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!
Well done to all of our Year 1 children who completed their Phonic Screening Check! The children have made so much progress with their reading this year and it was wonderful to celebrate that this week. We are also very proud of the enthusiasm the children display towards reading and how much they enjoy stories and books.
Thank you to all the families who read regularly with their child at home. This really does make a difference to your child’s progress and reading ability.
Results from the Phonic Screening Check will be included in your child’s end of year report in July.
Please find below the term dates for the next academic year starting in September 2026. We have two Inset days on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd September before children return to school on Thursday 3rd September.
As a school, we do not authorise term time holidays. Please check the dates below when booking holidays for the next year.
We will be following and celebrating the World Cup over the next few weeks! It is a great opportunity for the children to not only enhance their PE skills but to also learn more about the countries participating in the World Cup.
Our theme week will start on Monday 22nd June. Each class will be randomly allocated a country to support throughout the World Cup. They will spend some time during that week in their Geography lessons learning all about the country and its culture. They will also have the opportunity to visit the other classrooms and learn more about different countries from around the world, collecting stamps for their own ‘Dorothy Barley Passport’. The PE lessons for the week will be focused on football and our PE coach is arranging a special challenge for classes to win the ‘Dorothy Barley Cup’!
Thursday 25th June will be a non-uniform day. Children will be invited to wear the colours of the flag of the country their class is supporting.
You will have received a letter this week about the arrangements for Sports Day on Friday 26th June. The timings are as follows:
9:15am – Key Stage One (Years 1 and 2)
10:30am – Morning Nursery
1:45pm – Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception)
Sports Day will be held on the field. Families should enter the school via the gate on Hedingham Road.
Children will be representing their houses during this event. All children should come to school wearing plain black shorts or jogging bottoms and a top in their house colour. If you aren’t sure which colour your child should wear, please check with their class teacher. If it is a sunny day, please ensure that children are wearing suncream and come to school with a suitable hat. All children must bring in a water bottle as there will be regular water breaks throughout the event.
Congratulations to Kendrick, Emily, Amelija and Sahil who have completed their Junior Duke award this week!
There are many children in the school who have already fully completed their Junior Duke award, which is fantastic. Please remind your children to bring their books into school for signing each time they have completed a challenge. We have a few more weeks to go before the end of term, and we hope many more children will be able to complete their award this year!
Children are more than welcome to bring their bikes and scooters to school and store them in our bike area for the day. However, children are not allowed to ride or scoot in the playground.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs S O’Hara
Head of School
When we came into nursery this week we were astonished to find giant footprints on the floor leading into our role-play area. We also found a cauldron with bones and a cookbook with goat recipes inside. On the table was a huge plate, cup and......
In Oak Class, we have been working on developing our turn-taking skills. To support this learning, we enjoyed a fun bubble activity. The children did a fantastic job of waiting for their turn to blow bubbles and showed great patience while their friends had a......
Reception have been busy creating wonderful minibeast artwork this week using a variety of materials. The children used natural resources such as twigs, leaves, shells and conkers to create their own minibeast pictures, as well as making fantastic 3D models through junk modelling. They decorated......
This week, Year 2 have been thinking about how we change as we grow. We thought about how we have changed since we were babies and what we think we might be doing when we were adults....
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 | 86.2% | ||
| Bumblebee | 92.2% | ||
| Year 1 | |||
| Rabbit | 95.6% | ||
| Squirrel | 96.4% | ||
| Hedgehog | 95.2% | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Kingfisher | 94.4% | ||
| Woodpecker | 98.2% | ||
The whole school attendance this week is: 90.78%