Willaston Primary School
Fair, respect, safe. This is how we do it here.
Willaston Primary School — the main entrance
From the Executive Headteacher
Max KellyMr Kelly’s October message · 1 min
If you would rather read than watch, here is the same message in short.
I am trying something a little different this month and recording my message rather than writing it.
There is a great deal in this issue, including dates for your diary: our car boot sale, the Hop tu Naa disco and our Children in Need dress-down day.
Copies of our newsletters are always available on the school website at willaston.sch.im, and you can use Arbor to update your contact details. You will need Arbor very soon to book into our parents’ evenings, and the details for those are further down this newsletter.
I look forward to speaking to you again next month.
With best wishes, Max Kelly
This month
Eight things, gathered in one place. Tap to tick them off as you go.
Friday 16 October, from 7pm
An evening of community, generosity and goodwill at the Manor, raising money for our Adventure Playground.
We are delighted to announce that Willaston School will be holding its very first Mhelliah, at the Manor on Friday 16th October from 7pm.
Everyone is warmly invited to come along and enjoy what promises to be a fantastic community evening, while helping us raise much-needed funds for the extension of our Adventure Playground.
Fresh produce, home-baked goods, craft and handmade items, or anything else made with love. Every donation, however small, makes a difference on the night.
If you have something to offer, please let the school office know.
On Friday 16th October the children can wear their own clothes to school in exchange for produce towards our Mhelliah hampers. Carrots, a packet of biscuits, a jar of something, anything along those lines is perfect.
Thursday 22 October
Straight after school, run by our PTA.
Our Hop tu Naa disco takes place on Thursday 22nd October, straight after school.
It runs straight after school as usual, and our PTA are putting the whole thing together.
Keep an eye out for a PTA newsletter, which will have all the information in it, including timings and how to get tickets.
Week commencing Monday 12 October
Our autumn parents’ evenings take place in the week beginning Monday 12th October. Appointments are booked through Arbor, using the same login you use for everything else.
Book your appointment on Arbor
Booking is open now. Appointments run first come, first served, so it is worth going in and picking your slot sooner rather than later.
While you are in Arbor, it is a good moment to check that your contact and medical details are up to date.
Our curriculum
Several of you have asked about the Island’s new English entitlement. Here is what it is, and what it means for your child.
The Department of Education, Sport and Culture has introduced a consistent approach to English across the Island’s schools. The English Entitlement and Assessment Framework was piloted in a number of primary schools over the past year and is now in place in every primary, with Year 7 joining it so that the primary and secondary phases line up. It was developed with English and literacy leads from schools across the Island, and the Department has appointed an English Lead Practitioner to coordinate training and support.
The Department describes the aim as fairness, clarity and consistency: children who move between schools meet the same expectations and the same language for talking about their learning, parents get a clearer picture of what their child is working towards, and teachers share practice across the Island rather than school by school.
The writing framework sets out what children should be taught and experience in each year group, and it rests on a simple idea: writing is hard because it asks a child to do several demanding things at the same time. Forming letters, spelling, choosing words, building a sentence, holding an idea in mind and shaping it for a reader all compete for the same attention. When the mechanics are still effortful, there is less left over for the thinking.
So the teaching builds in a deliberate order. Handwriting and spelling are taught explicitly until they become automatic. Sentences are secured before children are asked to write at length. Children say a sentence out loud, refine it and then write it, which is why you may hear a great deal of talk going on in a writing lesson. Editing and revising are taught as skills in their own right, so children learn to check their work for accuracy and then improve it for meaning and effect.
Writing is organised around three connected strands:
Sentence structure and grammar covers how sentences are built and punctuated. Composition covers generating, organising and communicating ideas for a reader. Transcription covers handwriting and spelling. They are taught separately and brought together in every piece of writing.
Judgements are made at the end of the year and draw on a broad range of evidence gathered through ordinary teaching: what a child writes across the curriculum, how they compose out loud, how they explain their choices and how they edit and revise. No single test or final piece decides it. The framework is explicit that progress means applying skills accurately and independently over time, rather than using a feature once. You will see this reflected in what we tell you at parents’ evenings and in the end-of-year report.
No. There is nothing new to buy, learn or practise, and no scheme to follow.
The things that have always helped still help most. Read with your child and talk about what you have read. Talk with them about their day, their opinions and their ideas, and give them time to finish their thoughts. Let them see you writing, whether that is a list, a message or a card. Children who have plenty of language to draw on find writing easier, and conversation at home is where most of that language comes from.
If you would like to know more about what your child is working on this year, ask their teacher at parents’ evening. They will be glad to talk it through.
Sunday 1 November
Toys, clothing, books and everything else, in the warm.
Our indoor car boot sale is on Sunday 1st November, 10.30am to 1pm at school. Toys, clothing, books and anything else you can think of. Entry is £1.
Tables are £10, and if you would like one, ring Paul on 568117 to reserve it. If half term has you looking at a pile of outgrown things, this is the answer to it.
Friday 13 November
Dress down, and get moving.
On Friday 13th November the children can come to school in Children in Need clothes and accessories.
We are also holding a sponsored event, and the children can choose which one they take part in: a walk, a run or a dance. More details will follow nearer the time, including sponsorship forms.
Every Tuesday
Toasty Tuesdays run every Tuesday this term. A slice of toast is 50p, or you can pay £2.50 for the whole half term, through ParentPay.
It is a small thing that the children love, and it raises money for school at the same time.
Paying for the half term in one go saves everyone the weekly fiddle, and it means your child never misses out because the 50p was forgotten on a Tuesday morning.
Habits for learning
Seven habits that sit at the heart of everything we do.
| Worthy | Respect · Believe · Achieve |
| Wellness | Ready · Well-being · Balanced |
| Wise | Think · Choose · Learn |
| Willing | Try · Persist · Explore |
| Wondrous | Curious · Ask · Imagine |
| Work Together | Teamwork · Share · Support |
| Warm Hearted | Empathy · Relationships · Kindness |
Please do talk about these words at home and encourage your children to show them in action. They really are part of daily life here.
Diary
Not an exhaustive list — keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for everything else.
Looking ahead — November
Reminders
Please let us know if anyone other than the usual adult is collecting your child, even if it is a grandparent or a friend we know well. We will not release a child to someone we have not been told about, and a quick message to the office saves an awkward conversation at the gate.
Both need to be paid for in advance through ParentPay. It helps us plan numbers, and it means nobody is chased for money later.
Please do not park in the staff car park without permission. We know there are occasions when someone genuinely needs to, and if that applies to you, speak to the office and we will sort something out.
This is a good point in the year for a family check. Head lice go round every school every autumn, and the only thing that stops them is everybody checking and treating at roughly the same time. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, and it is far easier dealt with early.
Are your contact and medical details up to date? You can log in to Arbor and update them yourself, or speak to the school office if you would rather we did it.
Please send your child in with a named water bottle each day, and a healthy snack for break time.
We have pre-loved uniform available. Please ask at the school office, who will be happy to show you what we have.
Swimming starts up again in February. There is no need to send costumes, hats or towels in until then.
In the interest of the well-being of our school community, we remind parents of the 48-hour rule. If your child experiences symptoms such as vomiting and/or diarrhoea, it is imperative that they stay home and are symptom-free for 48 hours before returning to school. This measure helps curb the spread of infections and ensures a healthier environment for all.