Dear parents

We've come to the end of the school year and what a wonderful year it has been at Grange Park Primary School!  The Year 6 have performed their end of year production to the children and parents and what a truly incredible performance of Aladdin it was! The children performed with such confidence, enthusiasm and happiness - well done!

There have been many more highlights this year including the toasting of marshmallows at the Year 3&4 sleepover; the Dance Showcase at the Summer Fayre (weren't the children just great?!); Sports Days (which we managed to get through without changing the date!); fabulous concerts; trips and many more enrichment experiences the children have taken part in.  I know you will join me in thanking all the staff across the school for their hard work and dedication this year.  All our staff always go the extra mile to give all the children the best education they deserve.  

A big thank you to the GPPSA Committee members and parent helpers who have helped with various fundraising events this year.   We have had such a successful year of fundraising events including the Summer Fayre which raised a whopping £7,500 - the most it's ever raised!  Thank you to everyone who came to the fayre, gave donations and volunteered their own time.  A special thank you to Caley Boland, parent from Dragonfly and Tulip, who donated and cooked all the food for the summer fayre- it was delicious!  

The GPPSA not only raises money for the school but brings families, friends, staff and the local community together socially to support the school.  Next year we do need more help on the GPPSA Committee otherwise it won't be able to continue.  Alexia and Chris, Co-Chairs are stepping down next year due to work commitments, so we are looking for a new chair/s as well as members for the social committee and volunteers to help out with events across the year.  Please look out for more information in September about how to get involved! 

So now it is time to say goodbye. To those children in Year 6, we wish you lots of luck as you move on to the next phase in your education.   To those moving school we hope you continue to enjoy your learning.  For those parents who will be leaving our school we want to thank you for the support you have given over the years.   And to those members of staff who are moving on – we wish you every success in your new jobs.

Thank you parents for your continued support throughout the year.  Wishing you all a brilliant summer holiday and see you back to school on Monday 5 September.  

With my very best wishes to you and your family

Tijen Hassan

Headteacher 

Please click link to view term dates for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

We believe uniform is important because it plays a valuable role in contributing to the ethos of the school and setting an appropriate tone.  It also gives children a sense of pride in themselves and the school.  It is a powerful tool in ensuring all children are included - not made to feel left out for the tracksuit or trainers they are wearing.  Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct school uniform in September.  This also includes children wearing the correct  PE uniform (grey joggers and sweatshirt with a logo as well as plain black trainers) to school on their PE days.  A full list of our uniform can be found here.

Our aim is to provide children with opportunities to develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a natural environment which foster self-motivated, resilient, independent and creative learners who can identify and manage risks as well as solve problems. 

Weekly Forest School sessions for our Reception children started in the Spring term. Working together outdoors has encouraged communication and developed expression of thoughts and ideas, alongside the ability to listen to others. Fine motor and gross motor skills have also been developed, as well as stamina. 

Nursery children enjoyed a day of Forest School in the Summer term.

All our Year 3 and 4 children have had a day of Forest School activities this half term. These have ranged from team building games and den building to promote communication and problem solving, to using tools safely for a range of crafts.

Forest School has been a huge success this year. The use of learner-led outcomes increases curiosity and motivation to learn. This motivation can have a positive impact on attitude to learning across the whole curriculum.

For 2022-23 we intend to increase opportunities for children to experience Forest School starting in the Autumn term with Years 1 and 2.

We would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye and to wish the children in year six all the best for their futures.  They really are such a talented group of children, who astound us every day with their achievements.  We wish them every success in their future endeavours and look forward to them returning to Grange Park one day to share their accomplishments with us or just to come and say hello! We will miss them very much and feel privileged to have been part of their journey.

Here are some photos of the Year 6 children enjoying their leavers party day where they had fun on inflatables!

There is a different theme each week where children can participate in fun activities that will capture their imagination, curiosity, physicality and creativity.  See below to discover what the children will be up to day to day.

Keeping the kids occupied over the summer is always a feat, with so many weeks stretching ahead of you and the time, exercise and expense of it all. Here are some great ideas that won’t cost an arm and a leg to keep your children busy.

This week in our Learning Quest lessons, Year 1 was investigating facts about planet Mars using our Chromebooks. We explored a website called All About Mars | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids 

We worked collaboratively in taking turns to read a paragraph and write down an  interesting fact on a whiteboard. From our information collected we created an information poster using Sketchpad.

This half term, Year 2 have been working collaboratively to create a Madagascan class collage. We have composed, sketched and painted our own leaves using different tints and tones. Using close observation, oil pastels and tissue paper, we created unique Madagascan flowers using images of native plants. Additionally, the children have worked hard using proportion to draw their own creatures who will soon populate our class displays.

Here are some images of their amazing sketchbooks, designs and collages (but remember, these are continuously added to as the children practise and master their next artistic skill).

Last week the majority of children in year 6 visited Windmill Hill (PGL) for their five day residential. The sun was shining down on us throughout the trip and the children enjoyed a variety of activities such as climbing, abseiling, Jacob’s Ladder, zip wire, aeroball, robot wars, sensory trail, orienteering, sports and team games. We focused on team building and communication throughout these tasks and the children were a credit to the school and their parents, encouraging and supporting one another and celebrating each other conquering fears and achieving the goals set out for them.