Friday 11th March

I’ve blinked and nearly a month has gone by!!

In that time there has been a whole host of sport with netball matches for all year groups with plenty of victories and passing double figures in goals in several of the matches – nice preparation for the District Tournaments this coming week.  Not to be out done there have been lots of District tournaments for the boys as well with the highlights being the Year 8 boys reaching the semis of the 6-a-side (Another highlight in this particular event was an ‘overhead’ kick wonder strike from Joe B!!) only conceding 1 goal in the whole thing and the Year 7 boys narrowly losing the cup final to Greneway, the Year 5s began their RS careers by beating the same school.  The Year 8 boys also just missed out on qualification to the County Finals of the rugby, being beaten by Barnwell school in the playoff – but being muddier by far!!

In school we’ve had World Book Day, the Book Fair, a Year 6 Parents’ Evening, an author visit and this week ended with Mrs Bingham introducing Science Week with an assembly and the House Quiz.  Congratulations to Wellington the winners and Freman who were Runner’s Up – thanks to the staff who gave up their lunch time to form a team and for ‘competing.’  The Year 8 maths team took part in the heats of the county Maths Challenge finishing a creditable 5th out of 20 schools.  Other assemblies have focused on the importance of words and using the right word and the importance of good attendance where I told the children that 90% (Which we’d all be happy with on any test) averaged over the four years would equate to missing half a day a week or nearly half a year of school.  I shared with them some research that showed that 17 missed days of a school a year meant a drop by one grade at GCSE’s and that if you got A*-Cs you would earn on average over £350,000 pounds more over the course of their working lives – just think of all the improved Mother’s and Father’s Day presents that would mean!!

Finally this week, the five, very brave and open minded teachers who participated in the Outstanding Teacher Intervention Programme completed their course and received their certificates and gave presentations, hopefully this is the start of the journey to improved learning for all pupils whom will pass into our school and become ‘Ralphies’.

Have a great weekend and remember the difference between try (6 Nations rugby reference) and triumph is just a little UMPH(sic)!!