Christmas Jumper Day

Today, pupils across the school have had fun dressing in their favourite Christmas jumpers whilst remembering those less fortunate than us.  We have seen some fantastic designs.

As usual, our families have greatly supported this event by donating food for the Rainham Food Bank.  This is a worthwhile local charity which helps families in need at a difficult time of year.

Thank you to everyone for your support.

 

If you would like more information on Rainham Food Bank please click on this link.

http://rainham.foodbank.org.uk/

Congratulations to Suttons Primary School - OfSTED

Press Release

Staff, pupils and parents at Suttons Primary school, in Suttons Lane Hornchurch are delighted with their recent Ofsted report which has judged them, yet again, as being a “good” school.  It has been almost five years since the school was last inspected, during this time the school has undergone some major changes, including the appointment a new Head and Deputy Head teacher.

The inspectors assessed Suttons as being a “good” school overall and in each of the five key categories: Achievement of Pupils, Quality of Teaching, Behaviour and Safety, Leadership and Management and Early Years Provision.  In addition, the report states: “The school is outstanding in keeping pupils safe and secure.”

Suttons prides itself on being: “A small school with great expectations.” Members of the school community frequently talk about feeling part of a ‘Suttons Family’. The inspectors, who were in school on 27th and 28th November, agreed, saying: “The school’s friendly yet purposeful atmosphere enables all pupils to be fully included, whatever their needs or circumstances.”

Suttons is proud of the quality of teaching which challenges pupils, allows them to thrive and reach the highest levels of attainment. The school is also delighted that the behaviour and safety of pupils is praised. Pupils are keen to take on responsibility and are very proud of their school. They have positive attitudes to learning, are polite, friendly and show respect for one another and adults.

Head teacher, David Unwin-Bailey said, “This is a fantastic result for the school and a positive validation of all our effort.  Ofsted are continually raising their expectations, but so are we!” He added: “We are now looking forward to continuing the journey and building on our success as we move to outstanding.”

OfSTED: Letter to parents

Dear Parents / Carers,

As you know, the school has recently had an Ofsted inspection and we are extremely pleased and proud to be able to report to you that the school has been assessed as being a “Good” school overall and in each of the five key categories: Achievement of Pupils, Quality of Teaching, Behaviour and Safety, Leadership and Management and Early Years Provision. 

This is a fantastic result for the school, considering recent changes to the inspection regime in September 2013 and again in January 2014, which has meant that the threshold for “Good” is now much more difficult to attain than was the case when we were last inspected in 2010.

The report acknowledges and praises the school and its students, recognising the schools progress saying:

• Senior leaders, managers and governors have maintained a good level of education since the previous inspection by continuing to improve teaching and achievement (learning).
• The leadership team have successfully created a culture where teaching is consistently good and where pupils can thrive. Most-able pupils are challenged well to reach the highest levels of attainment.
• Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) make a valuable contribution to pupils’ progress and help them to achieve well.
• The school’s friendly yet purposeful atmosphere enables all pupils to be fully included, whatever their needs or circumstances.
• Behaviour of pupils is good. They have a positive attitude to learning, are polite, friendly and show respect for one another and adults.
• Pupils are keen to take on responsibility and are very proud of their school.
• The school is outstanding in keeping pupils safe and secure.
• Pupils are very well equipped to deal with any bullying should it arise and they have an excellent insight into different types.
• Pupils are enthusiastic learners. Adults ensure that work is set at the right level for them and they are suitably challenged.
• Reading is well taught, enabling pupils to become confident and enthusiastic readers with a good understanding of text.
• Teachers skilfully teach pupils to write creatively with flair and purpose.
• Achievement overall is typically good with some groups of pupils, i.e. those that are eligible for additional funding make outstanding progress from their starting points.
• Early Years is well led and managed. Staff track children’s progress thoroughly and keep careful records of their assessments. 
• Pupils in Reception make good progress, as a result of adults taking every opportunity to promote learning.

We send our thanks for the multitude of positive feedback given to the inspectors from parents and carers in the playground, by letter and through Parent View.

As a school, we have all worked extremely hard over the last few years and the journey has been an extremely rewarding one.  The positive benefits can be seen throughout the school.  Ofsted’s recognition of this achievement through the awarding of a “Good” assessment is a positive validation of all our effort.  We are now looking forward to continuing the journey and building on our success as we move to outstanding.

As a school we remain, as always, fully committed to providing a high standard of teaching and learning for the children of Suttons Primary and will, with your support, strive to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of the children at our school.

Once you have had the chance to read the report in full, if you have any questions you would like to discuss, please email me directly on head@suttons.havering.sch.uk.

Kind regards,
David

Family Fun Night - Winners

Congratulations to the Hardy Family who were our
overall winners of our first Family Fun Night.

 

 

 

An exciting evening was had by all! 
We look forward to running another event like this real soon.

Family Fun Night

Macmillan Coffee Morning - 26th September 2014

Please Join Us.......

 

 

 

Take-1-Picture Cross Curriculum Project

Saint Michael Triumphant over the Devil, 1468
by Bartolome Bermejo

Once again all classes across the school will be undertaking the Take-1-Picrture Project for the first two weeks of school. 

Using the painting, Saint Michael Triumphant over the Devil (1468), teachers plan cross-curricular learning opportunities for pupils.  Every pupil in Year 2 to Year 6 will have the opportunity to see the ‘real thing’ by visiting the National Gallery.

Year 6           Wednesday 10^th September
Year 5           Wednesday 10^th September
Year 4           Friday 19^th September
Year 3           Thursday 18^th September
Year 2           Thursday 18^th September
Year1/2         Friday 19^th September  (YEAR 2 pupils Only)

The culmination of work from this project will be shared with parents at our Gallery showing on Wednesday 22^nd October and Thursday 23^rd October between 3.00-4.00pm. We hope you can join us for this event.

 

Additional Information About The Painting

With an extravagant swirl of his red and gold cloak, Saint Michael wields his sword; there is no hope for the devil at his feet. Taken from the Book of Revelation, this episode caught the medieval imagination, becoming a popular subject for paintings.

Saint Michael is an important figure in the three monotheistic religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Leader of the army of God against the forces of evil, his attributes include a sword and scales, and he is shown with a dragon or serpent at his feet, dressed in armour. Here, his idealised face contrasts with the portrait of the donor Antonio Juan on the left of the painting.

This panel originally hung at the altar in the church of San Miguel in Tous, a town near Valencia in Spain. Lit by candlelight, the glowing red eyes of the devil must have seemed dramatic to church-goers of the time.

Spanish artist Bermejo shows off his mastery of the oil painting technique. He contrasts the gold leaf background with the painted golden armour worn by the angel, a reflection of the holy city of Jerusalem visible in the breastplate.

 

Welcome Back 2014

We hope you had a enjoyable summer and that your children's batteries have been recharged ready for the jam-packed calendar of events that we have planned for the autumn term. Please remember to keep checking the school website for updates and new information.

The first week has been an exciting week at school as pupils catch-up with their friends and settled into their new classes.  Overall it has been an incredibly smooth start to the beginning of term.

As we begin the new school year, we would like to warmly welcome our new members of staff. These include: Miss Shah (Yr4), Miss Platt (Y3) and Mr Pawley (Y1/2)  - all who have enjoyed their first week teaching at Suttons.

Should for any reason you need to discuss anything about your child's progress and development or simple want to 'chat' with us, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

We all look forward to working with you all over the next academic year. 


Walton-on-the-Naze

 

What a way to celebrate a big birthday!  4 double decker buses and all the pupils, staff and parents coming together to enjoy lots of sunshine, sand and surf.  Perfect!

It was a joy to watch the children squeal with delight as they decided whether to dig holes or paddle first.  With the heat of the day the cool waters won most hearts with many staff and parents taking up the opportunity to join the children in the water.

It was wonderful to see all the children enjoy the simple pleasures of the beach including kite flying, sand castles, beach footie and cricket.  After lunch the local lifeguard joined us to talk to the children and demonstrate some of their skills and finally some last minute paddling, children and adults.  All too quickly it was time to pack up and leave the beach as we found it.  As we left the empty beach it was hard to imagine that just 15 minutes before a whole school community had gathered together to have fun. 

There was only one thing left to do – ice-creams all round. Very welcome in the heat, then bearing in mind the journey ahead, getting all children and adults through the limited toilet facilities and onto the buses.  This caused a slight holdup to plans, especially as another school had the same idea and the same timetable.  Still, mission accomplished and we were back on the road home. 

For some, the heat and excitement of the day was too much and some little ‘heads’ nodded off  and some children did too. 

It was a treat to see the school celebrate a milestone in such a child centred way.  A considerable amount of planning went into the event and it showed, from the attendance of the local lifeguard to the purchase of bucket and spades.  It was typically Suttons to fully involve the whole school community and to include so many parents who joined us on the beach; A true reflection of the Suttons’ ethos.

Congratulations to everyone at the school for all the hard work and the children and parents for creating magnificent memories for the school storybook.

 

Linda Baptiste (Chair of Governors) & Kim Stalabrass (Community Governor)

 

Learning About Disability - JustDifferent come to Suttons Primary School

Children and staff from Suttons Primary School in Hornchurch, Essex are set to find out more about disability and difference when they spend two days (27^th & 28^th January 2014) with JustDifferent, a charity which aims to increase understanding about disability and difference.

JustDifferent will run a series of interactive workshops at the school which have been carefully designed for children between the ages of 5 & 9 years. The workshops will include real life story telling, using wheelchairs, quizzes and a question and answer session.

The workshops will be led by Owen Griffiths who has had cerebral palsy since shortly after birth. He is unable to walk and uses a powered wheelchair to get around. Owens speech has also been affected however he is able to live independently and is a huge sports fan.

 

Owen said: “We know that the earlier children and young people learn about disability and difference, the more likely they are to accept people like me, as they get older. We aim to create better understanding of disability issues, give children and young people the chance to ask questions about disability –and have fun!”

JustDifferent works in both primary and secondary schools and over the last year has run more than 949 workshops reaching over 27,664 children and young people across the country.