1st October 2025

Dear Parents

We often highlight the Arts as been such an important element of PDO school; in the newsletter today you will see articles on the amazing learning within the Arts across the school.

I also wish to remind you that we have our first informal music concert, led by our choir, tomorrow at 0740. All are welcome - I have just seen the rehearsal, if you want to start your Thursday with a smile, I would encourage you all to be in the Learning Souk by 0740.

A reminder below of why we value the Arts.

The school curriculum often highlights core subjects like mathematics, science, and language and their importance is undeniable. However, an equally vital component often overlooked, or perhaps underestimated are the skills developed within music and art, drama and dance. These subject areas are fundamental, offering opportunities to not only excel, for example within music and art, but also supporting the development of well-rounded, successful students.

The Immediate Impact: Essential Skill Building

Participation in these activities provides a powerful catalyst for developing skills that are crucial both inside and outside the classroom:

Creative Problem-Solving and Innovation: Arts education teaches students to think flexibly and approach challenges from multiple perspectives. This inherent need for resourcefulness directly translates into innovation and also supports children in other subjects.
Enhanced Communication: Music, art, drama and dance are all forms of non-verbal communication. They teach students how to express complex ideas and emotions effectively, leading to increased confidence, better listening skills and a deeper understanding of diverse human experiences.
Collaboration and Discipline: Whether as part of a school choir or an individual or group art project, students learn the value of teamwork and shared goals. The commitment required for mastering an instrument or developing a piece of artwork instills discipline, perseverance and encourages time management skills.

Staffing Update - Ms. Jawahir who works on our front desk will be unfortunately moving to PDO main offices shortly for a new role. Jawahir will be replaced by Ms. Marwa who was an LSA with Ms. Donna.

For several years, Jawahir has been the dedicated professional overseeing our front desk. She is the first face to greet every parent, visitor and member of staff. Her role is incredibly complex, involving juggling administrative demands, managing various daily issues and ensuring seamless communication for our entire school.

Despite the numerous challenges that come with running the front desk, Jawahir has consistently handled every situation with a positive attitude. We wish to thank her sincerely for always walking in with a warm smile on her face, making us all feel welcome and cared for from the moment we step into the building. Her dedication to the school and her commitment to helping our school community have made a significant, positive impact on our daily lives.

As Jawahir moves on to an exciting new opportunity with PDO, we send her our absolute best wishes for a fulfilling and successful transition. We will certainly miss her presence.

I know you will also send your best wishes to Ms. Marwa as she start her new role.

Tim Robinson

Headteacher

Art and Design

This term, MP1 children have been exploring card construction while MP2 and MP3 pupils have taken on the challenge of working with wood, learning how different materials can be shaped and joined to bring creative ideas to life.

Our young pupils in Year 1 have been busy sketching, cutting and creating puppets, also learning to join pieces with split pins. Year 2 built imaginative animal structures using cardboard slots to hold their designs in place. Moving into MP2 and MP3, Years 3 and 4 designed and constructed their own working clocks, developing their design plans and safely practising hacksaw techniques. In Year 5, children created wooden robots, mastering the use of hammers, nails, drills, screws and dowels to secure joints. Meanwhile, Year 6 are currently building cam toys, a project that demands careful planning, adaptation of designs and confident use of a wide range of tools.

Early Years

Our Early Years children have had a wonderful week discovering more about plants!

Children have enjoyed exploring different areas of our learning environments, foraging and crafting with plants, leaves, flowers and seeds, supporting their learning about plants. They have had fun being outside as well as inside, with a lovely range of activities and experiences to give them lots to think, talk and wonder about. A busy and productive week!

Milepost 1

Reading with Purpose and Pleasure!

In Year 2, our young readers are really enjoying their reading journeys! They are beginning to choose books that interest them and can share the reasons behind their choices. It’s been wonderful to see them making links to other areas of learning too, from IPC topics to spotting spelling patterns along the way. A heartfelt thank you to our fantastic parent volunteers, who give their time to listen and encourage children to read for pleasure — your support makes a real difference!

Milepost 2

This week, Year 4 have been hard at work becoming volcano experts! In groups, the children chose a volcano to research and set out to answer enquiry questions such as, “What is the difference between active, dormant and extinct volcanoes?” and “What different types of volcanoes are there?”

In their groups, the children investigated their chosen volcano and created a detailed digital fact file, answering their research questions and presenting their findings in creative ways. Each group became specialists on their volcano, ready to teach and share their knowledge with their classmates.

The learning doesn’t stop there! Next, the children will use Google Earth to map out the volcanoes they have studied. By combining their research, they will create a global project showing where volcanoes are located around the world, identifying the different types and considering their impact.

It has been fantastic to see their enthusiasm, collaboration and growing expertise. Well done, Year 4!

Milepost 3

Let's take a look at some of the activities which have been going on in IPC lessons in Milepost 3 this week.

Year 5 – Go With The Flow
Year 5 have been getting crafty and creative while learning about rivers. Working collaboratively, the children each built a section of either the upper, middle or lower course of a river. Once complete, the individual sections were combined to create one impressive large-scale river model, showcasing their teamwork and understanding of geographical processes.

Year 6 – The Great, The Bold and The Brave
Year 6 have been exploring how life today has been influenced by the ancient Greeks. Linking to International Mindedness, the children contributed to a world map by adding facts about Olympic athletes and sports connected to their home, host and heritage countries. They began by reflecting on their prior knowledge of the Olympics before using technology, including Nearpod and research websites, to extend their learning further.

Thursday Morning Informal Concert - Thursday 2nd October!

Tomorrow is the first informal concert of the year. This week it is the turn of PDO Choir and everyone is welcome to attend. The concert starts at 0740. Can all those in the choir (Years 3 to 6) arrive at 0715am on Thursday morning please, so that we can be ready to start at 0740am.

For more information, please email me at gruston@pdoschool.com

Mr Gary

BSM Collaborative Music Event Signup Form - Y4/5/6

As mentioned in last weeks news letter, if you are interested in attending the above event at BSM, please click on the following signup link and complete the form.

Signup Form

For more information, please email me at gruston@pdoschool.com

Mr Gary

Year 4 Orchestral Instruments!

Well done to Year 4 for a positive start to the year where children have been learning to play either the trumpet or the clarinet!

Congratulations to our Learners of the Week!

A huge congratulations to our newest Learners of the Week! This award recognises the incredible effort they put into their learning and the excellent ways they are putting their personal goals into practice. It's fantastic to see them growing and becoming such dedicated and confident learners.

Parent Poems!

Dear Parents,

We are excited to announce the launch of our Poetry Week, beginning November 9th, 2025.

Our aim is to foster a love of poetry and provide exposure to as many different poetic forms to our young learners.

As part of this celebration, we would like to include our school community and invite parents to come into school and read aloud your favourite poem to our children. (This poem could also be in your native language).

If you are interested, please fill in this form below by Thursday 9th October and we will then share further details.

PDO School Newsletter