News

Half Term Update & Late Availability Yr 3 & 5

The Summer Camp has now finished but all the children had a great time participating in the activities. We are pleased to let you know that we still have limited places available in Year 3 and Year 5. Please contact us if you are interested in a place either by phone or using the contact form.

Head’s Review of the Year: St Nicholas School 2010-11

At the recent Year 2-6 Prize Giving, I spoke to all assembled children and parents about what has been achieved this year in St Nicholas. I summarise these achievements here for all parents. I hope you enjoy reading
about them. In 2010-11 we had 35 day trips, 28 visitors to the school, 16 matches with 7 wins 2 draws and 7 losses, 7 plays, 11 concerts and 46 class led assemblies. 56 pupils received individual tuition in musical instruments. 29 children have had their art work framed for the walls of the school. 152 children have worn one of our new 100 House Point badges, 60 have 200 House Point
badges and 9 have acquired a 300 House Point badge. I am proud. Now do we have time for lessons you may say: Well, of course we do. And OFSTED found that we had an outstanding curriculum.
Our reporting system has moved towards providing parents with relative data about their child as well as target-focused subject sections. This year we have improved security in the school and worked closely with external agencies to improve the traffic flow at our drop off and pick up time.
Next year we are planning an exciting upgrade to our IT provision, which begins this week with the launch of our online IT 11+ learning platform. We hope to engage parents more fully with the launch of our parent portal, giving password protected access to a range of parent friendly information, archive material of photo galleries and facilitating networking among the parent group.
The parents’ survey in November threw up some interesting issues for the school to focus on: food, academic standards, preparation for senior schools, and sex, drugs and safety education and a parent focus group has been assisting the school to work towards goals to ensure confidence and improvement in these areas.
We have produced web-links for our curriculum overviews, are developing the use of the homework diary next year and have produced two leaflets for new parents in Nursery and Reception explaining our methodology for teaching letters and sounds then reading and early numeracy concepts. All of these will be available on our parent portal. We have introduced exam week, launched an online 11+ e-learning platform and developed the PSHE programme to include more about safety, better sex education and plan assemblies and focus days next year to build on this work. The children have been developing their own ideas for change, both through their participation in the pupils’ survey and through school council, which now meets fortnightly with a business meeting style lunch in the library. They collectively created new rules for the school and have been trying to keep them!
We introduced at their request, a homework club, next year are changing timetabling arrangements for music to give them a home room like art, and developed lunch menus to include their suggestions. I am grateful for Donna and the facilities team for cheerfully and expertly supporting the running of the school most efficiently and for her team’s readiness to develop new ideas for our menus.
Of course the most challenging time came with the tragic death of Nemo Tin, killed on May 23rd. In a strange and rather wonderful way, the school has grown stronger as a community because of this tragedy. Children, parents and staff have cared more tenderly for each other. We have cried together and been equal in our grief. We have been vulnerable and yet together stronger. And perhaps we have also become more keenly aware of all the reasons we have to be thankful, for the joys we share and the fun we can have. People have talked openly about their feelings, parents and strangers too have been kind enough to unite in sympathy and in support of the difficult decisions we had to make. Parents have mobilised to form a pressure group to influence decision making to improve traffic safety. I am delighted to announce the creation of a new scholarship in Nemo’s memory. The scholarship will offer free music lessons to the holder together with a fee discount. More details will follow in September of our scholarship programme which we will launch next year. For all that has been achieved within this academic year, I congratulate all staff for working extremely hard to provide the best and happiest education possible, children for loving every moment and working so hard, and parents for supporting us and your children in all aspects of their life.
For me, at the end of my first year here, I can look back with a sense of pride and achievement and in the words of one of our recently knighted TV presenters can almost echo “Didn’t we do well?” Everyone at the school has lots to look forward to; a long summer holiday, exciting developments at St Nicholas next year. I would like to thank the Board of Directors, my colleagues at Cognita and Montessori St Nicholas, parents and the lovely pupils of the school for bringing me to the end of the year with such support.

Jill Aisher, July 2011