Parent Information
05.09.2024 Whole School Attendance Letter 2024-2025
06.09.2023 Whole School Attendance Letter 2023-2024
07.09.2022 Whole School Attendance Letter 2022-2023
Autumn 2024 - Year 5 - 6 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I am delighted to welcome you and your child back to North Wootton Academy and into Year 5/6 and we hope that you are all looking forward to this new school year as much as we are.
Here is some information that you will need about the classes and routines for this half term.
Your Staff
Class Teachers – Mr Blackmur, Mrs Morley, Mrs Allen and Mrs Bamber
Teaching Assistants – Mrs Acourt, Miss Neville and Mrs Petherick, Mrs Yallop & Mrs Ringwood.
Entry and exit
The gates will be open for your child at 8:40am and will be closed at 8:55am – please note the register will also be closed at 8:55am and arriving after this time will be considered late. Both the bike shed gate and the gate closest to the school sign will be open for your child to enter and exit. The school day for children in year 5/6 will finish at 15:10. Pupils do not need to have an adult present but permission must be given to the school office for the children to be dismissed without being collected.
Homework
Our homework will continue to be paperless, using the online platforms EdShed and TTRockstars. Homework will be given out and expected back in every Wednesday starting week commencing 9th September. Maths homework will normally be calculation based and occasionally linked to their in-class learning. We will also be using TTRockstars to support with your children’s learning of their times tables up to 12 x 12. The spelling and grammar homework, through EdShed, will be appropriate to your child’s age-related curriculum expectations. The children will be tested on their spellings bi-weekly (5 words from each week) to ensure the learning of the spellings has been retained. Home readers will also be sent home on a Wednesday with an expectation of up to 30 pages to be completed within a week and notes to be taken by your child to document this.
Physical Education
Children will have PE on Wednesdays. If your child is unable to participate in PE, please contact the school office, who will inform the class teacher. Children should come to school dressed ready for PE but will need to be wearing a North Wootton polo shirt and hoody. For those without North Wootton PE clothing, they will be expected to attend in full school uniform, bringing a PE kit and then will be able to get changed at school at the beginning of the PE lesson. Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and therefore a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days.
Finally, please know that our doors are always open. We are more than happy to discuss any issues after school. However, if you feel you need an appointment with me or your child’s class teacher, please arrange this with the school office. Thank you very much for your support and we are really looking forward to a successful year ahead.
Regards,
Mr C. Blackmur
Year 5/6 Phase Leader
Autumn 2024 - Year 3 - 4 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to all of you returning to school and into Year 3-4. Our Year 3-4 team would also like to welcome our new pupils and their families. We hope you are all ready to enjoy your new school academic. The aim is always to make it both appropriately challenging and fun.
Here is some information that you will need about the classes and routines for this term.
Staff
Class Teachers:
Miss Buschman and Mrs Kimber – Maple
Miss Griggs – Rowan
Mrs Turner and Mrs Penston – Willow
Teaching Assistants:
Mrs Harrison, Mrs Giller, Miss Burt and Miss Elmsley
Entry
Continues to be 8.40am coming in through the Tesco gate but please note the register closes at 8.55am. After this time, children will be marked at ‘late’ on the school register.
Exit
3.10pm – via Tesco gate.
Year 3 – collect from playground
Year 4 – children with written authority (speak to office) can go out the gate without an adult. Without this authority, they must be collected from the playground.
Communication
Please continue to contact the school by email or telephone in the first instance. Rest assured teaching staff get back to you as soon as possible. Of course, sometimes staff are available to have a quick chat with you on the playground too.
Equipment and items brought in
Children need not bring in their own equipment for class. We will provide all this. They can bring in a slim pencil case that fits easily into their trays otherwise it will have to go in their lockers and therefore, impractical for lessons. They should still remember their lunch, healthy snack, coat, hat and/or sun cream. Children will have a locker to keep these in. Water in bottles are kept in class.
Water Container
Hand sanitizer is still used at appropriate times especially before eating.
Lining Up
Classes will still have a lining up order when moving around school.
Learning
The curriculum overview details for the first term are provided here. Knowledge organisers will also be emailed to you separately. These knowledge organisers will let you know more detailed information about topics we will cover in class. You may find it both useful and interesting to discuss these with your child when received.
Toilets
These will be the boys and girls Years 3 and 4 toilets outside Maple and Willow classes.
Snacks
Staff will be checking these are healthy in line with school policy.
Lunch
To be eaten sitting around class tables in the junior hall.
Homework
Each child will be given a homework folder to bring in every Tuesday. Three sets of homework (Maths, Spellings and Grammar) will be given out every Tuesday from Tuesday 10th September 2024 but not in the last week of each half term. Maths homework will normally be based around times tables and the spelling and grammar homework will be appropriate to their age-related curriculum expectations. There are still websites that we use as options for some of the homework eg. TTRockstars for helping to learn multiplication facts but more about these as the weeks progress.
A homework topic morning where children can bring in their special homework project or task is being planned. The deadline date will be announced shortly and your child will be given more information about this to keep in their homework folder for future reference.
Reading
We aim to send reading books home in the first few days. Children are encouraged to read at home 5 times a week. If your child is a free reader, they will be given a guided reading book on Tuesday 10th September and told up to which page they are expected to read by the following Tuesdayhomework day. Non free readers are expected to read as much as they can daily. Reading should be recorded by pupils in their reading record.
The library has a yearly stock take and is opening within days after which children can take two books that can be changed weekly – normally on a Monday.
Physical Education – see class timetable.
PE Day is Tuesday.
Children should come to school dressed ready for Tuesday PE, wearing a named North Wootton polo-shirt and hoodie, black or navy shorts and in the colder months black or navy tracksuit. All long hair must be tied back and where possible, earrings should be taken out. Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and therefore a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days. A sun hat may be required in the first half term at least. If your child is too unwell to participate in a PE lesson, please send in a signed note to inform the class teacher.
Swimming
Willow Class Swimming Wednesdays 11th September 2024 – 6th November 2024 (8 weeks)
Maple Class Swimming Wednesdays 13th November 2024 –15th January 2025 (8 weeks)
Rowan Class Swimming Wednesdays 30th April 2025 – 25th June 2025 (8 weeks)
From this year, it will be individual classes that go swimming rather than year different groups. You will be sent more details about this if your child is in Willow.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful. The class timetable is provided separately along with the parent curriculum overview details.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
We very much appreciate all the support you give us which in turn benefits your children – always our first priority. Here’s to a super year ahead.
Regards,
Years 3 and 4 Class Teachers
September 2024
Autumn 2024 - Year 1 - 2 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to welcome your children into the Year 1 and Year 2 phase.
My name is Carolyn Saddleton, and I am the Phase Leader and will be teaching in Cedar Class. Mrs Salmons will be teaching in Pine Class and Mrs Leader will be teaching in Fir Class. We will be supported by Mrs Harvey (Cedar), Miss Clarke and Miss Martin (Pine) and Mrs Ames (Fir).
Timings
Please follow the drop off and collection arrangements already sent to you by email.
What to Bring
Your child will need to bring a bag that is easily cleaned to transport their reading book and reading record, drinks bottle, lunch if bringing from home, hat, coat and sunscreen, if not using the long -lasting variety, as we may get some lovely weather over the next few weeks. They will need to bring these into school and take them home each evening. No stationary etc will be needed as this will be provided by the school. Please make sure all items are clearly named.
Free fruit will be available at snack time, but you may wish to send a snack from home. These can be fruit, cheese or crackers.
P.E.
All three classes will be doing P.E. on a Thursday afternoon and the children should come to school wearing their P.E. kit. They will need to wear a school T-shirt and hoody, shorts or tracksuit bottoms. (See school uniform policy for further details). Trainers will be needed for outdoor lessons. Please be aware staff will not be able to tie laces for the children so only send shoes and trainers that they can fasten themselves. For safety reasons we ask that earrings be removed at home on a Thursday. If this is not possible, please provide some tape to cover them and ensure that your child can do this accurately.
Homework
Homework plays an important part in your children`s learning. The use of individual reading books is vital for Key Stage 1 pupils, and we will be sending one of these home by the end of week one. Please record the book/pages your child has read with you in the `Reading Record` book along with any other comments you would like to make. We ask that your child reads for at least ten minutes a day. Homework books will be sent home weekly on a Thursday. These need to be returned on the following Wednesday to be marked and new work added. Weekly homework will consist of spellings and two Mathematics tasks.
Spellings will be tested every two weeks, so it is important that time is taken to lean these at home.
Library
All classes will be visiting the school library on a Wednesday and will need to bring their books to change on a Wednesday.
Contact
As a school we like to promote an `open door` policy. We appreciate that you may at times need to give the staff a message. The best way to do this continues to be by email or by telephoning the office. If you do need to speak briefly to the teacher, we ask that you wait away from the main line of parents until all the children have been collected.
Please find the separate curriculum overview to see what we will be learning about this term.
We look forward to a successful year.
Regards Mrs Saddleton, Mrs Leader, Mrs Salmons (September 2024)
Autumn 2024 - Reception Parent Information
Dear Parent / Carers,
I am delighted to welcome your child to North Wootton Academy and I am sure that your children will settle quickly into their new class and enjoy their first year at school.
Up until October half term, our learning will be based around ‘All About Me’ and ‘Dinosaurs’. After October half term and up to Christmas, we will move on to learn about ‘Journeys and Transport inc My World’. Please find attached the Curriculum Overview for the Autumn Term. I have also attached four knowledge organisers that you can discuss with your child to prepare them for their learning.
To support your child’s learning in school, there are a couple of things that we would like your child to do at home as part of their home learning activities.
-
Reading – We expect your child to read with you at least four times a week. We will provide your child with two books to read at home. One of the books will be linked very closely to the Phonics we are learning during the week and the second book your child will receive is an age-appropriate colour banded reading book which is decided by their class teacher. Additionally, your child will bring home a reading record which is where we would like you to comment on how well they got on with the given book. Your child will exchange new reading books on a Monday and a Thursday.
-
Extended Home Learning Activities – From Friday 13th September, your child will have 2 homework activities to complete on a weekly basis. Your child will have a Phonics (spelling) based activity and a Maths activity to complete. Both the Phonics and the Maths homework will be set on a Friday and is expected to be completed by the following Wednesday.
We appreciate and understand that family time is precious, however at North Wootton Academy we expect children to engage in their home learning activities as these are designed to consolidate in school learning.
Your child will take part in Forest School sessions every week on a Wednesday morning so it is wise to dress your child appropriately depending on the weather, e.g. tights instead of socks with skirts/dresses. Please make sure you have provided your child with a pair of wellies and waterproofs that will remain in school for the year. However, Forest School will not begin until after October half term.
On a Tuesday, Acorns and Conkers will go to the school library to borrow a book to take home for the week and share with the family. Please ensure your child’s library book is returned every Tuesday so they can borrow a new one.
Children in Reception will take part in PE activities on a Monday afternoon. Historically, children in Reception got changed for PE in school. However, from this September onwards, children will attend school on a Monday in their PE kit instead of their normal school uniform.
Please ensure your child arrives at school with their bookbag and a clearly named water bottle everyday!
Finally, please know that our doors are always open. We are more than happy to discuss small, quick issues after school. However, if you feel you need an appointment with me or Miss Broughton, please arrange this with the school office.
Thank you very much for your support and we are really looking forward to what this year will bring!
Best wishes,
Mrs Emma Harley-Bond – (EYFS) Phase Leader
Summer 2024 - Year 5 - 6 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the Summer Term in Year 5/6. The knowledge organisers for your children’s learning this term will be found on our school website. These are a handy reference for you to see and discuss the key points that they are learning in different subjects.
In the first part of the summer term, our focus for the Year 5 children, in the morning sessions, is to continue with their in-class mathematical learning following our current scheme of work. Alongside this, the Year 5 children are involved in working towards a dramatic performance of scenes from several Shakespeare plays, which will be performed at the Guildhall on Friday the 17th May. The Year 6 children are continuing to work towards their fast-approaching SATs tests, which begin the week commencing May 13th. The children are completing the final Year 6 curriculum coverage before revising knowledge which they have gained in the first two terms of the year, as well as revisiting content from previous year groups.
Following the conclusion of the SATs, the Year 6 children will turn their attention to their writing as the submission date for this data is Friday 28th June. This term also sees the Year 6 children heading off to Hilltop on July 3rd before beginning the process of transitioning to high school.
Sun safety
As the weather begins to change, we will start to remind the children of our sun safety policy. This states that during the second half-term of summer, a hat is mandatory for all outdoor activities.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
As always, we very much appreciate all the support you give us.
Regards,
Mr C. Blackmur
Year 5/6 Phase Leader
Elder Class Teacher
Summer 2024 Year 3 - 4 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to the summer term. Hopefully, you have all enjoyed some sunshine!
Here is a little information below that you will hopefully find useful about the classes and routines for this term.
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (Online Test in School) will be between 3rd June – 14th June 2024.
This is a statutory government test that our Year 4’s - and other Year 4’s nationally – take at some point in these two weeks. The focus will be on their 6,7,8,9,11 and 12 times tables. It is important our Year 4’s increase their practise of these tables in the next few weeks. We will be working hard in school to support this too.
TTRockstars is a super website because it is online learning very similar to how the test in June will look online, which is why we encourage children to go on it at home. 10 minutes or more is our target per week – see homework sheet.
It remains important for our Year 3’s to also practice their age-appropriate times tables, which aids their transition into Year 4 routines and practises next year.
Entry - Unchanged
This continues to be at 8.40am, so children are in school to begin morning work at 8.50a.m. The register closes at 8.55am.
Exit
3.10pm – via Tesco gate. Again, this has previously been advised.
Equipment and items brought in
Children need not bring their own equipment for class. We will provide all this. They can bring in a slim pencil case that fits easily into their trays, otherwise it will have to go in their lockers and, therefore, impractical for lessons. They should still remember their lunch, healthy snack, coat, hat and/or sun cream. Most children will have a locker to keep these in. Water in bottles are kept in class.
Water Container
Hand sanitiser is still used at appropriate times and hand washing stations are outside too.
Snacks
These should continue to be healthy in line with school policy.
Homework - unchanged
Each child has a homework folder to bring in every Tuesday. The children will be given topic knowledge organisers to keep in their homework folders. These are a handy reference for parents to also see what pupils will be learning this half-term.
Three sets of homework (Maths, Spellings and Grammar) will be given out every Tuesday but not in the last week of each half-term. Maths homework will normally be based around times tables and the spelling and grammar homework will be appropriate to their age-related curriculum expectations. There are still websites that we use as options for some of the homework, mainly TTRockstars.
TWO DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
We are planning to walk to the church in North Wootton to sketch on Thursday 16th May 2024. This will be weather permitting and supports our Architecture Art topic. More details will follow. It is always good to go out into our local community.
A summer homework topic morning on Tuesday 4th June 2024 is planned where children can bring in their special homework project to share with other pupils. More details will follow on a sheet to be kept in their homework folders.
Reading - unchanged
Thank you again to parents. You have been ensuring your children read at home and remember to bring in their books. As a result, we have seen a super impact and improvement in many of our readers. Children are encouraged to read at home 5 times a week. If your child is a free reader, they will be given a guided reading book and told up to which page they are expected to read by the following Tuesday. Non-free readers are expected to read as much as they can daily.
Children can take two library books that can be changed weekly.
Physical Education
Children should come to school dressed ready for Tuesday PE, wearing a named North Wootton polo-shirt and hoodie, black or navy shorts and, in the colder months, black or navy tracksuit. All long hair must be tied back and where possible, earrings should be taken out. Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and therefore, a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days. If your child is too unwell to participate in a PE lesson, please send in a signed note to inform the class teacher.
Swimming
Our Year 3’s will go in the first week of the summer term. An email has already been sent about this to parents.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful. The 3-4 timetable is provided separately along with the parent curriculum overview details.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
Here’s to another great term in the Years 3 and 4 team.
Regards,
Miss Buschman, Mrs Turner, Mr Kirk and Miss Williams
Year 3 and 4 Teachers
Rowan Class Timetable Summer 2024
Maple Class Timetable Summer 2024
Summer 2024 Year 1 - 2 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to welcome you back to a new term and hope that you all had a good Easter break despite the weather.
Most of the arrangements for this term will continue as before.
P.E.
All three classes will continue to do P.E. on a Monday afternoon and should come to school wearing their P.E. kit. They will need to wear a school T-shirt and hoody, shorts or tracksuit bottoms. (See school uniform policy for further details).Trainers will be needed for outdoor lessons. Please be aware staff will not be able to tie laces for the children so only send shoes and trainers that they can fasten themselves. For safety reasons we ask that earrings be removed at home on a Monday. If this is not possible, please provide some tape to cover them and ensure that your child can do this accurately. Sun hats will also be needed for outdoor sessions as we look forward to the warmer weather.
Homework
Homework plays an important part in your children`s learning. The use of individual reading books is vital for Key Stage 1 pupils. Please record the book/pages your child has read with you in the `Reading Record` book along with any other comments you would like to make. We ask that your child reads for at least ten minutes a day.
Homework books will be sent home weekly on a Thursday. These need to be returned on the following Wednesday to be marked and new work added. Weekly homework will consist of spellings and two Mathematics tasks. Spellings will be tested every two weeks, so it is important that time is taken to lean these at home on a daily basis.
Library
All classes will continue to visit the school library on a Wednesday.
Sun Safety
Named water bottles, sun hats and sun cream (if not using the all- day variety) will need to be sent to school daily. Please be reminded that sun cream should be applied before school so that your child is protected until lunchtime.
Lost Property
We currently have a range of clothing in lost property including hats, gloves, jumpers and cardigans. Please take a moment to check that your child`s clothing is named – that enables us to return items to the rightful owners.
Contact
As a school we like to promote an `open door` policy. We appreciate that you may at times need to give the staff a message. The best way to do this continues to be by email or by telephoning the office. If you do need to speak briefly to the teacher, we ask that you wait away from the main line of parents until all the children have been collected.
Please find the separate curriculum overview to see what we will be learning about this term.
Regards Mrs Saddleton, Mrs Leader, Mrs Salmons (April 2024)
Year 1 - 2 Curriculum Summary - Summer 2024
Year 1 - 2 Class Timetable - Summer 2024
Summer 2024 Reception Parent Information
Dear Parents / Carers,
Welcome back to school after, what I hope was, a fantastic and well-deserved Easter break. I hope your child has enjoyed their short visit back to school and is ready for their final term of Reception.
For the first half of the term, up until May half-term, our learning will have a significant focus on ‘Growing and Changing’. After May half-term (for the remaining half-term), we will have a heavy focus on learning about ‘Influential People’. Please see the attached curriculum summary document.
Continued support from home is really beneficial for your child’s learning. Therefore, we would like these home learning activities to be carried on:
- Reading – By the end of Reception, reading fluency is one of the most valuable skills that your child will take to Year 1 with them ready to begin daily Guided Reading lessons to increase their reading comprehension skills. Therefore, we will continue to send home 2 reading books on a Monday and a Thursday. We will closely monitor that your child is reading at least 4 times a week. Every Monday, if your child has read at least 4 times in a week, they will continue to be rewarded with 5 monster points and a reading certificate to bring home.
- Spelling & Maths Homework – Miss Broughton and I are over the moon with how well you are all doing completing your homework. This will continue, it is really supporting your child’s work in school.
Hopefully, the weather should be improving so Forest School will continue to be on a Tuesday so please make sure your child has the most suitable school uniform on. With warmer months ahead of us, we are likely to see a rise in insects so children will need their arms and legs covered.
PE continues to be taught on a Thursday afternoon and will hopefully be outside more so trainers are needed from now on please.
Now we have reached the summer term, sun hats are compulsory so please ensure your child comes to school every day with a named sun hat. We will keep these in our ‘sun hat’ box for when we need them. If your child does not have a hat, unfortunately, they will have to stay and play in the shade. We ask that sun lotion should be applied before school with an 8 hour sun cream however, during the hotter and higher UV days, we will encourage your child to add additional sun cream. Please send your child into school with a named sun cream. This will stay in our ‘sun cream’ basket until the end of the term.
As a pre-warning, we are planning to take your child on a school trip to Castle Rising Castle on Wednesday 12th June 2024. Please keep an eye out for an email that will be sent via the school office in due course.
Thank you very much for your continued support. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to speak to myself or Miss Broughton.
Best wishes,
Mrs Emma Harley-Bond
EYFS Phase Leader
Spring 2024 - Year 5 - 6 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and Happy New Year!
Here is some information below that you will need about the classes and routines for this term. This half-term sees a considerable shift in focused sessions for the Year 6 children on their statutory tests, while the Year 5 children attend swimming lessons on a Wednesday morning.
Year 5 Swimming, SATs boosters and PE
The Year 5 children have started attending swimming lessons on a Wednesday morning, which is a fantastic learning opportunity for them, as well as a chance for the Year 6 children to focus on the development of their test technique ready for their tests in May. The year 6 children will be split between Mrs Morley, Mrs Bamber, Mrs Acourt and Mr Blackmur to explore a range of different test materials, practice papers and common misconceptions linked with SATs.
As a Wednesday is already a PE day, the Year 5 children will spend the first hour of the afternoon completing one of their core lessons, which they missed whilst swimming. Once this session is complete, they will then join the Year 6 children for their usual PE lessons.
Entry and Exit - Unchanged
It continues to be 8.40am, so children are at school to begin morning work at 8.45a.m. The register closes at 8.55am.
Exit 3.10pm – via the bike shed gate.
Communication
Please continue to contact the school by email or telephone in the first instance. Rest assured, the teaching staff will get back to you as soon as possible. Of course, sometimes staff are available to have a quick chat with you outside the classroom as well.
Homework
For the majority of the Autumn term, the Mathematics homework focused on securing the four operations as well as multiplying and dividing by 10,100 and 1000. This will begin to switch to a focus on fractions, decimals and percentages in line with what the children are learning within the classroom.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful. The 5/6 timetable is provided separately along with the parent curriculum overview details.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
As always, we very much appreciate all the support you give your child and us. Here’s to another great term.
Regards,
Mr Blackmur
Year 5/6 Phase Leader
Spring 2024 Year 3 - 4 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back and Happy New Year!
We have leapt positively into 2024.
You will be aware from previous emails that we have an exciting school trip to Norwich Castle Museum to look forward to supporting our Ancient Egyptians learning:
NOTE - CHILDREN NEED TO BE IN SCHOOL by 8.30AM as we will leave soon after and the bus cannot wait.
Maple and Rowan Monday 22nd January 2024
Willow Thursday 25th January 2024
Here is some information below that you will need about the classes and routines for this term. Not too much has changed but Year 4 parents will become aware of an increased focus on learning times tables.
Year 4 Multiplication Times Table Check
This is a statutory test that our Year 4’s take, along with other Year 4s nationally, in which they are expected to know ALL their times tables up to the 12 times table.
We will send Year 4 parents more information about this in due course, but for now, we encourage our pupils to share with you their quick fire times tables knowledge at home.
Entry - Unchanged Continues to be 8.40am, so children are in school to begin morning work at 8.50a.m. The register closes at 8.55am.
Exit 3.10pm – via Tesco gate. Again, this has previously been advised.
Communication
Please continue to contact the school by email or telephone in the first instance. Rest assured, the teaching staff get back to you as soon as possible. Of course, sometimes staff are available to have a quick chat with you on the playground too.
Equipment and items brought in
Children need not bring their own equipment for class. We will provide all this. They can bring in a slim pencil case that fits easily into their trays, otherwise it will have to go in their lockers and, therefore, is impractical for lessons. They should still remember their lunch, healthy snack, coat, hat and/or sun cream. Most children will have a locker to keep these in. Water in bottles are kept in class.
Water Container
Hand sanitizer is still used at appropriate times and hand washing stations are outside too.
Lining Up
Classes will still have a lining up order when moving around school.
Learning
The curriculum details for the first term are provided below.
Snacks
These should be healthy in line with school policy.
Homework
Each child has a homework folder to bring in every Tuesday. The children will be given topic knowledge organisers to keep in their homework folders. These are a handy reference for parents to also see what pupils will be learning this half-term. Three sets of homework (Maths, Spellings and Grammar) will be given out every Tuesday but not in the last week of each half-term. Maths homework will normally be based around times tables and the spelling and grammar homework will be appropriate to their age-related curriculum expectations. There are still websites that we use as options for some of the homework, mainly TTRockstars.
DATE FOR Year 3-4 DIARIES - A homework topic morning on Tuesday 19th March is planned where children can bring in their special homework project to share with other pupils.
DATE FOR YEAR 4 PARENT DIARIES –A Parent Awareness presentation by Miss Buschman and Miss Williams on Tuesday 5th March 2024 3.30pm here in school – further details will follow nearer the time.
More details will follow on a sheet to be kept in their homework folders.
Reading
Thank you to parents. You have been ensuring your children read at home and remember to bring in their books. As a result, we have seen a super impact and improvement in many of our readers. Children are encouraged to read at home 5 times a week. If your child is a free reader, they will be given a guided reading book and told up to which page they are expected to read by the following Tuesday. Non-free readers are expected to read as much as they can daily. Children can take two library books that can be changed weekly.
Physical Education
Children should come to school dressed ready for Tuesday PE, wearing a named North Wootton polo-shirt and hoodie, black or navy shorts and, in the colder months, black or navy tracksuit. All long hair must be tied back and, where possible, earrings should be taken out. Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and, therefore, a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days. If your child is too unwell to participate in a PE lesson, please send in a signed note to inform the class teacher.
Swimming
It is anticipated that our Year 3’s will go in the summer term.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful.
The ¾ timetable is provided separately along with the parent curriculum overview details.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
As always, we very much appreciate all the support you give your child and us.
Here’s to another great term.
Regards,
Miss Buschman, Mrs Turner, Mr Kirk and Miss Williams Year 3 and 4 Teachers
Maple Class Timetable - Spring 2024
Rowan Class Timetable - Spring 2024
Spring 2024 - Year 1 - 2 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to welcome you back to a new term and hope that you all had a good break.
Most of the arrangements for this term will continue as before.
P.E.
All three classes will continue to do P.E. on a Monday afternoon and should come to school wearing their P.E. kit. They will need to wear a school T-shirt and hoody, shorts or tracksuit bottoms. (See school uniform policy for further details).
Trainers will be needed for outdoor lessons. Please be aware staff will not be able to tie laces for the children so only send shoes and trainers that they can fasten themselves.
For safety reasons we ask that earrings be removed at home on a Monday. If this is not possible, please provide some tape to cover them and ensure that your child can do this accurately.
Homework
Homework plays an important part in your children`s learning. The use of individual reading books is vital for Key Stage 1 pupils. Please record the book/pages your child has read with you in the `Reading Record` book along with any other comments you would like to make.
We ask that your child reads for at least ten minutes a day. Homework books will be sent home weekly on a Thursday. These need to be returned on the following Wednesday to be marked and new work added. Weekly homework will consist of spellings and two Mathematics tasks.
Spellings will be tested regularly so it is important that time is taken to lean these at home on a daily basis. Library All classes will continue to visit the school library on a Wednesday.
Lost Property
We currently have a range of clothing in lost property including hats, gloves, jumpers and cardigans. Please take a moment to check that your child`s clothing is named – that enables us to return items to the rightful owners.
Contact
As a school we like to promote an `open door` policy. We appreciate that you may at times need to give the staff a message. The best way to do this continues to be by email or by telephoning the office. If you do need to speak briefly to the teacher, we ask that you wait away from the main line of parents until all the children have been collected.
Please find the separate curriculum overview to see what we will be learning about this term.
With best wishes for a successful 2024.
Regards Mrs Saddleton, Mrs Leader, Mrs Salmons (January 2024)
Spring 2024 - Reception Parent Information
Dear Parents / Carers,
Welcome back to school after, what I hope was, a fantastic and well deserved Christmas break. I hope your child has settled back into school after their first week back.
For the first half of the term, up until February half-term, our learning will be based upon animals and their babies. After February half-term, our afternoon learning will move towards learning about space. Please see the attached curriculum summary document.
We will be celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 7th March 2024. Therefore, we would like to invite you into school to take part in a reading café with your child. Booking will be essential with more information to follow.
We really enjoyed having many of you in the Autumn term and I know the children especially enjoyed sharing all of their learning with you.
Continued support from home is really beneficial for your child’s learning. Therefore, we would like these home learning activities to be carried on:
- Reading – Now that your child has completed a third of their first year at school, it is absolutely imperative that your child will continue to read their two school reading books to you. We appreciate it isn’t always possible to read daily. Therefore, our expectation is that they read at least 4 out of the 7 days. If they achieve this, they will receive a reading certificate on a Monday and this will be posted onto Class Dojo. Reading books are continuing to be changed every Monday and Thursday.
- Homework – We are really happy and impressed with the homework engagement for Phonics and Maths. Long may this continue. They receive 5 monster points if this is completed.
We will continue to visit the school library on a Tuesday, so please ensure your child has their library book with them, so they can choose a new one.
Unfortunately, due to horrendous weather and being taken over by Christmas Nativity practise, Forest School unexpectedly paused between October and December. However, I am pleased to announce that Forest School will continue on Tuesday (assuming no more pesky storms settle in). Please make sure your child has the warmest school uniform on for this, as February and March can be particularly cold months. We will most probably need to wear coats over the top of a waterproof suit, so I apologise in advance for dirty coats. However, I’m sure you’ll agree, warm but dirty children are better than cold, dirty children.
PE continues to be taught on a Thursday afternoon. For this half-term up until February half-term, Mr Smalls will be teaching Gymnastics while Mrs Rix teaches some basic yoga.
Thank you very much for your continued support. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to speak to myself or Miss Broughton.
Best wishes,
Mrs Harley-Bond – (EYFS) Phase Leader
Autumn 2023 - Year 5 - 6 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I am delighted to welcome you and your child back to North Wootton Academy and into Year 5/6 and we hope that you are all looking forward to this new school year as much as we are.
Here is some information that you will need about the classes and routines for this half term.
Your Staff
Class Teachers – Mr Blackmur, Mrs Morley, Mrs Allen and Mrs Bamber
Teaching Assistants – Mrs Acourt, Miss Neville and Mrs Petherick.
Entry and exit
The gates will be open for your child at 8:40am and will be closed at 8:55. Both the bike shed gate and the gate closest to the school sign will be open for your child to enter and exit.
The school day for children in year 5/6 will finish at 15:10. Pupils do not need to have an adult present but permission must be given to the school office for the children to be dismissed without being collected.
Homework
Our homework will continue to be paperless, using the online platforms EdShed and TTRockstars. Homework will be given out and expected back in every Wednesday starting week commencing 11 th September.
Maths homework will normally be calculation based and linked to their in-class learning. We will also be using TTRockstars to support with your children’s learning of their times tables up to 12 x 12.
The spelling and grammar homework, through EdShed, will be appropriate to your child’s age-related curriculum expectations. The children will be tested on their spellings each Wednesday. Home readers will also be sent home on a Wednesday with an expectation of up to 30 pages to be completed within a week and notes to be taken by your child to document this.
Physical Education
Children will have PE on Wednesdays. If your child is unable to participate in PE, please contact the school office, who will inform the class teacher. Children should come to school dressed ready for PE but will need to be wearing a North Wootton polo shirt and hoody.
For those without North Wootton PE clothing, they will be expected to attend in full school uniform, bringing a PE kit and then will be able to get changed at school at the beginning of the PE lesson.
Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and therefore, a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days.
Finally, please know that our doors are always open. We are more than happy to discuss any issues after school. However, if you feel you need an appointment with me or your child’s class teacher, please arrange this with the school office.
Thank you very much for your support and we are really looking forward to a successful year ahead.
Regards,
Mr C. Blackmur
Year 5/6 Phase Leader
Autumn 2023 - Year 3 - 4 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to all of you returning to school and into Year 3-4. Our Year 3-4 team would also like to welcome our new pupils and their families. We hope you are all ready to enjoy your new school academic year. The aim is always to make it both appropriately challenging and fun.
Here is some information that you will need about the classes and routines for this term.
Staff Class Teachers – Miss Buschman – Maple with Mrs Turner (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday pm), Mr Kirk – Rowan and Miss Williams – Willow. Teaching Assistants – Mrs Harrison, Mrs Giller, Miss Yallop and Miss Burt.
Entry - Continues to be 8.40am coming in through the Tesco gate but please note the register closes at 8.55am.
Exit 3.10pm – via Tesco gate. Year 3 – collect from playground Year 4 – children with written authority (speak to office) can go out the gate without an adult. Without this authority, they must be collected from the playground.
Communication
Please continue to contact the school by email or telephone in the first instance. Rest assured, teaching staff get back to you as soon as possible. Of course, sometimes staff are available to have a quick chat with you on the playground too.
Equipment and items brought in
Children need not bring in their own equipment for class. We will provide all this. They can bring in a slim pencil case that fits easily into their trays otherwise it will have to go in their lockers and therefore, impractical for lessons.
They should still remember their lunch, healthy snack, coat, hat and/or sun cream. Most children will have a locker to keep these in. Water in bottles are kept in class.
Water Container /Hand sanitiser is still used at appropriate times and hand washing stations are outside too.
Lining Up
Classes will still have a lining up order when moving around school.
Learning
The curriculum details for the first term are provided here.
Toilets
These will be the boys and girls ¾ toilets outside Maple and Rowan classes.
Snacks
Staff will be checking these are healthy in line with school policy.
Lunch
To be eaten sitting around class tables in the junior hall.
Homework
Each child will be given a homework folder to bring in every Tuesday. (Year 4s please note homework day is no longer Wednesday.) The children will be given topic knowledge organisers to keep in their homework folders. These are a handy reference for parents to also see what pupils will be learning this half term.
Three sets of homework (Maths, Spellings and Grammar) will be given out every Tuesday but not in the last week of each half term.
Maths homework will normally be based around times tables and the spelling and grammar homework will be appropriate to their age-related curriculum expectations. There are still websites that we use as options for some of the homework eg. TTRockstars for helping to learn multiplication facts but more about these as the weeks progress.
A homework topic morning where children can bring in their special homework project or task is being planned and the deadline date will be advised shortly – to be in Autumn 2 half term.
Reading - We aim to send reading books home by the end of the first week. Children are encouraged to read at home 5 times a week. If your child is a free reader, they will be given a guided reading book and told up to which page they are expected to read by the following Tuesday. Non free readers are expected to read as much as they can daily. The library has a yearly stock take and is opening within days after which children can take two books that can be changed weekly.
Physical Education – see class timetable. Year 4 Swimming Wednesdays Year 3 PE on Tuesdays. Year 3 children should come to school dressed ready for Tuesday PE, wearing a named North Wootton polo-shirt and hoodie, black or navy shorts and in the colder months black or navy tracksuit.
All long hair must be tied back and where possible, earrings should be taken out.
Please remember that the children will be outside whenever possible and therefore a spare pair of socks would be advised on wet days. A sun hat will be required in the half term at least.
If your child is too unwell to participate in a PE lesson, please send in a signed note to inform the class teacher.
Swimming
Our Year 4’s start swimming in the second week on Wednesday 13th September. You should have already received details about this. It is anticipated that our Year 3’s will go in the Summer term.
Hopefully, you will find this information useful. The class timetable is provided separately along with the parent curriculum overview details.
If you have any queries about the above, please contact the office in the first instance and the appropriate member of staff will do their very best to assist.
We very much appreciate all the support you give us which in turn benefits your children – always our first priority.
Here’s to a super year ahead.
Regards, Miss Buschman, Mrs Turner, Mr Kirk and Miss Williams
Year 3 and 4 Teachers
Autumn 2023 - Year 1 - 2 Parent Information
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to welcome your children into the Year 1 and Year 2 phase.
My name is Carolyn Saddleton and I am the Phase Leader and will be teaching in Cedar Class.
Mrs Salmons will be teaching in Pine Class and Mrs Leader will be teaching in Fir Class.
We will be supported by Mrs Harvey and Miss Emsley (Cedar), Miss Clarke and Miss Martin (Pine) and Mrs Ames (Fir).
Timings
Please follow the drop off and collection arrangements already sent to you by email.
What to Bring
Your child will need to bring a bag that is easily cleaned to transport their reading book and reading record, homework book, drinks bottle, lunch if bringing from home, hat, coat and sunscreen, if not using the long -lasting variety, as we may get some lovely weather over the next few weeks. They will need to bring these into school and take them home each evening. No stationary etc will be needed as this will be provided by the school. Please make sure all items are clearly named.
Free fruit will be available for snack.
P.E.
All three classes will be doing P.E. on a Monday afternoon and your child should come to school wearing their P.E. kit. They will need to wear a school T-shirt and hoody, shorts or tracksuit bottoms. (See school uniform policy for further details). Trainers will be needed for outdoor lessons. Please be aware staff will not be able to tie laces for the children so only send shoes and trainers that they can fasten themselves. For safety reasons we ask that earrings be removed at home on a Monday. If this is not possible, please provide some tape to cover them and ensure that your child can do this accurately.
Homework
Homework plays an important part in your children`s learning. The use of individual reading books is vital for Key Stage 1 pupils, and we will be sending one of these home by the end of week one. Please record the book/pages your child has read with you in the `Reading Record` book along with any other comments you would like to make. We ask that your child reads for at least ten minutes a day.
Homework books will be sent home weekly on a Thursday. These need to be returned on the following Wednesday to be marked and new work added. Weekly homework will consist of spellings and a Mathematics task. Spellings will be tested regularly so it is important that time is taken to learn these at home.
Library
Please note that from next week (week beginning 11th September 2023) all classes will be visiting the school library on a Wednesday and will need to bring their books to change on a Wednesday.
Contact
As a school we like to promote an `open door` policy. We appreciate that you may at times need to give the staff a message. The best way to do this continues to be by email or by telephoning the office. If you do need to speak briefly to the teacher, we ask that you wait away from the main line of parents until all the children have been collected.
Please find the separate curriculum overview to see what we will be learning about this term.
We look forward to a successful year.
Regards Mrs Saddleton, Mrs Leader, Mrs Salmons (September 2023)
Autumn 2023 - Reception Parent Information
Dear Parents / Carers,
I am delighted to welcome your child to North Wootton Academy, and I am sure that your children will settle quickly into their new class and enjoy their first year at school.
Up until October half-term, our learning will be based around ‘All About Me’ and ‘Dinosaurs’.
After October half-term and up to Christmas, we will move on to learn about ‘Journeys and Transport inc My World’.
Please find attached the Curriculum Overview for the Autumn Term.
I have also attached four knowledge organisers that you can discuss with your child to prepare them for their learning. These will also be stuck in homework books. To support your child’s learning in school, there are a couple of things that we would like your child to do at home as part of their home learning activities.
❖ Reading – We expect your child to read with you at least four times a week. We will provide your child with two books to read at home. One of the books will be linked very closely to the Phonics we are learning during the week and the second book your child will receive is an age-appropriate colour banded reading book which is decided by their class teacher. Additionally, your child will bring home a reading record, which is where we would like you to comment on how well they got on with the given book. Your child will receive a new reading book on a Monday and a Thursday.
❖ Extended Home Learning Activities – From Friday 15th September, your child will have 2 homework activities to complete on a weekly basis. Your child will have a Phonics (spelling) based activity and a Maths activity to complete. Both the Phonics and the Maths homework will be set on a Friday and is expected to be completed by the following Wednesday. We appreciate and understand that family time is precious. However, at North Wootton Academy we expect children to engage in their home learning activities as these are designed to consolidate in school learning.
Your child will take part in Forest School sessions every week on a Tuesday, so it is wise to dress your child appropriately depending on the weather, e.g. tights instead of socks with skirts/dresses. Please make sure you have provided your child with a pair of wellies and waterproofs that will remain in school for the year.
On a Tuesday, Acorns and Conkers will go to the school library to borrow a book to take home for the week and share with the family. Please ensure your child’s library book is returned every Tuesday so they can borrow a new one.
Children in Reception will take part in PE activities on a Thursday afternoon. Please ensure your child’s PE kit is sent into school during the first week of the half-term and we will send these home at the end of the half-term.
Please ensure your child arrives at school with their bookbag and a clearly named water bottle everyday!
Finally, please know that our doors are always open. We are more than happy to discuss small, quick issues after school. However, if you feel you need an appointment with me, please arrange this with the school office.
Thank you very much for your support and we are really looking forward to what this year will bring!
Best wishes,
Mrs Emma Harley-Bond – (EYFS) Phase Leader
Autumn term parent information letter, timetable and curriculum overview.
Covid - 19 Procedures and Guidance
Covid-19 School Advice & Procedures
Covid Risk Assessment - March 2022
Covid Catch Up Plan - Revised March 2022
Covid Spring Update - February 2022
Covid Risk Assessment - February 2022
Covid Risk Assessment - January 2022
EMAT Outbreak Management & Contingency Plan Dec 2021
Year 5-6 Carol Concert Risk Assessment
Reception Performance Risk Assessment 02.12.2021
Updated Risk Assessment 29.11.2021
EMAT Outbreak Management Plan - Updated 20th September 2021
Entry/Exit Map - September 2021
Covid Management Outbreak Procedures - September 2021
Covid 19 - Risk Assessment - September 2021
Covid General Guidance - September 2021
Updated Covid -19 Risk Assessment
March 2021 Reopening - Parent/Carer Guidance
Full Reopening RA - V6 March 2021
Remote Learning Expectations Jan 2021
NWA Remote Learning Review - Jan 2021
Educational_setting_Risk_Assessment_Supplement_Jan21
North-Wootton-EMAT-COVID19-safeguarding-and-child-protection-addendum
NWA-Safeguarding-Local-Arrangements-Jan_21_-Update-COVID-1
Norse Food Box Information Jan 2021
Parent Letter Covid - update 05.01.2021
Catch up plan 2020-2021 NWA Final
Full Reopening Risk Assessment V3
Covid Absence – Quick guide for schools
Positive Covid-19 Reporting process and Test and Trace Privacy Notice – Privacy Notice – Covid-19
How to respond to a positive case of Covid
NWA Managing Medical Conditions and Medication Policy Sep 20
Recovery Curriculum – Post Covid-19
Parent Letter – Information regarding Police concern 10.09.2020
Parent Letter 10.09.2020 Rowan Gate Change
Parent Letter 10.09.2020 Pine Gate Change
September-Re-opening-General-Guidance
Norse-Primary-School-Lunch-Menu-September-2020
School-Catering-Info-Sheet-for-Parents-Sept-2020-1
Reception Bubble changes 24th June 2020
Parent Letter 16.06.2020 Video Calls
Parent Letter 10.06.2020 – no opening for further years this term
First Aid and Managing Medical Conditions Covid Addendum (1)
NWA Risk Assessment 07.06.2020
Parent Letter 05.06.2020 – School Resource & Reopening Videos
Parent Letter 05.06.2020 Home Learning Update
Parent Letter Reception Group A 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Reception Group B 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Reception Group C 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Year 1 Group A 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Year 1 Group B 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Year 6 Group A 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Year 6 Group B 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Year 6 Group C 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Reception Group A 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Keyworker Group B 04.05.2020
Parent Letter Reception 03.06.2020
Letter to Primary Families May 2020 – Delayed reopening of our Academy
Behaviour Policy 2020 Covid-19
Final Parent Overview for School Reopening
GRA 06 -Operatives Undertaking Duties With Considerations For COVID- Catering
Initial_Parent_Overview_for_School_Reopening
Parent Letter 20.03.2020 Keyworker Information
NWA Safeguarding Local Arrangements March 20 Update (COVID) (1)
North Wootton EMAT COVID19 safeguarding and child protection addendum