12th November 2021
Wow! Our first weeks back since half term have been busy ones!
With two days of Ofsted, an Open Morning and two days of Parents' Evening, we have been able to talk about our favourite things - our children, their learning and their progress.
This week we have also resumed our Celebration Assemblies by Key Stage. The best gathering of the week, it was another delightful morning listening to all the reasons our children SHINE. A wonderful way to end the busiest of times!
Ofsted's Visit
We started this half term with a Section 8 visit from Ofsted. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to show them the work we have been doing since their last visit. The children, as always, were wonderful, we were so proud of them.
Thank you to everyone for your words of encouragement and support during the two days and for taking the time to provide feedback or talk to the inspector. As soon as we know the report is ready to be published, we will share it with you.
Parents' Evenings
Thank you to everyone for taking part in our virtual Parents' Evenings. We are hoping (and praying!) that this will be our last virtual Parents' Evenings this academic year. We are planning to be face to face in the Spring and will work to deliver this around any pandemic guidance.
We have also had feedback that virtual evenings have made logistics easier for some families. Some have preferred being able to attend with no babysitting requirement , or have enjoyed the possibility of both parents attending, even if one is still at the office. Before we start in September 2022, we will ask you for your thoughts and preferences for Parents' Evenings going forward.
Staff Announcement
Earlier this week we were very sad to announce to Year 6 parents that Mrs Slatter will be leaving us at the end of this term to take up a teaching post at The Croft Preparatory School.
Mrs Slatter joined Alveston in 2016 as the Year 4 Class Teacher. It has been a pleasure to work with her these last 4 years, as Mrs Slatter has made such a positive impact on both our children and our team.
During her time at Alveston, in addition to teaching our children, Mrs Slatter progressed from Class Teacher to Phase Leader (September 2019), mentored our newly qualified teachers and trained as a writing moderator for our Consortium in 2019 / 2020. When we introduced Accelerated Reader, Mrs Slatter led the way to fully implement it within school and also worked hard to re-vamp our library to develop the well resourced and wonderful space it is today. She is certainly leaving a legacy to be proud of.
It is with a heavy heart that we will say 'au revoir' in December, but we wish Mrs Slatter all the very best for her next adventure.
Shoe Box Appeal
Thank you to everyone who has brought in one or more shoe boxes for our appeal. Many of you are finishing your boxes this weekend (me included!), but the final deadline is this Monday morning. We normally donate around 100 boxes but we need another 50 to make it...come on Alveston - we can do it!
