Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School

1. Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School Caring, learning and achieving together as part of God’s family Headteacher’s address to parents – October 16 2012

2. A prayer for schools in the Diocese of Southwark God our Loving Father Pour out on us afresh the gifts of your Holy Spirit Open our ears to hear your Word, open our eyes to hear your presence, open our minds to understand your Wisdom and open our hearts to be more available for your mission So that strengthened by your grace we can truly be a sign and instrument of your presence in our world today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

3. Purpose of meeting To provide information for parents on our progress and key plans for the forthcoming academic year 2012-13

4. Plan for the session • Headteacher talk 40 mins – a review of the year and our plans for this year • Mrs O Byrne talk -15 mins –Close by 8.30 pm

5. Review & Future Plans • External assessment outcomes • School development plans 2012-13 • Capital projects/Development • Curriculum development • School Meals – Update • Breakfast Club/Extended Schools • PTA • Other business • RE Curriculum update

6. Review of Past Year • Foundation Stage • Continuing very successful outcomes – almost all children attaining significantly above national averages (with exception of statemented SEN pupils) –good progress. • Learners in the Foundation stage are happy, enjoy coming to school and are well supported by very strong home-school relationships. • Admission applications remain significantly over subscribed. 108 applications for 2012

7. Year One Phonics Test • This took place for the first time in 2012. 86.6% pass rate. This is one of the highest in the borough. Read Write Inc has had a significant impact in raising achievement and is embedded fully this year.

8. Key Stage One 2011 outcomes in brackets. Targets for reading met or exceeded. Targets for writing met at 2+ & 2B+. Targets for Maths met across all levels.

9. Key Stage 2 A number of children were entered for Level 6 Tests. We achieved 2 level 6 results in Mathematics. L6 is Y9 average.

10. Action arising from outcomes • Read Write Inc Phonics embedded in KS1 curriculum & use of catch up materials for KS2 • RWI information practical evening for parents in Spring Term- see & do! – Led by Miss Maguire • Writing – Big writing weekly – with development targets for pupils – focussed on real books and real writing tasks (E.g.. the road through our playground!)

11. Action arising from outcomes • We now use ‘The Book’ where all writing and class work activities are recorded – this esteems all writing and makes sure that quality writing is not just something that is reserved for English books. • Creative curriculum innovation continues – Focus curriculum weeks and integrated topics taught • Staff training and work with the Catholic Schools cluster in Grammar – new Y6 Grammar test. Working collaboratively

12. Curriculum Development • Maths Star targets – refine this process and continue to focus on basic skills – please help with this at home – tables and number bonds • Investigations in mathematics – planning very regularly for investigations to apply practical skills in real life situations

13. Curriculum Development • Science focus – A science week with parents involved, invited in during the week. Lots of practical activity probably late Spring/ early Summer • Revisions to Art curriculum – focus on key skills and use of sketchbooks • Revision of PE curriculum to focus on developing basic skills in a more systematic way

14. Curriculum innovation • Developing a learning community of ‘Risk takers’ – What makes good learning? More focus on metacognitive approaches to learning from Reception up. • Targeted short term (6 Week) interventions for pupils who are falling behind • Opportunities for Gifted and Talented pupils – building on work underway in Maths and Writing in upper KS2 – school magazine

15. Curriculum Developments • Creativity focus continues • Whole school focus on basic skills – Literacy & Numeracy – through all subjects • Increased use of outdoor learning opportunities – grounds and gardens • Focussed short term curriculum weeks, such as ‘Myself’ week, Multicultural week, anti-bullying week

16. The wider curriculum • Trips, visits and visitors– continue to be a strength of the school • Sporting Excellence in many areas Small schools cup winners, X-country league/Catholic Schools championship winners, Gala Winners. Catholic Netball winners & Borough runners up. • The Arts – Croydon music festival, Young voices, • Modern Foreign languages – French inc school visit • Croydon Dance festival, Opera visits, instrumental tuition • After school clubs – we now offer a wide range and variety right across the school (See matrix)

17. Clubs and Activities – A varied menu Athletics/Cross country ( whole family) Spanish (Infs & Juniors) CAFOD Club ICT Irish Dancing Football Rugby Art Chess Drama Netball Handicraft Wake & Shake (whole family) Reading support Puppets & Storytelling Tennis Choir Library Dance

18. The School and our Community • Fundraising Activities CAFOD nearly £1700 last year!, Sports relief - £939, Peru £150, Operation Christmas Child Over 90 Boxes, Poppy Appeal £82, Cabrini £350, BHF £92, McMillan £188….to name but a few Total fundraising £4053.71 Over £18 per pupil! THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE PTA FUNDRAISING! Parents continue to be incredibly supportive of all our charity projects – thank you so much • Continued links to Parish groups • Strong links with Secondary Schools

19. Pupil Voice • Continued with 1:1 pastoral and target meetings – Autumn term • School Council – Change of emphasis – Learning counsellors – How do we improve learning in our school? • Junior Road Safety Officers • Y6 Monitors • Social Norms Survey – Yrs 5 & 6 – To find out pupil view about relationships and bullying - Borough initiative • Involving learners in their progress through smart targets and effective feedback in marking

20. Capital development • PTA support incredible as ever – are you involved? • Outdoor learning – Gardens, Changes to playground. (See next slide) • Boiler replacement • Window replacement bid underway • Entry system for external doors • Work underway to plan for building an additional temporary building across the playground for school and parent use • Decoration and upgrading of classrooms and communal areas

21. Outside development • We are improving access from the alleyway where the ground is rough with new tarmac • We are pursuing a new crossing place in Highfield Road with the Borough • We are contracting trimming of the overgrown alley, in conjunction with Thomas More High School.

22. Outdoor learning • Inclusion of pavilion into playground through changes to fencing. • Pirate ship play area • You funded lots of new playground apparatus last year– thank you. • Scooter pods and cycle racks • Lovely gardens growing food and flowers • Improvement of Reception/KS1 facilities for outdoor learning

23. Pirate Ship!

24. School meals – In house catering • School meals numbers are strong and we believe that we are offering good choice, quality and value for money. • We have an excellent kitchen staff • We want your feedback on the menu and choice – we can adjust to accommodate feedback much more than in the past.

25. Breakfast Club • This is now a firm commitment in the school and will continue. It is averaging 12-14 children a day and is a very useful resource for working parents. Our children who attend love it! • We are setting up a working party to investigate the possibility of an after school club on site for 2013-14

26. PTA • Our PTA is amazing and supports our school in a vast number of ways – without you we would be so much less! • Last year the PTA raised an amazing £11, 590! • A huge thank you to all the committee, our joint chairs, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Murphy and all our parents. • Funds raised will go to the playground development • Target for 2012-13 include a new demountable building • Please support our events this year as much as you can

27. AOB • Attendance – we need to meet national reported targets – I track all attendance below 90%. Will not authorise term time holidays automatically. Our school is achieving very well in attendance figures and our new EWO is hot on the case!

28. Parent Survey – We are collating the data from this. We really value the very strong response. Really pleased with the overall positive feedback – most parents are very pleased with our school. We will use points where parents have raised concern to make us even better, especially in areas of communication with parents.

29. Art award - £500 to create a legacy project for the school for our Jubilee. This is being co-ordinated by Art Club • Cycle training – Offer to pupils in KS2 last year – this will continue – we encourage cycling and scooting into school!

30. Margaret Roper 50th Jubilee • Marvellous celebration of our school on 25th September – so proud of our children and parents for all their support. • Jubilee ties and pin badges • Spring Term – 1962 day. Get involved • Summer Term – Grand Picnic and funfair/village fair! • Invited to CAFOD 50th anniversary Mass – Westminster Cathedral – A great honour

31. Olympics • 5 Y5 pupils went to see Hockey in the summer with Mrs O’Byrne and Mrs Morris • We were part of the ‘Get Set’ Olympic preparations • Visit by an Olympic torch bearer • 100 days of peace – Pax Christi Icon in school, Invited to St Georges Cathedral on 23 Oct with 5 pupil representatives

32. OFSTED • Following interim assessment notified we will probably have an OFSTED Inspection in the Summer term 2013 • OFSTED focussed on progress and attainment and is very data driven – we work towards this landmark but are not driven by it! Our school is good and working towards outstanding

33. Secondary Transfer Our children left us for the following schools in July 2012: • The John Fisher School – 11 • St Philomena’s Catholic High School – 10 • Coloma Convent – 6 • Trinity – 1 • Woodcote High School – 1 • St Bede’s – 1 • Caterham School – 1 • Warlingham School – 1 • Whitgift School -1

34. Staff changes • We welcome Miss Maguire to Y1, Mr McNally to Y4 and Miss Nixon onto our permanent staff in Y6. • We said goodbye to Mrs Lomasney as she retired in July. Mrs O’Byrne is our school SENCO from this year. • We have a very committed and hardworking staff who are working strenuously to drive school improvement

35. Bags for Schools • You will receive a letter from the PTA – collect all textiles and bring them into school on the 3rd December – we will receive £500 per tonne as well as educating our children about the benefits of recycling!

36. Come & See – New RE Scheme of work • Mrs O’Byrne – short presentation

37. Finally… • Thank you so much for your support. We are very fortunate at Margaret Roper with the children and families we serve. We are all very lucky to be here

38. A thought to leave with... ‘I am not what I think I am, I am not what you think I am, I am what I think you think I am’ Or If a child thinks a teacher/parent values them, they will value themselves… John Bell