Please see the link above - Easy Fundraising can work for Birkwood!
Has Spring Sprung? Welcome to our latest news. We have had a very busy week as always and the warmer weather has proved popular!
What a wonderful Parents' Evening we had this week! It was such a pleasure to welcome so many of you into school (or connect with you by phone) to share the fantastic progress your children have been making and discuss their exciting next steps in learning. We truly value these essential opportunities to connect and collaborate. The partnership between home and school is invaluable, and seeing so many of you support Birkwood and our staff so positively is a real testament to our shared commitment to every child's success. Thank you for your continued support – it makes such a difference! This week, we had a visit from our Local Authority School Improvement Officer for some EYFS Quality Assurance, and they were incredibly impressed with what they saw. The feedback was positive, highlighting so many of the wonderful things happening daily – notably the brilliant progress our youngest learners are making, and the dedicated care from our amazing EYFS team. It's a real testament to everyone's hard work and commitment to giving our children the very best start. We're so proud of our youngest super stars and the incredible staff who nurture them! As ever, we have things upon which to ponder. But a successful experience overall.
Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful Animal Workshop that linked in with their current science learning all about animals - they were very brave!
Thank you to families who have visited school as part of our Open Classroom sessions. Year 4 have been in the spotlight this week – we love to share what we’ve been up to! Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend and support the children – your encouragement makes a real difference and helps strengthen the partnership between home and school.
World Book Day
A magnificent day in school was enjoyed by all in a range of World Book Day activities. Thank you so much to Mrs. Wilkie for coordinating. Some superb work.
Thank you to the families who were able to attend our Year 6 Residential Information Session. A great job by all of our staff who are leading this exciting opportunity. A huge thank you to our Governing Body for their backing in this too. Information is below in the video. See Mr. Davis if you have any questions.
After school Gardening Club have been selling pots of daffodils and tulips which have been grown by the children. Thank you to everyone who bought them. We will have some more for sale next Tuesday. (Can you guess which photo was taken on World Book Day?)
On the sporting front, our Year 5/6 Basketballers were winners after going unbeaten throughout the afternoon at Churchfield. Well done to everybody involved .
House Party Fun is Coming! 🎉
Get ready for some serious celebration next week, as it's time for our House Party! A huge, massive well done and congratulations to Team Earth – you are our champions! Your hard work, team spirit, and all-round excellence have paid off. As a fantastic reward for your efforts, Team Earth will be enjoying a special McDonald's Party! We're so proud of all our House Teams for their incredible teamwork and dedication throughout the year.
I am pleased to share that Hello Baby! – The Big Barnsley Baby Shower, a free, warm, and family‑friendly celebration is taking place soon:
📅 Saturday 14 March 2026 ⏰ 10:00am – 3:00pm 📍 Barnsley Metrodome (Rigby Suite)
This special event is open to anyone who is pregnant, expecting a baby, or has a baby up to 6 months old including mums, dads, carers, partners and family members. Siblings are also welcome. The aim of the baby shower is to bring services together in one place so families can meet the professionals supporting them throughout pregnancy and their baby’s first 1001 days. Families consistently tell us how helpful it is to meet services face‑to‑face in a relaxed and friendly environment. What families can expect on the day
- Opportunities to meet a wide range of services, including 0–19 Public Health Nursing, Family Hubs, Infant Feeding, Mental Health, Childcare and more.
- Fun activities such as games, taster sessions, crafts, photo opportunities, and hand/footprint sessions.
- Free gift, refreshments, and a welcoming space to meet other families.
- A promotional video is being shared on the Barnsley Family Hubs Facebook page, with further updates and materials available soon
Breakfast Club is now open at 7:30 each morning. The cost will be £3.50 due to additional running costs.
Have a lovely weekend. As always, make some family time a priority.
Reminders
Easter Egg raffle tickets on sale from Monday £1 a strip. 🥚🐰🥚🐰🥚
Our next SEND Parent Meeting is scheduled for next week - Monday 13th April at 1:30pm.
Community sessions delivered by Grass Roots are available. They take place on Darfield Road; the darts has caught my attention! Give it a go.
School attendance Target for the Year - 95.4% (as set by the DfE)
School attendance this week - 94.1%
School attendance this year so far - 95.1%
- FS2 Berry - 89.3%
- FS2 Costa - 88.1%
- Y1 Earps - 94%
- Y1 Piper - 89.2%
- Y2 Cox - 88.5%
- Y2 Nightingale - 95.6%
- Y3 Jemison - 96.6%
- Y3 Obama - 94.9%
- Y4 Lovelace - 93.3%
- Y4 Wonder - 99.2%
- Y5 Biles - 100%
- Y 5/6 Angelou - 94.9%
- Y6 Simpson - 93.9%
Well done to class Biles with a brilliant 100% attendance!
Our suite of X (formerly Twitter) Handles is here for you. Below is a link for 'all things Birkwood.'
PE & Sport
Appropriate trainers must be worn. No crop tops – Sports t-shirts please and shorts. A tracksuit may be worn – please make a judgment on temperature. NO JEWELLERY.
Term Dates Below
For current Year 6 children, SATs tests will be Monday 11th to Thursday 14th May 2026.
For current Year 5 children, SATs tests will be Monday 10th to Thursday 13th May 2027.
For current Year 4 children, SATs tests will be Monday 8th to Thursday 11th May 2028.