Dear parents

Welcome to this jam-packed edition of our News Roundup! There's so much to share with you, from exciting events and achievements to important updates about our school community.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in our recent parent survey. It's heartening to see that we've received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with high 90s for strongly agree/agree responses across various aspects.  Among the highlights of our school for parents included high-quality teaching and exceptional curriculum, innovative use of technology, the range of extra-curricular and enrichment experiences, as well as the grounds and facilities of our school.  Read the article below for a detailed summary of the responses. 

I would also like to thank all the parents who attended our "Come Learn With Me" event. Your participation and enthusiasm were truly appreciated as we engaged in activities centered around charity. Your donations for Comic Relief will make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

In the past couple of weeks, we've been treated to an abundance of musical talent showcased by our children. From Year 5 attending Voice in a Million to Year 3's recorder concert and Year 4's clarinet performance, not to mention the Music Extravaganza featuring our orchestra, choir, and musicians, the school has been alive with the sound of music!

In addition, I'm excited to share details about our upcoming road safety campaign, where we've collaborated with local schools to promote safer streets for our children. You'll find a letter included in this News Roundup that you can send to the local council, amplifying our collective voice and demonstrating our commitment to the safety of our children.

Lastly, I'm thrilled to announce the incredible achievement of our girls' football team, who recently won the league title, finishing as number one in Enfield and among the top five schools in London.  Just incredible! 

Enjoy the holidays and see you back at school on Monday 15 April.

With my very best wishes to you and your families.

Tijen Hassan

Headteacher 

Please click to view term dates for 2023 - 2024 

Please click here to view term dates for 2024 - 2025

Maintaining consistent attendance is vital for your child's academic progress and overall educational experience. Regular attendance not only ensures that they keep up with the curriculum but also fosters a sense of routine and engagement in the learning process. More information for parents can be found here: Everything you need to know about school attendance - The Education Hub

We acknowledge that circumstances can vary, and sometimes absences are unavoidable due to illness or unforeseen events. It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses. This would include general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above. We have been encouraged to share the NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance with parents  in our school and communities which has further information.

If there are specific challenges or concerns that you would like to discuss regarding your child's attendance, we encourage you to reach out to us. Our goal is to work collaboratively with parents to support each child's individual needs. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We look forward to continued collaboration to ensure the best possible educational experience for your children.

Once again, we’d like to thank all those that attended our ‘Come Learn with Me’ sessions during the week commencing 11 March. This regular event gives parents an opportunity to enjoy learning with their children and experience some of the curriculum in action.

On this occasion the focus for our Come Learn with Me was Charity. We believe teaching children about charity supports the building of character as it helps them to develop gratitude, compassion, generosity and kindness. All important qualities that contribute to their overall development as responsible and empathetic individuals.

All the children worked extremely hard and produced some excellent work. Here are some examples. 

Year 6

Building upon our recent English unit on persuasion, the students were tasked with the mission of compelling individuals to contribute to their selected charities. Engaging deeply with their chosen causes, they delved into the historical background, recent advancements, and forthcoming initiatives of each organisation. Empowered to express their findings creatively, students opted for diverse mediums such as Google Slides, Sites, Canva, or traditional paper presentations. Impressively, certain students showcased their prowess in information and communication technology (ICT) by crafting captivating audio advertisements aimed at persuading potential donors.

During our Come Learn with Me week, we also recognised Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day. For a small donation, we invited the children to come to school dressed in red, comic relief merchandise or an outfit that makes them happy. We’d like to thank you for your generous donations to this worthwhile cause. We raised a whopping £777!

We are thrilled to share with you the latest updates from our ongoing campaign for safer streets outside our schools. Our School Parliament and Junior Travel Ambassadors have been working, alongside Deputy Headteacher Rebecca Neale, to make significant improvements to the road safety measures in our community, and we are excited to inform you of the progress we've made and the upcoming initiatives we have planned. We recently met with Merryhills environmental and Highlands and together, we drafted a letter to the local council urging them to consider implementing various measures to encourage safer travel and drop off at school. This included; 'No stopping' double red lines on the roundabout area between Highlands and Grange Park schools, as well as near all three schools in Worlds End Lane; a pedestrian light-controlled pelican crossing outside Highlands school to replace the existing zebra crossing; the installation of more signage along Worlds End Lane, highlighting the presence of three schools in close proximity and are advocating for the installation of speed signage that flashes the mileage speed of oncoming cars; the implementation of double yellow lines in the area and funding from the local council to produce posters and banners designed by the children of Grange Park to promote the importance of no parking and adherence to speed limits outside the school.

In the coming weeks, we have exciting activities planned, including another collaboration with the Metropolitan Police on speed awareness, partnering with Highlands school to produce a road safety awareness video, and launching a poster/banner campaign to further promote road safety awareness among the community. We appreciate your continued support and involvement in our efforts to create safer streets for our children. Together, we can make a real difference in our community.

The school hall was alive with energy and excitement as students and teachers gathered for a special assembly. Our second talents and interest assembly of the year. This time the focus was on DANCE. It was a testament to the talent, dedication, and creativity of our children, showing one more time how much talent it is hidden here at Grange Park. We believe that every child is a unique individual with their own special talents and interests waiting to be discovered. Our recent assembly was a shining example of this belief, as each class was naming different achievements earned these past months. We were very lucky to watch the girls from year 6 and year 3 performing their dance show that took place on Thursday 21st of March at Millfield theatre. Congratulations to all of them!

The honours keep coming at Grange Park with another successful few weeks for our young athletes. More great news for our girls football team who won the league title last week making it a cup and league double. This secured their place as the Tottenham Hotspur FC representatives at the premier league tournament at Arsenals training ground on Tuesday. The girls achieved the hat trick of making Grange Park , Enfield and Tottenham proud, finishing in the top 5 schools in London and number 1 in Enfield. 

I would just like to say that we are immensely proud of all the girls that performed at the Millfield Theatre last week. I'm sure you will all agree that it really was "The Greatest Show". They were all spectacular. It was so clear to see how hard they had been working. They have shown true dedication over the past term, giving up their lunch times to rehearse and practice to produce such an amazing performance. Grange Park surely ended the show with a bang! 

Dear Parent/Carer,

Do you need help for YOU to be healthier and happier in caring for your family? Our Voice are delighted to be offering our Healthy Parent Carer course to anyone who is the parent-carer of a child or young person with Special Educational Needs or Disabilties who lives or attends school in the London Borough of Enfield. This course has been designed specifically for parent-carers and is about your own well-being – it is not a parenting course or about how to get support for your child.

We are running three courses over the summer term. Each will be in person at the Craig Park family hub, over 6 weeks, 10 am to 1 pm. The courses are run by facilitators who are parent carers themselves.

The courses are open to any parent carers of children/young people with additional needs living or attending school in the London Borough of Enfield, but we particularly welcome applications from individuals who speak Somali, Bengali or Turkish, and will be providing translators in these languages to help you participate if English is not your first language.

The courses coming up are:

• Every Tuesday morning from 16th April to 21st May with the option to have Somali translation

• Every Friday morning from 19th April to 24th May with the option to have Bengali translation

• Every Tuesday morning from 11th June until 16th July with the option to have Turkish translation

Please the attached flyer and our website at https://www.ourvoiceenfield.org.uk/news/show/255 for more information, including versions of the flyer translated into Bengali and Somali, and options to sign up in those languages.  You can also sign up at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HPCsummer24

Please do pass the flyers on to anyone who is a parent/carer of a child or young person with additional needs who lives or attends school in the Borough of Enfield and who you think might benefit from attending.

Kind regards 

Our Voice 

Dear parent

Our Voice would like to invite the parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities, living or attending school in the London Borough of Enfield, to attend a 'Healthy Parent Carer course' starting after the school Easter holidays. The course will be delivered by a Bengali-speaking facilitator / Somali-speaking facilitator. Please see the attached flyer for the details and to sign up for the course if you are interested. 

Thank you, Our Voice  

Covering message in Somali:

Ku socota waalidka,

Our Voice ayaa rabaan in aan casumno waalidiinta iyo daryeelayaasha carruurta iyo da'yarta oo leh baahida waxbarasho gaar ah ama naafo ah, oo ku nool ama dhiganaya dugsiga xaafadda Enfield ee London, in ay kaso qaybgalaan 'Barnaamijka Caafimaadka Waalidka iyo Daryeelaha’ oo bilaabanayo fasaxa Easter-ka kaddib.

Koorsada waxaa dhigi doona qof ku hadla afka Soomaaliga. Fadlan eeg warqadda ku lifaaqan faahfaahinta iyo sida aad isu diwaangali laheyd haddii aad xiisaynayso koorsada.

Mahadsanid, Our Voice

Covering message in Bengali:

মাননীয় অভিভাবক,

‘আওয়ার ভয়েস’ ফোরাম , একটি 'স্বাস্থ্যকর অভিভাবক পরিচর্যা কোর্স'-এ যোগদানের জন্য, লন্ডনের এনফিল্ড বরোর বাশিন্দা বিশেষ শিক্ষামূলক চাহিদা-সম্পন্ন বা প্রতিবন্ধী শিশু বা তরুণদের অভিভাবক এবং পরিচর্যাকারীদের আমন্ত্রণ করছে। এই কোর্সটি স্কুলের ইস্টারের ছুটির পর শুরু হবে। 

কোর্সটি একজন বাংলাভাষী ফ্যাসিলিটেটর দ্বারা পরিচালিত করা হবে। আপনি যদি বিস্তারিত জানতে আগ্রহী হন, কোর্সে সাইন আপ করার জন্য সংযুক্ত ফ্লায়ারটি দেখুন।

 ধন্যবাদ              আওয়ার ভয়েস

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our parent Survey.  It was wonderful to see so many positive comments from parents regarding our school and the results gave us much to celebrate!  Please see below the results from the survey

Based on the parent survey, here is a summary of what parents thought were the best things about Grange Park Primary School:

• Quality of Education and Teaching: Parents consistently praised the teachers for their professionalism, enthusiasm, and dedication to nurturing their children's academic, mental, and physical well-being. They appreciate the strong curriculum and the emphasis on both academic and non-academic subjects.

• Pupil Involvement and Responsibility: Parents value the active roles their children have within the school community, such as becoming MPs or travel ambassadors, which gives them a voice and a sense of responsibility.

• Opportunities for Connection and Support: Parents highlighted frequent opportunities to connect with teachers to raise concerns and track their children's progress. They feel supported and engaged in their children's education.

• Enrichment Opportunities and Extracurricular Activities: Parents value the wide range of enrichment clubs, workshops, excursions, and after-school activities on offer.  They feel it provides rich experiences beyond the classroom.

• Technology Integration: The provision of Chromebooks and computing lessons at an early age was appreciated by parents, as it prepares children for the digital age and enhances their learning experience.

• Facilities and Outdoor Spaces: Parents value the spacious grounds, outdoor play areas, forest school, and the upcoming farm, providing ample opportunities for children to learn and explore.

• Community and Parent Involvement: Parents felt that our school fosters a sense of community and actively involves parents in their children's education through communication, events, and opportunities for engagement.

• Leadership and Ethos: Parents commend the school's leadership for its dedication to development, commitment to values, and the warm, inclusive atmosphere it cultivates.

• Communication and Organisation: Good communication, organisation, and accessibility of staff were highlighted as strengths of the school, ensuring parents feel informed and involved in their children's education.

• Pupil Happiness and Engagement: Ultimately, parents appreciate that their children are happy, engaged, and eager to attend school, reflecting the positive learning environment created by Grange Park Primary School.

These aspects collectively contribute to the overall positive perception of Grange Park Primary School among parents, highlighting its commitment to providing quality education, fostering pupil  growth, and building a supportive community.

Overall, it's heartening to see so many positive comments and constructive feedback from parents about Grange Park Primary School. We appreciate the valuable suggestions regarding enrichment clubs and workshops, and we will certainly consider incorporating some of them into the next academic year. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making our school community a better place for all children.

Let’s Welcome Spring Together! 

As the days grow longer and nature bursts into life, we're thrilled to invite you to join us for a delightful journey into the wonders of spring! Our Spring themed Holiday Club is a vibrant celebration of the season's renewal, growth, and endless possibilities. During our time together, we'll immerse ourselves in a whirlwind of exciting activities, from outdoor adventures to creative crafts, designed to spark imagination, curiosity, and joy in every child.

Some of the clubs are extremely popular and may be oversubscribed. We do try to accommodate as many children as possible therefore your child may be placed on a waiting list if and when the club becomes full. At the end of each term, we invite parents to the club’s showcase, where we celebrate and recognise all that the children have learnt during the term. Below are some photos from our Board Games and Dance Club showcase.

As we get closer to the summer term, we become more and more excited about the upcoming implementation of our new initiative. During the week commencing 22 April, as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering creativity, imagination, and collaborative play, we will be introducing loose parts on the playground. 

As a reminder, loose parts play involves providing children with open-ended materials such as tyres, crates, fabric scraps, plastic piping, wooden blocks and other items that they can freely manipulate, combine, and transform according to their imagination and interests. By introducing these materials onto our playgrounds, we aim to create environments that inspire curiosity, experimentation, and teamwork among our children. 

As you will recall, the decision to introduce loose parts onto our playgrounds was informed by feedback from the children themselves. Through surveys and pupil voice, School Parliament asked the children what they liked and didn’t like about playtime and what ideas they had for improving the playtime experience at school. Many of them expressed a desire for more opportunities for imaginative and creative play, as well as a wish for a greater variety of play materials. 

In order for us to not overwhelm the children, and to be able to teach them the skills they require to manage their own risks, we need to take small steps. The resources we provide will grow term on term. From next term, the children will have play assemblies, where each new resource will be introduced to the children. We will ask them; How could we play with this? What risks could there be? Is this something you would enjoy playing with? We will then let the children know when these items will be available for them to use. This gives the children an opportunity to process the change, absorb this information, and self-evaluate any potential risks for themselves.

While we have already allocated some resources towards acquiring loose parts for our playgrounds which have already started to arrive, additional donations would be greatly appreciated, so if you are having a clear out over the holidays, think of us before throwing anything (see flyer below) out. In addition to this, if you have any contacts with local businesses who may be able to help with donations or sponsoring the purchasing of new resources, we would be extremely grateful if you reach out to them and let us know. Contacts within the school are Brogan Richards (Deputy Senior Playleader) and Rebecca Neale (Deputy Headteacher).

If you are interested in applying to be Governor for the Connect Trust then please click here to find out more information.

Thank you to everyone who supported the 2024 Readathon and Easter cookie fundraisers.  We are pleased to announce the winners of the Readathon are Zac in Kingfisher (KS1) and Raphael in Tiger (KS2).  Hopefully everyone enjoyed the cookies which were distributed earlier this week.

We are pleased to say that we have raised approximately £10,000 since the start of this school year and have paid for the new PA system, chickens for the farm (coming next term), replacing fixed playground equipment and forest school/playground resources.

Looking ahead to the Summer term - we will be organising a Bag2School collection, more discos and the Summer Fayre on Sunday 7th July.

In addition Alexia and Sarah will be stepping down from their positions as Co-Chairs at the AGM in October 2024 and we will be looking to recruit their replacements and new members of the GPPSA in order to continue with our successful fundraising. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you would like to know more about the committee. Our email is gppsa@hotmail.co.uk.

Wishing you a Happy Easter break.

GPPSA

Please also bare in mind the initiatives that are available year round:

• School lotto:  www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/grange-park-primary-school-association 

• Donate page - http://easydonate.org/HTDT007

The children have been investigating how flowers grow and the different parts of a flower. They used a range of different painting tools: plastic forks, sponges, brushes and cotton buds to create colourful flower paintings.

Reception have been on a school walk in search of the signs of Spring. We discovered nature's subtle yet delightful hints: flowers peeking through the grass, blossoms blooming, and leaves unfurling. The children were thrilled to spot birds busily constructing nests in our bird boxes, while hard working ants marched along on their own Springtime adventures! 

Year 3 have finally finished their DT project on Bronze age bags and the children can’t wait to take them home. Many children went from never having sewn a stitch to making these amazing creations - well done everyone! Some real resilience shown in learning all those needlework skills. In PE, we have been enjoying small games of dodgeball to combine children’s understanding and application of dodging and throwing. Finally, Oak Class thoroughly enjoyed their forest school day. Den-building, rope-climbing, craft activities and team games were all on the menu, as well as some yummy-looking mud pies!

Year 4 visited ‘The Verulamium Museum’ in St. Alban’s to learn about Roman life. They explored the grounds of the old Roman site, having the chance to see an ancient Roman wall that had eroded away. The children also visited the Hypocaust, a building that houses a preserved mosaic.

Later, the children took part in a workshop where they investigated artefacts found on the Verulamium site. They worked in groups to ask questions about each object, using clues with prior and current knowledge to decide what it may have been used for.

In Year 6, we've been delving into the world of one-point perspective artwork, mastering the technique of portraying objects diminishing in size as they approach the vanishing point. Our journey began with thorough research into the fundamentals of one-point perspective art, creating mood boards to showcase our learning. Through hands-on practice, we've honed our skills in creating various tints and tones, while also gaining a deeper understanding of colour theory by using the colour wheel to match the colours in preparation for our final piece centred on Mount Everest.