Welcome back to the Autumn Term 2023
This first week in school we have been thinking about the routines and habits that we have here at Georgeham. As a staff we have talked about what we can do in this first fortnight that will set us up for success through the rest of the year. We have been lining-up at the end of playtimes and lunchtimes so that each lesson can start smoothly. We have been thinking about the ways we work in classrooms so that we can use that time we have really well. Children and staff have done a brilliant job with this. They have quickly settled back after the long holidays.
We are going to focus on our Community value this half-term. It is really clear to me that Georgeham School is a strong and positive community. I am excited to learn about the ways in which this is already expressed and to work with you to find ways to make the school even better.
For that reason, I hope that you might be able to come in on Thursday 21st September at 2.45pm for a short meeting.
I would like to use this time to start to learn about your views about the school. If that time does not work for you, then we will set up some alternative ways of communicating. It is really important to me that I hear from the whole school community.
On a personal note, can I thank you for making me so welcome this week. I feel privileged to be here and am looking forward to working with you through the next term.
Mr Gower – Interim Headteacher
This half term’s school value is…
We are community
Our school is a community, but we are also part of a wider local and global community.
We encourage a sense of belonging and responsibility towards each other, our environment and the world we live in.
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Matthew 22 v39)
Attendance this week
Here are this week’s attendance stats…
Whole school attendance this year is 96.4%
C1 100% C2 100% C3 95.4 % C4 93.3%
A reminder that the DfE’s expectation is 96%
(Please have a look at the Attendance page on our website for more information.)
The class stars celebrated this week are :
In early years… Neveah Legg
Class 2… Bryony Bargery
Class 3… Violet Rampe
Class 4… Leelan Taylor
Family Funding
We are very aware of the pressure on families due to the current cost of living crisis, below is a link to some funding that we have been made aware of that is available to families.
If you’d like help with this please contact the office.
Here is a new term extra curricular message from Sarah Cox…
Hello and welcome back… or should I say Bonjour! I hope you’ve all had wonderful summers, despite the weather.
I wanted to remind parents of exciting guitar lessons, singing lessons, and French club that will be taking place as of next week.
*Guitar and singing lessons will take place on a school afternoon from Wednesday to Friday.
*I am starting a new beginner’s French Club after school on Mondays and will amalgamate the other two clubs for the Tuesdays after school.
If you are interested in your children continuing/ starting either of these please let me know and I can tell you more about costings etc.
My email is: sarahcoxtutoring@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sarah Cox
Class 1 – Wednesday 13th September
Class 2 – Friday 15th September
Class 3 – Monday 11th September
Class 4 – Thursday 14th September
Diary Dates of note:
New to class meetings for parents – see above
All clubs start next week – see the online diary
Fri 20th October – the last Friday of this half term – is an INSET day
The school calendar can be found at the bottom of the website home page, but here is a link for speed : Click here
We’re a Nut free school, this means that peanuts and most kinds of tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts) shouldn’t be brought in to school in any form (eg in snack bars or peanut butter sandwiches)
Attendance… We frequently report the attendance of individual year groups as it’s a really good way to see if school attendance is at a good percentage… with it as high as possible of course! The DfE have a target of 96.5%
Attending school regularly is vital to help children achieve and to give them the best possible start in life. It’s also the legal requirement of parents once children are of school age and enrolled in mainstream education. Ofsted has a strong view about attendance of course. Too many absences can lead into difficult discussions about how we can support children to achieve and do well – we could even be downgraded for our current Good status as a result.
Absences will only be authorised if they meet exceptional circumstances. With only 190 statutory school days in the year, there are 175 days (weekends and school holidays) left to plan for family visits, non-urgent medical/dental appointments, holidays etc. School holidays are published well in advance and parents are expected to plan and take family holidays at this time so as not to disrupt their child’s education. We also try to arrange our Inset (training) days to provide time for travel… such as this term’s Friday October 20th.
Holidays… are almost always not recognised as meeting ‘exceptional circumstances’ and therefore an absence would be unauthorised. This could result in a penalty notice being issued by DCC.
Punctuality is important too, and the earlier we get our children into the right habits, the better. You may not realise that being just 5 minutes late every day equals 3 days of school lost a year. Please bring your child for 8.45am when they door is open and the classroom has a learning activity ready for them.
The school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead is Jonathan Gower
Our Deputy Safeguarding Leads are Emma Hill and our interim SENDCo, Laura Hapgood
You can contact us on dsl@georgeham-primary.devon.
If you have any concerns that you’d like to discuss, please call through to Lottie and ask for an appointment.
You may also find some useful or helpful information on our Safeguarding webpage… https://georgehamceps.wpengine.com/staying-safe/
Leave A Comment