I can not believe that term 1 is over!!!
We have achieved so much as a school this term, it's fantastic!
Well done to all children that achieved 100% attendance this term. We will look at the data during the first week back, and ensure all children who received 100% attendance receive their award.
Well done too, to all the children that attended the Turkey trip. Mrs Funge, Mrs Harrison (and Mr Funge!) did a brilliant job looking after all the children, and I understand that their behaviour was exemplary. I really believe that being able to send our children on such an exciting trip is very worthwhile - something that those children will remember for many years to come!
Congratulations to the ELEVEN children who were able to pass their 11+ tests, and therefore are eligible to apply for a grammar school place. We are very proud of all the children who took the test - whether they passed or not.
I hope all the children enjoyed the Black History Day activities today - I know the mask painting and drumming went down very well.
Thanks too to the parents who have supported the school this term. Events, trips and activities would not be possible without your support.
Have a wonderful half term holiday and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on TUESDAY 6th NOVEMBER.
GR
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Safe journey!
During the early hours of Monday morning, Mrs Funge will be leading our first trip to Turkey!
Late last academic year, we hosted a group of children from Bilfen School in Istanbul. Bilfen is a private school and the children who attend the school are very privileged. I was fortunate enough to visit the school a few weeks ago, so that I could assess the risks of our children visiting Turkey.
The children who will be embarking on the trip are going to have a ball! Once they step off of the plane in Istanbul, they'll be treated like royalty - visiting the Bilfen schools, going on a boat trip, visiting the sights, smells and sounds of old Istanbul.
Let's all wish them a safe journey, and I hope they have just a BRILLIANT time!
GR
Friday, 12 October 2012
Outstanding!
I have been watching our teachers... They have been observed teaching Literacy, Numeracy, Science - all sorts of things!
The reason I observe, is to make sure that all the staff that we employ are working at an acceptable standard, and that if there are issues for development, they are tackled straight away.
When observing, I look at the quality of plans, the learning environment, the quality of questions, the quality of feedback and marking, the quality of differentiation. the most important aspect of the lesson observation though is whether each and every child has made progress within the lesson. Do they know something now, that they didn't know before....? Can they understand something that they had trouble with previously? Have they developed a skill which they hadn't acquired in other lessons?
In the last week, we have been incredibly lucky to witness THREE outstanding lessons!
Lesson one was a maths lesson. the way the teacher challenged the children, and ensured that each and every child was extending their learning was amazing. During the second lesson, the teacher was guiding children to look at the best language to use for different audiences. The complexity of the work, coupled with the determination of each child to achieve their very best, was inspirational. The final lesson was outstanding, because after over half the lesson, it became infectious... As a child I would have never wanted to leave. The children learnt so much through fun, inspiration, creativity and variety.
I want to ensure that every teacher at Oakfield and Temple Hill are working at a GOOD or OUTSTANDING level. "Just good enough" isn't good enough for our children.
GR
The reason I observe, is to make sure that all the staff that we employ are working at an acceptable standard, and that if there are issues for development, they are tackled straight away.
When observing, I look at the quality of plans, the learning environment, the quality of questions, the quality of feedback and marking, the quality of differentiation. the most important aspect of the lesson observation though is whether each and every child has made progress within the lesson. Do they know something now, that they didn't know before....? Can they understand something that they had trouble with previously? Have they developed a skill which they hadn't acquired in other lessons?
In the last week, we have been incredibly lucky to witness THREE outstanding lessons!
Lesson one was a maths lesson. the way the teacher challenged the children, and ensured that each and every child was extending their learning was amazing. During the second lesson, the teacher was guiding children to look at the best language to use for different audiences. The complexity of the work, coupled with the determination of each child to achieve their very best, was inspirational. The final lesson was outstanding, because after over half the lesson, it became infectious... As a child I would have never wanted to leave. The children learnt so much through fun, inspiration, creativity and variety.
I want to ensure that every teacher at Oakfield and Temple Hill are working at a GOOD or OUTSTANDING level. "Just good enough" isn't good enough for our children.
GR
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