www.corshamprimary.co.uk July 2013 2nd Edition

Despite an initially chilly and grey term, the sun has been shining at Corsham Primary throughout this busy summer term; the children and staff have had a great time! We will shortly be saying goodbye to our wonderful year six children who have given us so much joy over the years. We wish them all well as they move on to their new secondary schools. At this time of year we will also be saying goodbye and hello to old and new staff members and are looking forward to welcoming our new Foundation Stage pupils in September.

We hope to hear the “patter of tiny feet” in the Ryan household very shortly and wish Miss Townsend, Miss Book and Miss Pankhurst much happiness for their forthcoming marriages.

We are also saying good-bye and good luck to Mrs Baines who secured a position as a radiographer at RUH in Bath. I would like to thank Andrea for all the special things she has done for the pupils who attend the Sunshine Room and Learning Den. We are all going to miss her especially Olive and Timmy the greyhounds who regularly read with the children.

Congratulations Corsham Primary!

We are proud and delighted to inform parents and carers that Corsham Primary has achieved an Outstanding judgement following our recent inspection. The report was published on the Ofsted website on 19 July.

We are particularly pleased to have received this very special news as the new Ofsted framework, which came into force in September 2012, has deliberately set the bar for an outstanding judgement even higher than before. The inspection itself was very challenging with five inspectors formally observing every teacher in the school, a total of 35 lessons in all; this did not include learning walks and other classroom visits when inspectors observed our Teaching Assistants delivering intervention programmes with the children. This amounted to well over 40 sessions which is a huge amount if you think this happened over just two days. I think it is fair to say that we were all overcome by the rigorous judgement process but it was worthwhile when we received this very special “pat on the back” from Ofsted.

So in summary Corsham Primary has achieved:

Overall effectiveness = Outstanding Achievement of pupils = Outstanding Quality of teaching = Outstanding Behaviour and safety of pupils = Outstanding Leadership and Management = Outstanding Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Transition Building Update at Pound Pill

Over the last few weeks of term, FS and Key Stage We were really hoping to open up the 1 have been enjoying getting to know their new second parent entrance onto the playground classrooms and teachers. which is located where the new gates are adjacent to the library before the end of term. But alas we have been thwarted—this Each class has had the opportunity to have story time by the sun! time and golden time in their new room in addition to spending the whole morning with their During most of the construction of the new new teacher. They've also had lots of extension we were praying for sun as it opportunities to ask questions about their new seemed to rain for months! Now the sun Is year group in preparation for September. stopping the contractors from completing the landscaping as all shrubs and grass Hopefully the children are now looking forward to seed will die due to lack of rain and very hot all the exciting new challenges and learning ahead sunshine! of them as much as we are. We have decided to delay the completion of We have enjoyed working with your children this the groundworks until September when we year and wish them all the very best next year. hope it will rain and water the new plants Please do not hesitate to contact your class and grass. I will let you know in the new teacher if you have any queries about next year academic year when the second entrance and we hope you all have a lovely summer will open. I can only apologise for this holiday. delay; while we are hoping for some rain for the plants, let’s hope the sun shines a bit

longer so you all have a lovely holiday on Miss Palmer and the KS1 team the beach!

The Year 6 boys’ cricket team showed themselves as accomplished cricket players this week when they represented at the Asda Kwik Cricket National South Final at the Hampshire Cricket Club in Southampton. It was an exciting and very hot day where the boys had to compete and perform against a very high level of budding and promising future cricketers. Even though we lost our three games it will be a day none of us will ever forget.

Corsham 207 – Surry 235 Corsham 249 – Hampshire 284 Corsham 244 – Devon 254

Corsham Primary School Absence Request Form

Taking your child out of school during term time may harm your child’s academic progress.

Absences may only be authorised at the discretion of the Headteacher in EXCEPTIONAL circumstances.

Circumstances which are notified to the school after a decision has been made by the Headteacher will not be considered. Therefore please be certain to provide details of the EXCEPTIONAL circumstances relating to your application below and attach any supporting evidence.

EXCEPTIONAL circumstances no longer cover:-

Holidays of any description Husband/wife work patterns necessitating taking holidays in term times Family Birthday celebrations Visiting relatives abroad

There are an increasing number of requests for family weddings in term time, often abroad. The day of the wedding can be authorised as it is deemed to be a “one-off” situation BUT only if the school receives confirmation in writing eg. an invitation outlining the wedding details. Parents/Carers requesting a week’s leave of absence to attend a wedding should note that only the day of the wedding can be authorised.

Permission should be applied for giving as much notice as possible for medical appointments including, hospital ap- pointments, hospital stays, dentists etc. Leave will normally be granted when evidence of appointment(s) has been provided.

If permission has not been granted then any leave taken will be recorded as unauthorised. If the absence is not authorised by the Headteacher you will be notified by letter. Any unauthorised absence will appear in both the school register and in your child’s report. Persistent unauthorised absence may result in the involvement of the Education Welfare Officer and possible legal proceedings.

Please read Local Authority leaflet overleaf which explains Penalty Notices issued for unauthorized absences during term time.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

I request that ______(Name of Child) Class______be granted leave of absence from school from ______to ______.

The exceptional circumstances I wish to be considered for authorisation of this absence are: ______

______

______

Signed ______Date ______

For office use only: Days already taken ______Attendance % ______

AUTHORISED absence of ______day(s) has been granted, the exceptional reason is:

______

UNAUTHORISED absence of______day(s) as exceptional circumstances / attendance criteria (delete as necessary) have not been met.

Headteacher ______PENALTY NOTICES - FOR HOLIDAYS TAKEN DURING TERM TIME (s444A and s444B Education Act 1996)

Information for Parents and Carers

What are s444A and s444B of the Education Act 1996? Section 444A and section 444B of the Education Act 1996 give powers to the Local Authority (LA) and other designated bodies to issue Penalty Notices where the parent/carer is considered capable of but unwilling to secure an improvement in their child’s school attendance. Why are these powers available? Reducing absence from school is a key priority at both national and local level. Missing school reduces a pupil’s educational attainment chances, can leave them vulnerable to anti-social behaviour and other crime and make them less likely to enter into employment or training when they have left school. What is a Penalty Notice? A Penalty Notice is an alternative to prosecution and is used to try and secure an improvement in a pupil’s school attendance without the need to appear in Court. As long as the penalty is paid the Penalty Notice en- ables parents or carers to discharge their potential liability for prosecution for the period covered by the Pen- alty Notice. What are the costs? Payment of £120 is required within 28 days of receipt of the Penalty Notice, this sum is reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days. If the penalty is not paid in full within 28 days the LA is required to commence proceed- ings in the Magistrates’ Court for the original offence of your child’s poor school attendance. If you plead guilty or are found guilty the Courts have a wider range of options which could include a maximum fine of £1000. In addition a Parenting Order could be imposed. Who issues them? Wiltshire Local Authority through the Education Welfare Service. How are they issued? By post to your home. Can I be prosecuted if I pay the penalty but my child is still missing school? Not for the period included in the Penalty Notice – payment discharges your liability in this respect. However, legal proceedings might be considered for further periods of poor attendance not covered by the Penalty Notice, depending upon the circumstances. When are they issued? Penalty Notices are issued for absence taken during term time where the leave of absence has not been authorised by the school or an absence has not been requested in advance and pupil has had a minimum of 10 sessions (5 school days) lost to unauthorised leave of absence during the previous six months up to and including the day the Education Welfare Service is notified. What is unauthorised Leave of Absence? A parent has made a request for Leave of Absence in term time and this has not been agreed by the school; A parent has not applied for Leave of Absence in advance of the absence (the regulations do not allow retrospective approval); and If the parents keep the child away from school for longer than was agreed, the extra time is recorded as unauthorised When can Leave of Absence be authorised? Amendments made to the 2006 regulations in the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 make clear that headteachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are EXCEPTIONAL circumstances. Why have I received this information? This leaflet is sent to parents in Wiltshire to inform them of the extended use of Penalty Notices for unauthor- ised leave of absence or for parents who have requested a leave of absence during term time. If the leave of absence you have requested is not agreed by the school and your child’s total unauthorised leave of ab- sence amount to 10 or more sessions (5 school days), continuous or aggregated within the previous six months within the current academic year, the Education Welfare Service will be notified. Following this notification from a school that a parental request for a leave of absence in term time has not been authorised and the leave of absence is taken the Local Authority will issue a Penalty Notice to each parent for each child. What can I do now? If the leave of absence you have requested is not authorised you are advised not to take your child out of school. Who can I discuss this with? In the first instance talk to your child’s school; otherwise the Education Welfare Service can be contacted on: Wiltshire: 01722 438123 Email: [email protected]

Headteacher/Attendance/Penalty Notices CAR PARKING PERMITS …

To all those parents who use our car parking permits at Corsham Car Park behind the Methuen Arms and Newlands Road (Co-op), please return them to the school office as they will be voided from the last day of term. Permits will be re-issued on application in the new academic year. PLEASE NOTE: your permit will expire on 24 July.

MUSIC SUCCESSES ... We are delighted and proud to be able to announce some recent piano exam results: Daisy A—passed Grade 1 Elodie D—passed Grade 1 Georgina B—passed Grade 1 Charlie R—passed Grade 1 (distinction) Alice T—passed Grade 2 (merit)

PUPIL ELECTIONS

Year 5 recently held elections as part of Citizenship Week. They formed eight parties and chose their officers before coming up with a name, logo and manifesto. They then publicised their party with posters etc., and canvassed support from the voters in Assembly. The parties were:

Biscuit Builders Crazy Purple Stars Bazooka Builders The Tool Box The Golden Crown New Mania Education for Ivern Ivern’s Little Helpers

The winners were Ivern’s Little Helpers Party:

Prime Minister - Harry T Deputy Prime Minister - Phoebe I Chancellor - Miles L Conor W Edward B Edward V Samuel A Millie L Katherine P Isabel M

Some of the activities planned by the winning party are Jigsaw orienteering, 5 minutes of craziness, making decorations, drawing competition, mini golden time and games.

The Party will also be coming up with some planning ideas of how to celebrate the official opening of the new build.

A Message from Ivern the Wyvern!

Hi Everyone,

Well, can you believe that we have been together for another year? We have enjoyed lots of fun days, trips out and a plethora of lovely learning! I hope you have had a super year and are no doubt, looking forward to your summer break. I love and enjoy writing and know you all do too! I will be sending you all a postcard during my summer break and wondered if you would like to send one to me back at school. I would really love to read all about how much fun you are having and who you are spending time with. If you are lucky to be going away for a holiday, then perhaps you could send me a postcard from the place you are visiting.

Here are my addresses to send me a postcard, whether you are staying at home or going away, I would really love to read about what you are up to.

Corsham Primary School Corsham Primary School Pound Pill Broadwood Avenue Corsham Rudloe, Corsham Wilts SN13 9YW Wilts SN13 0LX

I may even let you read my postcards that you have all sent me, during Guided Reading time, when you come back in September. I wonder how many I will receive?

Happy Holidays and Happy Postcard Writing!

Just to add to the celebratory mood the year 6s have participated in the 100 year anniversary of the Suffragettes marching from Land's End to Hyde Park.

They sang and marched through Corsham and flew their banners with pride! They had squash and biscuits served in a quad by members of the Suffragette movement and a personal police escort.

Having been interviewed by what seemed to be the world's media, we left having enjoyed a wonderful event. We appeared on Points West and the children were interviewed, clearly getting thoroughly stuck in and involved.

One of the ladies who had been serving drinks returned to the Town Hall at lunchtime. She gave an unprompted short speech in front of the notables who included the Chairman of the Town Council, praising the way in which the children had behaved whilst still enjoying themselves.

Well done all involved!!

We thought you may like to read Victoria H’s end of school poem which we have celebrated already in school. On my very first day in reception, But now year 6 is almost over, I was scared, excited, what should I do? Just where did all that time go? I looked at all of the faces, School trips, learning in class, and sports days, Some familiar but most of them new. It’s been amazing to learn in different ways.

We read books, I’ve changed a lot in 7 years, We made friends, and played games, This is true, It wasn’t long before we knew, Each and every day, Everyone’s names. I’ve learned something new.

We progressed through the school, Some things easy, Year by year, Some things hard, Ending each summer term, Some things fun, With good cheer. It’s all helped me become who I’ve become.

We’d grumble to start back in September, Soon year 7, I am scared but excited. But looking back now, I seem to remember, I wonder what I will do? How was your holiday? Did you really? Oh what fun! Will I look around at all of the faces, And before we knew it, the Pixies had come. Will they be familiar, or will they be new?

Then Easter, One thing that I do know for sure, Easter bonnets and Eggventions, On that last day when I walk out the door, Just a couple of the things, I will look over my shoulder and shout yes, I could mention. Corsham Primary, you really were the best.

Then the summer holidays again, Would be here, Marking the end, Of yet another year. By Victoria H (2013 Leaver)

Children’s News

Congratulations Harley-Rose A Chloe S, Keira S, Charlotte T and Isabel M won a medal at Team who has achieved Merit Libby S have received letters Bath for the Junior Judo certificates for both Lyrical from one of the Queen’s Ladies in session where she did one hour and Modern dancing. Waiting thanking them for their of fighting! kind messages to the Duke of Connie W and Milo G were both Isabelle R has run 1 mile and Edinburgh. received a medal in awarded medals for their hard Chippenham. Charlie R has achieved level 5 and work and good sportsmanship in level 6 swimming awards. their Judo sessions. Charlotte T has run 10 miles in Abbie T has clocked up 15 miles total with the One Mile Club. Adam T has run a total of 50 miles with the One Mile Club. with the One Mile Club.

Eva S has successfully Eleanor G has received participated in GET SAFE, the Sammie T has run a total of 50 certificates in Rhythmic asa swim for life organisation. miles with the One Mile Club. Gymnastics—silver in rope and

Emily D and Gracie O have gold in the overall group. Kayleigh-Jaine B has achieved received a merit certificate for her 100m distance swimming Lily S-G was the winner of the their modern dance duet at the award. PTA Summer Fayre “Design the ABD Festival of Dance. Programme” competition. Morgan S has received a letter Emily D has received lyrical and from one of the Queen’s Ladies modern certificates for dancing. Elise L was awarded 4th place in Waiting, thanking her for in a gymnastics competition in her colourful hand-made card. Hannah F has received a merit the 7-10 year old category.

certificate for her pre-primary Amelie P has received an award tap dancing. Sophie S achieved a certificate in British Gymnastics from the ABRSM for her proficiency Level 7. Chloe T has run 10 miles with the wonderful clarinet One Mile Club. performance.

Chris S, Will C, Hal S and Toby O from 6H and Billy D, Emily W, Tom W and Ian F from 6E spent a morning at battling it out in a gifted and talented maths competition recently. They all did exceptionally well and had lots of fun challenging themselves with questions and puzzles. In the end one team was placed 8th and the other ended up winning the whole thing! Congratulations to those children for taking part and for their amazing maths skills. Camp Reminder!

From 29 July—23 August PH Camps are running holiday clubs including themes such as Olympic Week, International Week, Cultural Week and Sporting Event Week. Camps start at 9am and finish at 3pm and are on every day. They cost from £15 for a single day option or £50 (including discounts) for full days for the whole week; spaces are limited so book soon to avoid disappointment.

Camps are located at: Kingdown School, Warminster Cricket Club, Warminster ,

For more information please contact us on 01225 701830 or email on [email protected] Our lovely first aid team are crying out for spare girl’s socks so if you plan a sort-out over the holiday, please would you bear us in mind?! Thank you. Congratulations

Sonny V, Evie J, Katherine R, Anna E, Imogen A, Lewis B, Katie D, Ryannon B, Joseph F, Jamie F, Dylan J, Max L, Nate R, Simon K, Billy S, Sammie T, Ben L, Katie C, Flo C, Elise H, Caitlin B, Josh G, Sam B-R, Matthew E, Charnelle S, Faye M, Abbie T, Millie S, Charlotte D, Esme F, Sam S, Noah H and Jack M

who have received Peacock Awards for completing 6 merit cards.

Congratulations

Cameron F, Emily H, Elizabeth O, Matthew W, Lindsey L, Reuben P-W, Erin J, Ellie L, Jess B, Tom F, Hope K, Hermione F, Elodie T, Ellen W and Chloe S who will be entered into the Golden Book for completing 9 merit cards.

Congratulations

Chloe G, Harley-Rose A, Taran H, Lewie R, Connor D and Myles R who have received achievement pens for completing 12 merit cards.

Congratulations

Ross B, Elise L, Phoebe C, Leah V and Hollie H who have had their names added to the roll of honour for completing 15 merit cards.

Congratulations

Charlee C and Tom C who have received a golden badge for completing 18 merit cards.

Congratulations

Jolie P who have received book tokens for completing 21 merit cards.

Congratulations

Jazmine N who has received an Ivern the Wyvern memory stick for completing 24 merit cards. Leadership News

In September we are making a few changes to our leadership structure to enable Mr Welch to get to know the whole of Corsham Primary School. He will be based at the Pound Pill site and Mrs Cooke will be based at the Broadwood site. We think it is really important that both Heads of School fully understand the needs of each site and both Mr Welch and Mrs Cooke are looking forward getting to know the children and parents more.

School will be closing at 2.30pm on Wednesday 24 July re-opening for children on Wednesday 4 September at 8.40 am.

On behalf of all the staff may we wish you all a very happy holiday and thank you for your support over the past year.

Fiona Allen Gina Cooke Anthony Welch Executive Headteacher Head of School Pound Pill Head of School Broadwood