LocalSchoolsNews

New starters for the new school year

Our older children are always very excited to as we start a new year as they know they will be responsible for showing prospective parents around the school as part of our open day. This year was no different as we welcomed several families who were looking for a small school with big ambitions for their children. It is always a proud moment for me as their headteacher as I get to stand back and listen to the children sharing all that they love about the school. We are often lucky enough to receive an email of thanks from some of the visiting families. They are always full of praise for the children’s knowledge, politeness and general attitude, which is always a pleasure to share with them. This year the children’s farming work was proudly displayed so that prospective parents could see the progression in work from starting out as a four year old in Little Owls Class, all the way through to finishing in Year 6 as a proud member of Buzzard Class. As a Voluntary Aided school we welcome children from far and wide and not just children from the parish of Bury, Coldwaltham, Hardham and Houghton. If you did not make the open day but would still like to have a look at what a small school such as ours can offer, then please do book for a tour so that you can see the school in action. Please give us a call on 01798 831502 or email office@bury.school to arrange a viewing. Mr Moore, Headteacher www.bury.w-sussex.sch.uk

St. James’ CE Primar y School

Football, St Giles’ church, remembrance day & tower of London

As I write this article, we are just at the start of Autumn Term 2 and it is promising to be a very busy half-term! The first few weeks are filled with busy-ness and we are looking forward to a happy and increasingly festive time as we move towards Christmas. Before we look forward to the exciting events ahead, we have some lovely times to look back on in the last half-term. Our Year 5 boys’ football team took part in a tournament against other local schools at Dorset House recently. Our Year 6 players were busy at a secondary school taster day so it was a big challenge for the Year 5s to hold their own against the other teams; we did not have the luxury of substitutes, so the players were in all the matches back-to-back. The team demonstrated effective passing, defending, great communication and, of course, goal-scoring. The team won three out of four matches and only lost to the eventual winners; it was an excellent display, with a well-deserved 2nd place overall. Our Year 5 and 6 class, Jaguars, visited our local church, St Giles’, as part of their RE learning. The highlight of the visit was the chance to take a turn ringing the church bells. Looking forward, Remembrance Day falls in this half-term and the children will be learning more about this special commemoration and creating class poppy wreaths that will be shared at the Remembrance Service in Bury. Children from the school will attend where they will read a poem and the names of the fallen of Coldwaltham. We are also looking forward to the children going on an exciting trip to the Tower of London. The trip is to support learning in English and History but we also hope it will provide a wonderful cultural experience for the children to visit the capital of our lovely country. To see the Crown Jewels will also be a fantastic way for the children to learn more about the forthcoming coronation of our new monarch, King Charles III. Mrs Lizzie Martin, Executive Headteacher, www.st-james-coldwaltham.w-sussex.sch.uk

St Mar y ’s C of E Primar y School, Pulborough

Fireworks, Remembrance day, anti-bullying, bikeability & nativity

And so we rush headlong towards Christmas! We were delighted to be able to hold our Family Firework Night this year, the tickets sold out really quickly – it was a really community event and lovely to see the children’s faces as they watched the fireworks. Many thanks to the PTA for their organisation. A wreath was laid by our Head Boy and Head Girl at the War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday and the school also held its own ceremony with a two -minute silence. We held a very successful Anti-Bullying week - the children worked really hard on devising posters and slogans to support this event, as well as taking part in discussions on how to prevent bullying. Year 6 also took part in Bikeability, a county-run scheme that teaches them how to ride their bikes safely out on the roads. The children find it so rewarding to learn these life skills for the future. The Nativity plays are now in full swing and we are looking forward to being able to perform to parents and carers. As we approach the holidays we would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year! Mrs S Copus Head Teacher www.st-marys-pulborough.w-sussex.sch.uk