Reception and Year 6 National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)

The School Nursing Team will be visiting the school to measure the Reception and Year 6 children as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) on Tuesday 5th November, please find a letter attached giving more information.
This programme is an OPT OUT programme.  If you are happy for your child to take part you do not need to do anything.  However, if you do not wish your child to take part you MUST complete the form at the end of the letter and return this to the school by  Friday 1st November.  There is also a poster attached giving more information.

Free Online Safety Courses

West Mercia Police offer a free one hour course on Exploitation and Online Safety to help you protect your child when they are online including practical tips for protecting them.  These courses are online and can be booked by clicking on this link Exploitation and vulnerability training | West Mercia Police.  There is also a poster below giving more information.

Protect our children A5 flyer PARENT-GUARDIAN

Level 2 Phonics- Pure Sounds and Actions

Please find below the video (link) for the Level 2 pure sounds and actions which Reception children are currently learning. Please note the pronunciation of the sounds, as they may sound different to how you say them at home. It is really important that children use ‘pure’ sounds when sounding out.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: fireflies@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk.

Many thanks,

N.Fox

Weekly Pew Sheet and changes to Tea and Toast

The weekly Pew Sheet detailing the services and other events taking place in the Brown Clee Benefice including Harvest Festival celebrations is below.  There is also an updated poster for the Tea and Toast Drop in after school drop off – please note the change of date and venue.

6.10.24pewsheet

Tea and Toast 24

Secondary Application Deadline – 31st October 2024

Schools Admissions at Shropshire Council have asked us to share the following message to the parents of children in Year 6 –

The closing date for secondary applications is 31 October 2024 which falls in the half-term holidays. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to submit an application as soon as possible but before the deadline date. This will ensure that if you encounter any problems, you can be supported/helped to submit your application on time. There is no grace period for late applications. The link for the website is – Transferring to secondary school | Shropshire Council

The School Admissions Team strongly encourage parents to name three preferences, particularly if you reside in the Shrewsbury area.  Please see the Parents’ Guide to Education in Shropshire Booklet for further information.  The link to the document is Parents’ guide to education | Shropshire Council

If you have already made an application and wish to add additional preferences please contact school-admissions@shropshire.gov.uk

Celebration Assembly – Parents Welcome After Half Term

The first Celebration Assembly where we will be welcoming parents, carers and other family will now be on the first Friday after half term, Friday 8th November, not from next week as advised previously.

Universal Infant Free School Meals

Universal Free School Meals is an initiative which is to help all children in “infants” (reception, Year 1 and Year 2) with access to school dinners. The contribution from the DfE (Department for Education) is £2.53 per child. Our school dinners are under the control of an external company (Edwards and Ward) and the dinner price is £2.83. Therefore, a very small charge of £0.30 per meal was having to be paid by parents for any pupils in infants having meals.

 

More recently, this was something as a school that we felt needing reviewing as we felt school meals for infants should be entirely “free”. Therefore, it was proposed to the FPGP (Finance, Personnel & General Purposes) Committee of the school’s governing body that the additional £0.30 per meal would be covered by the school budget. The committee have fully approved this decision – and we have been in touch today with ParentPay to change this amount for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Once they have made their changes, this should be reflected when making a booking – and no additional 30p charge should be added to infant pupils’ bookings.

 

This does not affect pupils in KS2.

Games – Number Facts/Number Bonds

Here are some great resources to help the children with their maths. I have shown them how to use the games and would encourage them to have a go at home.

Many thanks

Number Fact Families

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/number-facts/number-fact-families

Save the Whale – Learn your number bonds to 5,6,7,8,9 & 10

https://www.ictgames.com/saveTheWhale/index.html

Hit the Button – Number bonds/Times Tables

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

Mental Maths Train

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/mental-maths-train

Paint the Squares – 100 Square games

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/learning-to-count/paint-the-squares

 

Special Menu – Thursday 3rd October

Laura and Carla will be serving a special menu on School Census Day next Thursday, please see the poster below.  If your child would like Fish & chips, please click on the meat option for that day.  If your child would like the Quorn Dippers, please click on the vegetarian option.

Census Day Menu

Unused Lego/Toys Donations

If anyone has any lego and/or toys (particularly farm-themed – i.e. tractors/trailers etc.) that they no longer need, we would very much appreciate any donations to school.

Nasal Flu Immunisations – 17th October 2024

The Shropshire Community Health School Immunisation Team will be in school on Thursday 17th October to deliver the Nasal Flu Immunisation to the children.
Unlike in previous years, we will not be sending out paper consent forms but there is an eConsent system being used by the Immunisation Team.  Attached is a letter explaining more about this and containing the link for the eConsent.  There is also a telephone number on the form if you are unable to complete this or have any questions.

School Photographs – Tuesday 1st October

Chris Maddox, School Photographer, will be in school on Tuesday 1st October to take the individual and sibling photographs.

Times tables practise in Dragonflies, Bees and Scorpions

Times Tables

Children in Dragonflies and Bees will focus on a specific times table each week, their knowledge of which will be tested on a Friday. Children may practise using Times Tables Rockstars, but will also need to rehearse the specific times table that they are working on either verbally or with a pen or pencil in their Home Learning books. Scorpions will be tested on all times tables every Friday and should use Times Tables Rockstars.

Spellings for Dragonflies, Bees and Scorpions

Spellings

Every Friday, children in Key Stage 2 will bring home a list of ten spellings to learn. They will be given a test on these words the following Friday and a new list will be shared. Children in Dragonflies and Bees will focus on recapping high-frequency words and Year 3&4 common exception words. Children in Scorpions will recap the above-mentioned words and in addition will also focus on Year 5 & 6 common exception words. These word lists will be made available each week for children to practise on Spelling Shed. The full 3&4 and 5&6 word lists are available on Spelling Shed should your child wish to do any further practice.

Celebration Assembly

In school, we hold a weekly celebration assembly. Parents/carers/other family members are welcome to attend (from the 4th October).

 

This year, we are reverting these back to Friday mornings (as previously). The assemblies will start at 08:55 and are typically finished around 09:30. Entry will be via the front reception from 08:45 (you will not need to sign in).

 

In these assemblies, we celebrate our weekly home learning competitions (Times Tables Rockstars, Numbots and Spelling Shed) – as well as picking a reading raffle (each time pupils fill in a reading ticket in KS2 or have a reading record entry in their reading record in KS1, they are given a reading raffle ticket. Winning tickets get a choice from a selection of reading books or bookmarks). We also share any other recent successes – such as sports events and music certificates/exams.

School Filming

Next week (Tues/Weds), we have a film/video producer who is putting together an video of school – which will hopefully give a quick snapshot to current and future prospective parents/carers of what Brown Clee is “all about”. The filming will involve some high-up drone footage and action shots, filming inside and outside of the school building – as well as some interviews/conversations with children.

 

When all pupils started, parents/carers will have signed to give (or not) permission for photos/videos of their child to be used – and we will use this to ensure that any pupils without permission do not feature. For those that have given prior permission, if you do, for whatever reason, not wish your child(ren) to feature, please let school know by emailing (admin@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk). Similarly, if you have not given permission when first registering and you wish for this to now change, please get in touch and we can update these records.

KS2 Swimming – Sept ’24

Please see below a letter regarding swimming in KS2 for this term.

Paper copies of the letter will be sent home with children on Monday.

Swimming Lessons – Sept 24

Wraparound Care Bookings

As of next week, we are changing the length of time in which wraparound “careclub” bookings can be made. These can now be made up until the end of a half term in advance.

As of next half term, we will be moving all payments for “careclub” onto Parent Pay (the same as school dinners – please ensure you click on wraparound care). If you would like to start this from any point now, you can do so.

All bookings for careclub will still need to be made (and confirmed) via emailing careclub@brownclee.shropshire.sch.uk.

 

We are looking at simplifying payments for all after-school club and schools trips so that they can also be paid in the same way.

Pupil Premium – How to apply

Just an annual reminder regarding Pupil Premium.

 

Pupil Premium is funding that schools receive for children that qualify for free-school meals (note: this is NOT the same thing as Universal Infant Free School Meals¹).

 

In the upcoming year, we will be using part of the Pupil Premium funding to enable parents (of FSM – not UIFSM¹) to receive the following:

  • 50% reduction in cost for…
    • After-school clubs
    • Wraparound club (before and after school)
    • Residential Trips
  • Upon request, a reduction in cost for…
    • Individual/group music lessons
    • School uniform

The funding is also used in various other ways to help children in a range of way. Further information can be found over on our Pupil Premium information page

 

The criteria for successful application for FSM is as follows:

  •  You (or your partner) are receiving any of the following:
    • Universal credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
    • Income support
    • Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
    • Income-related employment and support allowance
    • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
    • The guarantee element of pension credit
    • Child tax credit (provided you’re not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
    • Working tax credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit

If you feel you may be eligible for FSM, then you can find further information on how to apply here (https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/free-school-meals/). If you have already applied and your circumstances have changed, you can re-apply.

 


¹Universal Infant free-school Meals (UIFSM) is the £2.53 Government funding per pupil per meal for ALL pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

Pupils in these year groups can still apply for FSM – and receive the above, as well as continued funding of school meals into Year 3-6.

Uniform Update – September

I have been in touch with Lads and Lasses – and they have informed me that the restock of hoodies has arrived today, and the outstanding orders will be sent out by the end of the week.

 

As per the previous post (https://browncleeschool.org.uk/school-uniform-2/), if you don’t have uniform by the start of term, then plain hoodie/t-shirt/sports top will be absolute fine until you do.

 

I will be meeting with them (once the term starts) to discuss things moving forward.