Have a lovely holiday and we will see you on Thursday 5th January 2023

From all the staff at Mead 

School Opening Arrangements

 

Dear Parents and Carers,


School Opening Arrangements


Thank you for your support over the recent days. The decision to close the school is one that is never taken lightly and there are many factors that have to be considered. As you will appreciate due to the size of the school and the complexity of having two separate buildings it has been important that we consider how to get the children in and around school safely. The safety of the children is always paramount and therefore we have made the following arrangements:

Access to School

Pathways have been cleared to allow safe passage through the school premises. Please stick to the pathways as there is a risk of slipping.

School will be open from8:30am to 9am as normal to allow for staggered entry. Please try not to arrive before this time.

Children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and ARP pupils will enter school using the nursery gate entrance where the pathways are clear.

Children in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 will enter school using the KS2 playground and follow the pathways to each door.

Access to the school office is through the KS2 playground and not through the carpark. Please use this entrance for Christmas Performances.

Further information and instructions for pick up will be shared with parents during the day if they are different to usual.

Christmas Performances

Christmas Performances have been rearranged and the dates and times are below. Performances will now be limited to 1 per year group so that all children have the opportunity to perform.

Wednesday 14th December
Nursery @ 9:15am KS1 Hall 

Year 5 and 6 @2:15pm KS2 Hall

Friday 16th December

Year 2 @9:15am KS2 Hall 

Year 1 @2:15pm KS1 Hall

Monday 19th December
Reception (Barbados and St Lucia) @9:15am KS1 Hall

Tuesday 20th December
Reception (Antigua and Jamaica) @9:15am KS1 Hall

Break and Lunchtime

Whilst the playground looks very pretty the danger lies below the snow where there is thick ice, therefore the children will not be able to play out at break and lunchtime and will remain in school building throughout the day. KS1 children will need to walk through the playground to access the Dining Hall at lunchtime and a pathway has been cleared to allow this.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast club will be open as usual. There is a single pathway to get to the Dining Hall from the KS2 entrance. Please do not walk on untreated areas as there is a danger of slipping.

Before and After School Clubs

All clubs have been cancelled and will resume in the new year.

School Car Park

Parents and Carers who use the car park or whose children arrive on the School bus will be contacted and advised on what measures have been put in place.

Pantomime

KS1 Pantomime has been rearranged for Thursday 15th December for all pupils.

The local pavements remain very slippery. Please take care on the roads and surrounding areas. If you are driving please be patient with parking and moving around Amersham Road.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Once again, we thank you all for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Ms A Holmes Headteacher

Weekly Newsletter - 09/12/22

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week Year 3 and 4 started off the Christmas season with their show- Babushka. The children did a wonderful job in performing and told a beautiful story of kindness and love.

Performance Information

We ask that all parents and carers enter through the junior playground and green gate for Year 2, 5 and 6 performances and outside of the nursery entrance for Nursery, Reception and Year 1 performances. Once all of the children are in place parents and carers will be invited to take a seat in the hall.


Where afternoon performances start at 2:15pm (not year 2), you will be able to collect your child from the playground afterwards. The teachers will release the children in the usual way. You will not be able to collect siblings early as we do not have the staffing capacity to support this.

We look forward to seeing more of you next week!

Morning Clubs

Morning sports clubs start at 7:45am. Please make sure that your child is accompanied by an adult until this time. Access to the school office should be through the playground and the green gate that leads to the office. Children should not be walking through the carpark.


Christmas Dinner Day

Christmas Dinner Day is Friday 16th December so there will be a change to the menu next week. The children will have Friday’s option on Thursday. Children and staff are also invited to wear their Christmas jumpers. This is not a non-uniform day and all children should wear their school uniform.


School uniformPlease ensure that your child wears the correct school uniform to school every day. All children should wear: A bottle green sweatshirt or cardigan, collared white t-shirt, and black trousers or tailored skirt. Leggings are not part of the uniform policy and should not be worn to school. Children may wear flat ankle boots (no heels). We have also requested that school fleeces be made available with the uniform provider and we will inform you when they are available. If you need support with uniform costs please speak to the office as you may be eligible for uniform vouchers if you have not already received these this school year. PE Kits: plain black/grey jogging bottoms or black/green shorts and white t-shirt with appropriate footwear.


Key Information and dates

School Ping

Squid login

Havering Catering Lunch Menu - Week 1


Monday 12th December  Barbados and St Lucia class Christmas Production 2pm

Monday 12th December    Year 1 Production 9:15am

Tuesday 13th December    KS1 School Pantomime

Tuesday 13th December   Antigua and Jamaica class Christmas Production 2pm

Tuesday 13th December   Year 5 & 6 Christmas Production 9:15am

Wednesday 14th December   Year 5 & 6 Christmas Production 2:15pm
  
Wednesday 14th December   Year 2 Production 1:15pm

Thursday 15th December    KS2 School Pantomime

Friday 16th December    Year 2 Production 9:15am

Friday 16th December   Year 1 Production 2:00pm

Monday 19th December   Christmas Parties

Tuesday 20th December    Last day of term. School ends at normal time

Thursday 5th January    Back to School

Wednesday 18th January    Maths Parent Partnership Meeting- 9am

Monday 20th February     INSET Day

Wednesday 19th April      Reading Parent Partnership Meeting- 9am

Monday 5th June      INSET Day

Yours sincerely,

Ms A Holmes

Head of School

Celebration Assembly

 

Important - Apply now for FSM vouchers which will be available from 20/04/2020

Sign up now and claim your free school meal vouchers from the 20th April 2020

The government has set up a Free School Meal voucher scheme for our families with children who are eligible to receive free school meals to claim weekly supermarket vouchers during the Coronavirus crisis. Families will receive £15 per child per week.

The voucher will be issued by email as an eCode which can be redeemed at six different supermarkets including Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys.

What you can spend the vouchers on:
You can only use the vouchers on groceries. You must spend the full voucher value at once.
You can’t:
· use the vouchers on fuel or other household expenses
· use the vouchers on tobacco or lottery tickets
· exchange the vouchers for cash


To claim your vouchers you must complete the form below as soon as possible , IN FULL so that the school can confirm eligibility and arrange for the ecode to be emailed to you.​

https://forms.gle/1tk2YKxsHX566i6k8​
Vouchers can take up to 72 hours to process once applied for.


If you weren’t eligible for FSM before the schools closed but you think you might be now, use the link below to check the criteria and apply:
https://www.havering.gov.uk/info/20006/schools_and_education/431/school_support

STEM in our Community

In preparation for British Science Week 2020 and Careers week, we would like to find out if any of our parents and extended families at Mead have a job that might link to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. If you think this may apply to you, please would you kindly fill out the form below with information that we can share with pupils in the school. It would be fantastic to be able to raise our Science capital within the school and be able to inspire pupils towards taking up a STEM career in the future.

Click here to answer our short questionnaire.

Thank you for your time and support!

Year Three Pilot Visit

Last week, the year threes were treated to a talk by pilot Emma Gauntlett from EasyJet. The pilot showed the class the exciting experiences and challenges that come with working as a pilot for a commercial airline, as well as the thrills of flying military grade aircraft!

Ms Gauntlett was very impressed by our children's knowledge of forces, and answered the many questions our children had about working in such a challenging, exciting job. Afterwards, the children were challenged to a paper plane competition. Congratulations to winners Joe, Austeja and Luke, whose planes flew the farthest, and Taylor for helping so many students with their plane design!

INSPIRATIONAL TALK

Our year 5 and year 6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the very inspirational talks given by our visitors Ed and Peter yesterday.

Ed, who is 83 years old, came from a very humble beginning to build up his own multi million pound company which allowed him to pursue his love of aeroplanes. He was able to renovate and fly a spit fire as well as lots of other light aircraft, and took part in lots of aerobatic displays and competitions.
He was very proud when he told us that he has lunched with Prince Phillip and met Princess Diana.

Peter has just retired from his job as an airline pilot. While still at school he worked on Romford Market to save enough money to have flying lessons and when he told one of his teachers his dream was to become a pilot she suggested it was impossible. However he worked hard, was able to achieve his dream and returned to the school some time later to advise his teacher he had fulfilled his dream!
The children sat absolutely enthralled throughout the session and asked some very interesting questions.

The moral was very much-anything is achievable with the right mindset and lots of hard work- I wonder if any of our children have such wonderful aspirations?

At the end we were presented with a model 737 plane and a signed photo of Ed's spitfire which will be displayed in school for all to see and I have had a lovely e-mail from Ed and Peter praising the children for their exemplary behaviour and their very sensible questions.Well done everyone.

Havering 6th Form College

Our vision is that no child's future should be determined by their background. We believe it is vital that pupils see a purpose in their education and have a clear understanding of how success at school will help to unlock doors for them in the future.

A significant part of this is introducing the pupils to Higher Education experiences as soon as possible, so that they can be excited by what lies ahead.

In partnership with Havering 6th Form College we were delighted to have the chance for some of our Y5 & Y6 pupils to visit the college and try some of the courses that they have on offer. Pupils had the opportunity to try photography, pottery, archaeology, graphic design and a range of other activities.

This has been such an exciting day. The pupils were so engaged and really rose to the challenge posed by the college's teachers. To hear the language that Lorraine used to describe how she felt about the artwork was incredible. The teacher said that it was at a GCSE level!
Mrs Keene - Mead

By making a clear link between career paths and education opportunities we hope that our pupils will stay the course and go onto get the qualifications we know they are capable of. At the end of the visit the pupils seemed to be inspired!

83% said that would now consider staying in education longer if they could get the career they wanted
100% said that they wouldn't be daunted by attending a college environment
95% said that would wish to study one of the activities in more detail

Thank you to Havering 6th Form college for a great day!

Jeremy Strong Author Visit

As part of the ongoing development of our 'Culture of Reading' we were delighted to welcome children's author Jeremy Strong to Mead this term. This was a fantastic chance for our pupils to find out:

• how characters come to life and where an author gets their ideas from
• what process is behind getting a book published
• what made Jeremy decide to choose to be an author
• some top tips to improve their writing

Once the workshops were finished our Spinebreakers had the chance to interview Jeremy about his life.

I loved meeting Jeremy. His stories are so funny. I thought you had to be special to be an author, but he seemed very normal... I think I could have a go if I practice like him.

Jessica - Year 4

Our two Reading Champions - Miss Horsham & Miss Howe - completed a survey after the first. The outcomes were very positive:

• 85% of pupils said they would now want to read a Jeremy Strong book
• 100% of pupils said that the workshops had made them more likely to borrow a book
• 38% said that they had never met an author before

How old are you?

1949 – that’s when I was born. Yes, I know that makes it last century and it means I am incredibly old and ancient. Believe it or not I still have my own teeth, not falsies. And some of my original hair too. I’ve also got all my own legs and arms and things so, hey, Life’s not too bad, is it?

What do you remember most about your childhood?

Accidents! When I was three I fell out of a first floor bedroom window and landed on my head. Yes, of course it hurt! I had a ginormous headache, a broken right arm and I spent a week in hospital. I think I was a bit accident-prone as a child. I broke various bones and had stitches here, there and just about everywhere. This was because I spent most of my time out in the fields near our house playing. The ‘stitches score’ went something like this:

Riding a bike at a thousand miles an hour – five stitches.

Falling out of tall trees – four stitches.

Playing kiss-chase – three stitches.

Can you remember which bits you liked most about school?

At primary school I enjoyed playtime, lunchtime, and half past three. I hatedCountry Dancing, which meant prancing up and down holding hands with girls. Aaaargh! (I don’t suppose the girls liked it either.) After that I went to a grammar school and that wasn’t nearly such fun.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I have always loved making things up and writing stories. I spent most of my teenage years writing poems for my girlfriend, until she gave in and married me. 

Have you always been a writer?

I did get my first book published in 1978, (Smith’s Tail). But for several years while I wrote stories I also taught in primary schools in Kent. I loved doing that, well, most of the time anyhow! I was teaching during term time and writing stories and getting them published during the holidays. Nowadays I quite often meet children I used to teach, except that they are now grown up and parents themselves and they are bringing their children to get their book signed! 

Mead University - Marionettes

Pupils from Y2-Y6 have been honing their design skills during their Mead University sessions. First they had to respond to a design brief that told them to design a marionette toy that would relate to a book. Once the children had chosen their focus title, there were a number of points to consider:

• which character would they bring to life?
• what age range were they aiming for?
• how would the different parts of the marionette move?
• what design features would they include?

Over the last seven weeks the children have worked hard to bring their designs close to completion.

Resilience

It has taken a long time to get it finished. Designing it was hard as we had to think about a lot of ideas... but we couldn't use them all. 

Abdullah - Year 5

What is Mead University

Mead University is a 10 week programme that runs in the Spring term. The idea is to:

• expose pupils to subjects and activities they would not normally experience
• give them the chance to broaden their vocabulary with subject specific terms (meta language)
• develop an idea to a greater depth - as there are 10 hours given to each course
• allow pupils to work on a subject/course of their choosing
• give pupils the chance to work with children beyond their Year Group
• encourage pupils, at the earliest possible point,  to consider further education as a possible root to a future career

Marionettes has been a huge success:

• 100% (87% of pupils strongly) agree that they have enjoyed the course
• 73% agree that they would now consider a career as a designer

Nat West Careers Talk

We were delighted to welcome two representative from NatWest & RBS who donated a day of their time to give money and careers advice to our KS2 pupils.

When surveyed prior to the event 86% of boys stated that they wished to be a professional footballer then they grew up. When asked why 90% stated that the salary was a significant factor in their choice.

One of the key components of the talk was for pupils to investigate different careers and some key facts about them:

• qualifications required
• average starting salary
• salary after 5 years
• typical hours worked 

Pupils were surprised to find that the average footballer's wage in Britain is only marginally over £27,000. Pupils then had to complete a salary exercise where they calculated their monthly wage and then had to make choices about mortgages, bills, meals, clothes and mobile phones.

I couldn't believe it. I had no money left. Once I worked out the car, phone and house that I want I realised my salary wasn't enough. 

Ryan - Year 5

Pupils were also shocked to find out how much interest can be charged on simple items. 

Some lenders were charging over 200% interest! That made what I wanted to buy so expensive. I was paying more interest than the iPad actually cost.

Danielle - Year 3

Following the workshop with our KS2 classes the pupils were surveyed again to measure the impact:

• Footballer now came bottom of the list of desired careers after: company director, lawyer, architect, doctor, teacher and pilot.
• 92% of pupils strongly agreed that they would avoid borrowing money to pay for everyday items
• 73% strongly agreed that they were now more likely to consider further education to ensure they had the right qualifications

Resilience

I didn't realise how long it could take to get qualified for some of the best jobs. I'd like to be a lawyer, but you have to get GCSEs, A Levels, go to University and then law school. That would mean I'd be at least 23 before I was qualified. That means I'll really have to persevere with school.

Stefan - Year 6

Click here for the NatWest Money Sense website

Shout out from the Mayor of London

On Thursday some Mead and Broadford children were invited to City Hall to find out how the Mayor runs London. After a security check they were shown a large aerial map of London taken from the International Space Station. Their task was to locate football grounds, airports, their school and their house. It was very interesting and most of the children were successful. The children were then taken to a room to learn about the responsibilities of the Mayor and given a brief history of London. During the morning the children also found out that the iconic shape of City Hall is an energy saving feature and they were given some amazing facts about London.

Can you answer these questions?

• How much money is the Mayor of London given to spend on Londoners every year? 
• What is the population of London? 
• What is the majority of the Mayor's budget spent on? 

(Answers below)

 

Suddenly a call came through and we were invited into the assembly room to sit in on a meeting of the London Assembly who were discussing the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, was there to answer questions with his transport advisers. One of the items discussed was the accessibility of trains and buses to everyone. Then to our surprise the Chair of the assembly, Jeanette Arnold, stopped the meeting and introduced us to the assembly members. We got a wave and a round of applause. 'We got a shout out in City Hall!' exclaimed some of the excited children after we had left the chambers.

The children all agreed that London was an amazing city, 'It is a special city because it looks lovely at night' said Tamara. Raul pointed out that it had lots of tourist attractions. Abdullah was able to answer many of the questions regarding the political parties and announced that he wanted to be a politician and Jessica is aiming to be Prime Minister. The visit to City Hall has inspired many of the children to take an interest in local government and Raul announced 'I'm into politics now!'

Answers: £17bn, 9 million, transport

Careers Programme: Bloomberg Visit

Pupils from both Broadford & Mead Primary were invited by Bloomberg to experience a careers day at their City Gate London office. The careers curriculum across the Learning Federation is a key way of inspiring pupils to realise where their learning has the power to take them... from Harold Hill to a City Board Room!

First the pupils got the chance to impress the Bloomberg team with their knowledge of what the company does:

I had found out that it is a digital information company. Bloomberg allows people all over the world to get facts and figures about the stock market so that they can buy and sell shares at the right prices. If you have the right information at the right time you are more likely to be successful.
Jacob Owsley - aged 10 - Broadford

The pupils from the two schools had been looking at significant leaders from the business world and were impressed by Michael Bloomberg.

Michael Bloomberg gave up his company for 3 years so that he could be the Mayor of New York. Not many people would do that! He was so good at the job they kept re electing him.
Amelia Tattum - aged 10 - Mead Primary

Next the pupils had to prove they had the communication and presentation skills to survive in a $50 billion company, by pitching an idea to sell a product. Working in teams they had to figure our the unique selling point of each item and convince the Bloomberg judges to buy it in under a minute.

We were blown away by the quality of their team work and the presentation. Many adults could be nervous about pitching an idea in front of a large group, but each team did it with confidence and style. If they can keep on developing these collaboration skills we would love to see them again for an apprenticeship.
Caroline Rowley - Bloomberg Philanthropy

Finally the trainee Bloomberg employees got to tour the impressive offices and meet teams from each department, which meant they now have an even better understanding of the scope of Bloomberg's operations.

Days like this really inspire our pupils to achieve the very best for themselves. To hear first hand how vital it is that they are able to work in a team, communicate effectively and speak confidently means that they see the purpose in all we do at school. Bloomberg put on an fantastic day and we can't wait to visit again next year!

Malcolm Drakes - Executive Headteacher.

Bloomberg Careers Day

Pupils from both Broadford & Mead Primary were invited by Bloomberg to experience a careers day at their City Gate London office. The careers curriculum across the Learning Federation is a key way of inspiring pupils to realise where their learning has the power to take them... from Harold Hill to a City Board Room!

First the pupils got the chance to impress the Bloomberg team with their knowledge of what the company does:

I had found out that it is a digital information company. Bloomberg allows people all over the world to get facts and figures about the stock market so that they can buy and sell shares at the right prices. If you have the right information at the right time you are more likely to be successful.
Jacob Owsley - aged 10 - Broadford

The pupils from the two schools had been looking at significant leaders from the business world and were impressed by Michael Bloomberg.

Michael Bloomberg gave up his company for 3 years so that he could be the Mayor of New York. Not many people would do that! He was so good at the job they kept re electing him.
Amelia Tattum - aged 10 - Mead Primary

Next the pupils had to prove they had the communication and presentation skills to survive in a $50 billion company, by pitching an idea to sell a product. Working in teams they had to figure our the unique selling point of each item and convince the Bloomberg judges to buy it in under a minute.

We were blown away by the quality of their team work and the presentation. Many adults could be nervous about pitching an idea in front of a large group, but each team did it with confidence and style. If they can keep on developing these collaboration skills we would love to see them again for an apprenticeship.
Caroline Rowley - Bloomberg Philanthropy

Finally the trainee Bloomberg employees got to tour the impressive offices and meet teams from each department, which meant they now have an even better understanding of the scope of Bloomberg's operations.

Days like this really inspire our pupils to achieve the very best for themselves. To hear first hand how vital it is that they are able to work in a team, communicate effectively and speak confidently means that they see the purpose in all we do at school. Bloomberg put on an fantastic day and we can't wait to visit again next year!

Malcolm Drakes - Executive Headteacher.

Year 6 visit to the Royal Courts of Justice

Royal Courts of Justice

Over the course of the last 2 days our year 6 children have travelled up to the Royal Courts of Justice at the Strand. Civil law cases are heard in 90 different court rooms housed in this magnificent old building. There are over 1000 rooms altogether linked by 3.5 kms of corridors. The judges use separate corridors so they don’t bump into anyone appearing before them.

The children had the opportunity to role play characters in a fictitious trial- based on a boy called Nathaniel who had robbed a shopkeeper. Some were jurors, others took the witness stand to respond to questions posed by the ‘barristers’. Callum looked amazing dressed up in the crimson judges robes.

Afterwards the children had the opportunity to pose questions to a real judge.

Phoebe said ‘ I had a fantastic day, it was fun to act out the case and I learnt so much about the justice system’.

Chile trip - Sky Academy Trip

On Wednesday the pupils from Chile class had the privilege of becoming journalists, news broadcasters, editors and graphic designers when they visited the Sky Studios. They attended a workshop when they had the opportunity to write and produce their own news reports, which they then presented to the camera suitably suited and booted. They also met a few stars who inspired them!

Tyler was in the zone and claimed ‘It was the best trip ever’.

What is the Sky Academy?

Sky Academy Skills Studios is a half-day interactive learning experience giving eight to 18-year-olds the chance to use the latest broadcast technology to make a TV report on subjects they’re studying at school. 

What do they do while they are there?

The team at Sky have combined a behind-the-scenes tour with hands-on experience of the purpose-built studios. Here, the students write, produce and direct their own short news bulletin.

The young people are supported by a specialist team and staff volunteers who help them use their creativity, communication, planning and teamwork skills as they explore topics linked to the curriculum, such as cyber-bullying and natural disasters.

Where is the Sky Academy?

We currently have two Skills Studios, one in West London and one in Livingston in Central Scotland. Each has the capacity to host 12,000 young people a year.

Careers Fair

We were delighted to welcome our pupils to the 2016 Mead Careers Fair this year. Organised by Mrs Kwakwa, we had a range of local businesses who had taken the time to come in and talk to the pupils about how to pursue a career in their field.

We  believe that Careers Fairs are an invaluable opportunity for our pupils to meet employers and find out about different jobs and businesses all in one place. The fairs are interactive, allowing our pupils to sample the products made, complete challenges and ask questions of their own.

The fairs are also a valuable opportunity for us to build strong relationships with local employers.

At the fair we were able to give the pupils the chance to meet with: air hostesses from Virgin, estate agents, ASDA management, a local catering firm, a headteacher, a chiropractor, the local GP, and a vet.

I was surprised ti find that almost all of the jobs required you to get extra qualifications. You have to do well at school and then go to college or university. 

Samantha - Year 5
This year's Careers Fairs also linked with the More Able career workshops that we have run in partnership with Broadford that have included visits from PWC & Clifford Chance.

I really like the idea of becoming an estate agent. You have to make sure that you value the house correctly. We learnt that the estate agent has to use measuring skills and be good at communicating with the buyer and seller.

Daniel - Year 4
This fair was a great contribution that allows our pupils to be prepared for the next stage of their education, training and/or employment. We believe that our learners need to develop workplace skills that will contribute to their economic wellbeing. 

Awesome Asda!

A massive THANK YOU goes to Liz Brown from Asda, and other member of their team, who have given the school so much support over the last 2 years.

Asda staff have worked with every year group in school, helping them to create and taste healthy recipes from fruit cups to bread.

They have provided drinks, fruit, medals and pedometers as prizes for Sports Day.

Liz works as a volunteer in Reception and Year 1 every week to provide learning and reading support.

And to top it all, Liz ran a table at our recent Careers Fair, inspiring the children to work hard and aim high- who knows, some of our children could be managing Asda stores when they grow up!