June 2022

Well, our feet haven’t touched the ground this week as there has been so many events and activities taking place…But, we wouldn’t have it any other way at Lea Forest! Attendance has been really poor over the last few weeks as families have been taking unapproved holidays. Attendance will remain a huge focus until the end of term - please make sure children are in school on time, every day!

Last weekend, we invited along our new Reception pupils and parents starting with us in September for a picnic. The weather wasn’t very kind to us but it was a brilliant opportunity to meet some familiar, but also lots of new faces. Some of the children were really nervous at the start, but didn’t want to leave us by the end. We can’t wait for our new children to start with us in September. Staffing in Early Years for September 2022 is as followed:

NPH - Mr Haw (with Mrs Hopkins and Mrs Peachey)

RCG - Mrs Gonzales (with Miss Freeman)

RMH - Mrs Hicklin (with Miss Clarke)

RFH - Mrs Hartwell (with Mrs Byrne)

I know this is an exciting time of the year for the children (and especially for parents), but the rest of the school will get to find out new teachers and classes on Monday 4 July when we have our transition morning planned.

Mr Taylor will be leaving us at the end of this school year as he has gained a headship at Warren Farm Primary School in Kingstanding. Mr Taylor and I both joined Lea Forest together in September 2015 and have been on a real journey, leading Lea Forest to where we are today. I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Mr Taylor and wishing him the best of luck in his headship. We will not be replacing Mr Taylor’s Deputy Headteacher role in school as we have 7 Assistant Headteachers (Mrs Gonzales, Miss Evans, Mr White, Miss Francois, Ms Purcell, Miss Ward and Ms Wale) who all support me in leading the school.

Most of our Year 6 children with have a transition day at their new secondary schools on Wednesday 6 July, but some schools may have different arrangements. If you have any worries or concerns about transition, please speak to a member of our pastoral team who will be able to offer some support.

Year 1 have been tested to track their progress in Phonics. Mrs Gonzales carried out the Phonics screening tests with every single child and we have been blown away by the amount of progress made. I am very pleased to share that our Phonics results reached a remarkable 92%. Well done to all of the children and also a HUGE well done to all of staff working with the children. Year 4 have completed their Multiplication Checks Tests this week and await the results...I will share these next week!

Have a great weekend!

Mr Clarke-Castello

We are working with Yardley Tennis Club this term to provide expert tennis lessons and clubs to children in Key Stage 2. They are based close to Lea Forest and have superb facilities. They’ve asked us to let you know about their provision available for you to book direct. LTA Youth Start is for kids aged 4-11 years who are new to tennis. We'll help teach kids new life skills, developing them as both players and people.

Two classes are available:

- 16:30-17:15 kids aged 4-7

- 17:15-18:00 kids aged 8-11

The course costs £29.99 (+£5 P&P) which gets:

- Six top-class tennis sessions with a specially trained coach

- A tennis racket and set of balls

- A branded t-shirt

- Activity cards, a lanyard, stickers and a certificate

To find out more, check out:

http://tennisforkids.uk/yardleytennis

Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Sleep is really important for all children. What does your do to get to sleep at night? Do they have a special story, or a special toy to cuddle?

In recent months, the Department for Education has been made aware of a rise in “incel culture” online and even in schools. While this is less likely to affect Primary-age children, it nevertheless highlights a need for young people to feel they have an outlet for their feelings, whether they are experiencing frustration, isolation, or something else. This week, children have explored how we express our emotions, and identified which of these they think are the most appropriate and helpful, including online interactions.

Key Stage 1 have asked: “Should everyone deal with big feelings in the same way?”

Key Stage 2 have asked: “Should everyone deal with big emotions in the same way?”

It is really important that we have up to date contact numbers for you and that you keep your mobile phone switched on during the school day. All parents should ensure that we have at least two contact names and contact details on our system. This is extremely important as we may need to get hold of you in an emergency.

If you change your mobile number, please remember to inform the school straight away.

To communicate with parents we use Class Dojo, email and text messages.

Please ensure that you inform us if you change your email address or phone number. In addition, if you move house, please ensure you let the office know your new address. You can email: contactus@leaforestacademy.org or telephone the school office to notify us of any changes or use the online form on our website.

Our Intent:

"To ensure that young people are able to lead remarkable lives. Our remarkable futures careers provision exposes all young people to a range of meaningful encounters and experiences that will empower them and appropriately prepare them for their next stage of development. Our approach ensures that every young person is given the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge, qualities and character needed to make fully informed decisions about their future, manage their career and thrive in the world of work."

At Lea Forest, we are developing our curriculum to focus on careers, which will raise aspirations of children. Research shows that children have their first aspirations aged 3-4 years. By the age of 7 children are beginning to think about what they can and cannot do in the future. For these reasons and many more, we are currently developing a programme that will increase pupils exposure to information, encounters, opportunities and experiences that will raise aspirations; inspire young people about their futures; and ensure pupils are not held back from pursuing their passions or achieving their goals.

Children have already had many opportunities with learning about various careers through their trips and visitors. Children have been able to ask questions which are career related and gain an understanding of different job roles. These experiences are shared on the school’s website under the Career Pathways section. The page is continuously updated and available to view at any time.

On Tuesday 12th July, we will be holding a careers event between 2pm and 4pm in Year 6. Employees from various backgrounds will be invited into school allowing children to have a meaningful encounter as they will be exploring a number of possible future careers. This is an exciting opportunity for children as well as parents to help raise aspirations of young children. A questionnaire will also be sent out to parents asking if they would be willing to also participate on this day and talk about their job roles.

This week has seen the return of the Battle Of The Band Competition. A big well done to 4SC who have retained their position at the top of the leaderboard. The Top 3 Rock Stars this week for the most correct answers are:

Zain Qadir #LFP4SC

Ameera Hussain #LFP4SC

Lucas Wallace # LFP4SC

Welcome back after a wonderful half term break! I hope that you all enjoyed the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and managed to spend some quality time together. I cannot believe that we are moving into the last half term of the year! It’s been a really busy week back and it’s been great to see all of the children engaged in their learning. It is going to be very busy this term and we have a lot of very exciting things planned for the children, with trips and experiences. Most of the important dates have been added to the dates for your calendar section of the newsletter, so you know what is going on. You can also keep up-to-date with events on Class Dojo and our school website.

We are looking forward to welcoming new Nursery and Reception parents/carers next week, on Monday and Tuesday consecutively for the ‘welcome meetings’. This will be a chance to meet the teaching teams and to learn more about expectations for September. We are also hosting an Early Years Transitional picnic on Saturday 18 June for new Nursery and Reception children and parents/carers.

I would like to say a huge well done to Year 1 for their wonderful successes in their phonics screening checks this week. We are so proud of the progress the children have made. Once all assessments have been completed, I will share the results.

Attendance and Punctuality

Thank you to all of you who have ensured that your children are back in school every day and on time. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of your child arriving to school on time. The school gates open at 8.45am and lessons begin at 9:00am so your child is late if they arrive after that time. Being on time provides your child with a positive start to the day. Please ensure you get your children to school on time - thank you. Attendance remains a high priority for us at Lea Forest. We regularly review our pupils’ attendance and where there is a concern we will be in contact with you. In cases of regular absence due to illness you will receive a letter requesting that medical evidence is provided. We work closely with Birmingham City Council’s Education Legal Intervention Team and where necessary follow their FAST TRACK process of penalty notices in order to improve attendance.

Attendance remains a high priority for us at Lea Forest.

We regularly review our pupils’ attendance and where there is a concern we will be in contact with you. In cases of regular absence due to illness you will receive a letter requesting that medical evidence is provided. We work closely with Birmingham City Council’s Education Legal Intervention Team and where necessary follow their FAST TRACK process of penalty notices in order to improve attendance.

It’s great to see everyone working so hard to achieve our 96.5% target.

We can only do this if we all work together!

Our attendance for

the week is

94.30%

Our attendance for

the year to date

96.3%

Keep up the great work!

We are really proud of our children in Year 1 this week as they have completed the National Phonic screening check.

The National phonics screening check is a statutory assessment that was introduced in 2012 to all Year 1 pupils and is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge.

The screening consists of a list of 40 words and nonsense words. It assess phonics skills and knowledge learnt through reception and year 1. The check is very similar to tasks the children already complete during phonics lessons.

You will be informed of your child’s progress in phonics and find out how they have done in the screening check, towards the end of the summer term.

Every single child gave 100% and we couldn’t be prouder of their phonic achievements!

Next week, our children in Year 4 will be sitting the 2022 Multiplication check. The purpose of the check is to determine whether children can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help schools to identify if children may need additional support.

It is an on-screen check consisting of 25 times table questions. Your child will be able to answer 3 practice questions before taking the actual check. They will then have 6 seconds to answer each question. On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.

The check has been designed so that it is inclusive and accessible to as many children as possible, including those with special educational needs or disability (SEND) or English as an additional language (EAL).

Your child’s teacher will share your child’s score with you when they are received in July, as they would with all national curriculum assessments. There is no pass mark for the check.

Year 4 have been working extremely hard, using TTRockStars to support on a daily basis. We are confident that all of the Children will do themselves, their parents and the school proud.

From Monday 13th - Friday 17th June, we will be taking part in 'The Great British Bark Off'.

This is a charity event run by an organisation called Underdog International, whose motto is ‘Children helping dogs, dogs helping children’ They aim to use dogs to support children suffering emotional and mental health difficulties and also support dogs at the same time!

Children will be finding out about the valuable roles dogs, including therapy dogs, can play in improving children's lives, building confidence and helping them overcome worries.

We would like children to come to school on Friday dressed in a dog themed costume if they would like to.

We will also be holding a cake sale during breaktime on Friday. Please look out for more information about this on Class Dojo.

More information about the Bark off can be found at https://www.greatbritishbarkoff.com/

Use good wood!

Our country imports a lot of products made from wood – like paper and furniture. It takes an area of land almost 3 times the size of Wales to grow all that wood.

First, try to buy reclaimed or pre-loved wooden furniture wherever possible, and recycled paper products. Next best is to buy wood and wood products from UK or EU sources. If that fails, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo is your next option, but the scheme has not been without its troubles. Check how good retailers are at ensuring their wood comes from sustainable sources by using WWF’s timber scorecard

Trees remove planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Friends of the Earth is campaigning to double the amount of tree cover in the UK