Brookfield Primary Academy
Weekly Newsletter
8th November 2024
Brookfield Primary Academy
Ridge Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM3 9LY
www.brookfieldprimary.com
WHOLE SCHOOL
I would like to welcome you all back to what will be a very fun and festive half term. I hope you all had a lovely relaxing week. In particular, I hope all our families who celebrated Diwali had a wonderful time celebrating the festival of lights.
The teachers have planned a wealth of wonderful learning opportunities for this term, as well as some festive fun and productions. Please ensure you check your emails regularly so you are aware of all upcoming events as well as see the Christmas dates flyer (below).
I would like to welcome Mrs Lucinda England, who some of you may remember as a Nursery teacher several years ago, who has joined us in the SENDCO role. Mrs England will be working on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
I know you will join me in welcoming her to the Brookfield family.
We also have two new midday supervisors who have joined our team - Mrs Granelli and Miss Winter.
It is with sadness that I also have to write to inform you that two of our additional adults will be leaving us over the next week. Mrs Gambriel, who has been a wonderful additional adult at Brookfield and supported a vast number of children over her many years, has decided to have a change of career while staying in a school setting. We wish her all the best in her new role at Cheam High. Miss Baines, who once again has supported so many children during her time at Brookfield is also going to work in her ELSA role at Cheam High. We wish her all the best. The Cheam High students are very lucky to have her.
Thank you to all who has supported the Royal British Legion and have donated for a poppy this week.
We will be observing a minute's silence on Monday for Remembrance day.
LEO CONFERENCE
On Monday 4th November, staff across the LEO Academy Trust attended the annual LEO Conference The theme of this year's conference was LEO 2030 and looking at how, as a trust, we are planning for the future.
CHILDREN IN NEED
On Friday 15th November, we will be supporting the BBC's Children in Need charity by inviting our pupils to come to school in colourful clothes for a donation. Our school council members will then collect the donations for Children in Need.
We thank you in advance for your support of this very important charity which supports children all across the UK. Children in need fund amazing people in family centres, community spaces, youth clubs and refuges; homeless shelters, hospices and helplines who help children to have the chance to thrive and be the best they can be.
ANTI BULLYING WEEK/ ODD SOCK DAY
Next week is Anti Bullying week. To help raise awareness we are inviting pupils to wear odd socks on Tuesday 12th November.
In addition, on Friday 15th all pupils from Reception to Year 6 will attend either a theatre show or workshop delivered by OpenView productions.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS WANTED
We are reaching out to ask for your valuable support in our classrooms. We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with various activities, such as hearing readers, supporting with creative projects. Your involvement can make a significant difference in enriching our students' learning experiences. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the school office or your child's teacher to discuss how you can get involved. We appreciate your willingness to contribute to our school community!
YEAR 5 & 6 FREE MATHS WEBINAR
We are pleased to inform you ExpertEd is offering a free webinar series Midweek Maths. This series of evening webinars is for you and your child, designed to stretch and challenge children in years 5-6 Maths.
REMINDERS
Tuesday 12th November - Odd Sock Day for Anti Bullying week.
Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th November - Parents’ Evening
Friday 15th November - Children in Need mufti
Friday 20th December - Last day of Term
Monday 23rd December - Friday 3rd January - Christmas holidays
Monday 6th January - First day of school
Please click here for all Christmas dates.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Huge congratulations to the following children who have read some of their assigned E-Cat books.
Emerald: Ayaat
Jade: Raisa, Neeva, Mark, Rose, Evie
Garnet: AJ, Caitlin, Riyaanshi
Crystal: Lily, Debbie
A massive well done to Ayaat and Evie who have read all of their assigned books over half term!
There is no longer an option to report a child’s absence via telephone. We ask that you use the google forms below to report absence. They are also available to complete on our website using the parent tab.
We do not authorise holidays during term time. If your child is going to be off school due to an exceptional circumstance, then please complete this form:
Request for Exceptional Absence in advance for future appointments and exception absence.
Brookfield Primary Academy Absence Form for sickness and same day medical appointments.
If you have moved address, it is imperative that you inform the school office as soon as you have moved. It is a requirement that the school has up to date details particularly in case of an emergency.
Please email the school office bfoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk if your details need updating. Alternatively you can update them using the Arbor App.
PARKING
Safe and Courteous Parking During Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Ensuring the safety of our pupils is our top priority. This includes maintaining a smooth and safe environment for pick-up and drop-off times.
The school has never, and will never, advise parking in a way that obstructs residents' driveways on Ridge Road, or anywhere else in the neighborhood. We understand the convenience of pulling right up, but it's crucial to park legally and considerately.
We kindly ask all parents and guardians to be mindful of the following during pick-up and drop-off:
Park safely and with due care.
Respect our neighbours and local residents. This includes not parking across driveways at any time.
If parking is limited, consider carpooling or using alternative transportation options when possible.
To further ensure safety and a smooth flow of traffic, we've requested additional police patrols during pick-up and drop-off times.
We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school community safe and considerate of our neighbours.
SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY
The school uniform policy contributes to a positive and inclusive learning environment. We rely on parents' and guardians' support in ensuring their children wear the correct uniform.
Click here for the LEO Academy Trust Uniform Policy
Brookfield Primary Academy - Appendix 1
***Please note from Monday 4th November 2024, through till Monday 28th April 2025, School Wear Incs delivery schedule will change to a fortnightly basis. This adjustment is part of their commitment to lowering carbon emissions and making a positive impact on the environment.
Thank you for your support.
FREE SCHOOL MEALS
SCHOOL ABSENCES AND SICKNESS
If your child is unwell or going to be off school please compete the School Absence Form by 9:15am, at the latest, on the day of your child's absence and any subsequent days.
Please submit a form for each child that is absent.
Can we please remind you that if your child has been sick/vomiting then they must stay off school until 24 hours after their last bout of sickness. If your child has diarrhoea, or sickness and diarrhoea together, then they must not return to school until 48 hours after their symptoms have gone.
Please refer to our 'my child is unwell' document for more information on when your child should return to school.
MEDICATION
If your child has an illness that requires them to take medication during school hours (e.g. antibiotics, cough medicine, creams etc.), you must fill in a Medicine Permission form. This can be found on our website under the Parents tab. Hard copies are also available on the carousel in the school office reception area.
This form, and the medication, must be brought to the school office on the morning that the medication is due to start. The school office staff will administer the medication at the times stated on the form by the parent/carer. You can collect the medication at the end of the school day, or at the end of the illness.
Please do not send any medicine into class with your child, this includes sore throat lozenges.
If we do not have a Medical Permission form, we will not be able to administer medication to your child.
PTFA UPDATES
Now the autumn term is in full swing, we thought we should update you on some of the fundraising plans we have put together for this term.
Firstly thank you for your support with our donut sale, we raised £70 in about 10minutes! Apologies to the students and teachers who missed out, we were inundated with sales, far exceeding previous demand. We promise to order more next time
Our Christmas Card project is well underway, the cards have been designed by your children and sent away to be printed by My Child’s Art. Look out on our socials and WhatsApp community for details on how to purchase these cards when they are ready.
We have created a PTFA Community on WhatsApp - in essence every group for Brookfield is within this community. Nothing has changed for your class What’s App groups, and you are unable to see other groups without requesting to be a member, but this allows us to post announcements directly, ensuring you receive information on our upcoming events. We still have a few class groups that have not joined yet, so could we kindly request you do this.
DIARY DATES
CHRISTMAS JUMPER RECYCLE SCHEME
The week commencing 11 November we are asking for donations of any outgrown Christmas jumpers that we can re-home for you. Please donate in the school donation box in the office.
CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH ON - THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER
We are getting in the festive mood with our annual Light Switch On. Straight after school in the large playground you will find Dididisco throwing a Christmas Playground Party (last year this was great fun) and we will have mulled wine, baileys hot chocolate and mince pies and cookies for sale. There will be a few PTFA stalls selling light up items, and the recycled Christmas jumpers, before a special performance from some of our students (more details to follow. Finally Mrs Townsend will be turning on our Christmas lights at approx 4:15pm. More info to follow.
CHRISTMAS WREATH WORKSHOPS - Thursday 28 November & Tuesday 3 December.
Places are filling fast for our wreath workshops. Priced at £40 a ticket, spaces are limited to 30 per evening.
For more information, please click here:
https://forms.gle/zGiDB3MUFifKkKyk9
MUFTI DAY - FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER
In exchange for a small gift, we are asking children to come to school in Christmas mufti. The gift is for a donation to our Elfridges event, which will run the following week. Each class will be given a theme for their donations - i.e. Chocolate, snowmen.. again, more information will follow soon.
ELFRIDGES - FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER
Elfridges returns during the school day for the children to pick a gift for a loved one, which is then wrapped by one of our PTA elves. Tickets MUST be purchased in advance at £3 per gift. Children can purchase tickets for more than one gift if that would like to buy presents for more than one family member. Unfortunately due to the organisation of this event, we aren’t able to accommodate children on the day and only children with tickets may visit.
PANTO - Wednesday 18 December
Our Panto is back again… tickets are £5 a child, which includes a festive treat from the PTFA. Again we are hosting Chaplin's Panto at our school, and this year the children will enjoy half a day watching Jack and the Beanstalk. While the children have always thoroughly enjoyed watching the pantomime ticket sales last year meant we ran this event at a loss. We have been advised that if ticket sales are not met this year we will be unable to book for next year which would be a great shame. The PTFA have already subsidised this event to make it affordable for all, and kindly request that £5 is paid.
Finally… in light of all the information above, we have been able to add PTFA AUTUMN EVENTS to our Arbor shop, so if you wish to be super organised you can select this and pay £9 which covers tickets for the panto and elfridges along with the mufti donation for the 25th October. You do have the option to pay for Elfridges and the panto separately and cash is accepted for mufti day.
EVERYONE ACTIVE - BROOKFIELD HAS BEEN ADOPTED
AMAZING OPPORTUNITY
Brookfield Primary Academy has been adopted by Cheam Leisure Centre for the month of December 2024!
This opportunity is open to Parents / Guardians / Pupils and School Employees of Brookfield Primary.
To find out more and sign up for this great opportunity, please use the QR codes.
ASDA CASH FOR SCHOOLS
Between 2nd September and 30th November 2024 – every time you shop with Asda using your Asda Rewards app, Asda will donate 0.5% of the value of your shop to your chosen Primary school. Also, every time somebody opts-in to support our Primary school, Asda will give an additional £1 to the school Cashpot. Plus, it doesn’t stop there – Asda are also giving £50 to every school to get them started.
The supermarket has joined forces with Joe Wicks to support the initiative – look out for the TV advert, radio ads and social media coverage!
It’s as easy as 1,2,3
1. Download the Asda Rewards app, register and opt-in to Cashpot for Schools (make sure you have the latest version of the app installed)
2. Choose our Primary School – either searching by name or postcode
3. Shop instore across Asda and George, or online at Asda.com and start filling your Cashpot as you shop.
Asda does the rest, all money raised will be donated to schools to spend on the things they need the most.
Remember, anyone can sign up – so start spreading the news and raising funds for our school.
This initiative is on top of the existing Asda Rewards benefits you get as a shopper – so you won’t lose out on any of your own earnings or Cashpot, so everyone is a winner!
SPORTS NEWS
Please see the Sports page for information regarding the tournaments which we have participated in.
IN SCHOOL WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING.....
Early Years - Please click here to find out what Nursery and Reception have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 1 - Please click here to find out what Year 1 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 2 - Please click here to find out what Year 2 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 3 - Please click here to find out what Year 3 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 4 - Please click here to find out what Year 4 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 5 - Please click here to find out what Year 5 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
Year 6 - Please click here to find out what Year 6 have been learning over the past couple of weeks
THINGS TO CELEBRATE
Best Attendance
Autumn 2
Well done to Garnet and amber class who had the highest attendance for the end of last term.
Star of the Week and P.E. Certificate of Achievement
Well done to all the children who have received certificates for their achievements in PE or for demonstrating one of the LEO Explorer Characteristics and achieving a Star of the Week certificate.
We are very proud of you.
Brookfield's top scorers with the most coins in Numbots this week are:
Year 1: Mark (Emerald)
Year 2: Riyaanshi (Crystal)
Well done to you both!
Brookfield's tops scorers on Times Table Rockstars this week were:
Year 2: Angelia (Crystal), Riyaanshi (Garnet)
Year 3: Amshaki (Opal), Aahil (Amber)
Year 4: Anish (Topaz), Hannah (Amethyst)
Year 5: Tarun (Moonstone), Maya (Onyx)
144 club
Congratulations to all the children who have achieved the 144 club so far.
Keep practising your times tables!
OUT OF SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS
If you would like to inform us of any achievements your child has completed outside of school, please complete this form.
DATA COLLECTION / HOME SCHOOL AGREEMENT
Please can we ask you and your child to read through and confirm the Brookfield Primary Academy's Home School Agreement. The Home School Agreement is a document that outlines what expectations you can have of the school, what expectations we have of our parents/carers and what expectations we have of our pupils.
Also, as part of GDPR, at the end of every academic year, we are required to check that the data we hold for your child on Arbor is up to date and correct. Please can we ask you to log into the Arbor app and click on your child's face (top left hand side of the screen), this will bring up their details. Please scroll down and check if the information is correct, if you need to make any changes this can be done via the app and will be automatically sent to the office admin team to approve.
Also, please can we ask you to check the parental consents for your child, if any of the consents are incorrect or you wish to add or amend anything please let us know, via email bfoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk and we can make the necessary changes.
If we do not hear from you we will accept that the data/consents we hold are correct.
Please refer to our website for our policies: https://www.brookfieldprimary.com/707/policies-and-statements
SCHOOL FUND
We pride ourselves on offering our children varied and exciting experiences and activities that help to support their learning of the curriculum. The School Fund will allow us to provide additional activities across all year groups.
We have a voluntary school fund donation of £10 a term / £30 a year per child or £40 for a family if there are siblings at the school. Parents can pay for School Fund online via our Arbor payment system, go to Accounts - School Fund - Top Up Account.
We would like to thank you for your support.
HELP US
Please..........help your child:
Regularly listen to your child(ren) read
Encourage your child(ren) to complete their homework / Doodle Activities / Timetable Rockstars
Ask your child about their day and talk about the amazing things they have learned
Talk positively to your child(ren) about school and their progress / praise their achievements
Speak to your child(ren)'s class teacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team if you have any concerns regarding your child(ren)
Avoid taking your child(ren) out of school during the school day / term time for appointments and holidays
Drop your child(ren) off to school on time and in the correct uniform / collect your child(ren) on time / if you drive to collect your child(ren), ensure that you park safely respecting our neighbours and local businesses
Please..........help us:
Carefully read all communications to ensure that they are fully understood and actioned (if required)
Promptly report your child(ren)'s absence via the online form
Ensure you pay for school meals / trips / events on time via Arbor
If using extended services provided by school - Breakfast & Afterschool club, keep your account in credit
If you have a child in nursery who attends additional sessions , ensure you keep their account in credit
Update your personal information via the Arbor App if there are any changes
Please..........help raise funds:
Contribute towards the School Fund
Consider taking part in the LEO lottery
Purchase online items via the Easy Fundraising App (if applicable)
Support the PTFA in attending events / or even better support the PTFA in helping to organise events
CONTACT INFORMATION / HELP US / SOCIAL MEDIA
If you have an enquiry for your child's class teacher or Year Group/Phase Lead please email via the Year Group email address:
Nursery - bfynhomelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Reception - bfyrhomelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 1 - bfy1homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 2 - bfy2homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 3 - bfy3homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 4 - bfy4homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 5 - bfy5homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
Year 6 - bfy6homelearning@leoacademytrust.co.uk
All general enquiries can still be sent via the bfoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk email address.
NEWS FROM LEO ACADEMY TRUST
Train to teach with LEO Academy Trust!
LEO Academy Trust is incredibly proud to work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching as an Associate College to deliver Initial Teacher Training, (ITT) Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) from September 2025. Associate Colleges are successful school trusts, selected because of their wealth of in-house expertise in professional development and their deep relationships in their local areas. This collaboration allows us to be at the forefront of educational excellence, providing local teachers with unparalleled opportunities for professional growth, learning and development. Together, we are shaping the future of teaching and learning, ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education.
Applications for our primary ITT courses are now open for September 2025! Our initial teacher training is a fully immersive school-centred programme - aspiring teachers will be in the classroom from the very start. But full immersion does not mean that you will be thrown in the deep end: our trainees are mentored and have central training once a week.
To apply for a place on our ITT programme please click here.