March Update 2024

Science Week

The children are having a fabulous week enjoying many activities related to the theme 'Time'. Each year group is working on the following areas of interest: 

• EYFS- Our Planet Through Time
• Year 1- Observation Over Time
• Year 2- Right On Time-Marble Run
• Year 3- Sailing Through Time
• Year 4- Frozen In Time
• Year 5- The Development Of Time
• Year 6- Technology Through Time

Please look at Dojo posts to find out more about what your child is learning.

Early Years Nursery Position

We are looking to appoint a part time early years practitioner to our team. This role is eighteen hours a week and is all year round. The ideal candidate will have at least level 2 qualifications in Early years practice. Please contact the office for further details about the application process. 

Plymouth Youth Community Choir and Orchestra

A really fantastic opportunity has been created for our amazing singers and musicians to join together with Plympton Academy!
We are excited to introduce to you the: Plympton Youth Community Choir and Orchestra! Sessions will run every Tuesday during term time starting on the 16th April 2024. Any child in KS2 is welcome to join the choir.
The orchestra will be through invite depending on progress made on their classroom instruments.
This is a really fantastic opportunity for our YFPS singers and musicians to learn alongside their secondary school peers!
If you feel your child would like to join with the choir, please complete the form to register their interest: https://forms.gle/CGGL4wtewyLf1JxVA

Red Nose Day

On Friday 15th March, it is Red Nose Day. Children can come into school either in red or the theme this year is ‘Do something funny for money’. We are asking for £1 donation. Looking forward to seeing the amazing outfits!

World Book Day

Last week we all dressed up as book characters for World Book Day. WE had a number of visitors in to read stories to the children and we all learnt more about our favourite authors. 

January 2024

Attendance

Welcome back to the new term. The government is very keen to improve children's attendance across the country and we are encouraging all of you to try and make sure that your child attends school every day and is on time. Please make this your priority this term to help us to make the most of the quality of their education. We monitor attendance weekly and we will be in touch if we have any concerns. Please contact us if you you need help in any way.

Junior Field Gun Representation

On Wednesday we have been invited by the leaders of the Junior Field Gun event to represent the schools in Plymouth and receive an award at The Lord Mayor's Parlour. Two members of our team have been invited to represent the school and take part in this event.

Singing at the O2 Arena

On Tuesday 16th January we have a small group of thirty children from our KS2 choir travelling to London and taking part in a singing event with 20000 other children in the country at the O2 arena. We are very excited to be representing the school at this event. We will take lots of video for you to be able to share in this experience.

Indoor Rowing

On Wednesday 17th our KS2 children will be competing in an indoor rowing event at school. This is a very exciting event and our winners will be put forward to a city wide event later in the term.

Maths Workshops

Mrs Milford has planned to run two maths workshops this term. The first will be on Wednesday 10th January at 9am in the music room; second on Wednesday 17th and third on Wednesday 24th. Please do come along and find out how we teach maths and how you can help your child. More details to follow. 

Y4 Swimming

Our Y4 will start their three weeks of swimming on Monday 22nd January. This is a great way to increase their confidence in the water and takes place at the Life Centre which we travel to by coach every morning. 

24/11/23

Junior Field Gun Awards

In assembly today one of our field gun teams that went to represent the school at Stover Primary school a few weeks ago received individual awards for their contribution to the team. They achieved the fastest time recorded so far this year.

We have also been invited by the Military Kids Club to represent the city in a ceremony to receive funding from the MOD in February.

Assessment week

Next week we have assessment week to see how the children are making progress. We will be assessing maths, reading, phonics and writing.

Christmas Events

Please make sure you have all of the events in your diary and have booked and paid for your tickets.

Tuesday 5th December: KS2 Christmas Concert @ 2pm & 6pm

Wednesday 6th December: Brass Day for children in KS2 playing brass instruments

Thursday 7th December: Christmas Jumper Day (£1 donation for Save the Children) Grandparents' Christmas lunch

Friday 8th December: The choir sings in the city centre, all welcome

Monday 11th December: Christmas Discos F& KS1 @ 5-6pm, KS2 @ 6.30-7.45pm

Tuesday 12th December: Grandparents' Christmsa lunch

Wednesday 13th December: F&KS1 Christmas Nativity @ 9.30am

Thursday 14th December: Children's Christmas lunch

Friday 15th December: Santa's Grotto in the afternoon, St Andrew's church choir @ 1pm

Monday 18th December: Yule celebrations

Tuesday 19th December: Last Day of term

10/11/23

Firework Event

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our firework event on Friday 10th November. There will still be tickets available on the gate from 5.30pm. The display will take place at 7pm and we will be selling drinks, food and glow sticks. Please come and join in this wonderful event for our community. The display should be spectacular.

Anti-Bullying Week

From Monday 13th November it will be anti-bullying week. Children can wear odd socks on Monday and we will be having assemblies all week to discuss anti-bullying with the children. We have daily prefects and Play Leaders who support children in the playground and help our children to feel safe.

Children in Need

On Friday 17th November it will be Children in Need and we will be celebrating by dressing in anything with spots on it. We will be asking for £1 donation for mufti, selling cakes and collecting any loose change.

Grandparents' Christmas Lunch

We have now sent out the booking form for Grandparents' Christmas lunch. Please make sure you book in plenty of time as we can only have 80 people in each sitting. We will keep a waiting list if you are not successful in booking a place.

18/09/23

Junior Field Gun Event

Mr Deady and Mr Lamay have been blown away by the overwhelming number of responses to Field Gun this year! As a club, we pride ourselves on our ability to let children enjoy a fun and inclusive environment with a comfortable level of competition, ready for a competitive event in the summer. The fact that so many children know they are up to the challenge is something we are very excited about! This Saturday 23rd September we will be taking part in a showcase event in Stover. Please do come along and support us if you are in the area as the event is on throughout the day.

Harvest Festival

ON Thursday 12th October at 9am we will be having our annual harvest festival and you are welcome to come along and watch the children perform. The theme this year is 'Harvest around the World' and we will be collecting for the Foodbank charity.

A visit from Pantysaurus

On Tuesday 10th October we will be having a visit from Pantysaurus to talk about keeping safe. Please click the link here for more information from the NSPCC.

Volunteer Gardeners

Thank you to all those who volunteered to help with the garden. Can you pop in for a short meeting on Thursday 28th September at 9am? If not, please message me on Dojo and we will arrange another visit time.

Week Beginning 4/09/23

A Warm Welcome!

We would like to say a warm welcome to everyone to the new Autumn term. We had an excellent start to the term yesterday and the children have already settled into the daily routines. Your class teachers will let you know timetables and topics for the term through the Dojo app so make sure you are signed up! Pop in and see your class teacher if you still need to get this done. 

A reminder that children cannot arrive in school unattended until 8.40am. We have an excellent breakfast club available that they can be booked into if you need to drop them off earlier. Please book into this club in advance so we can ensure adequate staffing. We also have after school care running every day until 6pm but you must book in advance. Our prices are very reasonable. Please click the link here to see prices.

Attendance

Currently there is a national drive to improve attendance across the country and our local authority have a promotion to encourage this. Please watch the video to get the key messages by clicking here. Please try and ensure your child is at school on time everyday and avoid booking holidays in term time if possible. 

Grass Cutting and Gardening

We have the grass cutters coming into school today to work on the site and we are replacing the planters in front of the entrance. If anyone is a keen volunteer gardener, we would welcome some help to weed the flowerbeds and keep the vegetable patch under control. If you would like to be involved with this, you will need to have a short informal interview and we will carry out a DBS check. 

Week beginning: 03/07/23

A Fond Farewell

We are very proud that Mrs Archer has been successful in the appointment to Head teacher at St Peter's Roman Catholic School in Whitleigh. She will be greatly missed by our federation and Yealmpstone Farm, who have really benefited from her guidance on our curriculum design and championship for the equity, diversity and inclusion agenda. Mrs Milford will increase her hours as our Assistant Headteacher.

Mrs Sarah Turner, who has been a part time teaching assistant, will also be leaving at the end of term.

New Class Teams

We are pleased to inform you of our new class teams for September.

Pterodactyls (Foundation): Miss Foreman-Jessop, Mrs Milford, Mrs McKenna, Mrs Hardman, Mrs Green, teaching assistant apprentice

Apatosaurus (Year 1): Miss Alford, Mrs Jones, Mrs Lintern, Mrs Paraschiv

Patagotitan (Y2 & Y3): Miss Tregaskes, Mrs Pierce, Miss Millan

Spinosaurus (Y2 & Y3): Miss Shaw, Mrs Simon, Miss Sturgess

Tyrannosaurus Rex (Y3): Mr Short, Mrs Edmonds

Pteranodon (Y4): Mr Baker, Miss Wafer, Mrs Crossett

Velociraptors (Y5): Mr Robinson, Miss Allen, Mrs Irving, Mrs Stephens, Mrs Johnson

Diplodocus (Y6): Miss Burns, Mr Lamay, Mrs Murphy

Children will met their new teachers on Tuesday next week. The current Stegosaurus class will be going into Spinosaurus class in September and Apatosaurus class will be going into Patagotitan class.

Music Concerts

We are excited to have our KS2 music concert on Thursday 13th July from 5-6pm. Please book your tickets if you wish to come with a maximum of two per family at the moment. We would like as many children as possible to come and join in with this so we can showcase your work. We will also have a KS1 music concert on Tuesday 18th July from 1.45-2.45pm. This is for Y1 and Y2 children only.

Attendance

Please make sure that children continue to attend every day util the end of term. It is especially important that children are not missing out on all of the extra events that are taking place in the last few weeks. It is also assessment week next week and we will be finding out about the progress that the children have made.

12/06/23

Junior Ten Tors

On Friday and Saturday the Y6 Junior Ten Tors teams went out on the moor to complete a grueling twelve mile walk and camping event. They did extremely well and we are very proud that they all managed to complete the event. There will be an assembly on Friday 30th June where we will show a slideshow and present our certificates. Parents are invited. The cellos will also be performing at this assembly and parents of children playing the cello can also attend.

Healthy Schools Week

From Monday 19th June we will be having our Healthy Schools' week and we have a large number of energetic events and activities planned for the week. Children may wear PE kit to school during the week so that they can take part freely in all of the events.  The full time table will be posted later this week. On Friday afternoon we have a career's fayre for Y5 and Y6 pupils and we would love anyone interested in coming along to talk about their job to contact Mr Baker. 

The bike track rota is now up and running and children can access this for the rest of the term. Can we remind you that being healthy includes what you eat and drink. We would encourage you to offer your child healthy snacks and water if possible. Juice should not be brought to school, unless it is for a lunchtime drink.

We would also encourage everyone to make sure that children have a good night's sleep to enable them to focus and enjoy their learning. A bedtime of between 6-7.30pm is a good guide to ensure that children have enough sleep. Bedtime routines can assist with a calm end to the day. Having a bath, and reading a story to your child at bedtime enables you to bond and develop your relationship and gives your child an important opportunity to hear a story that they might not be able to read themselves. Please see Kelly Tompkins for further advice and support about bedtime routines.

Junior Field Gun

On Saturday 24th June we have two teams taking part in the Junior Field Gun event. This will take place throughout the day and we would encourage you to come and support us on the Hoe. It is usually a great day and we have been very successful in our training for the event.

Sport's Day

We are planning to have Sport's Day on Tuesday 27th June. KS2 will be in the morning and Foundation and KS1 will be in the afternoon. KS2 will start at about 10am and KS1 & F will start at about 1.45pm. You are welcome to come along and enjoy this event and support your child. Can we ask you to go to the playground to collect your child as usual at the end of the day so we can make sure everyone is accounted for.

15/05/23

Erasmus Partners

You may have seen our Erasmus partners around school this week. We have teachers from Spain, Turkey and Czech Republic with us and we are working on our STEAM projects together. The children have been presenting their work this year and we are having a science workshop led by Babcock as well as a visit to the wave machine at the University of Plymouth. We have made plans to work on a project over the next few months related to designing a device which will help someone to manage their vital statistics. For example, a device to measure heart beat and then show red if the heartbeat is above a certain level. We will do this with Microbits and Y6 will be working on the project. Our final meeting with our partners will be in October in Turkey.

Y6 Dartmoor Visit

After a busy SATs week last week, our Y6 class are heading for a hike on Dartmoor on Friday. This will be a five mile walk to prepare the Junior Ten Tors teams for their hike in June. The children will be able to see some of the tors and the Burrator reservior and put their orienteering skills into practice.

France Trip for Y5

After half term sixteen of our Y5 children are heading to our French Erasmus partner school in Brest for the week. They will be working on a project about 'Healthy Schools' and taking part in a number of activities which will be fully funded by Erasmus and the City of Brest. They will be meeting children from Turkey, Lithuania and Greece. We hope the children have a chance to practice some French and make some lasting friendships. The following week some of the children from the French school will be visiting us and spending two days in school. We hope this project will encourage our pupils to have a positive understanding of other cultures.

International Reading Results (PIRL)

We are pleased to see that the UK have come fourth in the international reading outcomes 2021. The executive summary states that the impact of a good phonics score in Y1 has a strong correlation with children achieving well in reading in Y5. We are very pleased with the progress that our youngest children are making and would encourage all of our parents to take ten minutes a day to reinforce their child's reading skills by listening to them read or practicing their sounds. Positive attitudes to reading at a young age ensure this vital skill naturally develops.

Currently our Y1 teachers are having meetings to help parents and carers understand how you can help your children. We will also put short video help online through Dojo and the website.

01/05/23

Non Pupil Day

A reminder that it is a non pupil day tomorrow as we are a polling station. Year 6 and the nursery will be in as usual. We are sorry about this and we have requested not to be used but we do not have a choice in this matter.

King's Coronation

We are very excited about our celebration day on Friday. We are all dressing in red, white and blue or coming as a king or a queen. We will be having our picnic on the field and we will be having a Royal parade with our crowns. At 3.30pm you are invited to join us for a Summer Fayre with some children in KS1, the choir and orchestra performing for us. We also hope the cellos will be able to perform for us at 4pm. PLease come along and join in the celebrations.

SATs 

Y2 have already started their SATs tests this week. Y6 start on Tuesday 9th May. Please ensure your child is at school every day and has a good night's sleep. We will be providing a bacon butty for all of Y6 each morning. 

Erasmus STEAM Project

On Monday 15th May our Erasmus partners will arrive in school for the week. The theme of the visit is STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and maths. Our Y3 & Y4 Grenville trip was based on this theme and we will be sharing some of our learning with the group. Y6 will be visiting The Box with the team and also we have a trip to the wave machine at the University of Plymouth. During the week Babcock will be running a STEAM workshop. The week will start with a Welcome  assembly and an opportunity for the visitord to share information about their schools and countries.

17/04/23

King's Coronation Events

Welcome back to the new term! We are looking forward to our celebrations for the King's Coronation which will take place on Friday 5th May. We will be having a Coronation picnic lunch on the field with the whole school. After school from 3.30-5.30pm FOYFs are planning to hold a Summer Fayre with children from the school performing several musical items during the event. We will also have a number of Coronation activities and we will be encouraging the children to dress up in red, white and blue.

Grenville House

Next week some children from Y3 and Y4 will be going to Grenville house in Brixham for our residential arts week. Children in these year groups who are not going will be working together as a class with Mr Baker and other Y3 & Y4 classroom assistants. 

School Uniform

Please can you make sure that your child has all of their uniform labelled so that we can return any lost items as quickly as possible. We have quite a lot of second hand uniform that we will have available to buy for £1 per item at the Summer Fayre. 

KS1 & KS2 SATs

This term we are preparing for our national exams and we will be starting with Y2 who will be having their KS1 SATs writing, reading and maths tests during May. The tests are carried out in a calm and relaxed environment with small groups so that the children feel relaxed. The final decision for your child's attainment is teacher assessment therefore the test only forms part of the information. We will try and make sure that children do not worry and feel this is just part of their normal school day. 

KS2 SATs will start on Tuesday 9th May for Y6 and finish on Friday 12th May. The children are well prepared for these tests and we have a well planned system of support for them.

STEAM Erasmus

On Monday 15th May our Erasmus STEAM partners will be arriving for the week to join us in work about science, technology, engineering, maths and art. There will be a number of school activities during the week related to these subjects.

27/03/23

Dates for Summer Term

During the summer term we have a number of dates when the school will not be open.

Non Pupil day

Monday 17th April is a non-pupil day for the children whilst the staff have training. Children will return to school on Tuesday 18th April.

May Bank Holiday

Monday 1st May is a bank holiday.

Thursday 4th May

We are a polling station so only Y6 will be able to come into school due to health and safety.  Y6 should bring a packed lunch and they will be kept in a separate area that the voters will not have access to.

Monday 8th May

Bank holiday as it is the King's Coronation. 

Monday 29th May- Friday 2nd June

Summer half term. Children return to school on Monday 5th June.

Chocolate Easter Egg Raffle and Easter Bonnet Competition

This week we are holding a chocolate Easter egg raffle and we will draw tickets on Friday afternoon. We are also holding an Easter bonnet competition. There will be prizes for each class.

13/03/23

Science Week

The children have had a fabulous week experimenting and investigating their science themes for the week. Please ask your child about what they have learnt. There will be photos and videos released on Dojo to celebrate their discoveries.

Parents' Evening and Reports

Today your child will be bringing home their annual  report. Please book a parents' meeting with your class teacher if you would like to discuss anything and find out more about how you can support your child. We can make additional copies for parents who are not living together. If you don't receive one today, please contact the office.

Book Fayre

The book fayre will be coming on Monday and here for the week. Please come into school before or after the working day with your child to have a look at the books. They will be in the hall area. Your child can buy books and other items during the week. We will take each class to visit the book fayre during the week so they can look at the books.

Y3 & 4 Grenville House Residential

We will be having a Y3 & 4 residential trip from Monday 24th April - Friday 28th April. There are still a few spaces available for the trip and we can plan payments over a few months if you need to budget. This is a wonderful experience for the children to participate in. Pop in and have a chat if you want to know more details.

Easter Bonnet Competition

FOYFs will be running an Easter Bonnet competition again this year with one prize per class. We also have an Easter Egg raffle during the last week of term. More information to follow shortly.

27/02/23

World Book Day

The children looked really lovely yesterday and we had a wonderful day enjoying stories and discussing characters ans settings. We will be posting a short video of the highlights and the Book in a Box entries next week. 

Bright Stars Nursery and After School Club

PRICE INCREASE FROM 1^ST APRIL 2023

Following discussions with our school governors, YFPS have made the decision to increase the cost of sessions in the nursery and after school club from 1^st April 2023. We have not taken this decision lightly but we need to ensure that we can cover the increasing cost of staffing and resourcing, as well as the management and maintenance of the nursery site.

The new prices will be reflected in April invoices.

Science Week

On the week beginning Monday 13th March we will be having our annual Science Week. The theme this week is 'Connections'. Each class will be working on an aspect of science that links to this theme. The week will begin with an assembly then  class science activities will take place each day. More information to follow next week.

Red Nose day

On Friday 17th March we will be joining in with Red Nose day. The theme this year is 'Dress Up for Joy' and we are encouraging children to wear something that will make people laugh. It will be £1 donation and we will be selling biscuits for 50p. Here is the link for more ideas: https://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday/schools/primary

20/02/23

Strike Action

We would like to inform you that YFPS will not be striking next Thursday 2nd March. Please send your child to school as usual. 

World Book Day

We will be celebrating World Book Day next Thursday 2nd March. We invite all the children to dress up as their favourite book character and we will have lots of activities during the day. Here is the link for some ideas: https://www.worldbookday.com/

Science Week

During the week beginning Monday 13th March we will be having our Science Week. Children will be carrying out extra experiments and finding out about famous scientists. More detail to follow.

On Thursday this week, Y3 and Y6 met up with our STEAM Erasmus partners online and shared information about famous female scientists from their country. We learnt so many interesting facts so please ask your children to share this information with you and we will post the videos next week. Did you know Einstein's wife was a very able scientist and assisted him in his work, but never got any credit as at that time, women were not allowed to be given recognition for their work? 

County Lines Awareness Week

Next week is County Lines Awareness week. County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs. Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.

Our staff will receive training about what signs to look out for and we would encourage anyone who is concerned about any behaviour or activity that seems to fit this picture, to come forward and let us know so we can make sure all of our children are safe.

Please have a look at this link for more information: https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines

06/02/23

School Attendance

On Friday the local authority sent us information to advise schools on how to manage pupils' attendance. Obviously we are aware that there have been a number of very nasty illnesses but we would really encourage you to ensure that your child attends school everyday if possible. This week we will be contacting those families where we have concerns about attendance and inviting you in for a meeting to discuss how we can supporting you. We do not want the children to miss our on the wonderful learning opportunities available.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This week we are raising awareness of children's mental health and have a number of activities planned. The theme is 'Let's Connect' and there will be opportunities for different aged classes to work together to develop friendships and build trust. Everyday we have a fifteen minute collective worship opportunity where the children will consider an aspect around the theme 'Let's Connect'. On Friday we will encourage your child to Dress to Express and they can do this in anyway they would like to. We are not collecting donations on this occasion. Please take a look at the website for more information about the week: Click here

Safer Internet Day

On Tuesday this week it is Safer Internet Day. We will be having a number of lessons during the day to raise the children's awareness of how to use the internet safely. This fits in with protecting children's mental health and ensure they are using games and social media at the appropriate level. Please click here to find more resources.

16/01/23

Swimming for KS2

Y4 and a few Y5 will be starting a three week programme of swimming on Monday. This will mean that they will attend the Life Centre every morning and their core lessons of English will take place in the afternoons. There will be some staff changes about the school to ensure this runs smoothly. Phonics will continue as usual but your child's group maybe run by a different member of staff.

Number Day

We will be celebrating Number Day by 'dressing up for digits' on Friday 3rd February. This is to support the NSPCC, so please donate generously.

Mental Health Awareness Week

During the week beginning Monday 6th February we will be recognising Mental Health Awareness week. We will be working with the children to develop their understanding of how to have a healthy life and good balance in their mental health. We have recently established a mental health team in school to ensure we consider our culture and environment. The theme this year is 'Let's Connect.' ON the Friday 10th February we will be having a 'Dress to Express' day where children can wear anything they wish to express themselves.

PE Kit

Following guidance from physical health government board, Mr Baker will be sending out more details about changes to rules related to PE kit.

• Children in Foundation and Y1 are able to come to school in their PE kit on the days that they have PE as they currently do.
• Children in Y2-Y6 will get changed for PE just before lunch on the days they do PE. 
• Children must not wear jewellery to school on the day they have PE. New guidance advises earrings must be removed rather than tapped to avoid injury. If a child has recently had their ears pierced, they are permitted to tape their earrings. 

We hope that this will ensure we are smart, safe and hygienic in our approach to our PE lessons. At all other times full uniform should be worn.

Week 1: 4/01/23

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year to you all and welcome back to the start of the Spring term. The children have returned with enthusiasm for the new topics they will be covering this term. Please look out for the 'Knowledge Organisers' which will give you more information about the key concepts and themes they will be covering. Please note that those children who are in Read, Write, Inc groups need to bring their book bags everyday now as we will be changing their books more frequently. We are really pleased with the progress of the children, but where children lack confidence, we have started to have 1-2-1 or small group tutoring on a daily basis. Please remember to listen to your child read everyday as this will help with their progress. Once children complete the programme they will be assessed for Accelerated Reader and able to select books at their level. We have certificates and wards for both systems which are given out on a Friday.

Progress and Attainment

We were delighted to discover that we have come in the top 20% of schools nationally in our KS2 reading outcomes from July 2022. This shows that the systems are working well and we endeavour continue to improve our outcomes for children this year. We also had the highest percentage of attainment for our special needs children which shows that children are enjoying their school experience. 

Residential Visits

We are delighted to be able to offer a choice of residential visits once again this academic year. We have an arts' residential for Y3&Y4 children in April and an outdoor pursuits residential for Y5& Y6 in July. Please make sure you sign up for these if you are interested in your child attending. If you are worried about this, but would still like them to go, then please contact your child's class teacher and and have a chat. We do appreciate that this is an additional expense and we have tried to keep the costs as low as possible. They are very beneficial for your child to develop their independence and character.

Bikeability and Balanceability

Next week some of the children are involved with bikeability and balanceability. Please look out for this and encourage your child to take part if they are involved. We supply all the bikes.

09/12/22

Christmas Nativity

Next week we will be having our Christmas Nativity performances on Tuesday 13th December and Wednesday 14th December at 9.30am. Parents are welcome to come and settle in the hall from 9am after dropping off your child. The children are very excited to share with you their hard work this term. We do still have enough room for anyone who hasn't yet requested a ticket. Please contact the office.

Grandparents' Christmas Lunch

We will be having our second Grandparents' Christmas lunch on Thursday 15th December at 2pm where the children will be serving their grandparents their lunch. Please make sure you bring your tickets with you.

Christmas Disco

We have a Christmas Disco on Thursday 15th December. Foundation and KS1 will be 5-6pm and KS2 will be 6.30-7.45pm. FOYFS will be sending out more details next week. If you would be able to volunteer to help, then please let the office know. Children can wear festive or party clothes.

Santa's Grotto

Santa's grotto will now take place for the whole school during the day on Friday 16th December. FOYFS will be sending out more information about  this next week. This will be a a magical experience for the children in our outdoor grotto with the real Santa Claus.

Non-Pupil Day

We have a non-pupil day on Tuesday 3rd January and children return to school on Wednesday 4th January. 

21/11/22

Children in Need

Thank you for supporting Children in Need this week. The children look fantastic and we are delighted to have raised £522 to support the charity. 

Grandparents' Christmas Lunch

We have had a really positive response to our Grandparents' Christmas lunch offer. If you booked tickets online then you have been successful and should have been sent tickets. Please can you send in the money for this event to the office as soon as possible to guarantee your place. The children will be serving their grandparents with the aid of our Y6 pupils and children will sing and entertain them after they have eaten.

Developing Reading Fluency

This term we have been focusing on developing reading fluency. The children are making great progress, but they need to remember to bring home their reading books daily so that we can ensure this momentum is maximised. Please let you class teacher know if your child is not regularly bringing home their reading book. There are lots of awards and certificates for them to achieve as they reach the next levels.

Christmas Apprentice

This year each class will be making their own Christmas Apprentice item to sell. An order form will be sent out next week so that pre-orders can be placed across the school. On Friday 9th each class will sell any leftover items after school in the playground.

14/11/22

Fireworks Display

A huge thank you to all of the YFPS community for putting on such an excellent display for the school on Friday. The professional organisation and quality was second to none this year and we have been delighted to have fund raised over £1700 which will go towards helping us to subsidise school trips and other resources which the school desperately needs. You can watch a short video of the fireworks display at the bottom of this section.

Remembrance Activities

This week we will be having several activities for Remembrance. Y6 children will be selling poppies throughout the week; we will be focusing on WW1 as a school; we will have a Remembrance service on Friday at 11am for the children and we will have community members representing us at the service at St Maurice Church on Sunday where we will lay a wreath.

Children in Need

Next Friday 18th we will be joining in with the Children in Need fund raising. The theme this year is 'Spotacular' and the children are invited to dress up in mufti, wear spots if they want to for a £1 donation! We will be selling Pudsey biscuits and collecting any loose change you may have to fill Pudsey's head. 

Christmas Dates

Christmas dates are:

Thursday 1st December: Grandparents' Christmas lunch @ 2pm

Wednesday 7th December: Christmas Music concert @ 2pm & 6pm

Thursday 8th December: Christmas Jumper Day (£1 donation) & School Christmas lunch

Friday 9th December: Santa's Grotto @ 3.30-5pm

Tuesday 13th December: Foundation & KS1 Nativity @ 9.30am

Tuesday 13th December: Rotary event for the local community at 6pm

Wednesday 14th December: Foundation & KS1 Nativity @ 9.30am

Thursday 15th December: Grandparents' Christmas lunch @ 2pm

Thursday 15th December: Christmas theme School Disco: KS1 & F 5-6pm; KS2 6.30 - 7.45pm

Please put these dates into your diary and make sure you look out for tickets. We anticipate that Grandparents' Christmas lunch will be very popular and will limit the number of tickets to 2 per booking. We will only be able to cater for 80 in each sitting. Only grandparents can attend. It should be possible for all other events to cater for everyone who wants to attend. We will also make videos of each event. 

Week 6: 10/10/22

Harvest Festival

We have allocated 120 tickets for the harvest festival on Friday 14th October at 2.30pm. It is unlikely we can fit anymore people into the hall space. Please do not come along to the harvest unless you have a ticket to avoid disappointment.

Please send your child into school tomorrow with a donation for the Plymouth Foodbank. Now, more than ever, we need to support our families to help them to have enough food. We will be recording the event so that you can watch the video if you cannot attend.

Firework Event

FOYFs would like to put on a firework event on Friday 4th November. This has always been a very popular event, but due to Covid, it hasn't run for the last few years. This year we are delighted that the event is back on. FOYFs will be running the event and they will be advertising so you can buy online tickets. There will be a disco, food and a bar as well as some amazing fireworks which are due to last even longer than in previous years, so excellent value for money. Please come along and enjoy this event.

School Autumn Disco

FOYFs  have planned an Autumn disco on Thursday 17th November. This is a fancy dress disco and FOYFs will be sending out more information over the next few weeks. 

Half Term

A reminder that half term dates are Monday 24th -Friday 28th October. Children return to school on Monday 31st October.

Week 3: 26/09/22

Parents' Evening

We will be having parents' evenings during the week beginning Monday 17th October. Please look out for a Dojo message from your child's class teacher giving you more information. This is an opportunity for you to find out more about how your child is settling into their new class. Mr Baker's parents' evenings will take place after half term as he is on paternity leave from Thursday 6th October.

Erasmus Healthy School Project

We are pleased to be continuing with our Healthy Schools project with the next mobility during the week before half term. The children will be involved with teaching and learning playground games from each of the countries. We will also be sharing healthy food from each country.

Photographs

Please remember that it is individual and family photographs on Monday 3rd from 8am. Siblings are welcome!

Week 2: 19/09/22

Harvest Festival

On Friday 14th October at 2.30pm we are planning our Harvest Festival. This year we will be able to have an audience for the first time in three years due to Covid. We anticipate that this will be popular, but we will only have a limited amount of seating. Families can book up to two seats on a first come first served basis in the first instance. We will also make a video of the event and share it online. Please complete this booking form if you would like to book tickets. 

Music at YFPS

We are busy planning our music curriculum for the school. During the year, in class lessons we have the following plans for some of the lessons:

Pterodactyls: Class musical experience

Apatosaurus & Stegosaurus: Steel drums

Spinosaurus: Recorders

T-Rex: Ukuleles

Pteranodon: Brass

Velociraptors: Alto Saxophone 

Diplodocus: T-Bones and Baritone

Children will only be able to bring home instruments to practice if you have signed a form and paid a deposit which will be returned at the end of the year. We are also able to run peripatetic music lessons. We currently have spaces for drum, string or keyboard lessons. If you would like your child to have a peripatetic lesson, please contact the office to find out more details. If you would like your child to have lessons on a different instrument, please let us know so we can gauge interest.

Open the Book

Ridgeway Methodist drama group will be joining us once a month in our assembly to preform an interactive story for the children. The first event will be next Friday.

Open Mornings for New Foundation Children in 2023

Our open mornings for the new foundation children in 2023 will start on Tuesday 4th October at 11am. They will then be once a month on Thursday 3rd November at 11am and Thursday 6th December at 11am. Please spread the word and let anyone you know who has a foundation age child for next year know.

Week 1: 05/09/22

Welcome back!

A warm welcome back to everyone and we hope that you enjoyed your summer break. The children have all settled into the usual routines and we are keen to start our additional tutoring and catch-up sessions by the end of this week. Please make sure that everything is named so that we can return lost property to you quickly.

Due to government funding, we are very lucky to have additional staff working for us this year. This means that we continue to have our academic mentor supporting children with their maths across the school, tutoring sessions for Y6 and  catch-up classes for Y1-Y6. If your child would benefit from this support then we will be organising them to have additional sessions and we will let you know.

School Priorities for 22-23

This year we have identified the following school priorities to work on:

Priority 1: Embed the fluency of number facts and calculation methods across the school. 

Priority 2: Continue to embed Read, Write, Inc across the school and VIPERS in KS2, with a focus on reading stamina.

Priority 3: High expectations for all children to achieve age related expectations in their writing by Y6.

Priority 4: Continue to embed the new curriculum and ensure continuity and progression across all subjects with small steps in learning.

We will be working on plans to develop our school over the next few weeks.

Welcome to New Staff

We are delighted to welcome the following new staff to YFPS:

Mr Robinson: Y5 teacher and music teacher for Y1-Y6. Mr Robinson has plans to develop our music offer and he is keen to set up and band and choir. Watch this space for developments across the year.

Mrs Johnson: teaching assistant

Mrs Sturgess: teaching assistant

Mrs Nightingale: teaching assistant

Mrs Edmonds: teaching assistant

Mrs Paraschiv: teaching assistant

I am sure you will make them feel welcome to our school community and you will see them around the school.

School After school Clubs

We will be sending out a list of all of our clubs next week to start the week beginning Monday 19th September. Please note that foundation children can join clubs after half term, once they have got used to the school day and routines. Bright Stars after school club is running everyday as usual for all children, including foundation. Times are 7.30-8.45am and 3.15-6pm daily. Please ask for a booking form from the office. 

Week 12: 18/07/22

End of term events:

Please remember that we break up on Tuesday 26th July and return to school on Wednesday 7th September. We have a number of assemblies next week that you are invited to join in with:

Tuesday 26th July: 10am: Goodbye assembly for Mrs Clements, Miss Whiteley and Mrs Brookshaw

                                2.30pm: Goodbye assembly for Y6

We hope to have these events outside on the KS2 playground.

Mrs Clements will be leaving to launch her own doggy daycare business, Miss Whiteley will be leaving to start her PGCE course to become a teacher and Mrs Brookshaw will be moving to one of our nursery schools. If you would like to donate towards their leaving present please see the office. 

Bright Stars

We have a small number of afternoon spaces available for nursery children in Bright Stars in September, but we are looking to expand and therefore if you do want to book a place, please let the staff know. Our research has shown that we are one of the cheapest nursery and wrap around care providers in the city. We are also very flexible in our offer and we do not charge for hidden extras. From September we will have to make a slight increase in our prices due to inflation placing pressure on our services. Please click here for more details on nursery changes. Please click here for more information on breakfast and after school prices.

Mealtime Assistant

We are looking for a mealtime assistant to help out with lunchtimes next term. Please send in your CV with a covering letter to hprice@yfps.co.uk if you are interested in the role.

Week 10: 04/07/22

Statutory Assessment for Parents

Today we will be sending home the Foundation Stage reports; the phonics results, the KS1 results and Y4 multiplication results. Y6 data will be sent out next week as the file formatting is not downloading at the moment. Children have made tremendous progress in the light of the challenges we have had this year with the pandemic and other sickness which has affected the smooth running of our usual routines. If your child is still needing to catch up with age related expectations then we will have them in a programme of support continuing in September. We are very proud of all of our children for their amazing resilience and positive attitudes and the achievements they have made so far since being part of our school. 

Meet the Teacher

Children are looking forward to meeting their class teacher on Tuesday at 11am. Foundation class will be notified of their class teacher on their reports today. Those children currently in T-Rex who are going to meet Mr Baker will need to wear their PE kit as they will be having a fun PE session. 

Last two days of term

We have a number of assemblies and ceremonies on the last two days of term:

Monday 25th : 10am Cup Presentation - parents and relatives of children receiving an award will be invited to this event

Tuesday 26th: 10am: Goodbye assembly for Mrs Brookshaw, Miss Whiteley & Mrs Clements - anyone os invited to this assembly and we hope to have it outside in the KS2 playground.

2.30pm: Goodbye to Y6: anyone is welcome to attend this goodbye assembly for our Y6 children. We also hope that this will be in the playground.

Return to School

We are looking forward to the holidays and children's first day back will be Wednesday 7th September. If you require spaces in holiday club please let us know by Friday 15th July so we can ensure we have the correct staffing in place. 

Week 9: 27/07/22

New Classes for September

We have been working very hard to prepare the staffing structure for next year. There are teaching assistant interviews taking place next Thursday and this will finalise where support staff will be in September. There are only a few changes to teaching staff and we will only have one foundation stage class in September. This means Miss Alford is moving up; Mrs Brookshaw will be moving across to one of our nursery schools, Ham Drive and Miss Forman-Jessop will join the foundation stage team for part of her timetable. We are delighted to be welcoming a new member of staff, Mr Robinson, who will be in charge of developing music across the school. He will teach part of his time in Y5 and, in the afternoons, he will be teaching music across the school and also running a KS1 and KS2 choir. As children become more confident at playing instruments, he will work towards establishing a school band. This is a great addition to developing our curriculum.

Pterodactyls: Miss Steele & Miss Forman-Jessop

Stegosaurus: Miss Tregaskes

Allosaurus: Miss Alford

Spinosaurus: Miss Shaw

Tyrannosaurus-Rex: Mr Short

Pteranodons: Mr Baker

Velociraptors: Miss Allen & Mr Robinson

Diplodocus: Miss Burns

Children will have an opportunity to meet their new teacher on Tuesday 12th July.

NSPCC Healthy Relationships

Next week we will continue with the theme of healthy schools but with a focus on 'healthy relationships'. The children will take part in discussions and assemblies which focus on age appropriate ways to discuss the importance of consent in any relationship. Children will develop their understanding about what makes a healthy relationship and we will give them strategies for challenging inappropriate relationships. For example, we should never feel coerced into doing something we do not want to do. If you would like to support your child at home in these discussions, please have a look at the materials and ideas that could help you: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/sex-relationships/healthy-relationships/

Assessment week

Next week we have assessment week for children in Y1-Y5. We will be reporting children's phonics results in Y1 and KS1 results in Y2. These will be compared to national results from 2019. KS2 results will not be available yet as results have not been returned to schools. We are still supporting some children across the school with Covid Recovery classes as covid has had an impact on some children's progress. Our Covid Recovery classes will continue next September across the school and we are pleased to see that they are having a very positive impact in helping children to catch up with their learning. Children have had to develop resilience and manage their anxieties in a very challenging few years and we are very proud of their positive attitudes to learning. We have no doubt they will reach their full potential as we continue to work with them in small groups and help them gain confidence and develop their knowledge.

Week 8: 20/06/22

Sport's Day

We are looking forward to Sport's Day which we hope to be able to take place on Friday 24th June. KS2 will be in the morning at 10am and Foundation and KS1 will be in the afternoon starting at 2pm. You are invited to come along and watch the event for your child. 

Healthy Schools' Week

We have lots of really exciting activities planned for our Healthy Schools' week next week. This is a week where we champion children to be as healthy and active as possible. We will have workshops, competitions and games for the children to take part in all week all whilst celebrating both the Schools Games Values and the Commonwealth Games 2022.
The activities involve: Wheelchair basketball, Netball, disc golf, quick cricket, rounders, bell boating, mental health workshops, smoothie bike, boot camp, bike rides and much more! The children are welcome to wear their PE kit all week.
For more details please ask your class teacher and they can outline their timetable for the week.

Erasmus Week

Next week we have two staff members who are representing us in our Erasmus partnership, STEAM. They will be meeting with our partners in the Czech Republic and sharing some of the amazing art work that we have been doing. Next year the project will aim to combine all the elements of science, technology, engineering, art and maths into one project for the children.

Healthy Relationships

During the week beginning Monday 4th July we will be focusing on healthy relationships with the children. This will include an assembly and age appropriate discussions around the meaning of consent. It is very important that the children learn what the qualities of a healthy relationship are so they develop a positive emotional well-being.

Junior Feld Gun

We are very excited about taking part in the Junior Field Gun event on Saturday 25th June on the Hoe as part of Armed Forces week. Please come along and cheer us on if you are out and about. We have several runs throughout the day from 10.30am. We are very proud of our team. Huge thanks to Mr Deady and Mr Lamay for their energy and commitment to this event. 

Week 6: 06/06/22

Ofsted Report

Thank you for all of your support during our recent inspection. I will be able to give you feedback as soon as the report is made public and I will post it for you to read. 

Junior Ten Tors

On Friday 17th and Saturday 18th Y6 will have their Junior Ten Tors event. The team will walk approximately 12 miles and visit at least ten tors between Cadover Bridge and Princetown. This is a huge challenge and commitment from our two Y6 teams and we know they will do well and be a credit to our school.

Half Marathon

We have approximately 40 children participating in the 1/2 marathon event on Sunday 19th June. The children have been walking a mile a week for the last twelve weeks and they will complete their last mile after the 1/2 marathon runners set off. Please come up to the Hoe to cheer them on and enjoy the atmosphere.

Sport's Day

We are looking forward to our sport's day which we have planned on Friday 24th June. KS2 will start at 10am and Foundation and KS1 will start at 2pm. You are welcome to turn up and watch these events. Seating will be provided along the top of the bank in front of the KS2 building. Please wear trainers if you intend to join in with the parents races!

Refugee Week

During the week beginning Monday 20th June it is national Refugee week. Y6 are studying this area and we will be raising awareness across the school. 

Healthy Schools Week

We will be having our healthy schools week during the week beginning Monday 27th June. There are a number of activities booked for the children to enjoy and we will share the timetable with you soon. Children can come to school in their school PE kit everyday during that week. 

Erasmus Project

During the week beginning Monday 27th June we have staff travelling to the Czech Republic as part of our STEAM project. The focus of the week will be art and our children will be sharing their work with the other partner schools.

Week 4: 16/05/22

Holiday Dates

Please be aware that we are on holiday from Monday 30th May and we do not return to school until Tuesday 7th June. 

New Staff Join Us

We are delighted to have appointed a new caretaker, Steve Taylor, who was an old pupil of Yealmpstone Farm and some of you may know him. We are looking forward to him starting with us and feel he has a great deal to offer the school. 

We are interviewing for a music teacher on Monday as we are really keen to develop the musical opportunities within the school. We will also be advertising for a couple of teaching assistant posts which will be coming up in September so please keep an eye out for the adverts if you are interested. You will need a qualification in supporting children with their learning.

Jubilee Event

We are super excited about our Jubilee event that we are planning for Friday 27th May. There are a number of activities happening:

-  We have a bunting competition - please join in!

- The children can wear red, white, blue or purple and be dressed as a king or queen if they wish. 

- We plan to eat our lunch altogether on the field. Please see the menu that the kitchen are providing on the day.

- There is a royal cake competition that FOYFs are running. The cakes will be sold at our Summer Fayre

- The Summer Fayre will start at 3.30p and we plan for this to be in the KS1 playground.

- Some of the children will perform a Maypole dance.

- There will be a BBQ and a bar as well as the opportunity to play games and take part in a raffle.

- We have a royal throne available for you to take a family photo!

- We have a disco!

Please come along to this exciting event and celebrate the Queen's Jubilee with us. We plan to make it a very special day.

Attendance

Your child's attendance at school every day is very important to their progress. Please make sure you do not book holidays in term time as we are not able to authorise this. The government are very concerned about the amount of time children have missed from school due to the pandemic and they are monitoring attendance on a daily basis. We have always had a very good attendance record and we would encourage you to maintain this during Summer term. We are very pleased with the progress that the children are making and we really value our partnership with you.

Week 1: 25/04/22

Dates for the Summer Term

Welcome back to the Summer term everyone! There are  a number of dates for your diary which we would like to draw your attention to.

Firstly, we will begin our summer assessment cycle next week. Y2 will be assessed for their SATs throughout May in small groups. Secondly, Y6 will be having their KS2 SATs during the week beginning Monday 9th May. Thirdly, Y1 will have their phonics screening during the week beginning Monday 6th June and finally Y4 will be having their multiplications screening between 6th - 24th June.

Please can you make sure that children attend school every day of term. We cannot authorise holidays due to the importance of these tests and also the fact that children have been so badly affected by Covid across this year.

Saturday Family Gardening

Mr and Mrs Archer will be starting the Saturday family gardening club which they would like to run once a month starting on Saturday 7th May at 10am. This is a time for you to come along with your children and enjoy some family time together whilst helping to improve our wonderful school. Please let Mrs Archer know if you would like to come along.

Jubilee Celebrations

Keep the date free on Friday 27th May from 3.30-5.30pm. We will be organising our traditional Summer Fayre and have planned Maypole dancing, a BBQ and bar as well as games and stalls for the children. If you would like to help us to organise this event, please get in touch with Lisa Dobson, who is our FOYFS chair, by contacting the office. We will be asking the children to make bunting and would really like the whole community to join in with our celebrations.

Summer Disco

We are very excited to be starting the discos again and our first one will be on Thursday 5th May. Our Foundation and KS1 pupils are invited to attend from 5-6pm for £2 per person and they will be able to buy snacks and drinks. Please bring the children to the main school entrance and collect from the same place. The KS2 disco will start at 6.30 and end at 8pm and costs £2.75

We have a number of volunteers but it is always helpful to have more offers, especially for the KS2 disco.

School Clubs

Please make sure that you sign up for the clubs your child would like to attend this term quickly as we have limited spaces in some of the clubs.  

Week 12: 28/03/2022

Non -Pupil Days and Holidays

We break up for Easter on Friday 8th April. Please remember that Monday 25th April is a non-pupil day. Children return to school on Tuesday 26th.

We will then have a May bank holiday on Monday 2nd May but we are not being used as a polling station this year so we will be in school on Thursday 5th May. Summer half term begins on Monday 30th May and we have an additional holiday as there is an extra bank holiday for the Queen's Jubilee that week. Therefore we return to school on Tuesday 7th June.

Easter Celebrations

We are looking forward to our Easter celebrations next week. We have a number of activities that FOYFs will be running over the next few weeks. We are currently holding an Easter egg raffle with tickets available from each class for £1 a strip. We will draw the raffle next Friday. We are also hoping to have an Easter trail around our neighbourhood. More details to follow on Monday. On Thursday we will be having our Easter assembly for the children and we will be holding our Easter bonnet competition which will also be chosen on Friday next week. We hope you all enjoy joining in with these activities.

Junior Ten Tors Orienteering Event

On Thursday 7th April we have our first JTT practice orienteering event for our Y6 teams to take part in Central Park. The children will spend an hour finding the markers in the park and cover some basic first aid and survival. We are delighted to have two teams taking part in this event and we are very lucky to have so many staff committed to helping make this event a great success.

Parents' Evenings

Please make sure that you have signed up for a visit to see your child's class teacher if you would like to discuss their progress or have any questions about the reports. The children are all working really hard and we are very pleased with the progress they are making which is down to the team work between us all.

Covid Restrictions

We are really pleased to be able to return to a more normal way of working after Easter. The new guidance says that if we have symptoms of covid then children should stay away from school for at least three days and adults for at least five days. We will not be testing unless we have a serious outbreak, but we do ask you to remain vigilant to keep cases down if we can. Clubs next term can return to being mixed and we are reviewing our offer for the Summer.

Week 11: 21/03/2022

Science Week Feedback

The children had a fantastic week working on their science projects. We were really impressed with the quality of work and the science language and understanding they have developed. We are putting together a slide show for you to show the highlights.

Book Fayre

Please pop into the school hall before or after school this week to take a look at the book fayre. You are able to use your World Book Day token to purchase books. You can also have a look online and choose books by following this link.

Assessment Week & Parents' Evenings

Next week we will be running an assessment week to see how the children are making progress. We will also be sending home their reports on Friday 25th March. Parent evenings will take place during the week beginning Monday 4th April. If your child is in Mr Baker's class, he will be organising during the week beginning 28th March.

Japanese Sakura Tree Project

We are delighted to be taking part in the Japanese Sakura Tree planting project. On Tuesday 29th March the Lord Mayor will be attending our school to plant a cherry tree as part of the Japanese Sakura tree planting project. Japan have bought a number of cherry trees to be planted across the country as a symbol of the co-operation and friendship of our two nations. The children will be performing short poems and readings to celebrate this theme. We also have the the managing director of Kawasaki attending the tree planting ceremony. We will take a video of this ceremony and post it on Dojo so you can enjoy it as well. Please click here to find out more about the project.

Grenville House Trip

We are very excited that our Y3 and Y4 pupils are going to Grenville House for the week beginning Monday 4th April. The theme for the week will be Fairy Tales as part of our Erasmus project. During this creative week the children will enjoy art, dance and music workshops exploring this theme. They will be designing and making a huge mermaid to go in the stair well in the new build. They will also be visiting the beaches and Berry Head. This is a great experience for young children to enjoy together and will build resilience and character.

Week 9: 07/03/22

Science Week

We are really excited about Science week which begins on Monday 14th March. The children will be having daily science experiments all  linked to 'Growing for the Future' and we have linked this to sustainability. We hope to share lots of photographs and videos of the learning that we do together. Foundation would like any donations of large boxes and we are also collecting plastic bottles to help with some of the experiments. 

Annual Reports

Teachers are busy writing this year's annual reports and we plan to send these out to parents on Friday 25th March. You will also be able to book a parents' evening session with the teacher during the week beginning Monday 28th March. Please look out for the booking link on Dojo. We will be able to offer ten minute meetings face to face, virtually through zoom or by telephone: whatever is convenient for you. If your family require duplicate reports, please let the office know if we are not already aware.

Red Nose Day

Next Friday 18th March it is Red Nose Day and we will be joining in with fundraising activities. Children can take part in the following fund raising ideas: Dress up and make your hair whacky for £1; bring in Red Nose Day cakes to sell for 50p a cake; enter a video dance competition for 50p. All videos to be sent into the class teacher by next Friday when the class will vote on a winner from each class.

Please join us with fund raising for this great cause. Red Nose Day is coming. And whatever you do, no matter how small, you can help people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination. This includes funding organisations that are supporting people right now in Ukraine, and those attempting to cross the border. Because you have the power to change lives.

Week 8: 28/02/22

World Book Day

We are looking forward to seeing all the children today dressed up for World Book Day. Children have decided to come dressed as an adjective to describe a book, but children can also come as a character from a book they like. We are really pleased to see all of the Book in a Box exhibits that have been sent in and we will be sharing some examples of these - it's a great exhibition and we will make a video to share with you. During the day the children will take part in a variety of lessons and activities where they can enjoy books and stories together. 

We also have the MP Gary Streeter, attending school and he will be reading a story to children in Foundation and KS1. We will record this and share it with you through Dojo.

A Fond Farewell

After many years at Yealmpstone Farm, Mr Crocker has decided that he would like to enjoy his retirement which will start in May. We are very sad to be saying goodbye to such a valued member of staff and hope you will join with us in making sure we give him a good send off! Please pass in any donations and messages you would like to make to the office and we will be keeping you posted on the date for the leaving assembly.

Erasmus Plus Mobilities

Last week we had a mobility trip to Turkey to develop our project on Healthy Schools. The children in each school will be working on similar healthy activities that they will be sharing together through video link over the next few weeks. We also have a group of staff currently in Sicily working with a group of teacher on a project about Fairy Tales. The children in Y3&4 will be developing these themes during their residential visit at the end of this month. We feel it is really important to develop these partnerships during this challenging time for Europe and we value the shared values and experiences we have together.

Science Week

We are very excited about our science week that will run during the week beginning Monday 14th March. The theme at YFPS will be ‘Growing for the Future’.  The unit will be based on areas of sustainability, incorporating working scientifically, careers, reduce, reuse and recycle and the theme of growth throughout.

Each year group will have a different focus:

·EYFS- Our Oceans

·Year 1- Climate change and weather

·Year 2- Plastic Pollution

·Year 3- Deforestation

·Year 4- Our carbon footprint

·Year 5- Renewable energy

·Year 6- Air Quality and pollution

Each year group will have a link to industry and careers and a WOW moment to start their topic.  If anyone would like to contribute to the week, please let us know how you can help.

Week 6: 07/02/22

Bright Stars Half Term Holiday Club

Please remember to contact the office if you would like to book your children into half term holiday club. We will be open from Monday to Friday from 8am-6pm. 

Bright Stars Nursery

We have plans to develop the nursery further by offering more spaces by opening up another second room. If your child is eligible for a nursery space and they are aged two or above, please contact the office 343411 and ask for more details. We are one of the most flexible nurseries in the city and have established a very good reputation. Our children are very happy in the setting and integrate well with the school, taking advantage of all of the school's outdoor areas. Please do spread the word and share our Facebook page Bright Stars Nursery and our Instagram account Bright_Stars_Nursery

Covid Update

It does look like we are starting to hear some positive news about Covid on a national level. Locally our numbers are still high and in school we continue to have staff and children affected. Thank you so much for your help in keeping our numbers low. Luckily neither staff nor children have been seriously ill and we are hopeful that cases will continue to fall. We ask you to continue to wear a mask if you need to enter the school building in order to protect everyone.

Children's Mental Health week

We have a number of lovely activities taking place this week including making a portrait gallery of our entire school to highlight how unique and individual we all are and celebrating our diversity and shared characteristics. The children will also be taking part in yoga and mindfulness classes. Please remember to look at the resources here and share some activities at home with your children. Taking time out of your busy day to share a story or play a game together has a really positive impact on your family's well-being and children's behaviour.

Week 4: 24/01/22

NSPCC Number Day

For NSPCC Number Day on Friday 4^th February we will be coming to school dressed as a number or as a person, which uses numbers in everyday life or part of their job. A £1 donation per child is suggested and one child from each class will receive a prize.

TTRockstars are also having a competition on this day (7:30am-7:30pm) called NSPCC Rocks. We will encourage children to access this through the chromebooks in order to take part at some point during the day. Please also encourage them to get involved at either end of the day at home.

During Friday, we will use one lesson to focus on ‘maths in the real world’ and we will also have a whole school assembly online and in the the hall so that the children can share their learning from the day. We are really looking forward to enjoying all of the activities throughout the day and helping children to improve their maths.

Children's Mental Health Week

We are once again taking part in Children's Mental Health week which starts on Monday 7th February. The theme this year will be Growing Together. This is about growing emotionally and finding ways to help each other grow. Challenges and setbacks can help us to grow and adapt and trying new things can help us to move beyond our comfort zone into a new realm of possibility and potential. However, emotional growth is often a gradual process that happens over time, and sometimes we might feel a bit ‘stuck’. As parents and carers, you play an important role in your child’s mental health. Check out our free resources for families here.

Race Equality Week

During the week beginning Monday 7th February it is also Race Equality week. The theme for this year is #ActionNotJustWords

Our school will be taking part in a number of activities and lessons in order to raise the children's awareness of equality and diversity and discuss unconscious bias. Please spend time debating this idea with your child to help them to develop their thoughts.

Attendance

We are keen to support you to ensure children do not miss any school days unless they are poorly and unable to attend. Please request an Absence Request form if you need to take children out of school for our records. It is really important you contact school so we know why children are not attending so we can code correctly for the register.

Read, Write, Inc Assessments

Next week we will be assessing the children and regrouping them based on their progress with their recognition of sounds and their fluency. The children are making really good progress and we can see all the support that you are putting in at home is making a huge impact. We will keep you informed about their new groups once we have assessed everyone. Thank you for making sure reading books come back on a Wednesday so we can ensure everyone has a new book on Thursday.

Week 3: 17/01/22

Balance Ability

Y1 completed their Balance Ability course this week and are now feeling much more confident on the bikes! Well done to everyone who has taken part in the courses running over the last two weeks. Remember that children are encouraged to ride a bike to school at least once a week if they can!

Covid and Daily Attendance

As we hear the government saying that we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel for Covid, we are cautious about changing any systems in place to keep cases low. Therefore we will continue to operate in bubbles and wear face coverings.

It is clear that our children have been affected by the last few years, having to adjust to working remotely through lockdowns and then isolating if they have Covid, some children will have enjoyed this and miss being at home with their families - this is completely understandable. However, we all need to work together now to try and help everyone to get back into a routine where the children know that they must come to school everyday and be on time. We will try and have some rewards and incentives in place for children. Clearly we still have to isolate for at least five days if anyone has Covid. 

Heatree House Residential

Y5 and Y6 have received a letter about a residential trip for the end of the summer term which focuses on outdoor activities. Please take advantage of this if you can as it is so important to help our pupils to develop resilience and character. We have been going to Heatree for a number of years and found that pupils really thrive and enjoy the experience. If you have any questions, please contact your child's class teacher for advice. We can stagger payments with final amount not due until the end of June.

Number Day

On Friday 4th February, YFPS will be taking part in the NSPCC Number Day. Please can children dress up as a number for the day and prizes will be given to a child from each class. We will be raising money for the NSPCC on this day so we will be asking for contributions of £1.

During the day each class will be looking at how we use numbers in the 'real world'. For example, money in supermarkets, measures in cooking and time in sport..

Alternatively children can dress up as a person who uses maths in their job.

Collective Worship theme: Justice

This week we have been thinking about what justice means and learning about Martin Luther King. In America there was a national holiday on Monday and people used the time to reach out to their community and spend time together. It is an opportunity to reflect or campaign for racial equality and civil rights across the world. In school we have been thinking about fairness  and making sure everyone feels equal with their views represented. Please spend some time debating these ideas with your child to help them to develop their understanding.

Week 2: 10/01/22

Welcome back! 

Happy New Year to all of you and a warm welcome back to school. We have a busy term ahead of us and we continue to be challenged with managing the Covid situation which is affecting staffing and attendance of pupils. Thank you for your ongoing support to ensure we keep infection rates down to a minimum. We will let you know if their are cases in your child's class so that you can test through LFT. All work is accessible through online learning either with the google classroom link or Dojo. Please get I touch with your child's class teacher if you need any clarification. It is imperative that children attend school if they can, as we are aware of the impact of missing learning.

Bikability

We have started the Bikeabilty and Balanceabilty today for Foundation, Y3 and Y4. We have also secured three days next week for Y1. This is an important life skill that the children will need and they will be supplied with helmets and bikes during their training sessions.

Swimming

We will be starting a swimming programme for Y4 and Y5 this term on Monday 24th January and last for three weeks. During this time the children will be having their English and maths lessons in the afternoon. Please encourage your child to read daily and practice their TTRockstars. 

Catch-Up and Tutoring

The government have provided additional funding to enable us to help those children who have been adversely affected by Covid.

We have a number of catch-up programmes in place across the school for children who need additional support and confidence:

Foundation and Y1: daily 1-2-1 practice of phonics and number skills

Y3-Y6: small daily group work for English and maths

Y2&Y6: maths academic mentor (starting on Monday 17th January)

Y5&Y6: One to one tutoring programme for fifteen weeks (starting on Tuesday 11th January)

Children have been identified from our assessment analysis and are reviewed every six weeks. You will be given feedback through the annual report that will be sent out in March this term. These programmes are having a positive impact on all children as it means that all classes are slightly smaller and the teacher is able to focus on those who are making good progress as well. Every lesson counts to allowing your child to make positive progress so please make sure children arrive on time in the mornings. 

Week 13: 13/12/21

Merry Christmas!

At YFPS we would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! We know that this year has been full of trauma and shocks for many of you and that it is unfortunate that we continue to be managing the risk of Covid as we go about our everyday lives, but we would like you to take a moment to pause and enjoy our KS2 Christmas video which shows our pupils thoroughly enjoying themselves and sharing their festive cheer. I think this is an example of how resilient our children are and how adaptable we have all become to changes in our lives which are beyond our control. Please click here to enjoy our children's performance.

KS2 Perform at the Lord Mayor's Carol Concert

We were very lucky to be able to send a group of children to perform at the Lord Mayor's carol concert this week. Although the concert was not live, the children were filmed by PL1 performing in St Andrews church and will be part of the whole service which will be released on You Tube tonight. Please click this link here to enjoy the concert. It was a privilege for our children to be included in this very prestigious event.

Non Pupil Day

Tuesday 4th January will be a non-pupil day therefore the first day back for the children will be Wednesday 5th January. We look forward to seeing you then. In the meantime, please keep an eye on the news to see how the pandemic is developing and whether this will affect schools' returning.

Week 12: 29/11/21

Covid Update

This week we have had a number of staff and pupils testing positive with varying symptoms and we continue to to keep you informed if there is an outbreak in your class. We do still hope to be able to hold the nativity for Foundation and KS1 with an audience and we will make the final decision for this next Friday 10th December. Whilst we want to make sure everyone is safe, we also do not want the children to miss out on school time as this is so important for them. We continue to put all lessons on google classroom and children who are self isolating but feeling well can join the class on a daily zoom link.

Christmas Events

Please see the following table to help you to keep up to date with Christmas events at Yealmpstone Farm. We have a Christmas hat competition for the Christmas lunch on Tuesday with prizes for each class. 

Erasmus Update

We have had a fabulous week with our Erasmus partners and they really enjoyed making a healthy snack with our children. Y4 worked with the Lithuanians to see what was in a healthy Lithuanian packed lunch; Y5 watched a video that the Greek team had made about healthy food in Crete and Y6 made healthy wraps which are eaten by children in France for their lunch. 

Term Dates

The last day of term is Friday 17th December and we will be returning to school  on Wednesday 5th January.

Week 11: 22/11/21

Erasmus Healthy Schools Week

On Monday our European visitors will be arriving and we have a full programme of activities for KS2 throughout the week. The theme for the week will be healthy eating and healthy exercise. We will be focusing on what makes a healthy packed lunch and looking at a healthy packed lunch in Lithuania, France and Crete. Y6 will be visiting Dartmoor national park and hiking with our visitors on Wednesday and we will have an orienteering course for Y4 on Thursday. 

Erasmus Fairy Tales Week

On Monday 6th December a small group of our school will be visiting Poland to work with our European partners on our fairy tales project. This will be a very busy week with lots of exciting activities and we plan to work with the fairy tale theme when we take the Y3 and Y4 children to Brixham in the Spring term. We will post lots of photos and have zoom meetings for the children during the week.

Open Morning for New Foundation

On Tuesday 7th December we will be having another new Foundation parents' open morning. Please can we ask you to spread the word about our fabulous school so that we can continue to grow and develop. We have advertised in the local area but please can we ask you all to share any posts on twitter and Facebook so that we can encourage more people to attend.

Assessment Week

The children are doing really well in all areas of their learning and we are in the process of assessing them so that we can ensure we have matched learning needs accurately and groupings are correct. We are really pleased with the impact of Read, Write, Inc on children's progress and a number of you have asked about the order of the book band colours. Please click here to see how they progress. In maths we are also finding that the children are making good progress by practising Number Sense every day.

Nativity Tickets

We are in the process of allocating tickets to everyone who has requested them. You can imagine that this is a difficult job and we ask for your patience and understanding while we endeavour to make sure every family has two tickets to come and enjoy this special Christmas event. In order to do this safely we ask everyone to carry out an LFT before they arrive and wear a mask. We will not be able to sell mince pies and drinks so that we keep movement to a minimum. We are keeping everything crossed that this event can go ahead as planned.

FOYFs Christmas plans

FOYFs have been very busy planning a wide range of events for you over the next few weeks. Each class are making a product through our Christmas Apprentice scheme and we will shortly have order forms and pictures on our website so that you can place orders. The theme this year is 'eco Christmas'. More information to come via Dojo.

On Friday 10th December it is Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children. Please can we ask you to wear a Christmas jumper, make a donation and also bring an in item for a rainbow hamper which we will be raffling off. Each class will be given a colour of packaging to bring in. For example, if your class has red you may bring in any item for a hamper in red packaging.

On Wednesday 15th December we have heard that Santa is coming to our grotto and we will be visiting him during the afternoon. FOYFs will give us more information about how this will run. 

Also we would like to have a virtual competition to see how we all decorate our houses on the build up to Christmas. Please send photos of your amazing Christmas decorations to foyfs@yfps.co.uk and they will be shared via Dojo. All entries will be placed into a raffle and we will select winners for some delicious prizes. Let the festive season begin! 

Week 10: 15/11/21

Children in Need

Please remember that we are joining in with the country to fund raise for Children in Need tomorrow, Friday 19th November. The children can come in mufti or Pudsey outfits for a donation of £1 and we have a raffle where every class will have the chance to win a Pudsey bear. We will also be selling Pudsey biscuits for 50p and the children will be able to decorate their own biscuit in their classroom. This is a great way for us to support a very worthwhile cause and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Road Safety Week

Next week we will be focusing on road safety with the school and the community. We will be joined throughout the week by a local policeman and we will be encouraging everyone to try to leave their car and walk, ride or scoot  to school. A number of schools around Plymouth have closed their road this week to highlight the danger around the school gate at collection and drop off times. The school car park is not available for parents to use during busy times. We thank you for being supportive of this rule and keeping our community safe. We will have lots of prizes for children to win which are related to road safety. Can we also encourage you to remind your children about The Green Cross Code and practice this with them. 

Handwriting

We are having a big focus on handwriting across the school and we will be asking children to practice this at home as well as at school. Please look out for helpful examples on google classroom. Younger children learning letter names are learning little ditties which help them how to write the letter correctly. The older children are encouraged to join their letters and this can make handwriting look a little untidy when they are developing this skill.

Trauma Informed School Training

Plymouth City Council have invested a large amount of funding to train all school staff to have a better understanding about how to manage families and children who have experienced trauma. We already have this principle in the heart of all we do, but we are also attending the training and ensuring that all members of our community feel supported and able to thrive. Remember that Kelly Tompkins is available to speak and give advice and she can be contacted on her mobile 07740121503

Week 9: 08/11/21

Attendance

We do understand that there are a lot of bugs going around as well as COVID at the moment and this is having a negative impact on pupils continuity of learning. If your child is showing any symptoms of Covid then thank you for carrying out a LFT on them before they come to school. This has helped to keep numbers of cases in school very low. If your child has the sick bug then the NHS guidelines is that they have to be away for 48 hours from the last time they were sick. A few children are experiencing a very heavy cold with flu like symptoms that is not Covid. As long as they feel well enough to attend, please send them to school. 

Remember that school starts at 8.45am every day and it is very important that you arrive on time as lessons begin as soon as they walk through the door. All classes have lessons uploaded onto google classroom daily so you can always access learning if you need to self-isolate for any reason. Children in Foundation will be sent work through Dojo by their class teacher if they have to self-isolate.

Anti-Bullying Week

Next week we will be having anti-bullying week and we will have a 'wear odd socks day' on Monday to draw attention to the fact that we are all different and unique in our own way. There will be daily assemblies to consider the theme and we are focusing on the positive message, 'One Kind Word' and how we can all play our part in preventing bullying in our community.

Children in Need

YFPS will be fundraising for Children In Need on Friday 19th November. We invite the children to dress up in either mufti or Pudsey costumes for £1 and bring in your spare small change. We will also be selling Pudsey biscuits that the children can decorate and we will have a raffle where the children will be able to win a Pudsey Bear. There will be one to win for KS1 and F and one for KS2. We hope you will support this very worthwhile cause.

Erasmus Visitors

On Monday 29th November our first Erasmus visitors will be with us for the week. They are coming from Lithuania, France and Greece. Our theme for the week will be 'Healthy Schools' and they will be predominately working with Y4-Y6. The teachers will share with us information about their schools and countries and how they keep healthy.

During the week beginning Monday 6th December a small group of our staff will be visiting one of our partner schools in Poland. The theme of the week will be fairy tales and they will be able to zoom into our classes so that the children can meet each other and share experiences and learning. 

Week 8: 01/11/21

Road Safety Week

The governors would like to have a focus on road safety awareness during the week beginning Monday 22nd November. We are very aware that there is a great deal of congestion around school during arrival and departure times and therefore we all need to work together more effectively to keep everyone safe. During the week we will have a visiting police officer to talk to the children and parents, we will have quizzes and prizes for children to win and we will be encouraging children to cycle, scoot and walk to school.

Visit from William Quince: MP for Children and Families

On Monday 15th November we have the parliamentary under secretary for children and families visiting the school. We will be talking about the way we have supported our families and children throughout the pandemic and highlighting the areas of support families need in order to thrive. Please let us know any points you would like raised by private message to admin@yfps.co.uk

World War 1 Week

From Monday 8th November we will be working with the children to think about World War 1. Each class will be focusing on a story and historical information about this period of history. We will also have a Remembrance assembly with the children on Thursday 11th and children are able to buy a poppy or other memorabilia leading up to this date. Y6 are selling items on a daily baisis.

Christmas Events

I am sure that you are aware that the COVID cases remain high across the city, however we are really keen to try and have a little bit of normality for Christmas. Therefore we have decided to have a nativity play with Foundation, Y1 and Y2. The children will perform four times and we will allow two tickets for each child for one performance. Attendees must have a LFT and wear a mask to be able to enter the building and we will space seats so that there is plenty of room. Please do not attend if you have any COVID symptoms. We will also Live stream the performance so you can watch it from home as well. There will only be sixty tickets per performance.

KS2 will make a Christmas video and we will share this with you during the last week of term. I am afraid we still  cannot have our grandparents' Christmas lunch this year, but we ask the children to think about getting involved with a project where they make something for their grandparents.

The children will be able to join our Christmas lunch which will be on Tuesday 7th December and can be booked in advance. 

Week 7: 18/10/21

Oxford Owl Online Reading 

We will be giving out passwords for the whole school to be able to access online books which are linked to the Read, Write, Inc scheme

through the Oxford Owl  website. Your class teacher will allocate ebooks for the children which respond to the RWI books they are reading in class and at home. There are quizzes that link to the books, audio books and other ebooks available. When you get your log in details, select the 'Oxford Owl for School' tab and then 'student'. The  type in the name, password and school number. You will see a page with lots of choices of activity and books as well as a homework tab. 

Children who are reading at the stage above RWI can also access books through the login at a higher level.

Parent Questionnaire

Please take a moment to help us improve our school by filling in our online questionnaire. This information will help to shape our school improvement plan for this academic year.

Drop Off and Pick-Up times

A number of staff, parents and children are concerned about dangerous behaviour at drop off and pick up times. We do understand that you are all busy and can find this a stressful time of the day, however it is vital that we ensure safety. Mr Crocker will be making spot checks to ensure that everyone is following the rules to keep us all safe. Please do not park on the zigzag lines or enter the carpark as parents and children are leaving the school by this exit. Details of drivers not following these rules will be passed to the police. Please help us to keep our community safe.

Bright Stars 

We still have a number of spaces for children and we are offering a very friendly and safe environment for your children to thrive in. If you have a child who is eligible for funding then please come and take a look at what is on offer. 

New Foundation Children Open Days

Please spread the word that we are offering open mornings on the first Tuesday of each month up until February on the following dates:

Tuesday 2nd November from 11-12pm

Tuesday 7th December from 11-12pm

Tuesday 11th January from 11-12pm

Please do encourage anyone you know who will have a children starting in September next year to get in touch with us on 343411 or email admin@yfps.co.uk

Our pupils have very proudly made a video of the school.

Week 6: 11/10/21

PANTS

Don't forget it is PANTS week this week and we are sharing the message of keeping safe from harm with your child in a very sensitive way. Tomorrow morning in assembly Pantysaurus will be in assembly to give the children the special message. Please reinforce this at home as well using the wonderful resources online.

Erasmus Mobility Meeting

On Friday 22nd October a few of the staff will be heading to Serbia to meet our Erasmus partners for half term. We are focusing on science, technology, engineering, art and maths - STEAM and we will be learning all about how each country is developing these subjects. We will keep a daily update going on Dojo for you and share all of our learning. 

Parents' Meetings and Feedback

You should all have received information from your child's class teacher about when you will be available to meet up with them during the week beginning Monday 18th October to discuss their progress and development. Please do complete the questionnaire that was sent out last week so that we can continue to make sure we improve the school experiences for your child.

Harvest Festival

Don't forget to look out for the link to our harvest festival on Dojo on Thursday. Remember that we will be collecting non-perishable food for the Foodbank charity as part of our thanksgiving for all the lovely food we have to eat in our country.

Mountain Bikes Trials Show

Just to keep you up to date, we will now be having our bike display on Monday 18th October at 1.30pm. Here is a taster of what to expect https://www.fusion-extreme.com/schools Founder Matti Hemmings (who should be coming along) has been on Nickelodeon and Blue Peter so the kids may recognise him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1F2ivckn1w  I'm not sure which rider will be doing the show this time, but it's likely to be someone like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS6NhMQ5mpU Feel free to show to the kids!

Bright Stars Holiday Club

Please remember to book in this week if you would like to use the holiday club over the autumn break so that we can staff it appropriately. We do still have some spaces in the nursery and would love to welcome your 2, 3 or 4 year olds to join our wonderful setting.

Autumn Term Week 5: 4/10/21

Developing Fluency in Reading

We are delighted with the progress children have made with their sound recognition across Foundation and KS1, however we would like to improve the children's fluency in reading further. The best way to improve fluency is to practice reading everyday. Please can we encourage you all to listen to your child read for at least ten minutes a day as this will really help. In school we have daily reading time and lots of rewards to encourage the children. Another great idea is to read to your child at bedtime. This is a lovely way to share some quality time together and if you pick a book that is just beyond their reading age, they can enjoy the story and develop their understanding of story writing and vocabulary. We know that lots of children have televisions in their bedrooms, but the blue light from screens actually stimulates the brain and can stop your child sleeping. Nothing beats a good story! Please click here for some great ideas of stories to share together.

Parent Meetings

During the week beginning Monday 18th October we will be having our termly parents' meetings. This term they will be held through video zoom conferencing. and your class teacher will be contacting you all shortly.

During the meeting we will be discussing how your child has settled into the new term and which areas of learning they are currently working on developing. Please make the most of this opportunity.

PANTS week

During the week beginning Monday 11th October we will be joining in with PANTs week. This is a child friendly way of discussing with children how to keep themselves safe around child protection. We have a visit from Pantysaurus, the dinosaur who will join Foundation and KS1 in an assembly on Tuesday 12th October. Please click here to find out more about how you can support your child at home with this sensitive topic. 

Black History Month

We are really keen to celebrate the achievements of role models across the world and throughout history this month in our celebration of Black history. We are focusing on Black British role models at YFPS and this will be linked in with our collective worship and school values. Click here to find out more about how you can join in with us.

Autumn Term Week 4: 27/09/21

Olympic Visitor

This week we have the privilege of meeting our Olympic 110m hurdle guest, David King, who ran a great assembly and then sessions with each class. It was very inspiring to meet David and he really motivated the children in their exercises.

Dr Bike

We are looking forward to Dr Bike arriving next Monday to fix any bikes which may need a bit of repair. If you would like to book your bike in, please let Mr Baker know so that he can organise the day. Please bring your child's bike to the KS2 playground in the morning for Dr Bike. This week is cycle to school week and we are encouraging children to ride or scoot to school. Remember that there are fantastic prizes for the top schools and we were third last time! 

This will also help reduce the number of cars that are around the school site at the beginning and end of the day. 

Developmental Language Delay (DLD)

Our school is working in partnership with the Plymouth Nursery Schools' Federation to develop a centre of early years for Plymouth.

Part of this work will be to promote Communication Supportive Environments (CSEs). This means that we will be offering an excellent early years environment to enable children to develop their speech and language in both Bright Stars nursery and the foundation stage. We will also be offering training to our parents and other early years settings across the city. There will be a DLD awareness day running across the country on Friday 15th October and we will be joining the speech and language team on the Hoe from 5-6.30pm where we will see the lighthouse lit up to mark the day. This is to raise awareness of the importance of recognising how we can support children who have this condition.

Harvest Festival

We will be having our harvest festival on Thursday14th October at 9am. This will be a mixture of video and live presentations and we will record the event and share the link via Dojo as we still cannot have parents into the school site in large groups or all of the children in the hall at the same time. We will be collecting non perishable items for our usual charity - Foodbank. Please send you child in with an item to donate on Thursday 14th October.

Autumn Term: week 3 20/09/21

School Priorities for Academic Year 21-22

This month we are busy writing our school improvement plan for this academic year. Our school have identified the following areas to focus on:

• Continue to improve children’s fluency skills across all maths lessons by embedding White Rose and introducing Number Sense across the school.
• Continue to develop the children’s skills and strategies for decoding in reading through the introduction of Read, Write Inc as a whole school reading resource.  Embed the reading comprehension skills through VIPERS.
• Ensure all children who have been affected negatively by the national lockdown have access to additional support through the Recovery Premium and the National Tutoring funding.
• Embed the new curriculum and ensure continuity and progression across all subjects with small steps in learning.

We are delighted that children have settled into the new school year so well. Please make sure that you arrive on time every morning as the first lesson from Y1 - Y6 everyday is Number Sense maths. During this lesson the children have the chance to revise concepts that they have previously covered through maths games and activities. It is a short session to kick start the day! This is in addition to their main daily maths lesson.

At 10am every morning children who are working on developing their early reading skills have a phonics lesson. Your child should have a reading book which they bring home and exchange every Thursday. Please record and praise their progress in their reading diary. Here is the link to find out more about Read, Write, Inc: https://www.yfps.net/phonics-1/

Children who are fluent readers are encouraged to take part in our Accelerated Reader programme (AR) and have access to many books both in class, at home and through our library in school. Click here to find out more about AR. They can do online quizzes to collect points which entitle them to be awarded a star badge. 

Each time you achieve a new target you will get a certificate.  You can also purchase a star badge from the office for £1.

 All schools have been given funding to help support those pupils who have been negatively affected by the lockdown. On Friday we assessed every child throughout the school to identify who we need to ensure has additional support. This support maybe in class through short intervention sessions in small groups or 1-2-1, or it maybe that your child is working in a smaller class during part of the day to ensure they have the chance to catch-up with their learning needs. Your child's class teacher will be able to let you know if your child is in one of the groups for additional support. If you are worried about your child's progress then please discuss this with your child's class teacher. We will have parent meetings for the whole school during the week beginning Monday 18th October.

Some children across the school also have an individual education plan (IEP) where we have identified small targets for your child to achieve. If your child has one of these, you will be sent home the document to sign and this will be discussed at the first parents' meeting. A few children have educational health and care plans (EHCP) and they are in regular meetings with the SENco and other professionals.

We also have many children who have made great progress during the last academic year and we are delighted that most pupils are already working at age related expectations or above. Please keep up with the home learning as it is vital that we continue to work in partnership to help your child to thrive.

Autumn Term: week 1 06/09/21

Welcome Back to the New School Year!

A warm welcome back to the new school year to all of you. The children have already started to settle down and become familiar with the new routines and classes that they are in and they look really smart in their new school uniforms. Please can you make sure that you have everything named as it is easy to misplace items. 

Collection and drop off times seem a little strange at first as we adjust to everyone arriving and leaving at the same time. We hope that this will become more familiar as we get into the routine. Thank you for being mindful of other people and using the space we have. It is really helpful for learning time for children to arrive in school promptly. 

Topics for the Term

This week children have been having a settling in time and enjoying learning about the new class dinosaur names! This idea has come from the School Council and it also links in with introducing Latin, our new subject in KS2. Did you know that dinosaurs are named after Latin root words; for example, as Harry in Y6 explained in assembly, a velociraptor is named after the Latin 'velox' (swift) and raptor (robber). 

Here are the names of the classes again:

Foundation & KS1:
- Pterodactyl Class
- Triceratops Class
- Stegosaurus Class
- Spinosaurus Class

Year 3 – Tyrannosaurus Rex Class
Year 4 – Pteranodon Class
Year 5 – Velociraptor Class
Year 6 – Diplodocus Class

Read, Write, Inc: Teaching Early Reading Skills

We are now following the new phonics programme throughout Foundation, KS1 and for a few children in KS2 who still need to develop their reading fluency and confidence. The children are in ten groups that meet every day for a half an hour lesson at 10am. They will be assessed every few weeks and groups may be adapted so we make sure we are challenging everyone at the right level.  We will run some parent training sessions during the week beginning September 20th over zoom so that you can become familiarised with the new systems. This is an excellent scheme and we are very excited about the resources we have purchased. There will also be some video clips shared with you on a weekly basis so that you can see what the children are learning. 

A love of books and stories is vital to helping your child to learn to read. Our school library will be opening again this term to everyone so that children can take a book home to enjoy. 

For children in KS2 who are now on Accelerated Reader, we are continuing with our star reader badges and quizzing children. Remember that quizzes can be done at home through the website as well as in school. Children are eligible for a badge when they have read enough words. 

Soft Federation with Plymbridge and Ham Drive Nursery

We are very excited to announce that we will be working with Plymbridge and Ham Drive Nursery this year to work together to develop a Centre of Excellence for Early Years in Plymouth. We will share more news with you about this partnership as we develop throughout the year. Part of this work will be to develop the work of the speech and language team that work across the city to support early years children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).