This week at Pathway 06.5.24

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     ​