October 2021
TT Rockstars Update
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J Croxon
Who is going to be Lea Forest’s TImes Table Champion?
Encourage your child to Log onto TTRS over half term, earn coins and battle against their friends for their chance be crowned the Times Table Champion. Prizes and Certificates will be awarded to the Top 3 Rockstars.
Secondary School Applications
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J CroxonParents of children in Year 6 (6BS, 6CF and 6NW) MUST apply for secondary school places via their council portal.
Birmingham Residents must apply via:
https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/prefs.php
A guide has been produced by Birmingham City Council and can be accessed here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiifa7unLBe1YPKBfx5caZsx6BL9X74e/view?usp=sharing
Solihull Residents must apply via:
https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/Synergy/Live/SynergyWeb/Parents/default.aspx
The deadline for all applications is:
October 31st 2021
October is Walk To School Month
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J CroxonOctober has been ‘Walk to School Month’ and we have been amazed at how many children have left the car at home to walk, scoot, cycle or park and stride into school!
We have given out 507 October Badges, the most we have ever awarded in one month!
We've recorded 7117 active trips to school since the 1st October and finished 1st in Birmingham and 3rd overall in the UK. This is a truly remarkable effort from all of our amazing families. We've also awarded 45 special gold, silver and bronze badges to our travel champions as well.
Look out for the November badge in our next newsletter!
Our Character Curriculum
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J Croxonelationships that define us as humans Through our curriculum, we develop a set of competencies (behaviours) which enable each and every one of our pupils to lead a remarkable life. These competencies can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/aetinet.org/lea-forest-primary-academy/curriculum/aets-character-curriculum.
In addition to the tasks provided by individual class teachers, a ‘Character Curriculum Challenge’ will be set fortnightly on the newsletter.
On this occasion, we would like you to design and carve a pumpkin for Halloween using some of these stencils to help you. Remember to send your pumpkin designs to Mr Croxon or class teachers (either on Class Dojo or Twitter) and the best / most creative ones will win a prize!
Our Remarkable Curriculum
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J CroxonWe have been working really hard on improving our website and ensuring that all the information about our curriculum is easily accessible. Please click on the link to check out all of the latest updates on our website:
https://sites.google.com/aetinet.org/lea-forest-primary-academy/our-curriculum
All schools have a unique identity and at Lea Forest Primary Academy we believe that we have created an outstanding friendly, caring and supportive environment that encourages our children to fully learn and develop into well-rounded pupils ready for the challenge of the 21st century. Our children are very happy and feel safe in school. Our exceptionally talented staff team use all their expertise and experience to extend learning, creating challenges in a broad and balanced, experience-rich curriculum.
Message's From Mr Clarke
Saturday Oct 23 7:20amPosted By J CroxonWOW - what an amazing half term! I can’t believe how much we have achieved in just 7 weeks. We are ending the half term on such a high and have so much to be proud of. We ended this week with celebrations and halloween discos as a reward for our remarkable learners. It was also great to welcome parents and carers back into school again this week for our parents’ evenings. Both evenings were well attended and it was good to hear so many positive comments. I must also say a huge well done to our children who were interviewed and appeared on GMB this morning - they spoke so eloquently about the impacts of climate change.
Attendance
We have done so well with our attendance and I have been really pleased until this week. Attendance this week has fallen dramatically (93.4%). A lot of absences have been unauthorised as many families have decided to take holidays in term time. This goes against our home school agreement and has resulted in our overall attendance figure for the year to date dropping below 96%. Our school target is 96.5% and we can only achieve this if we all work together. Many children have already missed out on so much learning during school closures and lockdowns and it is more important than ever that children are in school, learning, every day. Attendance will continue to be a huge focus when we return on Tuesday 2 November.
Safeguarding
We had a safeguarding audit carried out this week by an external provider and Ofsted Inspector. We are very proud of our safeguarding procedures and our curriculum, so it was wonderful to receive such a positive review. In his words, he said that Lea Forest is “Top notch”.
Happy Half Term
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge well done to all of the staff and children for their hard work this half term. It’s been a fun-packed 7 weeks. On a personal note, I will be getting married in Cyprus next week so look forward to getting away and enjoying myself too.
Mr Clarke
Times Table RockStars Update
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonPlease encourage your child to access TimesTables Rockstars at home to earn points for their classes. Below are the fixtures for next week.
Travel Tracker Update
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonTeam Lea Forest are top of the Birmingham League for the 2nd week in a row!
We have logged an amazing 4716 active trips so far this month.
Please keep up this amazing effort and help us top the Birmingham league this month!
Remember to share your walk to school photos with Mr Croxon on Classdojo as well!
We'll be awarding our limited edition badges next week! Keep walking to school to be in with a chance of winning!
Secondary School Applications
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonParents of children in Year 6 (6BS, 6CF and 6NW) can now apply for secondary school places via their council portal.
Birmingham Residents must apply via
https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/prefs.php
A guide has been produced by Birmingham City Council and can be accessed here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiifa7unLBe1YPKBfx5caZsx6BL9X74e/view?usp=sharing
Solihull Residents must apply via
https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/Synergy/Live/SynergyWeb/Parents/default.aspx
Mr Croxon will be running parent drop in sessions from 9:00-9:30 (Mon - Thurs) to support parents with completing their applications.
The deadline for all applications is:
October 31st 2021
Recommended Read
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonThis week’s book recommendation is from Miss Jones
A simple, charming story that shows the importance of friendship and how the difference in character qualities are truly remarkable.
A lovely read that will make you smile.
Attendance Information
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonAt Lea Forest Primary Academy outstanding attendance and punctuality is our aim for every one of our pupils. Excellent attendance maximises the learning opportunities and parents/carers have a vital role in promoting positive attitudes to good attendance. Evidence shows that pupils who attend school regularly make better progress both academically and in friendships with their peers.
The school attendance target of 96.5% is the minimum we expect for all our pupils. Every lesson counts and it is this commitment to learning that will have a positive impact on your child’s attainment and progress. The table below shows the impact that missing just a few days of school can have over the course of an academic year.
We ask for support from parents/carers to ensure their child:
Is present at every opportunity and avoids staying at home or taking excess time off for appointments unnecessarily.
Arrives at school on time.
Messages from Mr Clarke
Saturday Oct 16 8:20amPosted By J CroxonAs always, it’s been a really busy week and it has been wonderful to see so much learning taking place across the school. I am so proud of our enriched curriculum and all of the opportunities and experiences we provide for all of our children and it’s great to see how much progress has been made in just half a term. With halloween not far away, as a reward for all their hard work this half term, we are delighted that we have a few special events and celebrations to enjoy before we all break up for a well earned rest. Next week we will also be having our attendance reward celebrations which which will include a Circus Skills Workshop for all of the children with excellent attendance so far this term. We will also be awarding the best class with a pizza party. Finally, on Friday 22nd October we will be having our annual Freaky Friday Celebrations and children can come dressed in halloween costumes or non uniform for their Halloween parties. Our PCAB will be selling bags of sweets during the parties with each bag costing 50p.
Parents Evenings
On Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, we will be holding our first parent consultations of the academic year. If you haven’t booked your slot with your child’s teacher, please do so before Monday. These initial meetings are very important as it’s an opportunity to discuss how the children have settled in during the first half term.
Holiday Requests
Over the last week, I have received an overwhelming number of holiday requests. We would encourage all families to take holidays during school holiday periods only as the children have already missed out on so much learning.
Reporting Absences
If your child is going to be absent from school, please contact the school office and report this absence. Mr Wills, Ms Wale and Mrs Wakelam are spending far too much of their precious time chasing after families who are failing to contact school.
Thank You!
I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the parents and family members who attended our Early Years and Key Stage 1 crafternoon workshops this week. They were great fun and it was wonderful to have you all involved.
Travel Tracker Update
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J CroxonWe finished the first week of Walk To School Month at the top of the Birmingham league table and fourth overall in the country!
This is an incredible achievement and we are thrilled to see so many children and parents making the effort to leave the cars at home as we #WalkForTheWorld. Every Class has chosen an animal that they have pledged to protect by walking, scooting, cycling and parking and striding to school this month. You can find out more about each classes chosen animal on their Class Story on ClassDojo.
Secondary School Applications
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J CroxonParents of children in Year 6 (6BS, 6CF and 6NW) can now apply for secondary school places via their council portal.
Birmingham Residents must apply via https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/prefs.php
A guide has been produced by Birmingham City Council and can be accessed here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiifa7unLBe1YPKBfx5caZsx6BL9X74e/view?usp=sharing
Solihull Residents must apply via
https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/Synergy/Live/SynergyWeb/Parents/default.aspx
Mr Croxon will be running parent drop in sessions from 9:00-9:30 (Mon - Thurs) to support parents with completing their applications.
The deadline for all applications is:
October 31st 2021
Recommended Read - A Kind Of Spark
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J CroxonThis week’s book recommendation is from Mrs Clarke...
Theme: Autism
This book tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there's more to the story of these 'witches', just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard? A story about friendship, courage and self-belief, perfect for fans of The Goldfish Boy.
Subject Spotlight - Mathematics
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J Croxon“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is about understanding.”
(William Paul Thurston)
At Lea Forest we foster positive attitudes, fascination and excitement of discovery through our teaching and learning of mathematical concepts. Through the use of our 5 part mastery flow model we broaden children’s knowledge and understanding of how mathematics is used in real life, enabling our pupils to use and understand mathematical language and recognise its importance as a language for communication and thinking. We aim for our children to develop a ‘can do’ attitude, where they recognise themselves as Mathematicians. Mathematics helps us to understand and change the World, and we want our children from Lea Forest Primary Academy to have the skills and understanding to take an important role within this.
It is our duty to inspire young people to see the true beauty of mathematics in the wider world by bringing it alive and thereby making it exciting, relevant and easy.
Maths Intent Statement: To acquire core mathematical facts, an understanding of concepts and strategies which can be applied successfully and efficiently enabling children to become fluent mathematicians who can demonstrate their understanding leading to them achieving well.
Maths Pupil Characteristics:
Be inquisitive
Be a resilient problem solver - have the confidence to try and try again
Make connections and find patterns
Be open to different approaches
Have a sense of accomplishment and pride - find satisfaction in solutions
Be fluent and aim for complete mastery
Be confident mathematical communicators; explain, justify and reason
Appreciate both the relevance of maths and its abstract beauty
Maths lessons provide the opportunity for children to use practical resources to represent a concept or practise a newly taught skill. Classroom environments support this with the inclusion of a maths station which allows children to independently select their own resources to support them. Maths displays reflect the current learning and support the children in becoming independent learning and driving their own learning. In order for our children to become fluent mathematicians, we provide the children with opportunities to practice and develop their recall of key facts with weekly arithmetic tests and daily starter tasks.
Character Curriculum
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J CroxonAt Lea Forest we aim to develop our pupils’ character through the growth of relationships that define us as humans Through our curriculum, we develop a set of competencies (behaviours) which enable each and every one of our pupils to lead a remarkable life. These competencies can be found at: AET's Character Curriculum. In addition to the tasks provided by individual class teachers, a ‘Character Curriculum Challenge’ will be set fortnightly on the newsletter.
On this occasion, we would like you to try to combine some of our ‘Character Curriculum’ tasks by visiting a park, climbing a tree and attempting to fly a kite (weather depending).
Messages From Mr Clarke
Saturday Oct 9 18:20pmPosted By J CroxonThe children have been working incredibly hard this week completing their 'GL and NGRT assessments' in Years 2 - 6. These assessments are used to establish gaps in children's learning that can help inform future planning and learning. It has become a very useful tool not only to see data on an individual level but across the whole school and Trust.
We held another parent workshop this week with the focus on phonics. It’s great to see so many parents attending these workshops which are so important in supporting your children with their learning. We will be holding our ‘crafternoons’ next week and look forward to seeing you you all get creative.
School Development
We are so proud of our achievements here at Lea Forest, but are always wanting to improve further. Every year, I write a school improvement plan which outlines key areas to work on throughout the year. Here are our 5 key priorities for this academic year:
1. To ensure all pupils are able to read fluently, and with confidence, in any subject.
2. To raise attainment in writing across the academy.
3. To further reduce the gap in attainment between SEND and non-SEND pupils.
4. To further embed oracy skills across the Academy.
5. To continue the ongoing efforts to ensure persistent absence is below the national average and attendance is above the national average for all pupils.
PCAB
Our Parent, Community Advisory Board (PCAB) is an important part of making Lea Forest the best school it can be. I am keen to get more parents involved in our work at school. Meetings are usually once a half term and allow me to share plans, gather feedback and work with the community to improve what we offer as a school. If you are interested in being part of our wonderful PCAB, please click this link https://forms.gle/sBagQej1Rb1DCpxh6
Travel Tracker Update
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonWe've had a remarkable start to our school year on the Living Streets Travel Tracker with an incredible 7602 active journeys recorded since the start of the school year!
We finished the month at the top of the Birmingham League and 6th nationally. This is a fantastic achievement. Keep it up!
October is ‘Walk to School Month’
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonOctober sees the start of Walk to school month. We'll be holding lots of competitions with our children to support walking, scooting, cycling or parking and striding to school.
We have also produced a limited edition Gold, Silver and Bronze travel tracker badges that will be awarded to the top 3 children in each class at the end of the month!
Look out for our parent challenges on ClassDojo as we aim to top the Living Streets UK league table next month!
Timestable RockStars Update
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonA big well done to 4CW who top the leaderboard this week! Please encourage your children to log onto TTRS daily to earn points for their class.
Secondary School Applications
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonParents of children in Year 6 (6BS, 6CF and 6NW) can now apply for secondary school places via their council portal.
Birmingham Residents must apply via https://eadmissions.birmingham.gov.uk/prefs.php
A guide has been produced by Birmingham City Council and can be accessed here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiifa7unLBe1YPKBfx5caZsx6BL9X74e/view?usp=sharing
Solihull Residents must apply via
https://eservices.solihull.gov.uk/Synergy/Live/SynergyWeb/Parents/default.aspx
Mr Croxon will be running parent drop in sessions from 9:00-9:30 (Mon - Thurs) to support parents with completing their applications.
The deadline for all applications is:
October 31st 2021
Reading Review
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonEmbrace your silly side, be unusually brave and dive in to this hilarious book… show children of all ages how fun reading can be! We love reading this book to children at Lea Forest, and hearing them read it back! Enjoy, and let me know if you have a copy at home.
Reading Challenges
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonYou may have noticed the challenges above in the children’s reading diaries. Over the autumn term we would like you to complete as many of the challenges as you can. This is something everyone at home can get involved with. If you complete the board you will be awarded with a raffle ticket which will go into a prize draw.
Punctuality
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonArriving to school on time is very important. Our gates/doors open at 8:45am - 9:00am.
Lessons start at 9:00am. Children arriving after this time will be marked LATE and miss vital learning!
Message from Mr Clarke
Saturday Oct 2 09:50am Posted By J CroxonIt’s been another BUSY and PRODUCTIVE week with so much learning taking place. We had a visit from Ruth Murad, our Regional Education Director from AET and she commented on how Lea Forest EXUDES EXCELLENCE. Our Reception children have settled in BRILLIANTLY! Early Years are currently busy completing one to one baseline assessments with them. Talking of assessments, Years 2 - 6 are also going to be busy over the next 2 weeks completing baseline assessments for reading and maths. The results of these assessments will help us formulate a recovery programme so that we can plug any gaps the children may have as a result of missing so much school during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Attendance - Holiday Requests
We are seeing an increasing number of parents requesting time off school during term time to travel abroad either on holiday or to visit relatives. Please be aware that school will only authorise any time off school in exceptional circumstances and this can only be authorised by myself. All children have missed a great deal of their education over the last two years and staff at Lea Forest are working extremely hard to help our pupils catch up. We cannot do this if the children are not in school. We are responsible for monitoring pupils’ attendance and, the local authority has a duty to prosecute parents in the Magistrates Court for failing to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school. This could require parent(s) to pay a fixed amount as a fine for their child's irregular attendance to avoid a court appearance. Fines will apply to parental partners as well as parents. All children taking leave in term tem will be referred to the Local Authority who will then take appropriate further action.More information about this is available on the Birmingham City Council website under Leave in Term (Legal) Process.
Early PIck-ups
I wrote to you all about early pick-ups last week, yet we have had parents asking again this week for children to be released early. Missed sessions means lost learning!
Mr Clarke
