Dear Parents and Carers,
We are reaching the end of the term with only one more week left in school. Don’t forget to check the blogs at the end of the newsletter to see what your child has been learning in class.
On Wednesday, our budding rock stars got to perform to the whole school, as well as to their families. The children have been receiving weekly music tuition and have worked together in bands to learn to sing and play instruments. We were all amazed by their musical talent, as well as their confidence! We are sure the families in the audience were very proud!
If you would like your child to receive music tuition, there are a few places still available. Children came home on Wednesday with a leaflet with instructions for signing up. There are spare copies in the office if you need one.
As you know, attendance is very important here at Dorothy Barley Infant School. We know children progress best academically and socially when they are at school on time every day.
Our school target for attendance is 96%. On Tuesday, all of the children who met that target came together for a film afternoon to celebrate. They thoroughly enjoyed watching a film alongside their cuddly toy from home and of course a snack.
We would like to thank all families for their support with attendance.
The children all looked amazing yesterday in their Christmas jumpers! It was a very festive day that included our annual Christmas dinner.
The children really enjoyed sharing Christmas dinner alongside staff and their friends. The Christmas tree biscuits especially were a big hit!
We would like to send best wishes to our Executive Headteacher, Mrs Pearce, who is currently absent from work recovering from surgery.
The last day of term for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 is Friday 19th December. School finishes at 1:15pm.
The last day of term for the Nursery is Thursday 18th December.
All children return to school on Monday 5th January 2026.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs S O’Hara
Head of School
The Christmas Festivities are in full swing here at Dorothy Barley Infant School and we had a wonderful time yesterday for Christmas Jumper Day! The children looked so good in their Christmas outfits and everyone enjoyed the Christmas Dinner too!...
This week in Nursery we have enjoyed lots of Christmas activities. We loved decorating our Christmas tree and changing our role-play area into a Christmas Grotto. We have been reading Christmas stories together and have posted some letters to Santa. We have also tried to......
This week in Oak class we have been continuing with our Christmas crafts. We have made Christmas cards ready to give to our families next week. We wrote our own messaged inside and decorated them ourselves! ...
This week in Reception, we have been reading the story ‘Little Robin Red Breast’ and we loved it so much, we learned how to draw robins by following a step by step video!...
This week in Year 1, during our Maths lessons, we have been learning to recognise and name 3D shapes. We matched the correct name to the 3D shape and then we went on a shape hunt....
This week in our Art lessons, Year 2 have finished their sunrise over London paintings. We blended red and yellow to create the sunrise effect, then picked our favourite London landmarks to include in the skyline....
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 | 88.32% | ||
| Bumblebee | 89.23% | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| Rabbit | 90.64% | ||
| Squirrel | 100% | ||
| Hedgehog | 94% | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Kingfisher | 90.77% | ||
| Woodpecker | 91.48% | ||
The whole school attendance this week is: 92.04%