Leigh Academy Hartley Newsletter
Leigh Academy Hartley Newsletter
May 2025
May 2025
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Principal's Welcome
Principal's Welcome
Dear Parents/Carers,
It’s hard to believe how quickly this academic year is flying by. As I write this, I’m reminded that it’s nearly a year since I penned my very first newsletter as Headteacher of Leigh Academy Hartley – and what a memorable year it has been.
Although this term has been incredibly short, it has certainly been one of our busiest. Across all year groups, children have been enthusiastically immersing themselves in their learning. It is with great delight that I watch our pupils showcase their talents in every form imaginable – and WOW, what talent they have! It is a true privilege to share in these moments with them.
Our Year 6 pupils have shown great resilience and determination in the lead-up to their SATs, and they are now embracing new challenges and opportunities during their residential on the Isle of Wight. Meanwhile, I had the pleasure of joining Year 4 on their PGL residential earlier this term. The pupils shone brightly throughout the trip, demonstrating every aspect of our learner profile – taking risks, showing care and compassion for one another, and upholding high standards of conduct. The PGL staff were deeply impressed, remarking on the pupils' maturity and respectfulness.
We continue to see our pupils take action to create a better world. This week’s Enterprise Week has been a fantastic example of this, with pupils designing, making, and selling their own products. They have acted as reflective thinkers, developed entrepreneurial skills, and begun to understand what it takes to thrive in secondary school and beyond. Our home learning presentations at the end of the module continue to reflect this spirit of action, as our children showcase how they are applying their learning to make meaningful change. We were even lucky enough to receive a special mention from astronaut Tim Peake – a true inspiration for our aspiring scientists and changemakers!
As you’ll see in the pages that follow, these highlights are just a small glimpse of the incredible work happening every day at Leigh Academy Hartley. I hope you feel as proud as I do of what our pupils and staff have achieved together.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who attended Academic Review Day. The high turnout and positive collaboration between home and school is a testament to the strength of our community and our shared commitment to ensuring that every child is a happy, positive achiever.
It is with great sadness that we say farewell to Mrs Abnett, who has been covering maternity leave since the start of the year. She has brought warmth, enthusiasm, and care to all the Year 2 pupils she has taught, and we thank her sincerely for her dedication. We wish her the very best of luck in her new role.
We are pleased to welcome back Mrs Palmer, who has now returned from maternity leave and will be teaching Sycamore Class alongside Mrs Cashmore.
We are also delighted to see the return of both Mrs Bransgrove and Miss Rickards—welcome back!
Wishing you all a restful and well-earned break as we prepare for the final term of the academic year.
Best wishes,
Mr Mitchell
Principal
Hartley Sports News
I am also delighted to introduce the third edition of the Hartley Sports News, which has been created by our amazing PE Team. This is a review of all the sporting opportunities that have taken place in Term 5. It’s an inspirational way to celebrate our sports teams and highlight the incredible opportunities available at HPA.
A huge thank you to all the staff who give up their time to help our bright stars shine, and to the pupils for providing us with so many nail-biting moments. Read on to find out more…
Dates for the Diary
Monday 2nd June - Start of Module 6/Clubs Start
Thursday 12th June - PTA Someone Special Stall
Tuesday 17th June - EYFS - Nursery/Reception Sports Day
Wednesday 18th June - KS1 & KS2 Sports Day
Friday 27th June - School Closed - Staff Development Day
Monday 7th July - Last Week of Clubs, parents invited in
Saturday 12th July - PTA Summer Fair
Monday 14th July - Reports to Parents
Friday 18th July - PTA Summer Disco
Tuesday 22nd July - End of Module 6 (1.30 Finish)
The PYP at LAH- how we bring learning to life!
Wherever possible, we aim to bring our PYP Units of Inquiry to life in order to make the learning real and relevant for our pupils: that could be through handling artefacts, visiting a museum, or inviting visitors into school to talk about their life experiences. Read on to see some of our big adventures this term!
Hartley's Big Adventures!
YEAR 2 RE-ENACT THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON!
On Friday 9th May, Year 2 had an exciting day at the Great Fire of London workshop, run by the fantastic 'In a Nutshell' Theatre Company. The children really got to immerse themselves in history, exploring the events from the fire's fiery start at the bakery right through to its extinguishment four days later. They took on various roles, pretending to be barbers, tavern owners, apothecaries, and bakers, which made the experience all the more engaging. Meeting Samuel Pepys was a highlight, as they learned about his crucial role during this historic event. They even imagined saving their belongings and bringing them to safety! The children encountered King Charles II and discovered how decisions were made during those chaotic times. To top it all off, they worked as a team to "put out" the fire by passing buckets of water down the line. It was a truly memorable experience that they thoroughly enjoyed!
YEAR 4's ADVENTURE WEEKEND IN EAST SUSSEX
Earlier this term, many of our Year 4 pupils embarked on an exciting three-day adventure to a PGL centre in East Sussex. Whilst at the Windmill Hill centre, the children were given the opportunity to take part in a range of adventurous activities, which included raft building, climbing, fencing, micro-scooters and a giant swing (which was a firm favourite with the children and some of our braver members of staff!). For many of the children, this was their first time away from home. Throughout the weekend, the children practised risk-taking, developed their independence and were amazingly caring and supportive of each other. Mr Parrick, Miss Moloney and the team were extremely proud of how the children embraced the weekend, and hope that the memories will last for years to come! Huge thanks to our staff who gave up their weekend to accompany the children - Mr Parrick, Miss Moloney, Mrs Fiveash, Miss Beck and Mrs Brown.
YEAR 1 VISIT HARTLEY LIBRARY
Following on from our Unit of Inquiry about the importance of communities, the children in Year 1 had lots of fun during their recent visit to our local library. They explored the vast collection and immersed themselves in a range of exciting books, sparking their imaginations. To make the adventure even more memorable, the children also created their own maps showing the route we took from school to Hartley Library. It was wonderful to see them working together, and we hope this experience has encouraged a lifelong love of reading.
ENTERPRISE WEEK
Enterprise Week was a fantastic celebration of creativity, collaboration and real-world learning across all year groups. Throughout the week, pupils were immersed in the process of designing, making, and evaluating a wide range of products. From the initial planning stages to the final touches, they developed a range of valuable skills including teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and financial awareness.
The week culminated in a wonderful community event, the 'HPA Marketplace', after school, where pupils proudly sold their products to parents and carers. The enthusiasm and confidence on display were truly inspiring.
A huge well done to all the children for their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit, and a heartfelt thank you to all the families who came along to support the event. Your involvement made it a memorable end to a brilliant week!
PTA News
A big thank you to our wonderful PTA and the members of staff who helped make Movie Night such a great success. Pupils were treated to popcorn, a roll, and a drink while enjoying the film—better than any cinema experience! Your support and effort created a truly memorable evening for our children.
Celebrations Galore!
Celebrations Galore!
It has also been a term to celebrate the amazing creativity of our young artists. This term, we recognised outstanding contributions in Hartley’s Termly Art Competition, creating our own pointillism artwork in the style of Georges Seurat. Congratulations to Robin in Year 1 and Clara in Year 4 who were selected as overall Key Stage winners. A big thank you to everyone who submitted their artwork this term.
Our winning entries!
Our Accelerated Reader Winner was awarded to Hollie in Year 6 who demonstrated outstanding determination and a love for reading by meeting her target with over 85% accuracy in her quizzes. A huge well done to all pupils who worked hard to reach their goals and showed a genuine passion for reading. As we look ahead to Term 6, we encourage all our pupils using Accelerated Reader to aim high and achieve their targets!
Our Accelerated Reader Winner was awarded to Hollie in Year 6 who demonstrated outstanding determination and a love for reading by meeting her target with over 85% accuracy in her quizzes. A huge well done to all pupils who worked hard to reach their goals and showed a genuine passion for reading. As we look ahead to Term 6, we encourage all our pupils using Accelerated Reader to aim high and achieve their targets!
Attendance Term 5
Please have a look at our Attendance Policy to make sure you are aware of our procedures regarding lateness and unauthorised absences.
We have a number of classes who have done really well with their attendance, as you can see below:
Term 5 attendance data:
Well done to Cedar, Redwood, Willow and Elm for achieving a fantastic 98% attendance this term.
Year to date attendance data:
Wellbeing Resources
Here are some links to helpful resources from Place2Be, to help you and your family:
Wellbeing resources for families
Helping your child prepare for Primary School
Helping your child prepare for Secondary School
Parenting Smart - advice on dealing with a range of challenges as a parent
Free School Meals
If your child is under 19 and in full-time education, you may be able to get free school meals for them if you receive certain benefits. The quickest and easiest way to check whether your child is eligible for free school meals and to apply is via the KCC website:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals
If your child is already registered for free school meals, you do not need to reapply. If you’re not sure whether your child is already registered, please call the school and we can check our records, or you can contact KCC on 03000 416464.
Check out our Facebook Page!
Check out our Facebook Page!
If you haven't already, please like and follow our Facebook page Leigh Academy Hartley for updates and information about our school.
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