Thank you all for your warm welcome to Bowmansgreen Primary.  It has been a true pleasure meeting you all and getting to know everyone in the community. Thank you to everyone who has taken a few moments to introduce themselves; gradually I will get to know you all – already there are many familiar faces and smiles each morning.  I am very mindful that many of our parents and carers work and so can’t be at the school gate or attend events during the day – I look forward to meeting you at the after school events which we have planned for later in the term.  This week’s blog is rather lengthy, there is so much to say.  Please be assured that they will not always be so long!

Last week was a whirlwind of sporting activity.  Our Year 4 Girls’ Football Team played their first ever match.  The final 6-0 score to Skyswood does not reflect how close the game was with our team really driving the ball forward and attacking well.  Well done to all the girls who played tirelessly, with a real hunger for the ball, and to Teddy and Henry, two of our Year 6 pupils, who referee-ed the match.  On Wednesday, our Year 5 Boys’ Football Team also represented our school, playing a match against Prae Wood.   They played tremendously as a team with great footwork and, after a stunning goal scored by Leo McCabe, finished with a 1-1 draw Well done to all of the team for showing such sportsmanship – we were very proud of you!  A big thank you to Mr Sanders who arranged the matches and co-ordinated the teams.

We ended the week with our first coffee afternoon of 2024.  We hope that this will become a regular event and it was really encouraging to welcome so many parents and family members – there was a wonderful buzz in the hall as everyone caught up on each others’ news.  Our Year 6 researchers did a wonderful job circulating around all of our guests asking them about communication to and from the school.  Their findings will now be analysed and used to inform decisions in the future. Whilst we are on the topic of communication, please look out for a list of this term’s dates which will be sent out to all parents later this week.

There was no escape last week from the Government’s focus on school attendance.  With this in mind, we will be looking at our school procedures and identifying ways in which we can improve our pupils’ attendance at Bowmansgreen.  Mrs Clark will be sending me a report each day at 9:30am of all the pupils who are absent from school.  We miss your children when they are not in – it is like a piece of our Bowmansgreen puzzle is missing – and so we want to work together to help them be in school as much as possible.  Of course, there are times when children are just too sick to be in school.  To help parents and carers make that decision there is advice on the NHS website which they can refer to.  This can be found by clicking here and on our school website. With the cold weather now upon us and the cost of living still high, Hertfordshire County Council are keen for families to know that there is support available if they are struggling financially.  If you would like to know more about accessing help or advice with trained councillors about energy bills, childcare costs, debt  or your happiness and wellbeing, amongst other things, please click here for more information.

I end this first blog of January 2024 with the happy news that Mrs May is expecting her first baby at the end of March.  She will be with us for a few more weeks and during that time will be working with members of the senior leadership team to ensure that there is a smooth transition when she begins her maternity leave. I wish you all a good week and look forward to working with all of your children over the next few weeks and months.

The last couple of weeks of term at Bowmansgreen have been very busy indeed!

Pupils were treated to a very special Anthony Glenn performance of The Nutcracker. They thoroughly enjoyed his re-telling of this classic Christmas tale, with some pupils taking centre-stage to help bring this magical story to life. Thank you, once again, to Anthony Glenn for visiting Bowmansgreen and putting on such an entertaining show. Well done to the brave and confident pupils who were chosen to perform with Anthony.

Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 also took to the stage, to perform their Nativity plays to the rest of the school, their parents and carers. Pupils did so well to perform to such large audiences – many of them, for the first time – and they looked and sounded great! They all worked hard to learn their lines, songs and actions and made themselves and their families very proud. Thank you for ensuring that each performance was so well attended and for supporting your children to learn their lines and providing their costumes.

Year 3 and Year 4 pupils held carol concerts, again performing to the rest of the school and family members. Pupils, accompanied by Mr Bronstein on the piano, sang their hearts out and again proved what talented pupils we have at Bowmansgreen. They had worked hard, sounded great and performed well and they should all be very proud of themselves.

Thank you to all of the staff who helped (in the fore or background) to ensure that all of these performances were so enjoyable. The autumn term is always long and very busy and for staff, it is primarily about them getting to know their new classes well and ensuring they have a strong, positive start to the term. I am always so impressed and grateful that they manage to juggle all of that with the organising and rehearsing of the concerts and performances. Thank you!

Pupils and staff joined in the festivities for our Christmas lunch. The kitchen team, MSAs, support staff and House Captains, all helped to ensure that the lunch went very smoothly, was great fun and a happy, social school event – thank you everyone. A tasty meal, delicious desserts, crackers, hats and festive music helped bring our school community together.

We are often lucky enough to welcome new members of staff to Bowmansgreen. This term, we have a few new names and faces you might not yet be familiar with. Mrs Lawford has joined our site team; Miss Clayworth is based in Early Years; Miss Noonan and Miss Stanley have joined the inclusion team, working with pupils across the school. It is a pleasure to have them all on board.

Last Thursday, we held our second curriculum evening of the year – the focus subjects were history and geography. Thank you for ensuring that this event was so well attended. Pupils love sharing their learning with you and it is a good opportunity to have a chat with staff and see what learning in particular subjects looks like, across the school.

This year’s Christingle service was held at St Peter’s church, for the first time in four years. It was lovely to be back (even if in a slightly reduced capacity!) and it was definitely well worth the wait! Year 6 pupils led the service and did so brilliantly, singly beautifully throughout. As my final Christingle at Bowmansgreen, it was a very special, emotional occasion and perfectly demonstrated why I am so incredibly proud of the school, its pupils and school community. Thank you to Della, and the familiar faces who always make us feel so welcome at St Peter’s and for the families who gave their support, either in the walking to and from the church or for being part of the service, as a very proud family member of one of wonderful year 6 pupils.

Miss Golding and her new daughter made special appearances yesterday, with one of them leading the whole school assembly and the other one snoozing and snuggling her way through almost all of it – I will leave you to decide which one was which! As if I had not shed enough tears since last Friday’s Christingle, my final assembly at Bowmansgreen managed to squeeze out a few more. Thank you to the pupils, staff and governors who were able to share in the moment and wish me such a wonderful goodbye. I am incredibly grateful to the families and staff I have worked with; the opportunities, experiences and support over the last seven and a bit years. Thank you.

And so we have come to the end of another term and for me, the end of my final term at Bowmansgreen. I will say an official ‘goodbye’ to all tomorrow but I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the families, friends, staff and supporters of Bowmansgreen who have helped to make this last term so enjoyable and successful – we really are a super school community. I am a very proud Headteacher.

Thank you so much for your kind words, gifts and messages of support, all of which are hugely appreciated.

Enjoy a restful and happy festive period and look after yourselves and each other.