Autumn has officially arrived, bringing with it crisp mornings, colourful leaves and a wonderful sense of momentum across the school. It’s hard to believe we’re already more than halfway through the first half term - time truly flies when our children are engaged, learning and thriving.
As a school, we continually reflect on the needs of the community we serve. Your feedback, both positive and constructive, is always welcome as we strive to offer the best possible education and experience for your children.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you need to. Whether it’s a question, concern or suggestion, we’re here to listen and support you every step of the way.
Thank you for your continued partnership and trust.
Miss Watson
We were immensely proud of our recent Harvest Festival - it was a truly joyful and heartwarming occasion that showcased the very best of our school community.
From the spectacular singing of Dingle Dangle Scarecrow to the heartfelt rendition of Autumn Days, our pupils filled the hall with energy, enthusiasm and beautiful voices. The readings and poems were equally impressive, with children speaking with confidence, clarity and heartfelt emotion.
A huge thank you to all families for your incredibly generous food donations. These have been delivered to our local food bank, where they will make a real difference to those in need within our wider community.
Events like this remind us of the power of coming together in celebration and kindness. Well done to everyone involved—you made us all very proud.
Daisy and Reva (Year 5) crafted their own harvest poems - wow girls!!!
We value strong communication between home and school and there are several ways you can get in touch with us.
For child-specific matters - such as learning, wellbeing, or classroom concerns - your first point of contact should be your child’s class teacher, best reached via email.
To report an absence, please contact the school office directly. They are the main point of contact for attendance and general enquiries.
Each morning, a member of the leadership team is on the school gate to greet families and offer support. This is invariably Miss Watson (Acting Head Teacher) and Mrs Hughes (School Business Manager), who are always happy to help with any queries or concerns.
For safeguarding concerns, please speak to Miss Fox (Acting Deputy Head and Senior Safeguarding Lead). For SEND matters, contact Mrs Henderson (Acting SENDCO and Assistant Head Teacher).
We’re also delighted to welcome Miss Cox back from maternity leave in her new role as Family Liaison Officer, taking over from Mrs Coverley. She’ll be working closely with families should they need her to offer support, guidance and a listening ear, alongside your child’s class teacher. Her focus is on strengthening the partnership between home and school to ensure every child feels happy, safe and supported. Miss Cox will be available for informal drop-ins and more structured support where needed. Her email address is familysupport@birklandsschool.co.uk
We’ve had the pleasure of recognising these outstanding pupils in our recent celebration assemblies, who have truly embodied our school ethos of working hard and being kind. Their dedication to learning and their thoughtful, caring attitudes have made a real difference in our school community.
Whether it was lending a helping hand to a classmate, showing resilience in their studies, or simply spreading positivity through kind words and actions, these pupils have set a shining example for us all.
We are incredibly proud of them: thank you for showing us what it means to live our values every day!
Let’s keep celebrating kindness and hard work across our school.
Lottie and Ava both achieved 100% in word reading during a Phonics assessment this week. They will now be moving up to Phase 4 Set 2 books and we are very proud of them.
Eli (Robin class) loves attending his kickboxing and swimming lessons each week. Last week, he achieved his white/yellow belt in kickboxing and his 5M swimming badge. Wow, Eli - we are incredibly proud of you!
We are pleased to invite all parents and carers to our upcoming Parent-Teacher Consultation Meetings, taking place on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd October. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, celebrate achievements, and explore ways we can work together to support their learning journey.
Appointments will be scheduled throughout both days, and we encourage all families to attend. Your child’s class teacher will share insights into their academic development, social wellbeing, and any areas for growth.
Please look out for booking details, which will be sent home shortly. If you have any questions or require assistance with scheduling, feel free to contact the school office.
We look forward to welcoming you and continuing our strong partnership in your child’s education.
Flu Vaccinations
Just a reminder to fill in the online consent form for the flu vaccinations that are taking place next week.
The link expires on 5th October.
Christmas Card Project
Following the success of our Christmas card initiative over the past few years, pupils have once again designed their own festive cards. These will be available to purchase, offering a wonderful way to celebrate your child’s creativity while supporting the school. On Monday, your child will be bringing home information about how to order their design.
iPad Initiative Parent/Carer Meeting - Key Stage Two (KS2)
We are delighted to invite parents and carers to an information meeting on Wednesday 15th October at 5.00pm. At this meeting, we will share the background to our new iPad initiative, outline the policies for pupil use, and explain how this exciting project will enhance learning and broaden opportunities for our KS2 pupils.
As iPads will be rolled out to KS2 pupils on Thursday 23rd October, this meeting will be a valuable opportunity to hear more, ask questions, and complete the necessary contracts and paperwork.
The meeting will run from 5.00–5.45pm. Following feedback from our recent parent survey, we have chosen a slightly later start time to help accommodate working parents.
We are very excited about the learning opportunities this initiative will bring and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the meeting.
Photo Permissions
Next week, we’ll be sending out a link to parents and carers to update our photo consent register. This will help us ensure we have the most up-to-date permissions, allowing us to share a wider selection of whole school photographs that celebrate our pupils’ achievements and school life. We appreciate your support in helping us showcase the wonderful things happening across our community!
Halloween Disco
Tickets for the Halloween disco will be available to purchase from Wednesday (£2.50 per ticket).
Thursday 23rd October
EYFS and KS1: 3:15 - 4:15pm
KS2: 4:30 - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7th October at 3:15pm: Year 6 residential meeting for parents
Thursday 9th October: Flu Vaccinations
Wednesday 15th October at 5:00pm: Interactive Learning Project for KS2 parents
Monday 20th October at 2:30pm: Years 5 and 6 music showcase for parents
Tuesday 21st/Wednesday 22nd October: Parents’ Evenings
Thursday 23rd October: Halloween Disco
Monday 27th October - Friday 31st October: Half-Term
Tuesday 18th November: Years 5 and 6 at the Odeon Cinema for the Intofilm Festival
Wednesday 26th November (3:15 - 4:30pm) - Christmas Fayre
Monday 8th December: Years 5 and 6 at Newstead Abbey
Monday 8th (10:00am) and Tuesday 9th (1:30pm) December: KS1 Nativity
Monday 8th (2:00pm) and Tuesday 9th (9:45am) December: EYFS Nativity
Wednesday 10th December: Christmas Service at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church
*Further details relating to the events listed will be shared over the coming weeks.
A huge congratulations to Robin class, who have won the attendance treat last week with a perfect 100% attendance this week! Year 5 reigned supreme this week with both Goldcrest and Kingfisher classes achieving the maximum score of 100%. What an amazing achievement! Well done to all the children (and families!) for making every day count.
Just a reminder: the winning class gets to enjoy a non-uniform day on a date chosen by their teacher, and if a class hits 100% attendance, they also earn an extra playtime as a special reward. Keep up the brilliant effort, everyone!
Birklands Primary School
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