Dear Parents and Carers,
We have had a great first week back at school, with lots going on! Don’t forget to check the blogs at the end of the newsletter to see what your child has been learning in class.
On Monday, Rabbit class were very excited to start their new term with a trip to London Transport Museum! Their new curriculum theme is ‘On the Move’, where they will be learning about transport in the past and the first flight by the Wright Brothers. They will also be creating their own wheeled vehicles in Design and Technology. The trip to the Transport Museum was the perfect opportunity to learn more about all types of transport and get inspired for the term ahead!
As always, the children showed exemplary behaviour, representing our school very well. Thank you to the parents and carers who volunteered to join us on the trip. We would not be able to run as many trips without your continued support.
On Wednesday, we were visited by Wellgate Farm. The goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens and guinea pigs were very much at home in our playground and enjoyed being visited by Nursery and Reception! As part of their learning this term, children in Reception will be finding out about farms and the different animals that live there.
Year 1 and Year 2 also had the opportunity to see the animals during break time and lunch time.
At Dorothy Barley Infant School, we have designed our curriculum around half-termly themes that link together subjects such as History, Geography, Art, Science and DT. This helps the children to make links between their learning and apply it in new contexts. Each theme is planned around a high quality book.
This week, we have begun teaching the content for this half term. The curriculum themes are as follows:
| Nursery | Over the Rainbow |
| Reception | Back on the Farm |
| Year 1 | On the Move |
| Year 2 | London’s Burning |
Our curriculum overviews for each year group explains what your child will be learning in school and also gives suggestions for activities you can complete at home to extend their learning.
Nursery Autumn 2 – Over The Rainbow
Reception Autumn 2 – Back On The Farm
Year 2 Autumn 2 – London’s Burning
Next week we will be celebrating both Anti-Bullying week and Children in Need.
The theme of Anti-Bullying week this year is ‘Power for Good’, and children are encouraged to think about how they can show positivity and kindness to those around them. To mark the beginning of the week, children (and staff!) are invited to wear odd socks to school on Monday 10th November. This is to celebrate our uniqueness and reinforce the message that differences should be embraced. This also promotes our school culture of kindness and acceptance.
Children in Need is on Friday 14th November. We will be joining with many other schools around the UK to participate in the fundraising programme. All monies raised are sent to the Children in Need charity, which supports many vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people, making a difference to children all over the UK.
Friday 14th November will be a non-uniform day. Children are encouraged to wear yellow, something with spots or a Pudsey top/dress/jumper.
We are kindly asking all children to make a donation on the day. There will be buckets on the doors when the children come into school that morning.
Every month, Barking and Dagenham Family Hub share a strategy you can use at home to support your child’s speech and language development. The strategy for this month encourages following your child’s lead and interests during play and then talking to your child about what you are doing together.
If you do have any concerns about your child’s speech and language, please talk to their class teacher or our SENDCo, Mrs Kumar.
Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs S O’Hara
Head of School
Science – This week in Nursery we have enjoyed a visit from the farm. We saw sheep, goats, guinea pigs and chickens. Our favourite part of the visit was stroking and feeding the animals. History – We have also been thinking about Remembrance Day and have......
This week in Oak Class we have been working on our fine motor skills. We have been rolling, squeezing and patting the playdough. We then used scissors to snip and cut the playdough into different shapes. We cut some lines and then made a sausage......
Reception had an exciting visit from Wellgate Farm this week as part of our ‘Back on the Farm’ topic. The children were very sensible and well behaved and asked lots of questions about how to care and look after the animals. The children enjoyed being......
Over the first few weeks of this half term, Year 1 have an exciting trip to the London Transport Museum. This week Rabbit class went and they had a fantastic time. We got to explore the museum, looking at and learning about all different modes......
Year 2 have made some beautiful poppy collages this week in honor of Remembrance Day....
Please note: If your child is absent you must inform the school on the morning of the absence. Please do this by phoning the school office on 0208 270 4655 or emailing us at office@dorothybarleyinfant.org.uk.
We aim for the best education for your children at Dorothy Barley Infant School. Full Attendance and Punctuality are essential for your child to make the maximum progress.
To reach the school target pupils must not have any more than 6 days off per academic year. If you need to make appointments for your child, please aim to make them out of school hours or during school holidays. Thank you.
Children with 100% attendance each half term will receive a certificate. Pupils with 100% attendance for the whole year will receive a special reward.
| Attendance during one school year | Equals this number of days absent | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% | 19 days | ||
| 80% | 38 days | ||
| 70% | 57 days | ||
| Outstanding 100% | Good 96% – 99% | Requires Improvement 91%-95% | Inadequate (PA)Below 90% |
Do you know our Child Protection and Safeguarding Team?
Mrs Ratford
Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead
If you have a concern about a child, please see a member of our Safeguarding Team.
In an emergency call 999.
| Class | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception | |||
| Ladybird | 89.9% | ||
| Bumblebee | 93.8% | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| Rabbit | 93.2% | ||
| Squirrel | 94.8% | ||
| Hedgehog | 94.9% | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Kingfisher | 98.7% | ||
| Woodpecker | 95.5% | ||
The whole school attendance this week is: 94.01%