A new school dawn on 2010-11

Welcome back to the start of another year at Peterbrook, with a particularly warm welcome to all our new children and parents who begin with us for the first time!

In 2009 OfSTED described us as ‘an outstanding school’ and in 2010 we are pleased to be able to announce that we have sustained our national ‘outstanding school’ status, with Solihull M.B.C describing us as a ‘Category 1 School’.

As a school we successfully try to achieve a healthy balance between high academic standards and the exciting opportunities we are able to offer our children in the hope that they will grow and mature into children who love life and learning as well as recognise, enjoy and celebrate their talents, and play their full part in their family, school and community. 2010 was another year where our children did their very best in external SAT’s examinations. Well done children! This year we have initiatives in place that will help the children to be even more successful, and unlock their potential to an even greater extent.

Lots of new school initiatives were launched last year. We saw the successful introduction of our new Peterbrook Family Learning Activities Programme. The wide range of new activities which were introduced included:

o       AccessIT:  a one year project: free computer and broadband for Peterbrook families: weekly

o       Solihull MBC programme ‘SHINE’: weekly sessions for families requesting support regarding healthy eating, basic nutrition, weight loss and family exercise activities

o       Positive Parenting: ‘Dads’n’Lads’ Cricket Festival: quality time for fathers and sons: July 2010

o       Positive Parenting ‘Family Wii Entertainment Evening’: families competed for super prizes: May 2010

o       Family Internet Safety Workshops: 3 evening/daytime workshops, to be repeated twice each year

o       Family Internet Safety Information Evening: annually

o       Family Internet Safety Drop-In Clinic: an evening, monthly

NEW for Autumn Term 2010:

o       Positive Parenting: CAMHS family support: ‘Mellow Parenting: Understanding your Child’s Behaviour’: support group for parents

o       Pupil Behaviour Management: Childrens’ Society: ‘Keeping Cool’: six workshops for children, exploring anger management issues

o       Peer Supporting: Childrens’ Society: ‘Playground Pals’: six workshops each term: raising awareness of issues that arise in the playground

o       Active Pulse: external funding to support a range of new extra-curricular activities for pupils receiving free school meals

The programme forms a part of our new extended services initiative for parents and families and further activities are planned for 2010-11. It is no secret that the children who achieve most from their school experiences are those whose parents support them the most. With parents, their families and teachers working closely together, our pupils will develop and fulfil their potential, and once again this year we look to you to support your child.

A further important development, which is a part of our extended services initiative, is the introduction of our new Nursery Extended Hours school day which now operates from 8.45-11.45am and 12.15-3.15pm daily and our new PAWS Nursery Wraparound childcare provision, which opened officially on Monday 6 September when Lorely Burt MP launched us on a new childcare provision pathway. PAWS operates as a Before-School Club for 3-11 year-olds (7.30-8.45am), a Wraparound Nursery for 3-4 year-olds (8.45-3.15pm) and as an After-School Club for 3-11 year-olds (3.15-6.00pm) each day – INCLUDING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!! It is a non-profit making provision and will become an essential part of our school life – sign up today!! Over the coming year we will watch as it unfolds its flexible service for parents with great interest.

July 2010 saw Peterbrook successfully re-apply to Arts Council England for Gold ArtsMark status. We first achieved ‘Gold’ status in 2007 and we look forward to maintaining for the next three years, a high profile for the Performing and Creative Arts both within and beyond the curriculum.

Internationally, our link with our partner school in Beijing, China continues to grow from strength to strength – it is approaching nine years since our partnership began. However, we were disappointed in May, when our Foreign Office refused entry for our delegation of pupils, parents and a teacher from our partner school in Sri Lanka. Undaunted, plans are already in place with the support of our local Member of Parliament, Lorely Burt, to bring a delegation of pupils and their school principal from our partner school to Peterbrook as a part of our Creative Arts Week in Summer 2011. Internationally, Peterbrook also twinned with a school in Vaxjo, Sweden in April 2010, and four teachers from the school will be visiting Peterbrook from 17-20 October to plan a programme of shared curriculum activities for our 3-5 year-olds. Add to this that Peterbrook is currently twinning with a French school and have appointed a new teacher for Year 4, Mrs. Lyco-Edwards, who is a French national and will be introducing the teaching of French in Year 3 this year. That’s four active international partners who will support and be integrated into our new school curriculum which will be launched in September 2012.

Our school website has once again been phenomenal, with over 205,000 hits since its successful launch. ‘If it happens at Peterbrook, then you’ll find it on the website’ is a sentence we often hear from parents and pupils alike! Together with our podcasting radio-station, Radio Peterbrook, our websites showcase everything that our school does and both are hugely popular with our pupils and parent body.

I am immensely proud to be the Headteacher at Peterbrook. Our school is a great school – all our children, staff and parents are proud to be part of it, and we all look to have a great new year together! 

“If you believe it, you can achieve it!” (Our school Achievement Motto)