www.corshamprimary.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @CorshamPrimary November 2016

Staffing News

Following the departure of our Strategic Business Manager, Ruth Hopkinson at the end of last term, we are delighted to welcome Caroline Harrison who will be working in this capacity on a

consultancy basis. We hope she is very happy working with the Corsham Primary team.

Polite Reminders …

Please may we remind parents and carers that

the school office does not open until 8.30am in

the mornings and there are no staff available to

assist before then. Children can arrive between

8.40am and 8.50am.

Also (at Pound Pill only) please remember to use

our letterbox for delivery of forms, money,

correspondence etc. This is checked twice

daily and saves queuing to hand in to the office

staff particularly at busy times.

Thank you.

Good Luck to our Year 6 Entrepreneurs .. In the last few days before meeting back in the Boardroom, we hope that you are still enjoying your challenge! Dame Allen is looking forward to hearing all about your creative ideas and how much you have raised for Unicef.

Pupil Premium Funding

Some of you have asked us what Pupil Premium funding is and how it is used at Corsham Primary School. Pupil Premium is additional funding provided by the government for pupils who fall into one or more of the following categories:

Pupils entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) Pupils who were entitled to free school meals but are no longer eligible are classed as

Ever 6 (E6) Looked After Children (LAC) Post LAC Pupils whose parent/carer are working in the military or have done within the last five

years

We are aware that many of our families are entitled to Free School Meals (Pupil Premium Eligibility) but do not inform us. There can be differing reasons for this; you do not know you are entitled, your children already automatically receive free school meals because they are in Key Stage 1, or you do not want your children to receive the meals provided. By not claiming it could mean that the school is missing out on potential funding that could be used to support your child’s education in a number of different ways. If you think that you may now be entitled to claim please contact Mrs Jo Smalley or Ms Ursula Nimock to have a confidential conversation. At Corsham Primary this additional funding is used to provide a Pupil Premium Manager, Mrs Jo Smalley. Her role is to:

Ensure that the needs of the individual Pupil Premium children are met Provide specific support interventions within and outside of the classroom where

appropriate

Report to parents, governors and teaching staff Ensure everyone involved is aware of current information regarding Pupil Premium and

provide training where necessary

Do you want to be a Primary School Teacher? Initial Teaching Training with Pickwick Learning Teaching Schools Alliance

As part of our partnership with the Pickwick Learning Teaching Schools Alliance, we provide School Direct initial teacher

training for primary education in liaison with the University of Gloucestershire.

If you’re already working at or have an existing relationship with a school and want to take the next step to becoming a

qualified teacher (QTS), then you may want to consider this route. Trainees on the salaried programme are recruited and

employed directly by schools and often continue teaching in their school following training.

Trainees on the unsalaried route (PGCE, QTS) are students of the University of Gloucestershire for the duration of the

course. Many of our previous unsalaried School direct trainees have been offered employment in schools with Pickwick

Learning Teaching School Alliance following training.

To discuss applying for a School Direct place with us please contact: Steve Lung (Deputy Head teacher at Sea Mills

Primary, Bristol and PLTSA School Direct Lead) deputy.seamillsp@bristol-schools.uk or Amy Tapscott (NQT / RQT

Lead at Corsham Primary School, Wiltshire and SLE / School Direct Training Manager) atapscott@corsham-

pri.wilts.sch.uk

Please see the Pickwick Learning website to find out more about the eligibility criteria and how to apply.

www.pltsa.co.uk

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Corsham at Christmas Design a Christmas Card

Competition

You can win the chance to switch on the Corsham

Christmas lights.

Design the front of your card on A4 paper, put your name, age, address and/or school on the

back.

Winners will be chosen in three categories:

Age 6 and under Ages 7-10 Ages 11-14

This might be given out as a

homework task by your child’s teacher.

Good Luck!

Pound Pill has achieved the Viridor

School Composting Award for Best

Composting Scheme. We have lovely

Mrs King and her Gardening Club to

thank for all the hard work they do in

the school grounds.

Of course, our pigs and chickens have

helped us produce such wonderful com-

post too!

We have a super trophy to

display in Reception.

At Corsham Primary School we are very fortunate

to have lots of different outdoor play equipment

available to the children throughout the day.

Use of these is supported by staff between

9am and 3pm. Before and after these times

Parents and Carers are requested to take

responsibility for their children using the

equipment.

Thank you

Transcoco is a local community group that aims to develop local solutions to local sustainability issues, helping to address the global challenges of climate change, depleting fossil fuel resources and other environmental challenges, by finding sustainable local solutions. In 2014, Corsham Primary School,

with the help of Transcoco, planted community orchards on both sites. The Orchards are now well established and used by the children for a variety of learning experiences and are also open to members

of the community to enjoy.

Transcoco are now looking for green fingered parents to join the group to help maintain the orchards and meet to discuss the promotion of

their use. If you are interested or for any further information please speak to Mr Essam.

BAD WEATHER

Winter is just around the corner!

The following arrangements will be used in the event of bad weather:

Unexpected Heavy Snowfall—Heating and Toilets working

Mrs Cooke, Mrs Fry and Mrs Parker all live outside Corsham so it may be possible that not all of

us will be able to reach the school. If this happens, messages may be taken at the school by

those teachers who can reach the site.

The school will remain open if sufficient teachers arrive to look after each class.

If it is impossible to supervise a class because no teacher is present, the children in that class

will be sent home.

If that happens:

A) A text will be sent to your mobile.

B) A message of closure will be telephoned to BBC Wiltshire Sound (103.6FM or 1368 KHz)

or Heart Radio.

C) The telephone will be manned in order to answer queries if possible.

D) A notice will be placed on the school gate and noticeboard.

E) A message will be posted on the school website:- www.corshamprimary.co.uk.

No child should be sent to, or left at school until it is certain that the class will open.

Structural Damage to Buildings

The school building is built to the latest specifications, so closure is only likely if structural

damage occurs. The same procedures will be operated if necessary.

Don’t forget that we have a text messaging service which we use in case of emergency so

please let the school office know if you have changed your number.

Playground Craze of the Month—November November’s crazes are joke books, small figures, hula hoops,

toy cars and Top Trumps (Please ensure that toys are clearly labelled with your child’s name.)

Whilst we regularly speak to the children about respecting other people’s property, we are aware that occasionally toys sadly go missing or get broken. With this in mind, please ensure children do not bring in anything of great value (either monetary or

sentimental).

We are delighted to see many children coming to school on their scooters

and bikes. Please remember that children must leave them in the racks

before coming into the school playgrounds (PP) or walk them around to the

racks which are inside the school grounds (BW).

Sports News

Well done to the two Netball teams who have been competing in the Central Venue Hi 5 Netball matches against other primary schools within the Corsham Cluster. They all

played with commitment and energy showing some fast passing and great goal scoring.

Hi 5 Netball is a massively popular start to playing netball as it enables players to experience playing all the positions on the court making them more adaptable players

with a better understanding of the game.

Football

Our first intra sports competition afternoon took off with a flying start when Years 5 and 6 came together to play competitive football at both sites. The afternoon was full of excitement,

showcasing lots of individual skills and great team spirit.

A big thank you to everyone who took part and the Sports Leaders who were brave enough to umpire the matches!

Winning team from Broadwood.

Netball

The Netball Clubs from both sites came together for a friendly match so they could practise the amazing netball skills they have been learning over the last term.

Broadwood always managed to keep ahead of Pound Pill with lovely accurate passing which Pound Pill struggled to intercept at times. Both teams kept working exceptionally hard throughout the games, demonstrating good balanced footwork and tight marking.

Well done to all those who played—looking forward to the rematch!

Netball Club continues at Broadwood on Tuesday's and Pound Pill on Wednesdays.

Just a quick reminder of Year 6 SATs dates for parents/carers:

Key Stage 2 SATs—Week commencing Monday 8 May 2017.

Should any parent/carer require further information about SATs, please do not

hesitate to pop into school to see your child’s teacher.

Reminder … please do remember that if you buy school lunches for your children, they need to be paid for in advance through ParentPay (£2.05

each). We are still finding that some parents need to be telephoned and reminded which takes up valuable admin time. Thank you for your

attention to this matter.

Photos and Videos of Class Assemblies

Every month children perform to their parents and carers at Corsham Primary

during the wonderful Year Group and Lovely Learning assemblies.

This is an opportunity for the children to demonstrate the learning they have

achieved as well as celebrate success using their well developed communication

skills.

We would like to remind you that although we are happy for photos and videos

of these performances to be taken, we trust that these photos will be used for

your private collections.

Many parents and carers prefer not to use images of children on social media

sites such as Facebook and so we ask that you respect these wishes and never

put images of other children on your Facebook sites. This preserves the

privacy of those that wish it.

If these wishes are not respected then we may have to ban the use of cameras

at these performances which is something we would not wish to do.

Thank you for your support with this.

The Chippenham Herald Thursday 29 September 2016

By Jack B

There was a lot of excitement yesterday at Chippenham’s Olympiad as hundreds of children took

time out of their classrooms to go to the Wiltshire Festival of Engineering. Engineers across

England are wanting more children to become interested in the topic.

Throughout the day children learnt many things about an engineer’s work—being taught about

satellites and power tools. The children enjoyed themselves very much learning all sorts about

engineers and what they do.

The purpose of the festival was to inspire their interest in science, technology, engineering and

mathematics, as well as future ways of creating energy to curb the growth of global warming. The

children were fascinated by the inventions and the atmosphere was electric!

By the end of the day, many hundreds of local school children had attended the festival and, judging

by their eager and animated responses, they were inspired by some of the incredible businesses they

saw.

SAFETY MATTERS

The darker evenings and mornings

may mean that some children are

walking or cycling to and from

school in the twilight. It is

important that they wear

something reflective at night or

fluorescent in daylight to ensure

that they are visible when crossing

roads or walking in unlit areas.

When cycling it is a legal

requirement that bicycles have a

white front light and a red rear

light. The reflectors must also be

kept clean.

Harvest Time

We enjoyed lots of Harvest related celebrations recently at Corsham Primary. As usual we asked for donations of produce to be brought to the assemblies and we passed

this on to Corsham Churches Food Bank and Julian House, Bath.

A splendid amount of food was gathered and we are delighted to have been able to so generously support

these two amazing charities.

Dressing Up

The children do enjoy having dressing up clothes to play with during playtimes;

if you have anything you think might be useful for the dressing-up box

we would be most grateful for any donations.

Thank you.

Remembrance Poppies will be sold in

school from 1st November.

FIRE ALARM PROCEDURES

If ever the fire alarm is activated towards the end of the day and we have to evacuate the building, please can we ask parents who are on the playground waiting to collect their children to move to

the following areas:

Pound Pill—make your way to the field via the pathway opposite Year 1.

Broadwood—make your way to the field and stand to the right hand side away from the children.

Thank you

WHAT TO DO IF THINGS GO WRONG?

We hope your child’s time here is happy,

however there may be times when you have

particular worries or concerns.

We always endeavour to deal with any issues

quickly and take appropriate action. Day to day

worries are best raised with the class teachers

who are around in the morning before registration

and at the end of the day. It may be appropriate

to arrange an appointment at a time which is

mutually convenient.

Mrs Cooke, Mrs Fry, Mrs Parker, Mrs Ridout and

Mr Essam are all available by email, through the

school office or by letter.

Our First Aid Team are keen to receive any donations of

spare boys trousers aged 7-8 years that you may have

sorted out over half term. We are desperately short.

Thank you!

Reminder for Parents …

Please remember that you need to provide your child with a P.E. kit for use in school.

Lots of children are borrowing kit from school which is going missing from cloakrooms.

Thank you

We have had a lot of incidents recently of

children’s school uniform going missing. Please

may we ask that parents check the uniform their

children bring home to ensure it is being worn by

the right person?! If you do inadvertently have

someone else’s uniform, please return it to school.

Thank you

Kindles in school for reading …

We are able to accommodate children bringing in their

Kindles for reading at school (as they would be allowed to

bring in their own reading books) but parents need to

complete a form accepting responsibility for any loss/

damage to the device whilst at school. These are

available from your child’s class teacher.

Where “Church” is stated as venue, this is St Bartholomew’s Church in Corsham (next to Corsham Court)

NOTE FOR YOUR DIARIES …

We are well aware that working parents need some notice in order to obtain time off to come along and take part in our

Christmas Concerts. To this end, we have outlined dates below. Further details and tickets will be available nearer the time.

Friday 2 December Foundation Stage Nativity 9.30am at PP Strawberries, 1T and 2A Nativity 9.30am at BW Strawberries, 1T and 2A Nativity 2.00pm at BW

Tuesday 6 December Years 3 and 4 Performance at Church 10.30am (both sites) Years 3 and 4 Performance at Church 1.30pm (both sites)

Wednesday 7 December Years 1 and 2 Nativity 9.30am at PP Years 1 and 2 Nativity 2.00pm at PP

Thursday 8 December Years 5 and 6 Performance at Church 10.30am (both sites) Years 5 and 6 Performance at Church 1.30pm (both sites)

Miss Palmer’s Recommended Reads

Please look out for these books in our class libraries, Corsham Library,

The Corsham Book Shop or online.

KS1

A search-and-find

number book! Enter

an ornately drawn

cityscape and help a

little boy find his

dragon while

counting objects

from hot dogs to

traffic lights! As

the boy travels all over town searching for his dragon

friend, can you spot the glorious beast, as well as an

array of big-city landmarks and icons - buses, taxis,

manhole covers, books, bicycles and more? Is the

dragon taking the bus, or breathing his fiery breath

below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo

or is playing with the dogs in the park. Steve Light's

masterful pen-and-ink illustrations, decorated with

meticulous splashes of colour, elevate this counting

book (numbers 1-20) to new heights - with brilliant

flashes of humour.

KS2 Charlie Fry is football mad. He

sleeps wearing his team’s full kit

and dreams of scoring the winning

goal in an FA Cup final. He plays

football around the clock – at the

park, on the way to school, at

lunchtimes and even in his bedroom

until his mum tells him off. But

Charlie has a problem: he can’t run very far. He has

plenty of skill but his poorly lungs stop him from

sprinting. And as an 11-year-old planning to become the

Golden Boot winner at the next World Cup, that’s a bit

of an issue. Then one day a freak accident presents

Charlie with a unique goal-scoring gift – it means he

can’t miss. But can Charlie convince his local team Hall

Park to give him the chance and use his new found skill

to deadly effect? Or will the nasty bullies from his

school keep him stuck on the sidelines? The Football

Boy Wonder is a football story for children aged 7-13.

It looks at themes such as bullying, friendship, loyalty

and the wonderful world of football.

A Visit From Mrs Allerton

Ex Year 6 parent, Mrs Allerton came to visit Year 6 for the pound challenge and

talked to us about business management. Mrs Allerton talked about how her simple

thought turned very well into actually selling “dream tubes”. She told us about

S.W.O.T. analysis. It stands for S = Strengths, W = Weaknesses,

O = Opportunities and T = Threat. Strengths are what you can be capable of,

weaknesses are what you could improve on, opportunities are like if you have the

chance to go to different events e.g. trade fairs etc., and threats are if someone

had a better business than you. We all thanked Mrs Allerton and congratulated her

on her success with dream tubes. Thanks once again Mrs Allerton from Year 6.

By Ben L and Charlotte D

CORSHAM PRIMARY PTA

CHRISTMAS FAYRE

We are looking for Knitters,

Crafters, Jewellers,

Chutney Makers and local producers

Are you a sewing enthusiast?

Are you an amazing baker?

Do you have a talent that you can sell?

Looking to raise awareness of your company?

Contact: gem-b@live.co.uk to book your table as a stall holder at

Corsham Primary PTA Christmas Fayre, Pound Pill. 25 November 2016 5pm-7pm

Stall hire is £15. Please act fast there is limited availability

Congratulations!

Eva C and Callum M

who will be entered into the Golden Book for completing 9 merit cards.

Congratulations!

Alex M and Megan W

who have received Peacock Awards for completing 6 merit cards.

Congratulations!

Harriet B, Matthew J, Cody F, Will C and Jamie K

who have received Achievement Pens for completing 12 merit cards.

Congratulations!

Alfie G, Matthew D, Jack T, Esme F, Eddie K, Emily C, Damien G-W, Alex S,

TJ P, Charlie K, Georgia B, Chloe V, Darrel P, Jacob O, Louie C and Faye M

who have had their names added to the Roll of Honour for completing 15 merit cards.

Congratulations!

Oscar M, Poppy L, Ben M, Bethan C and Josie C

who has received a golden badge for completing 18 merit cards.

Dominic C has achieved his 25m

distance swimming award.

Amelia T has achieved her

gymnastics Level 7 and Level 8

badges.

Megan B and Emily S have

achieved their gymnastics Level 7

badges.

Sid L has achieved a rugby medal

for playing in the Royal Wootton

Bassett tournament.

Archie D sent the Queen a

birthday card to wish her a happy

90th. He received a special card

from the Queen to say thank you.

Louis C has received his Rainbow

swimming award for both 25m and

50m.

Archie E and Max H played in a

rugby tournament for Corsham

Rugby Club and were awarded

medals.

Max S played in a rugby

tournament for Colerne and

received a medal.

Ella R, Chloe G, Amber G and

Rosie A achieved their gymnastics

Level 8 badges.

Charlie S has received the

Corsham Hockey Club Player of

the Week medal for the Under

10’s team.

Mikey S and William H-B have

received medals from the Royal

Wootton Basset rugby

competition.

Bertie F has achieved his yellow

belt in his martial arts.

Olive A is the winner of the

Queen’s 90th Birthday Painting

Competition.

Harriet B has run 75 miles with

the One Mile Club and received

a certificate and medal.

Scarlett S played in a rugby

tournament for Colerne Rugby

Club and was awarded a medal.

Harrison W played in a rugby

tournament for Corsham and

was awarded a medal.

Nancy K has received a Blue

Peter sports badge.

Noah L has been awarded a

certificate for taking part in an

environment and conservation

course as part of a residential

weekend.

Children’s News

Corsham in Bloom

Congratulations to our gardening clubs run by Mrs Maynard, Mrs Perks and Mrs King. As part of the South West in Bloom competition, Corsham Primary School Broadwood and Pound Pill sites both

received OUTSTANDING “It’s Your Neighbourhood” Awards. This was due to the huge involvement of our children and how we showed a very real example of how horticulture is embedded

into our curriculum in a very creative and real way.

In the local Corsham In Bloom competition, both Pound Pill and Broadwood received gold awards. Broadwood also won the overall award.

Milly L has received a trophy

for her fencing expertise.

Ethan B and Joseph B have

received medals for their

fantastic rugby at Corsham.

Abbie T has received a trophy

for being Gymnast of the

Week.

Jack M has passed his white

belt double red stripe in Tae

Kwon Do.

Neve C has received a award

from Corsham AFC Tigers

team.

Faye A has received a family

fun run medal.

Max E has received a

certificate and badge for

swimming 5 metres.

Bethany E has received a

certificate and badge for

swimming 10 metres.

Joseph B has received 2

medals from his cricket club.

William H-B has received a

medal for playing rugby in

Devizes.

Dates for your Diary

November

Tuesday 1 Term starts 8.40am Year 5 Liddington Parents Meeting 6pm at BW / 7.15pm at PP Thursday 3 Lovely Learning 2W at PP 2.30pm PTA Bedtime Stories at both sites 6-7pm Monday 7 Reception Parent Tours 9.30am—10.45am PP / 11.15am—12.30pm BW Tuesday 8 Reception Parent Tours 9.30am—10.45am PP / 11.15am—12.30pm BW Lovely Learning 2T at PP 2.30pm PTA meeting at Broadwood 7.30pm Thursday 10 Reception Parent Tours 9.30am—10.45am PP / 11.15am—12.30pm BW Lovely Learning 2A at BW 2.30pm Friday 11 Bikeability Sessions Year 6 BW Thursday 17 Parents’ Evening from 3.30pm both sites Reception Parent Tours 9.30am—10.45am PP / 11.15am—12.30pm BW Friday 18 Bikeability Sessions Year 6 BW Wednesday 23 Bikeability Sessions Year 6 at BW and PP Friday 25 PTA Christmas Fayre PP 5-7pm Tuesday 29 Year 4 New Barn parent meetings—6pm at BW / 7.15pm at PP Wednesday 30 Bikeability Sessions Year 6 at BW and PP

December

Friday 2 Foundation Stage Nativity 9.30am PP Strawberries, 1T and 2A Nativity 9.30am BW Strawberries, 1T and 2A Nativity 2.00pm at BW Tuesday 6 Years 3 and 4 Christmas Performance 10.30am at Church Years 3 and 4 Christmas Performance 1.30pm at Church Wednesday 7 Years 1 and 2 Nativity 9.30am at PP Years 1 and 2 Nativity 2.00pm at PP Thursday 8 Years 5 and 6 Christmas Performance 10.30am at Church Years 5 and 6 Christmas Performance 1.30pm at Church Friday 9 Years 1, 2 and 3 Flu Vaccine Thursday 13 Christmas lunch for the children at both sites Friday 16 Christmas Parties End of term (school finishes at 2.30pm)

Where “Church” is stated as venue, this is St Bartholomew’s Church in Corsham (next to Corsham Court)

Gina Cooke Lindsay Fry Kerry Parker

Senior Headteacher Head of School Pound Pill Head of School Broadwood