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Dear North Tawton Friends and Families,
As you will be aware, we had our Ofsted inspection this week. Our inspector was an HMI (Her Majesty’s Inspector) who, over the two days, observed lessons and playtimes, scrutinised pupil’s work, analysed Parent View and our policies. She met with pupils, staff, Curriculum Leaders, SENDCO, Trust leaders, Trustees and Governors She fed back her report to the Trust leaders at the end of the day. The outcomes remain confidential until the report is published, but I can tell you that it was a robust and fair process. Year Six Activity week While Ofsted was happening in school, our Year six were enjoying their activity week! On Monday they went to Go Ape in Exeter, Tuesday surfing in Bude and Wednesday a trip Woodlands in Totnes. On Thursday the class had a whole day of forest school led by Miss Prince. After school, they had a movie night and ate fish and chips. Today they went on a walk in our beautiful North Tawton landscape and had a picnic. A HUGE thank you to Mrs Ware and Miss Ruby for organising all of the activities. Refugee Awareness Week This week in assembly we thought about what it means to be a refugee. Year 4 have learnt a lot about migration this year and were able to explain that a refugee is a person who has needed to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. We found out about some famous refugees and listened to the story of a man who who came from Afghanistan on his own to the UK as a child and has been granted right to remain. Here is a thought-provoking poem written by one of my favourite modern poets. Refugees by Brian Bilston They have no need of our help So do not tell me These haggard faces could belong to you or me Should life have dealt a different hand We need to see them for who they really are Chancers and scroungers Layabouts and loungers With bombs up their sleeves Cut-throats and thieves They are not Welcome here We should make them Go back to where they came from They cannot Share our food Share our homes Share our countries Instead let us Build a wall to keep them out It is not okay to say These are people just like us A place should only belong to those who are born there Do not be so stupid to think that The world can be looked at another way (now read from bottom to top) Rainbow Day Next Friday is our Trust Rainbow Day. We are encouraging our children to wear their favourite colours to celebrate. This is an opportunity for us to reflect upon our similarities and differences so that all of our children learn to understand that there are people in the community and wider world with characteristics similar and different to their own. It is a day steeped in respect and inclusion. We call it Rainbow Day as the rainbow is a Christian symbol of God’s love for us all. The rainbow flag is steeped in history from a symbol of maritime peace, the cooperative movement, LGBT equality and more recently, support for the NHS. The colours of the rainbow are different but come together to make something beautiful. We will be asking children to think about equality and when people may be treated unfavourable. We anticipate they will think about people with different physical abilities, cultures, religions and families. We are careful to talk in an age appropriate way and give children space to explore questions and develop their own thinking. Children who have PE on Friday, or are taking part in Quad Kids can change in school. Cost of Living The government has now announced ‘cost of living support’ and any families struggling can contact their relevant LA. Parents and families can see what support is available, including information on the HAF programme, on the link that can be found here Community Forum Tuesday 28th June 5pm – 6pm This will be an opportunity for you to hear about our progress on our school development plans including:
Summer Fair On Wednesday morning, parents met to plan the Summer Fair. We really do need lots of help to make this a fantastic event. Please contact our FONTS leaders or class reps if you can help. We need people to set up in the morning and tidy at the end, run stalls, lead activities, serve refreshments and BBQ sausages and burgers. After so long without a Summer Fair, we really want this to be a success so please do help in what ever way you can. Thank you. Dates Thursday 30th June - Y6 induction day at Okehampton College Friday 1st July - Rainbow Day – a celebration of inclusion Week of 4th July is our Festival of Hope which will be a week of curriculum activities with the theme of hope. This will include: Monday 4th July French Theatre trip Tuesday 5th July Science Day Wednesday 6th July Art Day Thursday 7th July Sports Day Friday 8th July Music Festival Saturday 9th July Summer Fayre Friday 22nd July Farewell Assembly We also have a number of class visits and visitors over the following weeks. Please keep an eye on Dojo for timings and details. With very best wishes Tara Penny Dear North Tawton Friends and Families,
This week has been a bit of a hot and sweaty one! Please can we remind parents to send children to school with hats, water bottles and sun cream as it looks like summer is finally here! Times tables Across the country, Year Four children have been logging on to a portal to do a times tables assessment. They all had 25 quick fire times tables which they typed in the answers to. There are modifications we can apply for to support children with SEND including extra time and a scribe, but they still need to know the answers to pass. This is our first year doing this and we are looking forward to seeing how our children did, which we will share with them and their parents. Parents of year two and three, please support your children by practicing at home as the expectation is that by year 4 they know them all! Thank you to our volunteers In assembly this week we learnt about the work of volunteers across the country, internationally and in our school. We would like to say a huge thank you to our Friends of North a Tawton FONTS who do a marvellous job at raising money for our school and planning events, they are currently working hard to plan a fabulous summer Fayre. Do come in next Wednesday morning after drop off for a cuppa and a chat about how you can help. Another big shout out to our local stake holders board, they do all sorts of work behind the scenes such as auditing safeguarding, reading policies and interviewing new staff. They are the voice of the community and contribute to our plans for the years ahead. I am meeting with them next week to review the progress we are making. We also have a board of trustees who are also volunteers, they hold the Trust to account legally and financially and support the long term strategic vision of the Dartmoor Trust. I spoke to the children about the fact that they might not always see, or understand the roles of these people, we are grateful to them, as they give of their time, expertise and passion to help us be a great school. On Thursday Mr Cutler spoke of the Bible stories about Timothy, a young boy who was passionate about volunteering and helping others. We also saw a film clip of a Thai man who does many thinks to support his local community. Year Six Activity Week Wishing year six, and their teachers, a fabulous week of activities. Mrs Ware and Mrs Ruby have worked incredibly hard to plan an exciting week. The train strike has meant a last-minute change of plan, but I am know that the class will have a fabulous week surfing, Go Ape, Forest School, Movie Night, Camp fire, a trip to Woodlands and a picnic locally. They will have great experiences and memories to treasure. Parent View Your views are important to us. All staff want to do the best we can for our children and community. If you haven’t already, please sign up to Parent View. We are expecting a visit from Ofsted this term and we would like your views of the school to be part of the evidence they collect. At the moment we do not have many, so please do spare some time this weekend to log on. Give your views | Ofsted Parent View As always, if you have a concern or suggestion, please talk to class teachers at the door, me at the gate, or contact me tpenny@dmatschools.org.uk or via the school office. Gardening Calling out for some help gardening! We really need some help to keep our garden areas weed free and tidy. Are you available on Thursdays? Leanne (Lara’s mum) would love some help developing our garden area. Please speak to her, or to me and we will set up a planning meeting. Many thanks in advance! Community Forum Tuesday 28th June 5pm – 6pm This will be an opportunity for you to hear about our progress on our school development plans including:
I will send a questionnaire on Monday so parents have the opportunity to ask questions and raise topics for the forum. Dates Week of 20th June Y6 Activity Week Monday – Go Ape - Exeter Tuesday – Surfing - Bude Wednesday – Woodlands – Dartmouth Thursday – Forest Day here (Bristol theatre trip cancelled due to train strike ☹) Friday – Local Walk and Picnic Thursday 23rd – 6pm LSB meeting Tuesday 28th June - 5 – 6pm Community Forum Thursday 30th June Y6 induction day at Okehampton College Friday 1st July Rainbow Day – a celebration of inclusion. Week of 4th July Festival of Hope Monday KS2 French show Tuesday Science day Wednesday Art Day and Y5 Cricket at Chagford Thursday Sports day Saturday 9th July – School Fair Wednesday 13th July Y3 and Y1 to Rosemoor Tuesday 14th July Moving Up Day Friday 22nd July Farewell Assembly Please keep an eye on Dojo for details of all of these events With very best wishes Tara Penny Dear North Tawton Friends and Families, Welcome back to the final term of this year. The next seven weeks will be a roller coaster of learning experiences and fun, and hopefully good weather too! Brace yourselves! Staffing News A warm welcome to Lauren Bond who is joining our Early Years Team. We are really pleased to have her working with us. Clubs Thank you to those of you who completed the survey regarding breakfast club and after school club. If you haven’t – please do so by Friday 17th as I am looking at feasibility to start clubs in September. I will update parents and carers about this at the Community Forum on Tuesday 28th June. This term we have: Choir Ukulele Running Club and Saints. Please see Gateway for more information Ready, Respectful, Safe This week in assembly, we reviewed our behaviour policy. Children know that if they are being ‘ready, respectful and safe’ that they are meeting our expectations and keeping our school rules. Behaviour at our school is very good, staff rarely have an issue in the classroom, however, like in all good schools, we do have children who push the boundaries at times, particularly at play time, and some who find keeping the rules harder than others for a whole host of reasons. We have had lots of training around this, and our staff are very skilled in pre-empting issues. In assembly I shared problem solving wheel. This is where children can make choices as how to best respond to an issue.  On occasion, children do need the support of an adult to solve an issue and to restore peace – this is called restorative practice or sometimes called restorative justice. These are the questions adults will ask the children involved in the issue.  You will notice that the two resources encourage children to take responsibility for their actions and reflect upon their feelings and decisions.
Please do use these at home to support solving disputes! Parent View Your views are important to us. All staff want to do the best we can for our children and community. If you haven’t already, please sign up and add your views to the Parent View here Give your views | Ofsted Parent View As always, if you have a concern or suggestion, please talk to class teachers at the door, me at the gate, or contact me tpenny@dmatschools.org.uk or via the school office. Curriculum Development Today I am at a LYFTA training day with Mrs Underwood. We are looking at how we can further enrich our curriculum so that our children have the widest and deepest learning experiences. LYFTA is a resource which teachers have started to use this year. Our vision at Lyfta is that by the time a child leaves school, they will have experienced and connected with a meaningful human story from every country in the world. In doing so, they will have experienced different cultures, different languages, different jobs and perspectives. They will have seen hundreds of positive human stories modelling resilience, problem-solving, teamwork, and many other critical skills, values and competencies. By the end of their schooling, they would understand for themselves how interconnected and interdependent we are, and would have gained a deep awareness of their power and role in the world. (From the LYFTA website) I am looking forward to coming back to school on Monday with lots of new and exciting ways to use this platform across the year groups. Gardening Calling out for some help gardening! We really need some help to keep our garden areas weed free and tidy. Are you available on Thursdays? Leanne (Lara’s mum) would love some help developing our garden area. Please speak to her, or to me and we will set up a planning meeting. Many thanks in advance! Community Forum Tuesday 28th June 5pm – 6pm This will be an opportunity for you to hear about our progress on our school development plans including:
I will send a questionnaire on Monday 20th June so parents have the opportunity to ask questions and raise topics for the forum. Staffing for next year I am in consultation with staff regarding staffing for next year. After such a turbulent few years, we want to keep things as consistent as possible for our children and where there are changes, plenty of time for them to feel ready for September. I will let children and parents know as soon as we have finalised our plans. Dates Week of 20th June Y6 Activity Week – an exciting week of adventurous and cultural activities Tuesday 28th June 5 – 6pm Community Forum Thursday 30th June Y6 induction day at Okehampton College Friday 1st July Rainbow Day – a celebration of inclusion Week of 4th July is our Festival of Hope which will be a week of curriculum activities with the theme of hope. This will include: Monday 4th July French Tuesday 5th July Science Wednesday 6th July Art Thursday 7th July Sports Friday 8th July Music Saturday 9th July Summer Fayre Friday 22nd July Farewell Assembly With very best wishes Tara Penny  I hope you all have a fabulous extra long Bank Holiday Weekend! Have you found all of the lost corgis in North Tawton and returned them? Don't forget the one outside school! Our Jubilee Quiz How old is the Queen? How many corgis has she owned? How many Prime Ministers have we had during her reign? How many countries have been in the Commonwealth? Let Miss Penny know your answers on Tuesday. We loved making bunting with Philippa Sims and Ruth Smith. Do have look at it outside the church - it looks stunning! See you all on Tuesday 7th July at 8.45!
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