April 2024

We are now 3 weeks into the summer term and there has been such a buzz around school since we returned from the Easter break. The children have all been working their socks off and the staff are so proud of them.

Local Elections

Our school building will be in use on Thursday 2 May for local elections. Therefore, school will be closed for all year groups, apart from Year 6. Year 6 children will be expected to attend for for the morning (9am - 12:30pm) for some intense SATS preparation. School will be open again on Friday 3 May for all year groups.  

Year 6 SATS

Year 6 SATS tests will begin on Monday 13 May - Thursday 16 May.  Children will need to be in school by 8:00am.  We will provide them with a breakfast, time to be with their friends and also to discuss any worries or concerns that they have.  This is an extremely important week in the children’s academic life and they MUST attend school everyday, with no exceptions. The children and staff have all been working so hard in the run up to these tests. 

Upcoming Assessments

This term ahead is very busy, full of assessments to capture how much progress the children have made and to benchmark them nationally against other schools.  Children in Year 1 will also take part in the phonics screening assessments. Mrs Gonzales will be working with all of the children on a 1:1 basis for these assessments between Monday 10 June - Friday 14 June.  The last set of statutory assessments are for Year 4 who will be completing their multiplications tables check (MTC) between Monday 3 June - Friday 14 June. 

Attendance Expectations

Children are expected to come to school every day and on time and aim to have 100% attendance. Good attendance is essential to guarantee the highest possible achievement. Lateness and poor attendance will have a negative impact on children’s learning, friendships and life chances.  Regular attendance at school enables children to make the best of the educational opportunities available to them. Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to make sure their children attend school regularly and if they allow their children to stay away from school without good reason they may be prosecuted. If a child is absent, parents or carers must contact the school by 9am and give the reason for the absence. Home visits will be made if there is no contact. Poor attendance is monitored as a potential indicator of safeguarding issues in the home or elsewhere outside of the school. It has also been noted that some children have had days off for their birthdays - this is totally unacceptable and is recorded as an unauthorised absence.

School Budgets

Discussing finances is never an easy topic to broach, but I am firm in the belief that transparency is important. Therefore, a couple of weeks ago I shared with you the position we are currently in as a school. Unfortunately, like many schools nationally, our school budget is stretched thin. This is further exacerbated by insufficient parental contributions to trips and visits, which as a school we heavily subsidise and only ask for the minimum. I really want to refrain from having to make cutbacks, so please show your support through offering up the small contributions asked for, which will then enable us to maintain the quality of education and experiences we give to the children.  I was really disappointed with the lack of contributions received for our  non-uniform day last week where all we asked for was £1 per child. We have 560 children in school and if every child had bought in £1 we would have raised £560, yet we only received £191. Please, please, please support us to

continue to provide wonderful resources and opportunities for our children - we need your help!

I will end by saying a huge thank you to parents of children in 1EF who attended our library scavenger hunt this week - it was great to see so many of your getting involved.

Have a great weekend!

Mr Clarke-Castello

Statistics show that pupils with good attendance achieve well in school and that children with attendance over 96% make better progress socially and academically. In contrast, over the past few months you may have heard the term persistent absenteeism in the news. Persistent absentees are those children who have missed more than 10% of their school sessions. In a year there are 190 teaching days. If a child misses 19 days or more they will be persistently absent. Children who are persistently absent, for whatever reason, are much more likely to fail in school. The parents of these children will be referred to the local authority attendance team.

Our attendance is continuing to rise this term.  Can we do even better next week and beat our 97% attendance target? 

Our attendance for 

the week is

96.8%

Our attendance for 

the year to date

96.4%

Keep up the great work!

This year, Earth Day wasn't just a day – it was a whole-school adventure! We explored environmental issues and solutions inside and outside the classroom. For Years 3-5, Earth Day became truly out of this world! They joined Glido, the expert droid, and his pals on a virtual reality (VR) tour of our amazing planet. This immersive experience brought real ecological problems like pollution, overfishing, and plastic waste to life, along with practical solutions we can all adopt. Inspired by their VR journey, the children created their own "eco manifestos" – powerful statements outlining their commitment to protecting the planet. They left our Earth Day celebration with a message of empowerment and hope for the future!

At 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 on the Character Curriculum page of the LFP Website. 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 take part in a ‘Night Time Nature Watch’ by grabbing a blanket and heading outside after dark with your grown-up! Look for owls hooting, bats swooping, or even fireflies twinkling. Can you hear any nighttime sounds you don't hear during the day? Listen closely and share your discoveries with Mr Croxon or your class teacher (either on Class Dojo or social media) and the best ones will be evidenced in the ‘Character Curriculum (evidence) Book’ for your class! 

Year 3 had the amazing opportunity to visit the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry this week. Our visit was to enhance the children’s learning in Art and Design this half term. We found out  all about the different types of sculpting before attending our sculpture workshop which was a big success and enjoyed by everyone. Year 3 were lucky enough to even see Dippy the Dinosaur too!

Welcome to our ‘Online Safety Tip of The Week’. On each newsletter, we will provide you with some useful hints, tips, guides and fact sheets from the National Online Safety (NOS) website that you as parents and carers will be able to use to help keep your child safe whilst online. This week's free online safety guide focuses on ‘W App’. Developed in Germany, this social networking, sometimes branded as 'Slay" in some territories is aimed primarily at teens. Marketed as a 'zero-negativity" zone, it asks users to connect with others from their school. They are then asked a positive question (such as "Who is the nicest person?") and shown four people from their school to choose from. All users from a school can appear in the poll: not just those a child is friends with. The app is mainly anonymous - but does offer clues to reveal who selected you for each question.

This week’s safeguarding focus is on consent. Consent means giving someone a choice about touch or actions and respecting their answer. At a simple level, it means asking for and waiting to hear a ‘yes’. Consent is seeking and giving permission. School-age children are never too young to learn this in ways that make sense to them. If one friend wants to borrow something from another friend, they must get permission. If one friend wants to hug their friend, they should check if their friend is OK with that first. Linking permission-seeking to physical contact is an important part of safeguarding children. They need to be taught about boundaries, saying no to unwanted touch and seeking help when they are worried or upset by anything they have been asked to do or by how they have been touched.

It has been amazing to see so many of you practising your fluency of your number facts and times tables in school and at home. 

Here are this week’s Numbots stars:

Year 1 - Kane Hall

Year 2 - Yassine Ali Mohammadi

Gruffalos - Abdullah Hussain

This week’s Rock Legends are:

Year 3 - Zoya Zaheer

Year 4 - Maisie Evelyn Tighe

Year 5 - Laila Peace

Year 6 - Skye Warr

Gruffalos - Abdullah Hussain

Plant Pollinator Friendly Plants 

Almost 80% of our food and industrial products require pollination by animals. By protecting pollinator species, we can help our air, water, and soil stay healthy. Common pollinator-friendly plants include bee balm, echinacea, and so many others, which you can look up based on your region.

I can’t believe we are at the end of week 2 of the Summer Term already! How time flies… 

RSHE Parent meetings

Thank you to the parents that joined us during our Relationship, Health and Sex Education (RSHE) meetings this year. We were so impressed by the turnout and the level of support shown for this important topic.  It was particularly rewarding to hear such thoughtful questions being asked. Your active participation demonstrates your commitment to working together to ensure your children receive a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate RSHE education. By engaging in open discussions about these topics, we can equip our pupils with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to navigate important life experiences and build healthy relationships. Please check ClassDojo and the workshop section of the website if you would like to view the slides from the meetings.  

Earth Day

Lea Forest is excited to be celebrating Earth Day. The theme for this year is plastics vs planet, giving children the opportunity to look at the negative impact that plastic has on our environment locally, nationally and globally. With VR workshops, and a creative range of activities to look forward to, we will be learning how little by little, we can all do our bit to be kinder to this beautiful planet we call home.Children will be allowed to attend school wearing blue and/or green for the day to represent the Earth.  We will also be asking for £1 donations on this day to help with the development of our outdoor 

garden at school.  

Year 6 SATS

Year 6 SATS tests will begin on Monday 13 May - Thursday 16 May.  Children will need to be in school by 8:00am.  We will provide them with a breakfast, time to be with their friends and also to discuss any worries or concerns that they have.  This is an extremely important week in the children’s academic life and they MUST attend school everyday, with no exceptions. The children and staff have all been working so hard in the run up to these tests.  Also, please remember that on election day (Thursday 2 May) school will be open to Year 6 pupils ONLY from 9:00 until 12:30.

Upcoming Assessments

This term ahead is very busy, full of assessments to capture how much progress the children have made and to benchmark them nationally against other schools.  Children in Year 1 will also take part in the phonics screening assessments. Mrs Gonzales will be working with all of the children on a 1:1 basis for these assessments between Monday 10 June - Friday 14 June.  The last set of statutory assessments are for Year 4 who will be completing their multiplications tables check (MTC) between Monday 3 June - Friday 14 June. 

In the News

Lea Forest has been ranked 3rd (out of 339 primary schools in Birmingham) in this recent article showing 

Birmingham’s best performing primary schools (ranked by academic attainment): https://www.birminghamworld.uk/education/best-performing-birmingham-primary-schools-4591521 

Have a great weekend!

Mr Clarke-Castello

Statistics show that pupils with good attendance achieve well in school and that children with attendance over 96% make better progress socially and academically. In contrast, over the past few months you may have heard the term persistent absenteeism in the news. Persistent absentees are those children who have missed more than 10% of their school sessions. In a year there are 190 teaching days. If a child misses 19 days or more they will be persistently absent. Children who are persistently absent, for whatever reason, are much more likely to fail in school. The parents of these children will be referred to the local authority attendance team.

Our attendance is particularly low this week due to Eid. We need everyone to work really hard next week ensure we return to our usual attendance level.

Our attendance for 

the week is

95.9%

Our attendance for 

the year to date

96.4%

Keep up the great work!

Put away the pesticides. Tempting as it may be to rid plants of pesky mini menaces, it’s important to remember that it can extremely damaging to our garden ecosystems. Not to mention expensive. Visit treehugger.com to find a list of homemade, natural formulas that are safe but effective, and if growing food, consider companion planting to deter a wide range of mini beasts from feasting in your garden. 

https://www.treehugger.com/natural-homemade-insecticides-save-your-garden-without-killing-earth-4858819 

Year 6's science unit took a thriving turn with a recent trip to Roots 2 Fruits Nursery! Students explored plant evolution and adaptation firsthand, observing how plants like holly survive with spiky defenses. Their enthusiastic participation and grasp of the concepts were a joy to see. Building on this success, the Year 6 curriculum will focus on putting knowledge into action. Look out for student-led projects after the upcoming SATs, designed to make our school grounds even more environmentally friendly and centred around our outstanding curriculum! 

Welcome to our ‘Online Safety Tip of The Week’. On each newsletter, we will provide you with some useful hints, tips, guides and fact sheets from the National Online Safety (NOS) website that you as parents and carers will be able to use to help keep your child safe whilst online. This week's free online safety guide focuses on ‘Virtual Reality’. (VR) is the practice of creating computer generated images or sometimes even entire worlds for a user to experience as if they were there. Whereas traditionally we would use a television screen to view these images and games, technology now allows us to simply put on a headset and become fully immersed in these new worlds. While virtual reality is perfectly safe on the whole (although sometimes you might feel like you're in real, physical danger) there are some things to look out for.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

The main safeguarding document relevant to schools ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, strongly states that ‘safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility'. Safeguarding means keeping children safe from harm or neglect. There are lots of ways in which we safeguard children. These include: making sure the school site is physically safe, supporting families with varying needs, ensuring children are able to talk to an adult if they feel unsafe and ensuring that safeguarding underpins the culture and ethos in school. If you are concerned about the safety of a child you can contact the Children’s Advice Support Service on 0121 303 1888 If you feel a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, contact West Midlands police on 999.

t has been amazing to see so many of you practising your fluency of your number facts and times tables in school and at home. 

Here are this week’s Numbots stars:

Year 1 - Armaan Khan

Year 2 - Yassine Ali Mohammadi

Gruffalos - Aadam Nawaz

This week’s Rock Legends are:

Year 3 - Charlie Tunstall

Year 4 - Emmie Byard

Year 5 - Kyle Whitbread

Year 6 - Ebony Brown

Gruffalos - Aadam Nawaz

Tackle Waste Using The Five R’s 

Minimizing landfill waste is crucial for environmental health. The "5 R's" - Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle - offer a hierarchical approach to waste management. Prioritizing reducing consumption and refusing unnecessary items is most impactful. Reusing existing products extends their lifespan, while recycling recovers valuable materials. Finally, composting organic waste like food scraps diverts it from landfills and creates nutrient-rich fertilizer.

Hans Zimmer (born 1957) is a German-born composer who has become a titan in film scoring. Though classically trained, he found his passion in electronic music. After working with rock bands and composing for commercials, he transitioned to film in the 1980s. Zimmer's innovative use of electronics alongside orchestral elements creates unique and powerful soundscapes.  He's known for scores like "The Lion King," "Gladiator," and "Inception," and has won numerous awards, including Academy Awards.

This week, we're focusing on one of Britain's core values: individual liberty. But what exactly does that mean?

Individual liberty means having the freedom to make your own choices, within the law. It's about being able to think for yourself, express yourself, and follow your own beliefs.

At Lea Forest Academy, we celebrate individual liberty by offering a variety of clubs and activities and promoting respectful debate where pupils are encouraged to use their voices.  

Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a fabulous Easter break. The summer term is always the best term with so many events taking place. We will be sending out lots of information over the coming weeks so please make sure that you check Class Dojo and keep-up to date with the latest news on our website and weekly newsletters. 

Local Elections

Our school building will be in use on Thursday 2 May for local elections. Therefore, school will be closed for all year groups, apart from Year 6. Year 6 children will be expected to attend for for the morning (9am - 12:30pm) for some intense SATS preparation. School will be open again on Friday 3 May for all year groups.     

Year 6 SATS week

The Year 6 SATS tests are quickly approaching, they will begin from Monday 13 May -Thursday 16 May. To kick start each day, children should arrive at school promptly by 8:00 am, where they will enjoy a hot breakfast to fuel them for the day ahead. This week holds immense significance in your child’s academic journey, as it’s their opportunity to showcase their hard work and dedication. All children MUST attend school every day and be on time, without exception. As a well-deserved reward for their efforts, on Friday 17 May, we'll be heading to Drayton Manor for a day of celebration and fun! 

School Budgets

Discussing finances is never an easy topic to broach, but I am firm in the belief that transparency is important. Therefore, I felt it necessary to share with you the position we are currently in as a school. Unfortunately, like many schools nationally, our school budget is stretched thin. This is further exacerbated by insufficient parental contributions to trips and visits, which as a school we heavily subsidise and only ask for the minimum. Therefore, we regret to inform you that we cannot afford to provide school jumpers for all children for September next year, except for those joining Nursery and Reception. I really want to refrain from having to make any further cutbacks, so please show your support through offering up the small contributions asked for, which will then enable us to maintain the quality of education and experiences we give to the children. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Mr Clarke-Castello

Eid Mubarak to all that have been celebrating this week! May this blessed time be filled with love, joy, and togetherness with your loved ones.  Wishing you a prosperous and peaceful Eid, filled with blessings and happiness. Children have really enjoyed class parties this afternoon.  See you all on Monday for another remarkable week at Lea Forest!

Statistics show that pupils with good attendance achieve well in school and that children with attendance over 96% make better progress socially and academically. In contrast, over the past few months you may have heard the term persistent absenteeism in the news. Persistent absentees are those children who have missed more than 10% of their school sessions. In a year there are 190 teaching days. If a child misses 19 days or more they will be persistently absent. Children who are persistently absent, for whatever reason, are much more likely to fail in school. The parents of these children will be referred to the local authority attendance team.

Our attendance is particularly low this week due to Eid. We need everyone to work really hard next week ensure we return to our usual attendance level.

Our attendance for 

the week is

82.6%

Our attendance for 

the year to date

96.4%

Keep up the great work!

Summer 1

All Children’s University Clubs are up and running. Please ensure that all children attend all sessions so they are able to receive a star for their passports. If children miss 2 sessions, they will no longer be able to attend due to the waiting list. Summer 1 clubs are as follows:

Monday

Reception - Lego

Y3-5 - Art Club

Tuesday

Y5/Y6 - DRAMA

Y3-6 -The Portal

Thursday

Y5 - 11+

All- Library

Our budding writers have embarked on an English journey centered around the theme of ‘Under the water.’ They've already begun crafting the opening chapters of their underwater tales. Soon, they'll come together with fellow Young Authors from across our Midlands schools, eager to share their work, exchange insights, and offer constructive feedback, fostering a community of creativity and collaboration.

For Stress Awareness Month, have considered the role that the great outdoors has on their wellbeing and how spending time in nature affects their mental health. In Key Stage 1, children have looked at: “Does playing outdoors make you happier?”, while in Key Stage 2, children have been asked: “Would playing outside more improve your mental health?”  

Please see term dates for the remainder of the school year listed below. Ensure any holidays are booked during the period of times highlighted in red:

Summer 1

08/04/24

24/05/24

Summer Half Term

27/05/24

31/05/24

Summer 2

03/06/24

19/07/24

School will be closed to pupils on 17/06/2024 for a teacher training day.

02/05/2024 - Election Day: 

School open to Year 6 pupils (am) only

Welcome to our ‘Online Safety Tip of The Week’. On each newsletter, we will provide you with some useful hints, tips, guides and fact sheets from the National Online Safety (NOS) website that you as parents and carers will be able to use to help keep your child safe whilst online. This week's free online safety guide focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot companion, Replika. The chatbot, which the developers claim users can form an actual emotional connection with, can be a source of comfort and expression for teenage users, however, there are some potential issues that parents should be aware of. Unlike a human friend, Replika can't offer real-world advice or handle complex emotions.  Additionally, some users report inappropriate content or conversations, highlighting the need for parental monitoring and open communication about boundaries.  

This week our safeguarding focus is on danger from strangers.. Evidence shows that children are in fact often in greater danger from people they know, from other children, or on the internet, but abuse and dangerous situations do continue to happen outside the home and it is important to teach your child how to stay safe. It helps to teach your children how to identify and respond to threatening situations. Children need to understand the difference between strangers who could hurt them and strangers who may help them. Let them know who they can trust if they need help. Explain that they must tell a trusted adult if they have been approached by someone they do not know or if they feel uncomfortable about a situation. Ensure your child is aware of their surroundings, and alert to potential danger when walking or playing outside.

It has been amazing to see so many of you practising your fluency of your number facts and times tables in school and at home. 

Here are this week’s Numbots stars:

Year 1 - Safana Shah

Year 2 - Eimaan Faisal

Gruffalos - Aidan Nur

This week’s Rock Legends are:

Year 3 - Jessi-Jaymes Oliver

Year 4 - Ewan Denenfeld

Year 5 - Nathan Gwafa

Year 6 - Kian Watts

Gruffalos - Abdullah Hussain