FAREWELL YEAR 6
So here we are at the end of an era. Our fantastic year 6's have been working tirelessly throughout the year and achieved such great things through all their hard work and efforts. As a reward for their achievements, we took the year 6's to Southend on Sea to visit adventure island. The children had an absolute blast, fearlessly soaring around on the rides and enjoying the attrac-
before saying their goodbyes. The children will dine together in the lower hall and enjoy a healthy feast, followed by some games and activities, and a chance to take photos and sign shirts with their classmates at the end.
END OF SUMMER TERM School finishes 2.30PM Wednesday 20th July 2022
START OF AUTUMN TERM 2022-2023
Return to school Monday 5th September 2022
AUTUMN HALF TERM School finishes Friday 21st October 2022
Return to school Monday 31st October 2022
Please visit our school website for a full list of term dates www.oldpalaceprimary.co.uk
July, for their end your trip Reception went to Colchester Zoo. The zoo had many species from around the world. As we navigated our way around, we discovered many different habitats, from the humid home of the Komodo Dragons to an Africa plain (Kingdom of the Wild) home to white rhino, giraffes, ostrich, zebra and
The children were fascinated seeing some majestic animals including mandrills, giraffes, ostrich, elephants and Bailey the only remaining lion at the zoo. They even got the chance to be in close contact with a heard of goats when going through the African village walk way the goats were very keen to welcome the children.
The trip allowed the children an opportunity to link their class learning to real life experiences, for example exploring why giraffes are the tallest animals and identifying the similarities and differences between different animal groups, such as mammals, invertebrates and amphibian
The children had a fantastic day and lots of them were saying this was their best trip!
On Thursday 14th July our Parent Support Workers Shelly and Forida held a parents picnic in Bob’s Park from 12.30 2.30pm. We were lucky with such amazing weather and free vitamin D! Parent’s cooked fresh homemade delicious food to share with everyone to enjoy. Some parents played traditional Bangladeshi outdoor games. Those who attended had a lot of fun. Some parents who were working from home were able to join us for a short period too. Picnics are a really good way of bring everyone together. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it.
On Wednesday 6th July, Josh Price, Outreach Teacher from Phoenix provided support to parents on how to communicate and interact with their ASD child. They looked at zones of regulation and how these help children to communicate how they are feeling. Josh spoke to parents about the importance of routines. They also looked at sensory learning and the importance of sensory play. Parents really found the session beneficial. Thank you to all the parents who attended.
'Stop Breathe Think.' are a charity funded counselling service who offer counselling to 8 21 year olds and respond to all referrals within 24hrs, with no waiting lists. The sessions are free and remote (phone or online). If you feel your child would benefit you can sign up HERE
Best Song - 1O
Another year of fantastic performances was celebrated at the OPscars, returning after what can only be described as a global pandemic sized break.
Again, competition was high and spirits through the roof but these winners prevailed:
Most Loud and Clear 2B
Best KS2 Performances Zaynab and Hawa Year 5
Best Young Performers - Chris and Ziane RB
Best Acting - Yusra 1O
Clearest Narrators - 3D
Best Action Scene - 5C
Best Play - 1O - The Two Queens
Well done to the winners and everyone who performed this past year, and best of luck to the teachers in getting the pie out of their clothes.
The summer fete went ahead this morning but was reduced due to the extreme weather. The children were very sensible and had a wonderful time visiting the stalls and buying the bric-a-brac.
Thank you to the following companies for donating wonderful prizes and gifts which we used today:
Tesco Bromley by Bow, Clarus and Vision supply agency, Bearded Kitten production company, Stratford Centre, Genesis and Vue Cinema and the secret Cinema and Mr Ayaz Ejaz a parents who donated wonderful games for our raffles.
We had some beautiful cakes baked by some of our parents the grand winner was Faizah (3D) and Ayan (1O)'s mum who baked a beautiful chocolate cake and was the lucky winner of a food hamper from Earsham Street Deli. A big thank you to all the staff for supporting the event, struggling through the heat to make sure this was an enjoyable day for the children.
For their end of year trip, all of Year 1 went into central London for a workshop and picnic. During their trip they got to attend the Royal Mews, where they consolidated their learning about Queen Elizabeth, seeing some of the actual carriages the Queen has used for different occasions. At the end of the workshop, they went to visit the stables where they met 2 of the Queen's official horses, who have the important job of pulling the carriages along. The children were praised by staff for how they remained in total silence so not to scare the horses. Also, as part of their day, the children got to see Buckingham Palace, and some even saw the Changing of the Guards ceremony. The children were fascinated by the marching band. To celebrate the end of a successful year, the children got to enjoy a picnic at St James' Park, where we had parents join us too for the picnic. Throughout the day, members of the public praised how well the children behaved and their enthusiasm and knowledge about the Queen. Thank you to all the parents who came along and well done to all the Year 1 children and the team.
At Old Palace we are encouraging children to take part in the summer reading scheme which is run by the Idea stores. For 2022 the theme is science. It is encouraging children to see the science behind everything from fashion to technology, there are thousands of books in the libraries ready to be borrowed.
It’s easy join in:
Just visit an Idea Store or library and sign up or go to our website and join online HERE.
What your child will get?
Gadgeteers booklet
Borrow, read books and get stickers!
Gadgeteer pencils!
Finish the challenge and get a medal and a certificate!
The first 1000 children to finish the challenge will receive a gadgeteers book bag as well as the gold medal!
Children who take part in the Summer Reading Challenge:
• Are more enthusiastic about reading
• Maintain their reading confidence level over the holidays
• Boost their confidence and self esteem
On Monday the 11th of July, year 6 visited the the Barbican centre to further support their understanding of their art topic, including natural landscapes and how nature can live alongside human interference. They got to explore many interactive environments and even traverse different landscapes using technology. From the tallest trees to the deepest oceans. Thsi was a great trip which truly fostered the children’s imagination.
The School Governors wish all pupils and staff a very good summer holiday! A special mention to the Year 6 children who have worked so hard this year despite the challenges; we know that they will leave with good memories of their time at Old Palace.
The Governors would like to thank everyone who works at the school for their very hard work. We are sad to say goodbye to Mr Argent, Miss Conlon, Mr Jandrell & Mr Lampard who will be leaving Old Palace at the end of this term. We look forward to having all the staff and children back safe and well in September.
CORE VALUE AWARD - JULY 2022
The value of the month for June was FAIRNESS
Congratulations to:
Reception: RB Hafsa & RW Nafees
Year 1: 1D Khadijah & 1O Inaaya
Year 2: 2B Sameeha & 2H Maisha
Year 3: 3D Inaya & 3S Maryam K
Year 4: 4A Aamira & 4T Naomi
Year 5: 5C Ayesha & 5M Asma
Year 6: 6K Zain & 6Y Shamira
Some of our Year 5 pupils recently spent a day at the French Institute. Here, they took part it some immer-
sive French language activities, followed by an adventure super hero film at the Ciné Lumière. It was a great way to develop the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills that the children have been learning in class!
We would like to say a massive thank you to all the families who have been coming to school and helping our attendance remain consistency above the national average! Our target is 97% and over the Summer term our average attendance has been going up each week, which is great to see.
The weekly figures on the website front page https://oldpalaceprimary.co.uk/
We awarded 10 Silver certificates (99%) and a whopping 137 Gold certificates (100%) for the Summer term. Each child will also receive a silver or gold pencil
Congratulations to all the following children for Achieving 100% for Academic Year 2021-22 Each child will receive a £10 Amazon voucher to celebrate this achievement. (2nd September 2021 to 7 July 2022)
Y1: Sharleez.
Y2: Halima, Aaliyah, Faiha, Safiyyah, Emily & Atta.
Y3: Ahianul.
Y4: Tamim H, Aadam, Juhan & Ayana.
Y5: Mahibah & Maryam.
Y6: Yazmin, Rifan, Sama, Adeeba, Safiyyah, Amaan, Natasha, Habibah & Dawood.
A gentle reminder of the percentage of attendance, which may trigger a cause for concern:
91%-94%: Parent Support Worker Meeting / 90% and below: Attendance Welfare Advisor Meeting
We look forward to the attendance continuing to rise in the Autumn term and keep up the good work!
Despite the ongoing disruption to education caused by the pandemic, the government decided to reintroduce national testing this year. The school’s KS2 (Year 6) SATs results are as follows:
Nationally Reading results increased by 1%, whereas Writing fell by 9% and Maths by 8% .
The government is yet to release any national data on High Score. Should the same criteria remains as in 2019, then percentages of pupils achieving high score would be as follows:
Maths: 41%, Reading: 35%, GPS: 40%, Writing: 32%, Combined: 25%.
These percentages are higher than the national average in 2019, before the pandemic hit, showing how well our curriculum has addressed any missed learning and allowed our more able learners to continue to excel in their education.
For the KS1 SATs and the Year 1 Phonics screening, the government has not yet released any national data. Therefore we are only able to compare with the national average from 2019, before the pandemic.
In the Year 1 Phonics Screen 81% (48 pupils) passed. This was compared with a national average of 82% in 2019
The school’s KS1 (Year 2) SATS results are as follows:
This half term year 3 had the opportunity to take part in our residential trip to Thriftwood scouts camp. During the trip, children had the chance to build up their independence by spending the night away from home. The children got to try out a lot of different outdoor adventure activities, including the ladder climb and climbing wall, the zip line, the obstacle course, the water rollers, archery, the Cresta run and even took part in a sing along
As with KS2, results for Greater Depth (High Score) are above the 2019 National average. If a similar national trend of falling results at expected is seen, then we should be above the national average in all areas.
This has been a challenging year for the school, with very high levels of staff sickness, especially in the winter months. Given the disruption we have faced, we are extremely proud to have achieved such a strong set of results this year. I am sure you will join me in thanking the children for the continued ambition and resilience they have shown in their learning, the staff for their dedication and hard work and the parents for engaging with the school and continuing to support learning at home. Our results show that it has been possible for the children to catch up on lost learning have achieved so well in their education already, we look forward to the children’s continued success as they move into the next phase of their education. Keep up the great learning!
around the campfire. All of the children showed excellent perseverance and resilience and had a go at all of the different activities, not giving up even when it seemed tricky! Some of their favourite activities were the zip line, the Cresta run and the demolition course! Throughout the visit the children supported encouraged each other and took turns, working effectively as a whole team during their orienteering session to navigate through the woods,
using a map and compass. During the trip they faced their fears of heights, insects and the dark, showing real courage! Thank you to Ms McClelland, Ms Davies and Mr Jandrell for taking the children. Well done year 3, you should be proud of all your achievements!
As part of their humanities unit, year 5 visited the fantastic world of Kidzania! Kidzania is an immersive experience where the children learn about different vocations and the concept of earning money. The children took part in a wide range of vocations from firefighters to doctors and ice cream vendors to chocolate makers, all earn-
ing ‘kidzos’ (the Kidzania currency) for their work. The children were then able to spend their hard earned kidzos at the end of the trip. They behaved immaculately throughout the experience, and set a fantastic example as hard working employees in all the Kidzania jobs they took part in. Well done year 5!
This year saw the return of the annual careers fair in person! We invited a large group of volunteers from different professions to visit Old Palace and teach the year 5 children about their jobs. We had a craft maker, a photographer, a musician, an actor and many more! The children were exceptionally polite and asked very thoughtful questions in order to learn more about the range of professions. Our guests brought in lots of activities for our children to take part in. Our children were making pom poms, making music, taking photographs and even auditioning for an acting role! We were very grateful for the amazing contributions our volunteers made to our children’s learning, and
During the summer term, Year 3 learnt all about ‘Food, Glorious Food’ where they looked at where different types of food come from. They learnt about farms and how different farms produced different things including crops, dairy, eggs and meat. The trip to Boydells Dairy Farm in Braintree gave them a chance to see how farms ran and get a better look at how a dairy farm works. During the trip, the children learnt about how animals are milked, both by hand and how the milking machines worked. They learnt how to tell which animals were dairy animals and how different parts of the milk were used to make different things like cheese, yogurt, butter and cream. The children had the chance to see a variety of different farm wild life, including cows, sheep, goats, llamas, chickens and turkeys. They had the chance to feed and hold a new born baby lamb and some newly hatched chicks. They also got to feed the cows, goats and sheep and learn about all the hard work farmers have to do each day to keep their farms running. The children had a fantastic time and really enjoyed their visit!
This half term year 2 have been learning all about the UK. As part of their learning they looked at how land was used in different areas. They looked at residential areas like Bow and at the seaside! As part of their learning the children took the C2C train to Chalkwell beach for the day. During the journey they were able to see different rural areas as the train travelled by. Once they arrived at Chalkwell, they looked at the different types of building they could see. They looked for similar buildings they might see in our local area and buildings that were different (like the life guard tower!). Once they compared the land use they then went to look more closely at the sea shore. They collected shells, dug in the sand and built sand castles and even splashed around in the tide pools. The children spotted some different sea life including seagulls, sea snails and even some sand crabs! The children got to watch as the tide came in throughout the day! The children had a fantastic time at the seaside and really enjoyed their trip!
For their end of year trip, Year 3 & Year 4 took a boat cruise along the Thames. Year 3 learned about rivers including the Thames, and year 4 missed out on this trip last year. The children travelled in style along the River Thames in a River Boat. Their journey began opposite the Houses of Parliament at Westminster Pier and ended in the historic Greenwich area. Whilst on the boat, the children managed to see a myriad of famous London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The London Eye, and the Cutty Sark. Once at Greenwich, they then took the foot tunnel to Island Gardens where they enjoyed an afternoon picnic which parents were also invited to join. It was a great day and a lovely way to celebrate the children’s achievements this year.
YEAR 3 VISIT BOYDELLS FARM
Congratulations to all the children who competed for their colour teams in our annual Sports mornings the competitors did brilliantly and refused to be put off by the heat. Children took part in sereral events including long jump, egg and spoon race, agility run and the tug of war. We saw lots of cheering, good sportsmanship and effort throughout the mornings. At the KS1 sports morning, the children took part in an agility run, egg and spoon race, long jump, accuracy throw, Skipping ropes, tennis racket balance and over unders. We ended the day with a mums and dads egg and spoon race.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the KS2 children took part in the long jump, 100m relay, agility run, football dribble, javelin, throwing accuracy, tennis racket balance and tug of war.
On Friday we had our awards ceremony which ended with the winners of sports morning being announced. Congratulations to the Red team!!! We would also like to send our thanks to all the parents that came and joined in the fun.
Year 5 took part in the Bikeability course this half term. A group of children with proficient cycling skills were given the opportunity to improve their capabilities when cycling on the roads. A group of cycling instructors from the bikeability course came to Old Palace and brought with them some bikes and some helmets to support the children. First their general cycling skills were tested, and then it was time to head onto the road. The instructors worked hard over the four days to support the children in gaining the knowledge and theory needed to cycle safely and to acquire their cycling proficiency certificate. The children worked really hard and all achieved their goal at the end of the course.
The council’s Sports and Physical Activity (SPA) team have compiled six weeks of exciting, fun filled activity to keep young people busy both physically and mentally this summer. All sessions are FREE and will be supplemented with a meal to ensure our young people remain ‘fit and fed’!
All six weeks are covered with a variety of summer camps delivered in partnership with local sports delivery partners at locations throughout Tower Hamlets. Young people can engage in athletics, basketball, canoeing, disability multi sports, cycling, martial arts, football and much more.
The Sports Development Team will be sending out a comprehensive day by day listing detailing all activity with contact details through a specific webpage. In the interim, please see this document. Information can also be found at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/summerevents and www.localoffertowerhamlets.co.uk.
