Archive of Latest News
Latest news is now shared via our Head Teacher blog which is published in the Parents section of the website. Please also visit our Twitter feed for a window into our curriculum offer and to see the purposeful and memorable learning experiences in each year group. Our Twitter feed can be accessed on the Home page of our website or by clicking on the Twitter icon in the top left corner of this page.
Please find below an archive of the news stories that we published before we started to use Twitter.
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Class Census in Year 2
Fri 19 Mar 2021Year 2 had a fascinating look at the Census data from 10 years ago for the Throckley area. They then completed a whole class census about their favourite things and recorded their data in a tally chart. The class then tried recording data a different way using a pictogram. Each child recorded their own data about the favourite animals of their classmates. Once all pictograms had been completed, the whole class shared their findings on a chart on the interactive board in the classroom.
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We have had a wonderful first week back in school!
Fri 12 Mar 2021From brand new reading corners in Reception and Year 2, to Jack and the Beanstalk activities in Nursery to an exciting science experiment about how light travels in Year 6, the children have had a fantastic first week in school. All of the staff are thrilled to have them back where they belong!
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Remote Learning Letter
Wed 06 Jan 20216th January 2021
Remote Learning Information for parents and carers
Dear Parent/Carer,
I am writing to let you know about the developments in our home learning provision and to tell you about the support that we are offering in order to make home learning less stressful for you and more engaging for your children.
We understand that many of you are working parents and that this unprecedented time has caused additional pressures in many households, therefore, we have adjusted our offer to make it easier for you to encourage and support your child in completing as much of their work as possible. Following school closures last spring and summer, many children had a mountain to climb in order to make up for the gaps in learning caused by the global pandemic. We aim to do all we can to ensure that all pupils continue to make progress in the coming weeks. Our class teachers will be on hand remotely to help your child as much as they possibly can and they will be working hard to ensure that work is accessible for all of the children and appropriate for their age and stage. Our aim is to provide a home learning offer that your child looks forward to and that can be accessed with minimal support from you. Please be aware, however, that class teachers are also supporting critical worker bubbles in school, therefore we would appreciate your patience with their online responses.
Each day, an English, maths and a foundation subject lesson (such as science, history, P.E) will be uploaded onto Seesaw/Tapestry by your child’s class teacher. Teachers will also be on hand every day to mark work and to provide feedback and, where appropriate, next steps and challenges. If you or your child has a question about their work, you can use the messaging tool on Seesaw/Tapestry to contact their class teacher. Additional fun activities and challenges will be set for your child to enjoy and will contribute to the development of basic skills or support with mental health and wellbeing.
Seesaw and Tapestry are both easy to use with a smart phone and all work can be completed on paper and then uploaded as a picture. We would encourage all parents to use these platforms if possible as this is the way that the class teacher will be engaging with the children and providing instructions for the learning and feedback on work. If you feel that you will not be able to access the online content, please contact the school for advice. If necessary, we can provide paper copies of work which you can arrange to collect from the school office.
We commit to doing all we possibly can to support all children with their continued development during this difficult time and we thank you sincerely for all you are doing to help your child to learn from home.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs Julie Stuart, Head Teacher
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Critical Worker Information Letter
Tue 05 Jan 20214th January 2021
Dear Parent/Carer,
In light of Boris Johnson’s announcement this evening, Throckley Primary School will be closed as of Tuesday, 5th January 2021 until further notice. The Government has asked parents to keep their children at home and has asked schools to remain open only for those who absolutely need to attend.
Please carefully consider if your child needs a school place due to your work being critical to the COVID-19 response and if you have NO possible alternative options.
To ensure that we are only having the smallest number of children in school, and in order to limit the spread of the virus, we will be asking for you (if sole parent) or both parents to provide evidence of critical worker status. This should include:
- your current job role
- your working schedule
We ask for this information by 12 noon on Tuesday 5th January so that we can begin to prioritise our limited places and organise childcare bubbles. Until this is received, we are unable to confirm an offer of a school place.
I must stress that if your child is offered a critical worker place at school, it is highly likely that they will not be in their usual class bubble or be taught by their own Class Teacher. Remote learning for each year group will however be provided for all pupils via Seesaw and Tapestry (information to follow tomorrow).
If, after considering all of the above, you qualify for and require a place for your child, send through the information we have requested above by responding to this email or by using the following email address: Parents@throckleyprim.newcastle.sch.uk
Please remember that if your child or another member of your family shows any COVID symptoms, they must not attend school.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs Julie Stuart, Head Teacher
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Letter from Mrs Stuart about school reopening on 5th Jan 2021
Mon 04 Jan 2021Monday 4th January, 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following on from my correspondence yesterday, I can confirm that school's position has not changed and we still intend to open to all children on Tuesday 5th January, following Government advice to do so. However, we are reviewing the situation on a daily basis and will update parents as soon as possible if changes are to be made following any updates in guidance.
I understand that you may be very concerned about the safety of your children and your families from the risk of infection in light of recent scientific evidence presented by SAGE and strong lobbying from some unions. At Throckley Primary, the safety of our whole school community is paramount and we are taking all measures physically and practically possible to ensure everyone's safety.
Our school risk assessment has been updated to add in some further measures, some of which require support from parents and families, which I will outline below. I know that many of you may have additional concerns because your child or family members may be vulnerable due to underlying medical conditions. At present, Government advice is for all children to attend school unless they have been directed otherwise by a medical professional (you will have received a shielding letter about this), including those who live with shielding family members. For any parent or carer who remains concerned about their child attending school due to medical reasons, staff will be available via telephone to discuss this. However, I would like to add that, as non-medical professionals, we cannot give specific advice and would urge you to seek clarification from your child's paediatrician if you are at all unsure.
In terms of reinforcing and increasing safety measures in school, I politely request that all parents strictly adhere to the following points:
- Do not arrive on site more than five minutes prior to your drop off/collection time unless you are dropping off/collecting a sibling.
- If your child is late or you are late for collection you must contact the office for a new drop off/collection time. Do not just arrive at the office.
- If you know you are going to be late for collection, please contact the office as soon as possible so staff can be informed and your child can be reassured.
- Only 1 adult to drop off/collect a child - please do not have more than one as this unnecessarily increases numbers of adults on site and increases the risk of transmission of infection.
- Adults must wear face masks, unless exempt for medical reasons, whilst on site.
- Do not gather in groups whilst waiting to drop off/collect your child.
- Ensure your children remain with you at all times and are not running around on site.
- Please leave the site immediately after drop off/pick up and do not congregate anywhere on site.
- No messages to be passed to staff at gates at drop off/collection times. Please contact the office or use Seesaw to speak directly with class teachers.
- Do not enter the main reception area without prior appointment.
- Maintain social distancing at all times.
I would just like to end by reiterating that I am continually reviewing the situation for school and will endeavour to keep parents up to date as quickly as I can. Please bear in mind that advice from the Government can change rapidly and at the last minute. Staff at Throckley Primary are committed to continuing to provide high quality education to all of our children, giving them a safe and happy learning environment.
I understand that Tier 4 restrictions are difficult, but following them outside of school means we are all doing our bit to keep our school community safe. Thank you for your continued support, we really value it. Let's work together through these difficult times; we've done it before and we'll do it again.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs J. Stuart
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'Thank you Throckley' Poem from Our Head Girl and Boy
Fri 18 Dec 2020Thank You, Throckley!
Dear Throckley children and staff, The year 2020 hasn’t been a laugh, We’ve written this poem just to say, A thank you in a Head Boy and Girl way!
Back in March, when time stood still, We stayed inside to keep safe, until… Staff at Throckley worked really hard, To bring back some of us to the yard.
Mrs Stuart came up with plan after plan, Learning from home? Thanks to Mrs Giblin, we can! Mrs Brown kept us safe, had a long list of calls, Miss Sewell perfected routes around the school walls, Mrs Cunningham and Ledger were always there, Offering lots of advice, help and care.
This return wouldn’t have been possible without the lovely Paul, Or our school office staff and Mrs Comstock who are always on the ball, The cleaners being resilient and scrubbing everywhere, And the cooks providing meals with bundles of care.
To all support staff, we can’t thank you enough, You keep our breaks fun (at a distance) which must be tough, Your kind, smiling faces and your nurturing way, Brightens every minute, every hour and every day!
In September, children came back, back where they belong, Laughing and playing with their friends after it had been so long, Soon it was back to normal, lessons brought such fun, You have all adjusted so brilliantly, thank you and well done!
Now, our class teachers the ones we see most, In the news all the time, but there’s no need to boast, The endless hours and work that you do, Provided us with normality to help us get through.
In March, the school was empty, without its beating heart, There is a nasty virus that still keeps us all apart, But thanks to Throckley Primary and all of those within, Brighter days are coming and our team spirit will always win!
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Class Elf in Year 4B
Fri 18 Dec 2020This week, 4B have enjoyed reading to their class elf. He left them a message during the night asking them to read with him. 4B have excellent reading voices and Buddy the elf loved snuggling up on some cushions and listening to them read!
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Virtual Pantomime
Fri 18 Dec 2020Our wonderful PTFA used some of their funds to buy in a professional pantomime which was streamed directly into the classrooms across the school. Teachers pulled out all of the stops and tried to recreate the true pantomime experience. Here is one of the Reception classrooms set up like a theatre and ready for the big show! The Reception teachers even provided traditional 'pantomime rules' to show the children how to truly enjoy watching a pantomime!
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Virtual Games Pentathlon
Fri 11 Dec 2020Over the last couple of weeks, Years 3-6 have been taking part in the ‘Virtual School Games Pentathlon’ with each pupil recording a personal best in five events (Standing Long Jump, Speed Bounce, Shuttle Run, Vertical Jump and Chest Push). The scores of the Throckley Primary children will be entered into a national database and will give us the opportunity to compete with other schools during these challenging times. The national virtual competition aims to connect young people across the country in a common goal. The children have recorded some amazing personal bests in all of the events and Mr Elliott is very proud of how they have represented Throckley Primary in this unique event.
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Hearts for Homes and Hearts for Schools Project
Fri 11 Dec 2020This week children have been delighted to spread some Christmas messages of hope to our local community by participating in the Hearts for Schools and Hearts for Homes project that was started by picture-news.co.uk in Manchester. Pupils from local schools and residents in care homes shared some positive messages throughout lockdown, all within a heart shape.
The residents in Lindisfarne Care Home in Throckley wrote a little biography and a positive Christmas message, poem, story, or picture for the children in our school. Some of the children picked a specific resident to send a reply to and some sent a general Christmas message to all of the residents. We are going to miss taking the choir to perform carols for the residents this year and we hope these messages will spread a bit of Christmas cheer!