Newsletter · 11 February 2010

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, 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 once again 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.

Information Evening – Nursery to Reception Transition

This meeting was held on Wednesday 20 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 Olorunfemi who spoke most eloquently from a parent’s perspective.

Following this meeting, I am delighted to confirm that twelve children from our Nursery will be joining our Reception Class in September, along with two children from other settings.

Nursery Places for September 2010

Nursery places for September 2010 are filling fast. If you have a child who has reached the age of 3 by 9 September 2010, 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 2010.

New Pupils

Regina has recently joined Year 3 and we wish her a very happy and successful education at Goodrington.

Inset

The Inset Meeting held on 6 January focussed on ‘The Needs of Bereaved Children and How to Respond to the Needs of Bereaved Children’. The speaker came from St. Francis Hospice and gave a most moving seminar for the staff. Whilst we hope never to use the most useful information we received, it is reassuring that we will be able to deal with bereavement situations in a sensitive and caring way.

Staff Training

Mrs Terry attended an Introduction to Child Protection Course on 21 January 2010.

Setting Specific Meeting

I attended the above evening meeting on Tuesday 9 February at the CEME centre in Rainham. The information from this seminar is relevant and designed for all staff and associated staff in Nursery Settings in Havering.

Library visits

Following the successful visits to the library in 2009, the Upper School were able to meet with Librarian Margaret Harris to further increase their knowledge. Years 3 and 4 visited the library on Tuesday 19 January at 9.45am and Years 5 and 6 visited the library on Tuesday 26 January at 9.45am. Mrs. Weatherup was able to assist the staff members in walking the pupils to the library.

Mrs. Harris then came into school on Tuesday 2 February to speak with the Foundation Stage and KS1 at the following times:

·Nursery – 9.30am to10am
·Reception – 10.00am to10.30am
·Year 1 – 10.55am to 11.25am
·Year 2 – 11.30am to 12 noon

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed her visit to the school.

Sharing Assembly

The parents of Year 1 and Year 2 were invited into the assembly this morning. The pupils were able to share with their families the work they have recently achieved. The parents of pupils in the Nursery and Reception classes will be invited to come along to their child’s sharing assembly next term on 28 May 2010.

Citizenship

Mrs Sania Dhir came into school to speak to Yrs 3-6 about banking on Friday 22 January 2010. The pupils had a most informative insight into the world of banking and our grateful thanks go to Sania.

Haiti Earthquake Appeal

The pupils were thrilled to have raised £176 for the Governments Help for Haiti Appeal. The sponsored silence whist eating their lunch in the hall was a great success, with even the youngest pupils taking part. Thank you to all who contributed to help this stricken country.

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 for completion.

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

Pupil Absence

If your child is absent from school, please ensure that you inform the school office by 9.30am, and then send in an absence letter addressed to your child’s teacher upon their return to school.

Please 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 would just like to remind you of 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

Fees

Difficult times are still 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 making the same payment.

The fees have been reviewed for the start of the Autumn term and remain exceptionally competitive. The revised fees, with effect from 1 September 2010, are as follows:

Main School Fees

Fees and tuition including books will be £1500 per term

Nursery Fees

In accordance with the Nursery Funding Scheme, fees for the nursery children will now be shown as an hourly rate of £4.42 per hour for the 2010/2011 academic year.

Nursery fees will be calculated each term by multiplying the number of hours attended (above the funded hours) by the number of weeks for that term.

Extras

Morning refreshments will be £45 per term.

Personal Accident Insurance will be £5 per term.

FOG Subscription will be £20 per family per annum.

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 2010, you must inform the school by 31 March 2010 that they will not be returning to Goodrington, otherwise a term’s fees will still be payable.

Recorders

I am pleased to advise you that Mrs Wiltshire, our Music Teacher, will be starting recorder lessons for Years 2 to 6 from Monday 22 February 2010, during their music lessons.

Pupils from Years 4 to 6 will need to bring their recorders and music books in with them each Monday, with effect from this date. Recorders and books have now been ordered for pupils in Years 2 and 3.

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.

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 2, 3 and 4 will be going to Wimbledon Museum on Wednesday 17 March 2010.

Years 5 and 6 will be going to Hedingham Castle on Thursday 10 June 2010.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will be going to Colne Valley Railway on Thursday 17 June 2010.

Sport Relief – Friday 19 March

Information regarding Sport Relief has started to arrive in school. This will be a non-uniform day and pupils can come into school in sports wear. Please make sure that the sports wear is appropriate for school and warm enough for your child. Please send in a donation of £1 (or an amount that you feel you would like to donate) with your child and once all the monies have been received, they will be sent to the organisers to help the many good charitable causes they represent.

Wall displays

Staff change the wall displays three times a year in time for each half-term. Do take the opportunity to view the displays the next time you come into school to see how hard the children have been working.

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.

After School Pupils

Please be prompt when collecting your child from school, whether at the end of the school day or from an After School Club. The staff often have appointments or courses to attend after school and it isn’t fair to put excessive pressure on them to try and reach their destination in good time. Do ring the school if there is a possibility of you arriving later than the scheduled pick-up time.

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.

PE

It has been noticed that a number of pupils still do not have the full PE kit for their weekly lesson. Mrs. Cast will always take pupils out into the grounds unless the weather is very inclement. It is not acceptable for any pupil to wear their school cardigan or jumper for added warmth. A decision has been made that following the half-term break, any pupil who is not in full kit (as per the official list), will remain with their class teacher and complete academic work.

Please send in a note addressed to the class teacher and Mrs. Cast if your child has a valid reason as to why they cannot participate in PE in any particular week.

Hinduism workshop

A multi-cultural workshop has been organised for the morning of Tuesday 9 March. The Lower School (Nursery-Yr 2) will have their session before break, with the Upper School (Yrs 3-6) following break until lunch time.

This event promises to be extremely valuable for the pupils and they will be able to build upon their knowledge of the faith they have gained so far. This workshop will be quite expensive to run and, therefore, all parents are requested to contribute towards the cost. A letter will be sent out after half-term. Should any parents wish their child not to attend, they will be allocated a convenient room with a covering staff member and their teacher will supply appropriate work.

75th Celebrations/Summer Fete

The school’s 75th Anniversary celebrations are due this Summer and this very special occasion is to be combined with the Summer Fete on Saturday 12 June. Details will follow in due course, but please be aware that pupils will be involved with the celebrations during the afternoon. The F.O.G. Committee will once again be requiring offers of help to run stalls etc. and they will be asking parents in the near future.

F.O.G Meeting/Update

Due to inclement weather and parental commitments, the last meeting was eventually held on 3rd February 2010. Many items were discussed including the purchase of laptops, another basketball hoop, the forthcoming Quiz Night and the Summer Fete/75th Celebrations.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 24 February at 3.20pm in the library. Do make every effort to attend. The meeting usually lasts for approximately 40 minutes where future events are discussed for the benefit of ALL pupils in the school.

Laptops are now in the process of being organised and this purchase has only been able to go ahead due to the stalwart fundraising efforts of the Friends of Goodrington and the leadership of the committee. Our grateful thanks extends to them all.

Quiz Night

Following the successful inaugural Quiz Night in the Autumn Term, another one has been arranged for Friday 26 March at The David Lloyd Gym in Gidea Park. Tickets will go on sale after half-term at £8 each. Start organising your table (maximum 6 per table) and brushing up on your general knowledge in time for this social evening. Martin Day will once again be our Quiz Master and a light finger buffet will be included in the price of the ticket.

Seminar/Parents Evening

I have received notification of an important Head Teachers Seminar on the evening of Wednesday 3 March 2010. This unfortunately has clashed with the original date given for Parents Evening. The new date for Parents Evening will be Wednesday 10 March 2010 and I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.

Carol Concert

This annual concert has been arranged for Monday 13 December at 6pm. Please make a note in your diary.

Pantomime

We have already made a booking to take all the pupils to see Aladdin, at the Queen’s Theatre, on Tuesday 14 December 2010. This always proves to be a very popular outing with both pupils and parents, and more details will be sent out to you in the Autumn Term.

Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

Sainsbury’s Active Kids 2010 has launched, and vouchers will be available from Sainsbury’s stores, petrol stations and with online groceries between 17 February and 8 June 2010. Our collecting box is already sitting in the hallway, so please start collecting your vouchers next week and bring them into school as Sainsbury’s have many exciting resources that we can purchase with our vouchers.

Pupil Achievements

Year 4

Tami participated in the Romford Festival on Saturday 6 February and came second in the Modern Junior Category.

Term Dates

Please be advised that Term Dates for the remainder of this academic year, and the academic year 2010/11 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 22 February 2010 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs J.R. Ellenby
Head Teacher

Newsletter · 15 December 2009

Dear Parents

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

Transport For London: School Accreditation Scheme

We have now received our Bronze Sustainable Level Accreditation certificate and plaque in the TFL STAR scheme. The certificate is on display on our Travel Plan notice board and the plaque will be erected in a suitable place for all to see in the near future.

Reception Teacher

Having re-advertised and interviewed a number of applicants for this post, I am pleased to announce that Mrs Cheryl Carter has secured this position and will be joining the school on January 7th 2010. A letter has previously been sent to all parents.
Mrs Carter came into school on November 27th to meet with everyone and organise her planning for next term.

Courses

The following members of staff have recently been on training courses in order to keep up to date with the latest information:

Mrs Richardson and Mrs Ellenby have attended a course run by Havering Council on Sexual Exploitation and Child Trafficking.

Mrs Ellenby attended a Lighthouse course on Leading and Managing Staff.

Mrs. Terry attended a Makaton for Beginners Course and a Problem Solving, Numeracy and Reasoning course.

School Trips

These are in the process of being organised and so far the following year groups have been booked:

Years 2, 3, and 4 will be visiting The Wimbledon Museum on Wednesday 17th March 2010.

Details of all other trips will be given to you nearer the time.

Washing hands

With illnesses in the school prior to the end of term, it is vital that pupils continue to wash their hands thoroughly. Whilst the staff do their very best to instil good hygiene practice in the pupils, there are still a number who do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Please remind pupils during the holiday of this very important part of hygiene to help us all avoid the many infections/diseases that can be spread in this way.

Contagious Illnesses/Absence Notification

Please ensure that you do not send your child to school with a contagious illness or a bad cough or cold, as being in a small community, germs and viruses are easily spread to other pupils and staff.

If your child is absent from school, please ensure that you inform the school office by 9.30am, and then send in an absence letter addressed to your child’s teacher upon their return to school.

Medicine in School

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. Medicine cannot be administered in school, without firstly obtaining a parent’s signature. Under no circumstances, may medicine be placed into a child’s book bag or lunch bag for them to administer themselves.

Pupil Profile Week

The Pupil Profile books were added to by the pupils in Reception and up to Year 6, and were sent home on Friday 13th November. Judging from the feedback on the enclosed sheets in the books, I can see you enjoyed reading the work covered by your child and that you could see an improvement from the last time they were sent home. This exercise will be repeated again in approximately six months time.

Library visits

The following visits to Hornchurch Library have been arranged for the following year groups:

On Tuesday 19 January 2010, Years 3 and 4 will visit at 9.45am.

On Tuesday 26 January 2010, Years 5 and 6 will visit at 9.45am.

These are to reinforce the visits made earlier in the year on the general workings of our local library.

Librarian, Margaret Harris, will visit the school on Tuesday February 2nd 2010, where she will be speaking to the Nursery, Reception, Yr 1 and Yr 2 on a class by class basis.

Anti-Bullying Week

This ran from 16th to 20th November with the theme of Cyber-bullying. An assembly covered this issue and staff reinforced this further during their PSHE time.

Children in Need

This was held on Friday 20th November. The pupils and staff embraced this fund-raising to wear something yellow or spotty on the day. Once again, your generosity for this event raised £82 which has been duly forwarded to the BBC charity. Thank you everyone for your support and contributions. A certificate thanking us all for our achievement will arrive in school in due course.

Christmas Tree

The tree was erected by the side entrance on Friday 20th November with Yr 6 pupils decorating it. As always, they created a very pretty and colourful tree to greet us all when coming into school in the mornings.

Christmas Fayre

A decision was made not to hold this event due to a lack of support. There really was just too much for the committee to do in the remaining time before the event. More parents are still needed to help when events are organised. Please support FOG in whatever way you can, so that functions can go ahead in the future.

Parking

There have been a number of issues lately with parking and I recently sent out a letter to parents. Fridays now seem to have more problems than in the past and I am monitoring the situation. I now have to deal with more and more complaints from the local residents. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to diffuse the situation between the neighbours and the school, and I would ask again ask you to be extremely mindful of your driving and parking in Walden Road.

Tracking Tests

These tests took place for Years 3-6 in the week beginning 7.12.09. The tests were in Numeracy and Literacy, along with a teacher assessment for Science. The results allow staff to ensure their pupils are ‘on track’ with their learning.

Lost Property

Since the beginning of the Autumn Term, a number of items that are not named have been placed in the lost property box. Please come into school and check the box if your child is missing any clothing.

School Uniform

During the holiday, please check all items of your child’s uniform to ensure that each piece is clearly and securely labelled. If you have items that have been passed on from other pupils, please ensure that your child’s name is clearly marked on the item.

The holiday is also a good opportunity to have your child’s blazer cleaned, ready for the new Term.

P.E. Kit

All pupils need the school’s grey sweatshirt and jogging bottoms now the weather is colder. These items should be purchased from Kinda’s, the school outfitters in Upminster.

Carol Concert Cover Competition

Our annual competition was held in November in preparation for the programmes to be printed. The winners were Felicity in Year 6 (front cover) and Grace in Year 1 (inside front cover). They received a set of colouring pencils and felt pens respectively. Congratulations to them both and thank you to all those pupils who entered.

Nursery/Reception Christmas Party

These classes held their Christmas Party on Monday 7th December. Thank you to all the parents who supplied food and drink. Everyone had a good time with music, games and a surprise visit from Father Christmas who handed each of the pupils a present.

Queen’s Theatre Carol Singing/Pantomime

This was held on Friday 11th December for Reception to Year 6 with the Nursery pupils joining us at the theatre for the pantomime. Parents, family, friends and the general public joined in with traditional and non-traditional carols in the foyer to put everyone into the festive spirit. Thank you to all the parents who helped escort the pupils to the theatre and to those who contributed the amount of £135 for St Francis Hospice.

It was helpful after the show for the pupils and helpers to remain in the auditorium, so that parents could collect their children from there. It avoided any confusion with the general public and made sure that every pupil had gone home safely.

Thank you to FOG who purchased a lolly for each of the pupils during the interval

St. Andrew’s Carol Concert

Our annual Carol Concert was held on Monday 14th December at 6pm. This event is one of the highlights of the year, with all pupils from the Nursery to Year 6 participating. A traditional format of carols and readings and the ever delightful Nursery and Reception acting the Nativity Scene made for a very special evening. This year, the Year 6 pupils under the direction of Mrs. Wiltshire, performed ‘Sing a Happy Christmas Song’ using percussion instruments.

Our thanks go to Parish Youth Worker, Mrs Pat Miller, who took part in our concert. The retiring collection of £220 was raised for St. Andrew’s as a thank you for letting us host our Carol Concert in the beautiful church.

F.O.G Christmas Raffle

Thank you to all those parents who donated prizes and bought raffle tickets. The draw took place yesterday morning and the raffle raised a fantastic £217.00. Congratulations to all the lucky winners!

Nursery Places for September 2010

Nursery places for September 2010 are filling fast. If you have a child who has reached the age of 3 by 31st August 2010 and you would like to reserve a place, please ensure 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 2010.

Information Evening – Nursery to Reception Transition

I would like to give Nursery parents advance notice of a meeting to be held on Wednesday 20th January 2010 at 7pm, regarding the transition of Nursery children into our Reception class in September 2010.

It is an opportunity to learn about how the Reception class is run in the main school and for parents to see the benefits of their child progressing into our Reception class. If you would like to reserve a place for your Nursery child, it is essential that you attend this meeting, as we have an existing waiting list for Reception 2010.

Stamps

We are continuing to send stamps off to The Royal Mail for their chosen charity, Barnados. Please collect your stamps from your Christmas mail and give them into the office when we return after the holiday, when they will be sent off by the end of January.

Collecting Pupils

It is very important that the school are informed if your arrangements change for collecting your child at the end of the day. Ideally Mrs. Williams should be telephoned prior to 2.45pm, so that the relevant member of staff can be informed. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Passports

If you wish to review your passports, I am more than happy to complete the relevant documentation for you. Please drop the form and photograph into the school office and Mrs Williams will ensure that it is passed onto me to complete. Due to my teaching/office commitments, I would be grateful if your form could be brought into school in good time.

New Pupils

I am delighted to welcome Jimmy and Sahara to Goodrington Nursery in January 2010. We wish them every success and a fulfilling education at Goodrington.

Chess Club

As we do not have any after school club activities on a Monday evening at present, I have been trying to organise a chess club. This has taken me quite some time and despite being in contact with a number of chess federations and local clubs, I still have not been able to source a tutor. If any parent knows of anyone who would be willing to make a commitment to tutor the older pupils from 3.30pm until 4.30pm each Monday evening, please let Mrs. Williams know in the office on our return in January. I have to point out that in line with current government regulations anyone who is offering to take on this tutoring would need to have no objection to having an enhanced CRB check, as they would be working with pupils of the school.

Year 4

Bradley plays football for County Park and won a trophy for Man of the Match on 13.12.09, against Ridgeway Rovers.

Year 3

Tami received her Brownie Holiday Advanced Badge, after having already received a Brownie Holiday Badge. Tami had to make a poster showing her favourite things about Brownie holiday, help organise an activity with her Brownie friends and be kind and helpful to Brownies who had never been on holiday. Tami also helped plan the holiday and learn all about the Country Code, Green Cross Code and the Water Safety Code.

Past Pupil Achievements

Mark Weatherup (1991-1999)

Having finished university in June, Mark had the opportunity to carry out work experience for Ferrari’s News Agency, The Sun, and The News of the World. In October, he started work as a reporter on the Ilford Recorder. He has covered a wide range of stories and achieved his first front page splash in November.

Simon Weatherup (1993-2001)

Simon left Coopers in the Summer with 2 ‘A’ Levels and is now taking time out travelling. He left for Bangkok in early November, made his way through Thailand to Singapore and is now in Australia. He will continue onto New Zealand and finish with 2 weeks in Fiji before returning home in March.

Lucy Weatherup (1996-2004)

Having passed 11 GCSE’s with A* to C grades in the Summer, Lucy is now at Cooper’s Sixth Form where she is taking ‘A’ Level Psychology, Geography, P.E., Business Studies and General Studies. Lucy was thrilled to be made school gymnastics captain in September which involves running and choreographing the U13,16 and 19’s gymnastic teams. Lucy achieved her senior gymnastics colours and was awarded the Gymnast of the Year trophy at the recent School Sports Presentation Evening. Lucy continues to dance, do cheerleading and club gymnastics in her spare time and after recently auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent with her Cheerleading Squad, Pulse, is hoping to get through to the televised auditions in February.

Caitlin Terry (left July 2009)

During the October half-term Caitlin entered a handy Pony competition at the riding school she attends. Caitlin took first place in the competition after competing with 25 other children. Well done, Caitlin.

Caitlin is now attending Brentwood County High School and is thriving, consistently achieving excellent academic results.

Presents to Staff

Your generosity once again to the staff at this time of year is overwhelming. Where possible, staff have thanked you personally for the gifts they have received. Inevitably, at this busy time, some of you may have been missed. May I thank you all via this newsletter for being so kind.

This term has rushed by. No sooner have we started the academic year in September, when Christmas is suddenly upon us. It is a wonderful time of the year and is magical for the younger and older pupils alike.

Season’s Greetings to each and every one of you and thank you all for your continued support.

I look forward to seeing you all when we return on Thursday 7th January 2010 at 8.45am with prompt registration at 9.00am.

Yours sincerely

Mrs J R Ellenby
Head Teacher

Newsletter · 15 October 2009

Dear Parents

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

Transport For London: School Accreditation Scheme

We have recently achieved and been awarded Sustainable Level Accreditation in the TFL STAR scheme. The awards ceremony is at the Emirates Stadium on October 23rd and we will receive our award after the event. Thank you to everyone who continues to embrace the school’s Travel Plan Strategies. Your support is invaluable.

Barrier

The new roadside barrier was erected outside the school on Monday 21st September and I am sure you will agree this replacement is a great improvement. Mrs. Richardson re-attached the pupils’ posters and the Walk to School banner the following day, only to find the main banner had been ‘stolen’ overnight, when she came into school early on the Wednesday morning. I ordered another one immediately from the School Travel Plan Team and this is now on display.

Unfortunately, younger siblings of pupils at the school have recently been seen tugging and partly pulling off the laminated posters that the pupils have designed and worked hard on. Whilst waiting for pupils to come out of school in the evening, please ensure that these posters are not touched and damaged. Pupils have been disappointed to see their work spoilt in this way.

School Car Park

Please may I remind parents not to use the school car park at any time of the day. I recently had to attend a very important meeting straight after school, and had difficulty leaving promptly, as parents had blocked a number of staff cars in the school car park.

Furthermore, we have to account for all cars in our school grounds, and recently a car was left in the car park all day while the parent went off elsewhere. Please do not use our grounds as a source of free parking for the day. In future, I will need to inform the Police if a car is left in the school car park. Naturally, if you have an emergency and the office has been informed, there will not be a problem.

Younger Pupils

Younger pupils must hold the hands of their parents/carers when coming to or from school. A member of staff narrowly missed knocking down a pupil recently when she ran in front of her car.

Ordering Books

Older pupils occasionally need to purchase a book or two to continue their studies at school. May I suggest that once the IBSN number; along with the title and author have been forwarded onto you, you place the order with Swan Libraries in Upminster. They have an excellent service where you can order and pay for your book(s) over the telephone and it will invariably be available for collection the next day.

Christmas Cards

The pupils worked hard designing the front cover of their cards to be sent off to the printers, so they can be returned in time for Christmas. They will be returned and distributed to the pupils after half-term. Thank you to all those parents who purchased the cards, which has also raised £100 for the school.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Linzi Coppick for all her help in organising this project once again.

School Photographs

The individual and siblings photographs were taken on 30th September 2009 and once processed will be with us after half-term. Thank you in advance for every purchase which will help to raise valuable funds for the school.

Photograph Albums

Miss Keens worked tirelessly during the summer holidays to collate and mount photographs taken over many years at Goodrington School. They are now located in the library for you to view, should you wish. We will now add to these albums as new photographs are taken of the various events held at the school.

Collecting Stamps

As mentioned in the welcome back letter in September, The Royal Mail are collecting used stamps for charity. Whilst many letters these days do not appear to have stamps, please do collect the ones you receive so they can be sent to their depot. This is ongoing, so do keep collecting and sending them into school.

Suzanne Wiltshire

Our Music Tutor, Mrs. Wiltshire has been unable to come to Goodrington this half-term following an operation. Fortunately, she is on the mend and hopefully we will see her very soon. In the meantime, we have enjoyed having Mr. George Larkey, who has ably covered her Monday morning classes in her absence.

Community Police

Katie has recently replaced Colin Spash as our PSCO. We look forward to working with Katie and her colleagues over the coming months. The London Week of Peace was held during the week of 21st-25th September. Pupils worked on a number of issues around the subject and one of the Officers came into school on Friday 25th September to give a final talk and release some balloons which completed this mini project.

Bikeability

This course for Year 6 pupils took place on Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th of September. Many aspects of bicycle safety and riding bicycles were covered, including riding around the local roads. The instructors came to the school via contact with the School Travel Plan Team in Havering, providing superb information for the pupils.

Finger Guards

These protective guards have now been fitted to the doors which have the greatest use from pupils and staff, further enhancing everyone’s safety in school.

Sharing Assembly

The parents of pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 came into school on Thursday 8th October to share in our assembly. Pupils were able to show and discuss the work they have undertaken since the start of the term. Parent feedback on this new venture was extremely positive and I know the pupils enjoyed sharing their work at this time.

Years 1 and 2 will be holding their sharing assembly on Friday 12th February 2009 and Nursery and Reception will be holding their sharing assembly on Friday 28th May 2009.

Lloyd Scott

Lloyd Scott visited the pupils in their assembly time on Friday 2nd October and gave a small presentation about his recent ‘Dinosaur Charity Walk’ from Lands End to John-o-Groats in the far north of Scotland. We felt very privileged, as we were the first school to see his DVD presentation since completing his 1000 mile walk only a few days previously. The eagle-eyed amongst you will know that this journey directly is not 1000 miles, but he assured us that his route took him a long way round.

He was able to promote our sponsored Dinosaur Spellathon which took place on Monday 5th October. I would like to say a big thank you to all your family and friends who gave so much to The Teenage Cancer Trust, a most worthwhile charity. We have managed to raise a fantastic £1020 which will be presented to Lloyd Scott during one of our assemblies after half-term.

Walk to School Week

This big event took place during the week of 5th to 9th October and you may well have seen a number of pupils from many schools walking to their ‘host schools’ with dinosaurs that had been made, for small events taking place. Our turn to walk was on the Friday and those taking part were Bradley, William M, William B, Yasmin, Megan, Amber and Aleera accompanied by Miss Keens and Mrs Murphy. Our ‘host school’ was Towers School in Hornchurch and the pupils thoroughly enjoyed their time there taking part in a Carbon Footprint Exercise. Many thanks go to Mrs. Richardson, who was able to create the most amazing dinosaur, to join the pupils in their walk on the day. Photographs are up on our events board for you to see.

Stranger Danger

A number of officers came into school on the morning of Wednesday 14th October to inform pupils about the danger of speaking to strangers. Pupils from Reception to Year 6 were most receptive to their talks, but I would also ask parents to continue to support the school by also reinforcing this very important subject at home.

Harvest Assembly

Mrs Pat Miller, from St Andrews Church, came to address the pupils at our Harvest Assembly this morning, and delivered a most entertaining talk. We had a wonderful display of produce, which will be distributed to the Collier Row O.A.P Club for the third year running.

You were very generous with your contributions and we know that the club members will be most grateful for your kindness. Apologies go again to parents for not being able to invite them, however, the hall space is always at a premium on these occasions.

Bulb Planting

Following the harvest, the bulb planting took place in the rear of the school grounds. Pupils are waiting with anticipation to see their bulbs shooting through next Spring. Again, thank you for donating your bulbs for the pupils to plant.

School Uniform

Please ensure that the winter uniform is worn on our return after half-term and that items are purchased from Kinda’s in Upminster.

It is vital that all items of clothing are clearly labelled/named so if they are mislaid they can be quickly returned to their owner.

Homework

Homework is set every evening and, unless specified, needs to be completed and returned the next morning. Thank you for supporting your child in this matter.

Holidays

Please avoid making holiday arrangements during term time. Your child will miss vital work which often cannot be covered with them once they return to school. Only under special circumstances will holidays be authorised, once the relevant form has been completed from the office.

Have a most enjoyable half-term holiday. Should you be invited to, or indeed have an early firework party, please keep yourselves safe. I look forward to seeing you all when we return on Monday 2nd November 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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