Dear Parents and Carers

SATs Week – Year 6

We are immensely proud to report that our year 6 children have completed the SATs tests throughout this week. The children have conducted themselves exceptionally throughout the six test periods and despite what we know to be some very challenging test papers, they have shown both maturity and determination to give their best efforts.

As adults we have all grown through our own formal education and I am sure that we can all recall the many tests and exams that we have undertaken. For our year 6 children these are the first formal assessments and for many they have been challenging in terms of both the content and the experience. We have this week seen all children show determination and courage to give their best. For some, academic learning is far from easy, and they have had to dig deep to find the courage to overcome their nerves and worries, and we admire their resilience and maturity. A huge well done to all of our year 6 superstars!

I would also like to thank our Governors for their generous support in helping us to administer the SATs test this week, their commitment to the school is very much appreciated.

Sports Stars

On Tuesday our Year 5 and 6 children took part in the first week of the cricket league at Bedminster cricket club. Much fun was had! Thank you to all the staff and parents and carers who made this possible. We look forward to hearing how they get on next week.

Year 2 Beggar Bush

Our annual Beggar Bush outdoor learning started on Monday. Our year 2 children had a wonderful day minibeast hunting, animal den building and of course one of the Christ Church School favourites … marshmallow toasting! It is great to be able to offer these enrichment activities for our children that are subsidised by Clifton College, the PTA and of course the voluntary contributions from parents and carers. 

Uniform

A polite reminder that we do expect children to be in the correct uniform every day. PE kit is only to be worn on PE days. We are seeing some children coming into school in their own clothes, please can you support with this at home. If you need support with uniform do please come and talk to the school office or send an email as we do have spare uniform in school and we can support. Finally, summer uniform is grey shorts, boys and girls and blue gingham dresses/shorts. No open toe sandals or crocs. Thank you for your continued support.

Assessments

Next week and into early term 6 each class will be carrying out assessments to help support teaching and learning. As always at Christ Church School these are done in a very supportive way and are nothing for the children to worry about. They are an important part of supporting children with next steps and for teachers to use to plan the curriculum for Term 6.

Attendance

Every day, for every child, being in school makes a positive difference to the children’s lives. As we all know, absence through illness is unavoidable and an unfortunate part of life, but avoidable and unauthorised absence can never be acceptable. There are many stark and worrying statistics that indicate the potential damage that absence can have on a child. Persistent absence is of particular concern and even a small number of days each year can build to a level of concern that, as a school, we want to help to avoid.

The impact of absence – the following are some of the defined negative impacts of absence:

• Falling behind in learning creates gaps in knowledge and skills
• Reduced academic achievement
• Absence leads eventually to lower exam results
• Children can have difficulty making and keeping friendships
• An increased likelihood of antisocial behaviour in later years
• Missing school can lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety and can impact on mental health

At Christ Church School, children flourish through the commitment that you as parents and carers provide and we are grateful for the very good attendance that we see everyday. You are making a huge difference to your children’s future – thank you. We do understand the pressures and balance of life and would like to assure you that we are here to support you in any way we can to ensure that your child’s attendance is the best it can possibly be. If you feel that there is any help we can provide in this respect, please get in touch and we will make every effort to work with you to provide the future your child deserves.

Notices

You may remember that I wrote to you some time ago to ask for your support in ensuring that all children are in school on time every day. We noticed an immediate improvement in the reduction of lateness at this time and that this was evident in the ability of staff to welcome and settle the children and begin the teaching with urgency and consistency.

Unfortunately, this issue is again emerging and I would again respectfully ask that you please arrive at 08:45 when the staff team can welcome you and support any conversations that you need. The gates are locked at 08:55, parents arriving close to this time should not expect to have conversations with staff at the classroom door as they need to begin the school day with the children.

I wish you a wonderful weekend of sunshine ahead and look forward to the final week before the coming half-term. I would also politely remind you that on Friday 23^rd May, the school is closed to pupils.

Kind regards

Mark Oldfield

Inset and Academy days for the rest of the year (training for school staff - children are not in school on these days):

• Friday 23rd May - Academy day
• Monday 21st July - Inset day
• Tuesday 22nd July - Inset day

INSET AND ACADEMY DAYS FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR

• Tuesday 2nd September - Inset day 
• Wednesday 3rd September - Inset day

That’s right we have been busy creating, playing and learning in our dynamic dino way!

At the start of the week, an exciting egg-shaped parcel came from a dino delivery service and we thought about how we would look after our rare pet! We read the super book ‘How to Look After Your Dinosaur’ by Jason Cockcroft which helped us think of even more ideas that we used in our wonderful writing.

On Tuesday we thought about how times have changed since our grandparents or relatives were children. We started to think of some questions we would like to ask them about life when they were five years old.

For art we looked at colour mixing this week and enjoyed making new colours to paint our dinosaurs. We made orange, green, purple and pink and loved mixing our paints together and watching the colours change.

In maths we have been exploring grouping. We have been putting farm animals into small groups of two or three and seeing how many groups we can make from a given number.

What a wonderful week! Well done everyone!

Reception Team

This week in literacy, we completed fact files on the one and only Isambard Kingdom Brunel and discussed how he has impacted our local area. We wrote some facts about his life, where he grew up, and of course some of his inventions! Did you know that Brunel kept a sandwich under his top hat?

Is music we concluded our unit on pitch and temp using the theme of superheroes. We worked in groups to compose and perform a short superhero theme tune using glockenspiels.

In maths we have been learning to find and compare capacity using non-standard units. We made the most of the lovely sunshine this week by getting outside and exploring capacity using a variety of different size and shaped containers.

Finally, in science we have been keeping a close eye on our nasturtium seeds which are beginning to pop out of the soil. We have also taken a closer look at different plants this week by studying and labelling the different parts of the plant including stem, flower, leaf and roots. We have started to distinguish between the different types of trees i.e. evergreen and deciduous.

Year 2 had a fantastic trip to Beggar Bush this week, to complete their Forest School activities. The children immersed themselves in nature and enjoyed a variety of hands-on experiences designed to build confidence, teamwork, and a love of the outdoors. One of the highlights was den building, where pupils worked together to create sturdy shelters using branches, leaves, and plenty of imagination!

The fun didn’t stop there—our mini beast hunt had everyone exploring the woodland floor in search of insects and creepy crawlies, sparking lots of curiosity and excitement. We finished the day gathered around a cosy campfire, toasting marshmallows and reflecting on our favourite moments. It was a fantastic day out that encouraged exploration, resilience, and appreciation for the natural world.

Well done Year 2 – it was fantastic to see you representing our school so beautifully.

Quotes from the day

“I like making dens. The animals would like to sleep there because it is so cosy.” Alice 

“I like the marshmallows!” Audrey 

Year 3 had a special opportunity to take part in a thoughtful and engaging Prayer Workshop led by Pastor Ruthy. The workshop was a chance for pupils to explore what prayer means to different people, regardless of their background, beliefs, or faith traditions.

Together, the children reflected on what prayer is and why it is important to so many people around the world. Pastor Ruthy helped the children understand how Christians view prayer. The children learned about some of the most well-known Christian prayers, including The Lord’s Prayer and discussed how such prayers are shared and spoken by many people around the world.

We also looked at why people pray. The children were fascinated to learn about the different objects or symbols people might hold while they pray: such as prayer beads, candles, or items with personal or spiritual significance.

The workshop encouraged deep thinking, respect for others and an appreciation of both shared and individual experiences of prayer and reflection. We're incredibly proud of Year 3 for approaching the session with such curiosity, kindness, and openness.

This week in Year 4, we've been racing against the clock—literally! In maths, we've mastered the skill of telling time in all its forms, from reading traditional analogue clocks to converting between 12-hour and 24-hour digital formats. Whether it's 3:15 PM or 15:15, we’ve got it covered! The children have shown real perseverance and have become true Time Agents, ready to take on any time-telling challenge that comes their way.

Over in literacy, our young inventors have been busy designing the next top-secret tools for none other than Spy Fox himself. From laser-firing sunglasses to grappling hook toothbrushes, their imagination has been sky-high! We’ve explored the features of explanation texts, using technical vocabulary to explain how our gadgets work—just in case Spy Fox needs a backup plan. Let’s just say Q from the spy films would be impressed!

In art, we’ve taken a step away from espionage and into the world of still life. Armed with pencils and a keen eye, we applied our knowledge of sketching and shading to draw detailed pictures of fruit and... our very own shoes! The results were a-peel-ing (see what we did there?), and the level of concentration and creativity in the room was amazing. Another fantastic week of learning, creating, and clock-watching in Year 4!

Year 5 have been diving into the bold, colourful world of Pop Art this week, with a special focus on the iconic work of Andy Warhol. Known for transforming everyday objects into striking works of art, Warhol’s famous soup can prints have served as the perfect inspiration for our budding artists.

In art lessons, children explored Warhol's unique style, discussing his use of bright colours, repetition, and popular culture. They were especially fascinated by how Warhol turned something as simple as a can of soup into a world-famous image.

The highlight of the unit has been learning the technique of screen printing. After designing their own soup can images, pupils carefully layered colours and patterns to create vibrant, Warhol-style prints. The process was hands-on, messy at times, and lots of fun – but most importantly, it gave the children a real sense of achievement as they saw their prints come to life.

The final pieces are bold, bright, and bursting with personality – just like Warhol himself would have wanted!

This week, Year 6 have shown resilience and determination as they completed their SATs. We are so proud of their hard work and positive attitude!

We had a final session on our train station designs and Mrs Jordan, our School Business Manager, who is a trained architect, very kindly gave feedback to everyone. She was most impressed by the high standard of EVERYONE’s designs.

“What wonderful creative work!  It was very hard to pick between them as all had great elements.  Well done to everyone for their hard work and commitment to the project – definitely some great budding architects, engineers, builders, interior designers in the making!”

Well done, Year 6!

Our girls' cricket teams had a brilliant day on Friday last week at the round-robin tournament held at Bedminster Cricket Club. With the sun shining and spirits high, both teams showcased great enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the day. It was fantastic to see the players developing their cricket skills and growing in confidence with each match. The event provided a wonderful opportunity to learn, compete, and most importantly, have fun. A big well done to all involved!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Grownups Quiz Night! It was a success, raising a lovely chunk of money for the school. 

Our next event, and the BIGGEST of the year is Campfest 2025!! Please save the date and details to book will follow soon.

Please note the date below should read 2025!

This event is LEGENDARY and the kids absolutely love it so don’t miss out!

Thank you all

"The PTA committee’

For a limited time, enjoy 20% off all orders online and in-store – perfect for getting a head start on back-to-school shopping and saving money!

20% Off All Orders

• Start Date: Monday, 19th May – Limited time Only!

Extended Returns

• Start Date: 6^th May
• End Date:  12^th September

We’re here to make uniform shopping as simple and stress-free as possible. Happy shopping!