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Sport and Active Lifestyles Fair

There is a Sport and Active Lifestyles Fair taking place soon at Roundhay School.

This will be a great opportunity for your child to take part in sports taster sessions and watch sports demonstrations from local clubs.  You’ll be able to find out what sports clubs and physical activity opportunities are available in our area for all children, young people and adults.  Families are welcome and refreshments are available.

…and it’s free!

• Thursday 05 June 2014
• 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Word journey to word island

To launch our Seaside topic, Year 1 took part in ‘Word journey to word island’, an outdoor activity day focusing on language and literacy skills.  Led by Annie Berrington of Get out more, we took an imaginery journey to discover a new island.  The children responded brilliantly and really got into their roles as crew on Captain Annie’s ship.  They produced some fantastic writing including poetry using adjectives and similes.  Here are a few images from the day.

Research study

Leeds Metropolitan University’s department of Nutrition & Dietetics is conducting a research study exploring parents’ attitudes and perceptions to packed lunches, and the factors that influence parents’ decision to send their child to primary school with a packed lunch.

As part of this study, they have designed an online survey that is open to all parents with children in primary schools (both having school dinners and packed lunches).

If you are able to spare the time, Leeds Metropolitan University would appreciate the information.

Mud!

We are so excited that our mud kitchen is up and running! In case you were wondering…here are some of the reasons young children should play in mud.

• Mud makes you happy- ‘friendly’ bacteria could be responsible for releasing chemicals in the brain that make us happy
• Mud provides a fantastic sensory experience, providing endless opportunities for experimentation and discovery
• Mud can help to build children’s immune systems
• Mud connects us with the natural world
• Mud inspires creativity
• Mud provides benefits for physical development
• Mud is a great place for social play, promoting communication and co-operation
• Mud is fun!

Nell Bank Gruffalo Day

We had a fantastic day hunting for the Gruffalo and his friends at Nell Bank. All the children were enthusiastic and engaged in the activities, despite the odd shower!

Upcoming sporting events

Sports & Active Lifestyles Fair

Find out what sports clubs and physical activity opportunities are available in our area for all children, young people and adults.  This is a great opportunity to come as a family or with friends and take part in sport / activity taster sessions and watch sports demonstrations from local clubs.

• When: Thursday 5th June 2014
• Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm
• Where: Roundhay School

Roundhay Park Family Fun Run (1K & 5K)

• When: Saturday 7th June 2014
• Time: 10:00am
• Where: Roundhay Park

Tour de Roundhay

REAP and Roundhay Live are starting the celebrations of Le Grand Depart early with this community event, full of family fun, music, food and cycling.

• When: Sunday 22nd June 2014
• Time: 12:00pm-5:00pm
• Where: Roundhay School

For further information about any of these events please ask at the school office.

09 May 2014

Here are this week’s spellings.  There will be a spelling test on Friday 16 May.

09 May 2014

This week marks the start of our final topic in Year 1 – ‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.’

I can show what happens at the seaside.

This is creative homework, so think about what different things you could do to show all of the different things that happen at the seaside.
You could:

• make a brochure
• create a slideshow
• draw a map
• write a story
• interview people who might be there

This homework is due in on Wednesday 14 May.

Joint statement regarding the proposed development

The Headteacher, Governing Body and Parents’ Group of Moortown Primary School would like to clarify what their joint position is on their requests for the development of the field at the rear of the school:

We would like a safe and secure area adjacent to the current school boundary that is appropriate for sports and outdoor activity of varying kinds. Ideally this would be for exclusive use of the school and not open to the public.

However, a further option would be that the area is available for the exclusive use of the school weekdays from 8 – 5pm including holidays (as required) to support our out of school activity programme (much of which would be open to all children within the area).

We do not specifically want a marked out pitch and we certainly do not want an open marked pitch in the middle of the park as this is not secure and still has the safeguarding implications that most of the objections to planning have already raised.

This position has been stated by various representatives of the school and the Parents’ Group at various meetings; it has not changed.

Headteacher’s objections to field planning proposal

Today is the deadline to lodge a supporting or objecting comment regarding the proposals for the field at the rear of school.

• Go to Leeds City Council planning site
• Type the reference number 14/01839 or enter Allerton Grove into the search field.
• Click on the Comments tab. You’ll need to register so that you can make comments.

This is the comment I have lodged which objects to the plans. The objection is now within the public domain so I have simply reproduced the objection below. (Please note: I have not published this on the Leeds planning site or here up until now in order to avoid trying to unduly influence parents / carers; however, my role in school is also to represent the interests of our children and our future children, therefore I feel I need to represent their views.)

I am headteacher of Moortown Primary School. I object to the Reserved Matters application on the following basis:

Referring to the ‘Guidance on information requirements and validation’ document (Department for Communities and Local Government, March 2010), points 114, 115, 137, 145 and 150 do not appear to have been followed. For example: point 114: “Design and Access Statements explain proposals already set out in the planning application, but they also set out the principles and concepts that will be used when that proposal is developed in the future. In particular, for outline planning permission, applicants and local planning authorities should consider how they will ensure the relevant parts of the statement are adhered to for the drawing up and assessment of future details.”

There is no clear link or adherence between the original documents submitted that lead to the outline planning permission being granted and the resulting planning permission and related S106 agreement.

The previous application submissions made reference to specific amenities to be available to Moortown Primary School but this has not been included in the Section 106 agreement or the subsequent Reserved Matters application.

How has Leeds Council Planning Department gone from the original submission documents to a legal document which seems to, under the Section 106 agreement paragraph 6.1, specifically exclude use of part of the field by the school?

In the original Design and Access Statement, there was a great deal of explicit reference to the school (including the landscaping documents); in the one submitted with the Reserve Matters Application, such references have virtually disappeared. Comments from parents / carers of Moortown Primary pupils demonstrate that had this not been included from the start of the process, many further objections would have been raised at this early stage. Additionally, my understanding is that the case officer would have relied upon the original Design and Access Statement when making recommendations to approve, but the Reserved Matters document is not consistent with this.

The S106 documents sets out that Leeds Council would adopt the park, but with a restriction on its use as anything other than a public park. Given the explicit references to enhanced facilities at Moortown Primary School set out in original documentation and Delegation Report (which led to the permission being granted and which, in particular, refers to potential future provision for the school in the area) , I struggle to see how this limitation was included.

Because the Section 106 agreement came after public consultation on the application documents, and which feature amenities for the specific use of Moortown Primary, has correct policy and procedures been followed?

Further, I’m not entirely convinced that other guidance has been followed in a way which is transparent and comprehensive in relation to appraise the context. Guidance notes state: “It is important that an applicant should understand the context in which their proposal will sit, and use this understanding to draw up the application.” and that a particular process should be followed. However:

Assessment of the site’s immediate and wider context has not to the best of my knowledge incorporated on-site observations at a time which would demonstrate that the field is used regularly by Moortown Primary pupils, and no planning representative from the council has consulted me to aid this assessment.

Involvement of both community members and professionals has been undertaken, but again, there has not been any consultation with me. This would appear to have led to inaccuracies in the Delegation Report of the Chief Planning Officer: Points 10.6 and 10.13 state the pitch is unused for ten years, but in reality, the site is used currently on a weekly basis (minimum) as a playing field, and has been used for over thirty years. Point 10.7 states the playing fields being lost would be replaced by a playing field of equivalent or better quality, but this fails to account for safeguarding issues: currently, Moortown Primary pupils use the site with a degree of safety as it is fenced off, yet the proposals set out complete public access, thereby undermining any claims for better quality.

Evaluation of the information collected on the site’s context, leading to balancing any potentially conflicting issues that have been identified, might be said to be questionable since existing conflict remains yet a compromise can be made. Moortown Primary seek a portion of land for the school’s full and permanent use; we are, however, prepared to seek compromise such as a dedicated area, fenced, for our use during specified hours ie a compromise can be found. To sum up, and to quote council guidance notes again: “Understanding a development’s context is vital to producing good design” – better consultation with Moortown Primary School and all stakeholders from the outset would allow that.

The S106 Agreement should be changed to reflect the principles set out in the original Design and Access Statement provided within the original outline application. To do so would mean greater space and opportunities for children at Moortown Primary, and children from the wider community through our extended schools programme of activities, to engage in competitive sport and other physical activity, thereby meeting the local agendas (becoming a Child-Friendly City; reducing health-related problems) and the national agenda (increasing physical activity and competitive sport). Ideally, the school wants sufficient dedicated space as has been said throughout the planning process and in meetings with planners, Children’s Services and councillors; dedicated space for the school during specified hours, and then the same space open to the public out of hours and in holidays, is a compromise for all stakeholders.