Good afternoon
We have had another wonderful week. Monday began with such a buzz of excitement from our Year 6 children as they ventured off to PGL Liddington. Usually over the week there are a few wobbles (usually as we call it, Weepy Wednesday! This year all I have heard is how well they have slept, eaten and how brave and determined they have been with each activity. Well done to all of them and thank you to the staff. It is a fantastic experience they will always remember and we are proud of them for their attitude and behaviour. The instructor they had said they were the best group he has EVER had!
Whilst they were busy canoeing, abseiling etc. our brilliant Year 5 stepped up as Prefects for the week and one of them said to me that I must already be looking forward to next year knowing how responsible and ready they are!
I would like to thank all the parents who attended our phonics meeting on Tuesday. I have added the slides to our website with the link here https://finchampsteadschool.org/about-us/parent-information-supporting-your-child. If you need any further support or information, please be in touch with your child’s class teacher. Home and school working closely together can make a huge difference to pupil progress.
We are looking forward to our Harvest service next week. The children should be dropped off at St James’ church centre between 8.40am and 8.50am on Tuesday. The children will take their harvest gift into church. As a school, we will walk back with Year 6 helping their buddies. If you have any questions, please ask class teachers or myself. Ms Bardsley has sent out information regarding the donations that have been requested. The singing in school is so strong which I know many parents enjoyed last week in our assembly. Parents are invited to all our church services throughout the year so please join us if you can.
I wanted to finish by reiterating the importance of strong attendance. As we have previously shared, the impact of attendance on both academic progress and social and emotional wellbeing is high. We expect our children to have attendance of at least 97%. We understand that sometimes, some children will be unwell. If they are unwell during the year and have a holiday, this will significantly impact their attendance and therefore their progress and attainment. We know that if a child has maintained a 10% absence rate from school every year, from primary through to secondary school across all 11 years of compulsory schooling, this results in the loss of well over a full year of education. Whilst 90% in an exam is a great achievement, 90% attendane means they are persistently absent.
Please ensure your child is attending everyday that they are well enough to. We have high aspirations for each child and we know that as parents, you have too so we need to work together to minimise absence. I am delighted to share that we have 78 children with 100% attendance after the first month in school this year. Let’s keep it going and keep our attendance up.
I want finish by wishing you all a wonderful weekend. I am sure our Goldfinch staff and Year 6 will sleep well after such a fantastic week.
With kind regards
Jacquie Vanstone
