Conversation starters for parents and carers

Share kindness online

Supporting children to deal with upsetting content

Social Media and Mental Health

On Thursday 9 June, all the children at Grange Park Primary School came together to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

We all learnt about the history of the Queen, her reign and completed an art activity to show our appreciation of her.

This term has seen our girls and boys from Year 3 to Year 6 compete at the borough Athletics at Lee Valley finishing in 3rd place out of 16 schools. Well done girls and boys!

We have also seen the return of our full school sports day over two days from Nursery to year 6. Here are some photos from the day. Please check out a twitter page for the video of our parents race!

What a great couple of days we had with plenty of activities for all the children to enjoy, finishing off with parents races and staff races. Well done to everyone involved.

We would also like to wish our girls and boys football teams good luck with their cup finals next week. COME ON GRANGE PARK!

Recently, we have noticed that trading cards such as Pokemon and football cards have become very popular again and children are enjoying playing with them outside, showing them to their friends and organising swaps. However, some of the games that children are playing with the trading cards has caused some upset. We have found that there have been some instances where the cards have gone missing and where unfair trades have been made.

We understand that children wish to bring them into play with and show them to their friends and we feel that allowing children to play with cards such as these can provide opportunities for them to learn critical thinking skills, turn taking and support them in becoming strategic, as well as of course, having fun!

We would therefore like to take this opportunity to clarify our expectations on children bringing toys into school for use at play times and lunch.   Children can bring in something that fits in their pocket. Therefore, they may bring a small amount of cards into school  (if they can fit in their pocket) annuals and/or tins are not recommended at school.  Children should take responsibility for their own cards, as we as a school cannot and if they have particular cards that are precious to them, they should leave these at home. Children are allowed to trade - KS1 children will have a trading station in the ‘KS1 Quiet Zone’ (under the canopy) where an adult is stationed at lunchtimes and can help facilitate trades if necessary.  KS2 children can trade either in the ‘KS2 Quiet Zone’ or outside Willow class. 

As previously mentioned, staff can not take responsibility for these cards and if your child misplaces them or trades them with a friend and later regrets it, we may not always be able to help them find a resolution.

You will find information here regarding EBSNA (Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance) workshops.  

These workshops are taking place on Tuesday 5 July and Tuesday 12 July and we encourage parents to join. Please click images to book a place. 

It can be hard to talk to your children about racism. Some parents worry about exposing their children to issues like racism and discrimination at an early age. Others shy away from talking about something they themselves might not fully understand or don’t feel comfortable discussing. Yet others, especially those who have experienced racism, simply do not have such choices.

Conversations about racism and discrimination will look different for each family. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the science is clear: the earlier parents start the conversation with their children the better.

Babies notice physical differences, including skin colour, from as early as 6 months. Studies have shown that by age 5, children can show signs of racial bias, such as treating people from one racial group more favourably than the other.

Ignoring or avoiding the topic isn’t protecting children, it’s leaving them exposed to bias that exists wherever we live.

Children who encounter racism, can be left feeling lost while trying to understand why they are being treated a certain way, which in turn can impact their long-term development and well-being.

Why Is it Important to Talk About Race and Racism?

When we teach children early on that it's OK to talk about race, we help them to understand, respect, and appreciate the differences between people.

This builds empathy and compassion for others so that kids are better able to see when things in their world seem unjust or unfair — and can do something about it.

How to talk to your child about racism 

Under 5 years

At this age, children may begin to notice and point out differences in people they see around them. As a parent, you have the opportunity to gently lay the foundation of their worldview. Use language that’s age-appropriate and easy for them to understand.

1. Recognise and celebrate differences – If your child asks about someone’s skin colour, you can use it as an opportunity to acknowledge that people do indeed look different, but to point out things we have in common. You could say, “We are all human, but we are all unique, isn’t that amazing!"

2. Be open – Make it clear that you’re always open to your children’s questions and encourage them to come to you with them. If your children point out people who look different – as young children can often do from curiosity – avoid shushing them or they will start to believe that it’s a taboo topic.

3. Use fairness – Children, especially those around 5, tend to understand the concept of fairness quite well. Talk about racism as unfair and unacceptable and that’s why we need to work together to make it better.

6-11 years

Children this age are better at talking about their feelings and are eager for answers. They are also becoming more exposed to information they may find hard to process. Start by understanding what they know.

1. Be curious – Listening and asking questions is the first step. For example, you can ask what they’re hearing at school, on television and through social media.

2. Discuss the media together – Social media and the internet may be one of your children’s main sources of information. Show interest in what they are reading and the conversations they are having online. Find opportunities to explore examples of stereotypes and racial bias in the media, such as “Why are certain people depicted as villains while certain others are not?”.

3. Talk openly – Having honest and open discussions about racism, diversity and inclusivity builds trust with your children. It encourages them to come to you with questions and worries. If they see you as a trusted source of advice, they are likely to engage with you on this topic more.

Other useful websites

Talking to your children about racism - NSPCC

Talking to your children about racism - Barnardos

10 Top tip for talking to your children about race - embracerace.org

Talking about race and religion with young children - BBC

All our fun-tastic summer events!

Our Summer Fayre on Sunday 3 July!

See above for the drop off times and locations

See above for the dance performance timings.  The performances will be on the field.  

"The chicks like to jump."

 "The hens incubate the eggs for 21 days and then they begin to hatch."

Once the chicks had grown bigger and their feathers were fluffy the children enjoyed holding them. All the children used kind and gentle hands to hold and stroke them. 

As part of our space topic Year 1 had a planetarium visit in school. We were able to learn about space explorers and their journey into space over time. We also got to learn more about different planets and stars. 

"We learnt that Saturn is a gas giant." Avery - Grasshopper class

"I enjoyed seeing all the different planets and feeling like I was in space." Chloe - Dragonfly class

“Mars has the biggest volcano in it but it never erupts.” Rory - Ladybird class

Year 2 went on a field trip to Trent Park. When they arrived there, they used compasses and drew geographical features that they could see in the north, east, south and west. 

They photographed their journey so that they could refer to the pictures in class. This half term they will map a route from school to Trent Park.

Off they go to Trent Park!

The children jotting down their findings as they go.