BPS Newsletter

Please report absences using the absences@byfleet.surrey.sch.uk email by no later than 9am.

• We continue to seek two parents to join our BPS governor team as Parent Governors. Previous experience is not a prerequisite. We are looking for two enthusiastic parents who are keen to attend a handful of meetings in the evening, a year, to help our Governors and Headteacher, Mrs Meyrick, continue to improve our school. Please email Mrs Scott (info@byfleet) to arrange to meet informally with our Chair of Governors, Joy Considine, who will provide you with some information about how you can make a difference at BPS!

• You may have noticed the new solar panels that have been fitted. This is one of the many improvements we've made to our building this academic year. We continue to have the builders and plumbers in school working in the evening. Work is scheduled to be completed by May. We hope you notice the improvements to our environments when you attend next week's Parents' Evening. 

• Year 1 hosted a lovely assembly, Surrey Wild-Life Trust came in to work with us in Year 4 and we welcomed 52 Lives Kindness (a wellbeing charity) for a workshop this week. Read more below.

• We had a great turn out of parents/carers for our Science experiment morning last week. Thanks to Mr Bowman for organising this fun annual event. 

• A group of children attended an event last week at American School Cobham (ACS) linked to Empathy Week. Thanks to Ms Oliver for organising this. The children came back buzzing and shared the importance of self awareness, kindness and empathy.

• It was lovely to have Open the Book Christian group join us this week for an assembly Ask your child what they remember from this visit.

• This week Mrs Mumby starting overhauling our school library, thanks to some funding received from our Friends of Byfleet. We will share pictures soon, once it has been finalised. We are looking forward to our children benefitting from this and further developing Reading for Pleasure. 

• Annually we raise funds for our chose charity, Red Nose Day. A big thank you for donating something RED today as part of our mufti day. Our wonderful team of TAs will make these up as hampers for which we will raffle off in the Summer term. All proceeds will be donated to Red Nose Day.

• Happy St Patrick's Day to our Irish families.

• 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. 

Year 4 participated in a session conducted by Surrey Wildlife Trust that focused on trees and birds. The students engaged in creative and imaginative activities, where they crafted items using leaves and incorporated sewing techniques. Additionally, they designed a suitable and safe net for a potential bird habitat. 

Year 4 students have enjoyed mentoring their Year 1 book buddies and promoting a love for books across different age groups. 

This week Year 1 held an amazing assembly, where they expressed their knowledge about what they have learnt throughout the Spring Term. Together, the Year 1 class worked hard to learn and perform their poems and songs, even writing their own lyrics for the rap song!.  We are very proud of  the entire class. Well done Year 1!

A big thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend, we appreciate your continued support!

52 Lives: Kindness Workshop

A huge thank you to Greig from 52 Lives who came into BPS on Tuesday to share the Kindness workshop with us. The children loved hearing about all the different ways Kindness helps us.  Every child from Reception to Year 5 used their creative skills to design and make a symbol of kindness, everyone complimented and was complimented by a peer and everyone thought about small acts of kindness they can do in their lives. 

Here at Byfleet we love spreading kindness and we are reminded that when someone is unkind to us we are always kind back to them. We do not know what other people are going through. 

Also in the last two weeks some of our children attended Empathy Week at ACS. The children came back buzzing about empathy. They focussed on awareness of themselves and others, thought about how our individual actions can create a more empathic world, how we are all unique and most importantly how we can leave a legacy!

Later in the term we will be revisting these two events to see what we can do in our school to ensure we leave a legacy of kindness behind. 

If there is someone you think deserves a Kindness Award please head to www.schoolofkindness.org/nominate to nominate a child, teacher, class or our whole school! 

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 10 or more unauthorised sessions during the preceding 10 school weeks. These also included 'lates' after the register has closed. 

**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.