ANOTHER week, another under-performing Thurrock primary school.1. Teaching is not yet consistently good for enough pupils to make good progress across the school. In some Key Stage 1 classes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils and do not build on pupils’ prior learning to challenge them sufficiently well.
CHILDREN and staff at Woodside Academy are jubilant after Woodside boys’ A team were declared the overall winners of the Thurrock Primary Schools Football League following a decisive 6:3 victory against Gateway Free School in their final game of the season.
And so it looks like the Federation are ringing the changes. First out the door are a number of governors. Chair of governors and local councillor, Tunde Ojetola announced on twitter that he was stepping down. Cllr Ojetola had stepped into the breach, three years ago after a large number of governors had quit.
AS USUAL, the borough stepped up to the plate when it came to Comic Relief. Offices, schools and communities from Aveley to Fobbing: they all did something funny for money. Sainsburys in Chafford Hundred had a host of activities. Captured on film are the staff attempting to eat a doughnut.
DEVELOPING creativity in early years is so cruicial, and combining that with a way to support the foundations of Listening, Reading and Communication means that we are privileged in being able to support the children of this borough from the very outset of their school careers.
A highlight of the week was the book character fancy dress coinciding with World Book Day on Thursday 7th March. Staff and children dressed up as favourite characters from books old and new demonstrating a wide range of reading. There were characters from Dickens and JK Rowling but most popular of all were the green-haired Oompa-Lumpas from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
LOUISE Coates, Headteacher at Bonnygate Primary School in South Ockendon has been selected as a finalist for the 2013 Pearson Teaching Awards, Headteacher of the Year. The Arisdale Avenue school’s deputy head, Gareth Jones, was on hand to meet the judges last week (wednesday, 27 February).
A spokesperson said: “I have been in talks with Hayley Pegg from Southend West SSP and Rebecca Jones from ActiveEssex regarding the ‘School run’ project which we are hoping to roll out in Thurrock.
“The School run is designed to encourage parents to get involved in running/walking with sessions catering for a mix of abilities from beginners to intermediate levels.
Headteacher Edward Caines said “These are exciting times in education. We have become used to failed secondary schools being reopened with a massive cash injection and a face lift but now good primary schools which are already successful are becoming independent academies with the freedom to continue their improvement we are going to see something really special.”
Woodside Primary School is building on the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to extend its already extensive programme of sports and activities for children. This term the school has added a cycling club, archery and handball to a list which now totals 50 regular clubs.