Welcome to QRA Weekly!
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter. After returning from Paternity Leave, it's been lovely to be back in school!
Our reception area is now complete:
Full credit and thanks go to the wonderful Julie, whose work around environment at Queens Road and other schools across Barnsley speaks for itself. This is only the beginning, however! We are giving just as much focus to the communal areas beyond the main doors in school and the classrooms, of course. We can't wait to update you as this project continues.
At the centre of this re-imagining of the school is our vision to create a place where children can thrive in all possible ways:
The last week before Christmas is always a busy time in schools, and it has been no different at Queens Road this week. Given the excitement that comes with Christmas parties and dinners and all the usual festivities, it's been wonderful to see that learning hasn't taken a backseat this week. I was delighted to watch Year 2 in their Maths lesson on Tuesday this week; their engagement in the topic of 2D and 3D shapes was impressive, as was their confident and accurate use of mathematical language. In other year groups I've seen some terrific writing and wider curriculum work. A big well done to all the children for showing such pride in their learning at this exciting time of year!
I'd like to thank our fantastic staff team for their dedication and hard work so far this year. There has been a significant amount of change at school and I can only speak incredibly highly of the positivity with which they have approached these changes; their commitment to our community and children is clear to see.
Finally, I hope everyone has a wonderful break over the Christmas holiday. To those who celebrate, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and New Year before we return to school on Monday 6th January.
Mr Smith
Attendance at school is a reliable and important predictor of a child's life chances, which is why this continues to be a priority for our school.
You may receive a letter today if your child's attendance has dipped below our target. This is part of our drive to notify you early of a dip in attendance and ensure that we can work together with families where attendance may be - or may become - an issue.
We know that life can be complicated and that there may be underlying issues behind attendance concerns. If you feel you need support with attendance, please reach out to me or Miss Blackwell.
Please remember as well that lateness is a vital part of attendance.
So far this year, a total of 5160 minutes of learning has been lost across school due to lateness. This equates to 86 hours, or 15 school days, or three full weeks of lost learning! Much of this time will be reading and phonics, which is the vital focus of learning in all schools.
Remember, when it comes to attendance, every minute counts. If you feel you need support in getting children to school on time, please get in touch.
For safeguarding purposes, it is very important that school has your most up-to-date contact information.
This includes phone numbers email addresses and home addresses.
It is vital that we have this information so that we can contact you if we need to.
If any of the above information needs updating, please do so through the Arbor app or by visiting the school office at your earliest convenience.
Our current school attendance rate sits at 95.09% for the year.
This week we achieved 90.5% across school.
Please remember to report illness absence every day that your child is off.
Our attendance winners this week are year 6 WITH 96.3%
Remember to please schedule non-urgent appointments outside school hours when possible.
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.
Our remaining INSET days for this year will take place on:
22nd July
23rd July
Credits:
Created with images by Drazen - "Back view of little girl and her classmates attending class in elementary school." • Thomas Reimer - "Street Sign to Contact"