News

Latest news from around the school

This week’s message (Friday 27 January 2023)

Posted on 27 January 2023 by Mr Roundtree

I can’t believe we’re almost into February already! Safer Internet Day is coming up on Tuesday o7 February. What’re you doing at home to help your child stay safe?

Is your child a gamer?

Check out this guide to keep safe whilst using online software and games. from SWGfL. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialisation and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful basis for a conversation about staying safe online when gaming.

Is your child a fan of Fortnite?

Since its release 2017, Fortnite has had a mass appeal for children. This means children are exposed to multi-player chatting with strangers, and financial exploitation via the game’s spend-to-gain-advantage operating style – this allows children to use real world money to gain perks and costumes.

Fortnite has the potential to lead to criminal blackmailing and coercion of nude exchanges by online ‘friends’ posing as children. Internet Matters has published a guide to understanding the game and its terms.

Is your child connected to virtual reality?

Research has shown that two thirds of the UK public lack confidence that child safety is a priority in the metaverse, with 71% of adults expressing doubt in tech companies prioritising children’s safety. However, the study also revealed over a fifth of adults would buy their child a VR (virtual reality) headset if they could, despite these concerns.

To help you understand this new, fast changing issue, the NSPCC has published a guide to both the Metaverse and VR headsets.

Is your child happy and healthy online?

It’s become more and more common for people – including children – to talk to strangers online. A small amount of these relationships turn out malicious – we need to be aware of the dangers if they do.

Children and young people may find it difficult to understand when an online relationship turns out to be a bad one. The Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s information rights agency, has published guidance on what to look for when online relationships turn sour.

And finally, remember some advice from last week, too:

  • check devices regularly alongside your child – doing this means that your child can moderate their own behaviour and have regular opportunities to talk about things that might be concerning them
  • keep the devices downstairs – the more ‘public’ space means that children make the same good choices they would do in ‘in real life’ and have plenty of opportunities to talk about what they’re doing and seeing

Super swimming

Posted on 26 January 2023 by Mrs Weekes

On Saturday, three of our children competed in the Winter Development Gala organised by the City of Leeds Swimming Club (CoLSC).  Children from Stage 8 competitive swimming teams across the city competed against children from the Regional Fast Track and County squads for CoLSC.  
 
With around 250 children from Leeds taking part, there were three medals available for boys and girls in each age category (8 -12) for Stage 8, and three medals in the same categories available to CoLSC swimmers. 

With such fierce competition, our children did brilliantly: 
Danny (Y5) competed in four races, setting four personal bests (PBs) and knocking an impressive 8 seconds off his PB for 50m butterfly, to win a bronze medal and to achieve a Yorkshire swimming time in the process; 
 
Ralph (Y5) competed in three races, winning a silver medal in 50 m freestyle.  This was Ralph’s first swimming gala so he got off to a flying start!; 
 
Henry (Y4) competed in three races, winning two gold medals and setting PBs in three different races.  Henry will now be swimming for CoLSC. 
 
Amazing achievements – I wonder if they have flippers instead of feet?!

Industrial action - 01 February 2023

Posted on 25 January 2023 by Mrs Weekes

Last week, we sent a couple of messages about the forthcoming strikes:

As you know, the National Education Union (NEU), one of the trade unions representing the teaching profession, has announced its intention to strike.

As communicated before, for schools in our region, the dates of the planned strikes are:

  • Wednesday, 01 February
  • Tuesday, 28 February
  • Wednesday, 15 March
  • Thursday, 16 March

Mr Roundtree  and I have assessed the situation and the likely impact on our school. Under the current legal framework, workers have the right to change their mind about taking industrial action so we can’t be 100% certain; however, at the moment, we’re confident that we can remain open on Wednesday 01 February. As this is the first day of industrial action, we’ll reassess the situation for the other dates.

Thank you for your support and patience.

This week’s message (Friday 20 January 2023)

Posted on 20 January 2023 by Mr Roundtree

Today’s message is a long one. Hopefully, the sub-headings later on will help you to read the parts that matter most to you. We do encourage you all to read this next bit…

Did your child get an electronic device for their Christmas?

Recently, Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman has said she is ‘not comfortable’ with primary school aged children having unlimited internet access. She said there was a ‘great deal’ that could be done to really limit the content to which young children are exposed: ‘The first thing you can do is not give a child a smartphone when they’re too young,’ she said. ‘I’m very surprised when primary aged children have smartphones, for example, and even in early secondary school. It’s really hard to manage that.’

Whether you agree with her or not, the reality is that we’re having to increasingly address problems that children encounter online at home, especially bullying comments on WhatsApp (despite a minimum age of 16).

I had a chat with a parent this week about this. It was great to hear that she had rules in place at home for her children and online devices:

  • sitting alongside the children, Mum or Dad check the devices regularly – knowing this means that children moderate their own behaviour and have set opportunities to talk about things that might be concerning them
  • the devices are kept downstairs – the more ‘public’ space means that children make the same good choices they would do in the playground and other spaces and have plenty of opportunity to talk about what they’re doing and seeing

These two simple rules mean that online behaviour is open – nothing is secret.

If you’ve not already done so, please draw up a few ground rules to stay safe online.

Watch us while we work

Next Thursday (26 January), we’ve another session where we invite you into school to check out the teaching and learning. Come and join us in the classroom to watch us. It’s an opportunity to see some Maths and Reading being taught – it might help to support your child at home.

Safer Internet Day

On Tuesday 07 February, we’ll join schools across the UK in marking Safer Internet Day 2023. Safer Internet Day is a global campaign to promote the safe and responsible use of technology, which calls on children and young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers and more, to help to create a better internet.

Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in school. Safer Internet Day is an opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year.

Please continue the conversation at home – use these activities and information to help you. Whether you have five minutes to start a conversation or hours to spare, there are top tips, quizzes and films which you can use at home with your child.

If you have any concerns or questions about keeping your child safe online, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher or Mrs Weekes.

Speak out, Stay safe

Teaching children how to talk about their worries to stay safe is so important. Next week, as part of our Living and Learning lessons, all classes will be completing the NSPCC Speak out Stay Safe assemblies to ensure our pupils know what to do and who they can speak to.

The NSPCC has also developed an adapted version of their assembly for parents/carers to use at home with their children.

To complement the assembly, there are some resources that can be used to enable further discussion whilst doing activities with your children.

You’ll also find online safety information for families of children with additional needs and disabilities.

Childline also have a website with age-appropriate advice for primary school children on topics such as bullying. It also has games and other interactive tools.

Governor elections

Well done to Scholes (Elmet) parent, Liam Ffrench, who has been elected as Sphere Federation’s new parent governor. Thank you to all three candidates, and thank you to you if you voted.

Industrial action

Earlier this week, we sent a message about the forthcoming strikes:

Yesterday, the National Education Union (NEU), one of the trade unions representing the teaching profession, announced its intention to strike.

For schools in our region, the dates of the planned strikes are:

  • Wednesday, 01 February
  • Tuesday, 28 February
  • Wednesday, 15 March
  • Thursday, 16 March

In some schools there may be little or no impact from strike action but in others it may mean that changes are made to the way they operate – this includes partial or full closure.

At the moment, we are not in a position to indicate whether Moortown Primary will be affected.

We will keep you informed. In the meantime, it would be advisable to prepare for some disruption on the days listed here.

We understand this is frustrating and that it might seem like there are mixed messages: if teachers strike, how can we refuse term-time holidays, for example. To be clear, it is one teachers’ union that is currently striking and this union argue that there are strong reasons to strike for the long-term benefit of pupils. There are other teachers’ unions who are not currently striking. Mrs Weekes and I are currently assessing the possible impact of the strike days. We’ll let you know as soon as we can.

With our very best wishes for a happy and healthy – and warmer – weekend.

This week’s message (Friday 13 January 2023)

Posted on 13 January 2023 by Mr Roundtree

Thanks for all the compliments about the after-school clubs we’re offering this term – everything from art to yoga!

This week’s message is from Mr Wilks, our leader for Science and Foundation Subjects…

We’ve just started a Geography topic in school.Before we dive right in, here’s a reminder about topics and what they look like.

What do we mean by topics?

Topics are the vehicle for delivering much of the learning in the foundation subjects (eg History, Art, Geography). Each half-termly topic has a driving subject – the main focus for teaching pupils the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. The driver changes with each topic to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum.

Although the learning in each topic is provided by the driving subject, there are opportunities for enrichment through other subjects. For example, learning in a history-driven subject may be enriched by observational drawing of an artefact. In this example, the enricher is art.

For more information about the intent, implementation and impact of our topics, click here.

What is this half-term’s topic?

This half-term, your child is a geographer. The topic focusses on either environmental issues or natural disasters. Children in Years 1 and 2 will investigate their locality; Years 3 and 4 children will learn about volcanoes; and Y5,6 children are investigating climate change.

Across the year groups, children will develop their understanding of some key geographical concepts:

  • location is a position (eg a country, a city), often described in a clear, precise way (ie using a latitude and longitude).
  • place = location + meaning. It is constantly changing. A sense of place is also defined by how an individual perceives it (eg one person’s perception of Leeds or Wetherby as a place will be very different to another’s).
  • scale is the relative sizes of different places. This could be differences in area, population, distance or the amount of natural resources. Scale is also defined by our view of the world. We may consider an aspect of geography on a local, national or international scale eg climate change.
  • interdependence is the idea that the world is connected. No country or individual acts in isolation. Our actions here affect people in different countries around the world. This can be related to where we get our food and energy, where we go on holiday, or the effects of climate change across the world.

Check out our Curriculum Statement for more information about key concepts (page 17) and age-related expectations and vocabulary (page 22 and 23).

Years 1 and 2

Children begin the topic by learning about the four countries and capital cities that make up the United Kingdom. They then go on to learn about the difference between human and physical geography features. They’ll then investigate human and physical features in their locality. The key part of this topic is to investigate their locality and identify what they like about it and why. They will also investigate something that could be improved and how it could be improved. For example, they may notice that litter is an issue and raise awareness of this issue with their peers in school, local residents and even a local councillor.

Years 3 and 4

Children will be learning about volcanoes. They’ll begin by learning about what lies beneath the Earth’s surface. They’ll investigate plate tectonics and how these move and the different types of volcanoes formed by this movement. They’ll learn about how mountains are formed and name and locate the tallest peaks in the UK – did you know that these peaks are the remains of ancient volcanoes? Next, they’ll move onto some specific case studies: Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland and Mount Vesuvius in Italy. They’ll investigate how volcanoes can be dangerous but also bring benefits to the people who live in their shadows.

Years 5 and 6

Children are learning about climate change. They’ll begin by learning about latitude and the link to world climate. They’ll then learn about what climate change is and what is causing it. They’ll then look at three case studies to learn more about the consequences of climate change across the world: melting sea ice in Greenland, rising sea levels in the Solomon Islands and coastal erosion in East Yorkshire. Finally, they’ll consider how climate change can be slowed and whose responsibility it is.

How can you help?

Regardless of the year group your child is in, Google Earth is a brilliant tool to help develop children’s understanding of space, place, scale and interdependence. Zoom right in on your home and then zoom out to reveal the area of Leeds that you live in. Zoom further out to see what city you live. Zoom further for the county. A little further and you might start to spot some national parks. Further still and you can see the country that we live in. Keep zooming and you’ll see the continent we live in (though this isn’t labelled). Before you know it, you’re floating in space and circling the Earth!

Google Maps is another great tool for comparing places.

  • Year 1,2: Can you find your school? Your classroom? Your house? Your local park?
  • Year 3,4: Can you locate the two volcanoes you’ll be studying? Can you zoom into the craters? What similarities and differences can you see?
  • Year 5,6: Use this mapping tool to investigate how a place has changed over time. We’ll be focusing on coastal erosion but you could find where you live and compare today’s map with one from fifty or a hundred years ago. What has changed and what has stayed the same?

Quizzing your children about some locational knowledge will help them to remember important information. I’ve listed some examples below. Use the age-related expectations to find the right pitch for your child.

  • Which continent do we live in?
  • Which country do we live in?
  • In which hemisphere is our country located?
  • Which county do we live in?
  • Which city do we live in?
  • Which part of Leeds do we live in?
  • Which four countries make up the United Kingdom?

Go to the library and get some geography-related books, especially an atlas. You could compare maps of the same place to see what type of information they show. For example, you find lots of maps of the United Kingdom. One might show the countries and capital cities. Another might show the mountains, rivers and National Parks. Another might give information about the climate.

For KS2 children, there are lots of different games and activities on the Ordnance Survey Mapzone website. I especially like the jigsaws in the Map Puzzles section of the Games. Click here for the website.

Also for KS2 children, there is lots of information and some tasks and quizzes on the BBC Bitesize website.

This week’s message (Friday 06 January 2023)

Posted on 06 January 2023 by Mr Roundtree

Happy new year to you all – I hope the Christmas break was a happy and healthy one for you. Now that we’ve had one full term in school, this week’s message is a look at attendance for the full Autumn term and information about a parent governor vacancy…

Attendance matters

Up to 09 December across England, the attendance rate was 92.7% for all schools and 94.0% for primary schools (this is based on data for schools reporting their attendance figures to the Department for Education).

Up to 16 December, our whole school attendance figure is 95.6% – it’s fantastic that the Moortown Primary data is above national – thank you for helping to ensure your child attends school.

The attendance figure for each year group is similar:

  • Reception class: 95.1%
  • Year 1: 95.4%
  • Year 2: 96.1%
  • Year 3: 94.9%
  • Year 4: 96.2%
  • Year 5: 96.1%
  • Year 6: 95.5%

Check out this NHS advice about when your child should and should not attend school.

Governor election

We recently wrote to all parents and carers regarding a parent governor vacancy, and to seek nominations. As the number of nominations received exceeded the number of parent governor vacancies, it’s now necessary to hold a ballot.

​We sent an email out this morning giving details about the voting process. Every parent of a registered pupil at school is eligible to vote.​

To vote, use the following link: https://forms.gle/KnUTi8DXRFjxitX66

​The ballot closes at 12 noon on 13 January 2023. The result of the election will be confirmed on the school websites.

Have a good weekend.

This year’s last message (Friday 16 December 2022)

Posted on 16 December 2022 by Mr Roundtree

Our last weekly message of the year comes from Mrs Weekes.

After a very busy term, we’ve finally made it to the last day. A few members of staff have been standing on their tiptoes to see the end of term and now it’s here!
Before we all turn off our emails and notifications, here are a few thoughts from me.
I’d like to say a massive thank you to the PTA. This term has seen a wonderful effort on their behalf to recruit new members, involve more people, and to get things back on track after Covid. Their fantastic efforts were very evident on Friday at the Christmas Fair. The atmosphere was great and so many parents were involved. Thank you if you attended and spent your hard-earned cash and thank you to everyone who was involved in the organisation and running the stalls.
The PTA plan events to raise money for things in school that wouldn’t necessarily come out of the school budget. One example is the development of the land at the back of school – the land we’ve nicknamed ‘The Green’. It may seem that we’ve been very quiet with updates around this but it’s all progressing nicely: the area is still fenced off as grass seed has been sown so we need to let it grow before 211 children trample all over it! Once the grass is established, hopefully towards the end of the Spring term, we’ll be able to open it up for our children to use and then we can develop other aspects in the area over time.
It’s been great to be able to welcome parents back into school to celebrate learning and other events. As you know, Covid affected this greatly and it was hard to be able to involve you in your child’s life at school. Thank you for your patience while we’ve gradually built this involvement back to normal; we hope you’ve enjoyed being able to come into school after all this time – long may it last!

I hope you all have a relaxing break over the Christmas holidays and get to spend time with your families. We’ll see you back in school on Tuesday 03 January 2023.

I’d like to thank you for your continued support throughout 2022, and wish you happy times over the Christmas holiday period. All the best, David Roundtree.

This week’s message (Friday 09 December 2022)

Posted on 09 December 2022 by Mr Roundtree

Our message this week is has just three points, all of which are important…

Bank holidays and training days

On Friday 25 November, we told you about the additional bank holiday marking King Charles III’s coronation. This will be on Monday 8 May 2023.

This has had a knock-on effect:

  1. It means all the Key Stage 2 tests (the Year 6 SATs) will take place one day later than originally planned
  2. …and this means the training day on Friday 12 May is now on Monday 15 May instead.

We know this may cause some inconvenience – as you can see, the situation is beyond our control. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

The dates of the Key Stage 2 tests are now:

  • Tuesday 9 May: Grammar, punctuation and spelling
  • Wednesday 10 May: Reading paper
  • Thursday 11 May: Maths
  • Friday 12 May: Maths

Non-uniform day

Next Friday is a non-uniform day. We love a non-uniform day as a welcome change of routine, but (just like dress-down days at work) we do still have  expectations, as set out in our Uniform Policy:

Pupils should dress appropriately and respectfully for school, even on non-uniform days. Clothes are inappropriate if they, for example, glorify violence, feature bad language, are very short (eg crop tops), or relate to age-inappropriate topics (eg computer games). When consulted (18.03.21), junior leaders described this as ‘setting appropriate’ clothing and clothing that is ‘well-judged’. Make-up (other than face paints as part of a specific costume) is not allowed. Flip-flops or high-heeled shoes are not allowed, even on non-uniform days, because they’re dangerous when running.

Infections

Yesterday, we emailed you with a letter and some information about scarlet fever and invasive Group A Strep (iGAS). It’s important that you read the information so that you’re:

  • aware of the signs and symptoms of these infections
  • aware of how you can help to stop the spread of the infections
  • reassured that scarlet fever is a common illness and it is usually very mild
  • reassured that invasive Group A Strep (iGAS) remains very rare, despite recent headlines

And finally a recommendation… If you’ve time, over the holiday, you might want to see a panto or a show. As well as ones at a theatre, The Storymaker’s Apprentice at Leeds Central Library looks a good one.

It’s a freezing Friday – stay as warm as you can over the weekend. Have a happy and healthy one.

This week’s message (Friday 02 December 2022)

Posted on 02 December 2022 by Mr Roundtree

On Monday, there was an online safety parent workshop – thank you to those who were able to attend. This week’s message reinforces the guidance that was shared. It comes from Mrs Weekes, the Safeguarding Leader across our three Sphere Federation schools…

You may think that we talk too much about Online Safety but the issues and challenges that our children may face change every day. It’s really important to keep online safety high on your radar so that, together, we can keep our young people safe.

Research shows that 44% of six year olds go online in their bedroom. If your child is accessing the internet on their own devices, it’s really hard to know what they’re seeing or what they’re doing. While it’s important that children have time to themselves and have some independence, it’s also crucial that we make sure they’re keeping safe. There are many ways you can do this but here are some top tips:

  • Make sure that parental controls are enabled on devices and the household internet; there are many parent guides to help you do this if you’re not sure.
  • If your child is using a device, make sure they’re in the same room as you or other responsible members of the family – they shouldn’t be alone in their bedroom.
  • Show an interest in what they’re doing online – every now and again, ask them what they’re watching or doing.
  • Don’t assume that sites you use are ok – many children are seeing inappropriate content on YouTube so make sure you know what they’re watching.
  • Check their devices on a daily basis to see which websites they’ve accessed.

Here’s some further guidance for some particular issues…

Inappropriate content

Despite the controls you put in place, your child might still view something that’s inappropriate. It’s important that you’re able to deal with this situation if it arises.

  • Have an age appropriate conversation and explain that there are some things online that are for adults only and if they see something that upsets them online, they should always come and tell you.
  • It may be a good time to help your child think critically about the images they see online and offline.
  • Try to give them coping strategies to help them deal with any online content that they’re uncomfortable with.
  • Reassure them that they can always come to you and that they aren’t at fault.
  • Be prepared that they may have questions about sex and relationships or other issues.
  • Discuss the problem with other parents to share experiences and solutions.
  • Block any inappropriate content.

Social media

Many of our children are accessing social media platforms on a daily basis. If your child has social media accounts, it’s important that you know some facts about these apps.

  • Check age limits – the majority of social media have a minimum age of 13 years (WhatsApp has a minimum age of 16 years and TikTok has just introduced a minimum age of 18 years for any live posts).
  • Make sure privacy settings are on and that location services are turned off
  • Help your child to be a good role model online – think before they post.
  • Make sure they know no to share personal information – maybe even create an alias so they’re not using their real name.
  • Use a strong password and different passwords for different accounts.
  • Don’t accept or send friend requests to anyone they don’t know.

Screen time

There are benefits and challenges with screen time. Make sure the rules in your house are clear, balanced and work for your family. Here are some suggestions:

  • Create screen time rules together.
  • Take an active role in their digital life.
  • Use tools to manage their screen time and access to media – even as simple as setting a time limit and an alarm.
  • Encourage them to be selective in how they spend their time online and offline.

And finally…

Always ask:

  • What’s your child seeing or doing online?
  • Who might your child be chatting to online?
  • How might their online experiences affect them?
  • Check out this guide to social media and how it links with mental health – it links nicely with our current Living and Learning theme (mental health), too.

If you’ve any specific concerns, do ask us. Let’s work together to keep our children happy and healthy in every way.

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

Posted on 02 December 2022 by Mrs Weekes

… Christmas! Who says it’s too early to put Christmas decorations up? Not the children at Moortown Primary.

Mrs Burgess and some of our Y6 friends went to St Gemma’s Hospice to pick up a tree from their Christmas market. It might not be snowing, or that cold, but they sang Christmas songs all the way back to school. Thank you to St Gemma’s for reserving a tree for us.