Latest News from the Head
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Headteacher's Newsletter March 2024
Thu 28 Mar 2024 -
Headteacher's Newsletter February 2024
Thu 29 Feb 2024 -
Headteacher's Newsletter January 2024
Wed 31 Jan 2024 -
December News
Mon 18 Dec 2023Dear parents,
We have had a busy end to the term! Thank you to all of the parents who have been able to make it to our Christmas performances. I am sure those who have attended will join me in saying that these have been fantastic! They have really showcased the children’s confidence and it has been lovely to see the teamwork and practise that has gone into making these events successful. We are looking forward to our final Year 4, 5 and 6 performance on Tuesday 19th December.
Sadly, we will be saying goodbye to Mrs Briggs (Year 4 Beech Class Teacher) at the end of this term. She will be starting a new teaching position at a school in Caterham. Mrs Briggs is well known to our families having been at Rushy for 6 years and taught children across multiple key stages. Mrs Briggs is popular amongst pupils and staff on account of her thoughtful nature and passion for teaching. She has successfully led Computing at Rushy and will be missed by all. We wish her the very best in her new role.
Instagram
You may have noticed our Instagram following slowly building over recent weeks. We now have over 20 posts and almost 200 followers! This page has been launched to share the best of what is happening in school each week. We are grateful to the Rushy Meadow PTA who have agreed to match money spent on a school camera to ensure we can capture events in high quality.
If you are happy for your child/ren to appear on the Instagram page, please ensure that the following 2 consents are approved on Arbor:
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Photograph use for Promoting & Marketing the Academy/Trust
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Photographs for Third parties promoting and marketing (as sometimes posts are re-shared by organisations we tag, e.g. Hindleap Warren where Year 6 attended residential)
Click here to follow us on Instagram
End of Term ArrangementsThursday 21st December: Final Day of Term – early finish (see below)
Nursery Pick-up Time: 11.35am
Rec, Year 1 and 2 Pick-up Time: 1.30pm
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 Pick-up Time: 1.35pmAttendance and Punctuality
We would like to thank parents for your ongoing support with getting children to school each day and on time. We know how much goes on behind the scenes to ensure children are up and ready for school!
Our aim is for children to have 95% + attendance. The table below gives you a little more information on where your child’s attendance sits in relation to the whole school: 
 
 
Whole School Average 
100% 
95% + 
90 – 94% 
75 – 89% 
50 – 75% 
Below 50% 
Percentage of children 
93.03% 
25% 
58% 
19% 
19% 
3% 
1% 
 
This term, 49% of pupils have never had a late mark and 81% of children have had 3 or fewer late marks.
We wish you all a relaxing Christmas holidays.
Kind regards,
Mr Needham
HeadteacherThunks
As mentioned, during Monday assemblies, we share a Thunk of the Week. A ‘thunk’ is an unusual question that makes you think. It has no right or wrong answer. Below I have shared more of our thunks from the Autumn Term; you may like to discuss these at home too!
Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?
Do you give or receive more smiles in a day?
Can you look at something you can’t see?
Do you miss someone more when they're away from you or when you're away from them?
Are there ever times when it is braver to do nothing rather than do something?
Is being scared of nothing worse than being scared of everything?
If you could take a pill to make you always happy, would you?
What might Father Christmas think 'being good' is?
Is a pocket more of a bag or a hole?
My granny has had the same broom for 40 years. In that time, it has had 19 new heads and 12 new handles. Is it still the same broom?
School Updates
Our Summer parent survey identified a few areas that parents would like improved. Below I have shared updates on some of these areas:
Area for improvement
Action
To always have a staff member on the Fellowes Road gate in the morning
We have added more staff to our ‘Gate Duty’ rota and always have a staff member scheduled to be on Fellowes Road gate. In situations where circumstances or illness leads to staff being pulled away from duties, we prioritise the inner gates (KS1 and KS2).
More information about what activities children are doing
We have introduced our Instagram page to share pictures of exciting events taking place in school.
We have updated the Year Group pages on our website to include our theme planners and knowledge organisers. These share more about what children are learning in class.
In recent weeks, we have begun sending our blog posts as email messages. This has been designed to give parents direct access to what children are doing each week.
Consistent communication when there has been a conflict involving children
Our Senior Leadership Team (Mr Needham, Mrs Schalkwyk and Miss Sims) aim to contact parents when there have been any serious behaviour incidents, including red cards. Phase Leaders (Miss Dowding, Mrs Nairn and Mrs Turner) will contact parents about any yellow card incidents. Teachers aim to update parents on any day-to-day conflicts or things that have affected children in class.
Where we have not had time to contact parents following a behaviour incident, we will aim to send an email sharing information about what has taken place and any follow-up consequences.
Developing the playground space, including more equipment
Our Pupil Parliament have worked with Mr Needham on this during the Autumn Term. They have spoken to children in each class about what they like about the playgrounds and what they would like changed. This has led to new equipment being introduced.
In the KS2 playground, we have made clearer zones for different activities.
Competitive sports activities against other schools
This term, children have had the opportunity to take part in competitive sports with other schools, including Borough Athletics. We know parents are keen for there to be a school sports team, e.g. girls and boys football teams. This was also raised by a parent governor at our recent Local Committee Governing Board meeting. We are continuing to explore the logistics of running these teams.
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November News
Thu 30 Nov 2023Dear parents,
The first few weeks of this half-term have raced by and we cannot believe it is now December! We have already had lots to enjoy over the past few weeks, including another incredibly successful Book Fair and our PTA mufti day. Thank you for supporting these events so generously. The mufti day raised over £200 and as a result of the money we raised during the Book Fair, we have been rewarded with over £700 to spend on books for Rushy Meadow. A huge thank you to Mrs Nairn for organising this event and for the adults who helped out.
We have a busy run up to the end of term, starting with Year 6’s heading off on their residential trip to Hindleap Warren on Monday 4th December! Miss Sims and I will each be joining them for part of the week; we cannot wait to see how they get on with the activities and challenges!
December Events
Year Groups
Event
Date
Time
EYFS (Nursery and Reception)
Wriggly Nativity
Tuesday 5th December 2023
9am
EYFS (Nursery and Reception)
Wriggly Nativity
Thursday 7th December 2023
9am
Years 1, 2 and 3
Little Angel Gets Her Wings
Monday 11th December 2023
2:15pm
Years 1, 2 and 3
Little Angel Gets Her Wings
Wednesday 13th December 2023
9am
Years 4, 5 and 6
Christmas Show What You Can Do
Wednesday 13th December 2023
2:15pm
All year groups
Christmas Jumper &
Christmas Lunch Day
Thursday 14th December 2023
All year groups
Santa’s Grotto and Festive Fair
Monday 18th December 2023
3:15 – 5:30pm
Years 4, 5 and 6
Christmas Show What You Can Do
Tuesday 19th December 2023
9am
End of Term Arrangements
Thursday 21st December: Final Day of Term – early finish (see below)
Nursery Pick-up Time: 11.35am
Rec, Year 1 and 2 Pick-up Time: 1.30pm
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 Pick-up Time: 1.35pmSchool Governors
The parent survey in July 2023 highlighted that parents could be better informed about the actions and impact of our school governors. As a result, our Chair of Governors, Mrs Pauline Cook, has created a Governor Impact Report to share with parents. Please find this attached with this newsletter.We are looking forward to celebrating the last few weeks of term with you all.
Yours,
Mr Needham -
October News
Fri 20 Oct 2023Dear parents,
We have had a lovely first half of the Autumn Term at Rushy Meadow. This has included celebrating World Mental Health Day, scooter workshops, skipping and bow and arrow workshops and an afternoon tea in our Sunshine Room. We have also launched our Rushy Meadow Instagram page!
This week, you have hopefully had an opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher. During this meeting, teachers have been sharing children’s attendance for Autumn 1. Our aim is for children to have 95% + attendance. The table below gives you a little more information on where your child’s attendance sits in relation to the whole school:
Whole School Average
100%
95% +
90 – 94%
75 – 89%
50 – 75%
Below 50%
Percentage of children
93.23%
43%
61%
17%
16%
5%
1%
Year 6 Secondary Transfer 
I remind Year 6 parents that the deadline for submitting application forms for entrance to Year 7 in September 2024 is coming up soon, 31st October. Please complete your application here.
Starting Primary School
Families of children starting Reception in September 2024 must register online here for a school place by 15th January 2024.
It has been a pleasure to show a number of families around school this half-term, who are applying for Reception places next year. We would very much like to show our nursery families around school if you have time.
If you have or know of anyone with a child/children who will be school age in September 2024, please do not hesitate to book in a tour: https://www.rushymeadowprimary.uk/new-parents-information/
School Tours
I am pleased to share that this year, our Pupil Parliament students in Years 5 and 6 have been leading school tours for new families. They are doing a fantastic job and are a credit to our school.
Looking ahead to Autumn 2
Date
Event
Monday 6th November
All children back to school
Thursday 9th November
Rearranged Individual and Sibling Photographs
Friday 10th November
PTA Fireworks Mufti Day
Monday 4th – 8th December
Year 6 Residential
Tuesday 5th December 9am
Nursery and Reception Nativity
Thursday 7th December 9am
Nursery and Reception Nativity
Monday 11th December 2.15pm
Year 1, 2 and 3 Christmas Concert
Wednesday 13th December 9am
Year 1, 2 and 3 Christmas Concert
Wednesday 13th December 2.15pm
Year 4, 5 and 6 Christmas Concert
Thursday 14th December
Rushy Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Lunch
Tuesday 19th December 9am
Year 4, 5 and 6 Christmas Concert
Friday 22nd December
Final Day of Term:
Nursery – normal finish
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: finish at 1.30pm
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6: finish at 1.35pm
I hope you all enjoy a restful half-term break.
Yours,
Mr Needham -
September News
Mon 02 Oct 2023It has been a pleasure to see children settle into their new classes, and begin to build positive relationships with their teachers and supporting adults. We have had a very active start to this school year already, with Year 1 and 2 children enjoying scooter workshops and Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 children taking part in skipping workshops. We also have ten new balance bikes for pupils in Reception to enjoy in their outdoor area!
We have welcomed several new staff this term, including Miss Haines (Year 4 class teacher), Miss Robertson, Mrs Searle, Miss Shanmuga and Mrs Young (teaching assistants). I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to the 58 new pupils who have joined Rushy Meadow this year.
School Priorities
At Rushy Meadow, we make a promise to our families, which is captured by our school’s vision statement:
Our vision is to create a school where our pupils flourish and are proud of their achievements. We aim to instil in them a passion for learning that will empower them to become successful and to make positive contributions to the local community and beyond.
Each year, myself and our school leaders reflect on how successful we have been in delivering this vision. We look at a variety of data (on children’s academic outcomes, attendance, behaviour), results from surveys (parents, staff and pupils), discussion and feedback and consider what we have monitored and observed over the course of the year. This helps us to celebrate things that are working well and what we would like to prioritise for the coming year. This is then translated into a School Development Plan to help us achieve our goals.
This year, our priorities can be summarised by the 4R’s:
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Raise aspirations for learning, participation and achievement
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Retain knowledge
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Read often, read well and enjoy reading
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Respect for the role and contribution of all
To support children with understanding what we are working together to achieve, we have produced a Child Friendly School Development Plan, which you will find attached.
Book Bingo
In September, we launched Book Bingo. Every child in each class from Year 1 to Year 6 has been given a number. On Friday, we spin our bingo wheel and choose a number. We then invite children with that number to join us on Friday afternoon with their books and share some of their favourite learning from that week. This has been a lovely way to celebrate the excellent work that children are producing.
Knowledge Organisers
You may have heard your child or their class teacher mention knowledge organisers. These are a tool that we use in a variety of subjects (Science, Computing, Art, D&T, Geography, History, Music, RE and general ones for Nursery and Reception) to support our pupils with knowing more and remembering more.
The knowledge organiser is a two-sided document with the key learning for certain subjects that children are studying in their half-termly themes. They can contain key facts, vocabulary and pictures. We use the knowledge organisers on a weekly basis to give children the opportunity to continually revisit learning. Repetition supports children with remembering key information.
Remember – you can access all of the knowledge organisers for each half-term on your child’s year group page.
These, along with the theme planners (which you can find on the curriculum tab in your year group page), will provide you with more information about what your child is learning each half-term.
Think you’re smarter than your child? Try our quizzes below. Remember, all of the answers can be found on Autumn 1’s knowledge organisers! Ask your child for help if you get stuck!
Are you smarter than... Nursery and Reception?
Are you smarter than... Year 1?
Are you smarter than... Year 2?
Are you smarter than... Year 3?
Are you smarter than... Year 4?
Are you smarter than... Year 5?
Are you smarter than... Year 6?
If you’ve tried your child’s year group, why not test your knowledge on another one 🙂
Home School Agreement and Arbor
This year, we have created a shared home school agreement with the four other schools in the Cirrus Trust. Why do we have a home school agreement? The agreement creates an informal contract between our three main stakeholders: pupils, parents and staff. It recognises the parts everyone plays in making our school the best it can be. I have attached a copy of the updated home school agreement with this letter.
When pupils first start at Rushy, they are asked to consent to the home school agreement via their Admission form. Any existing parents will be prompted to agree to the new agreement when they sign into their accounts on Arbor. Please do get in touch if there is anything you would like to ask about the home school agreement.
Thunks
During Monday assemblies, I have started sharing a Thunk of the Week. A ‘thunk’ is an unusual question that makes you think. It has no right or wrong answer. Below I have shared our thunks from September; you may like to discuss these at home too!
If you read a few pages of a book in a bookshop and then put it back on the shelf without buying it, is it stealing?
Can you show respect to someone you've never met?
If we moved our school building and all of the furniture to Australia, but left the children and staff here in Carshalton, where would the school be?
What is the most important part of a fork?
Reminders
Children have their individual and sibling photos on Thursday this week (5th October). Our SEN Parents and Parent consultations also take place later this month. Please look out for communication and sign-up information for these.Finally, please remember that should you have any concerns or questions, you can either catch me on the gate or send an email to our school office asking to meet with me.
Yours,
Mr Needham -
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End of Year
Mon 17 Jul 2023Can you believe we are almost at the end of the school year!
We have had a wonderful end to the term at Rushy Meadow. Our Year 6 pupils bought a tear to the eye with their Leavers’ performance of The Next Big Step, including a goose-bump inducing rendition of The Greatest Show.
A huge thank you to the PTA, who organised our Summer Picnic. It was lovely to see so many parents (including my own!) come along to support the event. The Picnic raised over £700!
This week, we say goodbye to three staff members. Miss Wakelam, Wren class teacher, Miss Maclaren, one of our Hearing Resource Base Teaching Assistants and Mrs King, Year 6 teaching student. Miss Wakelam has been with us since September 2022, quickly settling into life at Rushy and developing a lovely rapport with the students in her class. Miss Maclaren has worked at Rushy since June 2021, supporting a number of pupils with communication and language, and always looking to ensure children felt confident to use their voice. Mrs King was first a parent at Rushy, who has since worked with us for a number of years as a teaching assistant and completed her teacher training this year. She will be fondly remembered by many pupils and staff, particularly those who she accompanied on Year 6 residential trips.
We are delighted to announce that two staff members will be celebrating weddings over the Summer, returning in the Autumn Term with new last names. Miss Knight (Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and Kestrel class teacher) returns as Mrs Nairn. Whilst, Miss McCarthy (Year 2 and Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) returns as Mrs Greenfield.
We are looking forward to enjoying the final few days of term with the pupils, including a celebration assembly that will give us a chance to say our goodbyes to Year 6 and recognise pupils’ achievement this year.
Please be reminded that school finishes on Friday this week (21st July). Pupils from Years 1 to 6 will return to school full-time on Monday 4th September. Meanwhile, Nursery and Reception pupils have a staggered beginning to the school week.
We wish you all a relaxing summer break and look forward to seeing you in September.
Yours,
Mr Needham -
June News
Fri 30 Jun 2023June has been a month full of exciting events!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting our events this month, including: Come and Be Nosy sessions for pupils from Reception to Year 6 and Sports Days for KS2 pupils.
We enjoyed a wonderful Sky Arts ‘Access all Arts’ Week, during which pupils explored: Sounds, Mark Making, Poetry & Story Telling, Film and Movement & Drama. Thank you to the many school staff who supported in planning and running this event, including Mrs Sandiford, Mrs Jennings, Mrs Beecroft, Miss Gelly and Mr Ashmead.
Led by Mrs Green and Miss McDonagh, a number of students represented Rushy Meadow at Borough Athletics. The children were all a credit to the school, showing sportsmanship and resilience, and we won a medal!
The rest of the term remains busy, please see below for key information:
School Gates
Please could you remind pupils not to enter through the automatic gates in the morning until 8.35am. We have noticed a number of pupils queuing up before 8.35am and using the play equipment in the KS1 playground.
Absence
All absence must be reported to the office via the absence voicemail box. Even if you have spoken to the class teacher or a senior leader, you must report absence to the school office.Parent Voice:
Thank you if you have managed to complete this already. We are very keen to hear from all parents before the form closes on 6th July, see email.
Celebration of Work:
Monday 10th July – parents of pupils in all year groups are welcome to come into your child’s classroom at normal dismissal time. This will be an opportunity to celebrate your child’s work with them by looking through their books and the displays in their classroom. Our school governors have also been invited to this event and are looking forward to seeing all of the children’s hard work from the year.
If you have children in multiple classes, please collect children first. You may then enter through one of your child’s classrooms and move internally between rooms.Community Projects:
The nursery mound has been cordoned off in recent weeks. Although many Rushy pupils will have fond memories of playing on this mound, it has grown outdated and no longer fit for purpose. We are aiming to remove this mound to create more space for nursery pupils to learn and explore.
1st Hire in Sutton has kindly offered to provide us with a digger free of charge on both Saturday 22nd July and Sunday 23rd July.
We are now looking for parents who are able to give up some time, even if only an hour or 2 over that weekend to support with shovelling and redistributing the soil elsewhere on school grounds.
Following feedback from parents, we are able to offer a creche service in the school hall for Rushy pupils between 9am-3pm on both days.
If you are able to help, sign up on email.
*We will be arranging the painting project for the Autumn Term.End of Term:
Friday 21st July – please note finish times on the final day of term:
Nursery pupils: normal finish time
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: finish at 1.30pm
Year 3, 4, 5 and 6: finish at 1.35pmYours,
Mr Needham
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May News
Fri 26 May 2023We have had a busy first half of the Summer Term!
I would like to begin by congratulating our pupils and thanking our staff in Year 6. This half-term saw our Year 6 pupils sit their end of Key Stage 2 standardised assessment tests (SATs) in Spelling, Grammar, Reading and Maths. Although, performance in tests does certainly not define our pupils, testing remains a presence throughout education that children must learn to tackle. We were all incredibly proud of the Year 6's positive attitude and resilience throughout their week of tests.This half-term we have continued to enjoy a wide variety of trips and workshops. This has included EYFS and Key Stage 1 taking part in Maypole dance workshops, Year 3 and 4 enjoying the Ultimate Frisbee festival and Year 5 and 6 completing Bikeability training. Though, perhaps my favourite of this month’s activities was Junior Roadwatch. A selection of Year 6 pupils were invited to join our local MET Police officers with a speed gun on Thornton Road. Pupils then joined officers in confronting speeding motorists!
Thank you for all of your efforts with costumes and contributing cakes for our Coronation Day celebrations. The children had a wonderful day in their Royal outfits, and I am pleased to share that we raised over £125 to be put towards resources for pupils.
This half-term, the theme of our Headteacher assemblies has been Responsibility. This has fed into wider discussions with pupils around ensuring they attend school each day and recognise the part they play in getting to school on time. I am pleased to share that we continue to see improvements in both our punctuality and attendance figures.
As the table below shows, attendance has improved in nearly every half-term this academic year compared to 2021-2022.
Autumn 1
Autumn 2
Spring 1
Spring 2
Summer 1
2021/2022
92.1%
92.1%
91.0%
90.8%
92.0%
2022/2023
93.3%
89.3%
91.9%
92.0%
92.2%
This month I met to discuss the recent travel survey with Mrs Green (our staff Travel Ambassador), Alex Russell (one of our parent governors) and a parent from Key Stage 2. A summary of key findings has been emailed to parents.
Finally, we have been very impressed this half-term with how well presented our pupils are for school. Below, we have included a reminder of expectations for school uniform, including on PE days. We are working with the PTA to make second hand uniform more readily available to families.
I look forward to welcoming you back for the final half-term on Tuesday 6th June. I am looking forward to celebrating our Come and Be Nosy sessions, Sports Days and Moving up Mornings with you all!
Yours,
Mr Needham