Dear Parents and Carers,
What a fantastic week it has been at school!
The week got off to a wonderful start with a visit from Claire Westaway, a talented photographer and fellow parent from our school community, who spent the day capturing our school in action.
The purpose of the day was to celebrate and showcase the many opportunities our children enjoy, photographing them in their learning environments and highlighting the rich experiences that make our school such a special place. In the fullness of time, these images will help us refresh our school website and adorn our school walls to provide a vibrant snapshot of everyday life at school.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Claire for giving her time and expertise so generously. It was a real pleasure to work alongside her, and we are very grateful for the care and professionalism she brought to the day - putting both children and staff at ease.
We are very much looking forward to seeing the finished photographs. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Claire and the fantastic work she does, please do take a look at her website: https://www.clairewestawayphotography.co.uk/
One of the highlights of the week was undoubtedly our visit from author Catherine Bruton. Our Year 4 and Year 6 children were given a fascinating insight into her writing process and the journey from idea to published novel. Catherine shared that Tadpole Summer is her 20th novel and revealed that an astonishing 20,000 words were edited out before publication - a powerful message about the importance of editing. She also shared that before every writing session, she makes herself go for an hour-long run to help get her creativity flowing!
We were particularly proud of Georgia (Year 4) and Emily (Year 6), who confidently shared their own writing with the entire assembly. It takes great courage to stand up and read your work aloud, and both girls did a wonderful job.
The children were completely inspired and in awe of Catherine. Throughout the workshop, you could have heard a pin drop; they were utterly captivated by everything she had to say.
The 70+ children who had the opportunity to meet Catherine more personally afterwards to have their book signed, were absolutely over the moon. She was warm, engaging and incredibly generous with her time, making every child feel valued and special. The impact she had on our young readers and writers was truly wonderful.
We were delighted to welcome CKIS onto our field for their Sports Day. Our Year 5 Ambassadors were there to support the event and, as always, they were absolutely incredible. They represented our school with maturity, kindness and enthusiasm, and we were immensely proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout the day.
It is with mixed emotions that I share some staff news with you.
At the end of this academic year, Miss. Helen Morrison will be retiring after over three decades of dedicated service to our school and the wider community.
Miss Morrison has given her heart and soul to the children of CKJS. In fact, she has touched the lives of well over 900 children, inspiring, nurturing and encouraging each one to be the very best version of themselves.
Miss Morrison's influence can be seen throughout the school. Her creativity and passion for the arts have left an enduring mark on our learning environment, with displays that not only celebrate children's achievements but also bring colour, imagination and joy to our corridors and classrooms. Many of the beautiful pieces of artwork that adorn our walls stand as a testament to her belief that every child is capable of creating something special. Congratulations, Miss. Morrison - we are so pleased for you. We hope that retirement gives Miss. Morrison the opportunity to swap lesson plans for travel plans!
On Thursday, I met with Mr. Jukes to discuss our Relationships and Sex Education curriculum. From 1st September 2026, updated guidance for primary pupils places a stronger focus on online safety and wellbeing, accurate terminology for body parts (including genitalia), and personal safety around water, roads, and railways. There is also greater emphasis on helping children understand change and loss - including bereavement - as well as developing communication skills, assertiveness, and confidence in expressing personal needs and boundaries. We are currently updating our policy and scheme of work to reflect these statutory changes and will share these with you as part of a consultation process. As reassurance, much of this content is already embedded within our current curriculum.
I wrote to you last week to let you know about the transition process for our Year 2 children who will be joining us in September.
Research on educational transitions suggests that children benefit from advance preparation, opportunities to build familiarity with new adults, and a gradual introduction to changes in their environment and routines. These approaches help to reduce anxiety, build confidence and ensure that children feel secure as they move into a new phase of their education.
With this in mind, we have decided to let all children know who their teacher will be on Wednesday 24th June. This will be followed by further communication to parents regarding our staffing structure for the next academic year.
By sharing this information at an earlier stage, we hope to give children the time and opportunity to become familiar with their new teacher, ask questions and begin to look forward to the year ahead. We hope that, as a school community, this will enable us to prepare our children and manage this transition as successfully as possible for all.
To round off an already brilliant week, we enjoyed our own Sports Morning today. This event is always one of the highlights of the school calendar, bringing together teamwork, determination, sportsmanship and lots of smiles. Thank you to all the families who came along to support and cheer on the children. It was just the most fabulous morning. Miss Tibbles and Mrs. Briggs were instrumental in this event - we are truly thankful. Congratulations to Mercury for winning the overall event and to Jupiter for winning the prestigious Sportsmanship award.
Weeks like this remind us just how fortunate we are to have such wonderful children, staff and families.
Thank you for your continued support throughout the week - it is very much appreciated.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead, whatever plans you have.
Warmest regards,
Mrs. Beccy Andrews