Weekly Newsletter 18th October 2024

Welcome to QRA Weekly!

Happy Friday everyone,

This week, I want to express my gratitude to our staff. We've had a somewhat tricky week logistically as the dreaded sickness bug has hit. This always means that I have to ask a lot of them and to change plans last-minute, but their commitment is outstanding and we, as a community, are very lucky to have them. They are committed to delivering the best for our children and I have to thank them.

It was lovely to go in to classrooms this morning and see the brilliant learning taking place. The behaviour the children displayed was fantastic; the children were so engaged and it's obvious that they value their learning. It is wonderful to see!

It's these attitudes that make the weekly awards assembly such a highlight of the week. It was great to recognise so many children who consistently do the right thing. These pupils positively influence our entire school community and they embody the values we strive to instil:

Miss Hird has been collaborating with Barnsley LA professionals to enhance our SEND offer. This partnership ensures we're providing the very best support for all our learners. Anyone who knows me will know that SEND is an area that I am very invested in, so I must thank Miss Hird for her great work in this area so far.

A big well done to all pupils on their exceptional behaviour this week. Your conduct has been exemplary, creating a positive and productive learning environment for everyone.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mr Smith

Barnsley's Special Visitor

We were very honoured to accept an invitation to the official naming of the Tommy Taylor Memorial Bridge in Barnsley Town centre on Thursday. We were the only school in attendance due to our proximity to the bridge, so we were delighted to be there.

This was a particularly special event due to the special visitor in attendance: the Duke of Edinburgh!

After unveiling the plaque, the Duke spoke with our pupils, who absolutely did us proud. They were confident, polite and spoke very well. A proud day for Queens Road!

Road Safety around school

A polite reminder to please ensure that children and adults stick to the pedestrian paths on and around school grounds. We have had reports of children on scooters on the school drive, as well as both children and adults not taking due care around the road at the bottom of the drive.

Please ensure that arrival and exit to school premises is orderly and safe.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Last week of Half Term and INSET Day

Next week is the last week of the half term. Please remember that next Friday, 25th October, is an INSET day as our staff are partaking in training around Read Write Inc reading and phonics.

Y4 Badminton and Sports

A big well done to our 10 Year 4 pupils who attended the Badminton event at Horizon today. They did the school proud! Please keep your eyes peeled for further events that will be taking place in the coming weeks.

School Timings

A reminder that we are aligning the school's opening times across classes in FS2, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 from next half term. This change will reduce waiting times for families at the start and end of the day.

From Monday 4th November (when children return to school after half term):

Children in Reception, Y1-Y6:

Classroom doors will open at 8:45

Children will be dismissed at 3:15

Children in Nursery:

Morning sessions: 8:45-11:45

Afternoon sessions: 12:00-3:00

Thank you for your continued support. If you need any more information, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Jewellery and Uniform

We have listened to lots of feedback regarding our Uniform and Jewellery policy and I can inform you of some changes we've made to the policy. The updated policy will be updated on our school website imminently, but please see the following for the main changes:

One pair of stud earrings and a watch may be worn for school. No other jewellery, including smart watches or other piercings are permitted. All jewellery must be removed by the child when participating in physical education, so we encourage no jewellery at all on PE or swimming days. For safety reasons, when ear-studs are worn, they should be removed prior to PE lessons as these items can be hazardous. If a child does wear ear-studs, they must remove them independently, as staff cannot assist. Taping jewellery gives a false sense of security and does not effectively prevent injuries, so is not permitted.

If a pupil cannot remove their earrings (e.g., due to new piercings or an infection), and the risk of injury is higher due to the activities involved, they may be assigned alternative roles in the PE lesson to minimise risk. Please note that PE is a statutory subject, so pupils will not be excused from lessons.

We ask parents to support the school by following our guidance on jewellery and recommend that any ear-piercing is done at the start of the summer holidays to allow for healing time.

Queens Road Academy prohibits all jewellery, earrings, and ear-studs during physical activities to ensure safety for all and we advise that pupils should leave these items at home on PE days.

We hope you will see this as a positive change. Thank you for your support.

Attendance in School

Our current school attendance rate sits at 93.7% for the year.

This week we achieved 94.7%

A big well done to Year 4 - they achieved 96.9% attendance this week. A great effort!

Here are a few simple ways you can help with attendance:

Establish consistent bedtime and morning routines

Schedule non-urgent appointments outside school hours when possible

Talk to your child about why attending school every day is important

If you're facing any challenges that are affecting your child's attendance, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you and can offer guidance or connect you with helpful resources.

Remember, every school day counts. By prioritising attendance, school and home are working together to give our children the best possible start in life.

School Vision & Values

We want all in our school - adults and children - to be kind, aim high, and discover.

Read Write Inc Phonics

If you would like information on our new phonics programme, including ways to help at home, please visit https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parentsandcarers/

Safeguarding

Please note the safeguarding team in school. Details are as follows. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Remaining INSET Days

Our remaining INSET days for this year will take place on:

25th October

22nd July

23rd July

Useful Links