Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Whole School Letter
Thu 19 May 20165th September 2016
Dear Parents,
I am delighted to welcome all of our pupils and their families back to Cropthorne with Charlton First for the start of a new academic year. I would also like to wish a very warm welcome to our new reception cohort and their families also who start their Cropthorne journey with us today.This year sees exciting new developments at Cropthorne, with works on going to enhance our Forest School area and the introduction of Cropthorne Plus, our breakfast club which Mrs Freeman will be running from 8am each morning. Please remember for all children not enrolled in breakfast club, school will be open from 8.40am each morning ready for an 8.50am start to our day.
To celebrate the centenary of Roald Dahl’s birth this term children throughout the school will be accessing learning themed around his works in a range of exciting ways, our weekly class letters will as always keep you updated in more detail.
As many of you are aware at Cropthorne we ask for a termly £25 voluntary contribution to help us in supporting the delivery of an enhanced curriculum, which we hope alleviates the issue of frequently requesting contributions for individual visits, workshops and other such events which are so memorable, engaging and enjoyable for our pupils but which we cannot offer without your excellent support.
I have been informed that roadwork’s on Main Street are progressing ahead of schedule but clearly are an obstacle for access if approaching school from the direction of Fladbury and Charlton. School remains accessible from the direction of the B4085. We will endeavour to pass on any information received regarding the work taking place.I have been so pleased with how all of the children have settled into school life over the course of today and look forward to seeing their many successes over the course of the term. I am also looking forward to our Achievements Assembly on Friday and hearing all about the wonderful achievements from home which have been taking place over the summer! Parents as always are most welcome to join us each Friday morning to celebrate with us.
Yours Sincerely,Rob Bothma
Headteacher
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Five Alive April 2016
Tue 17 May 2016I wish to begin my first contribution to Five Alive by saying a huge and immensely well deserved ‘Well done’ to all the pupils and staff at Cropthorne for producing such a successful and enjoyable performance of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the end of the last term. I was lucky enough to attend one of the showings and was hugely impressed with performance. I left Number 8 feeling even more excited to begin working with such a talented group of children & staff. I am also fully aware of just how much hard work, commitment and creativity goes on behind the scenes of such a brilliant production from all the children, staff and helpers to achieve such an amazing feat! I am sure I am not alone in wishing an enormous thank you to all at Cropthorne for putting on such a great show.
Personally, I am absolutely delighted to be here at Cropthorne with Charlton C of E First School and feel privileged to become part of the school community. I have received a wonderfully warm welcome from everyone and it is with great excitement that I look ahead to a fantastic Summer Term which includes a whole range of activities from Athletics, to Bellboating, to the Relay for Life as well as a residential visit for our Year 4&5 children and also experiencing a whole variety of firsts for myself, such as the Cropthorne Walkabout. Our school will be open as in previous years for this Walkabout, with our PTFA providing tea & coffee on Sunday from 12.00 and on Monday from 11.30 until 4.30 with a variety of stalls; BBQ serving bacon and sausage baps, Adult and Child Tombola, Name the Panda, Face Painting and Craft stalls including “Made by Einir”, Carice Prints, Toe to Top silver jewellery, Phoenix Cards, Usborne Books and Sam Morris Cow Art. There will also be a swing band playing in the afternoon. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for great weather!
It is with great enthusiasm that I look forward meeting and working with our school community to continue the Cropthorne journey together and providing the very best experiences for the children at our wonderful school.
Rob Bothma
Headteacher
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Multi-Academy Trust Press Release
Mon 16 May 2016We are continuing to work towards forming a Multi-Academy Trust with 6 other schools in the area. The intention is for the MAT to contain 7 schools:
Ashton under Hill First School
Church Lench CE First School
Cropthorne with Charlton CE First School
Eckington CE First School
St Andrew’s CE First School
St Egwin’s Middle School
Prince Henry’s High School
Schools in the Evesham area, Worcestershire and nationally are all having to exist in an ever-changing educational system and are continuing to face increasing educational and financial challenges, coupled with the decline of Local Authorities. The schools within the Prince Henry’s pyramid are in the fortunate situation of all being rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted and despite the difficulties faced, continue to provide top quality education to the children in our care. The desire to preserve the pyramid in its current form and retain the relationships between the schools has driven the creation of the MAT from the beginning. The additional freedom and flexibility granted by Academy status whilst preserving strong local governance and the individual ethos and values of Cropthorne with Charlton School are also key factors.
With these reasons in mind, the Governors of Cropthorne with Charlton School held a consultation with staff and parents which informed their decision to apply to convert to Academy and join the MAT. The work to enable conversion will complete this year with the establishment of The Prince Henry’s Multi-Academy Trust of which Cropthorne with Charlton School will be part.
In terms of the process of applying for schools and the route children take through various schools to the end of their school education very little will change but working even more closely together will enable the educational experience of children in the MAT schools to be enhanced.
We believe Academy conversion is in the best interest of the long term future of our school, offering the best opportunity to our pupils to progress and achieve.
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Five Alive March 2016
Mon 21 Mar 2016It has been a really funny old term so far, with a mixture of excitement and sadness – best explained by the children in Chameleons class:
We all tried really hard to get the main parts in the production of the ‘Wizard of Oz’, and many of us had to learn how to get over the disappointment of not getting the part we really wanted. However we knew that the competition was ‘fierce’ as Mrs Martin kept telling us. We gave her a couple of sleepless nights as she had to decide who was going to be who and she told us she had to keep adding characters and extra lines, hopefully it won’t be too long!Once we knew what we had to learn we have been excellent at learning our lines and we have also enjoyed reading and writing play scripts in our literacy lessons. We are going to Stratford after half term to learn about ‘A Midsummers Night Dream’ although some of the lines in that play do seem rather strange!
We are determined to make this the best production so far as we are all still getting used to the fact that Mrs Martin will be retiring at the end of term. It will definitely not be the same without her and we are going to miss her loads. We can all remember every production we have been involved in from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Cinderella Rockerfella, and especially Spooksville last year. She always works so hard with us and makes the practising and performance so much fun. We have been thinking about how it has helped so many of us with our confidence especially in reading with expression. It also made us think about how special Mrs Martin has been to us and we have been sharing our memories of her time at Cropthorne.
“ She is really good fun but can be strict when she has to be “
“ Mrs Martin is kind to everyone, caring and just wonderful”
“She always looks so smart. It is also funny whenever she dresses up in fancy dress”
“ She takes the time to listen to you when something is wrong and gives you a hug”
“ She is funny when we are in a lesson and she comes in and distracts us all”
“ Mrs Martin is colourful and happy”Chameleons Class
Many of the children claimed that she is the best head teacher in the world but we did point out that she is probably the only head teacher most of them have known! However, as staff we are allowed to make that claim and we have all really enjoyed working alongside her and been inspired by her, even if she has made us dress up in some strange outfits and dance on the stage in front of all the parents!
The untimely passing of Mrs Martin’s husband Bob, at a time when they had so many plans to enjoy their retirement, has saddened us all. Mr Martin was always so proud of what Mrs Martin has achieved at the school and this was highlighted on production evening when her family always attended and rightly congratulated her on yet another successful show. The whole school community have joined with the village community in supporting Mrs Martin during this time and we only wish we could be wishing both of them a happy retirement. Instead we wish Mrs Martin all the best in her retirement and a massive thank you for all she has done for the school from present and past pupils, parents and staff.
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Five Alive February 2016
Tue 26 Jan 20162015 at school concluded with a beautiful Carol Service in church led by Sarah and Graham Pharo which was enjoyed by all who attended, putting us in a joyous mood for the festivities ahead. Many thanks to both of them.
Now 2016 is truly upon us and we are currently into the second week of a very busy and short half term. Our first day started with a bang as we welcomed our old friend Antony Reddy, genius maths consultant back into school. It was lovely for us all to watch an expert in action and pick up new ideas. Anthony concluded his day with a session for parents who took home many ideas how to help their children in a fun and enjoyable way.
This term’s theme is Enchanted Worlds sparked by our visit to Birmingham to watch the superb production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. As a result children were already enthused when informed that this year’s No 8 production will be The Wizard of Oz. School is presently buzzing as auditions take place and scripts given out. The excitement that is generated particularly for the older children who know it is their turn for the main parts is palpable. Consequently huge effort is made to learn lines and showcase acting, dancing and singing potential and casting is very difficult!
To whet the children’s appetites even further this term Y4/5 children are attending a Midsummer Night’s Dream workshop at the RSC, Y3’s are researching Mysterious Landscapes through art at Compton Verney, Y1/2 children are off to Bishops Wood exploring life on a desert island and Reception to Hartlebury to experience life downstairs in Victorian times, Cinderella style!
Our production dates are: March 16th @ 1.30
March 17th @ 7.00
Tickets cost £8.00 per adult, £5.00 per child. All welcome!
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Belated New Year greetings to you all
Tue 26 Jan 2016Dear Parents,
Belated New Year greetings to you all. I hope you’ve all had a great start to 2016. A poignant time for me as I start my final term. But I’m determined to enjoy it and we’ve certainly started with a bang!
As I’m sure you have heard this year’s production is The Wizard of Oz and I have been extremely impressed with the attitude and determination of the children. We have never known such closely fought auditions and since parts have been allocated characters can be found at playtimes excitedly rehearsing together.
Obviously this production will involve the making of many costumes and in order to save our brilliant wardrobe mistress grief we are asking if the parents of the main characters could please provide their own costumes (those children know who they are!) If you do have any problems with this or need some advice please ask myself or Mrs Castle.
As usual a successful production relies on much help behind the scenes. Mrs Young has already started choreographing and Mr Comer leading the singing. We are excited to say that Andy Morrice (Tayler and Jacob’s dad) has volunteered his services to make some of the technical props needed. Martin and Jack are of course roped in. We would love some volunteers to help with costume making, face painting and crowd control!
The Wizard of Oz performances are Wednesday 16th March @1.30 and Thursday 17th March @ 7.00 with a technical rehearsal after school Monday (Chameleons) and a dress rehearsal on Tuesday morning. Tickets are £8.00 (adult) and £5.00 (child). Tickets on sale from No 8 from Friday 5th February.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other things to look forward to including trips out for all classes (details to come) and of course the usual day to day curriculum requirements. As always I thank you all for your continued help and support.
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Five Alive December 2015
Wed 25 Nov 2015The days are getting shorter and the weather is rather damp and gloomy so it was lovely to celebrate our multi-cultural Indian week, immersed in the colour, music and vitality of our study.
Our week began with a visit from Shaheen, a Muslim artist who taught the children about mendhi (hand painting), the importance of elephants in Indian art and the use of pattern and symmetry. We were inspired by some beautiful Indian material which led us to create our own patterns and designs. We filled pages of our sketch books with intricate paisley designs, peacock feathers and repeating patterns. We also made some Indian inspired flowers from specially painted paper which we used to assemble the flowers, drawing on our symmetrical knowledge.
Monday also saw most of the school digging into a delicious Indian lunch supplied by Pershore high School. Curries, samosas and nan bread all much appreciated!On Tuesday, the children were treated to a Hinduism workshop presented by Krisna a lovely, gentle Indian teacher. During this workshop all the children in the school were lucky enough to hear and see many Indian tales brought to life by traditional storytelling and puppets. The highlight of the day was dressing in traditional saris and prayer shawls and dancing to traditional Indian music. The whole hall was full of different artefacts, books and costumes allowing us to become fully immersed in the Hindu culture. All children were taught about beliefs and traditions which stood our oldest children in good stead when they visited the Wolverhampton Mandir and Gudwara the following day. The teachers felt very proud as all the temple guides commented on the level and depth of questions and knowledge of the children. They also praised their exemplary behaviour and level of respect.
On Thursday we welcomed our old friend Jag into school and its walls reverberated to the sound of the huge dohl drum and the children (and staff) enjoying a Banghra dancing workshop. Jag dressed in his traditional Sikh costume and taught the children how the dance traditionally celebrated bringing in the harvest in the Punjab.
Friday saw a complete change of scene as all members of school arrived dressed as super-heroes! All staff had been busy baking cakes the night before and competition was fierce as they fought over who’s would be sold first (Mrs Hunt won…just!) Altogether, £231 was raised for Children in Need, a great effort which concluded a highly exciting school week.
We now look forward to celebrating the Christian Christmas festival with our traditional Nativity and Carol Service. Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year from all at Cropthorne!
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Multi-Academy Trust
Tue 22 Sep 201519th October 2015 Dear Parents/Carers
This year, we are continuing to work towards forming a Multi-Academy Trust with 6 other schools in the area. The intention is for the MAT to contain 7 schools by the end of this academic year:
Ashton under Hill First School
Church Lench CE First School
Cropthorne with Charlton CE First School
Eckington CE First School
St Andrew’s CE First School
St Egwin’s Middle School
Prince Henry’s High School
With the beginning of a new academic year, and therefore new parents/carers becoming part of our community, I thought it might be helpful to cover the reasoning behind the decision to form a MAT and some of the benefits it will bring to us and the children here as well as in the wider MAT.
Schools in the Evesham area, Worcestershire and nationally are all having to exist in an ever-changing educational system and are continuing to face increasing educational and financial challenges, coupled with the decline of Local Authorities. The schools within the Prince Henry’s pyramid are in the fortunate situation of all being rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted and despite the difficulties faced, continue to provide top quality education to the children in our care. The desire to preserve the pyramid in its current form and retain the relationships between the schools has driven the creation of the MAT from the beginning. The additional freedom and flexibility granted by Academy status whilst preserving strong local governance and the individual ethos and values of Cropthorne with Charlton School are also key factors.
With these reasons in mind, the Governors of Cropthorne with Charlton School held a consultation with staff and parents last year which informed their decision to apply to convert to Academy and join the MAT. The work to enable conversion will complete this year with the establishment of The Prince Henry’s Multi-Academy Trust of which Cropthorne with Charlton School will be part.
In terms of the process of applying for schools and the route children take through various schools to the end of their school education very little will change but working even more closely together will enable the educational experience of children in the MAT schools to be enhanced.
I believe that Academy conversion is in the best interest of the long term future of our school, offering the best opportunity to our pupils to progress and achieve.
Yours sincerely
Sally Martin Head Teacher
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Five Alive November 2015
Tue 22 Sep 2015On Wednesday 30th September Chameleons class (Year 4 and 5 ) visited Skill Zone in Gloucester, a fully interactive learning environment to teach children how to recognise a range of dangerous situations – from road safety to fire safety , so they can stay safe. We have all written about the different areas of safety that were covered in the morning.
Fire safety – “In Skill Zone there was a fire area. My group leader told us about what we should do if there was a fire in a room. She told us never to open the door because the fire would spread but if you don’t know that there is a fire touch the door with the back of your hand. After that she showed us a room that had a fire in it three years ago.”
Adrian K
Train safety – “There was a train at the level crossing section, we saw some scary videos of silly people dashing and driving across train tracks when a train was coming, it frightened us. When we came out of the train we walked to the train track. Our leader took us to watch a pretend train coming down a track and when it had passed and the lights stopped we went through some white gates at a medium pace.”
Ellie C
Staying safe on a bus – “We learnt about being safe when travelling on a bus. You must tell the driver if someone is being mean to you. Also hold on to the stair railings so that you don’t fall. Do not get off at the wrong stop. Finally do not sit near the back because a bad person could trap you.”
Francesca A.
House safety – “In the kitchen at Skill Zone there were dangerous things like a slippery floor, knives in the toaster and hot cups of tea but what I thought was really dangerous was raw chicken left on the side. After the kitchen we went into the lounge. On the floor there were little pieces of lego that your baby brother could choke on. Candles on the tables were also a danger.”
William H
Road safety – “At skill zone there was a road and car safety section that our group went to first. It was quite a fun zone and I loved the bit where we all touched a vibrating spot to help us cross the road, it tickled! We watched a video of a car a few times and then had to guess where the car was going to stop. We would have all been run over as it was a long way. Then we went into a blue car and had a safety talk.”
Tayler M.
Reminder: School Open Morning, Friday 20th November, 10.00 – 12.00. All welcome, come and see our lovely school in action.
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Five Alive September 2015
Thu 17 Sep 2015September 7th and the first morning of a new school year. Standing on the playground under a cloudless blue sky, watching the children skipping into school after seven weeks holiday was a truly uplifting moment. As one little girl commented; “I love this first day Mrs Martin, everything just feels so new!”
On Wednesday we welcomed our lovely Graham Pharo to lead his first assembly of the year. Our current value is ‘Respect’ and Graham chose to focus on the plight of refugees and his own experiences of visiting troubled lands. It was extremely thought-provoking and prompted some interesting classroom debate particularly with our older pupils who regularly watch Newsround in class and could identify issues raised. Children decided that they would like to raise money to help afflicted families and this will be our fund-raising focus this year.
On the same subject, Heidi came in on Friday to collect a cheque for £1691.94 in aid of The Moldovan project. She brought with her a short film clip from the families we have helped thanking us for our efforts. The children at school have become very attached to their Moldovan friends and are keen to send stockings again this year. Contact the school if you would like to add to our collection.
The 2014 curriculum requires primary children to have a chronological understanding of British history. To help children understand this in a fun way we have invited our school photographer in to compile a calendar with children and staff dressed as people from prehistoric through to modern times depending on their birthdays (Born in May? You must be a Tudor!)
A future date for your diaries – Friday November 20th 10.00 – 12.am, Open Morning at school. You read about the things we get up to; now come and see the school in action!
