.45am

- St Leonard's Energise after school club - 3.20pm - 5.00pm

 

Friday 23rd May

- Year 4 Birmingham Sealife Center Visit

- Last day of term

 

Monday 26th May - Friday 30th May

- School closed for half term break

 

Monday 2nd June

- School reopens for Summer term