As we near the end of another busy and exciting school year, it’s natural to reflect on how far our children have come. While we celebrate end-of-year attainment and those who have reached academic milestones, it’s equally important that we take a moment to recognise something just as valuable — progress.
Progress looks different for every child. For some, it may be confidently tackling more challenging maths problems. For others, it might be reading aloud in class for the first time, showing resilience during tricky tasks, or making a new friend on the playground. These moments, though not always measured by a test or a grade, are powerful indicators of growth — both academic and personal.
At our school, we are proud to support children at every stage of their journey, whatever their starting point. We know that success isn’t just about reaching a final result, but about the effort, perseverance and curiosity that get us there. When a child overcomes a challenge or develops greater confidence, independence or kindness, that progress is worth celebrating just as much as any academic achievement.
Families, too, play a vital role in recognising and valuing these steps forward. Whether it's encouraging reading at home, supporting homework, or simply offering a listening ear after a long day, your involvement helps children see their progress and feel proud of it.
As we look ahead to the final weeks of term, let’s continue to focus not just on the finish line, but on how far each child has come; because at the heart of everything we do is the belief that every step forward matters.
The photograph below showcases the children across school who have been selected by their teachers for making outstanding progress this year.
These Year 5 girls have made outstanding progress in their writing this year. Here they are showcasing their 'Discovering Tutankhamun' stories.
What an incredible Sports Day we had! The sun shone brightly as pupils from all year groups took to the field, ready to give their all in a fun-filled day of activity, teamwork and friendly competition.
From the thrilling sprint races to the ever-tricky egg and spoon race, every event was met with cheers from our wonderful spectators. Children showed fantastic sportsmanship, encouraging one another and celebrating everyone's efforts – whether they finished first or last.
Pupils wore their colours with pride, and the sense of team spirit was stronger than ever. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, determined efforts and high fives all around. Parents and carers added to the excitement, cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines.
A huge thank you goes to all the staff for their organisation, to the Meden Sports Leaders for their energy and to our families for their fantastic support. Sports Day is always a highlight of our school year, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
Well done, everyone – you were all superstars!
A special mention goes to Blue Team who were this year's overall winners!
This week, our pupils took part in their transition days, spending time in their new classes and getting to know the teachers and routines that await them in September. It was wonderful to see the excitement, curiosity and growing confidence as children explored their new classrooms, met new classmates and began building those all-important relationships for the year ahead.
Transition days play a vital role in helping children feel prepared and positive about change. Whether they’re moving up within the school or joining us for the very first time, these days give everyone the chance to settle nerves, ask questions, and look forward to what’s to come.
A special mention goes to our Year 6 pupils, who are preparing to move on to pastures new. They returned from their secondary school transition days full of stories and smiles, having made a fantastic start to this next exciting chapter. We’re incredibly proud of how they’ve approached this big step with maturity, courage and enthusiasm.
A big well done to all our pupils for embracing the experience so positively. We’re already looking forward to the new school year and to all the learning, laughter and adventures it will bring!
KS1 have had a great time adventuring through the woodlands at Sherwood Pines this week. We have loved being minibeast hunters, animal detectives, following the Gruffalo orienteering trail and running wild on the adventure playground. It was an absolute pleasure to take KS1 out in public, they were all an asset to Birklands, you should be very proud of them. Staff loved watching their happy little faces as the children explored the outdoors with their friends!
As promised, here are some photos from Year 5's recent visit to London.
Bobbie and Lexi have officially completed their 3rd year with the Royal Ballet School. Congratulations girls!
They have been informed that their letter requesting that the funding for this programme is reinstated has made it all the way to Parliament. Fingers crossed!
Congratulations to Sammy who has recently been graded as a blue belt in kick boxing!
Swimming Star - Special message from Lewis Burton's mum
3 weeks ago Lewis lost the love for his swimming and was getting a little bored so he decided to set himself the task of doing his badges and wanted to start with his 400 meters. He did this with ease so the following week he decided to do his 800 meters and again completed it perfectly so last week Lewis decided to do his 1000 meters and completed the 40 lengths in 36 mins of non stop swimming and we couldn't have been prouder. Even the swimming teachers were amazed at him! Lewis isn't content with this achievement and wants to go higher and has decided that next week he wants to swim 1 whole mile! I will let you know how he gets on with it.
We can't wait to hear the next installment your journey, Lewis!
Paige, Piper and Heidi starred in a dance show at Mansfield Palace Theatre recently. Audience members said they 'smashed it'!
Well done girls!
Year 6 Moana Performance - Tuesday 8th July (5pm)
Year 6 Moana Performance - Wednesday 9th July (1:30pm)
Year 6 trip to Mablethorpe - Friday 11th July
KS1 Graduation - Tuesday 15th July (2pm)
LKS2 Graduation - Wednesday 16th July (1:30pm)
Year 5 Graduation - Thursday 17th July (2pm)
Summer Disco 17th July
EYFS Graduation - Friday 18th July (9am)
Year 6 Leavers' Disco - Friday 18th July (6-8pm)
LKS2 Music Showcase - Monday 21st July (2:30pm)
Year 6 Leavers' Assembly - Wednesday 23rd July (3:30pm)
Here are the attendance percentages for this week:
Dove - 99.17
Goldcrest - 90.28
Jay - 92.50
Kingfisher - 98.81
Magpie - 96.23
Nightingale - 95.83
Puffin - 95.83
Robin - 96.74
Siskin - 93.67
Swift - 93.72
Woodpecker - 98.66
Well done to Dove class for securing the best attendance percentage this week!
Our annual parent survey is now live. We would really appreciate it if you would spend some time completing this for us - your valuable feedback will help us to shape our provision and allow us to offer the best possible educational experience for our pupils.
Click the following link to begin the survey:
Our final disco of the Year is fast approaching. This will take place on Thursday the 17th July for Nursery through to Year 5 pupils (Year 6 will be have a separate end-of-year disco). See below for details. Tickets go on sale from Monday and will be available to buy via MCAS.
Birklands Primary School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT