Latest News | Glade Hill Primary School

End of Autumn Term - Headteacher Letter

Wed 21 Dec 2022 Mrs Stapleton

Dear Parents and Carers of Glade Hill,

So it’s the last day of the Autumn term and the end of my first term as Headteacher of Glade Hill school. What an amazing half-term it has been! I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the children, staff, parents and carers for your ongoing support. I couldn’t have done it without you. By working together, we will make sure that Glade Hill continues to thrive and go from strength to strength.

We had a visit from OFSTED and were able to show the visiting inspector how Golden and SPARKLY we all are. The final report is now live on the OFSTED website. I am so proud of the outcome we achieved and welcome the feedback on how we can make things even better for our children.

As you know, there have been lots of opportunities for you to get involved in school and your child’s learning. I hope you have enjoyed being able to come back into school again. I know all of the staff have been pleased to ‘get back to normal’. Parents and carers have attended Excite and Engage drop ins, Cuppa, Cake and Chatter’ meetings, Charity assemblies, Parents’ Evening and of course our amazing Christmas performances. Take a look at our website and class pages for lots of amazing photos of all the events we have been holding.

Finally, I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful break. See you on 5th January!

Christmas Performances!

Fri 16 Dec 2022 Mrs Stapleton

A big well done to all of the children who took part in our Christmas Performances this week. You all were amazing; so golden and SPARKLY. Well done for all your hard work.

I also want to say a huge thank you to our FROGs parents group for all of the support with the refreshments and the raffle. We are still counting up, but the money raised will be used to support activities for your children.

On behalf of the parents, carers and myself, I also want to share a massive thank you to all of the staff. They worked so hard to prepare the children for their performances and the results speak for themselves.

Take a look at some photographs of the performances and events below.

Advice regarding Strep A and Scarlet Fever - UKHSA

Fri 09 Dec 2022 Mrs Stapleton

Dear Parents and Carers,

Many of you will have heard in the media of the increased number of cases of scarlet fever or 'Strep A', above the levels the Health agency would usually expect at this time of year. We have sent home a letter which provides information regarding the signs, symptoms and the actions to be taken if you think that you or your child might have scarlet fever.

I know as a parent that reports such as this can be very concerning. Please be assured that the effects for most children are mild. However, if you are concerned about your child's health, we would always advise you seek medical attention as soon as you can. Good hygiene practice such as hand washing remains the most important step in preventing and controlling the spread of any infection, and we will be encouraging all children to follow this advice in school.

Kind regards,

Anna Stapleton

Headteacher

We continue to be a GOOD school - OFSTED report released!

Wed 07 Dec 2022 Mrs Stapleton

Following our OFSTED inspection on the 8th and 9th November 2022, we have now received the final report which I have included with this letter. I am sure you will join us all in being very pleased that Glade Hill remains a GOOD school.

We all think very highly of Glade Hill Primary and Nursery School and all the amazing work that takes place here, so it was lovely to have that recognised in the report. At Glade Hill Primary and Nursery School we have a strong sense of values and ethos based upon 'We are GOLDEN and we SPARKLE' which the Inspector reported ‘permeates through the life of the school’.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the children, staff, governors and families who work tirelessly to support Glade Hill. You have supported me in maintaining our caring and family ethos, but also in implementing changes to make our school even better.

Here are some extracts from the report:

Glade Hill is a place where relationships are nurtured.
It is a happy and safe place for pupils to learn.
Safeguarding is effective. Pupils’ well-being and safety is given high priority.
Pupils say their teachers are dedicated.
It is a place where pupils are treated with respect and equality regardless of their background.
Leaders have developed a broad and balanced curriculum.
Leaders want every child to be a successful reader and pupils are provided with opportunities to read throughout the curriculum.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life.
Leaders ensure that pupils receive the right support from external agencies, if they need it.
The school’s early years environment is bright and welcoming.
Governors know the school well. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities.
Staff are overwhelmingly positive about leaders’ actions to support their well-being and workload.

Although the report was highly positive of the work we do, there are always areas we can focus on to improve. For example, I know that some of you shared with the Inspector that you had concerns regarding the breadth of our wider curriculum offer, specifically regarding clubs to develop children’s talents and interests. This is something that we have been working on, but had not yet released prior to the Inspection. Letters have now gone out with details of the clubs we will be running after Christmas throughout the Spring term. I will also be working hard with Senior Leaders to restart some of the other opportunities we had in place before the pandemic and also to start some exciting new ones, so keep a look out.

We will also continue to work hard on our curriculum to ensure that all pupils know more and can remember more across the whole curriculum. The Inspector commented that we must ensure

that all staff have the expertise to teach the school’s curriculum accurately and precisely. Whilst we have been working hard on this in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, we now need to apply this across the wider curriculum. Leaders and teachers will be focusing on this going forwards.

Overall, I think this outcome is a huge reflection of the hard work that everyone does to make Glade Hill such a special school. Governors, staff, parents, carers, and most importantly the pupils, all work hard every day to create something very special here in our school. I thank you for your continued support for Glade Hill, it is greatly valued and appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to support your children and the school in going from strength to strength.

Gold medals for Year 6 Athletics Team!

Tue 06 Dec 2022 Mrs Stapleton

A HUGE well done to all of our Year 6 Athletics Team who won their final at Harvey Haddon today! Gold medals for all!

The children who attended were amazing and impressed everyone with their athleticism, positive attitudes and team spirit. I was lucky enough to visit the event to see them perform and was blown away by how good they all were.

A big thank you to Mr Purcell for all his hardwork preparing the team for the event and for organising the trip to the finals. They couldn't have done it without you. Thank you as well to Mrs McKenna for your support on the day as well.

Photos to follow!