Our weekly message: Friday 14 February 2025
This week, our Living and Learning theme has been I know that people should treat others respectfully when online. It tied in with Safer Internet Day. Check out the tips, advice, guides and resources for parents and carers.
We’ll start off this week’s message sticking to this theme…
Online safety quiz
Does your child know how to stay safe online? Test their knowledge with this online quiz.
Maude and Scram – Fraud Advice for Infant Children
The West Yorkshire Police Fraud Team have devised a series of video stories to share with your child: check out Maude and Scram’s YouTube page. Have a read of the Maude and Scram Fact Sheet about online safety, too.
How Safe is WhatsApp for children?
WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps, used by over 2 billion people in 180 countries. To set up an account, all you need is a phone number. Check out this blog from the NSPCC about the dangers of the app, and don’t miss their top tips.
Want to read more? This article from ParentZone is also worth a read.
Manipulative marketing in mobile games
Children are increasingly major components in the online games industry.
Free in the context of apps is a highly flexible term.Whilst they claim to be free, many games are deceptively pay to play: the download is free but most of the gameplay is locked. Online gaming firms use the ‘free’ label to draw in players. Money making tactics such as this can be hard to detect, even for adults.
Read more about manipulative marketing on the Better Internet for Kids site. You’ll learn why companies use these tactics and how they can impact your child and their rights. You’ll also learn how you can support your child to spot and avoid these issues, as well as where you can seek help and support.
Moving from staying safe online, we’ve two more articles this week…
Our annual Number Challenge
Each year, we raise money with an annual sponsored Number event:
- children in Years 1, 2 and 3 do an addition/subtraction challenge
- children in Years 4, 5 and 6 do a multiplication/division challenge
On Wednesday 26 February, we’ll repeat the challenge, hopefully seeing some huge improvements and raising lots of money along the way.
Children have their facts to work on over the holiday and hopefully get some family and friends to sponsor them on their journey to improvement. Can you help your child get sponsors for each correct answer they get?
Children in Reception join in, too – they’ll do a tens frame challenge on the same day.
Money that we raise will be shared between our chosen charity, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and the PTA.
Our annual Reception parents/carers survey
Have you completed our Reception survey yet?
Each year, we ask parents/carers of children in Reception to complete a short survey. It should only take 5-10 minutes or so. Your feedback helps us to explore ways we might be able to improve the Reception year. It’s also an opportunity to let us know any specific questions or concerns you might have – we’ll try to respond to all of these (leaving your name will help, but that’s optional).
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Our weekly message: Friday 07 February 2025
We’re looking forward to seeing you next week at parent-teacher meetings. To help the sessions go smoothly, please stick to the timings as much as you can – you can always arrange for a longer meeting if you think it’s needed.
There’s also Safer Internet Day next week – make sure you keep talking with your child about the precautions we all need to take when online.
Consent
Our Living and Learning theme this week has been I know the importance of consent. Help at home so your child knows the importance of consent or permission. As well as exploring consent generally, consider permission-seeking and permission-giving when online eg getting permission before taking and sharing images of others. As a parent / carer, you might want to start seeking permission before uploading images of your child online (‘Shall I share this pic, or would you prefer me not to?’ is one way to ask, for example.)
Policies
Governors have asked us to remind you that our key policies are available on our website – check out the Policies and Other Points page for most of these. Please ask us if you can’t see a particular policy or if you need a paper copy of one.
Class trips
Did you know we’ve a schedule of class trips? The plan is subject to change – there might be another event or trip opportunity which comes up, and the trips can only go ahead if we get enough voluntary contributions – but we try to stick to the schedule so children have a broad and balanced range of enrichment opportunities. You can check the schedule out on page 4 of our Topic Curriculum Guide.
Next, here’s another description of the learning that your child misses if they have a week away from school for a term-time holiday. This week, it’s the turn of Science.
If your child was absent for five days in a row…
Science lessons build learning in small steps across a number of weeks. If your child misses five days of school, they’ll miss one or two of these important steps. For example, in a Key Stage 2 unit of learning about the circulatory system, your child might miss a lesson which teaches them about the different blood vessels in the body. This will mean that they may not have the relevant prior knowledge when later learning about how blood is transported around the body.
Your child would also miss out on an opportunity to work scientifically. This may be planning or carrying out an investigation; taking measurements; recording and presenting results; or making conclusions and evaluations.
Finally, your child would miss out on an opportunity to ‘recap’ previously taught science learning from previous years.
Sticking with attendance, a reminder to check the NHS Is my child too ill for school? if in doubt.
Have a good weekend.
On the stage
There has been a very busy weekend at the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds – a production of Matilda had the seats filled for a very entertaining show.
We’re very proud to be able to say that one of our Year 5 pupils was part of that production. She may be very tired today but she still came to school (with a big smile) and shared her amazing experience of being in the show. I hope she remembers us when she is famous. Well done!
Our weekly message: Friday 31 January 2025
It’s the last day of January – what a busy month it’s been. If you celebrated the lunar new year, then a belated Happy New Year to you (and check out what zodiac animal you are!).
National storytelling week
National Storytelling Week starts tomorrow. It’s an annual event that celebrates stories and storytelling – it’s the perfect opportunity for families to share the joy of stories together. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication, fostering empathy and imagination in ways that resonate deeply with children. Whether through traditional folk tales, family anecdotes, or made-up adventures, storytelling helps children develop a love of language and encourages their natural curiosity about the world.
Join the at home by making storytelling part of your family routine. You can celebrate at home by reading a favourite book aloud with your child, recreating your own family stories and adventures or even acting out a tale together with props and costumes. Bedtime is a great time to bring stories to life, especially if you encourage your child to add their own twists to the tale. You could also explore audiobooks or visit your local library to find collections of folktales from around the world to share.
We know that children are more likely to enjoy reading if:
- someone reads to them regularly
- they find time to read
- they have books at home and at school
- they know a trusted person who can help them find the right books
- we make reading fun for them
- they are given a choice in what they read
Talking of reading…
World Book Day
World Book Day is on Thursday 06 March is another wonderful event that complements National Storytelling Week.
This year, we aren’t inviting children to dress up. (We alternate this each year.) Instead, we’ll mark the day in school with a host of fun and engaging reading-related activities. Amongst other things, we’ll hear teachers read aloud their favourite stories, spend time in other classes reading with different children and explore new authors and books. And remember to keep an eye out for a competition where you can win book vouchers!
National curriculum assessments
Primary school pupils in England take part in various assessments…
- Reception baseline assessment: within the first 6 weeks of entering reception
- Early Years Foundation Stage profile assessment: between April and June of the academic year in which they turn 5 (usually the Reception year)
- Phonics Screening Check: in June of Year 1
- Key Stage 1 tests: optional, these are at the end of Year 2
- Multiplication Tables Check: in June of Year 4
- Key Stage 2 tests (known as SATs): in May of Year 6
The government has updated its guides for parents about the different assessments.
Park up with respect
Getting to school by foot, scooter or bike is the happiest and healthiest. We know sometimes people might need to use their car – but if you do, please remember to park carefully. Check out this advice from Leeds City Council.
Finally, across the year we’ve been spotlighting the impact of a week away from school for a term-time holiday. This week, it’s the turn of Maths…
If your child was absent for five days in a row…
Daily maths lessons build learning in sequences of small steps. If your child misses five days of school, they’ll miss a large part of the sequence.
Our Maths curriculum is divided into blocks of learning (eg place value, fractions, length) that often last a week or two. If it’s the beginning of a new sequence that your child misses, it makes it much harder to understand the learning in the following weeks. If it’s the middle part of a sequence that your child misses, this means there will be gaps in their knowledge and skills. Either way, five days of absence means your child might well struggle to catch up or keep up.
Five days of absence would also mean your child misses the regular practice of calculation procedures and of recalling number facts and times tables times tables – all vital in developing fluency and confidence in Maths.
Have a happy and healthy weekend.
Brill Buddies
One of our Y3 friends used Hamma beads to make the school logo – also known as ‘brill buddies’. It is on the whiteboard in the leaders’ office and makes me smile every time I see it. Great job!
Our weekly message: Friday 24 January 2025
It’s a busy message today…
Miss Lowry
We’re sad to say that our wonderful Reception teacher, Miss Lowry, will be leaving us just before the Easter holiday. Miss Lowry is seconded from another of our Sphere Federation schools (Scholes (Elmet) Primary). She is teaching Reception here at Moortown Primary while our equally wonderful permanent teacher Mrs Wood is on maternity leave. Miss Lowry has been successful in securing a leadership post in another school.
The timing of her departure is good – it’s just at the time when Mrs Wood will return to work. We’re hoping to ensure both Miss Lowry and Mrs Wood will have a week of teaching together to ensure a smooth transition for everyone.
Watch us While we Work
Thank you to those who were able to come to ‘Watch Us While We Work’ yesterday. We hope you enjoyed the session and were able to take some ideas away with you. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Cooking
Over the course of the year, your child has three opportunities to prepare food. A couple of things to remember…
- Please consider making a voluntary contribution (£3 to £6 to pay for the ingredients) so that we can continue to offer this. You might have already donated this year – if so, thank you.
- Don’t forget to alert us to any allergies your child has. We’ll do our best to adapt recipes.
For more about our Cooking curriculum, please check out our Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum Guide. (We’re in Year B this year.)
Next, a reminder about the importance of reading (and for your child to use their Reading Record)…
Read, read, read
Reading together at home is a wonderful way to bond with your child while fostering a love for books. Set aside a regular time each day for reading, whether it’s before bed, after school, or during quiet afternoons. Choose books that align with your child’s interests, from adventure stories to fantasy or even non-fiction, allowing them to explore different genres. Alternatively, choose something that they’d not normally read to expose them to new vocabulary. Take turns reading aloud to each other, using voices and expression – this helps build fluency and makes the experience more interactive and enjoyable.
To further enhance the reading experience, ask open-ended questions about the story, encourage your child to predict what might happen next, and discuss the characters or themes. Creating a cozy reading space with comfy seating and good lighting can make this time feel special. Remember, it’s not just about the quantity of books, but the quality of the time spent together, sparking your child’s imagination and making reading an enjoyable part of their daily routine.
In Key Stage 2, Reading Record activities should be about exploring the story to aid understanding and memory. We’ve listened to your feedback: this year, there are more, and more varied, activities to support this.
NHS Healthy Start
The NHS Healthy Start scheme helps young families on low incomes to buy healthy food and milk. If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have children under four and receive certain benefits, you could be eligible for NHS Healthy Start. Find out if you’re eligible and apply online.
Finally this week, another of our occasional messages about what a child misses if they’re absent for a prolonged time.
If your child was absent for five days in a row…
We know children are sometimes ill and have to spend time out of school – that’s inevitable. However, taking a week’s holiday during term-time means your child misses…
- over 4 hours of learning in Reading
- over 4 hours of learning in Writing
- over 5 hours of learning in Maths
- over 10 hours of learning in other subjects
- over 6 hours of opportunities for social time and play
Missing all this in one week means your child will miss significant chunks of teaching and will therefore have gaps in their learning.
Have a happy and healthy weekend!
Another one with flippers for feet!
One of our Y3 friends competed in her first swimming gala this weekend, representing City of Leeds.
She competed in five races and came home with five medals: four golds and one silver. One of the races was 50m butterfly which she swam in 58 seconds.
An amazing achievement – something to be really proud of. Well done.
Our weekly message: Friday 17 January 2025
The second weekly message of every half-term is always about our new topic – this half-term, it’s Geography. Before that, just a reminder about changes to penalty notices for term-time absences…
Penalty notices are issued per parent, per child (this means, for example, if there are 3 children in a family, each parent may receive 3 separate penalty notices).
In the Autumn term, Leeds City Council issued 2,908 penalty notices for term-time absences – usually holidays.
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.
Check out our Topic Curriculum Guide for more information about key concepts (page 16) and age-related expectations and vocabulary (page 21 and 22).
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 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. We’ve listed some examples below. Use the age-related expectations in our Topic Curriculum Guide 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. We 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.
School meals are the healthy choice
Free school meals can support your child to stay healthy so that they can grow, learn and play! 🍽
Every day we make sure they provide the right balance of nutrients so children are ready to learn in the classroom.
To apply for free school meals, visit: https://bit.ly/41SqJ8t
Thank you to our incredible school catering team
A huge thank you to our amazing Catering team who work hard each day to cook, prepare and serve our school meals to a high standard 🤩
To find out if you are eligible for free school meals, visit: https://bit.ly/41SqJ8t
