News - Horsmonden Primary Academy

PRIMARY CHILDREN ACROSS LAT RETURN TO SCHOOL

04 June 2020

Primary children across Leigh Academies Trust returned to school this week. Watch our video here.

HORSMONDEN PRIMARY ACADEMIES PLAN FOR REOPENING SCHOOL

22 May 2020

For more information about the reopening plan, please click on the link below:

LETTER FROM LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST – 12TH MAY 2020

12 May 2020

Leigh Academies Trust has issued a statement regarding the reopening of schools. To read the letter, please click here.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM UPDATE

01 May 2020

The Principal has written a letter to thank all parents and children that have adapted to working from home using resources from their Google Classrooms. To read the letter, please click here.

SECOND ONLINE LEARNING PARENTAL SURVEY (FRIDAY 1ST MAY 2020)

01 May 2020

Leigh Academies Trust is seeking parents’ views in this second review of the online learning academies have made available to pupils during the COVID-19 crisis. We are especially keen to understand whether parents’ views have changed since the last survey. The information you provide will help us to carry on improving online learning opportunities for your child.

Please click here to view the survey.

STATEMENT FROM LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST

30 April 2020

Leigh Academies Trust has issued a statement regarding the reopening of schools, second online learning survey which was published just before the Easter break and the myON online library. To read the letter, please click here.

HARDSHIP HELP LINES FOR PARENTS

27 April 2020

An Emergency Hardship Fund has been launched in Kent to support families with children who have complex needs and who are facing increased challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.

This Fund has been opened specifically to help those who already deal with the complex needs of their child or children and now also face increased challenges through reduced income from losing their job or being furloughed, with many also seeing an increase in expenditure as their children stay at home from school.

Families in need of funding support must be referred to the KCF through a professional third party who can nominate on their behalf. This could be a social worker, a GP, specialist doctor, occupational therapist or school teaching staff.

To learn more about the fund and making an application visit this link. Applications via email should be sent to joanne@kentcf.org.uk.

SUMMER TERM WELCOME LETTER

21 April 2020

Please click on the link below to view the letter:

Welcome Letter – Summer Term

HORSMONDEN PRIMARY ACADEMY – ‘STOP CORONAVIRUS!’

21 April 2020

Click here to watch the video!

HOW TO LOG IN TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM

02 April 2020

How to log into Google Classroom

ACADEMY CHILD PROTECTION MEASURES DURING THE COVID 19 OUTBREAK

02 April 2020

The way in which schools and colleges are currently operating in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) is fundamentally different to business as usual. Most children are no longer in a school setting and staff numbers have been affected by the outbreak. The academy takes the safety and welfare of its pupils very seriously and has therefore issued an addendum, in line with DfE guidance, to its existing Safeguarding Policy to cover the current crisis. This addendum can be found within the policy section of this website.

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

02 April 2020

Click on the link below to read the letter:

Letter from the principal

HUB MODEL

26 March 2020

Please click on the link below to view the letter:

Hub Model for Horsmonden Primary School

KEY WORKER CHILDCARE SUPPORT

20 March 2020

Please click here to view information and register for childcare if you are a key worker.

KEY WORKER ARRANGEMENTS

20 March 2020

Please click on the link below to read the letter:

Key worker arrangements

COVID-19 UPDATE FROM LEIGH ACADEMIES TRUST (WEDNESDAY)

18 March 2020

Dear Parents/Carers,

Further to the announcement that was made by Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, this afternoon we regret to inform you that it will be necessary to close our academies with effect from the end of the day this Friday. This is a necessary decision to protect our pupils and staff at this very difficult time.

For those children of key service workers and vulnerable young people we will take time to reflect on the government announcement and be in contact with you before the end of this week.

During the last few weeks academies have been putting in place arrangements to support your son or daughter to continue with their learning whilst they are at home. Their academy will write to you again shortly to confirm how this will take place.

Over the coming weeks we will be providing updates via academy websites and I would therefore urge you to monitor the sites regularly.

Further to this letter the Principal of your child’s academy will confirm arrangements for the rest of this week, which in some cases will include partial closure. Details will be placed on the academy website.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. I wish you and your family well in these difficult times.

Yours sincerely,

Neil Willis

Chief Operating Officer

LEADERSHIP UPDATE

29 November 2019

Please click this link to find our latest letter regarding our leadership update.

KS2 TONBRIDGE SPORTS DAY

26 June 2019

Children, parents and staff in KS2 headed down to Tonbridge School Sports Centre for their sports day. A great time was had by all the children who had the opportunity to compete in the high jump, long jump, discus, a swimming gala and track events. The day ran smoothly and we had some very positive feedback about the organisation of the day and the variation of activities on offer. The children really are an absolute credit to Horsmonden Primary School and showed real sportsmanship, determination and perseverance throughout the day. A huge well done to Rutherford who were the overall winning house! Thank you to Miss Foord for organising a brilliant day and to the staff who supported the running of the activities.

INFANT SPORTS AFTERNOON

24 June 2019

The children had a wonderful time at their Infant Sports Afternoon, competing in the flat running race, egg and spoon race, sack race, three legged race, wheelbarrow race, obstacle race and a dressing up race. The children were very supportive of each other and showed real sportsmanship throughout the afternoon. The overall winners of the Infant Sports Afternoon were Farah! A very big thank you to the Year 6 sports captains who helped to organise the races and a big thank you to FoHPS who provided refreshments for spectators. Well done infants and thank you to the grown ups who came to support them!

OUR NEW EYFS OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA

02 April 2019

What a difference! Take a look at our wonderful new EYFS outdoor learning space. What once was a dull and uninspiring concrete area has now been transformed into an engaging and exciting place for the children in Reception to learn and grow in.

After two and a half years, Miss Ford’s dream space for the children in Reception is now complete and wouldn’t have been possible without help from parent volunteers, local business’s and funding from the Tesco Bags of Help scheme. It really was a team effort and we are very grateful to have such fantastic support from the community.

A huge thank you to the team at Natural Landscapes for creating a fantastic new natural story telling area where the shed once stood. The children have already been practising their story writing skills and can’t wait to read these to their friends whilst proudly sitting on the new and very beautiful carved seats.

Come and see for yourselves 🙂

YEAR 5 RESIDENTIAL TO CARROTY WOOD

27 March 2019

The children in Year 5 are having a fantastic time on their residential at Carroty Wood. They have participated in lots of exciting activities, trying their hands at abseiling, low ropes, the climbing wall and BMX biking. What an action packed adventure!

MASCALLS & SOMERHILL RUNNING RACES

20 March 2019

A huge well done to all the children in KS2 who represented our school at our latest running races – Mascalls on 13th March and Somerhill on 20th March. We had some super results and the children who participated all showed brilliant stamina and real sportsmanship. At the Mascalls race, Primrose placed 9th for the girls and for the boys, Alfred placed 4th and Aaron 9th. At the Somerhill race, Alfred place 2nd in the year 5/6 race, with Maurice in 10th place. We are very proud of you all!

WORLD BOOK DAY 2019

07 March 2019

On Thursday 07th March we had lots of fun celebrating World Book Day, where both children and staff dressed up as their favourite book characters. A real love of books and the awe and wonder that comes as part of sharing these was evident throughout the day. The day started with an assembly from Mrs Coton who spoke about the joy of sharing books and children heard teachers read passages from some of their favourite stories. Children were immersed in reading related activities throughout the day, where they got to work with different teachers and share stories with children from different year groups. It was a fantastic day and the children produced some wonderful examples of work, which will be showcased in the school hall for all to enjoy.

MEXICOLORE – YEAR 3 & YEAR 4

15 February 2019

On the last day of term, the children from Year 3 and 4 were visited by Mexicolore who taught the children all about Mayan culture. They learned first hand about Mayan dress, music, sports and food. What an excellent way to end their topic and consolidate their learning.

SNOW FUN

01 February 2019

Reception class had lots of fun in the snow today in their outside learning area. The children watched how to build a snowman on the interactive whiteboard and then went outside, carefully following the instructions that they had heard. This encouraged lots of talk about how snow is formed and exploration around freezing and melting. The result of this was a brilliant snowman, named by the children as Herb Horsmonden. Back in the warm, the children then wrote some instructions for the children at Kindergarten, using verbs to describe what they needed to do. What a fun day!

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

12 November 2018

It was lovely to see how well behaved and respectful the children were, when visiting the war memorial outside the social club on Monday 12th November. As a school, we walked down together to meet at the memorial where Rev. Phil led a short service, teaching the children the importance of remembrance and giving them an opportunity to reflect. As the clock struck 11, a minutes silence was had, followed by the oldest and youngest of our school laying down wreaths. Proceeding them, Year 6 and foundation lay down individual wooden crosses for each of the men who once came from the village and who sadly lost their lives fighting for our country in both the First and Second World War. It was a lovely sight to see, the oldest in our school helping the youngest to lay their cross down. Year 6 then read out two poems which they had written about remembrance and the symbolic poppy. Year 5 and 6 then had the fantastic opportunity to visit the display which had been made especially for the centenary, held in the social club. Kel, a local resident who led a lot of the research and helped organise the service, spoke to the children with an abundance of knowledge, capturing their interest and answering all of their questions.

Thank you to those who supported us on the day, walking with the children and attending the service, and a special thanks to Kel and Phil for organising the whole thing, bringing the community together.

ELECTION OF YEAR 6 CAPTAINS

17 October 2018

Congratulations to all of Year 6 who have earned various responsibilities within the school. One of these responsibilities is being a ‘Buddy’ to children in Reception. The Buddy is a ‘turn to’ person and a friendly face for children in their first year at Horsmonden.

Year 6 have also voted for Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl. Contenders gave a speech to persuade their peers to vote for them and staff also cast their votes!

Congratulations to our new heads and deputies:

Head Boy: William

Head Girl: Jennifer

Deputy Head Boy: Max

Deputy Head Girl: Daisie May

KS2 SPORTS DAY

25 June 2018

Congratulations to Simmonds who were the winners of our very hot KS2 Sports Day at Tonbridge Sports Centre! All the children and parents had a fantastic time and the staff did a super job of ensuring that all the events ran smoothly. Thank you to all those involved!

VAN GOGH YEAR 2 VISIT ST MARGARET’S CHURCH

06 March 2018

Thank you Rev Trish for a really informative trip to St Margaret’s as part of our RE learning about Christianity.

WORLD BOOK DAY 1 MARCH 2018

01 March 2018

We stayed open, despite the snow and ice, because we knew how excited the children were about World Book Day. We were glad we did as 55% of children braved the weather and most came in costume. We will hold another World Book Day later in the year for the 45% who understandably couldn’t make it.

MEDICAL DETECTION DOGS VISIT 26 FEBRUARY 2018

26 February 2018

The Charity Medical Detection Dogs came to visit. They wrote:
“Thank you so much for having us to talk to your children. Millie and I so enjoyed their wonderful interested little faces and were very surprised and impressed by the questions, which were on a par with the adults we usually talk to! Thank you too for allowing Dibble to come and socialise. He was a star and I hope he helped their understanding of how a dog smells – I hope our garlic did too!”
If anyone would like to donate to this charity, please send it in and give to Mrs Hart Dyke.

MONET YEAR 4 VISIT O2 FOR YOUNG VOICES FEBRUARY 2018

06 February 2018

29 children from Monet Class visited the O2 to be part of the UK’s Biggest Choir. Amazing! Fantastic! Awesome! Just some of the adjectives the children and parents used to describe the experience.

VISIT TO TUNBRIDGE WELLS MOSQUE

28 September 2017

We very much enjoyed our trip to Tunbridge Wells Mosque. We are aware that as a school we need to increase our understanding of other cultures so we were delighted to be invited by Imam Yasser to find out more about the Islamic faith. RE teaching is predominantly focussed on the Christian faith but includes learning about Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. We visit St Margaret’s in Horsmonden every Christmas and have Christian assemblies regularly as well as run a Christian Quest Club every Thursday lunchtime. We are also hoping to visit a Jewish Synagogue and a Sikh Temple as the year progresses.

DRAGON BOATS 2017

09 September 2017

Well done our team – we came 10th out of 65 boats. Thank you to all who took part. We’ll find out what was raised soon.

LEARNING WITH THE RAINBOW FISH

05 June 2017

All classes will spend four weeks looking at The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Look out for Rainbow Literacy, Maths, Art and much more from Reception to Year 6.

CHINA DAY 2017

24 May 2017

We spent a day finding out all about China. Learning included activities with art, geography, story-telling, meditation and mindfulness, cooking and music.

VISIT FROM BOROUGH COUNCIL

30 March 2017

Year 4 were lucky enough to have a visit from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as part of our British Values teaching. We have been invited to send our concerns about traffic in Horsmonden to them by email. Democracy in action!

RECEPTION TRIP TO GODSTONE FARM

28 March 2017

The weather was fantastic and for some children it was the first time that they had been to a farm.

All the children had a great time and learnt lots of facts about the animals on the farm and what products they give us. They also took part in an animal handling session with Shelby the naughty escaping chicken.

YEAR 1 VISIT DRUSILLAS

23 March 2017

What an amazing trip! The children learnt loads and behaved beautifully.

INDIA DAY

20 March 2017

We enjoyed a whole day of celebrating India – her food, her art, her stories and much more.

Here are some pictures of Year 1 samosa-making.

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

13 March 2017

Much excitement around the school and the buzz of true learning as Science Week took off on Monday. Pictures below. Many more in this month’s Gallery.

Here is a PowerPoint, made by Samuel in Year 4, all about climate change.

SAFER INTERNET DAY 2017

13 February 2017

We were delighted to take part in Safer Internet Day 2017. Activities were carried out in classes throughout the school to promote online safety. Examples of learning included instruction posters about safer sharing of personal details, emoji hunts and e-safety film making – Year 4’s video can be found here.

ATTENDANCE IMPACT

06 February 2017

Missing school can seriously harm your child’s progress and achievement.

Click here to see the effect of missing even a few days of school.

OLYMPIC ROWER TO VISIT SCHOOL

19 January 2017

Pictures of our visitor, Andy Triggs Hodge. We had an amazing time. See our local Parish Magazine for an interview by our Year 4 Reporters.

NETBALL TEAM SUCCESS

17 January 2017

We are rightly very proud of our wonderful Running Team but our Netball Team also deserve a mention. They turn out to practice in rain, snow, ice and fog every week with the amazing Coaches Hilary and Amanda and today their dedication paid off. In our League Match at Skinners Kent Academy they scored six goals in total and secured two draws against much bigger schools. Well done team!

ST MARGARET’S ART EXHIBITION

08 October 2016

We proudly present our Junior Artists! Our work will be on display at our local Church all weekend from 7th October. We have a lot of talent in our school.

SINGING FOR THE HEADTEACHER’S CONFERENCE

06 October 2016

We were very proud to be asked to sing for over 100 Headteachers from Kent Schools in October at their Annual Conference at Ashford. We joined with two local schools to sing songs from the Young Voices concert at the O2 Arena. The children were amazing and their big smiles as they sang said it all.

OFSTED CELEBRATION WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER

21 September 2016

We enjoyed a lovely picnic tea on the school field with refreshments made by the staff and donated by parents. This event was to thank everyone concerned with our school for all the positivity and enthusiasm shown to Inspectors during our recent Inspection. The childrens’ behaviour was described as “outstanding.”

WORLD’S BIGGEST READING LESSON

24 June 2016

The Juniors were joined in a link with 75 schools across the UK in the record attempt for the biggest co-ordinated half-hour reading session, which began sharp at 9am, as part of National Book Day. In front of independent witnesses, the children listened to a video link of J.K. Rowling reading the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Mrs Coton continued to read for the last ten minutes. One excited comment from Year 4: “I want the book now – I need to see how it ends.”

CHILDRENS’ VOICE – THE REFERENDUM

23 June 2016

Every week 30 children meet in each classroom to debate a hot topic. Children from Reception to Year 6 join together and Year 6 lead the discussion. This week we talked about the Referendum and then voted. Our result was overwhelmingly in support of Remain. After that, Year 4 visited the Polling Station to watch their TA Mrs Brierley cast her vote. A small vlog was made of the experience and can be found here.