Goodbye Spring Term 1!

As we reach the end of another busy and successful term, I want to reflect on the fantastic opportunities our children have enjoyed. From the excitement of a tractor visiting our school to an insightful trip to a Gurdwara, our pupils have broadened their understanding of different cultures and experiences. They have all enjoyed a term packed with exciting learning opportunities and each and every one has grown!

Building confidence is one of our core principles at Bardwell, and I want to give a special thank you to our Collective Worship leads, whose leadership skills have flourished as they have taken on the responsibility of guiding our daily worship sessions and handing out or weekly Cog awards.

I also want to express my deep gratitude to the dedicated teaching staff, who continually go the extra mile. Their commitment to pre-teaching sessions (before school even starts!) and extra SATs clubs ensures that every child has the best chance to achieve their full potential.

Thank you for your continued support and wishing you all a restful and enjoyable half-term. I look forward to seeing everyone back for another exciting term ahead.

Mrs B

'The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart.'

Please note that Class Dojo should not be used to contact your child's class teacher. While teachers may occasionally send messages via Dojo, it is not a two-way communication system. Messages left on Class Dojo will not be seen by teaching staff.

For morning messages, a member of staff is always available on the playground to pass information directly to class teachers. Non-confidential messages can also be shared, on the gate, with our helpful Head Pupils.

For urgent, same-day messages, please call the school office on 01359 250854. This ensures that important information, such as changes to pick-up arrangements or club cancellations, is received and actioned promptly. If necessary, please leave a short voicemail.

While we aim to respond to emails as soon as possible, we cannot guarantee same-day replies. Additionally, please refrain from using teachers' personal email addresses for school communications.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our communication channels clear and effective.

Future Stars Coaching and Development will be running Football Club after school on Thursdays from 27th February. Please sign up on Future Stars' website.

Please note that if you book your child(ren) onto this club, all enquiries need to be addressed to Future Stars who are running the club, not to the school. Their Ts & Cs apply to all bookings.

Save your old books! Our Eco Champions and School Council will be running our 're love a book' event again this year. Please dig out your good quality books and start bringing these into school after half term. Here's hoping there will be scones again!

The dates below have been set for the full academic year but are subject to change. Please keep an eye on this newsletter, the online calendar on the website and your email for any date/time changes and for additional events.

Spring Term 2025

15th-23rd February - half term holiday.

Thursday 20th February - Messy Church, 2.30pm-4pm.

3rd March, National offer day (secondary), Y6.

6th March - World Book Day.

16th April, National offer day (primary), pre-school children.

5th-21st April - Easter Holiday.

Summer Term 2025

Swimming lessons Y2-Y6, Thursdays

22nd April, PD Day 5 of 5. School closed for pupils, staff in.

23rd April, children return to school

Monday 5th May - Bank Holiday

Tuesday 13th May - School Photographer Belinda Grant - class, whole school and Y6 leavers'. Smart school uniform please to include logo'd sweatshirt.

24th May - 1st June - half term holiday.

9th/10th July - Thurston Community College intake (transition) days and evening parent meeting

Autumn Term 2025

Friday 3rd October - School Photographer Belinda Grant - individual and sibling portraits

Term dates - for the remainder of this year and next year.

I'm pleased to inform you that we have registered as a provider with Childcare Choices. This means that if you are eligible for Tax Free Childcare (TFC) you can use this to pay for wraparound clubs (Breakfast and After School Clubs).

If you would like to know more, please read the guidance on the Childcare Choices TFC webpage. Then, please speak to me if you would like to take up this option so that I can adjust your child(ren)'s Arbor settings accordingly.

Sarah Allman

Office Manager

The latest issue of the Knowlsey Online Safety Newsletter is here.

Important and useful information in this issue includes Squid Game and SnapChat, as well as a link to an article, 'Should Children Have Mobile Phones?'. Please take a look and keep your child safe online.

You may have noticed that our front playground is in need of some TLC, particularly our much-loved and well used Timber Trail.

Each year, we have a statutory play/PE equipment inspection carried out by an external contractor. This was done in November and, as is fairly usual, some repairs were identified. Because we are an academy we have to show 'best value' when spending public funding, so Mrs Allman has been liaising with several play equipment contractors to provide competitive quotes for the work. I'm pleased to say that we have now instructed the best value contractor and they will be on site on 20th March to carry out the repairs needed. On that day, there will be a vehicle in the front playground from 8am and the contractors' working area will be behind barriers.

The shelter in the front playground has also become a bit wobbly over the years (!) and will be repaired over half term.

We actively discourage children bringing mobiles to school, however we recognise that for those children who have permission to walk home unaccompanied from school, a mobile phone gives you peace of mind.

We are therefore happy to store a child's mobile phone in the office on the days they need to bring it into school. We will lock the phone in the safe when we can, but please be aware that this is not always possible. Your child's phone could therefore be stored in the office which is unlocked and occasionally unstaffed through the standard school day. We do not take any responsibility for loss or damage to phones that are at school.

Please let your child know that their phone needs to be switched off before entering the school premises (from the gate) and must not be switched back on until they have exited the gate. Mobile phones must not be used on the school premises.

We encourage you to look at this NSPCC/Vodafone toolkit and recommend that you discuss phone and online safety with your child as well as setting up the relevant parental controls.

If you would like your child to bring a mobile phone into school, please complete this waiver form.

Thank you,

Mrs Boyd

Wellbeing for school parents – new online resources

Inourplace is an online learning environment developed by psychologists and health practitioners providing accessible learning about emotional health and wellbeing, proven to positively impact mental health, behaviour and relationships.

As part of Suffolk County Council’s sponsorship of inourplace, all of the courses and content is free to local parents and we welcome your support to raise awareness.

Please could we ask school leaders to make parents of pupils at their school aware of the new online resources available on the inourplace website.

On the 24th August 24, the DFE changed how holidays or time away from school are authorised. Headteachers are no longer able to authorise term time absences for family holidays. There are a few exceptions but these will need to be discussed with school before holiday forms are submitted. Please note, that holiday absences are now dealt with directly by the local authority who will issue fines for term time holiday absences. If you would like any more details, don't hesitate to come and talk to Mrs Boyd.

Please find attached the February half term edition of our newsletter.

Please may we ask that our newsletter is circulated with your SEND families.

This edition has health and education updates from SPCF, information on upcoming focus groups and helpful information for SEND families this half term.

For your information, Suffolk Parent Carer Forum will be closed from Monday 17th February and return on Monday 24th February 2025. Please refer to our newsletter for available support services.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Suffolk Parent Carer Forum

Breakfast Club (BC) - daily from Wednesday 4th September. £1 per session.

After School Club (ASC) - Mon to Thurs, from Monday 9th September. £2 per session.

Wraparound Care is free of charge for pupils on income-related Free School Meals.

If you book a place for your child and do not then need it, please let us know in advance otherwise we will still charge you.

Please book your child(ren)'s place(s) via Arbor. You will need to add a credit payment to 'other clubs' first.

Thursday Football Club can only be booked directly with the organiser, Future Stars Coaching and Development.

In the interest of safety, during ASC the outside gate will be locked until just before 4.30 pm. If you would like to collect your child earlier than this, please ring the office before 3 pm. After school club leaders do not answer the phone during the session as this would mean leaving the children unattended. Many thanks for your cooperation.

Please make sure that your Dojo account is working. Class teachers will share weekly information regarding your child's learning as well as reminders about school events, trips and dressing up days. Please talk to your class teacher if you are having difficulties logging on. Please note that we do not pick up messages from parents via Dojo. If you need to get an urgent message to your child's teacher please telephone the office - leave a voicemail if necessary.

Families of children on income related Free School Meals have recently had the SCC/Abbeycroft Leisure/Explore Outdoors programme sent to them. Full details are in the letter, but do please ask if you need any further information.

They say: "These sessions are extremely popular, spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis"

If your child is in receipt of income-related Free School Meals, you have also recently received information about the Discretionary Grant Funded supermarket voucher scheme. If you have any queries about this support, please speak to Mrs Allman

• Walking home unaccompanied form (Y5/6)

If you would like to give permission for your Y5 or Y6 child to leave the school unaccompanied at the end of the day (including after ASC sessions) please download and complete this form, or contact me to ask for a hard copy to be sent home with your child. We recommend reading this advice from the NSPCC before making the decision. They offer guidance on walking home alone, being at home alone (not recommended for under 12s), being cared for by siblings and important facts to discuss with your child.

• Arbor contact details

Please take the time to check that all your details on Arbor are up-to-date. For example: Do we have the emergency contact details for at least two parents/guardians? Is/are your phone number(s) correct, including any work number? Is your doctor's surgery information still correct? You should be able to make changes via the Arbor website or app. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to ask.

• Asthma medication & healthcare plans

Please ensure that you have provided your child's medication (e.g inhaler) to be kept in school - check with the class teacher if necessary. We also need an up-to-date allergy or asthma healthcare plan. it is so important that we have a plan that is 1yr old or less so that we can work with you to keep your child safe in school. Please ensure you speak to your medical practitioner ASAP to obtain an updated plan.

Wow! Another half term coming to an end and a new one fast approaching. As this newsletter goes out, we will have our first Bake sale of 2025! Thank you to Beech Class for providing the cakes and the rest of the school for purchasing them. I’ll be updating how much we have raised in the next newsletter.

If you haven’t already downloaded the easy fundraising app, please see the current offer they have on. It’s easy to do and we will receive £2 just for downloading and selecting Bardwell!

‘Download the easy fundraising app to get £2 for our school, we also get an extra bonus when multiple people get the app and sign up before 28th February’.

See poster for further information

Thank you for all your support,

Bardwell PTA

We are pleased to announce our upcoming free online parent/carer workshops for the Spring term! Please see the flyer attached for dates and booking information for parent/carer workshops on mental health and wellbeing. We have also attached a social-media-friendly image. Please do share these with your staff/teams, on social media and to families who might find these workshops beneficial.

All our upcoming workshops can be booked for free on our Eventbrite page. Information on all our workshops, past and present, as well as workshop recordings, can be found on our website.

Many thanks,

Psychology in Schools Admin Team

Bardwell is an inclusive school where children are treated with equality and their individuality celebrated. Our school’s active uniform plays a key role in promoting pride, self-confidence, and a feeling of belonging. We strongly believe that this contributes to the children's well being, removing the additional pressures of deciding what to wear and the added stress of meeting the expectations of peers. In an ever increasing world of social pressure for young people, our uniform removes the points of difference between students and provides a greater focus on school based activities and learning. Therefore, in the interests of equality;

● Active uniforms should be worn at all times

● Spare clothes should be our active uniform NOT home clothes

● Hairstyles must not attract undue attention

● No make-up

● Piercings and jewellery should be discreet and safe to wear, e.g. single studs in ears.

Your child can wear any one of the six Cog colours (red, royal blue, navy blue, green, yellow, purple) as their polo shirt, OR a white one. These are the only acceptable colours for the polo shirt. Please note that the polo shirts do NOT need to have the Bardwell logo on but the sweatshirts MUST.

Colourful polo shirts are available in the school uniform ranges of all the major supermarkets. Logo'd polo shirts (white) and sweatshirts (all colours) are available only from our uniform supplier, Gooddies.

As always, children are also welcome to wear gingham dresses, in any of the six Cog colours, during any term.

PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING! It is almost impossible for us to reunite you with 'lost' property without a name in it.

Cool Milk have asked us to circulate this information letter to parents/carers.

In short, if your child is under the age of 5 they are receiving funded milk in school under the Nursery Milk Scheme and there is no need for you to take any further action.

If you pay for your child to have milk after their 5th birthday, there will be a price increase - please see the letter.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are excited to offer a free open trial session for female footballers in school years 5 to 10 our Player Development Centre at Bury St Edmunds. This session is open to all girls interested in football, whether they're looking to start or take their game to the next level.

If successful in the trial, players will have the opportunity to join our development programme, where they will:

• Participate in weekly training sessions delivered by our UEFA-qualified coaches, focusing on both education and enjoyment.
• Train alongside highly talented players to improve their skills and tactical knowledge.
• Progress within the club’s development pathway.
• Receive a free Norwich City RDP training kit.
• Have the chance to travel on residential training trips.
• Compete in fixtures against other external development programmes.
• Enjoy opportunities such as attending Norwich City games at Carrow Road or at The Nest.

Please see the details below and book your place for the trial session:

Book your place here: https://forms.gle/w9qMkDcWYb6iDoKp7

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me via email at phil.turner@canaries.co.uk

We look forward to seeing many aspiring footballers at the session with us very soon!

Kind regards,
Phil Turner

Girls Football Development Coordinator

Norwich City Football Club

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils have put together free holiday activities and food for children that are eligible for means tested free school meals over the February Half Term holiday.

In order to book onto these activities, guardians of eligible children will need to book spaces though the BMSDC Eequ page here. The Eequ system will complete the eligibility checks.

We have also attached a tile that can be used on social media or sent out to families. The QR code on this takes parents straight to the general booking page for February Half Term Holiday Activities, where parents can use the map function to find provision near them.

Hi everyone – we have free activities on Weds Feb 19th for children aged 11-18. We will be den building down in the Old Orchard, cook lunch together, have scrap woodwork, crafts and games. Priority booking for young people with an identified need. Flier attached.

Let me know if you would like to reserve a space.

Warm wishes, Jane

Jane Dow

Youth Project Lead

www.stedscathedral.org

We are sharing this information on behalf of the organiser.

Sports Camp 18-21 February 2025

Tuesday 18 Feb: 9.00am-12.00pm Gymnastics or Karate

12.30-3.30pm Dance or Parkour

Wednesday 19 Feb: 9.00am-12.00pm Football or Skateboarding or UV Sports

12.30-3.30pm Football or Indoor Games or Skateboarding & Scooters

Thursday 20 Feb: 9.00am-12.00pm Inflatables & Multisports

12.30-3.30pm Inflatables & Multisports

Friday 21 Feb: 9.00am-12.00pm Nerf and laser Tag

12.30-3.30pm Nerf and laser Tag

Ages: 5 – 13 yrs

Venue: Beyton, Thurston Sixth (IP30 9AA)

£12 per workshop

Please see flyer for full details.

Please find attached details of the various activities which are on offer at Sandringham over the February half term.

Family Forest School

Snowdrop Creative Workshop

Half Term Archery

Sandringham Gardens will also be open on select days in February and March so please take a look at our website for further information.

We have Beavers for children aged 6-8, Cubs for children age 8-10½ and Scout for children aged 10½ -14. We are run by a small team of dedicated volunteers and are always happy to welcome new adult volunteers to our team, either to help run the Sections or to helo manage the Group. Our usual meeting days are on a Monday 6.30-8 (Cubs), Tuesday 6.15-7.30 (Beavers) and Wednesday 7-9 (Scouts).

Last term our Scouts camped, hiked, learnt to use axes, knives and saws safely, tried tomahawk throwing and took part in a District dodgeball competition. Cubs camped, learned how to read a map, hiked, had a singing lesson, took part in Parliament Week, made Christmas cakes and had a Christmas craft evening. Beavers learned how to ride their bikes safely, tried their hand at air rifle shooting, learned to tie knots, went to Colchester Zoo, decorated Christmas biscuits, made Christmas decorations and went to the Pantomime,. The whole Group attended the Bury St Edmunds Remembrance Day Parade and the RAF Honington Christingle and Carol Service.

This term our various Programmes include Ten Pin Bowling, Highland Games, Pancakes, Airfix modelling, Laser Quest, hiking, knots, fire safety and Camps.

If you are interested in your child joining one of our Sections or you would like to volunteer, please contact Judy Brooks e-mail judy.brooks2010@btinternet,com, phone number 07805 777162 or Martin Brooks e-mail gsl1sthoningtonraf@gmail.com, phone number 07531 560701.

February half term - Multi Sports Courses

Dear Parent / Guardian

We are really excited to be running holiday courses this February half term and wanted to inform you about the courses available locally.

As the UK’s number one provider of primary school sport and physical activities, we know how important staying active is to the health, well-being, and development of your children. Our Holiday Camps are designed to keep your children active throughout the school holidays, introduce them to new and exciting activities, and create a fun-filled experience with seasonal themes that will stick with them for years to come.

Take a look at our Holiday camp video to get a feel of what to expect:- https://youtu.be/NPYCiabAtlM?si=4FpakED_4PkWSuNm

Barrow Primary

Age range: 5-11 yrs

Camp type: Multi Activity

Time: 9am-3:30pm

Price: £24.99 per day

Dates: Mon 17th February - Fri 21st February

Booking link:

https://www.premier-education.com/parents/venue/courses/5867-920998/

We have been asked to share this information:

My name is Harry Reidy, and I am the Club Development Manager at Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club. As part of our mission to promote hockey and provide more opportunities for young people to engage with the sport in our local area, we are reaching out to schools to collaborate on some exciting initiatives.

We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing our "New to Hockey" flyer with parents via your upcoming Christmas round-up emails. This flyer is included as an attachment and introduces a fun and inclusive opportunity for children to try hockey for the first time.

Club Development Manager
Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club
bseclubdevelopmentmanager@outlook.com

Half term is nearly here and we have plenty of activities at our Abbeycroft centres to keep your children entertained! We have pool parties, dance workshops, magic shows & bouncy castles! Plus our pools are open with plenty of fun sessions*

To secure your spot or to browse more visit

www.abbeycroft.org.uk/kids-activities

We can't wait to see you over the holidays!

*Please note that our Kingfisher pool is still closed

We'd like to remind you that stopping on the zigzags is not allowed between the hours of 8am and 4.30pm.

The Dun Cow pub on Up Street has a new landlord and landlady! Polly and Kevin warmly invite you to use their car park at drop off and pick up times - marked green below. The walk from there to school is under 5 minutes.

You may also park near the Church porch from where there is a footpath that comes out to School Lane next to the Windmill.

Please ensure that if you park along School Lane you do not block any driveways and avoid the residents' parking spaces at 25-43 School Lane (marked red below, parking in the green spaces is fine).

We have been asked by the trustees of the Bardwell Charities fund to encourage our local families to apply for financial support. They've said,

"There is money available whether for trips, music lessons, uniform or other need.
Please DO encourage parents/carers to apply."

You might, for example, wish to request some help with the Y5/Y6 residential, or with transport costs for HAF holiday programme activities. All you need to do is write a short email explaining:

• that you are resident in Bardwell
• what the need is and why it is important for your family/child.

Please note that, contrary to previous information, we have recently been informed by Bardwell Charities that this information only applies to Bardwell residents.

Send your email to bardwellcharities@btinternet.com

If you would like any help with your request, please ask Mrs Allman who is happy to help and will keep all information you share with her confidential.

To find out more, please visit our webpage at:

http://bardwellcharities.onesuffolk.net/

• Sunday 16th Morning Worship, 10am
• Thursday 20th February - Messy Church 2.30-4.00pm, all ages welcome.
• Sunday 23rd - no service in Bardwell, (Team services: 9.30am Ixworth Church Holy Communion, 3pm Troston Church 'Tea@3', 6pm Ixworth Thorpe, BCP Evening Prayer)
• Tuesday 4th March - Shrove Tuesday Coffee & Pancakes, 10.30am - midday. A raffle, bring & buy and a warm welcome.
• Friday 7th March - World Day of Prayer Service, 10am (venue TBC).

Please see the church website for more information.

Bardwell Church is open every day from 9am to dusk.

You may wish to consider setting Kiddle as your default browser on your home devices. They say:

Kiddle is a kid safe visual search engine. Kiddle returns results for each query in the order shown:

1. Safe sites and pages written specifically for kids. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 1-3.

2. Safe, trusted sites that are not written specifically for kids, but have content written in a simple way, easy for kids to understand. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 4-7.

3. Safe, famous sites that are written for adults, providing expert content, but are harder for kids to understand. Filtered by Google safe search.

Typically, results 8 onwards.

Since Kiddle results are either handpicked and checked by our editors or filtered by Google safe search, you know you get kid-oriented results without any explicit content. In case some bad words are present in a search query, our guard robot will block the search.

We are very keen to have children attending school if they are well enough. Please have a look at this NHS advice if you are unsure.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

If your child is ill, you must phone into the school before 9am, giving a reason for the absence ('unwell' is not sufficient), leave a voicemail if you need to. Please do not email in for absence.

We recommend that you are familiar with the Tilian Attendance Policy.

Suffolk County Council has asked us to share with families their updated 'Cost Of Living Support' information.

Your child may be eligible for free school meals throughout primary school. This could save you approximately £480 per year.

​

To check or apply online, visit: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-and-trips/apply-for-free-school-meals/

​

Check if you're eligible

Your child will get free school meals if you receive any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit but no element of Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenues & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• If you are supported under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work fewer hours per week
• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (£616.67 per month), as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).

We encourage you to apply, because the school receives additional funding (Pupil Premium) for all children on income-related Free School Meals.

​

Email: bardwell@tilian.org.uk
Website: https://www.bardwell.org.uk/
Location: School Lane, Bardwell, Bury Saint Edmunds IP31 1AD, UK
Phone: 01359 250854
Twitter: @BardwellPrimary