Summer News - 25 July 2008

• Coming to the end of another school year sees us completing the full two-year curriculum cycle put in place after the school system review of 2006. Our excellent SAT’s results (both individually and as a group for Year 2) show that the confidence shown by Ofsted in our inspection half-way through this cycle was not misplaced.
• Our Wishing tree was completed and installed in the small orchard at the front of the school, all children having made at least one wish and many more wishes were added to our end of term chocolate cake!

• Our Partnership colleagues from Emberton School visited to meet our two new Teddies ‘Shemberton’ and ‘Emberington’ who will be our travelling ambassadors during the coming year. We had an interesting day filled with curriculum activities to foster individual as well as institutional links.
• Leaver’s assembly was a successful conclusion to the ‘first’ school careers of our oldest pupils as they prepare to move on to junior schools and their wider circles of friends and greater challenges in the curriculum. With an excellent set of SAT’s results behind them Year 2’s preparation has been broad and thorough. Their successes represent the results of an unbroken journey of educational provision from the home through Pre-School and so to their time with us. It was pleasing that members of the Pre-School attended the assembly, along with invited members of the community and regular ‘helpers’. Well done and good luck Alex, Taylor, Alexandra, Olivia F, Olivia G, Josephine, Eleanor, Gabriel, Kaden, Ross, Charlotte, Frances and Laura. But of course we also have to say goodbye and a big thank you to their parents who have supported their children and the school along this road and, in particular, those who gave their time and creative energies to the PTFA. But as with other living organisations we also grow with the induction of our new cohort and welcome Ivo, Alexander, Mackenzie, Georgina, Harvey, Asha, Roshni, Fabien and Zak to our school.

• Sports evening was a friendly and suitably competitive event. The ‘Yellow’ team won by a small margin overall but the ‘BLUE’ and ‘Red’ teams were not second by any measure of effort or sportsmanship. Mrs Feasey calculated the final scores and presented her eponymous trophy. Many thanks again to the PTFA for refreshments and organisational fervour.
• Headteacher Mrs Arlene Bourne comments; “The completion of another school year sees us saying goodbye to a cohort of young people who have been a credit to themselves, their families and our school. It has also seen us move to Partnership with our friends and colleagues at Emberton School and the beginning stages of making this an active and productive relationship. I would like to thank the Governors and regular visitors who have helped the school to consolidate and grow during recent years. A big thank you also to all others who have supported the school; in your many ways, you continue to enrich the lives of the children who are with us for such a brief but foundation-building stage of their educational careers. We look forward to a restful summer break until school resumes on Tuesday 2nd September.”

  25 June 2008

• Having achieved our National Healthy School status this year we are the first MK school to have been subject to a follow-up ‘moderation’ of our commitment to this strand of the Every Child Matters agenda. After talking to staff and reviewing evidence the rest of the visit was conducted by pupils in a ‘walk-about’ session. Terry Brown and Jo Miller from the Local Authority were;
  “... particularly impressed by: The direct involvement of pupils in growing and cooking vegetables; The pupils' ability to talk about their involvement in decision making in the school; The use of the new shed to store outdoor play equipment and bicycles, which has encouraged greater physical activity both on the way to school and at break times. Please pass on our thanks to the pupils involved in the visit.”
• Springwatch came to Sherington School this term but without Oddie’s oddities or Humble’s hair. Our nest box near the front of the school successfully fledged a family of Great Tits (avoiding several regular visiting cats), unfortunately at a time unseen by the children. Year 1 and Reception have added to the facilities during wood-working week by constructing some nest boxes for the grounds. The children chose potential inhabitants and were then guided to make an appropriate potential home. Woodpeckers, starlings, owls, robins, tits, bats, bees (Mason and Bumble), hedgehogs - they will all be welcome to move in to new accommodation should they so please.
• Sculptor Richard Frost worked with the whole school to make us an additional tree for the orchard at the front of the school with each child having a wish to complement the ‘wishing tree’ as we chose to call it. This will undoubtedly spark further adventures in the Art curriculum for the rest of this term. See the photos below.
• The same theme was extended in Literacy with a booktalk by Paul Dorsey from the School Library Service to involve us in the city-wide reading initiatives for this summer.
• Year 2 ‘sailed’ through SAT’s and are preparing to think about transition to their next schools. Teacher’s from Tickford Park School have made a transition visit and futher liaison events are planned. Year 1 continue to live in Literary ‘Fantasy Worlds’ with student Amy Jolliffe and the Reception children have been making magic potions and spells to transform friends and relations into all sorts of creatures. Watch out Hogwarts.
• Other news; Following a very successful series of Pre-School visits our Induction Programme for new entrants is well under way and the new school beckons in our preparations. Lydia’s Recorder Club continues to warble at lunch times (rumours of a concert are floating in the air). Coach Nigel from Olney Tennis Club has been offering some extra tuition in the PE Curriculum as well as his after school club. Lisa continues to be imaginative and skilled into turning our own healthy produce into tasty supplements to lunch-time (ever heard of rhubarb ‘flump’? -it’s great with custard CS). A very big thank you from our whole-school community to the magnificent PTFA who have added so much to our curriculum this year (see the PTFA page).
• We said ‘Goodbye’ to Miss Amy Jolliffe after a particularly successful teaching practice and she takes all our best wishes back to the University of Northampton for her further studies.

  31 May 2008

• Ever since the change in age of transfer when we 'lost' Year 3 to the next phase of education in Junior Schools an ever-present question has been that of school numbers. While our forthcoming intake is 'healthy' we may have hit upon a new idea to raise enrolment.
• Hatch them out! Yes, our school roll was enlarged by 30% when we had a successful hatching of chicks in the incubator which we raised until they needed to go back to the farm. Some excellent PSHE learning about caring for the vulnerable emerged in discussion as well as non¬fiction writing to record the various stages of development.
• We welcome Miss Amy Jolliffe from the University of Northampton who will be working alongside Mr Storey and Year 1 for three weeks after half-term.
• Our re-located and refurbished play-house has proved to be a popular site for playtime conversations in the 'Quiet Garden'. Our summer Pre-School liaison sessions have been very successful with their Foundation Stage Year 1 pupils taking advantage of our facilities for environmental studies, information technology, sports and personal & social development. They had three fine mornings with our Reception (Foundation Stage Year 2) cohort and made successful forays into our early years facilities. Our formal induction programme now begins for those children registered to start school in September.
• We look forward to a three-day visit from sculptor Richard Frost after half term and the many integrated opportunities for learning that this will offer.
• Our many Healthy School activities were validated by the first Local Authority Moderation of this area of the curriculum. Growing and cooking healthy food, expanded and diverse PE activities including cycling or walking to school, excellent PSI-1E Curriculum provision and the 'Pupil Voice' project. The moderators spent time talking with staff and interviewing children who gave them a tour of the school. Well done children.

  5 May 2008

• On a nice warm May Bank Holiday Monday (5 May), the children put on a fine display of traditional English dancing around the Maypole on The Knoll, with a little help from staff past and present, and watched by a large crowd of parents and other villagers. Mr Storey had the difficult job of ensuring the ribbons didn't get tangled between dances. The PTFA were on hand to provide refreshments and Phil Smith was Master of Ceremonies.
  More photos - Video clips

  1 May 2008

  Sherington School Partnership With Emberton School

• The Sherington Governors are delighted to announce an exciting new development for Sherington CE School. Starting from the beginning of the summer term 2008 we will be entering into a partnership with Emberton School, to run initially for four terms until the end of the Summer term 2009.
• Partnerships are a well established method for schools to work together to improve the quality of education and the school experience for their pupils. The governors believe that this is a great opportunity to take Sherington School forward and to further develop the excellent current standards by partnering with another very successful small village school. Emberton School is very similar to Sherington in its ethos and culture, and in its commitment to the benefits of a smal village school. The partnership arrangement was communicated initially to parents in March, and has subsequently been communicated to the wider community.
• Further background and explanation on the arrangement and the benefits for the school and its pupils can be found in the Letters to Parents and Questions and Answers which are attached. If you require further information, please contact the school using the contact details on this site.

More information: Questions and Answers - Letter to Parents

  Easter Update 2008

• Easter bonnets and egg rolling.....

  20 March 2008

• So sang the children last week when the frogs appeared in the pond in their croaky multitude and left us with buckets of spawn to watch over to maturity. The nature areas around the pond should give them a flying (hopping?) start in life.
• Miss Parella completed her school practice with us achieving an excellent result with which to start her final ‘block’ next year. We wished her well and sent her off to university with a card, gifts and our many thanks for some inspiring work. Almost her last task was to organise our successful trip to Bedford Toy Museum where we had an intensive morning looking at specimen old toys as well as some ‘hands on’ experience with facsimiles.
• This was swiftly followed by a visit from Mrs Alena Jolley of Haversham School (artist in residence) who helped the children explore textiles through weaving individual and collective pieces. Alena was very complimentary about the attitude, politeness and volume of work the children achieved in her two days with us. Well done children and watch this space for future artistic endeavours.

• Lisa’s cooking through stories has not only enriched the Literacy curriculum, inspired some lovely cooperation but also prepared tasty snacks for others (think Elmer the elephant and his teddy bear shaped biscuits or ‘sailing boat’ rolls from Max and the wild things).
• Such were very welcome when we returned from our first Geography ‘field trip’ of the new year looking at road safety and car parking around the village. As well as the practical life-saving aspects of traffic safety the walk also yielded additional Literacy and Numercy opportunities back in the classroom.
• Our lunchtime recorder and French clubs continue to thrive; the former giving a fine performance at our Mother’s Assembly. A return visit from Mrs Pattison (PE specialist at Ousedale School) as well as a course in ‘touch rugby for Key Stage 1 by the coach from Olney Rugby Club have enlivened our PE provision no end.
• Our Easter Bonnet and egg-rolling extravaganza (resisted a pun there) was shared with Sherington Pre-School (prizes for all) and this will be the first of several liaison visits to ‘Big’ school before our induction programme for new pupils begins in earnest in the summer term.
• We look forward to some hens eggs arriving to hatch and chicks to care for as well as opportunities for children, staff and the community from our partnership with Emberton School.

  17 February 2008

• The somewhat dreary post Christmas half-term seems to be brightening as we write this news letter. Crocus, snowdrop and daffodils struggling to ‘get going’ and some pleasant, but chilly, sunny weather have allowed us to more easily enjoy the outdoor curriculum.
• One of the brighter elements has been the cry “Lisa’s cooking” - that’s Mrs Rogers to you. Now this is not just food this is .....SHERINGTON SCHOOL food. Leek and potato soup with cheesy scones, parsnip cake (think carrot cake, now swap carrots for parsnips), flapjacks, Chinese New Year spring rolls..... . All children having their turn and much fresh produce home-grown. (What can we do with beetroot Lisa?). Our new project Cooking with stories will start soon.

• Our Marie Curie pots of care daffodils have sprouted beautifully (thank you Mrs Noble, Mrs Vale and Reception) for organising this on our behalf.
• We say a temporary and heartfelt ‘farewell’ to Mrs Emma Ravilious our graduate HLTA who has started her maternity leave and carries with her our fondest best wishes and a gift from everyone at school.
• Mrs Bourne writes;
• “Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the ‘Pancake Party Service’ here. The pancakes were eaten with enthusiasm (of course!) and the understanding of Shrove Tuesday was translated into the children’s ‘Learning Journals’ – with the children who’d attended the service able to explain their understanding of the meaning very clearly to everyone else.
• On Friday 8th February we were visited by our School Improvement Partner, Mrs Gill Clarke, in her role of monitoring the quality of provision Sherington CE School gives. Mrs Clarke was very impressed by what she saw and the confident manner in which our youngest pupils were able to explain their work to her. She recognized and commented very positively that, even at 2:15 pm on a Friday afternoon, the children were all independently and effectively involved in their learning – a mark of the quality of our provision and standards. Well done children and Mr Storey for providing the opportunity for MK local authority to see what we can do.

• Our children experience many enriching opportunities to develop their reading and it has been a real pleasure to hear them read with such confidence, understanding and fluency. The weekly tests for Year 1 and Year 2 pupils have shown they are working really hard at learning their spellings and applying their phonic knowledge – WELL DONE, CHILDREN.
• The French and Recorder clubs continue to thrive and the children love to practice their ‘new words’ – so far Madame Bourne, Monsieur Storey and Madame Borner have heard the French translation for “hello”, “good morning” and “good afternoon” during registration time and lunchtimes are interspersed with discussions of the French for ‘apple’ or ‘cake’ or ‘sandwich’. We hope to hear a contribution from the Recorder group for our Mothers Assembly at the end of February.”

  25 January 2008

• By now it seems a long time past but if you want to see the cast pictures from our nativity play “Mary’s Knitting” you will find them on the school website (click here).
• Our children performed very well in their parts and the PTFA provided a seasonal snack of mince-pies and mulled wine. Thanks are due to all who helped (Mrs Feasey for the back-drop, Mrs Wing, Mrs Carew and Mrs Temple for the costumes). Following a moving Christingle Service in school with Mrs Fielding we ended the school term with a calming week of ‘normal’ work and an enjoyable party to start the domestic festivities.

• Just a brief note to highlight Celia Wing’s contributions to the school over the past seven years. Having decided to ‘retire’ from school-life, apart from special projects, (where have we heard this before Betty?) the school presented Celia with a ceramic frog to add to her unique collection. She also took our heartfelt thanks and good wishes for all she has done with us these past years.
• We also had a chance to complete the spending of our ‘Pumpkin Fund’ . In the summer we won first prize of £500 in a Healthy Eating contest for our pumpkin pie recipe. The final shopping list reads;
  • Gardening tools
  • Plant and seed supplies for the next year
  • Waterproof suits for outdoor activities
  • A £52 donation (£2 per child) to the Marie Curie Pots of care appeal whereby each child has a sponsored daffodil to take home and grow
• We begin the new term with a warm welcome for Ms Danica Parella, a BEd student from The University of Bedfordshire who will work with us throughout this term.
• Cornelius & Jones provided us with a running start in the first week of the new year with a performance and puppet workshop around an interesting version of “Jack & the Beanstalk” which we all enjoyed and found stimulating.

  New School Profile

• Each year schools are required to produce a document called the ‘School Profile’ (this has replaced the previous format of an annual Governors’ report to parents). Our new school profile(2006-2007) is now available as follows:
• On this website: School Profile page.
• On the DirectGov website: direct link to the School Profile page (also: Overview page)
• Alternatively you can download/print the PDF file.
• Copies are also available from school.

  2007-2008 Prospectus

• The new 2007-2008 Prospectus is now available for download. It is in Microsoft Word format (855KB).