Education

Education PRIMARY SCHOOL

PLAY SCHOOL NOTRE ECOLE PLAYGROUP LITTLE HANDS MVC VILLAGE COLLEGE U3A

EDUCATION

Little Hands Karen 01763 260964

Melbourn Playgroup Claire Armstrong and Jennie Riggs 01763 223459 07842 151512

Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231

Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457 U3A (Univ. of Third Age) Chairman Tony Garrick 01223 510201 Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400

Melbourn Playgroup and Out of School Club

Over the summer we have been sprucing up our garden room. It has had a makeover, and we must thank Pete Allison and Ian Cross for their hard work and inspiration in making the room look fantastic in its new colours of green and blue.

As well as the painting, we have been cleaning, sorting and mending, making sure both rooms were ready for the children.

September is always a busy time for us at Playgroup and this year it has been just as busy. It has been lovely to see all the children who have returned after the summer break. We have welcomed lots of new children and are looking forward to getting to know them and their families.

We opened our doors to current, new and prospective parents for an open evening on 22nd September, giving them the opportunity to meet our staff and have a look around both rooms and the garden. We hope this has helped parents to feel more included in their child’s journey. Don’t worry if you missed out, we are planning on opening our doors on another evening in June or July. We will post this on our Facebook page and website when a date has decided.

Covid restrictions have reduced a little and as of writing we are now able to mix the children. We remain in two rooms but are spending some time out in the garden all together, which both the staff and children have enjoyed. We continue to keep up with cleaning and hand washing to reduce the spreading of germs.

Moos – Our afterschool club welcomes school-aged children from years 3 – 6. Please contact us to book your child’s place: moos@melbournplaygroup. org.uk or call 01763 223459. MOOS is a fun, free-flow play environment which we believe our children greatly enjoy. If you have a child who is ready for playgroup, please contact us on 01763 223459 or email: office@melbournplaygroup.org.uk Please visit our website: www.melbournplaygroup.co.uk for more information including details of our opening times and fees. Jennie and Claire – Playgroup Managers Nikki and Natalie – MOOS Managers

September 2021 was trailed as ‘back to normal’ for schools around the country. We began with an induction day for Year 7s, delayed from June of Year 6 when visits weren’t allowed. Many excited but slightly anxious faces greeted staff and year 11 prefects outside the front of school as we welcomed them into our school community. Over the next couple of days, they were joined by the rest of the school; a phased start to term to allow for the obligatory Covid-testing. Once again, as in March, our amazing team of volunteers from the local community ensured that testing was a simple and straightforward experience for all pupils.

Also postponed from the Summer term were year group trips. Again, September gave us the chance to make up for lost time. Year 11 enjoyed a trip to Southend-on-Sea, Year 8 played Jurassic Links Adventure Golf at Kingsway Golf Centre in Melbourn, Year 9 visited Shepreth Wildlife Park to learn about the animals and wildlife conservation and Year 10 had fun at Gravity Trampoline Park in Stevenage.

More trips took place after half term as part of our inclusive sports week for pupils with SEND. Three events included a trip to Clip and Climb in Cambridge, a Panathlon Challenge, and a Colour Run at Milton Country Park. Meanwhile, back at school, other pupils had an opportunity to take part in inclusive/adapted sports during PE lessons.

Enrichment activities were back up and running from the start of term with plenty of activities for pupils to choose from including Multi-Sports, Hockey, Badminton, Table Tennis, Netball, Rugby, Sewing and Craft Club, Show Band, Choir, Science Club, Electronics, Creative Writing, Running Club and Minecraft Club.

This term has also seen some notable sporting endeavours and achievements. Congratulations to Matt L (Year 11) who made his debut in adult cricket for Reed CC, contributing a fluent 26 not out with the bat and a very economical 1-8 off 5 overs. The Year 11 boys’ team progressed in the English Schools Football Association National Cup (ESFA) by convincingly beating local school King James Academy 5-0. After a valiant effort, our Year 10 boys’ football team bowed out of the English Schools Cup, losing narrowly to Haileybury Turnford School from Cheshunt. Mr Barlow was encouraged by how well the boys played; “to go down to a penalty and a fortunate strike from outside the box was frustrating”. Year 10 Sports Leaders, Philippa F, Emma B, Daisy N, Jessica B and Isabel S, successfully completed the Netball Youth Umpire Course and there are plans for a basketball activators’ course, rugby, dodgeball, football and first aid course.

It may only be the first term of the year but Year 11 pupils are already thinking about post-16 options. Over 100 of them attended our post-16 evening and had a chance to meet with post-16 provider staff to explore their options. Post-16 progression for MVC pupils with special needs was highlighted recently when the Student Support Centre took delivery of a garden shed made by co-workers at the Phoenix Trust – a social enterprise charity offering experience of the world of work to young people and adults with a range of learning disabilities, mental health and/or behavioural issues. Former MVC pupil, Ewan W, helped to make the shed which will be used to store tools used for bespoke gardening lessons. “Enterprises such as Phoenix help our pupils with moderate to severe learning disabilities see a pathway for them post-16” said Mrs Ghale, SENCO/Skills Base Lead.

The Summer of 2021 saw our first cohort of pupils complete their Mandarin GCSE courses. Results were extremely encouraging and we were delighted that some pupils wanted to continue their studies to A-level. To ensure the highest quality of provision and to continue our commitment to these pupils, their A-level at Comberton Sixth Form is being delivered by our expert MVC teachers.

One of our Trust’s principles is to have our college at the centre of the Community. We were therefore delighted to welcome Community Education back into the college at the end of September with courses such as British Sign Language, DIY, Drawing, Cookery, Yoga and Ghost Hunting. Other community activities included hosting the NHS Flu vaccination, Breast Screening Unit, and the Cambridge & District MG Club who started their Autumn Leaves Rally from the college. This year they were supporting Guide Dogs for the Blind and we enjoyed meeting the puppies in the school hall, while having coffee and a bacon roll, before the drivers headed off to Jordan’s Mill in Biggleswade. The MG Club made a very generous donation to the school funds and we look forward to welcoming them back in February for their Snowdrop Run.

Construction of the new £800,000 4G artificial pitch is nearing completion, and on track to finish at the end of November. As we write this, the stones and tarmac have been laid and the contractors have started installing the artificial grass carpets. Flood lighting is up and the landscaping is underway. Pupils are very much looking forward to using the 100m x 64m floodlit pitch for lessons and enrichment sessions, and it will also be a fantastic facility for the local community.

Looking forwards we have plans to redevelop our Food and Nutrition room in the Summer of 2022, giving this popular and important subject the high-quality facilities and resources it deserves. This is an exciting time to be a part of the MVC community, and part of our commitment to our next generation of pupils and to the wider community.