Dear all,

This is copied from a letter your child will be coming home with today. Please ask your child to give you the letter.

I am struggling to contain my excitement at the moment because the outdoor area is really taking shape. Our ‘World of Pure Imagination’ will be finished by the Christmas holidays. I just hope that this weather gets a little warmer for the workmen to see the ground! It is so cold today that the grass is hidden under a blanket of ice and I could barely feel my toes earlier. Please take great care when driving to school.

We are so delighted to be able to share our wonderful news with you all.  The inspectors were such a delight to have in school and we are very pleased that they saw all of the wonderful things we see in school every day. We are very proud of our children and of our school. I am sure you will all agree that this report highlights the effort of staff and our genuine Catholic ethos. Our school has been described as a  ‘unique and special place’.

Yesterday, work began in our exciting EYFS and infant outdoor classroom. I cannot describe how thrilled I am that work is underway. Obviously,  my ‘project manager’ role means that I am highly integral to the whole process-and highly nosey too! Even deliveries of treated soil for our sleeping dinosaur mud pit area must be overseen! Here I am playing a vital role in the soil delivery. The area will be unrecognisable soon. A timber fence will be erected next week and the whole project will completed by Christmas. A rill and rickety bridge are being created, mud pit with natural grass hill dinosaur, bird hide and nature area, imagination door way and land of imagination with wire spool small worlds, reading garden and teepee, sand pit, natural outdoor art studio, bamboo screens and much more. We can’t wait. I will keep you updated with pictures as work progresses.

Click here to have a preview of our festive band…

I don’t often cry when I hear ‘Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer’ or ‘Jingle Bells’ but I think you can see why I was getting quite emotional in band rehearsal yesterday afternoon. This is a Primary School band with children from Years 1-6 and with mainly younger children. All but three Year 6 children play in the band and what a sound they make. Our infants were rehearsing for their Nativity so they don’t feature in this video. I can’t wait to play alongside the children at the next family mass-10th December-before our Christmas Fair in school. Tell all of your friends and families and come along! If anything will bring Christmas cheer, it is our school band. I can’t describe how proud I am of the children and of the standard they have reached in such a short amount of time. They are all reading music, which is wonderful, and they come together to enjoy a shared talent.

As you know, we had our Section 48 Inspection on Tuesday and I thank you for your support and positive comments. The inspectors were a joy to have in school and they thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our children. They commented on the enthusiasm the children had and said what delights they were. We can let you know the official outcome of the inspection next week.