this week at Bentley.....

I hope this newsletter finds you well and in good spirits as we bid farewell to the end of the spring term. It has been a truly wonderful and busy term here at Bentley, filled with exciting events and memorable moments.

One of the highlights of the term has been the numerous trips that have taken place. Our students have had the opportunity to explore and learn outside the classroom, broadening their horizons and creating lasting memories. Our children have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and curiosity.

I must take a moment to highlight the outstanding Easter Service that our Year 3 and 4 students delivered at St Mary’s church this week. It was a truly heart-warming and memorable event, filled with lovely music, heartfelt prayers, and the Easter Story. The whole school sang beautifully – bringing a tear to my eye.

Huge congratulations to Bentley Year 5 and 6 netball team this week, who came first place out of six local schools! Miss Durrant commented on how well the children all played, demonstrating wonderful netball skills, but also strong sportsmanship.

I would also like to take this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our children. This week we held our termly Awards Assembly, where we recognised those who have excelled in various areas. Being my first Awards Assembly at Bentley, it was amazing to see our children receive STEP awards, maths certificates, handwriting achievements, and reading awards. Their hard work and commitment to their learning are truly commendable, and it fills all the staff here with pride to witness their growth and accomplishments.

As we approach the holiday season, I can't help but hope for an improvement in the weather. It would be marvellous for us to enjoy some sunshine and maybe even warmth during the well-deserved break. Fingers crossed for clear skies and sunny days ahead. If not, wellies and puddle splashing it is!

Finally, I would like to thank everyone - students, parents, and staff - for making this term a resounding success. Your unwavering support and dedication to our school community is what makes Bentley such a special place. I am truly honoured to be a part of this journey with you all.

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable break and we look forward to welcoming you back in April.

Vicky Hallett
Headteacher

Attendance

This week’s whole school attendance is 97.51%.

Although the government sets a target of 95% for primary schools, our governors have set a target of 98% for our school. This is because an attendance rate of 95% still means that your child would have had approximately ten days of absence throughout the year; this is considered to be a significant loss to learning.

The class with the best attendance this week is year 1, with 99.31%. Well done year 1!

Thank you to everyone for making such an effort with attendance this term.

Celebration assembly

We proudly awarded our S.T.E.P. awards, certificates and badges to three children from each class this week. S.T.E.P stands for Sorry, Thank You, Excuse Me and Please and our children’s excellent manners and behaviour is a credit to the school.

Well done to the following children who have shown superb manners over the term, in many different situations and were nominated by their teacher and endorsed by all staff, for a S.T.E.P award:

Year R – Sidd, Edie and Alex.

Year 1 – Nellie, George and Amelie.

Year 2 – Bertie, Olivia and Rose.

Year 3 – Seb, Montanna and Anna.

Year 4 –Seb, Mollie andTed.

Year 5 – Hamish, Myla andViktoria.

Year 6 – Rossie, Sam and Annabelle B.

Year 2 go to Gilbert White’s House Museum

Year 2 got out and about with their geography learning this week and had a great day becoming Antarctic explorers as part of their ‘Why don’t penguins need to fly?’ topic.

NETBALL SUCCESS!

Yesterday we played netball at Amery Hill School. We played 6 games and overall we won! It was very hard, but we kept going and we all tried very hard and we worked together and helped each other. We loved it so much and had lots of fun. Thank you everyone who helped us.

Ivy yr 5