We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support with your children’s education over the past year. Pupils have worked incredibly hard and their success is made all the more possible with your support at home. We are also very grateful for the financial support that parents have provided through Blockley Friends of the School. This has enabled a great variety of events to take place this year which have really enriched your child’s education and provided many inspiring learning opportunities. Due to the Covid restrictions of the past few years we have provided as many opportunities as possible this term for the pupils to gain additional experiences that they haven’t been able to do recently. We have really enjoyed a very action-packed term. We are looking forward to continuing with our broad and balanced curriculum in September.
Bikeability
Bikeability is a cycle training course subsidised by the Department for Transport. Bikeability cycle training equips children with vital life skills. Pupils not only learn to cycle, they gain independence, social skills and a sense of wellbeing. We provide the opportunity for pupils in Blockley to participate in this training session in year 6. However, as many pupils are cycling independently before they reach this age, we are planning on moving the training to year 5, although we will ensure no year groups misses the opportunity. Well done to all our year 6 pupils this year. The pupils were praised for being sensible and polite.
Class 2 Hatton Adventure World
Class 2 continued their understanding of how plants work and the environment that they thrive in, with workshops and time spent looking around Hatton Adventure World. They were able to discuss the crops that are grown in fields and on the vegetable patch and were able to plant seeds themselves, as well as visit the animals!
Sharing Assemblies
Pupils have enjoyed being able to show their parents what they have learnt in class and gained in confidence performing to an audience. We are sure you have thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch your children again.
Longborough Opera Workshop
With fantastic opera performed locally at Longborough we were keen for this to be accessible to the pupils by engaging with Playground Opera. This is Longborough Festival Opera’s project to bring opera into schools. The pupils are fully immersed in the plots and music with participation and preparation. From creating the stage backdrop and learning the music prior to the performance to having a workshop with the professionals, our year 6 pupils were able to perform with the opera singers and bring a specially adapted performance of Bizet’s famous opera, Carmen to the rest of the school and year 6 parents.
Cricket Competition – Great Rissington
Class 4 visited Great Rissington to take part in an interschool cricket competition. All pupils were able to participate with experienced cricketers and those new to the game. Great to watch the team spirit at work and pupils supporting one another. Well done Blockley!
Year 6 leavers Gloucestershire Cathedral
After participating in an online Cathedral service last year it was lovely to be able to take the pupils to Gloucester Cathedral. The pupils were able to go early, with their packed lunches which they were able to eat on the grass outside the cathedral thanks to the lovely weather! Pupils were able to meet some of the leaders from I-sing Pop and reunite with the sheep (you may remember the plaster sheep that went around the schools a few years ago – the pupils certainly remembered)! They had spent time in school learning the hymns for the service, complete with actions, so were able to fully participate in the service, including carrying the school banner and lighting the candle. The service was a wonderful opportunity to gather with pupils from many other schools and have a sense of being part of a wider community all transitioning to the next phase in their education.
Year 6 transition
Year 6 pupils have all had the opportunity to visit their new secondary schools. Staff from some schools have also been in school to speak with the pupils here. Many are transitioning to Chipping Campden School which will be familiar to many pupils as we link with the secondary school when there are enrichment and subject extension opportunities.
Blockley Transition
Pupils in school had opportunity to gather in the class groups that they will be in next year. As all pupils have 7 years at primary school and we have 5 classes, like many village schools all our classes have mixed year groups. In line with the National Curriculum, whatever class pupils are in they will be learning the curriculum suitable for their age group.
Bishops Robert Visit
Bishop Robert, Bishop of Tewkesbury and chair of the Diocesan Board of Education visited Blockley School recently and was very complementary about our school. The pupils enjoyed an interesting assembly and had some thought provoking questions for Bishop Robert at the end!
Three Counties Show
The sun was shining for our whole school visit to the Three Counties Show. Thank you to all the people that volunteered to supervise the pupils. A busy day with workshops and walks around the showground.
Class 1 Warwick Castle
After studying about the Queen and castles, Class 1 were able to visit Warwick Castle, bringing their classroom learning to life.
Music Workshop – harp
The relaxing sound of harp music drifted through the school this term when year 1 and 2 pupils were able to share in a harp workshop. Learning about the harp, watching her play the instrument and understanding how the instrument works.
New Parents – reception visit school
We have been able to provide a number of opportunities for next year’s reception pupils to visit the school, becoming familiar with the reception staff and the surroundings. New parents have also had the chance to mix and get to know one another. School friendships are important, for adults and pupils as we discover during lock downs!
Going For Gold
Every year in the summer term, pupils have the opportunity to break the school record in throwing, high jump and long jump. This year no records were broken but pupils were close!
In the Net
Throughout their time at school pupils are taught about internet safety to ensure they are equipped to keep themselves safe while looking online. To build on what they learnt in the classroom year 4 attended a performance of the internet safety drama ‘In the net’ with year 4 pupils from other schools.
Sports Day
Despite a bit of rain, spirits were not dampened on our Sports Day with both team and competitive spirit out in force. Thank you for supporting the event. We really enjoyed the day and it was wonderful that we could share it with parents and carers this year.
First Aid
Thank you to FOS for funding First Aid training for all pupils. We were able to invite Mini Medics into school who delivered first aid training for all pupils. This was taught over a number of days and each class had an individual session tailored to their age group with opportunity for questions and answers.
Class 5 Lego robots computer control
Class 5 participated in a Lego robots computer control workshop. Pupils wrote programs to control a Lego robot which they had created and then had fun instructing it to move around.
Summer Reading Challenge
Staff from the local library visited school to deliver an assembly on their Summer Reading Challenge.
This summer, children aged 4-11 can visit Gloucestershire Libraries to meet the Gadgeteers and to get involved in a science and innovation themed Summer Reading Challenge.
Through taking part in the Challenge, with free materials from Gloucestershire Libraries and online via the Challenge website, children will be able to join six fictional Gadgeteers. The characters – brought to life by children’s writer and illustrator Julian Beresford – use their curiosity and wonder to understand the science behind a whole range of interests, from fashion and technology to cooking and music.
Through an exciting book collection and accompanying activities, the Gadgeteers will help to spark children’s curiosity about the world around them, and encourage them to feed their imagination over the summer holiday. They will be boggled by brilliant facts, gaze at the stars, and be inspired by tales of creativity and invention. With plenty of great options across picture books, early readers and middle grade books, there’s lots to keep children busy at Gloucestershire Libraries
How the Challenge works
- Children sign up through their local library and receive a Gadgeteers collector poster.
- The children need to visit any Gloucestershire Library 3 times over the summer and borrow at least 2 books each time – although they can have 20 books out if they really want to!
- Each time they visit, they receive some stickers to put in their collector poster .
- Library staff and volunteers are on hand to advise and run family-friendly activities.
- Children who complete the Summer Reading Challenge are presented with a certificate and a medal.
- The official Challenge website hosts digital rewards, author videos, games and more for children to enjoy all summer: www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk
Art – day to create
Classes 1 and 2 had a free art day, when they were able to use a range of art materials to create inspiring pieces of art.
Dragon Days – KS2 performance
What a fantastic performance – a year late but we hope you feel it was worth the wait! Thank you to all the pupils, parents/carers and staff. A tremendous amount of work is put into these performances but the rewards in pupil’s skills and confidence is also great.
Residential
Year 6 pupils have a final chance to say goodbye to primary school with their leavers residential. They are visiting Hooke Court in Dorset for 2 days. This is a specialist educational residential centre, a perfect place for outside learning.
Year 4 and 5 pupils will have opportunity for a residential with their stay at Viney Hill Christian Adventure Centre in the Forest of Dean. Please look out for the letters and payment details at the start of term.
Menu
Our menu for term 1 2022 will be issued shortly. We are continuing to provide high quality meals from our own school kitchen but school has limited funds to subsidise the rising cost of food and fuel. As mentioned previously the price of school meals will alter in September. A school meal will cost £2.75 for KS2 pupils.
Parent Governor
Mr Sampson has served on the governing board for a number of years and put his name forward again for the position of parent governor. He was elected unopposed and begins a new term of office. Thanks to all our governors for their time and dedication to the school, in this voluntary role.
Church Links
During the holidays you are welcome to attend St Peter and St Paul church Blockley. The Open Door service on 7th August at 930am will be a pet service. This is all age worship and we would love for you to bring your beloved pets (of any kind) to the service for a blessing. It may be noisy and a little but mucky, but it should also be fun! If you are unable to bring your pet, Revd Dana Delap would love to see pictures of your pets, so you could draw or paint your pet and drop it off into church anytime before 7th August.
We welcomed Dana to school as part of Pride month where she led a service about being tolerant of each another.
September 2022
We hope you all have a relaxing summer and return refreshed in September. School begins for pupils on Tuesday 6th September. The school day will run from 8.45am until 3.15pm so please ensure you start the term on time!
Happy holidays
Blockley C of E Primary School