Headteacher’s Blog

Last week, as the temperatures outside dropped, we turned on our new heating system for the first time. The building and heating works that have taken place during the last year – to change the school’s heating system from gas central heating to air source heat pumps and more solar panels – is now complete. This change will enable the school to be more energy efficient, sustainable and hopefully reduce our energy bills.

Yesterday’s celebration assembly was a very pumpkin occasion! As well as celebrating our fantastic readers, authors, mathematicians and musician of the week, yesterday, children across the school excitedly waited to see if their names were called out as winners of Mrs Stanley’s pumpkin competition prizes. Well done to all of our winners and for all of the children who took part in the competition.

Please be reminded that breakfast club starts at 7.30am and that we ask parents and carers to walk your child to the breakfast club door, to support their transition and handover. It also gives breakfast club staff the opportunity to give messages to you, when needed.

Thank you to the families that visited yesterday’s curriculum evening. We hope that you enjoyed sharing your child’s learning in maths this half-term. We hope that you join us for our next curriculum evening, with a focus on English.

As the cost of living continues to present significant challenges for many families, please be aware that school can make referrals to local food banks. If this is something that you would like us to do, please let the school office know. There is a minimal amount of information that we require from you and then we can issue vouchers directly from school.

Congratulations to Miss Golding who is the very proud mummy of a new baby daughter. I am sure that you will join me in congratulating her and her family and wishing them well at this very happy time. Both mother and baby are both doing well.

Enjoy your half-term.

Last Friday, pupils across the school had lots of fun at the first school disco of the year. It was lovely to see so many pupils, singing, dancing and socialising together, including many of our new Reception pupils enjoying their very first school disco. Thank you to the FOBS committee for organising another successful fundraising event.

This week has been slightly quieter than usual at school… as many of our Year 6 pupils have been away on their residential trip to Manor Adventure. They arrived back yesterday afternoon having had a fantastic time, taking part in a range of activities including bouldering, caving, paddleboarding, axe-throwing and archery. Thank you to Ms Franks, Mr Sanders, Mr Garwood and Miss Goodfellow, for helping to ensure that pupils enjoyed such a great time. I am sure they will all sleep well this weekend!

Please can we remind parents and carers that staff cannot give out, to classes, celebration cakes or any other sweet or savoury treats brought in by families, due to the risk to individuals with allergies. We have a number of pupils, across the school,  who have severe allergies to specific foods, including nuts, eggs and general dairy products and we do not want to risk their health by offering them food items that may contain any of these ingredients.

Next Tuesday, all pupils will take part in an online safety workshop. Each workshop will be tailored to the year group and delivered at an age-appropriate level. The topics covered will include: personal information and privacy; cyber-bullying; grooming and how it may occur; and how to report concerns.

There is a presentation for parents and carers to accompany these workshops, to provide an insight into the online world that our children inhabit and the reality of how they navigate this digital world. The presentation covers a range of topics including: what children are taught about online safety; the latest trends of what children are doing online; and the issues and dangers they face. We will share the link to this presentation next week – it will then be available to Bowmansgreen families, for four weeks.

Next Thursday is our first Curriculum evening of the year. We look forward to being able to share your child’s learning in English this half-term and hope to see you in the school hall, from 3.05pm – 4pm and 6pm – 7pm.

I am very pleased to announce that we have had five parents and carers who have been nominated to stand for election as a parent governor at Bowmansgreen. As we have had more nominations than vacancies, we must now hold a secret ballot. The ballot will take place after half-term, with details to follow about the process and how to vote. Thank you to the parents and carers who have put themselves forward for this vacancy – we really appreciate your interest and support.

Please be reminded that we have an INSET day next Friday and school is therefore closed to pupils. The following week is half-term.

Enjoy your weekend.

Thank you to the parents and carers who baked, bought or turned out bright and early for a drink and a cake or two, in support of Mrs Stanley’s coffee morning. Mrs Stanley did a roaring trade and is very happy to announce that you helped to raise £342 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Thank you Mrs Stanley, for organising the event.

The school entrance was busier than usual today as, alongside the coffee morning, FOBS also held their latest Bag2School drop-off. A mountain of donations were ready for collection, helping to raise much needed funds for our school. Thank you FOBS!

Most pupils have made an excellent start to the year in terms of their attendance, with our whole school attendance currently at 96%. Please ensure that your child attends school on time, every day so that they do not miss the teaching and learning experiences that they need, to enable them to flourish and reach their potential. Let’s see if we can maintain 96% attendance for the rest of this term!

Thank you for attending our ‘Meet the Teacher’ afternoons. We hope that you found the sessions useful and that they gave you an overview of what your child will be busy learning this year.

If you have not already done so, please ensure that you book an appointment at next week’s Family Consultations, to discuss your child’s start in their new class and the next steps that they will be working towards, this term.

Please can we ask that you do not allow or help your child to pull on the branches of the Horse Cheshunt tree that stands very proudly on the Key Stage One playground. It is currently heavily laden with conkers which always causes much excitement at this time of the year but some of the branches have been damaged and broken due to the force with which they are being pulled.

Tomorrow, our annual Open Morning takes place. It is a great opportunity for new and prospective families to find out more about Bowmansgreen, meet teachers and governors and look at work and classrooms. Current families are also welcome – it would be lovely to see you there!

During this morning’s celebration assembly, staff and pupils said ‘goodbye and good luck’ to Miss Golding as she worked her last day before starting maternity leave, next week. I am sure that you will join me in wishing her and her family well as they prepare for their new arrival, in not-so-many days time!

Enjoy your weekend.

It is lovely to be back after the summer holiday and it has been a happy, positive start to the new school year at Bowmansgreen.  Pupils have settled quickly into their new classes and have been working hard, demonstrating a calm, purposeful attitude. The focus for the first week has been about setting and reinforcing standards and expectations – of uniform, attendance, learning and behaviour – and pupils are already aiming high. Pupils have been reminded of our three school rules – be kind, be safe, be respectful – and the expectation that they are demonstrated by every member of our school community, at all times.

We have welcomed lots of new families to Bowmansgreen this week, with new pupils joining classes across the school. I know that they are being made to feel very welcome and helped to settle in by their peers and I hope that they have enjoyed their first few days as part of our school community.

Our new reception pupils have made a confident, settled start to school life at Bowmansgreen. They spent their first full day at school yesterday yet looked like they have been attending for weeks! They have been busy learning and playing well together, forming new friendships, having fun and becoming familiar with their new environment. I am sure that some will sleep very well this weekend…

I am sure that you are aware of the recent media headlines about RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) and that some schools have been affected by the presence of RAAC in their buildings. RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete which was used in schools and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s. After some time and in some circumstances, this concrete can collapse. I can reassure you that Hertfordshire County Council had the school surveyed by appropriately qualified building surveyors in the last few years and I can confirm that there is no RAAC at Bowmansgreen and therefore no risk to pupils or staff. I can only begin to imagine the disruption, upset and stress experienced by the many school communities who are affected by RAAC and feel so sorry for those who have been denied a settled start to their school year.

Mrs May, our new school SENCO has been busy getting to know pupils, during her first week at Bowmansgreen. I look forward to working closely with Mrs May during the coming weeks, to ensure a smooth handover of information and to support her getting to know families and the needs of pupils with SEND across the school.

This half-term’s school value is kindness. Staff will be looking out for examples of pupils going over and above to demonstrate kindness towards each other, acknowledging and reinforcing the importance of kindness within our school community, both as a value and one of our non-negotiable, three school rules. Some pupils have already been mentioned frequently during the first week, regarding their excellent attitude and kindness towards others. Some early contenders for class recognition boards, I am sure.

Yesterday’s celebration assembly started with our new Bowmansgreen school song and finished with three excellent piano solos, performed by Isla, Reef and Zara. Mr Bronstein expressed how proud he was of all three musicians who recently passed their Grade 1 piano exams with flying colours! Congratulations to all three and I look forward to their next performances.

Parents and carers are once again welcome to attend Friday celebration assemblies whether or not your child is receiving an award. Pre-covid, Friday assemblies were a lovely community occasion, well attended by families across the school. Please feel free to join us, 9am every Friday. We do have limits and regulations to follow regarding the number of people allowed into the school hall at once so we may have to cap numbers if attendance is high. Celebration assembly usually lasts between twenty and thirty minutes. Please enter via the breakfast club/dining room door, where you will be able to wait from 8.35am.

Family adults are also again invited to join their children at our breakfast club each morning. Breakfast costs £3.00 per person (£3.00 for the first child and £2.00 for each sibling) and is served between 7.30am – 8.15am. Mrs Stanley and her team offer a range of breakfast items and a tasty, hot breakfast, every Friday. Come and join us – Mrs Stanley would love to see you there!

Congratulations to the pupils in Year 5 who completed their first aid course with St John’s Ambulance, at the end of last term. Yesterday, they received their hard earned and well deserved certificates. Their course included learning about CPR, choking, treating burns and stemming bleeding – invaluable knowledge and skills that could one day be used to help others, even prevent a death. Thank you very much to Miss Russell who organised and led the course and has helped train many Bowmansgreen pupils in first aid, over the last few years.

During the next two weeks, all classes will take part in Forest School. You will receive a letter notifying you of when your child’s session takes place and what they will need to bring.

Please be reminded to park safely and respectfully on the roads around school, at all times. Neighbours have been upset and inconvenienced during our first week back, with driveways having been blocked and some inconsiderate parking, ignoring the parking restrictions.

Pupils in Y4, Y5 and Y6 can enter and exit school grounds via the back gate, as independent travellers. Please collect a form from the office if you would like your child to become an independent traveller for the first time.

We have a vacancy on our governing board for a parent governor. If you are a parent or carer of a pupil currently on roll at Bowmansgreen, with a keen interest in supporting the school’s leadership, school policy, financial matters and educational outcomes, you might be interested in joining the school’s governing body as a parent governor. Look out for next week’s letter detailing the nomination and election process and procedures.

Upcoming key dates: KS1/KS2 Meet the Teacher events – during week beginning September 25th 2023; Open Morning – Saturday September 30th, 2023; Family Consultation Meetings – October 3rd and 5th, 2023;

Enjoy your weekend.

Thank you for making this week’s sports days so much fun! Thankfully the weather held out for each sports day (almost, for EYFS!) and pupils across the school had fun competing with and against their classmates, in a range of events. Pupils had a great time and participated well. They were very well supported and cheered on  – thank you families! The house points have been carefully counted and added to the totals so far. The grand house point totals and winning house will be announced next week.

Parenting When Separated Programme
The Parenting When Separated Programme is for parents who are preparing for, going through, or have gone through a separation or divorce. It is a six-week course that highlights practical steps parents can take to help their children cope and thrive, as well as coping successfully themselves. The course is free to attend and you can be referred by a professional or parents can self-refer.

We are aware that the parking around Bowmansgreen has again become an issue for drivers, pedestrians and neighbours. Please ensure that you park safely and considerately on the roads around school, following the parking restrictions. There have been several accidents in recent weeks, including crashes into parked cars. The parking restrictions have been put in place to help keep our school community safe and they do make a difference when they are followed.

Tomorrow, your child will find out their new class for next year. They will meet their new class staff and spend some time in the new classroom. We appreciate that it will be a very daunting time for some pupils and they will worry about what next year will be like for them. We will try our best to reassure and prepare all pupils for this transition and know that some will take longer to accept the change and settle into their new classes. Parents and carers, you will also receive confirmation of your child’s new class, tomorrow. Year 6 pupils will spend tomorrow at their new secondary schools. Very exciting!

As is often the case at the end of a school year, we have a number of staff leaving Bowmansgreen this term. We will be saying goodbye to Miss Roux, Miss Choudhry and Mr Regan, who will be  leaving us at the end of term. I am sure that you will join me in thanking all three for their hard work and commitment to the children, staff and Bowmansgreen school community and wishing Miss Roux, Miss Choudhry and Mr Regan the very best of luck and happiness for the future.

Our final curriculum evening of the year takes place tomorrow, 3 – 4pm and 6 – 7pm. Pupils have been busy creating art, design and technology masterpieces, to share with you. It would be lovely to see you there!

We expect pupils to wear full uniform every day, including footwear and PE kit. Our school uniform policy gives the flexibility of logo and non-logo items but with clear expectations about types of items and colours. Footwear is expected to be plain black shoes or trainers – any visible logos are also expected to be black. Pupils are regularly reminded about appropriate uniform but we rely on parent and carer support and reinforcement to ensure that our policy is adhered to.

At the end of May, we will be holding nearly new uniform ‘sales’ to enable families to stock up on uniform items for free. Dates to follow.

Please ensure that your child does not use the playground equipment before or after school. As staff are not on hand to supervise this play, we ask that you do not allow your child on any of the equipment pieces. This request is to avoid any accidents before or after the school day, when the playgrounds are not monitored or supervised in the same was as during the school day, when your children are in our care. It can be awkward for staff to intervene and speak directly to pupils they see whilst they are in your care but they are following our policies and health and safety guidance so please do not be offended if a member of staff asks your child to come off the equipment.

Next Friday is our Coronation celebration, with pupils encouraged to wear red, white and blue or dress as a king or queen for the day. We look forward to families joining us between 2 – 4pm to get the Coronation bank holiday weekend off to a great start.

Harrison (Y6) was acknowledged in yesterday’s celebration assembly by Mr Sanders, for his contributions to the Bowmansgreen football team and also for his participation and success in his footballing achievements outside of school. To learn that Harrison is one of only 24 players across the district to be part of the St Albans Primary Schools Representative Squad, is certainly something to celebrate. Congratulations, Harrison – what a fantastic achievement! You should be very proud of yourself as we all are of you.

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

Eid Mubarak!

Many families within our school community are celebrating Eid. We hope that you enjoy your festivities and family celebrations, during the next few days.

Thank you, if you have kindly responded to Mrs Stanley’s recent request for donations of plants or seeds. Any donations of the following would be much appreciated, to help pupils restore the beds and planters around school and learn to grow their own flowers, fruit and vegetables:
-bags of compost/grow bags
-strawberry plants
-seeds (lettuce, radish, tomato, runner bean, beetroot, rainbow chard, carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, courgette, sunflower, cornflower, meadow/country wild flower… or any other favourite flowers!)

This half-term’s school values are truth and honesty. Monday’s assembly explored the importance of these values and throughout the half-term, staff will be looking out for pupils who are excellent role models in demonstrating these values.

On Wednesday, photographers were at Bowmansgreen to take class photos. They will return later this term to take photos of our school teams and House Captains.

Thank you to the many families who helped create an enormous pile of donations as part of yesterday’s FOBS Bag2School fundraiser. Thank you for supporting this event and joining Mrs Stanley for a cup of coffee, to help raise money for our school.

Recent FOBS fundraising has helped purchase new playground equipment for each Key Stage. The static gym equipment is proving very popular and great fun for pupils across the school. We were able to add some FOBS fundraising to a generous donation from a local resident and former pupil. Thank you everyone!

The FOBS committee are hard at it again today, busy setting up for today’s Circus Sensible at Bowmansgreen. We hope to see lots of families at the workshops and/or shows, joining in the fun and helping to raise more valuable funds to benefit our pupils.

Throughout the week, pupils in Year 5 took part in Bikeability training, learning how to ride their bikes safely on the road. Miss Allen was very proud to have received some extremely positive feedback from the instructors about how supportive and caring pupils were towards each other, especially when individual pupils lacked confidence when facing a new challenge. Well done, children. You should be very proud of yourselves.

After seven and a half-years at Bowmansgreen, yesterday Mrs Rea worked her final day at Bowmansgreen. She will be taking up a new job locally and therefore expects to still see lots of families around in the local community. Pupils said goodbye to Mrs Rea in yesterday’s celebration assembly and she received a steady stream of cards and flowers throughout the day. I am sure that you will join me in thanking her for her hard work and commitment to Bowmansgreen over the years and wish her the best of luck for the future.

Good luck to the Year 5 boys football team, currently taking part in the six-a-side finals this morning!

Enjoy your weekend.

It has been a very busy few weeks at Bowmansgreen!

Last Friday, FOBS held a Mothers’ Day sale. Pupils excitedly browsed and selected their gifts – leaving the tables almost completely bare! Thank you to FOBS for organising this successful event, helping to raise much needed funds for our school. We hope that your Mothers’ Day was made even more special by the extra little surprise you may have received!

Pupils who eat school meals have been enjoying taking part in this year’s Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign which aims to encourage children to eat more vegetables. Pupils have had fun trying something new; increasing the number of portions they eat throughout the week; and being surprised to find out about the vegetables hiding inside some of the very tasty desserts!

If your child is entitled to free school meals (either because they are in EYFS or KS1 or they are eligible due to family, income-related benefits) I would encourage you to take up the offer. You can choose for your child to eat school meals as regularly or infrequently as you would like – some children prefer to switch between packed lunch and school dinners throughout the week. If your family is eligible, choosing free school meals for your child makes sense financially and ensures that your child receives a nutritious meal, daily.

The cost of living crisis is affecting us all, including in terms of rising food prices. Regrettably, as a direct result of these and other rising costs, the price of school meals will go up after Easter – you will receive a letter on Monday detailing the increase. As above, if you think that your child is eligible for free school meals or you have not yet taken up their entitlement, please check online or ask at the school office.

Since the last blog, we have held two curriculum evenings, focusing on the subjects of English and science. As always, it is lovely to welcome families into school and share aspects of the curriculum with you. Pupils are always so proud to show you their learning and it is an important experience and skill for them, to discuss and explain what they have been busy learning at school. Thank you to Mrs Campbell and Miss Allen for organising these two events. Our next curriculum evening takes place on 13th July.

Please be reminded to adhere to the parking restrictions around school. The restrictions were long fought for to help ensure the safety of our school community and local residents. We expect an increased volume of school traffic during inclement weather but there have been several days recently where the parking has been inconsiderate and dangerous for our families and neighbours. The restrictions have made a significant difference to the flow of traffic and safety of drivers, pedestrians and residents which we cannot afford to compromise.

Families with blue parking badges have been able to use the disabled parking spaces within the staff car park. The significant rise in the number of families with blue badges, however, means that we can no longer safely accommodate the number of cars, with the badges, into the car park alongside staff vehicles – there are often too many cars for the number of spaces available which has created a few dangerous obstructions and very stressful situations. The situation was not sustainable before our building work began and it has since intensified. We are carrying out a review and risk assessment to ascertain the level of need for these spaces and decide upon a criteria and conditions for the use of these spaces by families and visitors. Moving forward and as part of the risk assessment, if both disabled parking spaces are in use, families with blue badges will be informed of this at the gate and asked to park out on the road. This decision is to help ensure the safety of both drivers and pedestrians and to minimise dangerous obstructions and manoeuvres on-site. Blue badge holders are able to park on both single and double yellow lines. Details of this review and risk assessment, to follow.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began on Wednesday. Every year, some of our older pupils fast during Ramadan – sometimes for part or all of this time. If your child chooses to fast, please let the school office know so that we are aware and can be mindful and accommodating of their decision, especially in terms of lunchtime and physical activities.

Some very happy news to share…. Congratulations to Mrs Davis who is now a very proud mummy to her baby son. Both mother and baby have been doing well and we look forward to seeing them both soon.

Please be reminded that Monday 8th May, 2023 will be a national bank holiday, in celebration of the Coronation of King Charles lll. We will be holding our own celebration event on Friday 5th May, with families welcome from 2pm. More details to follow.

Enjoy your weekend.