News

End-of-year reports

Teachers are busily writing the end-of-year report for your child, and the 29 other children in the class. It takes quite a while (hence no Class Newsletter this half-term). Once they write the reports, I read them (another task which takes a while!).

We’ll send final reports home for you on Tuesday 08 July this year – this is a little earlier than other schools so that you have the chance to meet with teachers to discuss the report.

For parents / carers of children in Reception, there is a third parents’ evening (Monday 14 July); for others, we encourage you to make an appointment with your child’s teacher (or someone else in school who can help) – especially important if you see that your child is working below expectations or has made only a little progress this year.

Summer Reading Challenge 2014 - win a visit from a fabulous author!

A message from Michelle Ackroyd, Moor Allerton Library, West Area Librarian:

Summer Reading Challenge 2014- win a visit from a fabulous author!

I am writing regarding this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Held in libraries across the country, every year we encourage children to continue reading over the summer and to try lots of new reading material. The challenge is designed to ensure children keep practising their reading skills and develop a life-long love of reading.

The Summer Reading Challenge can help to widen pupils’ reading repertoire and motivate them to read through the long summer holiday. Studies have shown that 80% of children taking part feel they are better readers as a result (Product Perceptions, 2003 and 2006).

How the Summer Reading Challenge works:

• Children sign up at their local library and receive a Mythical Maze poster.
• Children read six books of their choice collecting stickers and incentives along the way.
• Library staff will be on hand to advise and run family-friendly activities.
• Children who complete the challenge are presented with a certificate and medal.

This year, we’re offering children who join the opportunity to win a visit from a fabulous author/illustrator for their school – the highest number of school completers wins a visit!

We are currently offering assembly visits to local schools. I hope we can arrange a visit soon.

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

…’Changes’.

We begin the half term with a focus on manners: I use good table manners.  Adults in school, including lunchtime supervisors, will be looking out for children who show good table manners – not talking with their mouth full and using their cutlery correctly.  What other table manners can you think of?  Ask your child to add their suggestion to their class SEAL box.

Following this, the Changes theme aims to equip children with an understanding of different types of change, positive and negative, and common responses to change.

It aims to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in three key social and emotional aspects of living and learning: motivation, managing feelings and social skills.

The key ideas and concepts behind this theme are:

• Change can be uncomfortable, because it can threaten our basic needs to feel safe and to belong
• Change can also be stimulating and welcome
• Both adults and children can experience a range of powerful and conflicting emotions as a result of change – for example, excitement, anxiety, uncertainty, loss, anger, resentment
• Worries about change can be made worse by uncertainty, lack of information, or misinformation and lack of support from others
• People’s responses to and ability to cope with change are very variable, and might be influenced by individual temperament, previous experience of change, and the nature of the change – chosen or imposed, expected or unexpected, within our control or out of our control

Some children may welcome most forms of change and dislike routine and predictability. Other children may find even small changes very difficult.

Within school, children, who are coping with or have undergone significant change, are supported in a variety of ways:

• Our positive ethos within school
• Support systems, from staff and peers, for children who have undergone change or who maybe new to the school
• SEAL and circle time sessions where children feel safe to talk about their feelings
• Class SEAL boxes for children to record any concerns
• Preparing children wherever possible for planned changes for example, a change of class teacher, Key Stage or even school

Catering Leeds recruitment

The following comes from Catering Leeds, who provide our school dinners:

The Government has announced that free lunches will be available from September for all children in Reception, Years 1 and 2. This is a fantastic opportunity for children, parents and schools. This development also means that Catering Leeds are recruiting catering staff across the city to fill Kitchen Assistant vacancies.

These posts are 10 hours per week, 11.30am – 1.30pm, Term Time Only.

We are looking for staff who are enthusiastic about good food and strong customer service; any catering experience is desirable but not essential.

Catering Leeds have set up a number of recruitment information sessions. These will be held every week at the Civic Hall in Leeds, starting on Tuesday 20th May, from 9am-4pm.

If you would like to book an appointment, or for more information please contact Helen Collins on: 0113 3782323, or Helen.Collins@leeds.gov.uk .

Free school meals for younger children

You will have heard in the news that the current government is introducing free school meals for younger children.  The following text is from Catering Leeds, who supply our school dinners:

Children are able to concentrate and learn better when they have eaten a healthy, balanced lunch – school meals can be the simple solution.

From September 2014, school meals for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are completely free! This will provide a saving to families of £430 per year for each child.

At Moortown Primary, there is a choice of three meals each day: a meat option, a meat-free option and a jacket potato option. Each meal includes a main course, vegetables and salad, pudding of the day or fruit or yoghurt and water.

Meals are freshly made every day using great quality produce:

• fresh vegetables and potatoes, locally when in season
• UK farm-assured chicken, beef and lamb
• free range eggs from East Yorkshire
• 100% salmon and white fish fillet from sustainable sources
• dolphin-friendly tuna
• UK cheddar

The menus are designed to provide healthy, balanced meals which will be enjoyed by children. They meet the Government guidelines for school meals. All medical and religious diets can be catered for.

View our current menu.

For more information, please speak to Paula or Nicky in the office.

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

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.

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.

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.