Epworth Primary Parent Portal

Yet again we have got to the end of another academic year. I am not sure how we get to this point each year as September only seems like yesterday. This is the end of my 4^th year at Epworth and marks a milestone in my time here. The children that are about to leave Year 6 and move on to pastures new I have seen grow and pass all the way through Key Stage 2, with the current Year 2 children having started Nursery when I did. Time really does fly by and so much has happened. While reflecting on my time so far at Epworth I go back to a meeting I had with parents in my first term where we discussed what parents wanted from the next few years for their children at Epworth. The key areas to come from this meeting were:

Children to experience learning a musical instrument
Children to have wider experiences of trips
A greater understanding of how classes are organised
More excitement in the curriculum
More approachable senior leaders
A PTFA to add to events in school
A love of reading

During this time we have had Covid which in itself gave us many challenges but also opportunities to change and evolve, which we have.

We now have a thriving music curriculum at school with input from a specialist music teacher and whole classes learning the ukulele. Children across Key Stage 2 learning the guitar, flute, trombone, cornet, trumpet, clarinet and keyboards and we have a full singing assembly each week. Moving forwards, another exciting development will be that children will also be taught the ocarina.

Our portfolio of trips, visits and experiences has now developed in to an amazing offer for our children. Every year group this year has had a number of trips, visits or visitors over the year. Our children have: learnt how to ring the church bells, spoken to international table tennis players, learnt about jobs first hand, handled a wide range of animals and joined 70,000 people at Old Trafford to cheer on their national football team. These trips and experiences are linked to the curriculum as well as what parents and children have suggested that they would like to see. Residential experiences are also firmly back on the curriculum and will continue to be tweaked and developed to ensure that the children get the best experience possible and parents get the best value for their money.

When it comes to classes each year the principles behind this are shared with parents making the process clearer, with the whole staff included in this organisation. I'm sure you'll agree that this is now a much clearer process. As always our pupil numbers of 45 per year group continue to create an issue, however the curriculum is carefully planned in such a way that no child will miss any objective or area of study in their time at Epworth Primary. They will also be taught their year group objectives in either maths or English and challenged to achieve their best regardless of the class or year group split that they are in.

Over the past few years, the staff have worked hard to develop a curriculum which will not only challenge the children but also provide a high level of interest and enjoyment for them, linking to the local area, children’s interests and providing a wide range of experiences which will engage them in their learning. We now have a clear 2 year cycle of planning which again means that every child regardless of their journey through Key Stage 1 or 2 will experience and study all the areas of the national curriculum. You will also have seen how the coverage and sharing of activities on social media has increased, so parents can see what is happening in the academy on a regular basis. We have also developed a student kitchen. Parents also asked for a love of reading which you have supported fantastically well. As an academy we have spent thousands of pounds on high quality books for home readers as well as high quality guided reading texts for the classes and with the support of IET, have invested in a fantastic new library.

Parents also wanted to know more about how their children were getting on in school. We now provide more information for you than ever before with 2 parents' evenings and an open evening each year, alongside a new style report which provides far more detail on your child’s progress. We have also now been able to provide for you, in your Arbor App, your child’s end of term data. Here you can keep track of how your child is doing on a termly basis. Staff are also available on the door morning and night to briefly discuss any worries that you may have.

Parents asked for more approachable Senior Leaders at Epworth, in reality only you can say whether we are more approachable or not. However, we are highly visible and available on a daily basis on the gate morning and night and hosting principal's clinics on a fortnightly basis. We also see parents as quickly as possible should a problem arise.

Finally, you asked for a new PTFA to arrange and support extra events across the academy year. We are now very lucky to have a group of hard-working parent volunteers who are organising a range of activities and events for the benefit of the children and parents across the academy including, whole school events, ice cream van, Christmas Fayre and school discos. I would like to say a huge thank you to all who have help with any of these events.

I would like to finish by saying thank-you to several groups of people as we finish for the summer. Firstly, you the parents and carers for supporting the children and academy in the way that you do. Secondly, the children. The children at Epworth Primary Academy are amazing. They continue to impress on a daily basis. Their work ethic and attitude are fantastic along with their behaviour, which is commented on wherever we are. And finally, to my staff. They give so much time and effort for the benefit of the children at Epworth. Whether it is going the extra mile with planning, organising special events, looking after upset children or coming back from a trip at 1am leaving their own children at home to provide a little extra for the children of Epworth Primary. They are amazing and work so hard throughout the year. I hope you join me in saying thank you to them.

It just leaves me to wish you all a good summer break and we will see you all back in September ready for another busy year.

Sean Woolley

Principal