Welcome to Term 1 - Horsmonden Primary Academy

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school everyone! It was lovely to see the familiar faces at the gate this morning, all looking smart and ready for the new school year ahead.

I also enjoyed welcoming our new families to Horsmonden, not only families with children starting in EYFS, but also those families choosing to move their children to Horsmonden from elsewhere. Our numbers are definitely growing and word is spreading that Horsmonden is the place to be!

Those of you that are familiar with the school will notice that the work planned to improve the school entrance went ahead over the summer and is almost complete. A porch has been added to the main entrance to create a welcoming, functional waiting area for parents and visitors. With a large, open, glass window, Mrs Janes can now easily welcome everyone while keeping the children safe inside the main building.

The work to the porch is almost complete with only the front doors and front wall to finish.

Photo of the new Entrance Reception area at Horsmonden Primary Academy.

Currently, there are temporary doors with a temporary wall at the entrance, which will be replaced with an aluminium frame complete with glass doors. This will give the entrance a light and airy feel and will be finished in October half term.

The planned work to the EYFS classroom and outdoor area also went ahead over the summer and the classroom has been completely transformed! The room is now bright and spacious with a lovely modern feel. Most of the outdoor work has been completed including removal of the shed and concrete base, installation of new fence, gates and ramp, as well as a new canopy area in the courtyard. The ground is prepared and ready for the final part of the project – the installation of the wet pour flooring. This will take place on 12th September.

Photo of the EYFS Classroom after renovation work completed during Summer 2022.

Breakfast and After School Club

Numbers for Breakfast and After School Club are increasing gradually and children who attend are enjoying the new snacks on offer. As a reminder, please see below for session prices and timings.

Breakfast Club

Drop-off time from 7:45am
Breakfast included
£3.50 per session

After School Club

Finish time of 5:30pm
Snack provided
Until 4:20pm – £3.00
From 4:20pm to 5:30pm – £3.50
Until 5:30pm – £6.50

Any new parents wishing to use this service should contact the school office until your Parent Pay account has been set up.

Curricular Clubs

Our range of school run curricular clubs will start again week beginning 12th September and below you will find out what’s on offer this term.

Mondays (12th, 19th, 26th September, 3rd, 10th, 17th October)

Coding Club with Mr Alabi (KS2)
Mindfulness Colouring with Mrs Kerr and Mr Mitchell (EYFS, Y1, Y2)
Forest School with Mrs Radford (Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6)
Aqua Beads Club with Miss Foord (EYFS, Y1, Y2)

Tuesdays (13th, 20th, 27th September, 4th, 11th, 18th October)

Art Club with Mrs O’Malley – parent (Y1, Y2)
Cricket Club – now outdoors with Mrs Sharp (Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6)

Thursdays (15th, 22nd, 29th September, 6th, 13th, 20th October)

Choir with Miss McCulloch and Mrs Huby (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6)
Forest School with Mrs Turvey (Y1, Y2)
Dance Club with Miss Card (Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6)

Clubs cost £3.00 per session and must be paid for as a block, in advance through Parent Pay. Mrs Janes will open the booking for school run curricular clubs on Parent Pay at 2pm on Wednesday 7th September and will close the bookings at 11am on Monday 12th September. Please ensure you book your child onto their chosen club during this time to avoid disappointment.

New parents will be able to set up their Parent Pay accounts before bookings open and more details will follow on this from the school office.

Horsmonden Primary Academy Facebook Page

For regular updates and pictures of children working at Horsmonden, please check our Facebook page. There are new posts every day during term time.

MyChildAtSchool App

MCAS (MyChildAtSchool) is a communication platform that links directly to our Management Information Software (Bromcom) and helps us to quickly send letters/reminders straight to parents via the app. It also allows parents to see their child’s attendance in real time, helping to keep track of attendance throughout the year.

Later this term, we will move away from Parent Pay (our online payment system) and use MCAS for everything including payments of trips, clubs, lunches etc. so it is important that all parents download the app and start to use it ready for the change. More details will follow about this in due course. Until then, please continue to use Parent Pay for payments.

Using the MCAS app in full will mean parents have everything in one place, rather than having two separate systems for communication and payments. The fact that it links directly with our system also means parents can update contact details on the app making sure everything is always up to date. By now, all existing parents have received an invitation code to sign up for MCAS (MyChildAtSchool). New parents have not yet received a code, but will do in due course.

Thank you to those who have already downloaded the app and signed up. Below is a reminder of where to find the app:

MyChildAtSchool – Parent App

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bromcom.mcas&hl=en_GB&gl=US – Android

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/mychildatschool/id1394575255 – Apple

Attendance

Children should be in school every day unless they are too ill, attendance is mandatory, as set out by the Department of Education. We have high expectations of behaviour, learning and attendance at Horsmonden and will use the full extent of our Attendance Policy to support this.

Parents should aim for 100% attendance for their children. When children are not in school regularly it not only affects their learning, but also their behaviour, routines and ability to make and retain friends. We often find that those children that have friendship issues are the same children who have poor attendance. There is also a direct correlation between attendance and attainment. Children have missed out on too much education over the last couple of years and I am asking for your support in ensuring your children are in school every day.

Attendance will continue to be monitored daily, which includes the involvement of other agencies and the issuing of penalty notices where necessary to ensure all children have the best possible chance of being successful at Horsmonden.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to find me at the gate in the morning or afternoon, or alternatively, make an appointment via the school office.

Kind Regards,

Hayley Sharp
Principal