Friday 1st May 2026
What another busy week we have had in school enjoying the sunshine! Spring has definitely sprung and we have taken advantage of the nice weather and the abundance of newness in our Forest School sessions this week. Team Calder have been busy building structures that have encouraged others to role play and have somewhere to sit to enjoy the forest around us. All of our KS2 pupils have enjoyed challenging themselves using ropes to make hammocks and swings by practising their knot-tying skills. Also, Team Humber are finding out how healthy the soil is in the forest by taking part in a national campaign by The Country Trust and planting a pair of pants, which was lots of fun! Team Foss have taken advantage of the nice weather and tried shadow drawing and flower pounding using tools like hammers. Teams Aire and Ouse have used our new tool area in the forest to whittle sticks using potato peelers with a magical outcome! We are hoping that the glorious weather continues so we can have even more action packed outdoor learning!
Meanwhile indoors, the children across school have been taking part in lots of learning activities exploring different topics. In Year 2 Art lessons, for example, the children have been learning about ‘Colour.’ We learnt about primary and secondary colours. This week we created a ‘Colour Field’ in the style of Mark Rothko using secondary colours. We created the secondary colours by mixing the primary colours.
Also, this week we had an assembly with a focus on Road Safety. The children were very good at identifying potential hazards and talking about how to keep themselves and others safe around busy roads. As the weather gets nicer we know that more children will be playing out and about so this is an important part of our PSHE and Safeguarding curriculum.
As you will remember from last week’s newsletter about our pupil parliament mental health assembly, this week we also announced the winners of our recent whole-school pupil mental health poster competition. Pupils across school were invited to make a poster for school promoting positive mental health and we chose a winner from each phase with a prize to promote their mental health. Congratulations to our 4 winners: Blake (EYFS), Ryan (KS1), Beatrix (Lower KS2) and Joseph (Upper KS2)! Thank you very much – we will laminate and put your posters up around the school to help our community!
Finally, please remember that the school is closed on Monday for the May bank holiday. Enjoy the long weekend and thank you for your continued support!
Have a lovely bank-holiday weekend and see you back in school next Tuesday, Mr Greene
Attendance:
Update
Our school target is 97%
This week our attendance was : 96%
Nidd – 96%
Aire – 95%
Ouse – 99%
Derwent – 94%
Foss – 97%
Calder – 99%
Humber – 97%
Safeguarding thought of the week
With the lighter evenings now here, children are naturally spending more time outdoors. Please take a moment to remind your child about staying safe—being aware of their surroundings, sticking with friends, and letting you know where they are and when they’ll be home.
This week in assembly we spoke to the children about Road Safety. Please can we encourage you to have follow-up conversations with your children about this: using safe crossing points, stopping, looking and listening before crossing, and taking extra care when cycling or scooting—especially around parked cars and busy roads. Helmets and high-visibility clothing can make a big difference. If your child reports concerning behaviour or you witness concerning behaviour please contact 101 to report. Thank you for your continued support in helping keep our children safe.
From April 2026 – school lunches and breakfast club must be booked and paid for on Arbor. Bookings should be made and paid for at least 24 hours in advance of the day required.
NEW MENU
Dates for your diary:
| Monday 4th May 2026 | Bank Holiday – School Closed |
| WC Monday 11th May 2026 | Year 6 SATs Week |
| Monday 18th May 2026 | KS1 Showcase 2.45pm |
| Wednesday 20th May 2026 | Y6 – Parent Briefing for Newby Wiske Residential 3.15pm in Y6 Classroom |
| Friday 22nd May 2026 | Break up for half term – 3.15pm |
Are there any enthusiastic cyclists?
This year cyclists can pay to enter and then fundraise for Brotherton & Byram School or a charity of their choice. The event is marshalled and family friendly as the short and long distance riders set off 15 minutes apart.
