BPS Newsletter

• Welcome to Week 6's newsletter. This half term is longer than usual as it's 8 weeks. We look forward to the next fortnight's activities before we break up, which include our Parent Evening and the Year 1 Cinderella Ball Wow Day.

• This week, one of our favourite assemblies took place - our whole school poetry recital - where each class performed a poem they learnt off by heart, to the rest of the school. Staff were hugely impressed with the children's ability to recite an array of poems from different eras and themes, and everyone was kept entertained. If you ask your child to perform their poem to you at home, you'll be equally impressed, we're sure!

• Yr 4 Trip had an exciting trip to Nower Wood Educational Nature Reserve last week, as part of the collaboration that we have set up with Surrey Wildlife Trust, who funded the event. Read more below.

• This month we celebrate Black History Month. If there are any BPS family members who wish to share an experience or story related to black heritage or black achievements, please be in touch with the admin team, as we'd love to invite you in to talk to our children, to celebrate together.

• We have some exciting news about our music provision at BPS. Read more below.

• We have arranged for PCSO Luke Greening from Woking Safer Neighbourhood Team to attend BPS from 3pm - 3.30pm on Wednesday 16th October to meet our local community and to say hi to the children. Luke and his colleague are on hand  at the school gates for you to report any concerns or queries to so please go over and say hi as they're here to help make our community safer!

• You may have noticed our new caretaker around school - a warm welcome to Mr Hagen.

• Following our Doodle Maths Parent Workshop, we've seen a slight increase in children using Doodle Maths/Doodle Tables at home in Year 1-6. Log ins can be found in your child's reading diary so remember to log in daily to earn a few Doodle Stars each day.

• Don't forget tonight's Halloween D I S C O... A big thank you to our Friends of BPS for organising tonight's fun fundraiser and we appreciate all the parents/carers who have offered their time to volunteer to help.

• A gentle reminder that Year 1 and 2 parents/carers are to please drop their child off at the 'pond gate' near Year 1. Children remain the responsibility of their parents/carers until they are safely through the 'pond gate'. 

• OPEN DAYS: If you have a child who is due to start school in 25/26, please register for a school tour for the Autumn term, here. Mrs Meyrick will be happy to show you around our wonderful school, BPS! Spread the word...

• Year 6 Parents - Don't forget to apply for your child's secondary school choices via Surrey Council website by the end of October 2024. Follow this link here. 

• If you are interested in hiring our school hall, a classroom, our outdoor hive or swimming pool (summer term only for the pool) for an event you may have in mind, don't hesitate to speak to Mrs Scott in the office who will be able to share our pricing details. 

Well done to the following children for being recognised for doing something brilliant this fortnight......

Mrs Bell is running an exciting competition to reinforce this message. We would like to display our winning posters in A4 clipframes around school. 

Please read below to enter this exciting Anti-bullying competition on A4 size please. Open to all ages! 

In Year 2, we have been working on counting in groups, in readiness for learning our times tables.  

We have used concrete resources such as Numicon and small bricks, to help us to visualise what we are doing.  

Last week, we worked in pairs to count in 3s and to record our answers on a whiteboard.  

We then checked that we all had the same answers.  Great team work Year 2!

Don't forget to keep doing Doodle tables daily at home!

Year 4 had a really informative outing to Nower Wood Educational Nature Reserve to engage with nature and enhance our understanding of local ecosystems. 

The students explored the reserve to discover various mini-beasts in their natural habitat. We also collected samples from the pond to learn about aquatic life. After our explorations, we examined mini beasts under a microscope, allowing us to see their details up close. 

We've shared some stories with the children as part of the month-long celebration of Black History. At BPS, we've used Black History Month as an opportunity to understand Black history, going beyond stories of racism and slavery to spotlight Black achievement.

A big well done to Year 2 who after only 5 lessons, can already read and play several notes on the recorder.

We have had some parent contact the admin team regarding externally run clubs that have been cancelled at BPS. Externally run clubs are booked and run by private companies who hire our facilities so we are not in a position to update parents on these clubs, as these are unaffiliated with BPS. The school is not responsible for communicating information about externally run clubs to parents. 

Please reach out to these private companies if you request an update regarding their service.

We will always communicate with you if any of our BPS clubs were to be cancelled at lase notice due to unforeseen circumstances. 

We have an exciting after school club that will commence on Monday, 4th November (after the half term break)  Mia's School of Dance.  There will be two classes available :

• Mondays at 3:15pm to 4:15pm (starting 4th November) for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and    Year 3

• Tuesdays at 3:15pm to 4:15pm (startinig 5th November) for Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6

Mia is very excited about this new club and if you would like to book your child onto the club please book via info@miasschoolofdance.com

Just to remind parents/carers that if they take their children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), they will be liable to receive a penalty notice. The issue of a Penalty Notice will also be actioned where a pupil has incurred 7 or more unauthorised sessions during the preceding 6 school weeks. 

**Changes to the National framework for Penalty Notices came into force for Penalty Notice Fines on 19th August 2024**

• First offence within a 3 year rolling period will incur a charge of £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days, Increasing to £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days.

• Second offence within a 3 year rolling period will incur a flat rate of £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days. 

• The third time an offence is committed within a 3 year rolling period for term time leave or irregular attendance the case will be presented straight to the Magistrates Court. 

Please view our Attendance Policy here for further information.

Hello BPS Parents,

Recently, I've had a few emails from parents requesting more information about the provision we offer at BPS. I am so pleased we have parents on board with supporting our children. This really is superb that we are working together for the best of our children.

Provision means the things we do for our children. This could be interventions or group work, this could be offering additional support in lessons, it could be using a pencil grip. Provision is a very broad spectrum term. 

If your child is on the SEND register this means we are providing support above the Surrey Local Offer from the Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP).  The Local Offer website has lots of information around the statutory support we put into our universal offer. We also add further provision to our universal offer. That means it is available to all children at all levels. The provision may come in many different forms.

https://www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk/ 

Our Whole School Provision Map details the provision we have in place for all our children (universal) and more targeted and personalised provision that is in place for some children. Click here to view.

Surrey SEND have been very transparent: if your child has a diagnosis of need (for example ASC or ADHD) this does not mean they need to be on the SEND register. Children are placed on the SEND register when we, school, need to provide further support above and beyond the Ordinally Available Provision. On the flip side, ASD or ADHD might mean they do need to be on the SEND register. We address this on a child by child basis. 

We have a huge offer to our children. Their safety, well-being and learning are all our main priorities. We take every child's well-being and learning seriously. Just because a child is not on the SEND register does not mean we are not providing a full range of provision. 

In the run up to the October Parent's Evening, staff are working hard to formalise our new Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These new plans will detail children's targets and support in place for children on the SEND register (this is a specific document which demonstrates a graduated response). I am hoping this new document will help make the provision in place for children on the SEND register clearer to parents. An opportunity for you to feedback will be provided once you received these new documents later in October. For children not on the SEND register, teachers are working hard on their individual targets and these will also be shared with you at Parents' Evening. 

Best wishes

Miss Oliver, Inclusion Lead