Dufton Approach
Seacroft
LEEDS
LS14 6ED
Telephone: 0113 2930282
Headteacher: C Dyson
10.2.16
Good evening Parents /Carers
Well what a week at the greatest school in Leeds! We wowed an A list celebrity, Louis Smith MBE, we appeared on the Made in Leeds News, we had a full page story in the Yorkshire Evening Post and we also appeared in a video on the Yorkshire Evening Post website ….. great publicity for our great school. Louis Smith was amazed by our brilliant gym display which had front flips, somersaults and other dangerous gymnastic moves. He even coached the children. He was asked some great challenging questions which he answered with humour and honesty. He then delivered an awe inspiring speech for the whole school. Excellent!! What Louis didn’t realise was his visit sparked extra reading in school as children were eager to find out ALL about his life, he inspired extra writing as around 30 children produced me biographies of his life and inspired the gymnastic team.
As if this wasn’t enough, on Friday the press were back again as we celebrated the Variety Club who very kindly and generously donated a brand new mini bus for RP. This beautiful act of generosity will make an immediate impact on our fantastic children in RP.
A Sad Day For Parklands
Friday will see tears shed in school as we say a goodbye to the brilliant, fantastic, beautiful Miss Hartley. Miss Hartley is one of the greatest teachers that has ever taught. She inspires, leads and makes a difference to every child and every person that she has ever worked with or taught. Such is the brilliance of this young lady, she has been given the opportunity to teach for a full year in Australia. Although it is sad to say goodbye, at Parklands we allow dreams to happen. This was an unbelievable opportunity for Miss Hartley, a chance to follow her dreams. All I can say is a personal thanks for being with me at the start of my Parklands journey and thanks for her always being by my side when tough decisions needed to be made. The children, staff and parents will send her their best wishes…… Miss Hartley – simply the best!
Writer of the Week
Is going from strength to strength. Every Monday I have the luxury of seeing a child from each class that has impressed. The Writer of the Week gets juice, biscuits and a lovely certificate to celebrate their success.
Times Table Knockout
Keep practising! This week’s KS2 winner was Riley in Y3 and in KS1 it was Tyler….. both have qualified now for the Grand Final in 6 weeks’ time.
Income Related Free School Meal Entitlement – final reminder
Just a reminder that any child who ever receives Free School Meals is entitled to around £1300 per year (for the next 6 years) to allow extra support throughout their school years. These children are known as Pupil Premium children. The money is used at Parklands to have small class sizes of around 18, to employ additional teachers to accelerate learning and to ensure that all the children have educational visits or in school experiences. The children in Y4, Y5 and Y6 also have a totally free residential experience. In addition we provide free PE kits and water bottles.
With Universal Free School Meals in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, a lot of parents don’t register until their child enters Year 3. Thus they are not recorded as Pupil Premium and school does not receive the money which it should. So can all parents (but especially Reception, Y1 and Y2) check if they are entitled? Anybody who is entitled, if they bring the documents into the office, I will give a £10 Tesco Voucher as thanks. There is no catch to this offer. I have an unlimited number of these vouchers so please check to see if you’re entitled and let us know asap.
Attendance
The last 2 weeks have not been the best I am afraid. A reminder that we are in trouble if the figure falls below 95% and as you can see I am in big trouble!
Last week’s attendance for each class was:
RR 100%
RT 97.1%
RE 97.5%
1A 92.4%
1I 90.5%
2M 95.2%
2MS 95%
3T 90.5%
3N 93.2%
4B 96.3%
4C 98.9%
5H 95.3%
5W 97.1%
6D 96.7%
6R 96%
RP 85.8%
Total 94.5%Total for the school year to date: 94.4%
How can I help my child attend school regularly?
• Talk to your child about school
• Take a positive interest in your child’s work, including homework
• Keep in touch with the Learning Mentors
• Contact school on the first day of absence if your child is unable to attend for whatever reason
• Attend parents’ evenings and other Parklands assemblies and events
What should I do if I’m worried about my child’s school attendance?
The first thing to do is to contact the Learning Mentors to discuss your concerns.
What are my responsibilities regarding my child’s school attendance?
As a parent/carer it is your responsibility to ensure that any child of compulsory school age attends school, both regularly and on time. The local authority has a duty to make sure that all parents/carers fulfil this responsibility.
What will happen if my child does not attend school regularly?
School has no choice other than to contact you to raise concerns about your child’s attendance. If we see no improvement, or there are particular difficulties involved, a referral will be made to the Education Welfare Service. As a school we are under immense pressure to achieve the 95% floor target.
When Your Child Misses…. / That Equals…. / Which is….. / If this continued into High School…. This =1 day every 2 weeks / 20 days a year / 4 weeks a year / 1.5 school life missed
1 day a week / 40 days a year / 8 weeks a year / 2.5 school life missed
2 days a week / 80 days a year / 16 weeks a year / 5 years of school life
3 days a week / 120 days a year / 24 weeks a year / Half of their school life
It is amazing how 1 day a fortnight adds up!!! Let’s improve our figure please!
Have a great rest of your week and enjoy your half term break. We return to school on Monday 22nd February.
Yours sincerely,
C Dyson
Headteacher