Reaching high for the best for your child

Today, your child attended a school assembly which introduced our whole school focus: ‘Bring a Book to Love Your Library.’  

We have asked children to bring any good quality, used reading books, which they are finished with, to donate to their class libraries.  Each book which is donated will have a celebration sticker inside which identifies the child who donated the book.  This not only encourages their friends to read their old books but also develops a sense of pride that they have helped to improve their class libraries.

In addition to this, we are raising funds to purchase new books which the children will also enjoy. Our first fund raising event is on Friday 30^th September where children can come to school in non-school uniform for the donation of £1. Please send the money into school so it can be given straight to their class teacher.

In March 2016, the Department for Education released the document ‘Education Excellence Everywhere’. This ‘white paper’ gave the directive for all schools to become an ‘Academy’ in the future.

At Fairlands, we are extremely proud of everything we have achieved as a school over the past ten years, including the recognition we had at our last Ofsted inspection where we were judged ‘good’ in all areas. The Governing Body and the leadership team are therefore very keen to build on these successes as we seek to implement change, rather than threatening or dismantling any of the leadership, provision or systems which work so well in our school. We want to act proactively so that we can ‘take control of our own destiny’ as we plan ahead for the future. We are also keen for Fairlands to continue to be well-connected in the local community and to work with other local schools to ensure that our children and staff have the best opportunities available to them.  The Governors are confident that by taking control of this Government agenda we can secure the best outcome for our school.

On 21^st June, the Governing Body voted unanimously to consult with the wider community about the proposal to convert to an academy. As a school we work with many of the local schools in Stevenage and are proposing to enter into a Multi Academy Trust with a school we have had a partnership with for many years: Camps Hill Primary School.

Please click here to download the full consultation document, and our letter to parents & carers. In response to requests from parents, the consultation will now run until Wednesday, 7 September 2016.

Please read the minutes from Parent Forum on 15 July 2016.

We are starting an exciting new initiative this half term!

Find out more below!

Mr Staples set us a challenge in assembly today! He asked us to learn a new skill by Friday, ready to share in class or in Achievement Assembly! It could be learning to juggle; learning how to make an origami animal; learning how to build a house of cards; learning a new song; learning how to make a picture using a new media - ANYTHING!

We talked about how we will need Resilience to succeed - believing in ourselves so that, if at first we don't succeed, we TRY, TRY AGAIN!

We will be blogging about our new skills on Friday so please watch out for them!

 The Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) is an exciting national award that Fairlands is hoping to achieve in the next 12 months. We are really proud of the strong partnership we have with parents at Fairlands and are looking to celebrate the good work going on at the school, as well aim to involve parents more fully in every child's learning experience.

We are hoping to improve communication between school and home and nurture parent/child relationships by highlighting the benefits of adult learning and the positive impact YOU can have on your child's education. At the age of seven, parental influence on children’s learning is six times that of the school, and by the age of eleven it is still a third greater. So, as we all know, working effectively with parents and carers to support children’s learning and development is crucial, right through from reception to Year 6.

The LPPA Programme helps schools to enhance their existing work with parents and carers by, for example:

  -  Encouraging the use of a wide range of communicating strategies, from the traditional newsletter to the use of texting, email and the school’s virtual learning environment.
  -  Giving guidance for simple but creative ways of providing curriculum information and practical advice that will enable parents and carers to support their children’s learning.
  -  Developing joint parent and child enrichment activities, so that parents, carers and their children can enjoy learning together.
  -  Developing effective management strategies to build a sustainable approach to parent partnership across the school.
  -  Providing evidence that meets Ofsted’s requirement for parental engagement. 

This is a challenging award and we need to all work together in partnership to achieve it! Please keep an eye out for any further information about LPPA and make sure you come along to any workshops, meetings or consultations we are offering!