Dear Parents and Carers,
It really has been another fantastic and busy week at Pilton Bluecoat, full of learning, enjoyment and community spirit.
A huge thank you to Kate Dadswell for hosting the Rotary Readers training this week, and an equally big thank you to all of our volunteers who generously give up their time to support reading across the school. We know just how powerful regular reading is in shaping a child’s progress and confidence, and we truly value your commitment.
To help make this initiative as successful as possible, please can we ensure that children come into school every day with both:
• Their Accelerated Reader book
• Their free choice reading book
From a Home Learning perspective, we know that little and often is most effective. Short, regular opportunities to read and practise maths at home help to consolidate learning while keeping expectations manageable for families. Teachers will follow up with children about a week later to see how they have got on and to celebrate their efforts and successes. These habits not only support academic progress but also help to prepare children for life by developing independence and responsibility.
We have continued to invest heavily in IT to support high-quality learning. This week we are taking delivery of 30 new Chromebooks, allowing us to replace older devices and ensure we are fully equipped across the school to support children’s learning effectively.
Our Year 4 children had a wonderful time at the tennis festival held at Tarka Tennis this week. They were a real credit to the school, showing excellent behaviour, strong encouragement for one another and fantastic effort throughout. We are incredibly proud of them.
We believe strongly in supporting teachers coming into the profession. This week, we hosted a two-day training placement for trainee teachers from the SWIFT teacher training programme. They observed lessons, taught sessions, and received constructive feedback from our staff. Our children were brilliant ambassadors for the school, engaging so positively in the sessions and helping to make the experience a valuable one for everyone involved.
Huge congratulations to Lauren and her wonderful kitchen team, who have achieved a 5-star food hygiene rating. This is a fantastic achievement and very well deserved.
Our current whole-school attendance stands at 94.9%. While this is encouraging, we must continue to emphasise how important regular attendance is. Every day missed from school is lost learning, and persistent lateness also has a significant impact on children’s progress, confidence and sense of belonging. Thank you for your continued support in helping children arrive on time, every day.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mat Harts
Head of School
