Dear Parents and Carers,
We have had another busy week 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!
Although we are still in the Spring term, we have begun looking ahead to the next academic year. Applications are now open for our school Nursery and children born between 1st September 2022 and 31st August 2023 will be able to join us from September 2026. We offer both part time and 30 hour funded places.
Attending the school nursery gets children off to the best possible start to their educational journey. They have the opportunity to make friends, play in an engaging learning environment and learn everything they will need to be ready for school. Children who attend our nursery get to know the school and the staff and are well equipped to feel confident about starting Reception the following year.
Please ask for an application form in the office.
We are delighted to be offering the Junior Duke award for the second year running. It is a life skills award that helps the children grow their independence, confidence and resilience as they complete a series of challenges, for example making their bed and even tidying their rooms! Through fundraising, we have raised enough money to offer this award to all children completely free of charge.
We would like to invite you to a Time to Talk session on Wednesday 18th March at 9:00am. During this informal session, we will share more about the award and how we can work together to help as many children as possible complete it.
Please enter the school via the playground after dropping off your child. We hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Next Friday 20th March we will be celebrating Red Nose Day in school! Children are invited to come to school wearing red and we will be collecting donations on the doors in the morning.
All money collected will be passed on to Comic Relief to support worthwhile causes around the country: What Your Money Does.
We have now finalised our term dates for 2026-2027 academic year. Please do take note of the dates of holidays and INSET days as the school is unable to authorise any term time holidays.
Dorothy Barley Infants 2026-2027 Term Dates
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. You will have received a letter with further information and slots are now bookable! Please make sure you book your appointment by Wednesday 17th March.
Our Easter Bonnet parade is taking place on Wednesday 25th March. Marvellous Easter bonnets must be sent into school by Monday 23rd March.
Parents and carers of children participating in the Rocksteady music tuition programme have been invited to a special performance on Wednesday 25th March. The children are looking forward to showing off their skills!
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs S O’Hara
Head of School
This week in Nursery we have had a lot of fun in our imagination room. We have really enjoyed pretending to be different characters in our new dressing up clothes. We read different stories and acted them out together. Our caterpillars are continuing to grow......
This week in Oak Class we have carried on with reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The children learnt the actions to the beginning of the story and learnt the different parts of a goat. The children were able to name some and learnt new......
In Reception this week, we have been thinking about our outdoor area and ways that we can makes some changes to make it better. We decided to do some fundraising to help us with our garden project and held a cake sale after school on......
This half term in Music we have been learning to listen carefully and to recognise different sounds. We have learnt a song called The Name Song and play the glockenspiels to accompany it....
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 | 98.2% | ||
| Bumblebee | 93.1% | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| Rabbit | 98.1% | ||
| Squirrel | 95.7% | ||
| Hedgehog | 94.4% | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Kingfisher | 97.3% | ||
| Woodpecker | 100% | ||
The whole school attendance this week is: 96.66%