A soggy week back in school, but on a positive note – good for the gardens, good for the reservoirs. The children and I have not had to water our beautiful planters around the school this week! But I can see summer returning to us in the next two weeks, which will be perfect for our residential up to Swaledale.

Can you believe we have six weeks left, till summer. As the headteacher right now, I feel more like an events' manager plotting, planning, risk assessing and organising all the activities that are planned for the next six weeks. But as we say, life is for living, and we want this to be the best primary education possible for our children. I sorted out one of my favourite events today, Farsley Westroyd’s got Talent. The children absolutely love this event and we have so many entries. Shows how confident they are, putting themselves out there and to go through the audition round.

This week a few classes ticked off some events from their year group bucket list. Year five and Year three had a visit to the theatre, The Alhambra, to see Horrible Histories. It was actually expected that the children’s excellent behaviour would be acknowledged. Both classes were praised by the bus driver and random members of the public for how polite and sensible we were. As expected too, Horrible Histories was hilarious. The children and staff loved it. It is really hard to get to be an actor in Horrible Histories. They only take the most talented, early in their career actors.  A lot of the best comedians/actors you see on TV /films will have been in Horrible Histories at some point.

Year one had their much anticipated trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park. I love the fact that the class raised money to reduce the cost of this trip by holding a movie night called “The Lion King”.  Children not only enjoy the added value of working towards a treat, but they are also learning about economic wellbeing. Both important life skills.

Talking of important life skills – our Y4 has been on fire this week. They have been working towards this week all last year and this year – The MTC assessment. Learning the multiplication facts solidly is, after phonics, the most useful chunk of knowledge that will get the children through life. Knowing the multiplication facts and being able to recall them swiftly is a recipe for mathematical success both in school and beyond. There is debate about putting children under pressure for assessments, but doing it in a balanced way, crafting it carefully, so that the children feel that sense of achievement is invaluable. As a small school, we do craft the pathway. Knowing our children as individuals, we plan the approach both universally and targeted. I have to say the buzz in the room on Monday morning was incredible. I can easily wind the class up, much to the annoyance of the class teacher trying to teach, but I didn’t need to first thing Monday. They were excited, determined and ready to go and do their best! My heart nearly melted a few days later. One chap had made so much progress this last term, he told me it was not really down to me, his teacher or his parents, but his classmates. He told me that it was his classmate that had made the most impact on him, by practising with him every day and being so patient if he got it wrong. That was just wonderful to hear. We do promote peer support.  Another Y4 chap appeared in my room on Friday afternoon with an IPAD in his hand. I have been running a club on Mondays/Friday PMs this year. I told him, we were done now and that he had nailed it in the test. I was informed that although he had, he wanted to get a line, like his classmate. I had no idea what he was on about, so he showed me. On TTR if you get full marks in a row, ten times, you get a straight green line on the graph. So, my little mate sat in my room, emptied my biscuit tin, until he achieved his line! What commitment.

Miss Maybank had a sudden change of routine this week, when, on Friday afternoon, I asked her to come out of nursery and cover Y5. She nearly died when I said they were doing scratch on IPADS, but I reassured her the children knew what to do as half way through a project. She then had kwik cricket in PE. She was well stressed and spent lunchtime reading up on the rules with Mr Fawcett, reassuring her that the children knew exactly how to play. Well, of course, they did, and they are cricket-mad and the level of sportsman ship and respect is so strong. She ended the day and said, “What a brilliant afternoon. I loved that!” They are a great bunch.

Speaking of economic wellbeing – I have been challenged to a game of monopoly by a group of Y5 children! One of my favourite games, I am going to put aside a couple of lunchtimes to play with them. Always up for a challenge and they know there will be no mercy! I play to win – always, and they know that.