Headteacher’s Blog

It has been a great first week of term! Pupils have returned to school settled, enthusiastic and ready to learn.

Monday’s assembly focused on our school rules (Be kind, be safe, be respectful) and values (Kindness, Respect, Friendship, Courage and Determination, Truth and Honesty, Trust).  This half-term’s school value is kindness. Staff will be on the look out for pupils going over and above in demonstrating kindness towards their peers and adults around the school.

Please ensure that your child (or their younger siblings) does not go onto the play equipment before or after school. Staff are not able to supervise these areas during the  drop-off and pick-up.

Yesterday’s announcement, of the death of Queen Elizabeth, was addressed with pupils during this morning’s assembly. Pupils were also given time in their classes, to discuss this news, share their feelings and ask questions about this historic event. We will follow DfE guidance and advice on the period of national mourning and expect further guidance and information to follow, regarding the funeral. We will also give consideration as to how to mark this occasion as a school community and update families accordingly.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks at Bowmansgreen! It has been lovely to see families back on-site, supporting their children at a range of school events, some of which have not taken place for the last three years.

Happy Birthday Bowmansgreen! Our 70th birthday picnic was made very special by family and friends joining us for the afternoon. Pupils had great fun at the disco – thank you Mr Major, for your super DJ-ing skills and keeping pupils entertained all afternoon.

MJ the Modern Shaolin delivered a motivational talk to the whole school, about his journey to China, Kung Fu and his Shaolin experience. He was joined on stage by our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils who have been training with him at the Shaolin Temple. It was great to see how far the pupils have come and what they have learnt since beginning their training. Well done, children. You should be very proud of yourselves!

Sports days were such fun! Thank you families, for coming out to cheer on your children during these events. We have some very talented, sporting stars of the future at Bowmansgreen and it was great to see all pupils taking part and having fun. The EYFS sports day finished with an adults’ race or two! We clearly have lots of talented parents and carers too! Thank you for being such good sports and getting involved.

Last Thursday, we held our final curriculum evening of the year, the first one with families in attendance. Pupils had been busy planning and creating individual and class pieces of jubilee art which was displayed in our impromptu, outdoor gallery. Thank you to everyone who came to either of the sessions – we hope you enjoyed it.

This year, we will be saying farewell to a number of staff across the school. Miss Gell and Miss McShane are leaving our support staff team; Mrs Gritz, Miss Hancock, Miss Kay and Miss Wynne are leaving the class teaching team; and Mr Wilson and Mrs Neo are leaving the school’s Senior Leadership Team. I know that you will join me in thanking them all for their hard work and commitment to the Bowmansgreen school community and wishing them the best of luck and happiness for the future.

As well as staff leavers, at this time of year we always say goodbye to some families across the school, and our fantastic Year 6 pupils who finish their primary school education. Year 6 will share their leavers’ assembly with their family members on Friday and then start their summer holidays, slightly earlier than the rest of us. If you are leaving the Bowmansgreen School community on Friday, we wish you well and the best of luck for the future.

Mr Sanders has not left! He is recovering from an operation on his knee and will hopefully be back, fully recovered, next term.

If anyone has been growing sunflowers for the District Schools in Bloom competition, please could you send any photos and measurements to the school office – via admin@ – during the next couple of days so that we can forward the details before the holidays. Look after them during the summer, as more measurements will be taken in September.

Please remember to send your child into school tomorrow with a bag so that they can bring home their books, contents of their trays and any other belongings before the summer.

Break and lunchtime were manageable outside today, thanks to a welcome breeze and your help in ensuring that pupils were well prepared for outdoor activities in the sun. After two very hot days, the weather looks likely to cool down over the weekend and into next week. Please continue to apply sun cream to your child before they come to school, send in water bottles and hats so that we can safely take pupils outside and make the most of the weather and outdoor play and learning opportunities.

The eco-committee has been very busy, as usual, helping Bowmansgreen to become a more sustainable, less wasteful school community. This week, they discussed water management and spent time improving the (already fabulous) bug hotel.

On Friday 8th July, we will be holding a tea party to celebrate the school’s 70th birthday. Families will be invited to join the celebration at 2.15pm. We ask that families contribute £1.00 per child, paid via Schoolcomms, from Monday.

Please encourage your child to practise their times tables regularly and make good use of their Times Tables Rockstars or Numbots accounts. Year 4 pupils are currently participating in the Multiplication tables check (MTC) which determines whether pupils can fluently recall their times tables up to 12. We have been impressed by how many pupils in Year 4 know all of their tables securely and the speed and fluency of their recall.  Well done, Year 4!

Our Bowmansgreen Reading Festival has come to a close after a second, successful year. Pupils across the school enjoyed a week of activities to encourage and promote a love of reading, including D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) time, buddy reading with another class, book swap and finding a new place to read around the school. This afternoon, the school site was filled with pupils comfily enjoying a ‘read-in.’ It has been a great week, introducing pupils to new books and authors and hopefully inspiring them to value the importance and enjoyment of reading. Winners of the ‘design a book cover’ House Competition will be announced next week. Thank you to Mrs Davis for organising the Reading Festival events.

Please be aware that there have been a number of cases of chicken pox and suspected hand foot and mouth disease at school, during the last couple of weeks. If your child is unwell and you suspect either of these infections, please do not send your child into school and inform the office. Health protection in education and childcare settings – exclusion table

Free workshops for Hertfordshire families from Step2Skills – to book a place on any of the free 2-session workshops, visit the Step2Skills website.

It is almost time to welcome our Reception 2022 families into Bowmansgreen, for their first Stay and Play session. EYFS staff are looking forward to meeting their new classes and families next week.

Reminder – next week, Bowmansgreen families have a long weekend. Friday June 24th school is closed (additional jubilee holiday) and Monday June 27th school is closed as it is an INSET day.

Have a lovely weekend.

Welcome back, to the final half-term of the school year.

Pupils looked fantastic yesterday – thank you for ensuring that we had a school filled with red, white, blue (and royalty), in celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee year. Throughout the week, pupils learnt about the monarchy, aspects of British history, custom and tradition, to help them understand the significance of the jubilee and the celebrations they have witnessed during the last few weeks. Your child has received a book about Queen Elizabeth, as a commemorative souvenir of the platinum jubilee.

Reminder – our additional bank holiday is Friday June 24th. There is also an INSET day on Monday 27th June.

As well as being the Queen’s jubilee year, 2022 is also the year of Bowmansgreen’s 70th birthday! On Friday 8th July, we will be holding our own birthday tea party – more details to follow.

Please be reminded that the start of the school day has now reverted to its ‘pre-lockdown’ time of 8.45am. Pupils who do not attend breakfast club can be dropped off from 8.35am onto the Key Stage 1 playground. If your child arrives to school after 8.45am, they must enter via the school office and will be registered as late. Lateness to school is logged as absence on your child’s attendance certificate and, if persistent, may lead to a referral to the Attendance Improvement Officer. Pupils arriving late miss out on valuable learning as well as the opportunity to experience a calm, settled, social transition with their peers. Arriving late to school is usually an anxious, unsettling experience for children and one which can deeply affect pupils if it is a regular routine.

Thank you for all of your efforts to make packed lunches at Bowmansgreen a healthy option. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the lunchtime staff to choose a single, daily winner as there are now lots to choose from! It is great to see so many more pupils eating a range of healthy foods in their packed lunches and to hear them discussing and comparing their healthy choices with their friends and staff.

After receiving their peer mediator training, our Year 5 friendship coaches are now ready, willing and able to support pupils across the school, with disputes and disagreements, help resolve issues and repair friendships. Thank you and congratulations to the following Year 5 pupils who successfully completed the training, and are giving up some of their time each week, to support their peers:

Celebration assembly this week was extra special as we were joined by the families of pupils who were being celebrated, for the first time in nearly two years. Pupils were surprised and excited to see their family members in attendance and it was lovely to share the experience with them. For now, we will continue to limit attendance at celebration assembly, to invited adults only and review the situation, next term.

Breakfast club – price change from Monday 20th June. We will be introducing a £1 charge for attendance at breakfast club for pupils whose places were previously free of charge. All other charges remain the same. Please read for more information and details.

Anthony Glenn also returned to Bowmansgreen yesterday, to perform a Shaking up Shakespeare performance of Macbeth. It was a wonderful hour of entertainment and enthusiastic participation which pupils loved and will surely remember for years to come. There was also lots and lots of laughter – just what we all needed!

Support for Parents/Carers of children with Eating Disordered Behaviour or Poor Body Image
Hertfordshire has commissioned a new 4 week programme called First Step ED skills. It offers free online workshops for Hertfordshire parents, carers & older siblings, who are supporting a young person with their body image, disordered eating and/or eating disorders. Find out more.

Due to a few recent incidents where children have walked or run into the roads around school, we will be having discussions with all pupils about their road safety knowledge and awareness of potential risks and hazards. Please follow-up and reiterate key messages with your child.
Teaching road safety to children (capt.org.uk)    Skills for Carers – First Steps ED    Education resources – THINK!

Next week, it is our annual Bowmansgreen Reading Festival, with lots of activities planned to encourage, promote and excite pupils about reading for pleasure. Lots to look forward to!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Year 1 stepped back in time yesterday, to experience a Victorian school, during their trip to the British Schools Museum. Pupils had great fun learning about Victorian school life and were able to explore and compare toys and objects from the past and present. Pupils were very excited to be travelling off-site, on a coach and have already been asking when their next trip will be taking place!

Our regular Bowmansgreen Book Swap took place this week, with pupils choosing new titles to enjoy during half-term. Our next Book Swap event takes place during our Reading Festival, June 13th – 17th. Book donations are always very welcome – thank you for the steady supply!

Hertfordshire’s Family Centre Service brings together a range of activities, services and resources to support children and their families. Find out what your local Family Centre Service has to offer.

We have two blue badge parking spaces within our staff car park, available for staff and visitors. With an increasing number of families holding blue badges, we will no longer be able to guarantee parking within the carpark. If both spaces are full, we will be unable to let blue badge holders into the carpark until a space is available.

Step2Skills is offering two courses, to help parents and carers of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, understand the transition to secondary school level maths and English.
Getting Ready for maths at secondary school – a five week, online, live-streamed course, starting on Tuesday 7th June – 10am to 12pm.
Getting Ready for English at secondary school – a five week, online, live-streamed course starting on Tuesday 7th June – 1pm to 3pm.
Both courses will cover the various topics within the curriculum and the strategies and methods used to teach your child. As a Hertfordshire resident, you can access this course for £15 and places can be booked on the Step2Skills website.

2022 is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year. Many celebrations are taking place over the special bank holiday weekend, from June 2nd to 5th. Bowmansgreen will be marking this occasion with a jubilee tea party for pupils, on Friday 10th June. Pupils can wear red, white or blue or dress up as a Queen or King, to join in the celebrations.
Reminder: our additional bank holiday is Friday June 24th, 2022.

On Thursday, I was lucky enough to join Ms Franks and a group of KS2 pupils for a ‘Go Wild’ adventure in Hudnall Park. Set in the park’s beautiful grounds, pupils had a fantastic outdoor learning experience and great fun climbing, swinging and building in the woods before enjoying s’mores around their campfire. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon!

Enjoy your half-term.

Bowmansgreen is taking part in the ‘Life Skills for Resilience’ project, led by Flip Theatre. This project is a four-week programme of drama workshops, focusing on building confidence and self-esteem. The sessions include drama, opinion polls, role plays, chants, discussion and meditation to encourage pupils to speak out about issues that are affecting them and to provide practical tools to support mental health, that they can use in their everyday lives. Pupils in Y1, Y3, Y4 and Y5 have really enjoyed taking part in their first two workshops which focused on the 5 Ways of Wellbeing (Connect, Get Active, Learn a New Skill, Be in the Moment and Give to Others). Sessions 3 and 4, after half-term.

Sports day – families are welcome!
11th July at 9.15am – KS2 sports day 
12th July at 9.15am – KS1 sports day 
12th July at 2pm – EYFS sports day

Regrettably, we will no longer be able to fully subsidise places at Breakfast Club for pupils whose families qualify for pupil premium. Increased day-to-day running costs over time as well as the recent steep rises in energy costs, mean that we cannot afford to provide these places for free. From Monday June 20th, we will be introducing a £1 charge for attendance at breakfast club for pupils whose places were previously free of charge. All other charges remain the same. Families will receive further communication explaining this change, in more detail.

We have been given a generous number of free child tickets to the Hertfordshire County Show, taking place this weekend, May 28th and 29th. One free family ticket is also available. Please contact the school office if you would like a ticket or further information. Child tickets (children must be accompanied by an adult) – first come, first served. Names will go into a hat on Friday, for the family ticket.

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to enjoy Excel Performing Art’s Excelebration show, at the Sandpit theatre. It was a pleasure to be part of the audience, to see so many fantastic performers dancing, singing and acting their hearts out, on stage. Well done, Sam and Stephen – it was fantastic! It was lovely to see so many Bowmansgreen pupils up on that stage, including some of our newest families and many ex-pupils, now at secondary school. What a talented bunch you are! Congratulations everyone – you should all be very proud of yourselves.

Primary school statutory assessments are back this year, after a two year interruption due to Lockdown. KS1 SATs take place throughout the month of May and KS2 SATs tests took place this week. Our fantastic Year 6 pupils should be very proud of the way in which they approached their preparation and tests – they all worked incredibly hard and demonstrated the resilience and determination to do well. Staff could not be more impressed or proud of pupils’ attitudes and efforts. Well done, Year 6!

Last week, the school council launched a new competition to encourage and promote healthy eating at Bowmansgreen. ‘Who is eating a healthy packed lunch?’ involves one pupil per day being recognised for their healthy packed lunch, by the dining hall staff.  The five winning pupils are celebrated and receive a certificate during Friday’s assembly. Take a look at the competition launch video, below.

Sustainable St Albans – Annual Sustainability Festival 15-31st May 2022: This year’s hybrid festival, of online and in-person events, features an exciting range of over 100 different activities, to encourage everyone to think about sustainable living and connecting with nature. Many events are free. The festival will launch with a sustainability market in Harpenden this Sunday 15th May. Visit www.sustfest.org to see all the events and activities across the district.

Mr Sanders has been very impressed with the Bowmansgreen sports teams who have recently taken part in a range of fixtures and events. A special mention goes to the Y4 speed stacking teams who ‘cleaned up’ at a recent tournament, taking the top two spots. Amazing!
1st place team: Henry P, Hadley, Rhys, Arthur, Ellie, Millie, Zoha, Mia
2nd place team – Frank, Xavier, Mason, Henry W, Poppy, Arsel, Cassi, Libby.

Enjoy your weekend.

The summer term has started! Pupils have returned to school after the Easter break, into their final term of the year – it promises to be a very busy term. It is lovely to be able to look forward to a range of school events over the next eleven weeks, that will bring our school community together, in some situations, for the first time in three years. Please check our school calendar over the next couple of weeks, as events are confirmed. You will be notified by text or email of events that involve your child.

We hope that you found the online safety workshop useful and a helpful insight into your child’s online activity and the virtual world they navigate. If you were not able to attend the live event on Tuesday, you can access a recording of the session for the next few days, via the link you were previously emailed.

Take a read of this term’s Herts for Learning online safety newsletter for parents and carers. It includes reviews and details about:

• talking to your child about online sexual harassment
• helping children cope with media coverage of traumatic events
• search engines and what you need to know about safer searching
• what is Yubo?

This half term’s school values are truth and honesty – these values are discussed during assemblies and circle time activities and reinforced daily, through interactions during learning and play. Staff are always on the look-out for pupils who demonstrate excellence in our school values, with pupils receiving cockerel cards and their names being placed on their class recognition board.

Uniform – please ensure that your child is in full school uniform everyday, including black footwear. Trainers must also be black, including logos. Pupils often feel uncomfortable when challenged about not wearing school uniform because ultimately it is not their decision or full responsibility. Hoodies and non-uniform jumpers or cardigans are not permitted to be worn inside the school building. Our uniform policy will be reviewed by school governors in the coming weeks, in line with government guidance. Any amendments will be communicated to families ahead of the start of the new school year. We would welcome your support in reinforcing our policy expectations and ensuring that your child has access to full uniform, everyday.

The DSPL7 parenting support brochure contains valuable information to support local families, including links and signposts to resources and services to support SEND, behaviour, health and wellbeing.

Last term, design and technology and art were focus curriculum areas, with every child working hard to produce a quality final piece, in each subject. Pupils enjoyed viewing each other’s work at our exhibitions. Take a look at the D&T and art work that they saw…

School start time – apologies for any confusion caused last week, regarding the morning drop-off. During Lockdown and to comply with school restrictions, we extended the soft start to the school day, to 8.50am. This was always going to be a temporary measure and one that we now have to reverse as other covid-related restrictions and measures are lifted. We are therefore returning to an 8.45am start, with registers being taken at 8.50am. Most families have naturally returned to this start time but we know that parking and school run pressures mean that some families continue to make good use of the additional five minutes. From Tuesday, classroom doors will close at 8.45am. We will allow some flexibility in re-establishing the 8.50am start time and therefore until half-term, if your child arrives at the classroom door after it has closed, they will still be welcomed in this way and will not be marked in late. After half-term, however, any pupil arriving after 8.45am will be regarded as late and will have to go to the school office to be marked in and to choose their lunch.

Please be reminded that if your child does arrive late to school, this is recorded as absence. Frequent, late attendance disrupts lessons and learning and is often upsetting and embarrassing for the late pupils as they have to enter the classroom when their peers are already settled and learning. Having missed so much school during the last two years, every minute of every lesson is vital to help pupils catch up and close the gaps in their learning. Persistent patterns of lateness or poor attendance will also result in referrals to the Attendance Improvement Officer.

On Wednesday 10th March, four enthusiastic Year 5s gathered together for the Annual Hertfordshire Maths Challenge. They worked together as a team to complete a variety of challenges. They had to memorise and replicate a detailed maths poster and estimate amounts and distances. They also had to use their number knowledge and skills to answer some very tricky problems! Well done Harry, Raudah, Amin and Abigail, for representing Bowmansgreen so well.

Thank you to the Bowmansgreen parents who organised the recent Mother’s Day sales. Pupils loved the opportunity to buy the gifts and I am sure that they also enjoyed giving them to their well deserving parents and carers, last Sunday.

Well done to the Bowmansgreen musicians and choir who have performed to the rest of the school during the last two weeks. It is always great to watch live performances by our fantastic pupils and see how much they have improved and grown as musicians, since their last performance. Thank you to Mr Bronstein for organising these concerts.

The in-school COVID-19 vaccination programme ends today. 12 to 15 year olds will still be able to access the vaccine outside of school, at a vaccination centre, pharmacy or walk-in centre. Healthy 5 to 11 year olds will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine this month. Vaccinations will take place outside of school, in vaccination centres, pharmacies, GP surgeries and walk-in centres. Parents and carers of 5 to 11 year olds will receive a letter, from the NHS, with further information.

If your child has medical needs, please ensure that you keep school up to date with any changes in their needs, medication or care by contacting the school office or Mr Regan, the school SENCO.

Book a place for your child on Hertfordshire’s Holiday Activity Programme.

Mental Health Support Teams in Schools Online Recruitment Events: Wednesday 20 April, 2022
The Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) are running two online recruitment events at 12.30-1.30pm and 7-8pm, on Wednesday 20 April (Via Eventbrite/Teams).
These events will provide an opportunity for prospective applicants to share their experience and expertise and receive feedback around where they might best fit, in terms of available roles across the MHSTs. If you are interested in these events and want more information, book your place via the links below:
• 12.30-1.30pm, Wednesday 20 April
• 7-8pm, Wednesday 20 April

In Hertfordshire, over 35 teams and organisations work together to develop and share useful tools, training and information to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This ranges from self-help tools to information on how to access support if it’s needed. This is known as the ‘Just Talk’ programme. Visit the Just Talk website for more information.

Pupils across the school have been very busy planning and creating some fabulous art work to celebrate Bowmansgreen’s 70th birthday. Inspired by an artist or piece of art from the last 70 years, pupils created their own masterpieces which were displayed in our art exhibition. Pupils across the school visited the exhibition today, keen to see their own art work as well as that of their siblings, friends and other year groups.

It is always exciting when new staff join our Bowmansgreen school community. Anna Krzus started this week, working as a teaching assistant in Year 5. Paula Elborough and Melissa Millen will start at Bowmansgreen, as part of our inclusion team, after the Easter break. It is also lovely to have welcomed Helen Manly back to Bowmansgreen, teaching and tutoring pupils across the school.

This week, I was lucky enough to attend an awards presentation as a finalist in the Mayor’s Pride Awards 2022 in the Frontline Worker category. It was an unexpected surprise and honour to have been nominated and to take part in such a lovely event with some truly exceptional people. Thank you to the mystery nominator…

Ramadan Mubarak. The holy month of Ramadan begins today. Please let the school office know if your child is fasting, on their return to school, after the holiday.

On Tuesday 26th April, at 7pm, parents and carers are invited to attend a live, Online Safety Workshop. This virtual session, led by ECP, reflects the information and issues discussed in the pupil workshops that took place earlier this term and provides an insight into the online world in which many of our children spend so much of their time. We hope that you take this opportunity to find out something new and help support your child to stay safe online. A link to this workshop will be sent to parents and carers, ahead of the event.

Enjoy the Easter break.