Message from the Executive Headteacher
 
It’s been another productive and successful week in our schools, with the Year 6 SATs being the high-profile event. These national assessments require children to take a series of tests throughout the week.
 
In each school, children arrived early for a complimentary SATs breakfast. These breakfasts have become a rite of passage and something that children dearly look forward to. Spending time with friends, chatting with trusted adults and enjoying an energy-dense breakfast is the perfect way to both relax and prepare for a challenging test.
 
We are all so proud of our children for how they have engaged this week. They have given it their all and can be assured that no more is expected of them. Whatever the outcome, they know that they have worked hard in the build-up, prepared at length and have achieved something great in undertaking the tests. My sincere thanks also go to our remarkable staff. They have all worked so hard this week to ensure that children have been able to enjoy and achieve and to provide some additional treats too! These tests can be highly pressurised and I know that we do a really great job in keeping this pressure to a minimum. Well done everyone!
 
Elsewhere this week, we have hosted two local governing body meetings, in which PE and sport were the focus for discussion. Active and healthy living are central in the lives of our schools and we are always looking to improve our offer to children and families. We are so lucky to have Mrs Edwards and Mr Wright, at Morda and Whittington respectively, to take a day-to-day lead on PE provision and in generally getting children moving as much as we can.
 
On Wednesday, teachers from both schools attended training on computing. As you will already know, this is a priority across both of our schools for this year and teachers are strengthening their knowledge in order to be better able to support children in class.
 
The musical visitors at Whittington provided a majestic performance of Vivaldi on Thursday and I strongly recommend purchasing tickets for the Whittington Music Festival if you’re able to!
 
This half term really is flying by. We have one more week before the summer half term break and we intend to fill every minute with purposeful and enjoyable learning.
 
Have a wonderful weekend.
 
Mr Carl Rogers
Executive Headteacher

Morda

As you will probably know, this week year 6 children all over England have been taking the Key stage 2 SATS tests this week.
 
Here at Morda, we try to make the week as enjoyable as possible.  Year 6 have worked incredibly hard and been very focused and conscientious in their attitude to the tests. However, they have also had a lovely time arriving early for a delicious SATS breakfast of cereal, fruit, pain au chocolate, pancakes - with a fair bit of syrup - chocolate sauce and squirty cream, as a special treat! After the tests were over, on Thursday the class enjoyed Sports leadership activities on the field, ready for our Be Active Week and Sport Day and on Friday they had a special celebratory Forest School session. Well done Year 6! We are so proud of you!
 
This week staff from Morda and Whittington had another after school Computing CPD session.  
 
Art Cub have been focusing on portrait painting this half term. They have now completed some wonderful self-portraits, which are displayed in the STEAM room. Mrs Vaughan, our artist in residence, who runs art club, will be entering the portraits into a Shropshire painting competition.
 
On Thursday, members of the Year 6 Worship group led a very lively multi-lingual assembly on Pentecost. I believe that at least twelve languages were spoken in the assembly!
 
Some excellent Historical Fiction writing, by pupils from year 5 and 6, has been entered into the History Association Historical Fiction competition. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the judges are as impressed as we were by the fantastic writing. Winners will be announced in September.
 
On Friday morning, Bluebells class (Reception children) and children from Morda Preschool had a lovely, shared Forest School session getting to know new children and enjoying playing together in the Forest School Area

The summer term if flying by, with only a week until our half term holiday.
Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Helen Chapman
Head of School 

Message from the Executive Headteacher

It’s been a shortened week in our schools in light of the Bank Holiday weekend. The extra day seemed to give everyone a refreshing break and a subsequent boost in effort this week! The beautiful weather has made us all feel ready for summer and the fun that the season brings.
 
Our many sports clubs have made the most of the weather to enjoy some outdoor activity, and the children have been getting out on to the school fields. Our KS1 Athletics Team at Whittington put their sporting practice to the test at this week’s Indoor Athletics competition. There was lots of individual and team success. Well done everyone!
 
We were delighted to welcome our friends, Justin and Sherrie, from Borderlands Rotary, to our schools this week. We are excited to be part of the Rotakids project and to support community action and other initiatives.
 
Next week is SATs week. During this week our Year 6 children will undertake tests in English, Grammar and Punctuation (EGPS); reading and mathematics. The children will be enjoy a special SATs breakfast through the week as we look to support them to do their best and take the pressure away as best we can. In speaking to the children this week, it is clear that we are getting the balance right.
 
Schools are sometimes criticised for placing too much pressure on children through standardised testing, and this is a challenge considering that these are national tests that schools have to deliver. At the other extreme are those who say that SATs don't matter. For us, SATs should never cause undue stress to children, though some of this is beyond our control, and it's also not fair to say that they don't matter.
 
Children work so hard in seven years of primary learning and the SATs are an opportunity to show off their progress. If children embrace the tests as a way to do their best and celebrate what they have been learning, then the week can be, and usually is, an enjoyable experience.
 
We wish all of our Year 6 children the best of luck for next week.
 
Have a wonderful weekend.

​Mr Carl Rogers
Executive Headteacher

Morda

​It has been a lovely sunny week at Morda. Children have been really enjoying being outside for PE, Forest School and of course their well-deserved breaktimes. We are hoping that the good weather will continue, so please make sure your child comes to school with a sunhat, sun cream and a water bottle.
 
This week, we had a great assembly from members of the International Rotary Club. We are proud to have joined the international Rota Kids community of schools. Rota kids encourages children to take part in projects which put ‘service before self ’ and help improve the local community and the environment. Children came up with lots of ideas for things we could do. Our Year 6 School Council will be planning and organising projects to improve our school environment and help our community during the rest of  the summer term, and we hope to compete in the Rota Kids competition for the best project next academic year.
 
Many children are enjoying being active outdoors our free after-school summer sports clubs this term. If you would like your child to take part in the next half term’s clubs please let admin know asap as places book up quickly!
 
Mrs Humphreys and I were interviewed by the authors of ‘Try This’ in New Zealand early on Thursday morning. The team were interested to find out about all the fantastic drama learning that Morda children have done. The interview was filmed and will be shared with an international community of teachers as Morda is a leading school in Mantle of the Expert and Dramatic Inquiry.  
 
All the classes are working hard as usual, but please spare a thought for our fantastic year 6 pupils, who are in the final phase of revision for next week’s SATS tests. They have all worked incredibly hard and I’m sure they will achieve their best next week. This week they have enjoyed some relaxing Forest School time after all that hard work!
 
Mrs Helen Chapman
Head of School     ​