Diary Dates/ Updates and Information
Please see below our current list of dates for your diary and local/general information.
Update 28/11/24
Dear Parents,
As we edge ever closed to Christmas, I would like to share some information about a growing movement to reduce children’s access to smart phones:
https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/
I have included this information in the update as the issue is very much in the news and you may be interested.
The decisions we make as parents can have far reaching effects, but we are all vulnerable to pester-power and a desire to make sure our children are not left out. Perhaps something like this can help.
Christmas Photographs and the PFA Christmas Fayre
All pupils may come to school in Christmas jumpers tomorrow, donations to the PFA for their hampers please.
Our traditional Christmas photographs will be taken tomorrow – Class 1 and 2 will wear their Christmas costumes. Class 3 and 4 their Christmas jumpers.
Orchestra Unwrapped
A reminder that Class 2, 3 and 4 are going to Orchestra Unwrapped at De Montfort Hall on Monday and will need a packed lunch to take with them.
Don’t forget the changes to PE on Monday next week - Class 1 – Extra PE lesson on Monday
Sports News
A huge ‘Well done!’ to members of Class 4 who took part in the football tournament on Monday and a big thank you to all the staff who supported them. They proved themselves, once again, to be Noticeably Newton in terms of resilience, respect and fair play. We are proud of you all.
Best wishes for the beginning of advent.
Kind Regards,
Sue Ward
Headteacher
update 21/11/24
Dear Parents,
It was great to see so many of you at our celebration assembly today. Medals were presented to our girls football team; certificates to residential survivors, achievers and to our dodgeball players. Congratulations to all.
Thank you for the highly positive feedback regarding the residential. You asked us to look for an alternative to Beaumanor and we did. I am in the process of trying to book an alternative venue run by the same company, at the same sort of time, for next year. Thank you for supporting this, the children were amazing and gained so much from pushing themselves and working in a team.
Some reminders for next week and the week after:
On Friday 29th November, the children can dress for Christmas and bring a donation to the PFA hampers. There will not be a forest school session and photographs will be taken.
On Monday 2nd December Classes 2, 3 and 4 are attending orchestra unwrapped. Please note that PE has changed for this week:
Class 1: Monday and Thursday
Class 2: Thursday
Class 3 and 4: Tuesday and Wednesday
On Friday 6th December Classes 1 and 2 will perform their Christmas play and the PFA are hosting a movie night.
update 18/10/24
Dear Parents,
As we approach the half term break here’s a taste of what our children have been learning so far this term:
Class 1
Wow! What a great start to the new year Class 1 have made. From making new friends to exploring the new areas, it has been a busy first term. We kickstarted our Geography topic ‘Hot and Cold Places’ and learnt all about the 7 Continents. We also have been busy learning all about the polar regions and created our own penguins and polar bear masks to use in continuous provision. We look forward to continuing this topic after half term where we will learn more about the equator and hot countries. In Science we have been learning all about the different types of animals and their key features. We were very lucky to visit Twycross Zoo where we were able to see these animals in real life. We had lots of discussions when we returned to school about the types of animals we saw and drew some lovely pictures of them. I am very proud of Class 1 on our trip to the zoo as they were amazing and were most definitely ‘Noticeably Newton’! We have lots more exciting things to come after half term, we can't wait!
Class 2
What a busy term we've had in Year 2! In Maths we have recapped a lot of knowledge of number and additional and subtraction within 20. We're now working on place value to 100! In English we have learned all about narrative and written our own version of Little Red Riding Hood using the 4 types of sentence: statement, command, question and exclamation. We have also learned how to use commas in a list and write description using noun phrases.
In Science this term we've learned all about habitats and ended the unit by making our own 3D habitat! We have learned all about drawing in interesting ways in our Explore and Draw art unit and explored the artists Renee Regan and Dale Chihuly. In Geography we have started to learn all about the local area.
We also had a special zoom meeting with a beekeeper where we learned all about honey bees and why they are very important. We have had a fab start to the year and have worked really hard! Keep it up class 2!
Class 3
We have been working hard in Class 3! In English, we have written our stories based on the plot of 'Escape from Pompeii' by Christina Balit. It has been so much fun exploring ways to make our writing more exciting using different sentence types and word types. We now know a lot about the Romans thanks to visitors' knowledge and exploring in history lessons. In Art we have been exploring storytelling through drawing, and in Music we have been preparing for Young Voices! Science has been an exciting dive into animals including humans, which involves looking at our skeletons and muscles and how they work. Hinduism was explored in RE, and we found it really interesting to explore the religion and how it works in Britain today. Next half term we will be looking at Leicester and its culture, which is going to be super fun. I hope you have a restful half term, and I am excited to see everyone next half term.
Class 4
Class 4 have had a busy half term! We are delighted to have written our stories based on the plot of 'How to Train Your Dragon' by Cressida Cowell. We have found out so much about effective narrative writing and these are a great way to show off all we have learnt. We are all Viking experts - having done lots of research into the exit of the Romans, the coming of the Anglo Saxons and then the Viking raids. We have used first hand evidence as well as the expertise of visitors to enhance our understanding of this time in our history. In art, we have investigated food packaging and over half term we will all be thinking about what our own food packaging designs will look like. We impressed our adults with our behaviour and engagement during our trip to Twycross Zoo; next half term we will be focusing on conservation and sending some of our work to the staff there to show them how inspired we were by the learning workshop there. We investigated the question 'What would Jesus do?' by thinking hard about the things written about him in the Bible. We also thought hard about how this is still relevant to how we want to live today. Which feeds nicely into our half term homework - a week of doing kind deeds! Hopefully some of you reading this will be on the receiving end of one of Class 4's random acts of kindness!
While we are all looking forward to a week doing the things we all do during half term, we are also a little sad today. Today we say our goodbyes to Mrs Grimshaw. She has played a huge role in the life of our school and will be missed by many: children, staff, parents and the myriad of others that she deals with on a daily basis behind the scenes. I know that you will all join us in wishing her all the happiness and good fortune possible in her new role. We thank her for everything she has done for us -from sorting out poorly tummies and bleeding elbows to stationery orders; missing dinners and salaries!
Keep in touch and keep smiling!
Best wishes for a lovely, restful break.
Kind regards,
Mrs Ward
Headteacher
update 11/10/24
Dear Parents,
It has been an amazing week in school!
Football
Our Year 5 and 6 girls’ team played hard and played well. They displayed all the characteristics we value as a school and won through to the level 3 competition, against other county schools. We are so proud of them.
Open morning
Thank you for your feedback:
School are doing well with everything
Learning journals for Reception are great!
I like the school 😊
A weeks’ notice for certificate assembly please! (we can do this for the merit certificates but the class certificates are based on that week’s work)
Very open, accessible and friendly school – thanks
Love the Class 1 and 3 classrooms, every child looks very happy!
A warm welcoming school as always. Happy kids just beaming with excitement to show us their work. Thank you NB school.
Both children seem happy, thank you.
I really enjoy the open mornings and think they are a great idea.
Very impressed, kids happy very engaged.
Thank you for inviting us in to school. It’s always good to have insight into what the kids are learning.
Lovely to see all of Class 1’s work. Classrooms looking great with the change around, thank you.
Nice to see lots of variety in learning areas in Class 1 Not much interaction from teachers (open mornings are an opportunity for parents to talk informally with teachers and work with their children in the classroom. If you did not get a chance to talk to your child’s teacher I hope that you will be able to share any worries at parents’ evening)
Lovely to see everyone’s work, lovely atmosphere
Harvest
Thank you for joining us at our harvest celebration. Your kindness and generosity were very much appreciated by our guests from the foodbank. And the children loved seeing you all there, supporting and being part of the school family.
Kind Regards,
Sue Ward
Headteacher
update 27/9/24
Another busy week in school.
• Class 3 and 4 enjoyed a visit from Library services
• Our rugby team have been practising for a tournament next week
• Preparation for Young Voices is underway
We now have the timetable for our residential which includes a trip to a copper mine and the final payment is on SchoolMoney.
Many thanks to the PFA who are funding a whole school pantomime trip in December.
Update
Dear Parents,
The week started off with six of the school team - four pupils, a governor and myself - attending the Stephen Lawrence Youth Ambassador Symposium at De Montfort University. The day was inspiring and we are looking forward to working with our young people to support all of our pupils as they stand up against hate.
We are still looking at options for residentials. I am visiting a venue in Staffordshire on 9th July and will keep you updated.
I look forward to seeing everyone at our Sports Day on Monday (weather permitting). We will be setting up before lunch so please do not disturb the racing area if you are joining the lunchtime picnic. Please note: all children will need to return to their classrooms at 1pm for registration and to get into their teams. We will sit in teams, and all children must remain with their group, until they are handed over at the end of the day. Don’t forget hats, water bottles and sun cream.
Save the date: Young voices 25 will take place on Friday 31st January.
Update 21/7/24
Dear Parents,
Another busy week in Newton Burgoland.
On Tuesday, some of Class 4 attended the Leicester Tigers’ summer series at Welford Road.
On Thursday, we enjoyed listening to our talented musicians perform together in assembly. In the evening, Jacob represented our school at the small schools celebration event. Medals were presented for cross-country. Thank you, once more, to Mrs Hollingsworth for leading our team.
Wishing you a dry and sunny weekend.
Mrs Ward
Headteacher
Update 14/6/24
Happy Friday everyone!
Thank you so much first of all to the PFA for organising and delivering the samosas - what a tasty end to the week! Mr Ikin is hoping this will be a regular occurrence!
We would also like to thank Reverend Rick for coming into school and delivering an assembly on Pentecost. The children had a follow-up assembly on this yesterday; Isla, Toby and Isabelle presented to Classes 1 and 2 and so thanks go to them too.
As usual, all the classes have been really busy!
Class 4 have been learning about the Jewish community and how they see God. They have started to plan a piece of artwork for a competition based on this learning and I can't wait to see the results. Watch this space! They have also wowed us with their descriptive writing: creating atmosphere and tension by using a range of effective vocabulary and personification.
Class 3 have been learning all about Stonehenge: the prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain. Miss Eley made this learning sticky by planning for the children to recreate the structure... using custard creams and bourbon biscuits! This is history they will remember.
Classes 1 and 2 were treated to a visit by the Creative Learning Services this morning and enjoyed a hands-on experience to learn all about the seaside... a very old trunk had been discovered in the left luggage department at the local railway station. Who could it belong to? Where were they going? How old is the trunk? The children handled genuine museum artefacts as the trunk was unpacked and they found out about seaside holidays 100 years ago.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week.
Mrs Underwood
Update 7/6/24
We hope you all had a lovely half term - the children have enjoyed sharing their news - some of you were very busy getting out and about!
We have had a busy start to the last half term of this academic year! Class 3 had a visit from a partner school from the City of Leicester: Slater Primary School. As usual, the children were Noticeably Newton: welcoming the children and displaying excellent behaviour. They enjoyed the challenge of making towers and playing parachute games. All good preparation for getting to know people from different localities and working with others.
The Open the Book assembly team came to deliver an assembly all about the story of when the two travellers met Jesus on their long walk. They were openly impressed with the children's behaviour and engagement.
Class 3 were treated to an assembly on the 80th anniversary of D-Day that was planned and delivered by Bobby, Liam and Parker. They have been invited to take part in a poster competition to show what they learnt about this important period in out history.
And finally, we need to mention the children who have been on the Class 4 residential! I have enjoyed being kept up-to-date on how much fun they have been having - and - how much teamwork, resilience and leadership they have shown. More examples of how our children are Noticeably Newton wherever they go! A huge 'THANK YOU' needs to go out to Mr Ikin, Mrs Ward and the parent helpers who have made this visit both possible and successful. We really appreciate you!
Have a lovely weekend everyone. I look forward to seeing you all next week.
Kate Underwood
Update 3/5/24
Accordion content
Dear Parents,
Maypole dancing is well underway, and we look forward to welcoming you to our Spring celebration on Monday 20th May.
Further to our survey about residentials we are looking at venue options and costs. I will update you once we have some options available to consider. The advantage of Beaumanor is that there is very little travel time and if pupils become ill you can collect them easily. However, costs have risen and we are open to looking at alternatives.
Class 4 are now preparing to showcase their learning in the SATS, Year 1 in the phonics screening and Year 4 in the multiplication check. These will take place across May and June. All of our children have worked very hard all year so it is important to remember that tests are a snapshot, they are not the whole.
Wishing you a sunny bank holiday.
Kind Regards,
Sue Ward
update 19/4/24
Dear Parents,
We have had a visit from Ofsted this week and as soon as the report is released it will be sent out to you. I would just like to say how amazing our children were. Having a visitor can sometimes unsettle children, but this week our children proudly spoke about their school and their learning. They were all Noticeably Newton! Thank you for all your support and kind words.
I want to update you on the results from the residential trip survey. There was an even spread between all options, so at this time we will keep the current option in place and reconsider the position in twelve months’ time.
Have a super weekend.
Mrs Ward
Headteacher
Update 15/3/24
Dear Parents,
Our week started with a lot of excitement and some fantastic poems. More about this from our classes:
Class 1
Class 1 had a fantastic time during our Slam Poetry day. We worked together to come up with a poem to describe 'The Funniest Teacher'. We decided that the funniest teacher would have snail shells for ears, stones for eyes and worms for lips!
Class 2
Class 2 wrote some fantastic poems about all sorts of animals! A favourite line of mine was "Maybe Polar Bears are white because they dive in the snow and do not scrub it off in the bathtub!" (Nicholas) All of the children did an excellent job and we are very proud of them all.
Class 3
What a busy week we have had, from poetry writing to felt making we have been non-stop. On Monday we enjoyed the poetry workshop and wowed everyone with our brilliant poems. On Tuesday we took part in a felt workshop where we made our own pieces of felt using the wet felting technique. Then to end the busy week we carried out two investigations, one where we explored magnetic and non-magnetic materials and the other where we tested the strength of different magnets. There was a lot of concentration on the faces in Class 3 that afternoon!
Class 4
Class 4's Slam Poetry involved personification: where the writer gives objects human or animal qualities. The children were so creative and inventive! We had jealous pianos, angry paintbrushes, lonely teddy bears, fed up lasagne, beaten up 'keeper gloves and many more original ideas! We are looking forward to the children using this technique in their independent writing in the future.
Extreme show and tell will take place on Monday, and orienteering on Tuesday. This means that PE next week will be on Tuesday and Thursday for Class 1 and 2 and on Wednesday and Friday for Class 3 and 4, for next week only. Forest School will be on Wednesday next week for Class 1 and 2.
As Easter approaches we are planning events for next term. It will be a sporty one, with sports day and rugby competitions. Class 4 will be taking part in The Tigers summer series again and Class 3 have a tag rugby event.
Don’t forget to have your say on our residential survey, in the interests of fairness only named votes will be counted.
Kind Regards,
Sue Ward
Headteacher
Update 8/3/24
Dear Parents,
We’ve had a very busy week in school with STEM workshops, Swimming Gala and World Book Day, it was fantastic that so many of the children dressed up in costumes inspired by the books they have been reading.
It was lovely to see so many parents at our Mother’s Day assembly. A big thank you to Class 1 and 2.
Today we presented the cross-country shield to our Year 5 team who have been amazing all season and celebrated those who were chosen to compete last Sunday in the NWL race at Prestwold Hall, congratulations to: Emily, Harriet, Jesamine and Isabelle.
We also presented certificates to the pupils who took part in the Swimming Gala, all of our children taking part swam really well.
Mrs Underwood and Miss Eley presented certificates to their whole classes following feedback from the rangers at Bradgate park for:
Outstanding behaviour
Outstanding curiosity – some great questions
Outstanding ability to make connections and draw upon previous learning.
They were all Noticeably Newton!
We look forward to seeing you on Monday afternoon at 2.45pm if you are able to join our celebration of a day of ‘Slam poetry’ which has been funded by the PFA.
Our next sporting event is orienteering for Class 4 on 19th March.
Have a lovely weekend.
Kind Regards,
Sue Ward
Headteacher
Update 1/3/24
Dear Parents,
It was lovely to see so many of you at our open morning after which we officially opened our new rainbow room.
A big thank you to Mrs Storer, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Rickard, Mrs Clasper and Mrs Dawson who have helped with our trips this week.
Next week is promising to be very exciting with STEM workshops, the Swimming Gala, World Book Day and our Mothers Day Assembly all taking place.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs Ward
Headteacher
update 16/2/24
Dear Parents,
Congratulations to our Year 5 girls’ cross country team who won the NWL Cross Country League Year 5 Girls Team Trophy.
Many thanks to Mrs Hollingsworth for her support.
Wishing you a super half term holiday.
Mrs Ward
Headteacher
Update 9/2/24
Dear Parents,
Rainbow Day News
Thank you for supporting our rainbow day on Monday. We had a brilliant day and shared our learning with each other at the end of the day. You will be able to see our work on our open morning.
Class 1
We had a fabulous time on our rainbow day! We thought about how we are all special and original and that our differences should be celebrated. We did a lovely piece of writing about what makes us special.
In the afternoon we read the book 'Hello, Hello', which is about how animals are all different, with different patterns. We used viewfinders to select a pattern that we liked and then created an abstract piece of artwork using pastels. We then cut our work into strips and put them together to create a class piece of artwork.
Class 2
We had a fantastic Rainbow day! We started the day by learning about families and talked about how they come in all shapes and sizes. We realised there is no such thing as a "normal" family and that families are all special no matter what they look like. Next we shared the book "Odd dog out" which is all about being yourself and not being afraid to stand out from the crowd. The children did some writing about what makes them special and also created some fantastic odd dogs! The children all really enjoyed their rainbow day.
Class 3
Class 3 really enjoyed our Rainbow Day. It was all based on the book, 'Perfectly Norman'. We spoke about how being different is good and how everyone should feel accepted and comfortable. We all designed our own wings and these will soon be displayed in school. We wrote and illustrated acrostic poems for various words from the day and in the afternoon we covered the playground in positive, affirming graffiti.
Class 4
Class 4 had a super Rainbow Day! We started off by reading a selection of books all with the theme of Diversity. We wrote and illustrated book reviews outlining what the books had taught us and shared this with the school. Our diversity champions delivered a whole school assembly to talk about our rainbow values (respectful, accepting, individual, nurturing, brave, original and welcoming) and shared a book. We also used the Pause, Think, Rewind, Be Kind materials to learn about being an Upstander against bullying in a range of different circumstances. At the end of the day, we all painted beautiful rainbows and decorated these with pictures, vocabulary and slogans to show all the important learning that had taken place. We are all Diversity Champions!
Forest School
Unfortunately, we had to cancel Forest School for KS1 today due to a lack of staff. There will be no Forest School for KS1 next Friday but we will look forward to getting back outdoors after February half term.
Congratulations to our cross country runners who have been chosen to represent North West Leicestershire in the County race on the 3rd of March. Well done! We are very proud of all those who have represented Newton Burgoland throughout this cross country season.
Have a super weekend!
Mrs Ward
Update 2/2/24
Dear Parents,
At the start of this year we joined a group of local schools to form a collaborative committed to supporting each other, our staff and pupils. As part of our work together we are undertaking peer-to -peer reviews of each other’s schools to support school improvement. I am very pleased to be able to share some of the highlights of our peer review:
Key strengths
- There is a wonderful welcome from the headteacher and all staff at Newton Burgoland. There is a calm and friendly atmosphere and the pupils are cheerful, polite and happy in school. It is evident straight away that the culture and ethos ensures that everyone is welcome, everyone is special and everyone is a winner.
- Pupil behave respectfully towards each other and conduct themselves well in and around school. Pupils are engaged in their learning and from the outset know the routines and are immersed in the qualities ‘to be Noticeably Newton’.
- The curriculum drivers have evolved over time to meet the needs of this learning community. Equality and Diversity has been identified by leaders as a key element to the curriculum and is explicitly woven through all subjects. Each subject identifies leading global figures who have contributed to the development of their discipline across the centuries.
- Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils enjoy reading and there is a wide range of diverse texts visible throughout the school. Pupils across the school read with accuracy and fluency and this is reflected in their high levels of oracy.
- Phonics and early reading is highly structured and all staff have been trained. There is clear fidelity to the programme where books are matched to the correct phonic phase.
- Staff CPD in the phonics programme is consistent. All staff use the same language to describe letter sounds and know the importance of prosody which is shared with the children.
- Leaders have identified writing across the curriculum as a priority for improvement. In the last few years a range of approaches to writing have been explored some with more success than others. Leaders have invested into the Devon Writing Resources and Teachers Pals comprehensive Toolkit to ensure planning for writing is covering all year group objectives. This systematic and cyclical format should support staff in adapting the high quality resources to the needs and abilities to significantly improve the quality of writing across the curriculum.
- The school follows the White Rose Scheme from EYFS up to Year 6 to facilitate a consistent approach to maths teaching across the school. Other schemes and resources are also used to supplement resources.
- The vision from leaders is ambitious and they want all pupils to achieve well.
- The Number Sense programme is effective in developing automaticity and fluency with number.
- Pupils enjoy maths and have positive attitude towards the subject. The older pupils, in particular, use technical vocabulary accurately to explain their reasoning.
- There are good strong positive relationships between adults and pupils in EYFS. Provision is well thought out, attractively presented and children can access most areas. Books are readily promoted throughout the provision.
- The art curriculum appears to be well sequenced with a range of artistic influences from around the globe. Leaders are skilled, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subject.
- Dedicated and knowledgeable SENDCo and staff who identify children quickly if they have a specific need.
- Effective provision to support pupils with additional needs to read.
We are working hard to support all of our children to be able to communicate well in writing this year building on the strengths of our reading curriculum. We are looking forward to sharing our work with you at our next open morning on Friday 1st March.
Don't forget to tell us what you think is working well and how we can be even better by filling out our parent survey Parent Survey 24
News from our classes:
Class 1:
This week we have been continuing our English lessons based on the book 'The Disgusting Sandwich'. We have really enjoyed learning the story and this week have been using simple noun phrases to describe their own version of a disgusting sandwich!
In maths we have just finished looking at places value and numbers to 20 and have begun learning all about 2D and 3D shape.
We've also learned all about the British Bird Watch. We learned about why it is important, listened to some common bird calls and have done lots of observational drawings, paintings and even sculptures of birds in our active learning time.
Class 2:
The children in Class 2 have been working hard on writing their own versions of the story "The Boy who cried Ninja". We are looking forward to reading their final pieces this week! We have also been learning about money in maths; learning about how much altogether and how much change needs to be given. We had a wonderful visit last week from the Library Services to launch the "Our best picture book" competition. The children will be taking one of the 6 books home each week and will then vote for their favourite. We can't wait to see which book will be the winner!
Class 3:
A huge well done to Class 3 for being super stars at Young Voices showing that you are all 'Noticeably Newton'! Since YV, we have had a very busy week. From exploring the water cycle process using cress seeds and a plastic cup to having our first online video call with our linking school. It was so nice to finally meet them and to play a few games, getting to know their likes and interests. We have lots to look forward to over the next two weeks before half term as well. We will be exploring using magnets, having a workshop about the River Nile and getting stuck into our new Art unit 'Exploring Pattern'. It is all very exciting in Class 3 currently!
Class 4:
Class 4 are nearly ready to share their 'Lady of Shalott' stories with you: they are now in the process of editing and proofreading and are really keen to present these over the next few days. Fractions continue to be the maths focus and we are proud that we are now able to order, compare, convert, simplify, add, subtract, multiply and divide these mathematical wonders! Our class reader, 'Impossible Creatures' is getting really exciting and we have been making some predictions about what we think might happen to the characters. We have started a new unit of work in art called 'Exploring Identity' and are looking forward to creating layered portraits of their classmates using collage. We are busy learning about rivers in Geography and the great Steve Backshall has opened our studies on 'Living Things and Their Habitats' with a live lesson all about deadly sharks!
Finally, a reminder that it is Rainbow Day in school on Monday, the children are invited to dress in all the colours of the rainbow.
Have a peaceful weekend.