Byfleet Primary Newsletter

Twitter: @Byfleetprimary

www.byfleet.surrey.sch.uk

As the 22/23 academic year comes to an end, we'd like to reflect on the brilliant year we've had at BPS. We're incredibly proud of the tremendous progress our children have made emotionally, socially and academically. We've had 18 school trips, uncountable sporting events, an increasing number of extra-curricular clubs, 202 children take part in our swimming lessons, a whole-school Christmas show, Summer Fair and BPS MusicFest and ended the year with record results for our end of Key Stage SATs. A huge well done to the children and staff for all their hard work! We look forward to seeing what 23/24 brings.......
We've had a quiet week as our Year 6s have been on their Residential Visit to High Ashurst this week. Our Twitter feed was on fire this week updating us on all the terrific experiences our children had. A big thank you to our wonderful staff who gave up their time away from their own families, to look after our BPS children. The feedback from staff is that our children's behaviour was impeccable and they were impressed with the excellent manners and team work! Well done Year 6s!
A huge well done to our end of year Prize Giving winners who won awards and prizes in our assembly. We've recognised the children's excellent work!
Reception/Key Stage 1 Sports Day was a huge success and we were pleased to see so many parents come along to support their children. A big well done to Hawks for being the winning house with the most points. Interestingly, Eagles also won the Key Stage 2 Sports Day, making Eagles our overall winners this year! Hawks won in 2021/22 so it will be interesting to see who hits the top spot next year.....
Thanks to everyone who bought things from the Year 5 'Fiver Challenge' stalls this week.....they've loved taking part in their enterprise project to help raise funds for The Matthew Hackney Foundation.
Everyone loved seeing the farm animals during the Farms to Ewe visit last week.
Last week we welcomed our youngest new Reception children to another transition day at BPS where they took part in a Teddy Bear's picnic as part of their induction to BPS.
We introduced House Points this year - our House Point winners for the Summer Term is Team Kestrels! We hope you enjoyed your mufti day today!
We trialled something new this year with our 'in school' summer fair event. It was a great success and the children had a wonderful time running stalls but also being able to take part in fun activities. A big thanks to our Friends of Byfleet PTA for hosting this; Miss Summers and Mrs Powell's high level of organisation paid off as it was a brilliant summer fair! Thank you for helping us raise over £1000!
The children enjoyed our BPS MusicFest last week; it was wonderful seeing them have such an enjoyable afternoon with facepaint, a bouncy castle, hot dogs and candifloss to name a few! Go team BPS!
We have noticed a few large backpacks being brought into school by Reception and KS 1 children. Unfortunately these are not allowed due to the children hanging their bags on coat pegs, so large bags don't fit. A green book bag or small green school rucksack (from our uniform provider Mike Wagstaff) is the right size.
Thanks to Miss Osbourne and Miss Vallins for the Reception swimming lessons last week! I heard some of our reception children say 'It was the best day ever!'
The children enjoyed presenting our Reading Volunteers with chocolates and cards yesterday to say thanks for all their help - Mrs Sherlock has enjoyed setting up this provision this year.
We welcomed Mrs Allen (nee Forde) back to BPS this week following her maternity leave.
There were not many positives that came from the aftermath of COVID, however we continued to keep the arrangement for children to come to school wearing the school PE kits on their PE days (previously children wore school uniform and changed in school). We have found this arrangement beneficial as it has allowed us to maximise our PE sessions increasing physical activities. We have noticed various tracksuits and sports clothing have been creeping in; we've sent several reminders to parents to please adhere to our PE kit dress code (yellow t-shirt and black shorts/joggers and a black unbranded sweater/hoodie) to ensure our children look smart and consistent, however there continue to be children wearing Nike, Adidas and other branded clothing of varying colours. Please can you check that your child is wearing the correct uniform so we can revert back to looking smart and consistent. From September 2023, we will communicate with individual parents as a reminder and confiscate items that don't adhere if needs be. Please do your bit to help us with this - thanks!
In our last newsletter we highlighted the dates for our two week October half term in 23/24. This week we would like to highlight that our school will run until 3.15pm from September. We will continue with our 'slow start' to the school day from 8.35 - 8.45, to ensure we can manage the congestion on King's Head Lane. Registers will close by 8.45 so remember to be on time please.

We wish you a wonderful summer break and look forward to your children returning to school ready for some more great learning opportunities on Monday 4th September.
Gates open at 8.35 and registers close at 8.45.
The school day will end at 3.15.
Happy holiday!

Record Results for our Year 6s!

We're incredibly proud of our children and staff for this year's Year 6 end of Key Stage outcomes, where we are well above the national average in every area!

We are all very proud of our wonderful children!

Our Reading, Writing and Maths combined results show a positive trajectory, compared to previous years (and we're well above the national average - 59%). Well done Team BPS!

Don't forget to add us on Twitter...

@Byfleetprimary

Stars of the Week

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

Reception Rainbow Luna Kyle Lilianna

Year 1 Red Eve Tom Poppy

Year 2 Orange Amelie W Thea Amie

Year 3 Yellow James Lauren

Year 4 Green Mia-Rose Theo

Year 5 Indigo Year 5 for their teamwork and hardwork for the Fiver Challenge

Year 6 Blue All of year 6 B

Year 6 Violet All of year 6

Some parents have inquired about the Summer Challenge Doodle badges - we haven't receive any from Doodle this term however we'll keep an eye out for these and keep you updated! Well done to everyone who took part in this competition.

Well done to these children for scoring the highest Doodle Stars in their class for the past two weeks!

Year 1 Red Eva 411 Eva 289

Year 2 Orange Oscar 427 Oscar 336

Year 3 Yellow Darren 445 Isabelle 481

Year 4 Green Zach 149 Ethan 145

Year 5 Indigo Katie 569 Evie 130

Year 6 Violet William 201 Clarisse 103

Year 6 Blue Matilda 222 Matilda 114

Our top spot winner is Oscar in Year 2 with 763 stars!

visit from the farm!

On Friday 7th July, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a special visit from the farm! The farmers set up their pens on our field, and all the animals came out to meet our lovely children. There were ducklings, hens and chicks, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, a Shetland pony, a beautiful baby calf, lambs and some cheeky pygmy goats and their kids. It was lovely to see everyone's confidence, calm and caring attitude, and love towards all the animals. The animals had a brilliant day filled with cuddles, attention, and eating the long field grass... and we all loved the day too. Thank you to the brilliant farmers who brought their animals along. What an amazing treat before the summer!

Reception introduction swimming sessions

Rainbows class had a special opportunity for 2 practice swimming sessions to introduce them to our pool. The children practiced their 'bunny hops' along the bar, their super kicking and splashing (which soaked Miss Osbourne and Miss Vallins!) and practiced swimming with their noodle floats from side to side. The children had a brilliant time, especially when they got to blow bubbles and float like a starfish. We are all very proud that they confidently went into the pool... look at their smiling faces!

Year 2 visit to kings lodge care home

Year 2 were invited to visit Kings Lodge. The children took their favourite book and soft toy to read and show to the residents. It was lovely to be outside with the ladies, gentlemen and staff who were so excited to see the children. One child said "Fred helped me to name my teddy bear because it didn't have a name yet!".

The care home very kindly provided the children with a bottle of water, fruit and biscuits as well as a cup of tea for the grown ups. We then had a sing along altogether to Cliff Richard's 'Summer holiday', accompanied by Mrs Keynes on the guitar.

The children were particularly excited to see Geoff again! Geoff came into school earlier in the year to read to Year 2. He was quite the celebrity during our visit last Friday!

Thank you very much to Michelle, the staff and the residents for inviting us and for your kindness when we were there. We look forward to visiting you again in the Autumn term!

Year 2 Gardening CLUB

For those Year 2 pupils who have attended Gardening Club, they have thoroughly enjoyed making bug hotels and enjoying nature!

KEYSTAGE 1 SPORts DAY - 5th JUly

Keystage 2 SPORTS DAY - 30th JUNE

SPORTS DAY RESULTS

After close competition, Eagles were the overall winners at this year's Sports Day for Keystage 1 and Keystage 2.

Little Wandle Phonics - What a wandleful year!

It has been an incredible year of introducing Little Wandle phonics in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2! We are extremely proud of the children in Year 1 who achieved 90% pass rate (up from 86% last year) in their Phonic Screening Check in June. This is above the national average of 81% - good job Year 1s!

Little Wandle is a very ambitious programme which has high expectations for all children. The staff in Reception, Year 1 and Mrs Keynes (who has been working with children in Year 2) have worked very hard to ensure they show fidelity to the scheme and reading is a priority.

We look forward to sharing more successes with you during the next academic year. A big well done to Mrs Sherlock for her dedication to leading our early reading/phonics provision at BPS and for training up our Reception and Year 1 staff - what an impressive reading squad we have!

We are delighted to announce that we have a dedicated Reading Recovery teacher starting with us in September - Mrs van Sickle will teach phonics across Year 1 and 2, and she will focus on dedicated support for those children in KS 2 who need additional phonics teaching to help them become proficient, strong readers, particularly for those children who missed out on phonics teaching during COVID.

Year 4 100% Multiplication Check WINNERS

In June, every Year 4 pupils takes a Statutory times table test online where the children have to answer 25 questions with 7 seconds for each question.

They need to know all their tables up to 12 x 12.

Congratulations to Year 4 pupils:

Jack, Albie, Kurt, Dixie, Diana, Ethan, Penelope, Zach and Alby-Jack who achieved 100% in their Year 4 multiplication check! What an achievement!

Year 5 Fiver Challenge

Arrangements for September 2023

Entering school:

A new fence is being erected outside the Year 6 classroom to secure the back doors of the classrooms
Year 1, 2, 5 and 6 will enter school via the back doors of their classrooms
Year 5 and 6 enter school independently from the main school gate
Year 1 and 2 parents may escort their children up to the new fence/gate to say goodbye. The children will then walk independently to the classroom back door. Please note: parents are requested to NOT walk their child to the classroom doors - please help us build their independence and say goodbye to them at the new fence/gate and allow them to walk themselves to their classrooms.
Year 3 and 4 enter school independently from the metal trellis behind the school hall near the parking lot, where they can walk independently onto the playground to make their way into the building via the playground
Reception parents walk their children through to the playground to drop their child off outside the Reception gate

End of day release:

Year 5 and 6 will be brought out and released by staff from the main double school gate. Permission to walk home alone will be required for all Year 5 and 6 children. We will send out a Google Form link on Monday 4th September for parents to provide permission.
Year 1 and 2 will be released from the new fence that is being erected outside the Year 6 classroom. Parents, please wait inside the main school gate and staff will release children to parents via the new fence/gate.
Year 4 children will be brought out to the metal trellis behind the school hall near the parking lot to be released. Year 3 will be released from the side door of the hall near the metal trellis.
Reception children are to be collected from the classroom via the playground.

Punctuality:

Gates open at 8.35 for a slow start and registers are taken at 8.45. Please ensure your child is punctual every day.
If you are able to park beyond Kings Head Lane and 'park and stride', this will help us keep our children safe outside the school gates as we can reduce the traffic. We are still awaiting the final sign off from Surrey Council for the new zig zag lines to be painted outside our school gate. Fingers crossed this will be before September.
Any late arrivals are to please enter via the main foyer/office.
The school day ends at 3.15.

Stationery:

Key Stage 2 children are requested to please bring their own pencil cases in from September, with: HB pencil, black pen (Pilot Frixion rollerball are idea), yellow highlighter, rubber, sharpener, ruler, Pritt glue stick). Please label these with your child's name.

We will provide additional resources like felt tips, pencils, spare highlighters and pens etc. just in case

Year Reception and KS 1 do not need to bring in their own resources. We will provide these.

Donations:

If you could spare the following items, we'd be very grateful. These can be given to the class teachers for class stock.

Glue sticks
Tissues
Hand soap

Uniform:

From Year 3 (KS 2), children are required to wear a school tie.
We are going to set very high standard from September to follow up on any children who may not be wearing the correct school uniform and/or school shoes. Where we have started to telephone families this term, to inform them that their child is not wearing the correct school uniform, the admin staff have been met with angry parents. Please remember to follow our school dress code and school rules so that we can ensure our children are looking smart and well presented with the appropriate uniform/PE kit. Thank you for your support with this.
Mike Wagstaff will be at school on the 11th and 18th of August at 3.15pm. Parents/Carers can order and collect items from outside the school throughout the summer holiday by sending me an email mikewagstaff56@gmail.com or phone 01932788458.

Summer Reading Challenge

To ensure school children continue their reading journey over the summer holidays then look no further than the Summer Reading Challenge. This year the theme is ‘Ready, Set, Read!’ and it will showcase how reading can be active and engaging, celebrating reading, play and participation in games and sports in any way that suits them best. Starting from 8 July until 23 September, children can sign up for free at their local Surrey library. Summer Reading Challenge 2023 YouTube video

Attendance & Punctuality

Our whole school attendance for the academic year is 94.88% so far. It is disappointing that we've not been able to achieve our school target of 96%.
We currently have 24 children below 90% in their attendance, who are classified as 'persistent absent'.
Reception: 4 children
Year 1: 2 children
Year 2: 3 children
Year 3: 2 children
Year 4: 6 children
Year 5: 3 children
Year 6B: 2 children
Year 6V: 2 children

We will be closely monitoring these children to try improve their attendance in 2023/24.

Here is some good guidance to help you determine if your child is too ill to come to school - this is also available on our website.

Attendance Winners:

September: Year 5 97.41%
October: Year 3 96.81%
November: Year 1 98.12%
December: Year 5 95.17%
January: Year 6V 97.58%
February: Year 6B 94.52%
March: Year 1 97.58%
April: Year 1 97.29%
May: Year 3 94.77%
June: Year 4 98.49%
July: Year 3 96.86%

Well done to Year 3 for the highest attendance in July - we hope they enjoy sitting on the benches in September 2023 during assembly. Year 3 have also been the class winners x3 this year! Great job Year 3!

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.

Currently the amount payable under a penalty notice is £60.00 per parent/carer per child if paid within 21 days. Thereafter the amount increases to £120.00 if paid between 21 and 28 days. If the penalty notice remains unpaid after 28 days, the Local Authority will consider a prosecution in the Magistrates Court. Please note that penalty notices are issued per parent/carer per child so a family of two parents and two children will receive 4 penalty notices.

Please view our Attendance Policy here for further information.

Inclusion

The transition from the school year schedule to a less-structured summer schedule can bring on all of The Zones at home! Using The Zones of Regulation language and strategies at home can help families to navigate this transition, while also maintaining and building upon regulation skills taught during the school year. Check out these five easy ideas and FREE RESOURCE for exploring The Zones at home this summer.

Parent Volunteers Wanted!

We have a team who are working on setting up a sensory garden area (Mrs Sharkey-Yun, Mrs Wyatt, Mrs Summers and Mrs Tully). We have started gathering items to use, and in the Autumn term would love to have an afternoon when we have parents come and help us set up this new area. If you think you could give some time to help us please leave your details on this form. We will then be in contact in Autumn to discuss further details.

Donations Wanted for our Sensory Garden!

If you have any plant pots, planters, compost or plants you would be able to donate please speak to one of the sensory garden team (Mrs Sharkey-Yun, Mrs Wyatt, Mrs Summers or Mrs Tully) to let us know. And if anyone has any garden design expertise please let us know : )

The Matthew Hackney Foundation

The Matthew Hackney Foundation, is an established local charity based in Byfleet that has been supporting the mental health of children and young people and their families for 8 years. We are lucky enough to be involved with them, and each year they provide counsellors to come into Byfleet to support our children. They are a small local charity reliant on donations.and they are looking to continue to expand their work by increasing the schools they work in and the number of children that they can support.

To do this they need to secure more funding and they have written a letter here appealing for sponsorship from individuals or companies - if you or the company you work for think you may be able to support this local charity, please have a look at their letter here which contains more details about sponsorship options.

Please take a look at their website here to find out more about the wonderful work they do in our local community.