Dear Parents and Carers,
We have reached the end of the first half term of 2026. All of the children have worked very hard and are ready for a well-deserved rest next week! We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and hope you enjoy time as a family over the break. We look forward to welcoming all children back to school on Monday 23rd February.
Don’t forget to check the blogs at the end of the newsletter to see what your child has been learning in class!
Here at Dorothy Barley, we are proud to offer the Junior Duke award for the second year. The award encourages independence, confidence, resilience and self-motivation. Each year group has a different level of the award and children complete a series of challenges, including first aid, ICT, eco awareness, music, sport and other life skills such as getting dressed quickly and independently, clearing the dinner table and washing up. Some challenges will be completed in school but most of the challenges will be completed outside of school with family and friends.
We had a fantastic uptake of the award last year with many children earning their badges and certificates. We are aiming for even more children to complete their award this year!
A letter will have come home earlier this week with the consent form for the Junior Duke award. Please ensure this is returned to school so that your child can receive their challenge booklet.
On Thursday, we were visited in school by the Wellbeing in Schools and Education (WISE) team. The children took part in a special assembly where they learned about what it means to belong, and how it makes us feel to belong in a community with others. The children also thought about power of kindness and how being kind to others can make a big difference.
One of our school values is Character and we encourage all children to be kind to both themselves and each other.
On Thursday 5th March we will be celebrating World Book Day. As you know, reading is very important to us and we want all of our children to grow a love of books.
Thursday 5th March will be a non-uniform day. Children are encouraged to wear their pyjamas to school and bring in a teddy and their favourite book so that we can “Get Cosy With a Book”. There will be lots of opportunities throughout the day for children to read and share their books with their friends and teachers.
We would also like to invite families into school to read with their children at the following times:
Morning Nursery – 10:45am
Afternoon Nursery – 2:45pm
Reception – please come into the classroom with your child at 8:50am
Years 1 and 2 – 2:30pm
We hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Year Two have an exciting trip planned for after the half term break! Kingfisher class will be visiting the National Portrait Gallery in London on Wednesday 18th March and Woodpecker on Wednesday 25th March.
This trip supports children across the curriculum, including their History learning about monarchs including Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II as well as their learning in Art about portraits.
There are no costs involved for this trip but please make sure that you complete and return the consent form so your child is able to attend the trip. If you would be available to support the trip as a volunteer, please let us know in the office.
Communication with families is very important to us here at Dorothy Barley as we know children are happy and achieve well when we work in partnership.
Our Spring term Parents Evenings on Wednesday 25th March and Thursday 26th March are a fantastic opportunity for teachers to share updates about your child’s attainment as progress, as well as for you to raise anything about your child that you would like to discuss.
Look out for a letter after the half term break with further information.
Have a lovely half term break!
Mrs S O’Hara
Head of School
Here at Dorothy Barley, we want all of our children to be ambitious and excited about their future opportunities. Last week, we were been learning all about the different jobs and careers that we could do when we grow up! We finished the week with......
This week we have been learning about Chinese New Year. We have made Chinese lanterns, money purses and dragons. We have also written Chinese numbers in glitter with chopsticks and feathers. We also really enjoyed Chinese dancing too!...
This week in Oak Class we have made delicious cupcakes. We learnt about the different ingredients then named and labelled them. The children were able to match keywords to the ingredients. We then followed the recipe and poured the mixture into the cupcake cases. We......
This week in Reception, we have been learning all about Chinese New Year. We discovered how and why it is celebrated and explored lots of exciting traditions. The children had great fun looking at special artefacts and trying on beautiful costumes. We read the story......
In Year 2 this week, we have finished our rainforest animal sculptures and then created a habitat for them....
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 | 84.1% | ||
| Bumblebee | 94.6% | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| Rabbit | 85.6% | ||
| Squirrel | 94% | ||
| Hedgehog | 93.8% | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Kingfisher | 90.2% | ||
| Woodpecker | 96% | ||
The whole school attendance this week is: 91.1%