Amazing results achieved by Tudor Primary-the children are FLOURISHING!
Newsletter 2
Wednesday 25th September 2024
Dear Parents/ Carers,
It’s been a few weeks since the last newsletter and there is lots to share. The children are settled into their new classes and there is some fantastic work being produced. Visitors continue to comment on the happy atmosphere and how engaged the children are in their classrooms. Whilst some schools are experiencing some dropping numbers, Tudor Primary now has the highest number of pupils on roll it has ever had. As I write this newsletter the official number on roll for Tudor is 449- we’re not only one of the most successful schools statistically, we are officially one of the largest! Long may that continue: it certainly helps the school budget too!
The school was excited (and proud) to see how well Tudor performed in comparison to other schools when local and national data was released last week. The children have been so successful and they are clearly enabled to FLOURISH. As well as getting children to the ‘expected standards’, Tudor really excels when it comes to the numbers of children reaching the highest ‘greater depth’ standards. In fact, we achieved double the Dacorum average!
As well as the high-quality teaching that the children receive, we will continue to invest in extensive additional support and intervention opportunities. If you are ever offered such support (such as the morning breakfast clubs) do take advantage! By using such approaches as this, EVERY child is able to receive a broad and balanced curriculum- we do not use approaches such as booster classes and we pledge to never narrow the curriculum to focus on testing- we have a duty to keep the time in class inspiring and engaging. Have you checked your child’s class blog on our website? The pictures in this section evidence what is going on…
The first month really does set the scene for the year and it is pleasing to see how the vast majority of parents recognise the importance of good punctuality. Remember that we START at 8.45am and we want children to come into class at this time as there are learning activities from the start. Such effective time keeping also sets a standard and example for the future- it also enables the wider school to work more productively- staff should NOT be expected to take late arrivals to classes. After all, it is the duty of parents to ensure that each child is on time and ready for schooling. Do be aware that on Monday 7th October there are planned works on St Albans Hill so this could increase journey times to school for those who come in from that direction. Also, on 7th October, individual photographs are being taken- ensure children look Tudor-tastic with correct jumpers/ cardigans.
ATTENDANCE- be aware of the UPDATED guidance
Since August, new guidelines are in place for schools nationally in regard to attendance and the management of unauthorised attendance. With our last newsletter, we provided a parent guide to support with your understanding. One expectation we should ALL have is being open and honest with any absences. It is worrying when parents do not respond to phone calls/ messages when we are trying to find out where they are and it is disappointing when we are made aware (by a range of sources-often the children themselves!) of the true reasons behind the failure to attend school. It is the decision of the school whether to authorise absences and if we have any doubts over the validity of the reasoning, unauthorised absences will be recorded.
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Leader for Inclusion:
The latest ‘DSPL8 Parent/Carer Newsletter: Autumn Term’ & ‘Dacorum Parent/Carers courses and support' newsletters are available to download from the DSPL8 website via the following link: https://dacorumdspl.org.uk/online-resources-for-parents-and-carers-2/, they can also be found in the SEND/Family links section of our school website. For information about workshops, aimed at children aged 7+ with a diagnosis of Autism or ADHD, which focus on supporting young people to understand their Autism or ADHD you can follow this link: https://thetoolbox.mindler.co.uk/hertfordshire. If you would like to join this half term's 'Tudor Coffee Morning', it’s at 9am on Monday 14th October. Anne Weedon, from our Mental Health Support Team will be there and we will be focusing on how to support children with anxiety.
Census Day is Thursday October 3rd- FUN FOOD DAY- and it also is VITAL for school funding…
Parents are unlikely to know that next Thursday is an ‘extra-important’ day for schools. This is the census day and the information/ data recorded about our school that day is key for the allocation of school budgets. As well as the number of pupils on our roll, the number of children accessing school meals on that day influences other areas of our budget. To help us, we HOPE that as many children as possible take a school lunch on that day.
To encourage more uptake, there will be a FUN FOOD DAY menu. I would like to say, though, that our school kitchen team are truly awesome EVERY day. Do encourage your children to try the range of food on offer- has your child tried the lasagne yet? It is just SO GOOD-yet only 20 children chose it as an option last week. I do not understand that 😉
Please REGULARLY use our website- have it on your ‘favourites’
To enable you to get the most out of Tudor, our school website is a key resource that you need to use. It gets amazing feedback and it is often used as an exemplar for other schools. You will notice that the year groups have updated their sections with specific key information about what is in store for your children. The website also contains guidance on everything that you need to know- from class assembly dates/ times and key policies to evidencing the impact that we have with your children.
Class assembly dates for the first half term are:
3rd Oct- 5X,
10th Oct- 4U,
17th Oct-3S
The Friends of Tudor- SAVE THE DATE for FIREWORKS
One of the most amazing events of the school year is the fantastic fireworks spectacular that the Friends of Tudor organises.
This will be taking place on Friday 8th November. Tickets will be released soon. Keep an eye out for more information. Such events are only possible with the support of the school community; if you are able to help with the event, do contact the FOT!
Reminder for the start of year- Jewellery- Jewellery should not be worn in school – it is too precious and contravenes the ‘Health and Safety’ guidelines which all schools must abide by. If your child has pierced ears we would prefer it if they did not wear earrings to school, but if they must, then they may only wear one small stud earring in each ear. If they are not yet able to remove their own earrings, then they may need to cover them with surgical tape for physical activities. Thank you!
It’s Languages Day tomorrow and each year group will be enjoying activities that celebrate some of the nearly 40 languages that are spoken in our school community.
As my newsletters continue to share, COMMUNITY is such an important word for our school and I am extremely proud of how well we all work together. Each morning when families arrive, there is always a positive atmosphere and this is not something that is natural in all schools. This is a result of the effort we all put in to support the most awesome pupils around. Whilst the academic results are extremely pleasing, the friendly and supportive interaction between us all truly makes Tudor shine!