News

Comment on the proposed development of the field

As most of you will know, there are plans to develop the former Yorkshire Bank playing fields.

If you would like to put forward your own comments – whether in favour or against, whether to request dedicated land for our pupils or to support open park for all – please follow these steps.  Comments must be submitted by Friday 09 May.

1. Go to Leeds City Council planning site 

The website address is as follows or use the link above: https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/

This takes you to Planning >> Simple Search

2. Type the reference number 14/01839 or enter Allerton Grove into the search field.

This will take you to the Planning Application Summary page with the reference:

14/01839/RM | Reserved Matters application for 29 dwellings | Land Former Sports Ground Allerton Grove Moor Allerton Leeds

3. Click on the Comments tab. You’ll need to register so that you can make comments. 

If you wish to see other people’s comments click on the Documents tab and view associated documents.

Our new SEAL theme for this half-term is...

…’Relationships’.

We begin the half term with a focus on manners: I cover my mouth (when I cough, sneeze or yawn) is our statement for this week.  Children, and adults, will be taught the ‘vampire method’ for coughs and sneezes in order to prevent the spread of germs – ‘use your sleeve to cough and sneeze’.

Following this, the Relationships theme explores feelings within the context of our important relationships including family and friends.

It aims to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in three key social and emotional aspects of learning: self-awareness, managing feelings and empathy.

There is a focus throughout the theme on helping children understand the feelings associated with an experience that we all need to cope with at some time: that of loss – whether of a favourite possession, a friend, a family home, or a loved one. Although relatively few children are bereaved, most will experience losses of other kinds during their childhood; losing a home, losing friends because of moving house or changing schools, or losing a pet are examples.

We would therefore ask for parents / carers to alert us to any experiences your child has had that might make this area particularly difficult for them – for example, a bereavement.

Proposed development of former Yorkshire Bank playing field

A note from the Governing Body:

A meeting to discuss the possibility of secured school access to a part of the proposed Moortown Park was held on Friday 11 April.

This meeting was attended by representatives of Moortown Primary School, representatives of Leeds City Council, Fabian Hamilton MP and Councillors Sobel and Hamilton.

Prior to this meeting, Fabian Hamilton and the councillors had met with the developers to discuss the school’s request.

The school had requested some dedicated secure space to be used during the school day for sport and other learning. The outcome of both these meetings was that school’s request does not appear to be feasible and / or desirable in the opinions of those involved.

Additionally, it was felt by some parties that the governing body and the Moortown Parents Group should make an apology to the developers who have been very upset by the change.org petition which is directed at the local ward councillors and the Director of Children’s Services.

Whilst the governing body is very disappointed with this outcome we would like to reassure the developers that we do still support the development of a small number of houses and the provision of a park for Moortown which will undoubtedly benefit the community as a whole.

However, we do have every right to question our local ward councillors and the Director of Children’s Services as to why they do not appear to be supporting the school’s wish for a formal, secure sport and learning facility which could also be used by the general public outside of school hours.

A good news story...

We hear a lot of doom and gloom about the state of education in England – much of this stems from political interference and sensationalist journalism (in our opinion!).  Here’s a story about how successful our young people are at an increasingly important skill: problem-solving.  The story didn’t get quite as much coverage in the media, sadly…

“Graduates need core knowledge in subjects like maths and English, but they also need to be able to apply this to tackle complex and unpredictable tasks with confidence… Good problem-solving skills give young people an edge in the world of work and prepare them to move into top jobs and leadership positions.”

Mr Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders

Teenagers in England are “significantly above average” in problem-solving skills, according to the results of international tests. Whilst scoring relatively low in some international school tests (especially one known as the Pisa rankings), these latest global rankings from the OECD put England in 11th place.

The OECD puts England as second highest in Europe, behind Finland, in tests of how pupils can apply their knowledge. These problem-solving tests were taken at the same time as the Pisa tests, which compare how well pupils perform in maths, reading and science.

Rather than testing theoretical knowledge, the problem-solving tests examined how well teenagers could use their knowledge in practical questions. For example, it presented pupils with a range of information about different types of train tickets and asked them to work out the cheapest price for a journey.

These problem-solving tests were an optional extra following the Pisa tests taken in 2012 – and were taken by 44 out of the 65 countries and administrations in the Pisa rankings.

It found that pupils in England were much better than their performance in Pisa tests, despite not making the top 20 in any subject.

The OECD’s Michael Davidson suggested that Asian countries were particularly strong at learning information, but it seemed that pupils in England were above average at how this information was creatively applied.

The top performers remained Asian countries and education systems – but the Chinese city of Shanghai, which had been the top performer in Pisa tests, is ranked sixth in these more practical tests. England’s pupils’ performance puts them above countries such as Germany, the United States and Sweden.

These problem-solving skills were going to be essential for the future job chances of young people, said the OECD’s Francesco Avvisati.

Worryingly, a new National Curriculum for state schools in England takes effect from September 2014. This new curriculum has been devised under the current government and it places far less emphasis on using, applying and problem-solving skills, and far more on knowledge and facts and figures. At Moortown Primary, we are in the process of preparing for the new curriculum, and will ensure that problem-solving skills are not neglected.

It's the Easter holidays...

…so we have no set homework or spellings, in line with our Homework Policy.

That doesn’t mean we expect your child not to be developing their skills in reading, writing and maths!

Your child should be reading daily – this could be fiction, factual books, a comic or newspaper, and could include being read to at bedtime, too.

It would be good to practise basic skills in writing by writing a letter or email to a relative, perhaps recounting a day-trip or reviewing a film your child watched.

We’re finding quite a few children are ‘squashing their sentences’ such as I went to Leeds City Museum it was really interesting which is wrong.  It would be much better with punctuation to separate or a word to join:

• I went to Leeds City Museum. It was really interesting. (A comma isn’t strong enough to separate two sentences.)
• I went to Leeds City Museum – it was really interesting.
• I went to Leeds City Museum; it was really interesting.
• I went to Leeds City Museum and it was really interesting.
• I went to Leeds City Museum which was really interesting.

Finally, to improve calculation skills, please keep practising mental number facts which your child must know:

• number bonds (two numbers which add up to 10, 20 and 100 eg 3+7, 13+7, 30+70) – these facts should be known by children in Y1 – Y2
• times tables (up to 12×12) and the division facts with your child – children in Y2 should have rapid recall of x2, x 5 and x 10 at least

We know we mention these ‘basics’ a lot, but that’s because they involve practice, practice and more practice – we practise a lot at school, but your child will need to practise at home, too, if they are to truly succeed.

Learn more about current expectations for reading, writing and maths.  However, do be aware that a new National Curriculum comes into effect from September, meaning these expectations have been raised and so many aspects of learning now feature in younger age groups.

Fantastic FREE Easter Holiday Events at Leeds Central Library

Thinking about what to do in the holiday?  Need a rainy day contingency plan?  There’s a lot happening this Easter at Leeds Central Library…

8th April, Children’s Library: The Worried Walrus Shadow Puppet Workshop

• 12:00-2:00pm

‘It’s Time for the Annual Animal Beauty Contest and first-time competitor Wendy the Walrus is so excited!’

Meet the star of The Worried Walrus and make your very own shadow puppets with The Carriageworks Theatre and Odd Doll productions. Wendy and her friends will help you build your own unique shadow puppet and give you a special stage to perform on. Bring it with you to The Carriageworks Theatre on Thursday 10 April to see Wendy the Walrus wow the beauty pageant judges when she re-thinks what real beauty is.

Go to www.leeds.gov.uk/carriageworks for theatre tickets and information

8th April, Art Library Reading Room: Who Goes There? Making Your Robot Room Guard

• 10:00am-3:30pm

Is your brother or sister always sneaking into your room when you’re not there? Wish you could have someone to keep an eye on things and warn you when they do?

That sounds like a job for the Guard-a-tron 3000. Come along to this workshop and you can build your own robot to stand guard over your room and sound the alarm if anyone tries to sneak in.

You don’t need to know anything about robots or computers to attend, but we’ll spend the day assembling a small computer and programming it to detect movement. If you can bring a laptop with you that would be handy, but isn’t essential.

*This event is supported by Child Friendly Leeds and therefore free, but the kit costs roughly £10 each. Please bring some cash along if you’d like to take your robot sentry home with you.

We’re delighted this event is facilitated by Adrian McEwen (creator of Bubblino) and Kirsty Sparrow

It is recommended for children aged 9+ accompanied by parent/carer. To book your place visit; www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/who-goes-there-making-your-robot-room-guard-tickets-10965972519

9th April, Children’s Library: Free Creative Writing Workshops – Fairytales & Fables

• 11:30am-12:30 – ages 5-7
• 1:00pm-2:00pm – ages 8-10
• 2:30pm-3:30pm – ages 11+

This workshop is designed to support children with this year’s National Young Writers theme Fairytales and Fables. In this workshop children will learn how to write a story inspired by a moral or lesson, learning about character and story structure to create their own story!

Places are free but limited, to reserve your space call 01132476016 or email enquiry express enquiry.express@leeds.gov.uk

12th April, Children’s Library: Saturday Family Drop-in – Spring Seed Sowing Workshop

• 1:00pm-3:00pm

This Easter Holiday come join us as we will be making recycled paper plant pots for you to sow sunflower seeds in and grow them on at home. Also enjoy stories, games and the usual Saturday fun.

16th April, Children’s Library: Create Your Own Adventure Story

• 2:30pm-4:00pm

Join author and theatre producer Daniel Ingram-Brown for a workshop using ideas from his new book, Rise of the Shadow Stealers. Create your own scrap-map island, populate it with characters and challenge them with death defying quests.

For more information call 01132476016 or email enquiry.express@leeds.gov.uk

Playing field - council statement

Below is a statement from Leeds City Council regarding the playing field at the rear of our school:

Moortown Primary has got limited outdoor space, currently consisting of a small ‘hard’ outdoor play area. Because of this, the school has made use of an adjacent playing field which was owned by the former Yorkshire Bank. The bank has sold this land to a private developer who has subsequently submitted an outline planning application for part of its redevelopment for up to 29 houses. By working with the developer Leeds City Council has been able to secure 2/3rds of the land to be used as Public Open Greenspace, effectively a public park.

The laying out of the open space, its use and the handing over of the land to the City Council are all part of the planning approval and legal agreement but the details of how the site will be laid out and used will be the subject of discussions with the local community, the school and members of the Council. These conversations will include determining the best way to provide public open space for community use as well as safe, designated space for use during school hours.

(This statement was received on 26 March, but required amendment to avoid confusion; the delay in publishing is as a result of this.)

Playing field - update 2

Last week, Janice Rush, our Chair of Governors, and I attended a meeting about the playing field at the rear of school.  Also present at the meeting were representatives from Children’s Services and Planning departments, plus Councillors Sharon Hamilton and Alex Sobel.  Cllr Judith Blake, Labour councillor for Middleton Park ward, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, Executive Member for Children’s Services, also attended for the first part of the meeting.

It was agreed to explore some possible solutions and meet again in two weeks’ time on 11 April 2014.  The content of these can’t at this moment be made public.

The meeting was positive and constructive.  Since the meeting, Cllr Sobel continues to work towards a solution which it is hoped will satisfy the needs of all stakeholders – this is encouraging.  Another development is that Cllr Blake will visit Moortown Primary next week, on Tuesday morning from 08.30.

Thank you to councillors and other representatives for responding and engaging in the challenge to meet the needs and rights of our pupils: to learn, to play, to grow, to compete, to engage and ultimately to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Playing field - update

Since you received a letter (see below) from Mrs Rush, our Chair of Governors, we have had many questions asking how you can express your views.  If you wish to contact someone to make your views known then our local councillors are:

• Rebecca Charlwood (rebecca.charlwood@leeds.gov.uk)
• Alex Sobel (alex.sobel@leeds.gov.uk)
• Sharon Hamilton (sharon.hamilton@leeds.gov.uk)

You should also contact Leeds City Council Children’s Services – you can email your views from this link.

Alternatively you can wait until the planning application is submitted (expected end of March) and follow the instructions on that to make an objection.

Cllr Sobel has asked via a tweet to note that a meeting with Children’s Services, councillors and representatives from the school has now been arranged.  I’m happy to update you on this matter.  The meeting is provisionally arranged for Tuesday 01 April.

As some of you may be aware the former Yorkshire Bank field behind the school has recently been sold to a developer who has outline planning consent to build a small number of houses on the site.

Throughout the consultation and design process, the governing body of Moortown Primary School has worked with Moortown Community Group, Lime Tree Community Trust, our local ward councillors and the developers. We were led to believe at all stages that some provision for the school would be made in any planning application submitted.

Last autumn, outline planning consent was granted and the above groups all came together to give input to the Stakeholder Workshop held in November 2013. Again, we were led to believe that a portion of the land would be used for housing and the remaining land (around eight acres) would be given to Leeds City Council with some of it becoming a public park and some it being for the school.

Mr Roundtree and I have also met with various members of Leeds City Council Children’s Services (including the Director of Children’s Services, the Chief Officer for Strategy Commissioning and Performance, the Head of Service for Strategic Development and Investment, and the Lead Member for Education) since September 2012 to try to make sure that they are involved in this planning decision and to try to secure some land for the school.

Unfortunately all our hard work and campaigning seems to have been ignored.

At a meeting in February 2014, organised by Moortown Community Group, the developers told us that the plans they were going to submit contained no provision for the school. This decision had been reached working with our local ward councillors, the Parks and Countryside department and the Planning departments of Leeds City Council.

On finding this out, we have tried to arrange further meetings with Children’s Services, the Parks and Countryside department, the planning department and our local ward councillors to:

• find out why the school has been overlooked and will not be allocated any dedicated space
• see if we can change this before plans are submitted at the end of March

A meeting was initially arranged but Mr Roundtree and I were then asked not to attend (at the request of our local councillors) and I have now discovered that our local councillors then cancelled the meeting.

The park is planned to be an informal grassland area. As such, it is unlikely that our school will be able to make use of it for activities such as sports day or organised sports as we do now.

The governing body feel that the current proposals will be detrimental to our pupils. We ask you to join us in raising objections to the plans when they are submitted on the grounds that the school has lost access to private green space and our sports provision will be adversely impacted.

We are not asking for all the land. We fully support the provision of a public park. However, there is enough land available for the school to have some dedicated space and for there to be a park for the whole community to enjoy.

Playing field

Some thoughts about the field at the rear of our school from our Chair of Governors:

As some of you may be aware the former Yorkshire Bank field behind the school has recently been sold to a developer who has outline planning consent to build a small number of houses on the site.

Throughout the consultation and design process, the governing body of Moortown Primary School has worked with Moortown Community Group, Lime Tree Community Trust, our local ward councillors and the developers. We were led to believe at all stages that some provision for the school would be made in any planning application submitted.

Last autumn, outline planning consent was granted and the above groups all came together to give input to the Stakeholder Workshop held in November 2013. Again, we were led to believe that a portion of the land would be used for housing and the remaining land (around eight acres) would be given to Leeds City Council with some of it becoming a public park and some it being for the school.

Mr Roundtree and I have also met with various members of Leeds City Council Children’s Services (including the Director of Children’s Services, the Chief Officer for Strategy Commissioning and Performance, the Head of Service for Strategic Development and Investment, and the Lead Member for Education) since September 2012 to try to make sure that they are involved in this planning decision and to try to secure some land for the school.

Unfortunately all our hard work and campaigning seems to have been ignored.

At a meeting in February 2014, organised by Moortown Community Group, the developers told us that the plans they were going to submit contained no provision for the school. This decision had been reached working with our local ward councillors, the Parks and Countryside department and the Planning departments of Leeds City Council.

On finding this out, we have tried to arrange further meetings with Children’s Services, the Parks and Countryside department, the planning department and our local ward councillors to:

• find out why the school has been overlooked and will not be allocated any dedicated space
• see if we can change this before plans are submitted at the end of March

A meeting was initially arranged but Mr Roundtree and I were then asked not to attend (at the request of our local councillors) and I have now discovered that our local councillors then cancelled the meeting.

The park is planned to be an informal grassland area. As such, it is unlikely that our school will be able to make use of it for activities such as sports day or organised sports as we do now.

The governing body feel that the current proposals will be detrimental to our pupils. We ask you to join us in raising objections to the plans when they are submitted on the grounds that the school has lost access to private green space and our sports provision will be adversely impacted.

We are not asking for all the land. We fully support the provision of a public park. However, there is enough land available for the school to have some dedicated space and for there to be a park for the whole community to enjoy.