To the Parents Inspection

I hope that by now you have had chance to read our ISI inspection report and thank you for your very complimentary and congratulatory feedback. There is one area I have been asked to clarify and that is whether or not ‘excellent’ is the top grade, as when we had our EYFS inspection in 2013 we were judged as ‘outstanding’ across the board. You will be pleased to know that for the type of inspection we had recently, an integrated inspection, excellent is the equivalent to outstanding. The two different types of inspection, intermediate and integrated, do use different grade descriptors, but both outstanding and excellent are the top grade a school can receive.

The whole system of inspection is due to change at the end of this term and it is likely that in the future we will have two types of inspection; one that measures compliance and one the quality of our provision. They will be carried out independently of each other and each will have a very different focus.

I was away on inspection duty last week and although this is an extremely valuable facet of my job and I have the privilege of inspecting some excellent schools, I am always greatly relieved and happy to return to the fold, as in my opinion there is no place like PGS.

This week has been a shining example of the quality of our pupils’ achievements and of the high standard of teaching and coaching that takes place here. High standards of rugby were evident at House Rugby, two wonderfully energetic and highly entertaining musical performances have graced the DRT, our strings players gave an impressive concert at their wild west strings day event, 3J pupils also performed to a high standard in their very first strings concert, I judged the highest quality Y5 & 6 Spoken English finals in my time here, and all the children have thrown themselves headlong into Book Week.

Inspectors have judged us to be both outstanding and excellent in recent years and I cannot disagree.

Easter Service

You are invited to join us for our Easter Assembly next week at St Thomas’ Cathedral and for refreshments afterwards.

I would like to remind you that we expect the children to wear their school uniforms for the assembly and those participating in games will change later in the day.

Learning Support

Following a very successful presentation to Parents’ Forum recently, Mrs Squire (Head of Learning Support) has produced a very informative and practical handbook for parents. The handbook is available to view on MyPGS and is intended to inform you all of our provision.

We support children in many ways and pride ourselves on being able to identify barriers to learning and then provide pupils with strategies to overcome them. You may have seen coverage in the media recently about the increase in younger pupils being diagnosed with mental health issues and how this can affect a child’s ability to develop academically and personally. To help us understand this more I thought you would be interested to know that we will be running a ‘mental health first aid’ course for our teachers and teaching assistants during our April INSET day. This will help us recognise early signs and be proactive in supporting the children.

Peter Hopkinson (Headmaster)

Hoodwinked! The story of Robin Hood is one that is familiar to most adults; a story of morals, of the haves and have nots and how one man and his band of merry men stood up to those with wealth and power. What you might not know is that there was a lesser known character in the script but who featured strongly in the Year 5 retelling of this famous story, namely Derek! We are still not quite sure who Derek is but he managed to become an obsession of Maid Marion’s and provided lots of laughs for the audience.

The children performed with great energy and enthusiasm, dancing singing and acting their way through a very funny script. There was a seamless change of the main characters half way through and the production was made even more successful by the fact that everyone took part and had their part to play.

The Newsletter of The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School Issue No.179 11th March 2016

The Lion

Rory’s Story of the Week In half term I went to London with my family for a few days. The Great Fire of London is my topic. I climbed the 311 steps of the Monument. I walked around the top. I saw lots of famous buildings. I saw St. Paul's Cathedral. At the bottom I got a certificate. The Monument is next to Pudding Lane where the fire started. We also went to the Museum of London where I saw a fire engine from the Great Fire. I had a great time in London. By Peter H (2G)

Nursery

NewsWe had a

very different day in Nursery

last Thursday; instead of having children we had lots of different animals. Luckily we had a safari guide who kept the animals under control. The children had so much fun dressing up to raise money for the Lions of India and fingers crossed we will be able to visit the Lions at London Zoo.

Portchester CastleOn Friday, Year One were lucky enough to visit Portchester castle. It was a beautiful sunny day and after a drink and a snack we were ready to start the activities.

First we were able to look around the castle. We went into the keep and looked at the models that showed how the castle looked at different periods in history. We were also able to see some artefacts that had been

found in the castle grounds.

Next we climbed the steep, curving stairs to the very top of the keep. We could see for miles, it was amazing! After our lunch we took part in the workshop.

We learnt lots of information about the castle and life long ago. Most of the children were dressed as servants but some children were lucky enough to be the King and Queen and their guards. We looked at the weapons they had used, learnt about their coat of arms and found out what they would eat and drink.

We were amazed to learn that the king only had a bath once a week and everyone else in the castle once a year. We had a wonderful day and learnt a lot.

Book

WeekYear 2 thoroughly

enjoyed listening to

Chris Connaughton tell his version of Rumpelstiltskin and joining in with the acting. They then took on the role of one of the characters and wrote a letter to someone else from the story.

National Ambassadors

On the sunny morning, last Friday, Year 5 clambered onto a coach for their exciting National Gallery trip. In our art lessons, Mrs Tilling had been showing us posters and photos on the computer of very famous paintings, like the Ambassadors by Hans Holbein, and the Sunflowers by Van Gogh.

When we were shown the Ambassadors in the Gallery our tour guide was amazed because we knew where all the details were. Did you know, in the top left hand corner of the Ambassadors there is a statue of Jesus?

After lunch we were allowed to explore the Gallery in our groups. We saw Whistlejacket, a huge picture of a horse rearing up on his hind legs. Unfortunately after that we had to wave goodbye to the Gallery and leave. A massive thank you to Mrs Giles, Mr Webber Mrs Reader, Mrs Martin and especially to Mrs Tilling for organising this trip.

By Emilia T

Burning Brightly

In science, 5J have been learning about Bunsen burners and how they work. The Bunsen burner project has been linked to our English topic about dragons.

We have been burning materials and learning how to light the Bunsen burner. We learnt that oxygen affects the flame of the burner by turning the air hole.

By Elliot H and James C

LonelinessIn a deep dark hole

lay loneliness. As black as sticky tar.

The smell of death wafting in the air. It tastes like stone is dissolving on my

tongue, combined with bitter grit.

I cannot see effectively; everything is a blur. It is as though I am blind.

It sounds like nothing; it is indescribable. And silence is not the only thing in my

mind… It feels like my soul is buried deep

underground. No hope. No joy. A total void.

Where have my emotions gone? By Liberty T

The Robots Have Risen In DT we have been making robots. We had to design them and then actually make them. I

loved decorating

mine with lots of feathers so that it became an owlet. It

was a pleasure to watch it waddling around the room like a robotic owl. It has been really fun making robots this term.

By Isabella C

Reception Book Week

We have had a wonderful book week in Reception! The children have loved meeting the authors and listening to their stories!

We have heard traditional tales with a twist with Chris Connaughton and animal stories with Ruth Symes and even had a trip to the Senior School Library for a story with Lily's Mummy!

FixturesSat 12 Mar 1300: U9A Girls’ Hockey v Twyford (a)

Wed 16 Mar 1330: U11A Farleigh Rugby Tournament (a) 1400: U10A & C Girls’ Hockey v Farleigh (h) 1430: U11A, B & C Netball v Cheam (h) 1445: U10B & D Girls’ Hockey v Farleigh (h)

PGJS Sports Information

All sporting updates and cancellation information will be via the PGJS Sport twitter feed @PGJSSport.

Year 2 Fixture v

Brookham

It was a bus ride full of excitement and smiles as the Year 2 pupils made their way to Hilsea on Friday afternoon to take part in the first Year 2 fixture against Brookham School. With over 60 children taking part in the fixture the astro turf was buzzing in anticipation for the starting whistle to blow, the girls were taking part in several mini hockey matches, whilst the boys were playing tag rugby. In the hockey matches the girls demonstrated great tenacity to close down the opposition with some fierce tackling and

utilised their passing and shooting skills to great effect in the final third. In the rugby matches the boys worked tirelessly to keep possession of the ball, chasing down the opposition and working well with one another to find the best pass to set up the scoring chance. Needless to say that the red faces and tired looks confirmed all pupils gave a tremendous amount of effort during the afternoon, and thoroughly deserved the match tea awaiting them in the pavilion.

The smiles on the faces of all involved were a true reflection of the enjoyment of the afternoon, a great deal of fun was had by all and it was a fantastic taster of what is to come in Year 3. Thank you to all the parents who came along to support.

‘Wild West’

String Day 2016

Howdy partners! I’d like to tell you about the great time that we had performing as part of the PGJS Strings Afternoon on Saturday 5

th March 2016. This year’s theme

was the Wild West. There was a great buzz of excitement in the air as all the cowboys, or should I say musicians, gathered to practise at the DRT. There were almost 50 of us with our different instruments dressed in our best outfits: hats, boots, checked shirts, jeans, waistcoats and sheriffs badges (and even the odd horse!).

The DRT was full of parents, friends and family as we took to the stage. All the different groups, from Years 4, 5 and 6 performed brilliantly and I think that the standard was even better than last year. The music had everyone tapping their feet and I even saw some parents singing along. It was great fun having Mr Webber joining the Corelli Orchestra with his unique percussion, playing to make the sounds of a cattle whip and horseshoes being hammered. The grand finale was the Corelli and Vivaldi orchestras coming together to play a medley of Wild West tunes. We sounded magnificent!

All the performers had a quick break, a hearty cowboy tea of hotdogs and squash, then we were ready for the big dance. The band and caller started to play and we all rushed to the dance floor, even some of the parents joined us! We did line dancing, square dancing and joined together in a big circle. The best dance was the first line dance: it was easy to get confused with the steps but the caller kept us together and everyone laughed and carried on.

I think the day was excellent - we all went home happy and ready for the next musical challenge. Yee-hah! By Diarmuid B 5G

Years 5 & 6 Spoken

English Finals

The Years 5/6 Spoken English Finals were held on Tuesday and the Year 5 finalists performed to a very high standard. They had to perform a poem off by heart and then read prose from a Morpurgo book.

The finalists were:

5P - Mackenzie G and Nikhil P

5G - Henry C and Themis O

5J - James C and Ashnah E

5S - Isabelle D and Jesal P

Year 6 had to deliver a presentation of their choice, to an audience of Year 5 and 6 pupils, to educate and entertain.

Isabella G told us about the Red Arrows, Emily G researched the Chinese Artisit Ai Weiwei, Christian S shared his love of the Musical Into the Woods and Monty W found out some interests facts about Lego.

The winner of the Year 5 competition was Mackenzie and the Year Six winner was Emily. Congratulations to all of the children for entering the competition.

HILSEA GAMES

There will be games sessions for Juniors (Y3-Y6) at Hilsea this Saturday from 0900 to 1000. Saturday morning games are voluntary.

There will be hockey for the girls and rugby for Year 3 and 4 boys. Year 5 and 6 boys will have indoor cricket at School.

The Lion Sport