Skip to content ↓

Penshurst Primary School

Weekly Blog

On this page you will find a weekly blog from Mrs Preston, Head of School.

September 2023

Archive

  • WEEK 4 - Friday 29 September 2023

    Published 29/09/23

    Our sporty pupils have got off to a fantastic start this year; just this week, one particularly speedy Year 6 girl, Clara, made it through to the cross country finals (finishing 3rd in her heat), which are to be held at Cottingham High School. A massive well done to all who took part, and best of luck to Clara for the next round. 

    Next week (Tuesday 3rd), our Year 5/6 footballers take part in a match at Wolfreton. Best of luck to all playing. Having covered the Year 5 football club (in heels, badly) this week, I am confident that our team have the skills to smash it! 

    In other news, next week (Thursday 5th) your child will be having their individual school photographs taken. Please ensure they are wearing the correct uniform and their widest smiles! 

    Polite reminder: if someone else is collecting your child, please, whenever possible, inform the office or your child’s teacher before 12 noon so that these messages are passed on and you are not inconvenienced by having to wait. Thank you. 

    Prevent and Countering Extremism in Young People  

    Advice and Guidance for Parents and Carers 

    Any child could be susceptible to extremist narratives. 

    There are some factors that may make some children more susceptible than others. 

    Extremist groups tap into young people's insecurities and claim to offer answers and promise a sense of identity that young people often seek.  

    As part of their recruitment strategy, extremist groups also work to undermine the authority of parents and guardians. This is often done online whilst the children are playing games.  

    Please find attached further information regarding this here. 

    The weeks are speeding by! Have (another) fantastic weekend and see you next week for the next instalment! 

    Mrs Preston

    Head of School

    Read More

  • WEEK 3 - Friday 22 September 2023

    Published 22/09/23

    What a lovely week! This week, one of my favourite events of the year happened – the EYFS sorting ceremony! This is the time when our youngest pupils are organised into their houses for their time at Penshurst, and it is wonderful to see all of the excited faces, eager to take their turn. 

    I also had an amazing time on Thursday being introduced to Marlowe the Wellbeing Lab’s adorable baby brother, Sherlock! He arrived just in time for the KS1 pupils to come in from lunch, and every single one of the 140 faces beamed as soon as they saw the duo. So, without further ado, please meet Sherlock! Bet you smiled too!

    Next week, Year 5/6 boys and girls football clubs commence, and on Tuesday 26th, Penshurst will be participating in Cross Country at Wolfreton. We wish all of our budding sports personalities lots of luck! 

    In other news: 

    We are eager to be able to share with you all of the wonderful things that our pupils have been doing in and around school, and for those of you who follow us on X (formerly Twitter), you will have noticed that we have increased our volume of tweets (are these now called Xs). If you are not currently a follower, you can do so by searching @PenshurstSchool. 

    For parents of Year 1 pupils, you will notice that the blinds at the classroom windows are now closed at the end of the day when you collect your child. This safeguarding measure has been taken to alleviate the risk of any pupils sneaking past their teacher when they see their parents. Pupils will be released one at a time when their adult has been seen so that staff are confident that all pupils are accounted for. We politely remind parents to form an orderly line to make this process as swift and efficient as possible. Thank you for supporting us to safeguard your children.  

    Please see attached a guide for parents on the evolving nature of WhatsApp and the risks that this can pose.   

    I hope you and your families have a fantastic weekend. One of the things that I look forward to most about a fresh week is hearing all about what your amazing children have been doing. See you next week.  

    Mrs Preston

    Head of School

    Read More

  • WEEK 2 - Friday 15 September 2023

    Published 15/09/23

    I cannot believe that we are at the end of week 2 already. Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us! 

    This week, Year 4 completed their statutory swimming lessons at Haltemprice. I have heard many wonderful success stories and am delighted that once again, the pupils are able to learn how to keep themselves safe near or in water – such and important, valuable skill. 

    Next week, our wonderful Reception pupils will take part in their sorting ceremony, in which they will be assigned to their new school houses. This is such a gorgeous event and I hope that all attendees have a fabulous time! 

    Attendance for last week: 

    Rec - 96.4,      Y1 - 92.8      Y2 - 97.2       Y3 - 98.3        Y4 - 94.3     Y5 - 96.1      Y6 - 93.6 

    Well done to year 3 who are the winners of an extra break time next week!  

    New behaviour System  
    You may have noticed that we have started a new three-step behaviour system as follows: 

    1. Warn – Amber:  If a child displays low-level behaviours, they are given a verbal warning with a five minute restorative discussion on what they can do to fix their behaviours.   

    1. Consequence – Yellow card: If a behaviour continues, or the behaviour is deemed to be at a higher level, the child will receive a Yellow Card (consequence) and a 15 minute reflection time. The class teacher will contact the parent and email will be sent to notify them.  

    1. Remove – Red card: For higher level behaviours, a Red Card classroom removal is issued. At this point a child will complete their learning in a different classroom for the remainder of the morning or afternoon session. Additionally, they will lose the rest of their free time for that day. The class teacher will contact the parent and email will be sent to notify them.  

     Thank you for all your support ensuring that the children have settled into school amazingly.  

    Also next week, Mr Hutchinson is holding the Y5 and 6 football trials. Again, good luck to those taking part. 

    Safety notices: 

    The School Streets scheme is still in enforcement along Seagran and Winthorpe Road. We are regularly receiving complaints from residents that parents are parking illegally during the restricted times along these streets. As I am sure you can appreciate, it is very difficult for school staff to man these as we are busy inside the building safeguarding and teaching your children. Therefore, the East Riding Council have requested that the police do spot-checks on these streets, which may result in a fine if you are parking illegally. Please observe the signs at the entrance to the streets and familiarise yourselves with the times. So far, we have been unsuccessful in recruiting parent volunteers to man this scheme. We would still welcome any support that you can give to make the streets safer for our pupils. If you feel that you would be able to support even one morning or afternoon session per week then please get in touch with the school office. Thank you. 

    A polite reminder that cycling or scooting is forbidden on the school grounds as this is a safety concern. We politely request that all pedestrians are also aware of small children around them, particularly when running in bad weather, as it has been brought to my attention that a pupil was knocked over last week. Thank you for your continued support.  

    I have no idea whether I should wish you fun in the sun or the rain this weekend, because the good old forecast changes every time I look. Whatever you are doing, have a super weekend.  

    Mrs Preston

    Head of School

    Read More

  • WEEK 1 - Friday 8 September 2023

    Published 08/09/23

    Firstly, I hope you managed to have a wonderful break over summer and enjoy the pockets of sunshine. It's such a shame that the summer weather began on the last day of the holidays, but it wouldn’t be England if it didn’t! 

    As with every year (it really doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have under your belt), the nerves set in for educators a few days before we come back into school, and this year was no exception. However, what comes alongside that is the excitement at seeing all of our wonderful pupils again. Tuesday was such a treat, seeing smiling faces flood in through the gates (and also on the faces of the parents flooding out again!). Following that, it has been a wonderful, calm start to the year and a pleasure to walk into classrooms to see our pupils old and new working incredibly hard and producing beautifully presented work.  

    I would like to acknowledge some emails that we received over the summer break about the disappointment that the reports at the end of the year did not contain the extensive personal comment. If you recall, in alignment with other schools in the Trust, we made the change last year to publish the long report in the spring term so that you have an in-depth insight into how your children were getting on and what still needs to be done before the end of the year. The reports will follow the same format again this year so please look out for this.  

    Housekeeping reminders please: 

    • Smart watches are not allowed in school for safeguarding reasons. 

    • Swearing on site is strictly prohibited. 

    • Rucksacks are too big for our pegs and classrooms. Book bags and drawstring bags are the only versions that we safely have room for.  

    Have a super weekend and I will see you next week.  

    Mrs Preston

    Head of School

    Read More
The Consortium Academy Trust
Cookie Policy