Dear Families,

We enjoyed a lovely Sharing Assembly at Warthill this morning. It is always such a joy celebrating the various successes of our children.

One of the things our children are really good at is writing and especially creative poetry. This week Miss Heffernan wanted to share news of a competition that children can enter at home. This gives opportunities to win prizes for individuals and for schools and everyone geta bookmark for entering. The competition is called Once Upon a Dream for 7-12 year olds. There are some exciting resources to stimulate ideas available on the website. It would be great to see some of our children’s work published! If your child is interested, they can speak to someone at school about this or go online to

 www.youngwriters.co.uk/comp/once24

All information and entry forms can be found there. Get writing!

After a long wait, we have received our finalised Ofsted Report for Sand Hutton which has been shared with Sand Hutton families ahead of its publication on the Ofsted website next week. We are very pleased that the vision we share for both of schools in terms of inclusivity, exemplary behaviours for learning and  the confident delivery of an ambitious curriculum has been recognised. Should anyone require a copy ahead of the publication date, please contact either school office and this can be forwarded to you. Equally, a hard copy can be made available on request.

I would like to share something with you which hasn’t happened in our setting but has raised the subject of mobile phones and smart watches again. (This is why I am re-sharing the policy with this letter). I am aware of situation where a SEND child, struggling with the demands of a classroom and managed by a member of staff, was filmed and this was later posted on social media. I am sure you can understand how upsetting this is for the pupil and family concerned as well as the teacher managing a difficult situation. I know that pupils increasingly have access to mobile phones and to technology on smart watches. Please can I ask that you read the policy again and ensure that this is being followed, for the protection of everyone. Thank you in advance for your understanding in this matter.

Finally, both our clothing bins have been emptied and are ready to take new donations of clothing you no longer need or want. These bins provide a steady stream of funding for our PTAs and we appreciate this. Please use them and encourage friends and families to do the same. It makes a difference. Funding raised by FOWS and PTA enhance the school experience for all our children in a variety of ways.

With every best wish,

Beverley Pawson

Headteacher

Sand Hutton and Warthill Federated Schools