E-Newsletter 162

Welcome back! 

Welcome back to the start of the 2023-24 academic year to all of our new and existing families! 

Reminder: Monday 4th September is a training day

Good luck Year 6s

I would like to wish our 'old' Year 6s the best of luck as they begin their secondary school journeys. It seems only moments ago that we were celebrating their time at Grendon at the special Afternoon Tea in July.

Welcome to our new staff members

I am delighted to welcome new members of staff to the school team. Mrs Dyson and Mrs Carter are looking forward to starting their teaching roles at Grendon; they are already brilliant assets to the school team. Mrs Rainbow-Smith rejoins the school as a teaching assistant and I am very pleased that she has agreed to return. 

Excellent results!

I am extremely proud of the current standards within school, particularly the incredible outcomes achieved by pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. All staff within the school played an important role in our Year 6 cohort's achievements throughout their time at Grendon.    

As you can see from the tables below, pupil outcomes in all areas are significantly higher than national outcomes - testimony to pupils' hard work, high quality teaching and wonderful support from parents.

PE

All of the pupils in school will have PE on the first day back next week (Tuesday will continue to be PE day for all pupils for the whole school year). As a reminder, children should come to school in their PE kit on their PE days (no need to also send in school uniform as well). 

If they haven't already, class teachers will let you know when your child's 2nd PE lesson of he week will be. 

Playground equipment

A huge thanks to Timotay Landscapes who have been working really hard to install the new playground equipment. It is really taking shape and looks fantastic. A special mention for Keith, the designer, who is the parent of one our pupils. Keith's remit was to design a structure that 4 - 11 year olds could all access and enjoy and that was also sympathetic to the natural surroundings. Keith has nailed the brief which is quite a relief as he has to look at it every time he comes to school!

The work will continue after the weekend and it is likely to be completed by the end of the week.

This project was only made possible with the huge allocation of funds from FOGS who work tirelessly to raise money and improve the educational experience of all of our pupils. 

RAAC

You will no doubt be aware of the news about RAAC (Reinforced Aerated Autoclave Concrete) in schools which has forced some of them to partially or fully close. 

The DfE commissioned specialist surveys of all schools, many of which took place before the summer holidays and some, like ours, which will be concluded in the coming weeks. The vast majority of our school survey is complete (all classrooms and corridors) and there is no indication that Grendon CE Primary has any RAAC present in those parts inspected. There is no further action for school to take at this point.

I will update you in due course with the outcome of the full survey as soon as it is ready.

GLK Clubs

Please see below details of GLK clubs for this half term. Links to the booking pages are hyperlinked from the images and so just click on them to book your place.