Keep up to date with the Latest News

• Thank You

  Wed 29 Mar 2023 Dr James Inglis

  This week marks a year since I became headteacher, and I just wanted to express how grateful I am for the support you have shown me.

   

  I did not reveal this at the time as the last thing our community needed was further uncertainty and any sense of diminished strength at the top last Easter; however, my mum suddenly died the day before Mr Lock left, making it a tricky moment to take on the responsibility of leading a school. Having attended a small church primary just like Northaw as a child, it very much seemed to me I was coming home joining the team here, and that sustained me greatly during the summer term.

   

  One of my priorities has been to continue teaching, which has enabled me to get to know the children very well. While my focus has been on maths this year, I hope to support other areas of learning in the future. Similarly, I believe it is very important parents and carers feel they can approach the headteacher, allowing me to understand your concerns better.

   

  I look forward to many more years supporting families in and around Northaw.

• World Autism Awareness Week

  Tue 28 Mar 2023 Dr James Inglis

  This is World Autism Awareness Week, and the children are learning more about ASD in class through Autism is my Superpower by Cecily M. Forde. This book is about an amazing little boy named Jacob and his journey with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jacob shares how he turns his autism into his superpower.

   

  Talking to your child about autism is something you might also wish to do this week. If your child has a classmate, friend or relative with autism, it can be difficult for them to understand exactly what this means; however, we have collected some ideas for starting a conversation about ASD.

• Open After School

  Mon 27 Mar 2023 Dr James Inglis

  As a village school, it is difficult finding opportunities for the children to share their learning with parents and carers. For example, larger settings have the facilities for sharing assemblies. I have, however, been giving some thought to how we might do more in this area as parental engagement is enormously valuable in the learning journey of every child.

   

  I would, therefore, like to experiment with an event I am currently calling Open After School. (As EYFS have Stay & Learn, this is just for students in KS1 and KS2.) On Thursday, after you have collected your child as usual, you are invited to visit their classroom, entering by the main door, where pupils will have placed on show work they are especially proud of.

   

  I will be available; however, teachers are not expected to stay in classrooms for consultation as they have just released annual reports and we have parents' evening next term. Please do not flick through the books of others.

   

  I will ring the lunch bell at 3.45 to mark the end of your visit. I welcome your feedback, and if it proves successful, I hope to repeat this event.

• School Dinners and Muddy Field

  Thu 23 Mar 2023 Dr James Inglis

  I have received a number of legitimate complaints which I would like to address directly before we open this morning.

   

  Unfortunately, Ginnie has been very unwell since Sunday, and a colleague from Hertfordshire Catering has been leading the team in the kitchen. Obviously, no food is served without the most rigorous checks in terms of hygiene, and portions are standardised; however, when assisting the younger children to cut up their food yesterday, I admittedly found the chicken dry and pasta clumpy. This is not the quality we have come to expect, and I have personally raised our concerns with the staff. I would like to commend the delegation of girls from Oak who came to see me on this issue - they demonstrated remarkable maturity. I am sorry to say Ginnie is still under the weather, but we hope to see her back in the kitchen very soon.

   

  An assessment of the condition of the field is made each day by the member of staff on duty at playtime. It can be finely balanced at this time of year, and we are keen for pupils to enjoy their football tournament; however, the children should not be returning home caked in mud. The wrong call was made yesterday, and both access to the field and matches will be suspended until this wet weather has passed and the grounds are firmer. This has also led to an accumulation of dirt in the Oak shed; it will be cleared today.

  
  I very much appreciate having these matters brought to my attention.

• Annual Reports

  Wed 22 Mar 2023 Dr James Inglis

  On Friday, the children will bring home their annual reports. They are self-explanatory; however, I would like to highlight two features.

   

  The level of concern we have about your child's attendance is indicated at the top. We want every child to achieve a figure above 95% by the end of the year, making the most of school-based learning. If attendance is below 90%, they are classified by the government as a persistent absentee, and their overall progress is jeopardised. Further information about this can be found on our website.

   

  In KS1 and KS2, we now measure pupils' attainment in every subject in relation to the expected standard for their age, which brings us into line with how the government assesses outcomes at the end of both key stages. More information regarding each curriculum area can again be found on our website.

   

  It has been a genuine pleasure to read and comment on all 107 reports, and I am sure you will be very proud of the progress your child is making.

   

  Please complete the comment slip and return it to your child's teacher.