Goodrington School: news

Sports Day Announcement · 8 June 2009

Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, a decision has been made to cancel Sports Day tomorrow. It will now be held on Wednesday 17 June, weather permitting.

Newsletter · 21 May 2009

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Staff Inset

Our staff inset meeting was held on Wednesday 2 April with the theme of the ‘Vulnerable Child in the Classroom’ (Adoption UK).

Our guest speaker was Mrs Cast who gave a most enlightening and informative talk from which the staff were able to enhance their knowledge.

New Pupils

We are delighted that the following pupils have joined our school, and wish them every success and happiness:

Britani – Year 4
Max – Reception

New Basketball Club

This new club started on Wednesday 13 May and is being run by Stephen Toole. Stephen works in a number of schools across Havering, and has proved to be extremely popular with the pupils from Goodrington. The F.O.G. committee at the last meeting very kindly decided to purchase a good quality, free standing basketball hoop, which Stephen has agreed to source.

Recorders

Thank you to all the parents who purchased the recorders and booklets. I was able to arrange a competitive rate from Advance Music as we were placing a bulk order. These lessons with Mrs Wiltshire are progressing nicely and I know she is happy with the effort demonstrated by the pupils. Please remember to allow time to practice at home during the week and at weekends.

School Travel Plan Competition

For their Easter homework, Upper School pupils were asked to design a poster to be entered into a competition, in conjunction with our School Travel Plan.

The theme had to be connected to road safety, parking etc and pupils were told that the winning entry would be transformed into signage, to be permanently erected outside the school.

I am delighted to announce that our competition winners were:

1st Place – Bradley (Year 3)
2nd Place – Felicity (Year 5)
3rd Place – Yasmin (Year 5)

Our 3 winners all received a £25 book token from Havering’s School Travel Plan team.

F.O.G. Meeting

This was held on Wednesday 29 April where the forthcoming Fete and other items were discussed.

A ‘Fete’ meeting was also held on Thursday 21 May at 3.20pm. If you were unable to attend yesterday’s meeting and you wish to offer your help, please leave your name and contact number clearly marked with your offer of help and leave it in the office with Mrs Williams, who will pass it on to the committee members.

Summer Fete/Family Barbeque

The Summer Fete this year is on Saturday 6 June, with a later start of 3pm. We hope that you and your family and friends will not only attend the fete, but will also stay on to the family Barbeque which will continue into the evening. This promises to be a wonderful social event and tickets will be on sale on as soon as we return after half-term.

Please encourage all your families and friends to attend.

Portable Hearing Loop

Following a grant from Havering Council, I would like to advise you that we have purchased a portable Induction loop system for use around the school. The induction loop is used to assist individuals with a hearing impairment by transmitting sound from a sound system, microphone, television or other source, directly to their hearing aid.

Setting Specific Meeting

In order for Goodrington to continue to participate in the Nursery Funding Scheme, staff need to attend set meetings. Mrs Wilder and Mrs Rogers regularly attend them and I attended the one at the CEME centre on the evening of Wednesday 6 May. A number of topics were covered under the headings of Family Information Service and Parents in Partnership, Prevention and Intervention, Health and Safety, Inclusion and Early Years Update.

SAT’S

SAT’s for my class and Mrs Richardson’s class took place during the week of 5th to 8th May. SAT’s for Mrs Segrave’s class took place during the week of 11th to 15th May. The Year 6 SAT’s are being marked externally, and we will inform you of the results as soon as they become available.

School Trips

Years 5 & 6

On Thursday 30 April, Years 5 and 6 went to Colchester Zoo along with Mrs Segrave, Mrs Ruyten, Mrs Weatherup and Mr Lucas.

At the zoo we met up with Alex C and his mum and they joined the boy’s group.

Everyone had a lovely day looking at the animals, trying out the challenges along the way and competing for a prize in the ‘Alphabet Quiz’.

The winners who could name the most animals were Alex M, Felicity and Yasmin. Well done to them!

Years 2, 3 & 4

On Tuesday 12 May, Years 2, 3 and 4 travelled to Colchester Castle. The weather was extremely kind to us, albeit somewhat windy. Our guide, Noelle brought all the prior theory work to life, keeping the pupils engaged throughout. Everyone enjoyed Noelle’s delivery of Roman history and the studying of numerous artefacts.

This visit comes highly recommended, so if you have not been to the castle, it could be an option for a Summer holiday excursion.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1

The above year groups all went to Colchester Zoo today and I’m sure they all had a wonderful time. Further details will follow in our next newsletter.

Lunchboxes

Please can I ask parents to ensure that all lunchboxes are emptied and wiped clean on a daily basis. Thank you, in advance, for your co-operation in this matter.

Independent Heads Meeting

This meeting was held after school at Goodrington on Wednesday 13 May 2009. Many points and issues were discussed, which are of relevance to the private sector.

Newsletter · 1 April 2009

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Mrs Wilder and Mrs Paul

It’s with great sadness that I must inform you that both Mrs Wilder and Mrs Paul will be leaving Goodrington School at the end of the Summer Term. Mrs Paul will be relocating to Warwickshire with her family, and Mrs Wilder’s decision has been driven by the need to spend more time with her parents.

Both Mrs Wilder and Mrs Paul are highly valued members of staff and will be missed by their colleagues, pupils and parents alike. We wish them every happiness for the future.

In the meantime, with regard to staffing arrangements for September, I’m delighted to confirm that Mrs Rogers will continue in the role of Nursery Manager, assisted by both Mrs Terry and Mrs Hastie. We will be advertising the role of Reception Teacher shortly and will keep you updated on our progress.

New Pupils

A warm welcome is extended to Caleb in Reception, Samuel in Year 1 and Britani in Year 4 who all joined Goodrington this half-term.

We also look forward to welcoming Max back into our Reception class after the Easter Break.

We wish all our new pupils every success and happiness at Goodrington!

Earrings

To further the health and safety of our pupils, earrings will no longer be allowed in the Early Years Foundation Stage – namely the Nursery and Reception pupils.

Small studs will be permitted from Years 1 to 6. However, please note that studs should not be worn on P.E. days as staff cannot remove or insert them. Thank you for your co-operation.

Lower School Reading Scheme

In discussion with the Lower school staff, I have been informed that some parents have quite a number of the Oxford Reading Tree books reading scheme at home. There is no advantage to this practice, as this puts the staff in difficult situations when a pupil claims that they have already read the book.

There are a number of different ways to broaden your child’s reading skills, including taking the opportunity to visit your local library, where they have a wealth of books for all ages and abilities.

Reading Tests

The Reading Tests took place for Years 3 to 6 on Tuesday 24 February, with the results being discussed at Parents Evening. Our pupils continue to do very well in these tests and judging from the feedback I have received, parents are extremely pleased with their child’s progress.

F.O.G

The last meeting was held on Wednesday 25 February at 3.20pm. It was extremely encouraging to see the meeting so well attended and thank you to those parents who were able to spare the time to come along. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 29 April at 3.20pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

Library Visit

Our third visit to Hornchurch Library took place on Tuesday 3 March. Librarian, Margaret Harris, gave an informative talk to Years 2 to 6 on ‘Code Cracker’ – information on how to locate books within the library. The pupils each then chose three more library books towards their goal of achieving 12 stickers for their card.

Parents Evening

Thank you to all of you who attended Parents Evening on Wednesday 4 March. Whilst this is the main consultation between parents and staff in the year, please do not hesitate to make an appointment to see a staff member at other times if you wish to discuss your child. After school appointments, are in the main preferable, as prior to the start of the morning, staff are busy preparing for the day.

I am sure you will agree that Peaches, Phoebe and Caitlin from Year 6 were admirable in the way they greeted, welcomed and directed parents throughout the evening.

Parents passed many positive comments about the initiative they used, and my grateful thanks has been passed onto them.

World Book Day

This took place on Thursday 5 March 2009, with pupils marking the day with many enjoyable activities centred around books. Book vouchers for £1 were handed to all pupils and I hope that everyone has been able to obtain the book of their choice.

Driving and Parking in Walden Road

Please may I again remind you to drive slowly and carefully down Walden Road when bringing your children to and from school.

Furthermore, please always park with consideration and ensure that you do not park across residents’ driveways.

As you know, I am always working to stay on good terms with the residents in Walden Road, and I would be grateful if you could all do your utmost to support me in ensuring that this objective is achieved.

School Travel Plan Adviser

My meeting with Martin Day, School Travel Plan Adviser, on Friday 6 March was productive, with future projects for the school being discussed. It is all in its infancy at present, but parents will be informed when ventures are to be put in place.

University of East London

The Docklands Campus of the UEL was the setting of the inaugural Head Teachers’ Dinner on Wednesday 11 March. It was an excellent opportunity to meet the Partnership Team and other Head Teachers over a very pleasant dinner.

There are opportunities for primary pupils to spend an ‘education’ day at the University and a partnership team member will be contacting me at some point in the future, to make arrangements.

Red Nose Day

This dress down day took place on Friday 13 March raising £108 for Comic Relief. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day and thank you very much to all pupils, parents and friends who contributed towards this worthy cause.

Lower School Spring Concert

This Lower School ‘Seasons’ Concert was held on Thursday 26 March at 2pm. What a delight it was too! Everyone enjoyed themselves, pupils and parents alike. Thank you once again to Mrs Skelton, Mrs Rogers, Mrs Terry, Mrs Hastie, Mrs Wilder, Mrs Weatherup and Miss Keens for all their hard work in ensuring the success of the concert.

Easter Egg Competition

The Easter Egg Competition was held in the library on Wednesday 1 April 2009. Once again, a superb range of decorated eggs were displayed, with pupils and parents working extremely hard to achieve such a grand result. The Lower School winners were William B (1st), Grace (2nd) and Joshua K (3rd). The Upper School winners were Yasmin (1st), Lian (2nd) and Joseph (3rd).

Well done to our winners who all received a special Easter treat and to all those pupils and parents who took part.

Independent Heads Meeting

The local independent Heads met at Raphaels School on Wednesday 18 March. A number of worthwhile and relevant issues were discussed for the benefit of us all in the Independent Sector.

Medicine in School

May I remind you, that if you require your child to be given medicine during school hours, please ensure that you take the medicine to Mrs Williams or Mrs Ruyten in the office who will ask you to complete and sign a Medicine Form. Under no circumstances, may be medicine be placed into a child’s book bag or lunch bag.

Training Courses/Seminars

This half-term, Mrs Terry attended a two-day Baby and Child Paediatric First Aid Course.

Easter Assembly

This was held on Thursday 2 April 2009 and Reverend Barry Hobson addressed both the pupils and staff. Pupils from each year group gave their perspective on Spring at Easter time, and a meaningful assembly was enjoyed by us all. Our grateful thanks goes to Reverend Barry Hobson for giving his time to the school.

School Uniform

Each school holiday is a good time to check all of your child’s uniform to see that it still fits and that it is correctly labelled. If you have items of clothing that are handed down, please ensure that the name is appropriately altered.

When we return after the Easter break, full summer uniform will be required to be worn UNLESS the weather is particularly cold or inclement. I am taking this opportunity to attach the school uniform list to this newsletter.

Mrs Vicky Dorrington has a large supply of good quality, second hand school uniform for sale, with all proceeds going to Friends of Goodrington. A list of items is included at the back of this newsletter.

School Clubs

Due to continuing low attendance, the French Club will cease to function in the Summer Term. We are grateful to Madame Bright for offering an enjoyable and educational club to the children, and we will look at its viability again in the future.

All other clubs will resume week commencing Monday 27 April 2009, and all club letters for the next half-term will be distributed to the children on Thursday 23 April. Therefore, please ensure that you check your child’s book bags on that day and return the consent forms and correct payment by Monday 27 April 2009. Please note that children will not be permitted to attend the clubs if either their consent form or payment is missing.

After School Care

Mrs Amanda Hastie, one of our Nursery Nurses, offers after school care in her home. If you are interested in finding out more, please call Mrs Hastie on 07588 401033.

Front Door

Please do endeavour to bring your child into school, via the side gate, before 9.00am each morning.

However, if the side door is locked after you have brought in your child and you need to leave school via the front door, please ensure that you always ask a member of staff to lock the front door behind you.

Pupil Achievements

Year 1

Lauri participated in a British Theatre Dancing Competition in March and danced against children aged 7 and 8 years, performing solo song and dance, solo modern, solo tap, solo acro, solo character, solo lyrical and solo ballet as well as two duets and a song and dance trio. Lauri came first in all of her solos and her trio and won trophies for the highest overall mark for a lyrical dance and highest overall trio mark. At the end of each competition, the adjudicator selects the person who is the most promising performer throughout all the competitors and Lauri won this too.

Sona plays for Roneo Colts, and during their match on Saturday 21 March, Sona scored one of the winning 5:0 goals.

Year 4

Megan achieved ‘The most improved player’ trophy and certificate from the Hylands Tennis Club.

Year 5

Felicity received 3 Merit Awards for Ballet, Tap and Modern Grade 2.

The 7th Grays Conquest Cub Pack entered a swimming gala. Xavier won a gold medal and the group were the overall winners of the gala.

Past Pupils

Lucy Weatherup

Lucy is travelling to Barcelona over Easter with her stage school to compete in the World Dance Championships.

Lucy qualified for the British Acrobatic Gymnastics Finals and will be competing with her trio group in Stoke on Trent over a weekend in May.

Lucy takes 11 GCSE’s this Summer and has made a good start, achieving A*s (100%) in both the first part of her chemistry exam and in her P.E. practical. Lucy hopes to go to Cooper’s Sixth Form to take her ‘A’ Levels.

I hope you all have a relaxing break, and look forward to seeing you all when we return on 23 April 2009 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J.R. Ellenby
Head Teacher

Newsletter · 12 February 2009

Dear Parents

Welcome to our latest newsletter with all the news and events of the past half-term.

Parentmail

If you have received a paper copy of this newsletter, and would prefer to receive a copy via e-mail, then please ensure that you provide Mrs Williams with your current e-mail address and a mobile phone number and she will add you onto our Parentmail list.

Parentmail proved very useful during the recent snowy weather, as we were able to contact parents via both e-mail and text, in order to inform them that the school was closed.

Private Fostering

I have received a communication from Havering’s Child Protection Department to remind parents once more about the law and private fostering.

From 1 July 2005, the Government introduced new legislation and guidance on Private fostering. Private fostering is when a child or young person aged under 16 (or under 18 if they are disabled) is cared for and provided with accommodation for 28 days or more by an adult who is not a close relative. A close relative is an aunt, uncle, step-parent, grandparent or sibling, but not a cousin, great aunt/uncle or a family friend.

If you are a parent and your child is already placed with a private foster carer, or if you are considering placing your child in a private fostering arrangement in the London Borough of Havering. You must also speak to the Fostering Team if you are, or will be a private foster carer and live in the London Borough of Havering.

The changes in the law are to protect the child/young person and to ensure that they are well looked after and safe from harm.

It is an offence not to let the Children’s Social Services know of a private fostering arrangement. The Fostering team are able to provide advice and guidance and are also able to give much support.

For more information, please contact:

London Borough of Havering
Children’s Social Services
Family Placement Service
Fostering Team
Scimitar House
23 Eastern Road
Romford
Essex RM1 3NH

Tel: 01708 434576

Information Evening – Nursery to Reception Transition

This meeting was held on Wednesday 21 January at 7pm, with the parents of Nursery children, in order to discuss the benefits of their child progressing into our Reception class.

Thank you to all parents and staff who attended, and to Mrs Enaw who spoke from a parent’s perspective.

Following this meeting, I am delighted to confirm that nine children from our Nursery will be joining our Reception Class in September, along with others on our waiting list.

Nursery Places for September 2009

Nursery places for September 2009 are filling fast. If you have a child who has reached the age of 3 by 3rd September 2009, and you would like to reserve a place, please ensure that you complete a registration form as soon as possible. Goodrington continues to participate in the Nursery funding scheme, which is available to all 3 and 4 year old children.

Please contact Mrs Williams, in the office, for further details regarding the availability of sessions for September 2009.

Fees

Difficult times are upon us all financially, and I would like to thank parents for their efforts in ensuring that their fees are paid on time. My grateful thanks are passed on to you, as I am sure that you will appreciate that in order to run a successful school we need to have the finances in place at the beginning of each term.

Mrs Williams has made a polite request that if you do pay any fees directly into the school’s bank account, that you ensure your full name is entered against the amount paid; otherwise it can be very difficult tracing the payee, particularly when more than one parent is paying the same monthly instalment.

The fees have been reviewed for the start of the Autumn term and remain exceptionally competitive. The revised fees, with effect from 1 September 2009, are as follows:

Main School

Fees and tuition including books will be £1400 per term

Nursery

Full day session will be £280 per day session, per term.
Morning session will be £168.00 per morning session, per term.

Morning refreshments will remain at £40 per term.

Personal Accident Insurance will remain at £4.99 per term.

Notice Period

I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that, in accordance with our terms and conditions, there is a term’s notice period if you decide to withdraw your child from Goodrington School. For example, if you are moving out of the area in the Summer Term and your child is due to start a new school in September 2009, you must inform the school by the end of the Spring Term (2 April 2009) that they will not be returning to Goodrington otherwise a term’s fees will still be payable.

F.O.G

I am pleased to confirm that at the last meeting on 14 January 2009, Mrs Dorrington agreed to take on the role of Chairperson for F.O.G. Many items were discussed and a newsletter from F.O.G. will be sent out following the next meeting on Wednesday 25 February at 3.20pm. The F.O.G. newsletter will inform you of the items discussed at the meeting, any future events and how parents can offer their help and expertise. In the meantime, the minutes of the last F.O.G. meeting are included in this newsletter.

You will be made most welcome if you could spare approximately 30 to 40 minutes on 25 February.

Contact Details

Please ensure that your latest contact information is given to the office, if for example, you have updated your mobile phone number. We must be able to contact you in the case of an emergency as well as to simply relay information.

Medical Update

Can you please inform the office immediately, if your child has developed a medical condition or allergy in the last 12 months and we will provide you with the necessary form to complete.

It is vital that you inform the school if there are any changes to your child’s health.

Please could you also keep ill pupils at home. Whilst I appreciate that parents need to work, please ensure that you have contingency plans in place, should your child become ill.

Name Tags

I have recently sourced an excellent supplier of name tags for clothing and other items. All orders are dispatched first class within 24 hours and they can be contacted on 01242 237195.

The Company’s name and internet site is NameTag-it.co.uk

After School Pick-Up

To save unnecessary anguish, please inform the school if a different person will be collecting your child from school. Furthermore, please do not take another child in your car without informing the school AND their parents.

YMCA

Please remember that the school does not become involved in the arrangements made between the YMCA and parents. Therefore, please ensure that the YMCA knows the days that they need to collect your child from Goodrington. There have been a number of occasions recently where there has been a lot of confusion as to who is collecting a child from school.

Thank you, in advance, for your co-operation.

Blue Peter Live

A letter was sent to you recently about the Blue Peter Live Event, being held at Lakeside during half-term on Wednesday 18 February between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

If any pupils and parents are able to go, the school would be grateful for copies of photographs, so that they can be displayed on our ‘Events Noticeboard’ near the office. Please indicate on the back of the photographs, if you would like them returned to you.

School Clubs

Thank you to parents for now paying termly for the School Clubs. This has helped Mrs Williams immensely. The Wednesday French Club numbers have begun to dwindle this term. I know that Madame Bright would like to welcome back some past members and any new members, from Years 3 to 6, who would like to learn French in a fun way.

Websites

I would just like to remind all parents to be vigilant when their child is on the computer at home. Please do put in as many safeguards as possible to protect your child from younger people’s sites, which may not always be as innocent as they first appear.

School Trips

I would like to confirm that the following school trips have now been booked, and letters outlining full details will be sent out nearer the time:

Years 5 & 6 – Thursday 30th April – Colchester Zoo
Years 2, 3 and 4 – Tuesday 12th May – Colchester Castle
Nursery, Reception & Year 1 – Friday 22nd May – Colchester Zoo

Comic Relief – Red Nose Day – Friday 13 March

Information regarding Comic Relief has started to arrive in school. This will be a non-uniform day and a donation of £1 (or an amount that you feel you would like to donate) per pupil will be sent to the organisers to help the many good charitable causes they represent.

Staff Training

During the Inset Training day on 7 January 2009, Jo Keys from Autism Anglia, gave a very informative talk to staff.

Mrs Rogers attended a Language Development Course on 14 January 2009.

Mrs Wilder attended an Ofsted Self Evaluation Course on 5 February 2009.

Super Library Reading Challenge

The second of our visits to Hornchurch Library took place on Tuesday 20 January from 9.45am to 10.45am, for all pupils from Years 2 to 6.

This is proving to be a really worthwhile experience for the pupils as they learn how the library is set up and run.

This particular visit was themed as ‘Alphabetical Order of Fiction’.

Independent Heads Meeting

I attended this meeting at St Mary’s Hare Park on 28 January 2009. It was well attended and a number of Independent School issues were discussed.

Meeting Parents

I am always available to meet with parents at a mutually convenient time if there is anything you wish to discuss. My ‘open-door’ policy continues and unless I am teaching, I will meet with parents immediately if there is a pressing issue they would like to raise. In the first instance, please see Mrs Williams and Mrs Ruyten in the office, who will be very happy to organise a meeting.

Pupil Achievements

Year 3

William has been awarded a 100m distance certificate within the Rainbow Swimming Award Scheme, and has received a medal for most improved swimmer.

Year 4

Thomas achieved a 100m distance swimming certificate.

Year 5

Amy S received a Book 3 Music Certificate

Daria entered the Primary Colours Competition

Daisy received a certificate and medal for Gymnastics Level 2.

Fadeke passed Primary Tap Dance

Jasmine received a Silver Medal in Dance and a Certificate for Junior Music School Level 1

Nathaniel achieved Music Theory Grade 2 – 88/100, and was awarded a Silver Attendance Medal at his drama school.

Xavier has moved up to Level 9 at swimming and has been awarded his Silver Challenge Badge.

Yasmin received a Bronze medal for swimming

Year 6

Alex M-N received a commended art certificate for his entry in the Primary Colours Competition.

Amy M-N received a vaults bronze award for gymnastics.

Phoebe entered the Primary Colours Competition

Alex C

Our very best wishes go to Alex, in Year 5, and his family who will be moving to Colchester in the half-term break. Alex has been an excellent pupil and will be missed by staff and other pupils alike.

Term Dates

Please be advised that Term Dates for the remainder of this academic year, and the academic year 2009/10 are detailed on the back of this newsletter.

I hope you all have a relaxing break, and look forward to seeing you all when we return on Monday 23 February 2009 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J.R. Ellenby
Head Teacher

Ofsted Inspection · 24 May 2007

On Thursday 10 May, we received a telephone call that Ofsted were coming to visit the school on Monday 14 May until Wednesday 16 May.

Mrs Jill Bainton was the Lead Inspector and was accompanied by Mrs Norma Ball. No stone is left unturned during these inspections and I am thrilled to inform you that Goodrington received a glowing report. Many complimentary comments were passed and Mrs Ball who was only with us on the Tuesday said she would have liked to stay but she had to be at another school on the Wednesday. In her summing up, Mrs Bainton said that parents were receiving very good value for money.

The published report is available for download:
Goodrington School_Report.pdf
A copy will also be available in the school office.

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