Latest News | Glade Hill Primary School

Big Reading Challenge - Cllr Barnard visits Glade Hill!

Fri 03 Feb 2023 Mrs Stapleton

Thank you to Councillor Barnard who visited us today as part of the Nottingham City Council Big Reading Challenge and read to our EYFS and KS1 children. We loved the story 'The Gruffalo's Child' and our stickers to take home!

Here is some more information about the event: https://www.mynottinghamnews.co.uk/big-reading-challenge-aims-to-raise-funds-for-more-free-books-for-children-3/

The Big Reading Challenge is aiming to raise more than £5000 for the Imagination Library, a charity run by Dolly Parton. This amazing scheme delivers a free book to local children every month from birth to 5 years old.

For more information about this amazing charity take a look here:

https://www.dollybooksnottingham.org/

Sports Hall Athletics Event - Year 3 and 4

Thu 02 Feb 2023 Mrs Stapleton

Another sporting success story for Glade Hill!

Today a team of boys and girls from Year 3 and 4 attended a Sports Hall Athletics Event with Mr Strachan and Mrs York.

They performed very well and showed amazing attitudes towards all the different events and the other teams. It sounds like we were the team with the loudest cheers for our own team and also the other teams too!

We are so proud of their hard work and can't wait for all the Year 4s to participate in the Sports Hall Athletics when they visit Glade Hill soon!

This Girl Can Sports Festival - Year 5

Thu 02 Feb 2023

A huge well done to our amazing team of 8 Year 5 girls who attended the 'This Girl Can' Sports Festival to represent Glade Hill.

They impressed everyone with their great attitude to the event, their skills, their teamwork and how much they showed that they were golden and they sparkled.

Miss Atkin and Miss Hunt were blown away and so proud of the team.

Well done!

Headteacher letter regarding possible strike action by NEU

Fri 27 Jan 2023 Mrs Stapleton

Dear Parents and Carers,

Following on from my letter last week, I am writing to detail to you the potential impact of the strike action being taken by the NEU (National Education Union) on 1 February 2023. The strike action is in relation to a national dispute over pay and the challenges of national funding decisions rather than any issue with the school.

So far, we have not been notified by any teachers that they definitely plan to take strike action on this day. Therefore, the outcome of the completed risk assessment from Nottingham City Council is that Glade Hill will remain open or partially open to pupils and staff on this day.

However, I am unable to guarantee classes will not be affected on the day and need to be closed, as guidance from the NEU states that teachers do not have to inform school leaders in advance.

On the day of the strike, as soon as we know of any class closures, we will inform you by text message. If you do not hear from us, please assume that your child’s class is open and they can attend school.

As in my last letter, you may wish to consider a back-up plan of alternative arrangements for childcare, should this be required, in the event that your child’s class is closed. I am sorry that I am unable to give you any further information.

Kind regards,

Mrs Anna Stapleton

Headteacher

Welcome back - Headteacher letter to parents and carers - Spring 1

Tue 17 Jan 2023 Mrs Stapleton

Dear Parents and Carers of Glade Hill,

I hope you all had a nice Christmas break. It has been so lovely to see all of the children back in school and ready to learn. During my learning walks already this term, I have seen some great work by pupils, positive attitudes to learning and teachers and staff going above and beyond to ensure children make the best progress possible. Let’s keep up the good work!

We have lots of great learning planned this term, so make sure you also check out our website for useful information regarding what your children are learning in their classes. Our teachers have been working hard on the ‘Class Pages’ and they will be updating them throughout the term with photographs, examples of work and useful links to support your child’s learning.

As part of our efforts at Glade Hill to continually improve, I have set three School Development priorities for this academic year in conjunction with my Senior Leaders and Governors.

These are as follows:

To review current policy and improve provision to raise attainment in writing across the school.
To develop assessment strategies across the curriculum.
To raise attendance levels across the school, reducing the absence rates and supporting persistent absentees to attend school more regularly.

Staff training and development for the Spring and Summer terms will focus on improving the teaching of writing across the school, as this is one of the areas of the curriculum effected most by the C-19 partial school closures and remote education. Senior Leaders will also be working to develop our assessment policy and practice, ensuring that children are accessing Quality First Teaching and appropriate interventions to move their learning forwards.

As you know improving attendance is very important. Your child having the best possible attendance is an important way that you can support their learning and achievement. Research shows that children with over 95% attendance achieve better grades, achieve their best and are happier and more settled in school.

We have presented children with 100% attendance for the Autumn term with bronze star badges to mark this achievement. Well done to all the children who received one. We will be repeating this at the end of the Spring and Summer terms, so there will be other chances for children to receive a badge. Those with two terms of 100% attendance will be presented with a Silver star and three terms is a Gold star! We have also been continuing to announce which classes have the best attendance each week in assemblies, which is proving very motivating. The winning classes earn extra outside time and the phase attendance trophy for the week!

We have also already responded to feedback from our successful OFSTED report, and our club programme is now up and running on Wednesdays after school. I know everyone who attended this week had a great time, with a selection of clubs offered to KS1 and KS2 children in lots of different areas from sport to Lego to knitting! Nearly all of the clubs are now full, but we will be running a new selection after half-term, so if any children missed the letter please contact the office to be put on the waiting list.

With so much going on in school, make sure you check the MarvellousMe app for updates, reminders and messages regarding all the fun things we are going to be learning and doing in school. This is our main communication tool so if you do not yet have the app, or you are experiencing problems, please speak to a member of our Office team who will be able to help you. This app is also used to send ‘badges’ when your child has been praised by a member of staff including leaders, so keep a look out.

Thank you in advance for all your support for our amazing school and I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Kindest regards,

Mrs Anna Stapleton

Headteacher

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!