I cannot believe we are at the end of this academic year. My second year as Headteacher has flown by. I cannot say it has not been a challenging year, but we are all still here and smiling. A huge thank you to all of the Abbeys team- who do an amazing job every day without a fuss because they want the best for your children. I am lucky to have such a supportive team around me.

THANK YOU EVERYONE

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There are always so many great things going on in school all the time. However sometimes it is the little things that really stick in my memory and make me smile.

I am so proud of our Foundation stage children this year. A new team of teachers have worked tirelessly to improve the environment. The children have thrived with the attention to detail of the team, they manage their feelings and are growing into independent learners. Foundation stage really is the happiest place in school.

I am proud of our reading teachers in KS1 who have worked hard to ensure every child can read well by the time they leave KS1. 92% pass rate on the phonics screening check, is well above the national average and reflects the hard work and determination of the team.

I am proud of all of our outcomes across the school. In year 4 we improved our scores from last year on the multiplication check. We had the best outcomes we've ever had in year 6 with 84% in maths- a key area we have been working on.

I am proud of the teachers for organising trips and visits, for going above and beyond to enhance the curriculum for the children. Acknowledging that learning is not all about classroom work, but that it is about experiences and opportunities.

I am proud of the teachers for their relentless drive to raise standards, but most of all I am proud of the pupils. Some of our pupils do not have it easy and yet they turn up every day and do their best despite facing personal challenges. There is not one child in the school who has not done something this year that demonstrates our school values. Every one of them has an admirable quality and every one of them belongs at Abbeys.

As teachers and leaders we still talk about pupils from years ago and the special memories we have of ex-pupils and their achievements.

Having been a teacher for 20 years now, that is a lot of children. I can honestly say we don't forget pupils. We remember all the special things about them.

This year's year 6 will be no different. There are some quiet pupils, some newly arrived pupils, some that have been with us since Foundation. There are some with additional needs and some very cheeky characters. There are some that make us laugh every day and one or two that make us cry! Happy tears of laughter, of course.

All the staff at Abbeys want to thank our year 6 pupils. It might be the end of your time at Abbeys, but it is really the beginning for you! We know you are all ready to take this huge step into secondary school and we wish you all good luck!

Please keep in touch.

At the end of the year, I ask the teaching team to select year 6 pupils that they feel deserve a values award.

This is a small trophy that represents one of our 11 school values. These are awarded to pupils that stand out to us for displaying our school ethos.

Congratulations

Zarrar	For always setting high aspirations for himself and working hard to achieve his goals.
Albert	For always being respectful and maturing drastically over the two years.
Charlotte and Matilda	Matilda - For being resilient in challenging situations. Charlotte - For incredible strength and perseverance in overcoming challenges.
Freddie	For displaying kindness, always, even when the situation hasn’t been kind to him.
Theo	For his ability to take initiative and handle responsibilities with maturity.
Emeric	For always being a team player, uplifting and encouraging others to do well.
Faith	For her ability to remain calm and composed in all situations.
Vaishnavi	For upholding values of honesty, reliability and integrity in everything she does.
Hafsa	For her outstanding attitude and perseverance in difficult situations.
Halimah	For exceptional teamwork, a positive attitude and inspiring others around her.
Ioshua	For always taking pride in his learning and outside hobbies, and being proud enough to share these with everyone at school.

Well done to you all, I know it must have been very hard for your teachers to choose from such a wonderful group of children.

Congratulations to our year 5/6 football team- BLUE TEAM- they won the league in school this year. Well done.

A huge well done to Viren for winning PLAYER of the year!

A special SHOUT-OUT to our reading volunteers and PTA, who always give their time to help out in school and at events. Thanks to Claire, Karen and Mel (the PTA) for always going above and beyond. Rebecca for reading in year 3/4 and to Elena for always helping with trips and visits. Well done to Rebecca and Elena for helping at a rather soggy BIG CAMP! Same time next year?

A HUGE thank you and a SHOUT-OUT has to go to our college students Sophia Bishop and Jess Mitchell. You have been amazing this year, and I am thrilled that you have agreed to stay on with us next year. Thank you for everything you have done for the team and the pupils.

A special mention to Miss Oakley and Ms Chamberlain- they are both so creative and spend a lot of extra time in school on displays and more recently on the Carnival. Even though we were robbed [second place] we had a great time and I think our float was by far the best! So thank you for all your hard work and support.

Sadly, Mr Elliot will not be returning to Abbeys. We wish him the very best of luck in the future. We are now recruiting for a new site manager. If you or anybody you know are interested in this position, please contact the office.

Mr Walton, who has been covering for Mr Elliot, has been amazing, but he tells me he is too old to do the job permanently! I was surprised, as I thought he was only 21! Mr Walton will be here for a while in September at least, but we wanted to thank him for his support and positive 'can do' attitude.

In September, we will be joined by Jess O'Flynn in Marham class. Jess is an experienced teacher, and she will be leading Maths in school. We will ease her in gently!

We will also be joined by Mrs Ivan and Mrs Sharp, our new teaching assistants in KS1 and Foundation.

We are lucky to have a lovely staff team at Abbeys and we warmly welcome you.

I asked the teachers to pick out one child from their class who exhibits all of the Abbeys' values, someone who is a role model for our school.

We are lucky to have so many children to choose from!

Congratulations to.......

Orlah in Foundation Stage, Evie, Simonie and Aniyah in Key Stage one, Filip, Willow and Tselmuun in years 3/4 and Zaraar, Naveena and Halimah in years 5/6.

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Kirsteen will still be able to organise your photos and have them delivered to school in September. Don't forget to order them!

School Re-opens

8:30am

03
September

Meet the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team

Foundation Stage Open Day

9:00am – 12:00pm

21
September

Parents/Carers Late Consultation Evening

3:15pm – 7:00pm

22
October

Parents/Carers Consultation Evening

3:15pm – 5:00pm

23
October

Break Up for Half Term at 3.15pm

3:15pm – 3:15pm

25
October

SWIMMING will start in school from the

9th of September.

Remember your child will need a swimming costume or swim shorts, a towel and a swimming hat. These all need to be labelled with your child's name.

Over the holidays, the office team and the rest of the staff, including myself, will be having a well deserved break!

This will mean that emails may not be responded to with the same promptness as term time. If your questions can wait until September, then please hold off and come along to our meet the leadership team session on the 3rd September.

If you have a safeguarding concern, please call the Multi-agency safeguarding hub [MASH] on -01908253169

Child protection meetings will be attended by myself or Mrs Louis-White. Concerns regarding safeguarding will filter through to us if you contact the MASH.

Have a lovely break everyone and we will see you all on