TEMPLE SUTTON PRIMARY SCHOOL AND CHILDREN’S CENTRE WILL BE OPEN AS NORMAL ON MONDAY 6TH DECEMBER.

Dear Parents and Carers,

News from the Governing Body

I am writing as Chair of the Governing Body to keep you up to date with our work to appoint a Headteacher to replace Mr. Gulley, who, as you know, has announced his retirement from the end of the current academic year.

I and my fellow members of the Governing Body would like to assure you that we regard this work as the most important aspect of our work ever. We have been busy in the last few weeks drawing up an advertisement, a job description and a person specification appropriate to being Headteacher of our school. We have worked alongside a representative from the Local Authority’s Human Resources Department and with the Assistant Director for Children and Learning herself. The advertisement will appear in the national Times Education Supplement on November 5th and 12th. It will also appear online and it will be in the Essex and Southend JobScene in those weeks. We intend to attract the highest quality applicants nationally, regionally and locally. Prospective applicants have been invited to visit the school in the week commencing 15th November. The closing date for applications is 26th November and we shall be shortlisting in early December. Interviews for the post will be held on 10th and 11th January. The successful candidate will be announced shortly after that.

We know that there will be some anxiety about Mr. Gulley leaving after such a long and successful spell as Headteacher. We would like to reassure you that we understand such feelings and that we will do all in our powers to recruit a successor who will maintain the values and ethos of our school, who will continue our valued work in the local community and who will add fresh ideas to what we do. We have also heard that there is a fear that several teachers will be leaving at the same time as Mr. Gulley and there is worry about the effect of that. Again, please be assured, there are only two other teachers leaving in July next year, both retiring at the end of their careers. All members of the Governing Body have been working towards this succession issue for the last couple of years. We have been recruiting and retaining many high quality members of staff and we are confident that what we have become used to at Temple Sutton will be at least maintained.

I shall attempt to keep in close touch over the months ahead.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Alan Carey

Chair of the Governing Body.

Letter from Mr. Gulley                6^th October 2010

Dear Parents,

A belated happy new school year to you all. I hope that your child has settled in well to his or her new class and is enjoying each day.

I am writing with some important news. I would like to confirm that, after nearly thirty years as Headteacher at our school and forty-two years in education, I am retiring at the end of this academic year. I have notified the Governing Body and they are very busy planning the appointment of the new headteacher. The interviews for the post will be held in early January and you will be notified as soon as possible after that.

Our school year has started with many exciting events already happening. You may have seen our Choir members at the Southend ‘Blessing of the Whitebait’ Ceremony in the Evening Echo. We were invited to be the choir at the event out of all the schools in Southend, quite an honour. We were also invited back to perform again next year. Our Year 5 children have already been on a memorable educational visit to Buckingham Palace, another honour. Their writing about this trip is currently on display outside our West Hall – it makes good reading! Thirdly, our Table-Tennis team was successful last week, winning the Southend Championship. They will now represent Southend in the County Championships. They were quite brilliant in their performance. Finally, our school received a very prestigious award at the Southend In Bloom Prize-giving, a Gold Award for our Vegetable and Fruit Garden and Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards for our World On A Plate Art entries. Quite a start to the school year!

Our Circle of Friends ran a happy Quiz Night last Saturday. We could have done with more participants but those who were there enjoyed the evening and raised much needed funds for the school. Their next event is a Pamper Evening on Tuesday 19^th October. It would be good if you could attend and bring your friends. All dads can stay at home and watch football with the children! We do need more volunteers to help our Circle of Friends – please join in if you can.

I also would like to make a plea for volunteers to help me in the running of St. Edmund’s Community Centre in Pantile Avenue. I am a Director of this organisation – we took over the running of it over four years ago when the Council declared that it could not afford to  keep it open. A group of us have managed to do that and even improve the building. Most of the work is done by a small group of local pensioners who have worked very hard and quite brilliantly. They would very much appreciate a new generation of volunteers to help in this work and even take over in the future. I would love to hear from anyone who feels they would like to get involved in such valuable work. Get in touch with me and I will let you know what is involved. It is an important part of our community and one I would love to see develop and last long into the future. I look forward to hearing from you.

You may have read in the Echo that I am still trying to achieve better health facilities in our area, without great success at the moment I am afraid. In order to help this work I need stories of local people who have to travel out of the area to receive essential medical care. Please could you let me have any accounts you have of such occurrences. I need to keep the pressure on the local NHS.

One complaint from me. We have had several parents causing problems by parking in our overcrowded car-park before school and at the end of the school day, then bringing their children in the main entrance. Some of those same parents have then been abusive to school staff when the practice has been pointed out to them. A reminder – the entrance for children and parents is via the Norwich Avenue and Lewes Road Gates and parking in the car-park is not allowed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

A reminder to Year 6 parents that you should be completing the necessary forms for transfer of your children to secondary school. If you are in any doubt about this, please come and see me at any time for advice. The deadline is drawing near.

I hope to see many of you this week at our Consultation Sessions and I am looking forward to a very happy year ahead with many successes for all our children.

With my best wishes

Mr. Gulley

20^th July 2010

Dear Parents,

A final reminder that we break up for the Summer Holiday tomorrow, Wednesday 21^st July at 3 o’clock.

The year has been memorable in so many ways. We have, as a school, won many trophies and prizes. Our children have performed academically as well as any other and in most cases better. We have been well supported by our parent body as a whole and by our Circle of Friends organisation. As a school community we have supported many needy cases in this country and around the world. You have been exceedingly generous. When you are in school you should see the letter of thanks from a child in Zimbabwe – it is by the main office door. I am privileged to be headteacher of such a strong school. Thank you for all that you do to enable our work to be so successful.

I do hope that you have a lovely summer and I look forward to meeting your children again on Thursday 2^nd September at the normal time. I wish all our Year 6 leavers much fortune and happiness in the years ahead and hope that they all go on to great things. Good luck also to those parents who are leaving the school.

The next school year will be a significant one in the history of our school and I am looking forward to another year of high achievement, many happy times and a further strengthening of our caring nature.

With my best wishes,

FG

Newsletter from Mr. Gulley, May 2010

I thought that I would keep you up to date with a number of news items about our school:-

• The building of our new classrooms is making good progress and we should be able to take possession sometime in June. The development will be a really useful asset as well as solving a major problem we have had with heating and insulation in this part of the school for a number of years. The field will be restored as part of the work. Thank you for putting up with all the inconvenience.
• Our school took part in the recent boycott of the SATs tests. Twelve schools in all in Southend took part. I wrote to Year Six parents to explain my reasons. Basically we know our children and their ability really well. The tests were not always a true reflection of their ability. The assessment techniques used here are as strong and professional as anywhere else. The tests had become superfluous and were restricting our concentration on making as much academic and personal progress as possible. I look forward to their total abolition by the coalition government.
• I have been working closely with the Committee of our new Circle of Friends. They are eager, enthusiastic, hardworking and imaginative in what they do – raising funds for all our children. They have planned an excellent Summer Fair and we should have a really successful day. BUT they and we need many more helpers to make it so. This work is vital and highly appreciated. I would be so pleased to hear that volunteer numbers had increased. If you wish to help, drop a note in the COF notice-board by the Main Office. Most of the teaching and support staff are helping. Please join us.
• I wrote to you recently explaining that we were going to run a Sponsored Event to assist our funds for Swimming this year. Given that we have already reached half-term and many people are saving up for holidays I have decided to delay the Event until the Autumn Term.
• A reminder of some dates:-
• Friday 28^th May – Break-up for half term
• Monday 7^th June – Return after half term
• Friday 11^th June – Teacher training day
• Saturday 26^th June – Summer Fair
• Week commencing 5^th July – Sports Days –
• 5^th – Key Stage One
• 6^th – Year 5
• 7^th – Year 6
• 8^th – Year 4
• 9^th – Year 3
• 21^st July – End of School Year
• 2^nd September – Start of 2010-2011 School Year

Best wishes from Mr. Gulley

Letter from Mr. Gulley, March 2010

Dear Parents,

Please find below a reminder of some important dates:-

Thursday April 1^st, 3 o’clock,   End of Term

Tuesday April 20^th Start of the Summer Term

Monday May 3^rd May Day

Week Commencing May 10^th Key Stage Two SATs Tests

Week commencing May 31^st Half Term

Friday June 11^th Teacher Training Day

Friday June 26^th Circle of Friends Summer Fair

Monday July 5^th Key Stage One Sports Day

Tuesday July 6^th Year 4 Sports Day

Wednesday July 7^th Year 6 Sports Day

Thursday July 8^th Year 5 Sports Day

Friday July 9^th Year 3 Sports Day

Friday July 9^th Annual Reports Issued to Parents

Wednesday July 21^st End of the School Year

I have some very good news:-

• 15 children passed the 11+ this year, including children with some of the highest marks in Essex
• Several other children were very close indeed to a pass mark
• Our school was awarded the trophy for Best Primary School in South East Essex at the South East Essex Art & Design Competition, the third time we have won it in the last four years, several classes winning gold awards
• One Year 6 Class won the Special Award for work in textiles, something open to  Secondary Schools also
• Our Netball Team won the League comprehensively and finished runners up in the Cup, our Second Team finishing third,  out of sixteen participating teams
• You, the children and the staff contributed £1140 to the Haiti Appeal, a quite remarkable achievement

I would appeal for some support for our Circle of Friends. We unfortunately had to cancel our Quiz Night due to a lack of response and the Committee tells me that we have only had three volunteers so far to assist with the Summer Fair. This is an important aspect of our work as a school and I would be so pleased if this eager group should receive more offers of help. Thank you.

One other piece of serious news is that the school, along with many other institutions I suspect, has challenging budget problems to face in the financial year ahead. We shall be trying to maintain all that we do but we have to be inventive in the ways we raise money for the school. One of our largest expenditures each year is our swimming pool. It costs well over £20000 a year to run. This year I shall be asking you to help us by supporting a sponsored event we shall be holding early in the summer term. I shall write to you early next term with details. I shall not, therefore, be seeking donations as we normally do.

Do enjoy the Easter Holiday and let us hope that the weather improves. It has been such a long and miserable winter! Our children have kept us all enthusiastic throughout it and have achieved much.

Best wishes.

Mr. G

Christmas 2009 Letter from Mr. Gulley

Dear Parents,

First, a reminder that we break up next Friday, 18^th December, at 3 o’clock. We return to school on Tuesday 5^th January. Half term will be the week commencing 15^th February and the end of term will be Thursday 1^st April (no fooling).

As we draw to the end of term I have to inform you that we shall be losing the invaluable services of one of our two deputy heads, Mrs. Green, who is moving to take up a headship in Kent. This is very sad for our school as Mrs. Green has been one of the most energetic, enthusiastic and professional members of staff this school has ever known. She has worked tirelessly as a teacher, as a subject co-ordinator and as Deputy Head, with great success in each area for our school. Mrs. Green has also been highly popular with children and parents alike and by all staff members and she will be sorely missed by us all. I am sure you will join with me in wishing her continued success and much happiness in her new post. Also at the end of term Mrs. Munoz will be starting her maternity leave as she waits to have her baby in January. We wish her great happiness also. Mrs. Okonta will be returning to the Nursery after having her baby.

I am very pleased to report to you that on our recent Charity Day we forwarded £106 to each of six charities and last week we forwarded nearly £400 to the NSPCC after our very enjoyable Maths Day. That makes over £1000 donated this term alone – I always marvel at your generosity despite all the hardships of this day and age. And we sent over 270 pairs of shoes to Africa! Thank you.

I would like to praise your continued support for all that we do at Temple Sutton – it is, as I have said many times in these letters, one of the key components in our successes. The interest shown by parents in Foundation Stage 2 and Year 1 in their children’s work in recent weeks has been phenomenal, as has been the support for those children taking the eleven plus recently. Parents are hugely involved in their children’s development throughout our Children’s Centre and Nursery and, to be quite honest, I am finding such support prevalent throughout all our year groups. I look forward to 2010 and even greater involvement. I hope that we can re-establish our Circle of Friends with a strong influx of new volunteers – watch out for the AGM date in January. Watch out also for a new Parent Council I intend to establish in the year ahead.

When we return in January, work will have just commenced on the building of three new classrooms which I told you about earlier in the year. This work will unfortunately be quite disruptive – the path into the playground from the Lewes Road entrance will be blocked and an alternative route will be laid out. Although every aspect of the building site will be blocked off I would urge you to take great care. The entrances to 1JC and each of the Foundation Stage 2 Classes will be unaffected. It will be the area leading into the playground which will be blocked off. I would urge you to use the Norwich Avenue Gate if you can. Thank you. The work is due to be completed by May 20^th. Our Children’s Centre extension and entrance remodelling will be completed by the start of the new term.

I would like to close by praising others – our Years 1 and 2 for their excellent Nativity production, a joy to behold; our various Choirs, performing in the Cumberlege Centre, the Pensioners’ Club at St. Edmund’s Community Centre and in Cluny Square (7pm on 16^th December), this last one being a lovely community event; our Chess Team who went to Hertfordshire in Round Two of the National Secondary Schools’ Knockout Championship and demolished a large secondary school 6-0, and so many of our children for their great attitude, good manners and warm characters – they keep an old headteacher happy. I would also like to thank and praise all members of staff for their continued professionalism, commitment, good humour and high levels of care. In these days of harsh judgements by inspection teams, financial cutbacks and unbelievable demands by the Department for Children, Schools and Families amongst others, it is good to know that we have such a dedicated and talented staff working so hard, as was reported by the OFSTED team that visited us this year and as I witness every day. You will be proud to know that the Value Added Score for our school in the last academic year (the improvement from Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2) was the third highest in Southend. Our expectations remain high for our children.

May I wish you and all your family much happiness this Christmas and I look forward yet again to another successful year in 2010. By the way, contrary to rumours, Mr. Gulley is not retiring next year! Best wishes.

Mr. G

Dear Parents,

Further to my letter on swine flu I am now writing again to inform you that we now have five confirmed cases all of whom are children. The advice I have received from the Local Authority and from the Government is that the school should remain open. Although I understand the logic of their argument I will not be unhappy and will completely understand if you decide to keep your children at home. Please let us know what you are doing. This is certainly the case if your child is displaying any of the symptoms – sore throat, headache, vomiting and high temperature. You should then go to your GP.

I shall be keeping in touch with you over the next few days. I wish you all the best through this worrying period.

Yours faithfully,

Dear Parents,

Welcome back in our new school year. I am looking forward to yet another successful and happy year with your children. During this year we are having three new classrooms built at one end of the playground and an extension built to our Children’s Centre. I shall let you know more details nearer to the time. I have attached to this letter the latest advice from the NHS on Swine Flu and what to do. I will be keeping the school open as per Government advice. I would hope that you can send your child to school normally even if we do have some cases of swine flu. We shall obviously keep a close watch on the situation and report to you regularly. Apparently the virus is very mild and there is no need for alarm. I hope that we can meet our attendance targets in the year ahead. For various reasons we did not meet them last year. I shall be relying on your support to achieve as full an attendance as possible. I look forward to working with you again – your involvement is so important for your child’s success. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to know anything about the workings of our school. One thing that we have been working on during the summer is a brand new report format which will be with you next year. This has happened after some parents came to me and declared that they felt our current format was not telling them enough about their child and their progress. We have we believe come up with a different format which addresses this problem. I value such input from you.

Yours faithfully,

Frank Gulley

3rd September 2009

Dear Parents,

Welcome back in our new school year.  I am looking forward to yet another successful and happy year with your children.

During this year we are having three new classrooms built at one end of the playground and an extension built to our Children’s Centre.  I shall let you know more details nearer to the time.

I have attached to this letter the latest advice from the NHS on Swine Flu and what to do.  I will be keeping the school open as per Government advice. I would hope that you can send your child to school normally even if we do have some cases of swine flu.  We shall obviously keep a close watch on the situation and report to you regularly.  Apparently the virus is very mild and there is no need for alarm.

I hope that we can meet our attendance targets in the year ahead.  For various reasons we did not meet them last year.  I shall be relying on your support to achieve as full an attendance as possible.

I look forward to working with you again – your involvement is so important for your child’s success.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to know anything about the workings of our school.  One thing that we have been working on during the summer is a brand new report format which will be with you next year.  This has happened after some parents came to me and declared that they felt our current format was not telling them enough about their child and their progress.  We have, we believe, come up with a different format which addresses this problem.  I value such input from you.

Yours faithfully,

F E Gulley