Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
It is with mixed emotions that I announce the retirement of two esteemed members of our staff, Bruce Spencer and Julie Allen.
Bruce Spencer, our Assistant Headteacher, will be retiring on 31st August 2024 after an impressive 19 years of service to Berkeley Primary School. Throughout his tenure, Bruce has made significant contributions to our school's growth, always going above and beyond to support our children, staff, and wider community. His commitment, expertise, and unwavering dedication will be greatly missed. We will forever be grateful for his invaluable contributions to our school.
Furthermore, Julie Allen, our beloved Family Worker, will also be retiring on 31st August 2024, having served the school for over 20 remarkable years. Julie's unwavering support and compassion have touched the lives of countless children and families within our school community. Her commitment to ensuring the well-being and success of our children has been truly inspiring. We will always cherish the positive impact she has had on our school.
As we bid farewell to Bruce and Julie, we want to express our gratitude for their exceptional service and dedication. They have both played instrumental roles in shaping Berkeley Primary School into the nurturing and thriving school it is today. We wish them well on their new chapter in life.
Staffing updates
Many congratulations to Iain Dalgleish (currently Year 4 teacher) who has been appointed as Senior Teacher at our school, joining our Leadership Team and will be leading a year group in September. Iain has been with the school for 8 years now and is ready for this new challenge.
We also congratulate Vicky Nutt, who is one of our Teaching Assistants, as she will be joining the Inclusion Team at our school as another Inclusion Leader in September. She will be working alongside Hannah Bolton and with Wendy Howlett, our Deputy, to support our children.
I would like to share some important updates regarding our school's services. Due to the rising costs of food and staffing expenses, we regret to inform you that there will be an increase in the cost of our Breakfast Club and School Lunch.
Effective from 1st September, 2024, the new rate for Breakfast Club will be £2.70 (a 20p increase). Similarly, the School Lunch cost will be £2.80 (a 20p increase).
We understand that any increase in costs can be a burden, and we have tried our best to keep these adjustments as minimal as possible. However, these changes are necessary to ensure that we can continue providing our services to our children.
One of the most significant events on the horizon is the planning of transition activities for all our children. We understand that moving from one year to the next can be an exciting yet daunting experience for many children. To ensure a smooth and seamless transition, our dedicated team has been working to curate a range of engaging and supportive activities. These transition activities are designed to not only prepare our students academically but also to foster a sense of belonging and familiarity with their new learning environments. Through our activities our children will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new teachers, classrooms, and some of the curriculum expectations. Our goal is to equip our children with the necessary tools and strategies to navigate this significant milestone with confidence and resilience.
The class organisation will be completed at the beginning of June and we will inform you then of who your child’s next class teacher will be and which classroom they will be in.
We’ve been busy planning our transition sessions, where children will go to their next class. These will be on;
Teachers have also got other activities planned in, for example Year 2 popping over to the juniors several times to find their way around, the same for Reception in the Year 1 building. Teachers will swap to do DEAR story time at the end of the day with their new class too.
We have made additional plans for some of our more vulnerable children, who might need extra support. If you think your child would benefit from this, please talk to your class teacher.