Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Black History Month
Mon 10 Oct 2022Good afternoon all,
Last week we kicked off black history month in school with an assembly explaining how we could not possibly celebrate all of black history in a month, but that we need to raise awareness of some of the amazing black people in history as black people's history has been under represented or misrepresented over time. We took some time to look at some individuals who the children may not have heard of.
It is important to remember that statistics from the world economic forum show that the vast majority of young black British people have experienced racism at school, with one in two feeling that racial stereotypes hinder their academic achievement, research shows.
• 95% of young Black British people have witnessed racist language in education
• More than half of males said they hear racist language in school ‘all the time.’
We do not want this to be our school or our children.
In our school we follow the value of respect and the British value of equality.
We will challenge racist language or stereotyping.
It is important for us to discuss with children how everyone should be equal but still celebrate our differences. Difference is an amazing thing which should be celebrated because it is what makes us human.
At Dovedale Primary School we will not tolerate racism or discrimination. We believe that discussing race and educating our children about differences will support them in supporting each other and celebrating diversity.
I have attached a couple of links for you to share with your children if you so wish. Please view them first to determine if they are appropriate for your individual child.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/joinin/black-history-month
https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/
We will continue to celebrate black history not only this month especially but every month.
I have also uploaded the assembly schedule under the children's tab so that you can see the different areas we cover in our assemblies in case you wish to discuss these with your children.
I will post some of our recorded assemblies or power points in here also.
Have a good week.
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Keeping children safe
Mon 03 Oct 2022Good afternoon all,
As I am sure you are aware the safety of our children is at the core of what we do, and keeping children safe in the technological age is a varied and sometimes difficult task.
At school we do online safety through our PSCHE curriculum, through anti bullying and through Project Evolve which is an online safety teaching programme which the children access weekly.
As parents it is sometimes difficult to know exactly what is happening in the online world. The link below takes you to the NSPCC information page which helps you understand how to put filters on your children's devices to keep them safe.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/parental-controls/
I have placed 2 updated documents under the safeguarding tab on this website.
One is an online safety agreement which teachers will be discussing with the children in school and one is a child friendly safeguarding policy. This will be shared in class as part of our keeping safe education but you may also want to share it at home.
Another document on safeguarding in our curriculum which you may find useful is under our curriculum tab. This is a safeguarding in our curriculum map and shows some of the ways safeguarding is threaded through our whole curriculum.
Other links which you may find useful:
This links to CEOP and is for adult use to inform them of how to keep children safe online and the risks they may face.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
This is the NSPCC web site for supporting online safety.
We have set up an online safety group comprising staff members and our safeguarding governor. If any parents think they would like to have input into this group to support our work on online safety please contact me.
Have a good week and keep safe.
Sarah Houseman
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Friday update
Fri 30 Sep 2022Happy Friday all! ( in spite of the weather!).
Week 4 at Dovedale has been a busy one.
We held our school council elections this week. Organised by Miss Nadin all the children had a formal vote for a child who had put themselves forward to be nominated. We look forward to meeting our new school council representatives and the work they will conduct on behalf of the whole student body.
As mentioned previously we are happy to receive good, used school uniform that could be passed onto another child. I currently have some year 5 -6 trousers, age 6-7 plain jumpers, several white polo shirts age 6 -7 and PE trousers age 5 to 6 which have been donated.
If you feel that you could make good use of any of these please email me directly and we can arrange collection. It is a shame to see these go to waste.
A reminder to parents to supervise their children when dropping off and picking up in front of the school.
Parents must not drive in to the staff car park at any time.
We have availability for WRAP club on Friday mornings and during half term holiday club. Contact Berny at the club or the school office to book. For the INSET day on 31st October the club is running from 7.30 to 5.30 and there is availability.
The club will be closed on December 23rd. (School closes for Christmas on the 22nd).
After a conversation with a parent recently I thought I would explain the fines process for unauthorised absences ( holiday requests). If holidays are unauthorised, or if a holiday is known to be taken without application the school may pass the absence to Derbyshire county council. The head teacher determines if a holiday is authorised or not using the policy guidelines. Derbyshire County council use the presented information to decide if a fine will be issued. It is usual for fines to be issued if the Head teacher has determined the break to be unauthorised.
The fine of £60 per parent per child will be issued from Derbyshire County Council. This does not benefit the school in any way and the school receives no funds from this.
The New Reception children had their welcome disco tonight and they were all brilliantly behaved and appeared to have a very good time. Thank you to the PTA for organising this and to the staff who stayed to supervise the children. A good start to the weekend!
Next Friday we are holding a harvest day. Miss Nadin has sent a letter out today with information about this. Children can dress in an autumn colour (red, green, brown, orange, yellow etc.), or as a fruit or vegetable! We then ask if parents are able to donate an item of dried or tinned food we will store and deliver to the local food bank. This donation is completely optional and all children can wear a colour or costume regardless. Children can come in uniform if they do not wish to wear a colour or dress up.
Next week's assemblys will focus on the start of Black History Month.
I hope you all have a great weekend.
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Friday update
Fri 16 Sep 2022Happy Friday everyone!
I hope you have all had a good week.
It has been a busy second week here at Dovedale and our new EYFS children are settling well. They attended their first whole school REACH assembly this morning and managed to sit really well whilst the certificates were handed out. We are seeing lots of smiles and they are growing in confidence every day.
Year 5 had their first swimming lesson this morning which they were all very excited about. We look forward to watching their progress over the term.
As part of our safeguarding updates I would like to tell you about our web filtering service. In school this means that we monitor what the children can access online. This is regularly reviewed and checked to make sure we are keeping our children safe. This is done through Smoothwall.
As parents is it important that you check what your children can access. If you look under the key info tab-safeguarding including internet safety -you will find a link to the parent safe website which gives lots of information about how to add filters and keep ahead of what is happening in the digital and online world. I have also added a link to a scare scam poster which helps parents understand how to talk to their children about 'scares' and 'dares' they may come across on the internet. This is very important as children may be encouraged to carry out tricks or dares which could put them at risk of injury.
I need to remind parents that holiday requests will not be authorised unless they meet the criteria in our absences policy. The reasons for absence must be exceptional. This includes funerals or unavoidable events but does not include family holidays. Although I can often sympathise or empathise with reasons for requests I will not authorise holiday requests.
Please make sure your child is wearing appropriate school uniform. We acknowledge that the rising cost of living is putting great pressure on households and we are not requesting that children have a logo on their uniform. We will put out 'lost' property regularly. If parents wish to donate good quality uniform please place in a bag with the age label and bring to the school office.
If any parent would like us to see if we have spare uniform for their child's size please contact the headteacher via email confidentially and I will look to see if we can support you with this.
For further guidance with uniform requirements please see our prospectus on the website or the uniform tab.
If there are any adults out there who would like to volunteer in school to support in class/hear readers etc we would love to welcome you to school. As with all adults in school you would be required to undertake induction and our usual safeguarding checks but this will be arranged by Mrs Tomlinson. Since covid, for obvious reasons, our volunteer numbers have dwindled so we would love to hear from you if you have an hour or so to spare. Please contact Mrs Tomlinson in the school office.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
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End of term
Fri 22 Jul 2022Happy Friday all!
The end of term is always full of mixed emotions as we look forward to the summer but say goodbye to our year 6s who we have been so proud of throughout their time at school. This week they presented us with a funny and emotional leaver's concert after all their efforts in their brilliant end of school performance. We wish them all the very best and can honestly say that they have represented Dovedale brilliantly and we know they will all continue to make us proud.
We have been amazed this year how well the children have progressed and adapted back to the full expectations of school life. The assessments across school have been strong and outcomes good, so we look forward to further building on this next year.
The children's behaviours and attitudes as always have been admirable, we aim for our children to be able to self regulate their behaviours, knowing when they are right and taking responsibility when they are wrong. The behaviour in our school is supported by a consistent behaviour system but it is the children's desire to achieve our REACH values and parent support that puts this in action. As a school we are proud of the behaviour across all year groups and how caring and supportive our children are for each other.
As a school we appreciate how our parents communicate with us, support us with their child's education and support us with all the activities that we request help for. We know you sometimes feel bombarded as we try to navigate through all the things we need to communicate with you and all the extra activities that we try to offer but have felt supported by your positive responses. Thank you!
Lastly I would like to thank the Dovedale staff who have worked tirelessly to achieve fantastic outcomes for the children, have worked to enthuse them through the Hub groups and delivered lessons that engage them. Every single member of our team is dedicated to the best outcomes for the children both academically and personally and for that I am grateful.
I wish you all the very best for the summer and as always I can be contacted via the headteacher@dovedale email address over the break. Happy Holidays!
Sarah Houseman
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Extreme Heat
Fri 15 Jul 2022Good afternoon,
I know there are some concerns re the extreme heat forecast Monday and Tuesday which seems to be rising hourly!
As a school we will remain open for children. Children may come in PE kits if these are cooler than there uniform option ( some dresses are probably cooler.)
We will do all we can to keep the children cool but will struggle in some rooms so children may be moved to other spaces throughout the day to try to keep them as cool as possible.
Please ensure they have a water bottle and hat and sun cream ( we will however be reducing any time outside to a minimum.)
If any parent wishes to keep their child at home please dojo the class teacher with 'extreme heat' as the reason. Other absences must be recorded via the school office in the usual way.
Thank you
Sarah Houseman
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Friday update
Fri 10 Jun 2022Happy Friday all,
A busy short week here at school ending with a lovely whole school REACH assembly - the first this year where we have all got together in the hall. It was truly wonderful to hear the children sing as a whole school again.
A reminder that we have an INSET day on Friday 8th July and school will be closed for children.
A reminder that sport's day is on July 15th - KS1 in the morning and KS2 in the afternoon.
Miss Bestwick and Mr Almeida took our new Anti bullying Ambassadors for their training yesterday. We look forward to the work they will do to support our anti bullying agenda and support our children with understanding bullying and ways to help themselves and others.
On Friday 24th June it will be our celebration day after celebration week where the children complete their assessments. On this day we are also having a Ukraine awareness support day. we would ask that children wear something blue, yellow or both if you have these. There will be no donation required for this. There will also be an ice pop sale after school. This has been organised by Lorelei, Sophie and Layla in year 4. The children will complete an activity in the morning after watching the assembly and in the afternoon will split into their Hub groups.
Please check out your child's class pages for information on what they are covering this term. You may need to scroll down to find Summer 2.
I have put a letter regarding September clubs in the news and events/letters home section on the website. This is detailing some new free clubs for children in September run by teachers or TAs. The letter will also be available in the school foyer.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend
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Half term holiday
Thu 26 May 2022Good morning all,
As we head towards half term we are conscious that some families may be concerned about the extra burden that will be placed on households for food during the break.
If any parents feel they need support with this please email today on the head teacher email in full confidence and we will do all we can to support you with registering for food bank parcels.
These are very difficult times for many people and although we know everyone wishes to fend for their families and are proud, this is not something that many families are in control of with the rise in cost of living and it is important to remember that there should be no negative judgement on you wishing to feed your family!
I have put the food bank details at the bottom of this post and also the information for the food box scheme which enables people to register and buy a food box for £6. These boxes can be ordered and paid for online then picked up on a Thursday containing up to £40 of food.
If any family feels in crisis over this remember we are here to help you in a confidential way and you can email the head teacher account throughout the holidays and I will do all I can to support you and your children.
This is not something we should be facing, but it is a reality for more and more families so we need to shun the shame and get what we can to see us through these difficult times.
Food boxes £6
Book and pay online at www.mannafoodboxes.com
Can be collected between 4 and 5 o clock from St John's in Long Eaton on Thursdays
and between 4.00 and 4.30 from Sawley Church also on Thursdays.
You will need to order at least a day before collecting.
Food bank
They do like you to register before or you can be referred by our family liaison officer. If you wish to be referred please contact me today so I can set this up.
website - https://longeatonsawley.foodbank.org.uk/Contact no: 07950 547671Long Eaton food bankAddress: Christ Church Methodist Church, 1 College Street, Long Eaton, NG10 4NEOpening times: Tuesday and Fridays 10-12Sawley Food bankAddress: 165 Wilmot Street, Sawley, Long Eaton,NG10 3ELOpening times: Saturdays 9.30-11.30Have a good half term break.S Houseman -
News update
Mon 23 May 2022Good Morning
Sports day is July 15th. KS1 will start after register at approximately 9.15 for the morning. KS2 will start at 1.15 for the afternoon. Parents are invited to attend.
This Thursday is Jubilee celebration day. The children will be completing activities during the day. After school the PTA are holding a celebration event -3.15 till 5.00 which will include stalls, refreshments and games. You should have received a letter with regard to both of these.
Meet the teacher evening will be on Wednesday the 13th July. This will be an opportunity for you to meet your child's new class teacher and get a overview of their learning for the coming year. This will be at 3.30 in your child's new classroom. We are still in the process of looking at class groupings,
your child will meet their new teacher on 29th June. If you have any queries with regards to this please email the head teacher email with class groups as the the subject.
This Friday - 27th May the school is closed to pupils as it is an INSET day. On Monday 6th June the school is closed as it is our Jubilee day. Both events have been previously communicated.
Summer reports out 15th July with parents drop in on 20th July if you have items to discuss.
Have a lovely week.
S Houseman
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Friday updates
Fri 29 Apr 2022Happy Friday all!
We have had a great start back to the summer term!
It promises to be a very busy few weeks as lots is happening and it's quite a short one.
Next week we have our 2nd Governor day. Governors will spend the day in school, looking at phonics and early reading as well as the OFSTED framework. They will also meet with their curriculum teachers to see everything that the teachers have been doing to make sure their curriculum areas are being delivered to the high standards we expect.
For more information on our Governors check out the governor tab on the website.
Miss Berrington's class had a brilliant class assembly this week and showcased their many talents, from singing to dancing, maths and yoyo ing to name but a few - all the children were stars and demonstrated what a great class group they are.
May 6th is photo day for class groups and leavers photos.
Monday May 9th is the start of our year 6 statutory testing week. These were cancelled during covid but we are confident that this cohort of year 6s are going to shine, showcasing all the hard work they have put in during their time at Dovedale.
Jubilee event
On Thursday 26th May we will hold a Jubilee celebration. This will consist of activities in school with a picnic plate snack time and a parade. The school council will give you more details of this shortly. At 3.15 parents will be invited to join in the PTA celebration including stalls and games from 3.15 till 5.00. WE hope this will be a lovely end to the first half term. More details from the PTA to follow.
A reminder that Monday 6th June is our Jubilee day as previously mentioned and school will be closed on this day. WRAP club is open on this day.
As we are getting into the summer months (although it hasn't felt much like it this week) I would like to remind parents to send in sun hats and apply sun cream before school. If children need to bring cream in with them please label it and let the teacher know via dojo. They will need to apply the cream themselves but can be supervised.
A reminder that head bands should be school colours and appropriate size, shoes should look like school shoes and in black and plain, school colour jumpers or cardigans should be worn over school polo shirts as opposed to other sweatshirts.
Thank you to all parents who took the time to complete the parent questionnaire. We shall be reviewing the responses and providing an analysis.
If your child has a medical appointment please supply the office with the text you receive from the practice.
To allow our staff to take a break I have asked them to switch off their dojos over the weekend. Please communicate if necessary over the weekend via the Headteacher@ email.
I hope you all have a lovely Bank holiday weekend.