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.

• Character Description, Measurements and Scientists in Year 4G

  Fri 18 Sep 2020

  In Year 4G we have been building our understanding of similes, metaphors and personification so that we can write an exciting character description of ‘The Iron Man’, which is our class book.

  We have also been checking our knowledge of number, measurement and shape in maths. We used 2D and 3D shapes to help us understand their properties before building our own 3D shapes using cubes.

  In science, we found out all about different jobs you can have as a scientist. We had already heard some of the titles like 'palaeontologist' and 'archeaologist' from other lessons or year groups. The most popular job roles in year 4 were astronomer, microbiologist and zoologist.

• The Importance of Exercise and Favourite Books in 4B

  Fri 18 Sep 2020

  We have had a really exciting week in 4B! In PSHE, we learnt about the importance of exercising, especially during lockdown when it was even more important to keep our bodies and minds healthy.  We organised some true and false facts about exercise, some of which were very  surprising! 

   

  We also enjoyed discussing our favourite books. We then wrote book reviews on beautiful butterflies which have now been added to our  wonderful class reading display. 4B have been reading so much since coming back to school.  In our English lessons we have been reading ‘The Iron Man’ and for story time we have been reading ‘The Firework Maker's Daughter’. What a great start to the term.

• Ranked 44th nationally in the Times Parent Power Guide 2020!

  Thu 10 Sep 2020

  Throckley Primary is in The Times Parent Power Guide for the 3rd Year running!

   

  We are very proud to announce that we are ranked 44th nationally and 4th in the Northeast in the 2020 Parent Power Guide which is published annually in The Times.  The guide is compiled using the scaled scores of the children from the May 2019 Key Stage 2 SATs.  This table does not take into consideration the progress scores or the context of the school - it is based purely on the SATs results.  Thank you to the children, the staff, the governors and all of the parents/carers who work so hard.  We hope that you are as proud of these results as we are!     

• Throckley's Summer Challenge!

  Thu 16 Jul 2020

  After an intense few months, it’s important that we all take some time to recharge our batteries ahead of September. We would love for all of our pupils to enjoy spending more time outdoors with friends and family, as lockdown hopefully continues to ease. We also know that many children would love to keep up with some home learning so that they are prepared and ready for the new year ahead. That’s why we’re introducing … Throckley's Summer Challenge.

   

  Each teacher has prepared weekly challenges for their new class, which will help to bridge the gap between year groups and support children after such a long period away from school.

   

  For every challenge completed, children will receive a sticker, with certificates and special prizes for those who go above and beyond by completing all of the activities!

• Meet the Teacher Newsletters

  Thu 16 Jul 2020
  Please visit the 'Year Group Information for September' section of our website to find a newsletter from your new teacher which gives you all of the information you will need to get ready for September.  In this section you will also find electronic copies of the letters about the Autumn Term plan for each year group and a copy of the Home/School Agreement.

• Summer Online Safety Tips

  Mon 13 Jul 2020

  Exploring the digital world together

  Many parents worry about how to amuse their children during the school holidays. Particularly with older children and young teenagers, the temptation to allow them to play on computers or watch endless hours of YouTube can be a little overwhelming. Technology can be a great tool, but as with everything, moderation is key. The most important thing to remember is that it is your job as a parent/carer to ensure your child is safe online. Are they playing age appropriate games? If they are online, who are they talking to? Technology can also be used for many different things – not just games and chats. There are health and fitness apps available that you could use as a family, spending time together outside and active! Some of you may also have Fitbits or other fitness measuring devices, why not set a family challenge?

  Balancing screen time with other activities 

  Children are spending so much more time online, accessing so many different things in ways that we could not possibly have imagined when we were children ourselves. A sensible balance of ‘screen time’ and other activities is very important but this will vary from family to family and from child to child according to their individual needs, interests and family circumstances. Recent research has shown that the quantity of screen time is not the main concern parents should have, but about the quality of how that time is spent. Rather than just imposing a set time limit on how long children are online, we should be talking to our children, taking an interest in and understanding what they ae doing online and sharing some of the activities with them.

  ‘Free’ apps

  There are millions of apps that cover just about anything and everything you can imagine. The vast majority of apps are “free” to download, which is one of the reasons they are so instantly appealing to children.  But sometimes “free” does not mean that there are no hidden costs. You often won’t pay at the point where you download the game, but what your child might quickly discover is that in order to do anything really interesting or exciting with it, they have to buy something. Some of these purchases may be charged straight to mobile contract bills, or they may need to be purchased using a debit card. Some parents have been horrified to discover that their children had spent hundreds of pounds of their money and they only found out at the end of the following month when the debit or credit card bills arrived. Apps can be clever in the way they encourage purchases, and children may not always be aware of the repercussions. This is an important conversation that you can have with your child.  When setting up an account to allow your children to download apps, it’s really important to pay attention to the options you are provided with to restrain the amounts of money they can spend. You can either set a cash limit or require them to get permission from you every time.

  Sharing selfies

  If you consider technology today, smart phones and iPads etc. allow for pictures to be taken almost anywhere and at any time. Selfies are the most common type of picture taken and apps such as snapchat, Instagram and other ‘filter’ based selfie apps allow for instant sharing of those images. We appreciate that, although the minimum age is 13 for many of these apps, many children are still using them so it is important to ensure they know how to use them safely. Speak to your child about the importance of a private account and work with them to make sure theirs is secure. Have conversations around appropriate pictures they can upload to their profiles and remind them that once photographs are in cyberspace, they can end up in the wrong hands and with the wrong type of people.

  Dealing with online trolls

  The reality is that trolls are just people. These people may be jealous of others and their lives or achievements. They may also enjoy seeing other people hurt or take pride in convincing individuals that they are someone they’re not. If your child has access to social media, they may experience trolling at some point and they need to know how to deal with this.  The majority of your child’s experiences online are positive, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when someone attacks. The attack can come from friends or from strangers alike. Common advice is to ignore and delete comments that are irrelevant, and if they're abusive or upsetting to also report the user (to the social media platform, to the police, or both). Remind your child that these people are saying these things to deliberately annoy or upset them, and they're not worth their time. The link below offers further guidance on this issue.

  https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/tackling-online-hate-and-trolling/

  Online resources

  The link below will take you to the CEOP Think U Know activity packs. This website will continue to offer support and guidance throughout the summer holidays, so please keep checking for new activities and information. This website has a bank of excellent resources to use when addressing key online safety issues with your child.

  https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/

  https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

  https://safetonet.com/

  https://twitter.com/SafeToNet?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

   

  Please remember…

  If you’re worried about anything you or your child comes across online, we’d advise you to report it immediately to the relevant organisation and to the site where you or your child saw it. The link below will take you to the internet matters website with direct links to these organisations. The link also provides advice on where to turn to for advice on various forms of inappropriate online behaviour.

  https://www.internetmatters.org/report-issue/

  If you have immediate safety concerns, these should be reported to your local police force

• Update from Mrs Stuart, 26th June 2020

  Fri 26 Jun 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers

   

  In addition to our current key worker and Year 6 provision, this week we surveyed parents of the other year groups which the government had specified for the wider reopening of schools.  This included Nursery, Reception and Year 1. We were also hoping to have capacity to bring back Year 5 as we feel this is another key year group for transition to Year 6 in the next academic year.  We assessed the number of responses against the capacity in the building and staff by organising these pupils into ‘bubbles’.  We are confident that we can safely reopen to these pupils as of Monday 29th June. This is on a varied, part-time basis in order to allow for health and safety, as well as cleaning procedures, to be adhered to. Please be advised that the parent survey has now closed and we are unable to accept any more pupils back to school as we are now at full capacity under the current guidelines and safety restrictions.

   

  For all other children, our home learning programme will continue until the end of the academic year on Seesaw and Tapestry. Please contact School if you wish to discuss this further.  We fully understand that this certainly does not replace the quality of education your child would have been accessing had they have been attending school. The leadership team will be working intensively over the next few weeks on our Recovery Curriculum and Development Plan for September. This will include assessment of pupil needs and a revised ‘catch up’ curriculum with bespoke interventions. I hope to be able to give you more details on this before the summer as I’m aware that parents will be very concerned and anxious about this. 

   

  As of week commencing 6th July, we will be sending out your child’s School Report. We have made necessary modifications in light of the pandemic and this is outlined in the accompanying letter to the report.

   

  We hope that, as the government has announced, all of our children will be back into school in September as we have missed seeing you all. We can’t wait to welcome you all back on Monday 7th September.  Please note that we will not be holding a Teacher Training Day and the children will be returning to school on the Monday.

   

  In the meantime, if you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact the school.

   

  Best wishes to you all!

   

  Mrs Julie Stuart

  Head Teacher

• Reopening Letter June 2020

  Mon 01 Jun 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  I hope that you and your families are safe and well and that you have managed to share some enjoyable moments in the half term sunshine. The unprecedented situation we all find ourselves in is unlike any other we have seen in our lifetimes. I can certainly say that, as a school, this has been and continues to be, the greatest challenge we have ever faced. You will no doubt have been following Government updates regarding plans for the partial reopening of primary schools. I want to assure you that, as a school, the safety and wellbeing of all our children and staff is our priority.  I am writing to you today to share our initial plans for the partial reopening of Throckley Primary School.

  We are using Government and Local Authority guidance to support us in making decisions to enable our site to be as safe as possible for the partial re-opening of school. The guidance we receive is often updated at short notice; it may therefore be necessary for us to amend our plans in line with any changes, as each week progresses.

  Based on our extensive risk assessment work and in line with decisions made alongside other Outer West Learning Trust schools, we are planning to open to small groups of Year 6 pupils from Monday 15^th June. We believe that a partial reopening from this date will allow us to monitor the infection rate across the North East and is a safer option for our children given that we also hope by then to have a greater reassurance that the national ‘Track and Trace’ system is up and running. While the Government are currently suggesting pupils from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 could potentially return to school, we continue to believe that the decision to focus on Year 6 is the safest option. We are working tirelessly to ensure that all safety measures are in place in school, based on the Department for Education guidance and our own risk assessment of our staff and school building.

  School will continue to be open for the children of key workers and for some of our more vulnerable pupils, as it has been throughout this national crisis. For the vast majority of our pupils, we regret to say that school continues to be closed. We understand that this will present many challenges for parents and we look forward to a time when we can reopen to all of our wonderful pupils.

  I am sure many of you have questions about our plans for the coming weeks and also about the routines and procedures we will have in place in order to keep your child safe when they return to school. I will be writing to our Year 6 parents later this week to outline detailed plans for our partial reopening to Year 6 only. In the meantime, I have attached some questions and answers to this letter which I hope will provide some clarity to parents around what children and families can expect from school in the coming weeks.

  We all understand that this is a worrying and uncertain time for many people. I know you will all agree that the children remain the main priority for all of us. Let’s continue to work together to role model resilience and positivity during these challenging times. Thank you once again for your patience and support – it is very much appreciated.

  Yours sincerely,

  Mrs J. Stuart

   

  Frequently Asked Questions - Partial Reopening of Throckley Primary School from 15^th June 

  School continues to be closed for my child because they are not in Year 6. How can I best support them? 

  For most children, the beginning of the summer term marks their third half term away from full time education. We share your concerns regarding the amount of learning time your child has now missed in school and I want to thank you for the support you have given your child with their learning during this challenging period. The happiness and wellbeing of your child continues to be the most important thing for you to focus on during this time away from school however we would also encourage all parents to support their child in completing the home learning tasks set by their class teacher; they have been carefully planned to recap on key skills covered this year and any work your child is able to complete now will really help them when they return to school.

  Many of you are actively engaging in our home learning platform, Seesaw, which is wonderful to see. It is an invaluable tool for you and your child to use to keep in touch with your child’s class teacher. It is also fantastic for staff to be able to see your child’s work and respond with feedback to encourage and support further learning. Class teachers will continue to upload weekly work for all children on both Seesaw and the school website in the coming weeks. All parents were sent log in details for Seesaw for their child early last month. Please contact us via email admin@throckleyprim.newcastle.sch.uk if you have any issues in accessing Seesaw.

  My child is in Year 6. Do they have to attend school? No

  It is not compulsory that any child attends school at this time so you must do what you feel is right for your child and for your family circumstances. We will respect and support whichever decision you come to and will answer any questions you may have to support you in this.

  The Government suggested that children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 could return to school. Why are you only opening to Year 6 pupils?

  The safety and wellbeing of children and staff is our priority as we plan the phased reopening of school. There are many reasons why we have decided not to open to Reception and Year 1. To begin with, any return to school would undoubtedly be most challenging for our youngest pupils who need to feel and supported and safe in order to grow and develop. We provide a nurturing and stimulating learning environment in our Early Years setting and, in normal times, children work with dedicated key staff whom they have built positive and stable relationships with. Unfortunately, Government guidance for the phased reopening of primary schools means that we would be unable to guarantee that children will be working with a known adult, and would mean that classroom environments are unfamiliar and very different to the norm.

  In the coming weeks, classroom routines will also be significantly different to those which children are used to and we believe this could cause further distress for our youngest learners at an already difficult time.

  A huge part of the early years of school relies on staff who are safe and secure in their ability to be physically close to the children in order to provide appropriate care, encouragement and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, staff would not currently be able to provide the warm interactions that we believe are essential in helping children to feel supported and less anxious, due to safety restrictions in place.

  Government guidelines insist that soft furnishings, many toys, materials, games and equipment must be removed from learning environments. Such plans would not allow us to provide a classroom space that supports stimulating and exciting social interaction and learning.

  Finally, let’s not forget that a huge part of children’s early experiences in school centre on opportunities for friendships to blossom and peer to peer support to be properly nurtured. Regrettably social distancing and small grouping restrictions would not allow for an environment conducive to this. We do not believe that young children would be given the level of support and care they would require in normal times, let alone during this anxious and uncertain period.

  By contrast, our oldest pupils have established themselves at our school and have a secure network of close friends and peers, as well as being familiar with our wider staff team. They will understand and be able to act on social distancing advice; it would be unfair and quite unrealistic to expect our youngest children to do the same. We could therefore not guarantee their safety and wellbeing which, as we have said, is always our priority.

  From 15^th June, as well as the weekly work set by class teachers on Seesaw, we will be uploading basic skills tutorials onto the school website for our younger pupils. These will include ‘live-style’ lessons which will support children with some of the basic skills in maths and English that would have been covered in the summer term of Reception and Year 1.

  What can my child expect when they first return to school?

  The first week of our partial reopening will be very much about supporting the children’s return to school; sharing and understanding new routines; and ensuring that children feel safe and settled after a long period away from their teachers and friends. The school day will be very different for children in the coming weeks and we will be spending a lot of time supporting children with this.

  Our pupils’ wellbeing and happiness is always our priority. We recognise that it has been a very long time since your child has been at school and it is natural that they may be anxious and find it difficult to separate from their parents and families.  We understand that it is a particularly strange and difficult time for them. We will continue to be nurturing, gentle, positive, calm and offer as much reassurance as possible during this transition back into school.

  Will my child return to their usual classroom with their Year 6 teacher? No

  Children in Year 6, along with two members of staff, will be grouped into ‘bubbles’. These groups will be small and will each be allocated a classroom distanced from other bubbles. Unfortunately, we will not be able to guarantee that each child will be with their close friends; we will decide who is in each bubble and these groups cannot then be changed due to social distancing and mixing rules. However we must stress that each group will be led by nurturing and experienced members of our teaching team who will support and care for your child throughout their time in school. Children will stay with the same group of Year 6 children and staff throughout each day. They will be unable to mix with children outside of their bubble and each group will have separate breaks and lunchtimes, in line with Government advice.

  Will there be a change to the timings of the school day? Yes

  All bubble groups will operate a staggered start and finish - this is to reduce contact across groups and to control social distancing expectations. School will be open Monday – Thursday and then be closed on a Friday to allow for a deep clean of the building.

  Will the classroom look different? Yes

  Our classrooms will look very different once school has reopened to some pupils. Much of the furniture and many other items that may be difficult to clean will have been removed. Children will sit at single desks that are spaced apart. Windows and doors will be kept open to ensure better ventilation. Hand sanitiser will be available in the classroom and hand washing stations will be close by.

  Will playtime/ lunchtimes be different? Yes

  There will be regular breaks outside for all children and outdoor learning will be encouraged. Children will have all breaks and lunchtime with children and staff in their own bubble. No bubbles will mix at any time. Any games where children come into close proximity to each other, such as football, will not be allowed.  Children should aim to maintain a 2 metre distance from all other children and adults at all times when outside.

  Will there be breakfast and/or after school care?  No

  We are unable to staff this provision at the moment.

  Will there be extra cleaning happening in school? Yes

  We will follow the COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance and ensure that sufficient handwashing facilities are available. Where a sink is not nearby, we will provide hand sanitiser.

  We will regularly clean surfaces that pupils are touching, such as toys, books, desks, chairs, doors, sinks, toilets, light switches and bannisters.

  We will ensure that all adults and children are frequently washing their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and that hands are dried thoroughly. Children and staff in school will clean their hands on arrival at school, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing. They will be encouraged not to touch their mouth, eyes and nose and use a tissue or elbow to cough or sneeze and use bins for tissue waste (‘catch it, bin it, kill it’).

  Where possible, all spaces will be well ventilated using natural ventilation (opening windows). We will prop doors open, where safe to do so (bearing in mind fire safety and safeguarding), to limit use of door handles and aid ventilation.

  What happens if someone in the bubble is ill?

  If anyone in the bubble shows signs of COVID 19 then they will be isolated and sent home immediately. Their temperate may be taken. They must self-isolate and get a test. Only when the result of this test shows they do not have the infection can they return to school. If the test is positive, then the whole group (including staff) will be informed and must also self-isolate for 14 days.

  Can I change my mind about returning to school? Yes and No

  If you inform us that you would rather wait and continue with home learning you need to keep to that decision for a full week. If you change your mind and would like a school place then we need at least two days’ notice to enable staffing organisation. 

  Are parents allowed into school? No

  To ensure we keep the risk of spreading the virus to a minimum, no visitors will be allowed into the school without prior arrangement. Only essential communication with staff can happen from a 2 metre distance on the school yard. All other messages should be communicated with school via phone call or email.  In order to limit the number of parents on the yard at any one time, we are asking for only one parent/carer to drop off or collect children if they are unable to walk to school themselves.

  How can I contact school?

  From the week commencing 8^th June, our school office will be open to receive calls from 8am until 12pm. It is essential that no adult visits the school office without prior appointment however office staff will be happy to take calls during these new office hours. If you have a matter that you wish to discuss outside of these hours, please contact school via email, using the following address: admin@throckleyprim.newcastle.sch.uk and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

• New Website Launched

  Tue 26 May 2020
  Welcome to our brand new school website! We have created the website to keep parents up to date with school news and notices, and to showcase some of the great things our pupils are achieving. The website is extremely easy to edit by all staff at the school, so check back soon for new updates!Welcome to our brand new school website! We have created the website to keep parents up to date with school news and notices, and to showcase some of the great things our pupils are achieving. The website is extremely easy to edit by all staff at the school, so check back soon for new updates!

• Update About Re-opening

  Fri 22 May 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  First of all, we hope you are all well under the current situation and our best wishes go out to everyone connected to our OWL Trust schools. We appreciate your continued support in the way we are responding to the national crisis. We are missing the vibrant daily atmosphere that is always apparent across the schools in the outer west of Newcastle. It goes without saying that we all wish to return to normal school life.

  We wrote to you last week after much advice from government, the scientific community, the Local Authority and our OWL Trust of schools on the intention to re-open schools on 1^st of June 2020. We indicated at that time, the great uncertainty around this intention. This picture continues nationally as schools attempt to ensure they are supporting the government in this pledge but at the same time, making measured decisions about the safety of pupils and staff.

  At that time, it was the decision of the OWL Trust headteachers that a return for our youngest pupils in nursery, reception and year 1 was clearly the least preferred option on safety grounds. However, we decided to undertake risk assessment considerations on the possibility of returning some year 6 pupils in the first instance. We believe we can take steps to ensure a safe return for these groups. However, this will be dependent upon the successful conclusion of our risk assessment and consultation with staff, parents and governors as well as on the national picture of COVID transmission. Remember, any return to school still remains conditional with regard to meeting the government’s tests for unlocking the restrictions that have been in place. These risk assessments cover every aspect of school life for a returning pupil and members of staff - some of the most apparent concerns are as follows:

   

  • The increase in the numbers of pupils expected within the school buildings and ensuring 2m social distancing for both pupils and staff within classrooms, corridors, toilets, yards etc.
  • The capacity of the school facilities staff to deep clean rooms on a timely basis.
  • The ability of cleaning regimes to prevent the spread of the virus from shared equipment and surfaces, including the problem of shared work materials, books, apparatus or soft furnishings.
  • The complexities of serving meals and food hygiene.
  • Dealing with intimate care issues, medical or first aid procedures.
  • Dealing with children who require support for emotional difficulties or behaviours through physical intervention.
  • The separation of groups already undertaking childcare and present in the school currently - operating in ‘bubbles’ so as not to mix pupils and staff.
  • The capacity to operate ‘bubbles’ appropriately with the levels of staff available.
  • Giving the children a sterile school experience that they are unaccustomed to.

  We will therefore be writing to year 6 parents when we return after half term to outline what the education offer will look like and asking if they will take up a place.  Parents and carers are best placed to make this decision and no family will be penalised for non-attendance in these instances. Once we have the numbers of pupils, we can work to further explore safety measures, the deployment of staff and the timing of a return for year 6.

  We are aware that across our Trust there is currently not a great confidence among most parents to return to school. In our OWL Trust parent survey last week, only 19% indicated they would return but we understand this may change. Similarly, it is important that our staff are confident in their working practices and we will be looking to their experience to further inform our safety planning. We plan to discuss safety protocols with all our staff during the week of the 1^st June 2020 and utilise this first week back after half term in order to prepare the environment for future returning pupils.  

  After returning from the half term break, we will continue to offer childcare for key workers and vulnerable pupils if required/ essential. They will operate in isolation of any future returning group.  Numbers in this provision will have to also be continually risk assessed and managed by school staff safely before the subsequent year 6 group. We know also that the return of year 6 is likely to greatly increase the numbers in our schools. Once we have had time to evaluate the success of our first wave of returning pupils, we will then consider the next groups that the government intend to return. Suffice to say, we do not envisage a return for all pupils by the end of the summer term. These decisions will be based upon our daily monitoring, the advice we receive and in consultation with all stakeholders (including the OWL Trust Board) - so that we are sure the safety of pupils and staff is not compromised.

  Please continue to look to the website, Twitter and for emails from school for further information on this fluid situation. Please do not send your child to school until we have communicated directly with you regarding their individual return date and instructions.

  We thank you for your continued support at this difficult time.

  Yours faithfully,

  Julie Stuart, Headteacher Throckley Primary School

  Mark Outterside, Headteacher Westerhope Primary School

  Craig Heeley, Headteacher Lemington Riverside Primary School

  Suzanne Richardson, Headteacher Milecastle Primary School

  Wendy Leeming, Headteacher Waverley Primary School

  Mick MingStones, Headteacher West Denton Primary School

  Louise Thompson, Headteacher Simonside Primary School

  Stuart Pickup, Headteacher Newburn Manor Primary School

  Liz Simpson, Headteacher Knop Law Primary School