Dear
Parents and Carers,
2011-12
- Another Amazing Year!
Welcome
to the last newsletter of this school year. A paper copy is being sent home to
all families this week. The children have had a great year of learning and are
making better progress than ever before.
Almost
all of our key stage results this year are well above national averages,
continuing the improvement recognised by Ofsted in May. In Maths, which is an Ofsted area for
development, improvements are especially pleasing.
Here
are some highlights:
Denominational
Inspection Judgement – Outstanding!
Please
find attached to this letter a copy of our report following our recent
inspection. Following our Ofsted judgement of ‘good’ we are incredibly proud
that we have been judged to be an ‘outstanding’ Catholic school. Inspector
Joseph Skivington commented, “Pupils are wholeheartedly involved in the
Catholic life of the school and make a positive contribution to it, not least
by their excellent behaviour, which contributes to their own learning and the
ethos of the school.” Please read the
whole report which is attached to this newsletter.
Ofsted
Inspection – Good in all areas!
Inspector
David Shears was very positive about the school recognising that the school had
made really good improvements and that, “The school’s positive ethos is a key
strength in encouraging pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development. This ensures that pupils have a good understanding of right and
wrong and successfully learn how to relate well to others, regardless of their
background.”
Foundation
Stage Outcomes!
The
children have done brilliantly this year, especially in:
- Language, reading and
writing
- Number and shape and
space
- Creative development
The
children have had a great foundation for learning in Year 1.
End of Key
Stage Results – Key Stage 1 (Level 2b is national expectation)
- Attainment is well above
national levels in in maths, reading and writing, especially at 2b+ where
attainment is well above national in areas.
- Reading continues to be a real strength with 97% attaining Level 2b+, and 40% attaining well above average at Level 3.
End of Key
Stage Test Results – Key Stage 2 (Level 4 is national expectation)
- 93% of children achieved
Level 4 in English overall. This compares to 81% nationally.
- Maths was our Ofsted
area for improvement, yet 93% of children achieved Level 4 in Maths
compared to 84% last year and 80% nationally. This shows really good
improvement in this area already.
- A brilliant 91% of
children achieved Level 4 in both English and Maths, compared to 74%
nationally.
- 56% of children achieved
L5 in reading compared to 42% nationally.
- Twice as many children (40%) achieved Level 5 in writing compared to the 20% nationally.
Attendance
This
has continued to improve over the last 3 years and is now over 96%, which is
now well above the national average.
Also
a big well done to the 66 children who had 100% attendance this year!
A message
from Maureen Tuohy (Foundation Governor)
Dear
All,
Last
night, I was lucky enough to be involved in the preparations for the year 6
production of the ‘Lion King’ followed by an hour of pure entertainment! What a
joy!
Of
course, I wasn’t surprised by the quality of talent displayed by the children
in the cast - and the adult team behind the scenes. I have had many
opportunities this year to see the wealth of talent that is in St Joseph’s
school. I have visited classes and been to topic presentations where children
have impressed us all, not only with the amount of learning going on, but also
with their enthusiasm and confidence when sharing it!
How
wonderful then, that the talent and hard work of our children and staff (not
forgetting the parents, carer’s and guardians) has been acknowledged by the
recent Ofsted and RE inspections. ‘Good’ says Ofsted, ‘Outstanding’ say the RE
inspectors! Well done everyone, says me!
This
summer marks the end of an era for me; it is my last as a parent at St Joseph’s
school. Between the pre-school and primary school, I have been beating a path
to ‘St Joe’s’ for 22 years! During that time I have had three children and lots
of nieces and nephews at the school which has meant 22 nativity plays, carol
services, First Holy Communions, sports days, leaver’s masses and leavers performances;
interspersed with book weeks, cake sales, fetes, fairs, school inspections and
school discos - it has been a busy 22 years!! As a parent I have always been
made to feel welcomed and included in the life of the school and I encourage
all parents, carers and guardians to become involved with the vibrant and busy
school lives of the children here, it is a rewarding experience!
I
hope to remain involved with life in St Joseph’s as a member of the governing
body, so I look forward to sharing exciting learning experiences and meeting
any new challenges the next school year may bring!!
Wishing
you all a relaxing summer break; who knows, the sun may even shine!
Maureen
Tuohy
(Proud
governor and parent)
Some
other school notices for September
School
Uniform
The summer holiday is a good time to
stock up on school uniform, so can I remind parents and carers that it consists
of a white polo shirt, navy blue sweatshirt, cardigan, fleece, grey
trousers/skirts or blue/white gingham dress.
Also, children must wear footwear (black shoes or black trainers) appropriate to the school environment and activity.
Also, children must wear footwear (black shoes or black trainers) appropriate to the school environment and activity.
Autumn Fete
As we had to cancel the summer fair this
year, we have decided to hold an Autumn Fete on Friday, October 12th from 3.30
- 5.30pm. The plans are still at an early stage, but the emphasis will be on
children's games and stalls. It also means that instead of holding Book Fair
week that week, we will open a 'Book Shop' on that Friday only as part of the
fete.
We will however, need a bit of help to
support the children on the stalls and help in the book shop. If you have an
hour to spare on Friday 12th can you please let us know either via the office,
on our Facebook page (search for St Joseph’s school PTFA) or email at stjoesptfa@hotmail.co.uk.
Can I thank the small group of PTFA members for the support they have
given the school this year.
Dates for
diaries
Thursday
19th July
- Leaver’s
Mass at 9.30am in the Church
Monday
3rd September - Start of Term 1
Monday
19th November - INSET Day (school closed)
Goodbyes
Charlotte White, who has worked as a Teaching Assistant in
Reception this year.
Mr Sherwin, who has been a class teacher in St Joseph’s
for the last 7 years.
Colin Pitt, who has been the school caretaker for the last
6 years.
Kay Pitt, who has worked as a school cleaner for an
amazing 27 years!
Ellie Bradley, in Year 3 and of our Year 6’s who are
leaving school tomorrow and starting new schools in September
Thank
You
A
special thank you to Mrs Patton who finishes her role as Special Needs
Coordinator this summer after 16 years. Mrs Patton has done amazing work over
the years, supporting children and families with learning and wellbeing. Mrs
Rollings will be taking over this crucial role in September.
I
would like to thank all children, parents, staff, members of the PTFA and
governors for all your hard work and support. We look forward to making
2012-2013 an even better year of learning and success.
I
look forward to the new school year where we welcome new members of staff,
start our new Extended School Club and plan more exciting activities like our
new Mandarin Club and regular PTFA coffee mornings for parents.
St
Joseph’s is going from strength to strength!
Have
a safe and happy holiday
Matt
Condon
Headteacher
PS - watch out for a feature about the school in the Bristol Evening Post, to be published soon.
